Joan Gamper Trophy

The Joan Gamper Trophy is an annual friendly tournament held by Barcelona in August at the Camp Nou prior to the Spanish Primera Division season kick-off. It serves as an official unveiling of the team for each campaign in front of the home fans. The tournament is named in honor of founding member, player, and former president Joan Gamper.

The Joan Gamper Trophy, also referred to as the Joan Gamper Cup, was inaugurated in 1966 and saw the Blaugrana invite Anderlecht from Belgium, Nantes from France, and Koln from Germany in the debut event. Until 1997, it consisted of four participants – Barcelona and three other invitees – and featured two semi-final ties, a third-place playoff, and a final. The Blaugrana won the very-first title, beating Cologne 3-1 in the final.

In 1997, the Joan Gamper Trophy underwent changes, abandoning the previous format in favor of a one-off match style due to an increased fixture list. Furthermore, the competition does not feature extra-time, with penalty shoot-out deciding the winner if the game is tied after 90 minutes.

Teams from across the globe are and have been invited to this tournament, ranging from fellow Spanish powerhouses Atletico Madrid and Valencia to South American giants Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Santos. In 2017, Barcelona invited Chapecoense for the 52nd edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy to pay tribute to the tragic plane crash the Brazilian side suffered while traveling for the Copa Sudamericana final and aid in the team’s institutional and sporting reconstruction.