Why has Arsenal’s Champions League game been moved?

Outubro 16, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

Arsenal’s away game against Barcelona has been pushed back by 24 hours, causing outrage amongst fans who had already booked their travel and accommodation.

The Gunners were originally due to face the Spanish giants at Camp Nou on Wednesday, November 11, but the fixture will now take place on Thursday, November 12.

A planned general strike in Spain raised concerns about transport disruption and matchday arrangements, causing the fixture to be rearranged.

Why has Arsenal’s game been moved?

Leah Williamson of Arsenal reacts during the UEFA Women's Champions League 2025/26 Semi-Final Second Leg match between OL Lyonnes and Arsenal FC at OL Stadium on May 02, 2026 — Arsenal face Barcelona in the league phase of the Champions League (Image credit: Sara Cavallini – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Arsenal Women’s Champions League fixture against Barcelona at Camp Nou has been rescheduled following concerns over a planned general strike in Spain over housing, wages and the cost of living.

Barcelona raised concerns over the potential impact of the strike action on hosting the match.

Barcelona initially wanted to bring the fixture forward, but that would have created a scheduling issue for Arsenal ahead of their WSL trip to Liverpool.

The changes have inevitably caused disruption and added cost for travelling fans who had already booked accomodation and travel.

Kick-off remains at 6.45pm local time, which is 5.45pm in the UK, with the venue unchanged.

This much-anticipated match is a replay of the 2025 Champions League final, in which the Gunners overcame the odds to beat the European giants in Lisbon.

Why wasn’t the game moved forward?

BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 07: Fans of FC Barcelona follows the training session during their first FC Barcelona open training session at Spotify Camp Nou (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images) — Arsenal face Barcelona at Camp Nou (Image credit: Getty Images)

Barcelona initially sought to bring the fixture forward to Tuesday, November 10, to avoid a clash with the planned strike.

However, that option would have created a scheduling problem for Arsenal, who are due to travel to face Liverpool in the Women’s Super League on Sunday November 8.

Moving the Champions League match forward would therefore have left Arsenal with too tight a turnaround between two important fixtures and potentially required further changes to their domestic schedule.