Gavi kicked things off with a goal in the 17th minute, marking his first since returning from a serious leg injury that kept him out for almost a year.
In the 52nd minute, Gavi set up Yamal for the second goal with a slick pass. The 17-year-old took control, spun towards the goal, and calmly slotted it past goalkeeper Unai Simón to double the score.
Real Madrid and Mallorca are set to face off in the other semifinal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Sunday.
Yamal kept his cards close to his chest regarding which team he’d prefer to face in the final, simply stating, “the final will be tough, and we want to win it, that is the important thing.”
Gavi got the ball rolling for Barcelona by redirecting a short pass from Alejandro Balde after the left back made a run to the endline in Athletic’s box.
Athletic struggled to create any real chances until they were already down by two goals. Iñaki Williams thought he had found the net in the dying moments, but his goal was disallowed after a video review showed he was offside.
This defeat snapped a 15-game unbeaten run for Ernesto Valverde’s squad across all competitions.
Athletic entered the tournament as the reigning Copa del Rey champions, while Barcelona came in as the runners-up from the Spanish league. This minor trophy has turned into a significant revenue source for the federation and participating clubs since a deal was made in 2019 to host it in the Middle East.