Barcelona exits Super League, leaving Real Madrid alone

Barcelona Officially Withdraw From European Super League Project

FC Barcelona announced on Saturday that they have formally withdrawn from the European Super League project, leaving rivals Real Madrid as the sole remaining founding member of the controversial breakaway competition that briefly threatened to reshape European football in 2021.

“FC Barcelona announces that today it has formally communicated to the European Super League Company and the clubs that have been part of it its withdrawal from the European Super League project,” the LaLiga leaders stated in a brief, 28-word announcement.espn

A Project in Decline

The withdrawal marks the culmination of Barcelona’s gradual distancing from the initiative under President Joan Laporta, who had been rebuilding ties with UEFA and the European Football Clubs association (EFC, formerly the ECA) in recent months.barcauniversal

The Super League was conceived in April 2021 with 12 founding clubs—three from Spain, three from Italy, and six from England—with the aim of reshaping European club football to benefit the wealthiest teams. However, the concept of an elite closed-shop competition sparked immense fan protests, government pushback, and staunch opposition from governing bodies, causing its effective collapse within days of its announcement.reuters

All six English Premier League clubs—Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur—withdrew rapidly in 2021 after heavy backlash. The Italian clubs followed, with Juventus confirming their exit in July 2023, leaving only Barcelona and Real Madrid associated with the project.thestar

Fractured Relationship With Real Madrid

Barcelona’s departure comes amid deteriorating relations between the two Spanish giants. In January, Laporta admitted that institutional ties between the clubs are “completely broken,” pointing to remarks made by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez regarding the Negreira corruption scandal as a key factor.beinsports

Laporta had signaled the club’s intentions in October 2025 when he attended the EFC assembly in Rome, where he was warmly received by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and EFC chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi. At that meeting, Laporta urged would-be Super League clubs to “return to UEFA” and expressed Barcelona’s determination to reach an agreement that would “pacify European football”.besoccer

Real Madrid Stands Alone

The decision leaves Perez and A22 Sports Management, the Super League’s promoter, as the only remaining advocates for the project. Despite a December 2023 ruling by the European Court of Justice that found UEFA’s rules blocking the competition violated EU law, the rebranded “Unify League” has struggled to gain traction.football-espana

Perez has remained defiant, stating that Real Madrid will pursue multimillion-euro compensation from UEFA for obstructing the Super League and continue fighting for the right to establish the competition.goal