FC Barcelona will not travel to Libya during the next international break. According to the latest information linked to the Barça board, the club decided to cancel the dispute of a friendly match scheduled for the second week of October, while the Barça internationals traveled for the FIFA date.
The match would be played in Benghazi, the second most populated city in the African country after its capital, Tripoli, as agreed on July 5 during the visit of the Minister of Investments of the Libyan government, Ali Al Saidi, and the member of the House of Representatives, Al Salihin Abdul Nabi.
President Joan Laporta agreed to open a Barça Academy in Libya, in addition to playing a friendly match against a local team, as part of the strengthening of the Barca Experience project in the African country.
Barça refunds 5 million euros for the friendly in Libya
For this match, the team led by Hansi Flick would not have its main stars, but finally the club has ruled out a trip that would be exhausting for a squad that needs rest. In September, Barça played five matches in just 15 days and, after the October break, the calendar will not give respite either.
From Saturday 18 (Girona) and until Sunday, November 9 (date that marks the third break of the season), the culés will play six matches in a span of three weeks, including the first Liga Clásico against Real Madrid (Sunday 26/10) and two Champions League matchdays.
Therefore, Barça chose to refund the 5 million euros that the promoter of the match in Libya agreed to pay to the blaugrana team for their trip to the African country. This would be the first visit of the Catalan team to the nation of North Africa.
The board does not rule out future friendlies in alternative destinations
Beyond the cancellation of the friendly in Libya, the blaugrana board keeps open the possibility of playing new friendlies in exotic countries during 2026, as long as the calendar allows it.
The Barça Experience program seeks to strengthen the culé presence in alternative destinations where there are millions of fans of the club who dream of, one day, seeing the team's stars live and direct.
In the 2025 Asian tour, the club secured a net income of 15 million euros for the three friendlies played in Japan (Vissel Kobe) and South Korea (Seoul and Daegu). For 2026, it is not ruled out to return to Asia in the pre-season, since the United States, for the second consecutive year, will host a FIFA tournament (the World Cup).
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