Barcelona to compete in rare 24-year-old triangular tournament this weekend

Barcelona, led by head coach Hansi Flick, will contest a short-format triangular tournament in the Italian city of Undine, facing Udinese and Nottingham Forest in back-to-back 45-minute games. The club’s last participation in such a competition dates back to the 2002-03 preseason, when they played Parma and Ajax in similar fixtures. Historically, Barcelona used triangulars throughout the 1990s in various Spanish and European venues as a cost-effective preparation method before lucrative tours became common.

Flick’s reluctance to travel far, combined with the upcoming World Cup in North America, has kept the squad’s preseason activities largely domestic, including training at England’s St. George’s Park. A planned behind-closed-doors match against Preston North End was cancelled when the English side could not field a team. The upcoming event marks the first triangular appearance for Barcelona since a 1947 tournament in Mallorca where Manuel Badenes scored six goals.