Spanish La Liga champions FC Barcelona have called off a planned pre-season friendly against Moroccan club Ittihad Riadi Tangier, scheduled for August 15 in northwestern Morocco, amid escalating tensions linked to a major migration crisis at the Spanish-Moroccan border around the enclave of Ceuta. The club announced the cancellation in an official statement, noting that the current uncertain regional conditions made proceeding with the match inappropriate. Though the statement did not explicitly name the Ceuta crisis as the cause, BBC Sport reporting has confirmed the decision is directly tied to the ongoing unrest in the North African border region. Last week alone, an estimated 78,000 migrants crossed from Moroccan territory into Ceuta, a Spanish sovereign enclave that sits along Morocco’s northern coast. The unprecedented mass crossing resulted in at least 100 migrant deaths and triggered sharp divisions across the European Union, which maintains open internal borders through the Schengen Area agreement. While authorities have facilitated the return of most migrants to Morocco, between 3,000 and 5,000 people remain in Ceuta as of the latest updates. The crisis has already sparked diplomatic rifts within the bloc: Italy has suspended its participation in the Schengen free movement arrangement with Spain, a move supported by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic has gone further to call for a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership. This cancellation marks the second pre-season fixture Barcelona has lost in the lead-up to the 2025-26 campaign. The club recently completed a pre-season training camp in the United Kingdom, where it played a match against Birmingham City, but a scheduled friendly against Preston North End was also called off. Despite the two cancelled fixtures, manager Hansi Flick’s side still has a packed pre-season schedule to complete before the start of La Liga. Barcelona is set to take on Nottingham Forest this Saturday in Udine, Italy, before hosting Egyptian top club Al Ahly in a friendly on August 19. The club will officially kick off its defense of the La Liga title on August 23, with an opening match against Elche. Beyond pre-season scheduling disruptions, Barcelona remains in ongoing transfer negotiations, having recently had a £38.5 million bid rejected by Manchester City for star midfielder Rodri, with the player yet to announce a final decision on his future.