Athletic Club and FC Barcelona arrive in Jeddah

Jeddah once again becomes, for the fifth year, the epicentre of the Spanish Super Cup. This beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has, since Monday, been adorned with the presence of the four teams involved.

The reigning Copa del Rey MAPFRE winners and the runners-up of the top tier were honoured with being the first to arrive at the venue of the spectacular tournament that kicks off the 2025 Spanish football season. Both Athletic Club and FC Barcelona are no strangers to winning this competition, having claimed the title seventeen times, and they will also feature in their first major final of this decade.

Check-in ✅ pic.twitter.com/ACDkCCj3fq

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) January 6, 2025

Hansi Flick’s team was the first to land on Monday afternoon at King Abdulaziz International Airport before heading to their hotel in the Saudi city. Meanwhile, Ernesto Valverde’s side arrived shortly before 9:00 PM local time.

Both Bilbao and Barcelona are scheduled to train and hold their official pre-match press conferences on Tuesday ahead of the semi-final, which will open the competition.

👋 🇸🇦

¡Ya estamos en Arabia Saudí! #AthleticBarça #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/X05b0vIpTT

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) January 6, 2025

With Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias as the referee and his colleague Valentín Pizarro Gómez in the VAR booth, Athletic Club and FC Barcelona will battle it out this Wednesday on the pitch of the Al Jawhara Stadium, starting at 20:00 (Spanish mainland time) with live coverage on Movistar+.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid CF and RCD Mallorca, who will face each other in the second semi-final, are scheduled to arrive in Jeddah on the morning of Tuesday, January 7th.