Barcelona Withdraws from European Super League
Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions who currently lead their domestic league and have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, have officially withdrawn from the European Super League project.
The club confirmed their decision through a brief statement posted on their official 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," said the club.
Initially, 12 clubs agreed to establish a breakaway European Super League in 2021. These included six Premier League teams: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham.
However, following widespread backlash from supporters, all six Premier League clubs withdrew from the project within 72 hours of its announcement.
Club Withdrawals and Remaining Participants
In June 2024, Juventus became the tenth club to withdraw from the Super League plans. Despite this, Barcelona and Real Madrid remained committed to the project for some time.
Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, confirmed in October 2025 that the club sought to re-establish links with UEFA and rejoin the European Football Clubs (EFC), formerly known as the European Clubs Association (ECA).
Following the public announcement of the breakaway league proposals, the La Liga giants were expelled from the ECA, along with the other original 12 clubs that had expressed their intention to join the Super League.
Since then, the other ten clubs that withdrew have all been reinstated in the EFC.
Real Madrid's Legal Actions
Meanwhile, Real Madrid is pursuing "substantial damages" from UEFA after a series of court rulings challenged the European governing body's response to the breakaway league plans.
In May 2024, Madrid's commercial court ruled that European and world governing bodies, including FIFA, were engaging in anti-competitive behavior and abusing their dominant positions. This ruling echoed a similar decision by the European Court of Justice.
The legal case was initiated by A22 Sports Management, the company behind the European Super League, against UEFA, FIFA, Spain's La Liga, and the Spanish football federation (RFEF).
UEFA's Response and Rule Changes
Following the collapse of the Super League proposal, UEFA has amended its rules regarding new competitions.
Regarding the latest judgment made by the Provincial Court of Madrid in October, UEFA stated that it "does not validate" the Super League project, nor does it undermine UEFA's current authorization rules.
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