Cape Town - La Liga giants Barcelona have confirmed they will travel to South Africa to face Absa Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns for the Mandela Centenary Cup.
The game is set to take place at the FNB Stadium Wednesday, May 16 at 18:00 and this will be second time the Brazilians have hosted the Spanish side; in 2007, the La Liga outfit recorded a 2-1 win.
Although Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe had originally announced the match last week, there had been talk of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) not giving the green light for the event (as it falls within the domestic season), while there was also no official announcement from Barcelona.
But the PSL released a statement giving the match the thumbs-up, and Sundowns then announced at a press conference on Thursday that the game will be taking place.
Tickets have already gone on sale and the pricing is as follows; Level 5 R40, Level 1 East R50, Level 2 R150, Level 1 North & South R350 and Level 1 West R550.
Read the statement below:
FC Barcelona will be playing its part in the events to commemorate what would have been Nelson Mandela’s one hundredth birthday as they travel to South Africa for a friendly game on May 16 against ABSA Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The team will travel to Johannesburg the day before the match, which kicks off at 18:00 (both local time and CET) in the FNB Stadium, formerly known as Soccer City Stadium.
The teams will be playing for the Mandela Centenary Cup, which forms part of the celebrations of the life of Nelson Mandela in 2018. The game presents a wonderful opportunity for South African supporters of Barça, and is being organised by the South African Football Association together with LaLiga World Challenge.
BREAKING! It’s champion vs champion! Mamelodi Sundowns to host La Liga champions Barcelona, in a clash of the giants! #Sundowns #DownsBarca pic.twitter.com/lV8ERJu150
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 10, 2018