FC Barcelona has officially registered Egyptian professional Hamza Abdel Karim with the Spanish Football League for the first team ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Barcelona began their new La Liga campaign last Sunday, securing a 5-0 victory over Elche. They will play their postponed match from the first round against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.
Hamza Abdel Karim was included in Barcelona's squad for the Elche match the day before yesterday but remained on the bench throughout the game.
Nevertheless, Hamza Abdel Karim has been officially registered with Barcelona's first team at the Spanish Football League for the new season, meaning he will no longer be part of the reserve team (Read the details here).
Hamza Abdel Karim joined Barcelona last February on loan from Al-Ahly, playing with the Under-19 youth team before the permanent purchase clause was activated that summer.
It was initially expected that Hamza Abdel Karim would play for Barcelona's reserve team, with the possibility of being called up for some first-team matches under Hans Flick, especially in cup competitions, as is common with young players.
However, Hamza Abdel Karim successfully proved himself strongly during the pre-season preparations, scoring 4 goals in 6 matches and becoming Barcelona's top scorer in the preparatory season.
According to the regulations of the Spanish Football Federation, registering a player from the reserve team with the first team of any La Liga club entails several consequences:
The player in question cannot return to play for the reserve team during the same season in which they were registered with the first team. This means Hamza Abdel Karim will not be able to play for Barcelona's reserve team this season.
The player's salary will then be subject to the Spanish Football Federation's rules regarding financial caps and maximum limits, among other things. Consequently, the club must have the necessary financial capacity to register the player without any issues.
Furthermore, the player will become part of the first team's matchday squad, which consists of 25 players. He will have the freedom to participate in any match without considering any need for his services with the second or reserve team, as he will be fully assigned to the first team throughout the season.
