BARCELONA stars will travel to Birmingham City for a surreal pre-season fixture this summer.
It’s not often Bluenoses welcome calibre talent to St Andrews but could be among those to rock up in a few weeks’ time.
Lamine Yamal could rock up in Birmingham this summer Credit: Getty
St Andrews is set to hose Barcelona for a pre-season friendly Credit: Getty
Barca will use St George’s Park – ‘s training base in Burton upon Trent – as a midlands hub for two weeks while gearing up for the 2026-27 campaign.
That stint is due to start on July 27, and will include a friendly showdown with the nearby Blues.
The date for the two sides’ first meeting since 1960 is yet to be confirmed.
Whether local fans actually get to watch Yamal and Barca’s other top stars is another matter.
The 2026 World Cup runs until July 19 and many of the players who go deep into the tournament will likely be on holiday.
The timing of this summer‘s tournament has forced Barca – and other teams – to scale back their plans.
Barcelona will be based at St George’s Park for two weeks Credit: Getty
A proper overseas tour was not “feasible”, according to club chiefs, so their prep will consist of a match against Birmingham City and two further friendlies in Kenya and Morocco.
The Blues are backed by an ambitious ownership group which includes icon , and they have made no secret of the fact they want to take the club back to the big time.
They finished nine points off the Championship play-off places this term but can at least ease the pain of missing out on the Premier League by testing themselves against a bona fide European giant.
Barca are on the verge of being crowned LaLiga champions and their squad includes big hitters like , and .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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