Barcelona are preparing to play the 61st edition of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy match on Wednesday, where they will take on Egyptian giants Al Ahly at Camp Nou.
The final outing of their preseason campaign ahead of the 2026–27 La Liga season, La Blaugrana are searching for a morale-boosting victory in their first-ever meeting with African opposition in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy.
The competition has been around for six decades, with 73 different clubs—including the ever-present Barça—involved in past iterations.
But what is the Joan Gamper Trophy? And which sides have won it previously?
What Is the Joan Gamper Trophy?
The Joan Gamper Trophy was conceived in 1966 in honor of one of the club’s founding members, former players and club presidents, Joan Gamper. Barcelona have been involved in every single edition and are permanent hosts.
To begin with, the competition involved four teams, who competed in two semifinals, a third-place playoff and eventual final. However, since 1997, a one-off friendly has been staged in order to condense the competition.
Teams from across Europe and South America have been invited to compete, with the winner handed the Joan Gamper Trophy.
In 2021, Barcelona Femení staged their first-ever match in the competition, and they have won all four of their finals—beating Juventus (twice), Milan and Montpellier.
Full List of Joan Gamper Trophy Winners
Barça have been prolific victors in the men’s Joan Gamper Trophy, winning 47 of their 60 finals over the years. Only 12 sides have managed to best them, and only four during the 21st century—Monaco the most recent guest winner in 2024 when they tasted a 3–0 win.
German side Köln, who were runners-up in the first-ever tournament, are the only side apart from Barça to win the competition more than once. Their two triumphs came in 1978 and 1981, while they came second again in 1979.
Hungarian outfit Újpest were the first invitee to win as they beat Dynamo Moscow in the final—La Blaugrana coming third that year—and Borussia Mönchengladbach followed in their footsteps just two years later.
Internacional of Brazil became the first and only non-European winners in 1982, with Porto, Mechelen, Juventus, Manchester City and Sampdoria having all won since.
A total of 60 teams have competed in the Joan Gamper Trophy without ever winning. Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich have each finished runners-up three times,
| Club | No. of Wins |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 47 |
| Köln | 2 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1 |
| Internacional | 1 |
| Juventus | 1 |
| Manchester City | 1 |
| Mechelen | 1 |
| Monaco | 1 |
| Porto | 1 |
| Sampdoria | 1 |
| Tenerife | 1 |
| Újpest | 1 |
| Valencia | 1 |
