“Keep your eyes on the ball” is the top-line advice that has been given to Barcelona and Montpellier players on Wednesday as they play each other in the middle of a solar eclipse in Spain.
Supporters attending the game, meanwhile, will be given solar viewing glasses to ensure they don’t damage their eyes if they catch themselves following a ball punted into the air by Barça goalkeeper Cata Coll.
It is all because reigning Liga F champions and UEFA Women’s Champions League holders Barça welcome the French side to the Johan Cruyff Stadium for a preseason friendly in strange circumstances, with the rest of the country gripped by what will be going on in the sky, not on the pitch.
Sports schedules are, historically, often altered to avoid clashing with eclipses of this magnitude, but the plan remains for the game to go ahead without stoppages. Instead, the club are actually leaning into the occasion, billing it as “a match that will eclipse Barcelona.”
Real Madrid‘s men’s team will also be in action, taking on newly-promoted LaLiga side Deportivo La Coruña in Galicia, on the other side of northern Spain. Depor have specified the best place within their Riazor stadium to see the eclipse, encouraging those in attendance to enjoy “a very special night … where soccer and one of the most unique astronomical phenomena of the year will come together in A Coruña” but also warning fans that “it is essential to use certified solar viewing glasses throughout the entire event.”
🕶️ Tots amb ulleres per veure el Barça sota l’eclipsi
👉🏼 https://t.co/oTUoNBwxdq pic.twitter.com/m80Qs7kmob
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— Esport3 (@esport3) August 11, 2026
Wednesday’s eclipse will be seen across large parts of Europe, although it will only be a total solar eclipse in certain spots, including some in Spain.
Barcelona will technically only get a partial solar eclipse, with Tarragona, around an hour south of the Catalan city, one of the places that will get total coverage. However, Barcelona will come agonizingly close: about 99.81% of the sun will be covered by the moon.
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The match kicks off at 7 p.m. local time, with the moon set to take the first bite out of the sun 34 minutes later. The eclipse will last for almost two hours, with 8:29 p.m., when the second half is in full flow, predicted to be the moment when the near-total eclipse hits Barcelona.
It will be viewable from one of the stands at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, and also from the pitch, and it is only at full coverage when supporters will be allowed to look at the sun without their glasses. That is because during the eclipse, the infrared light transmitted can cause damage to the retina. So the players on the field have more reason than ever to keep their eyes on the ball.
