Barcelona’s pre-season preparations have been thrown into disarray following the abrupt cancellation of their Japan tour just one day before the squad was set to depart. The club now faces uncertainty over the rest of its Asia schedule, with the entire tour hanging in the balance.
Barcelona have officially scrapped their pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe in Japan, citing what they described as a “serious contractual breach” by the event promoter. The club had planned to fly out to Tokyo on Thursday for the July 27 fixture, but that flight has been canceled, and the match is now off the calendar entirely.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Barcelona expressed regret over the breakdown in arrangements and acknowledged the frustration this causes fans in Japan. “The Club regrets this incident and the impact it will have on the many, many Barça fans in Japan,” the statement read. “We have been obliged to suspend our participation due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter.”
While the club hasn’t named the promoter involved, Spanish reports suggest Barcelona were left blindsided by sudden issues surrounding logistics and financial guarantees—problems that could now ripple into the South Korean leg of the tour. According to journalist Gerard Romero, the entire Asia tour is now “hanging by a thread.”
Barcelona are still scheduled to play FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4 in South Korea, but those games are now under review. The club confirmed that it is “reassessing” whether to go ahead with that part of the trip, contingent on the event organizers meeting specific conditions that are yet to be finalized.
The timing couldn’t be worse. With new manager Hansi Flick still in the early stages of molding his squad ahead of the 2025–26 La Liga campaign, this disruption complicates his ability to integrate new signings like Marcus Rashford and reinforce tactical principles. Beyond the sporting impact, there’s also the commercial blow: pre-season tours in Asia are major revenue drivers, with clubs like Barcelona leveraging them for sponsorship deals, brand exposure, and direct fan engagement.
Even more crucially, this sudden upheaval tarnishes what was meant to be a positive summer for the club following a turbulent 2024–25 campaign. Flick’s arrival, Rashford’s signing, and a refreshed squad had given supporters hope for a renewed Barcelona. Now, the uncertainty surrounding their summer tour serves as an untimely reminder of the instability that still lingers behind the scenes.
Unless the issues with Korean promoters are resolved swiftly, Barcelona’s summer could go from ambitious to chaotic—and that’s before a ball is kicked in La Liga.
