FC Barcelona exit European Super League project

BARCELONA: Spanish football giants FC Barcelona have officially withdrawn from the controversial European Super League project, effectively leaving Real Madrid as the only major club still backing the breakaway initiative.

The Catalan club confirmed on Saturday that it had formally informed the European Super League Company and other participating clubs of its decision to step away from the project.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta had earlier hinted at a policy shift, signalling in January that the club was prepared to move forward within UEFA’s existing competition framework. He had also called on other clubs to return to European football’s governing structure.

The European Super League was launched in 2021 as an ambitious plan to reshape elite European club football, aiming to create a competition dominated by the continent’s wealthiest and most powerful clubs. However, the proposal triggered unprecedented backlash.

Fans across Europe staged protests, governments expressed concerns, and UEFA, along with domestic leagues, strongly opposed the idea. The pressure forced several founding clubs to withdraw within days, leading to the project’s near collapse.

Juventus formally exited in July 2023, leaving Barcelona and Real Madrid as the last two active supporters among the original core group, which had included three Spanish, three Italian and six English clubs. All six Premier League clubs had pulled out shortly after the announcement in 2021 amid intense public criticism.

An attempt to relaunch the concept emerged in December 2024 under a revised format called the “Unify League”, proposing a 96-team competition divided into four tiers. The new model, however, also failed to gain traction, with strong resistance from major leagues such as LaLiga and the English Premier League.

With Barcelona’s departure, Real Madrid now remain the sole prominent advocate of the breakaway model and continue to push for its implementation, while also pursuing compensation claims against UEFA over the blocking of the original Super League proposal.