Barcelona hefur langa íþróttahefð og var gestgjafi mjög vel heppnuðra sumarólympíuleika 1992 auk nokkurra leikja á heimsmeistaramóti FIFA 1982 (á tveimur völlum). Það hefur einnig verið gestgjafi, meðal annars, úrslita EM (1989, 1999), EM Cup Winners 'Cup (1972, 1982), UEFA Cup (1988), European Super Cup (1979, 1982, 1989, 1992, 1997), Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), Eurobasket (1973, 1997), Euroleague (1969, 1998, 2003, 2011), World Bowl (1997), CERS Cup (2011), 2003 EuroHockey Nations Championship og 1951, 1954, 1957, 1979 European Roller Hockey Championship, 1955 Mediterranean Games, 1958 European Judo Championships, 1964 UEFA Euro (European Cup), 1970 European Water Polo Championship, 1970 European Aquatics Championships, 1971 Hokkí heimsmeistaramót karla, 1973 UCI Road World Championships, 1976 European Taekwondo Championships, 1980 European Karate Championships, 1984 UCI Cycling Track World Championships, 1984 UCI Road World Championships, 1985 Taekwondo World Championships, 1987 World Championships, 1987 IAAF World Championships, 1989 IAAF World Cup, 1991 JAF World Cup, 1989 UEFA World Under-21 Water Polo Championships, 1996 UEFA World Championships, 1996 FIFA World Championships, 1996 UEFA World Championships, 1996 FINA World Championships,
, 1996 UEFA Evrópumeistaramót U21 (margir leikir), 2002 Euro Beach Soccer Cup, 2002 Rugby World Cup kvenna, 2002 World Interuniversity Games, 2003 World Aquatics Championships, 2006 Hockey Champions Trophy karla, 2007 Evrópumeistaramót í beisbolta, 2007 UEFA<unk>CAF Meridian Cup, 2010 Evrópumeistaramót í frjálsíþróttum, FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2011, 2013 World Men's Handball Championship og nokkur önnur. Heimsmeistaramótið í vatnsíþróttum 2013 verður haldið árið 2013 og FIBA-heimsmeistaramótið í körfubolta árið 2014.