Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola. AFP
The match, set for Tuesday 18 November at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, is part of the growing ACT X PALESTINE campaign, with all proceeds dedicated to humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, along with cultural and community initiatives supporting Palestinians.
Organisers said the game will be “an act of struggle, solidarity and community building,” drawing inspiration from Barcelona’s historic People’s Olympiad — the antifascist sports event planned for July 1936 but halted by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
“The spirit of resistance and fraternity will return to Montjuïc on November 18,” the campaign said in a statement. “Let’s fill the stadium with solidarity, dignity and commitment to Palestine.”
The Palestinian national team will also play the Basque Country national team in another friendly/charity for Gaza in Bilbao on Saturday.
In a video widely circulated on social media, Guardiola called on residents to attend Tuesday’s match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, with proceeds to fund humanitarian relief and social projects in Palestine.
“Barcelona, the city of peace, will host this Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium a match between the Catalonia and Palestine national teams,” Guardiola said. “It is more than just a game; it is a cry of solidarity and a tribute to more than 400 athletes who were martyred in Gaza.”
The appeal quickly gained traction online, clocking more than 1 million views on X and drawing praise from pro-Palestinian groups.
Guardiola has been one of the most outspoken major figures in football against the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza. In recent months, he has condemned the killing of civilians, saying images from Gaza since “the nightmare started” left him “deeply troubled” and “so scared” as a father.
“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts all my body,” he said in a recent speech. “This is not about ideology — it is about the love of life and the care of your neighbour.”
In a separate address while receiving an honorary degree in Manchester, he urged the global community not to remain silent in the face of suffering, saying silence “is not an option when it matters the most.”
"It's so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts my whole body," Guardiola said in excerpts of his speech shared on social media.
"Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour."
A Catalan native long involved in political causes, Guardiola has encouraged crowds to join pro-Palestinian rallies in Barcelona and other European cities against the Israeli war on Gaza.
In early October, he issued a call to Spaniards to join nationwide protests against the Gaza war in a video posted on social media platforms.
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