Mayra Madrigal
FC Barcelona has been looking for opponents in recent weeks and has had three negative responses. Atlas, the two time Liga MX champion, was one of the teams that rejected the invite, but on Tuesday it was confirmed that FC Barcelona will indeed welcome a Mexican team to the Camp Nou.
On August 7, FC Barcelona will face Pumas UNAM at Camp Nou for the Joan Gamper Trophy, a title that every year pits the Blaugrana team against an international rival.
For weeks, it was said that there would be no rival for this year’s match. Then, numerous European teams were mentioned, but on Monday, it was announced that Atlas had received an invitation and was reviewing the proposal.
In the end, the red-and-black team was forced to turn down the invitation because of a busy schedule.
This forced FC Barcelona to find a new opponent for the Joan Gamper Trophy, and so they reached out to Pumas.
Why will Pumas vs. Barcelona play in the Joan Gamper Trophy 2022?
The Pumas will compete against FC Barcelona in the 57th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 7 at 20:00 (Spanish Time). The La Liga team shared the news on social networks, once they received confirmation from the university team.
They also announced that the Blaugrana women’s team will play against Montpellier.
Pumas is steadily making its way back to the international stage in 2022, having just returned to an international final after 17 years, when they met the Seattle Sounders in the Concachampions.
They lost that final by a 5-2 aggregate score, but perhaps that is the reason why FC Barcelona invited them to play in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Pumas will face another La Liga team in the next few days, as it has scheduled a match against Celta de Vigo, but that match will take place at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, also known as CU.
The capital team, unlike Atlas, was able to make changes to its schedule and received support from Liga MX and Puebla to postpone the match that was scheduled to be played around August 7.
Pumas expressed gratitude to the league and to the “Camoteros” for providing them with the opportunity to play for the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Pumas, then, will be the second Liga MX “feline” team to face FC Barcelona, as in 2014, Club León had the opportunity to play at Camp Nou. The Emerald team lost 6-0 on that occasion. Will Pumas be able to win?
