On June 16, Barcelona announced their plan for a three-game tour of Japan and South Korea this summer, with games against Vissel Kobe on July 27, FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4.
The trip was to form a major part of the pre-season preparations for Hansi Flick’s team before the 2025-26 campaign. A team that won the double in Spain last year (La Liga and Copa del Rey) and who reached the last four of the Champions League.
There was also an important commercial element. Barca have regularly visited the two countries in the past, and have a historically close relationship with Vissel Kobe, the Japanese team that club legend Andres Iniesta used to play for. Barca also faced them in 2019 and 2023.
They were particularly interested in visiting Asia this summer, given they had travelled to the United States for the past two summers and felt they would have to compete with the Club World Cup if they returned there this time (they did not qualify for the tournament and their rivals Real Madrid got to the semi-finals).
Those plans were thrown into chaos late on Wednesday, just hours before the team were scheduled to fly out to Japan, when Barca said they would not be travelling there over a row with promoters. After plenty of twists and turns on Thursday, late that evening, Barca finally confirmed they would be flying to Japan at 11am local time on Friday, with the squad list to be released shortly before.
The Athletic spoke to sources around the club — from the boardroom to the dressing room — to break down a chaotic 24-hour period that began on a hugely positive note with the presentation of Marcus Rashford as a Barcelona player…
Wednesday, 8pm
On Wednesday night, Barca made Rashford’s loan move from Manchester United official. Rashford’s agents and sporting director Deco had stayed at the club’s training facilities until the early hours finalising that move, while club officials had also stayed beyond midnight to negotiate the fee to take backup striker Pau Victor to Portuguese side Braga.
After Rashford’s presentation at the club museum, word began to circulate that the team would not be flying out to Asia as scheduled the following morning.
At just past 8pm, Barca released a statement saying the club had “been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter”.
The statement said the team’s participation in the second two games in South Korea would only take place if “certain conditions are met by the promoter”, without detailing what those conditions were.
Players who thought they were spending the last night in two weeks with their families were informed by the club that they would instead be training in the morning. Some only learned the news via social media, and scrambled to find out more details online.
Wednesday, 10pm
A statement was circulated to reporters covering Barcelona from Ham Seul, chief executive of a company called D-Drive, which the club had partnered with to organise the tour.
This statement claimed the issue was that Japanese company Yasuda Group, which was promoting the Kobe game, had not made a payment as agreed. It also alleged “invalid and forged documents” as well as “deliberate fraud”. The Athletic contacted Yasuda for comment.
D-Drive said it agreed with Barca’s decision to cancel the game in Japan, but said the other two games in South Korea would go ahead and that “all match-related expenses” had already been “covered”.
Wednesday, 11.30pm
After Rashford’s presentation, Barca president Joan Laporta and other club executives went with the new signing and his entourage for a meal in the Catalan capital.
While leaving the restaurant, club vice-president Rafa Yuste was asked by a reporter from Twitch outlet Jijantes whether Barca were still going to South Korea. “We’re working on it,” Yuste replied.
When asked whether it was a pity that Barca were not going to Japan, Yuste replied: “We always defend the interests of the club. If the agreements are not respected, we have to look after (Barca).”
Thursday, 10am
Around the time when Barca’s squad were supposed to be leaving Barcelona airport on Korean Airlines plane KE9916 for Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the players were instead reporting for training at the club’s Joan Gamper training ground.
Rashford took part in a workout with his new team-mates under Flick’s watchful eye. “Rashford shared some nice moments with his team-mates on the pitch at the club’s facilities, with good vibes during training,” said a Barca club statement about the session.
Good morning, Marcus! 👋 pic.twitter.com/OS4Ytu2Vsa
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 24, 2025
Thursday, 12pm
Barca staff were investigating the possibility of flying directly to South Korea for the other two games, including sorting administrative issues such as visas, and the difficulty of finding a plane to carry the 120-strong group of players, staff and club officials at short notice.
There was also communication with the seven club staff who had already travelled to Kobe, reported to include security staff, travel managers and a chef.
Catalan media reports, including from the newspaper Sport, suggested that Barca were already looking for another team to play them in a friendly in Spain on Sunday — before flying to South Korea.
Thursday 12.30pm
The chief executive of D-Drive, Ham Seul, spoke on Catalan radio show Que t’hi Jugues! about the situation.
“A man sent me a message over LinkedIn, saying he was one of the main sponsors of a Spanish club, and had organised friendlies in Japan,” she said. “I believed him and we met. He told me if Barca went to Kobe, maybe he could guarantee me a good amount of money from a very big Japanese company. So I signed a good contract with FC Barcelona, and I myself sent an advance (payment).”
Ham said that payments agreed by this person, who she did not identify, did not arrive, that financial documents she requested were not received, and eventually things came to a head on Wednesday. “Last night I pressed him and his secretary, who finally confessed that the Yasuda Group had never paid any money,” she said.
She was now working on organising a charter plane to bring Barcelona to South Korea for the two games there. Ham also said she would “do everything for Barca to get to Korea, full payment for the two games there has been made, 100 per cent assured”.
The Yasuda Group is yet to comment on the claims made against the company.
Thursday, 1pm
As speculation mounted that Barca would be flying to Japan in time to play Sunday’s game, the team bus arrived at the training ground — sparking rumours online that the team could travel as soon as Thursday evening. The players believed they would be leaving for Japan in the evening.
📺 DIRECTO @JijantesFC
🚍 Llega el autobús del Barça a la Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper
El equipo tiene previsto viajar a Japón en las próximas horas 🇯🇵🔵🔴
— Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) July 24, 2025
Thursday, 1.30pm
Vissel Kobe release a statement suggesting the game would still go ahead, but without confirming this.
“Regarding the match scheduled with Barcelona on Sunday, July 27, we are continuing to work together closely with all the related stakeholders to gather essential information and make necessary adjustments,” the statement said.
“We are not in a position to provide definitive information. We will continue to make every effort possible for all the fans and stakeholders out there eagerly awaiting this match. We will swiftly announce any progress via our club’s official website as soon as it becomes available. We kindly ask for your patience for just a little while longer.”
The wording of the statement is updated twice across the day but the messaging remains the same.
Most of the tickets had already been sold for Sunday’s game at the 30,000-capacity Noevir Kobe Stadium. Some final seats were still on sale on the club’s website on Thursday afternoon. Tickets to attend Barca’s open training sessions scheduled for Saturday morning at 10am Kobe time were also still on sale.
Thursday, 2pm
Barca sources, speaking anonymously to protect their jobs, told The Athletic that the club were expecting €15million (£13m; $18m) from the entire tour — they said the €10m linked to the South Korean games was paid as agreed, but the €5m for the game in Kobe had not been received. Those voices suggested that Japanese technology company Rakuten — the owner of Vissel Kobe — was now “expected to step up and pay the money”, though it was not immediately clear why this should be for them to pay.
Rakuten was Barca’s shirt sponsor from 2017 to 2022, in a deal agreed during the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Rakuten founder and chief executive Hiroshi Mikitani is also a co-founder of the Barcelona-headquartered Kosmos agency along with ex-Barca defender Gerard Pique. Kosmos’ projects have included running the Davis Cup tennis competition, moving the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia and owning Spanish second-division side Andorra.
Rakuten declined to comment when asked by The Athletic whether it would pay the €5m.
Thursday, 4pm
By this point, Barca players and staff had been told by the club that they would not be travelling to Japan on Thursday.
“I don’t know what else to say,” a dressing-room source, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic during the afternoon, when asked whether they were expecting to travel the next day or at some point. “We don’t know anything right now. It’s madness.”
One player who definitely will not be making the trip is goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He posted on X at 5.21pm to say he would have an operation on a long-running back injury and would be out for around three months — one below the four required for the club to activate an injury loophole and register another player in his place under La Liga rules. Barca’s statement later in the day did not stipulate a timeframe.
Thursday, 8.30pm
The club confirm they plan to travel to Japan on Friday at 11am, with the squad list to be released shortly beforehand, and with the intention to play the game against Vissel Kobe on Sunday.
What next?
Barca’s original plan for Friday involved the team arriving at Kansai International Airport in Osaka at 6.50am local time (11.50pm Barcelona time). They were due to check in at the Kobe Portopia Hotel at 8.30am. Two training sessions were also scheduled at 11am and 6pm at Vissel Kobe’s ground. They will now travel late Friday morning Barcelona time.
Before that was confirmed, Barca had training sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Kobe stadium. Club staff were also due at an event on Saturday in Kobe organised by the Catalan Tourist Agency. Meet-and-greets with Barca’s Japan-based fans were set for Saturday afternoon, with the club invited to a Vissel Kobe 30th anniversary charity gala on Saturday evening.
The game was scheduled for 7pm Sunday local time. The team had Monday off — then on Tuesday they were due on Korean airways flight KE9736, leaving Kansai at 10.30am and arriving at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at midday. The team were booked into the South Korean capital’s Four Seasons Hotel — and due to play Jesse Lingard’s FC Seoul next Thursday, before flying to Daegu the following morning for the final tour game.
It remains to be seen how their new plans impact their schedule.
This was yet another crazy 24 hours in the life of the Catalan club.
(Top photos: Rashford at his presentation and Barca players in training earlier this week; Getty Images)
