FC Barcelona is in advanced negotiations to face FC Basel in a preseason friendly after canceling its planned trip to Morocco, according to Spanish daily Marca.
The match is expected to take place on August 16 at Basel’s home stadium in Switzerland, replacing the friendly that Barcelona had initially scheduled in Tangier on August 15 against a Moroccan club.
According to Marca, talks between the two clubs are at an advanced stage, with Barcelona optimistic that an agreement could be finalized in the coming hours, allowing the fixture to be added to the team’s preparations for the new season.
Read also : Barcelona cancels planned friendly in Tangier
The development comes after Barcelona officially called off its planned visit to Morocco.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Catalan club said it had decided to cancel the Tangier fixture because “the conditions are not in place” to stage the match, citing the “current context of uncertainty” without providing further details.
Barcelona had originally announced on July 29 that its board of directors was finalizing arrangements for a preseason friendly in Tangier. However, the identity of the Moroccan Botola club that was due to face the Spanish champions was never officially disclosed.
According to Marca, the canceled fixture was abandoned because of what it described as the “complicated political situation between Spain and Morocco following the recent migration crisis around Ceuta.“
The newspaper reported that Barcelona has since moved swiftly to secure another opponent in order to preserve its preseason preparations.
The Basel fixture, if confirmed, would fill the gap left in Barcelona’s preseason schedule following the cancellation of the Morocco trip, allowing Hansi Flick’s side to complete its preparations ahead of the start of the 2026–27 campaign.
