Fail by 282 miles: the “gutted and embarrassed” Barcelona fan who missed his team’s Champions League clash
A Barça supporter traveled to St James’ Park to see his team in the Champions League… only to realize he had arrived at the wrong one.
A Barcelona supporter who traveled to England to watch his team in the Champions League ended up 282 miles from the stadium where the game was actually being played.
The fan had hoped to see his beloved Barça face Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Instead, he arrived at a different St James’ Park entirely – the home of Exeter City in Devon. Oops!
The mix-up reportedly happened after the supporter, who had arrived from London, entered “St James’ Park” into his phone’s navigation and followed the directions south. Only when he reached the turnstiles did staff point out that something was wrong.
According to Exeter City, the confused visitor wasn’t at one of Europe’s biggest clashes, but instead found himself outside a League One ground nearly 300 miles away from the venue in northeast England.
It was a tale of two cities and two very different football grounds for an @FCBarcelona fan who turned up at the wrong St James Park last night 🏟️
— Exeter City FC (@OfficialECFC) March 11, 2026
The Spanish supporter, who made the journey to Devon from London, turned up at the turnstiles of Exeter City’s Adam Stansfield stand… pic.twitter.com/uhpqsKWWQT
Staff at Exeter stepped in to help.
“One of our volunteers came to the office to let us know that this guy had turned up expecting to see FC Barcelona,” supporter experience officer Adam Spencer said. “My guess is he’d put St James Park in his phone and then just followed the directions.”
The supporter was described as “pretty gutted and a bit embarrassed” when the mistake became clear.
Rather than sending him away empty-handed, the club arranged a ticket for Exeter’s game against Lincoln City under the lights at their own St James’ Park.
Meanwhile, Barcelona managed to secure an important draw, thanks to another decisive moment from teenage star Lamine Yamal, whose late penalty kept the tie alive ahead of the second leg.
The traveling supporter may not have seen Barcelona play, but at least he still got a night of football – even if it was at the wrong stadium.
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