Barcelona have officially withdrawn from the European Super League (ESL) project, leaving arch-rivals Real Madrid as the sole remaining club committed to the ill-fated breakaway competition.
The reigning La Liga champions confirmed their decision in a brief statement on their club website: "FC Barcelona hereby announces that today it has formally notified the European Super League Company and the clubs involved of its withdrawal from the European Super League project."
A total of 12 clubs, including six from the English Premier League, originally signed up to form the ESL in 2021. However, a massive backlash from fans led all English clubs to withdraw within 72 hours. Juventus became the 10th club to exit in June 2024, leaving only Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barcelona's exit follows President Joan Laporta's confirmation in October 2025 that the club wanted to re-establish links with UEFA and rejoin the European Football Clubs (EFC) association. The club, along with the other original founders, was expelled from the EFC (formerly ECA) after the ESL announcement. The other ten withdrawing clubs have since been reinstated.
Real Madrid, however, continues its legal fight. The club is seeking "substantial damages" from UEFA following a series of court rulings that found European football's governing body guilty of anti-competitive behavior in its response to the breakaway plans.
The case, brought by A22 Sports Management (the ESL's backer) against UEFA, FIFA, La Liga, and the Spanish football federation, led UEFA to change its rules around new competitions. UEFA maintains that recent court judgments "do not validate the Super League project."
Barcelona's withdrawal marks "the latest step in the slow death" of the ESL, widely seen as a badly conceived project. Its collapse was assured once English clubs pulled out, with Germany's fan-controlled clubs and Paris Saint-Germain also refusing to join.
While Real Madrid may continue its legal battles, Barcelona's exit effectively ends any realistic prospect of the original closed-shop Super League ever materializing.
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