Barcelona’s pre-season clash with Japanese side Vissel Kobe is back on after the club resolved a contractual issue that briefly threatened to cancel the match.
Initially scrapped on Thursday due to what the club described as “serious contractual breaches,” the situation was quickly ironed out, and by Friday, July 25, Barcelona confirmed the team was en route to Tokyo.
“The match against Vissel Kobe will go ahead as planned,” the club announced in an official statement. Though the most recent update didn’t mention names, earlier reports had pointed to the Yasuda Group as the promoter of the Asia tour.
The Tokyo fixture is just the beginning of Barça’s tour, which also includes games against South Korean sides FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4.
In a surprising addition to the squad, Marcus Rashford has been named in the 30-man list for the tour. The 27-year-old forward joined on loan from Manchester United earlier this week, with a clause that could make the move permanent in 2026 for £30.3 million.
Rashford’s move is historic—he’s the first male England international to play for Barcelona since Gary Lineker’s transfer nearly four decades ago.
