Spanish club Barcelona has officially announced its participation in a new international triangular friendly tournament in the Italian city of Udine, as part of its preparations for the upcoming football season.

The Catalan team will take part in the first edition of the 'Friuli Venezia Giulia' International Cup, which will be held on Saturday, August 8, at the 'Bluenergy' Stadium, home of Udinese, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators.

The Catalan club revealed that the tournament will feature an innovative three-team format, where each team will face the other two in a single 45-minute half, an unconventional format aimed at giving the participating teams the opportunity to test as many players as possible during the pre-season period.

According to tournament regulations, any match that ends in a draw will be decided directly by penalty shootout, with the winner of the shootout receiving two points and the loser receiving one point, a scoring system different from the usual in friendly tournaments.

This participation marks Barcelona's return to Udine after an absence of nearly 21 years, with the Catalan club's last visit to the Italian city on December 7, 2005, when they faced Udinese in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Barcelona's participation in this tournament is part of the preparation program set by head coach Hansi Flick to gear up the team for the new season, as the German coach seeks to test his lineups and tactical plans against opponents of different levels before the start of official competitions.