Football legends from FC Barcelona, Liverpool to clash in Seoul friendly ...

Football legends from FC Barcelona, Liverpool to clash in Seoul friendly match this June

Published: 17 May. 2026, 14:27

A promotional poster for “Champions Impact in Seoul 2026,” a match featuring football legends from FC Barcelona and Liverpool, which is set to be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, on June 6 [ALLIVE CREATIVE]

Football legends from Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona and Premier League giant Liverpool are set to face off in a friendly titled “Champions Impact in Seoul 2026” at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, at 6 p.m. on June 6.

The match is expected to feature stars who defined the golden age of European football in the 2000s and kept fans around the world awake through countless nights, according to organizers.

For fans in Korea, the match may be the last chance to witness some of the greatest stars from both clubs’ glory years, not through television screens or YouTube highlights, but live on the pitch.

The star power of both lineups is overwhelming.

Barcelona will reunite the core figures behind the club’s iconic tiki-taka era that defined a generation of football.

Anderson Luis de Souza — more commonly known as Deco

—

who is currently FC Barcelona’s sporting director and the executive overseeing the club’s football operations, will lace up his boots and take to the field himself. Joining him are football icons including Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Rivaldo Ferreira, also known as Rivaldo. The participation of players such as Busquets and Alba, who only recently stepped away from active competition, adds to the anticipation for a match that promises more than mere nostalgia.

Liverpool’s legendary squad, assembled under the name The Reds, is equally impressive. It marks the first time a team made up of Liverpool legends will visit Korea together.

Many of the players who completed the famed Miracle of Istanbul and lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2005 are set to appear in Seoul. Led by the club’s “eternal captain” Steven Gerrard, the lineup also includes penalty shootout hero Jerzy Dudek, Luis Garcia, Martin Skrtel and John Arne Riise.

A fan takes a photo at the “FC Seoul vs FC Barcelona” pop-up store on the first floor of Lotte World Mall in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 23, 2025. [NEWS1]

With two of global football’s biggest brands meeting on the same stage, excitement has been building rapidly.

“We devoted enormous effort to assembling the squads to create not just a friendly match, but also a historic stage where Barcelona’s famed possession-based philosophy and Liverpool’s indomitable fighting spirit collide head-on at Seoul World Cup Stadium,” said Yoo Hyeon-jeong, director of sports content company Allive Creative, which organized the event.

“It will be difficult to see these players sharing the pitch in Korea again,” she added.

Ticket sales will open at 2 p.m. on May 19 through NOL Ticket.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY SONG JI-HOON [

[email protected]

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