THE stars of FC Barcelona – one of the world’s most celebrated football clubs – are enjoying the sights of vibrant Sydney after touching down this morning on their historic first visit to Australia.
Barca are in Sydney for an exclusive friendly against the A-Leagues All Stars at Accor Stadium tomorrow (Wednesday 25 May) and their players have been out and about today making the most of their time in the Harbour City.
FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández (known simply as “Xavi”), one of the club’s greatest heroes and recognised as one of the best midfield players of his generation, walked the streets of Sydney today alongside superstars Marc-André ter Stegen and Dani Alves
NSW Minister for Tourism and Sport Stuart Ayres welcomed FC Barcelona to Sydney and said fans would see some of the finest footballers in the world at Accor Stadium tomorrow night.
“I am delighted to welcome FC Barcelona, one of the world’s greatest football clubs, here to Sydney for what is going to be a spectacular night of football for fans right across the country,” Mr Ayres said.
“The FC Barcelona v A-Leagues All Stars match will generate significant global interest and put Australian football back in the international spotlight. It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase both our domestic professional A-Leagues and our beautiful Harbour City to the world, and reaffirms Sydney’s position as the nation’s home of football.
“The NSW Government is committed to delivering premium events like this that capture the world’s attention to achieve our goal of making NSW the events capital and premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.
The stars of FC Barcelona will be on show tonight with a Barca Fan Party and Open Training Session at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park starting at 5pm. The A-Leagues All Stars, managed by Manchester United and Sydney FC legend Dwight Yorke, will train first from 5.30pm with Barca commencing their training session shortly after 6.30pm.
A crowd of 70,000-plus is anticipated for the match tomorrow night at Accor Stadium, which will be the largest attendance for a sporting event in NSW since 2019.
Recognised the world over for their iconic blue and garnet colours, La Liga giants FC Barcelona have been one of the most successful clubs in The World Game for much of their 123-year history, but this is the first time they have ever toured Australia.
Backed by Destination NSW and Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, alongside event promoters VenuesLive and TEG Sport, FC Barcelona’s one-night-only football blockbuster will kick off an amazing month of events in Sydney.
Barca In Sydney will be staged 48 hours before the Vivid Sydney festival begins. The match will also be an entree to the A-Leagues Men’s Grand Final on Saturday 28 May and in the same week as football’s prestigious Dolan Warren Awards.
Danny Townsend, CEO of Australian Professional Leagues, said: “We are thrilled to welcome FC Barcelona to Sydney for their historic first visit to Australia. After a season of incredible on-field performances in the A-League Men, the fans have chosen their A-Leagues All Stars and the coaching team has assembled the line-up that will take on Barca for this very special night of football.”
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