While it's far from a ubiquitous tradition, some clubs across Europe enjoy setting the stage for the upcoming campaign by hosting some sort of curtain-raiser ahead of the new season.
Arsenal's Emirates Cup has developed into an esteemed friendly contest since its establishment, but there isn't an exhibition bout with as much history as Barcelona's Joan Gamper Trophy.
La Blaugrana will play host to its 58th iteration of the contest in August 2023, with this year's opponents recently being revealed.
Here's everything you need to know about the Joan Gamper Trophy.
What is the Joan Gamper Trophy?
The Joan Gamper Trophy is an exhibition match hosted annually in August by Barcelona at Camp Nou before the start of the new season.
Teams from across the globe have been invited to compete in the match since its inception, with the game being named in honour of Joan Gamper; th Swiss-born legend who was a founding member, player, and president of Barcelona.
When was the first Joan Gamper Trophy?
The exhibition bout was inaugurated by Enric Llaudet, club president between 1961 and 1968, in 1966. For the first 30 years, four teams competed in the Joan Gamper Trophy with two semi-finals and a final deciding the victor.
In the first edition of the mini-tournament, Barcelona were joined by Anderlecht, Nantes, and FC Koln. The Spaniards defeated FC Koln in the final 3-1 - the first of their 45 Gamper Trophy triumphs.
Since 1997, the Trophy has been a one-off game, with penalties deciding the winner should things end in a draw after 90 minutes. The original Men's Gamper Trophy has also been complemented by a Women's Gamper Trophy since 2021.
Who will play Barcelona in the 2023 Joan Gamper Trophy?
For the first time ever, the Joan Gamper Trophy will not be played at Camp Nou. Instead, Barcelona will likely host this year's opponents, reported to be Tottenham, on 9 August at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys - their temporary home ground for 2023/24 in the Montjuic neighbourhood.
However, Barça have are reported to have also looked into hosting the exhibition bout in Gamper's homeland, Switzerland.
Nevertheless, it's believed that the loser of the upcoming Gamper Trophy between Spurs and Barcelona will have to retain the services of Clement Lenglet. There's so much at stake...
Joan Gamper Trophy results
Here are all the Joan Gamper Trophy results since it became a standalone game in 1997.
Joan Gamper Trophy winners
Joan Gamper Trophy leading goalscorers
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min as Joan Gamper Trophy 2023: Everything you need to know about Barcelona’s traditional curtain raiser.
