FC Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou stadium will add a new chapter to its history next year when rugby league is hosted there for the first time.
The Super League round 16 clash between the Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors will take place at the 99,354-seater stadium on Saturday 18 May 2019 (3.30pm kick-off).
Based in the French city of Perpignan, 120 miles from Barcelona, the Dragons are the Challenge Cup holders while the Warriors are the reigning Super League champions.
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Sky Sports reports that the Dragons’s victory in the Challenge Cup saw them receive a formal invitation from FC Barcelona to play the fixture in Spain.
Catalans chairman Bernard Guasch said: “I think we do not realise yet the impact of this event for our club, our competition and our sport.
“The prospect of playing a game in one of the biggest stadiums in the world is exceptional and I would like to thank [Barcelona president] Josep Maria Bartomeu for giving us this opportunity.”
Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan says it will be an historic occasion for rugby league. He told Wigan Today: “This is landmark moment in Super League’s history, and we are extremely proud to play our part in making history.
“Having European rugby league’s two current title holders face each other in the iconic surroundings of the Camp Nou is a mouth-watering prospect and is one that I truly believe will be an historic occasion for the sport.
“It’s a fantastic concept that will capture the imagination of sports fans across the continent of Europe, and I believe it will provide a shot in the arm for the new-era of Super League by underlining the competition’s ambition.
“I’m sure that the Wigan fans, who are famed for their loyal support as shown when a huge army of supporters travelled to Sydney for the World Club Challenge game with Sydney Roosters in 2014 and our recent New South Wales Tour in 2018, will travel in large numbers for this game.”
