By Peter Omopo
Spanish football giants FC Barcelona have formally withdrawn from the controversial European Super League (ESL) project, leaving Real Madrid as the only club still signed on to the breakaway league. The announcement was made on Saturday through a statement on Barcelona’s 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,” the club said.
Barca President Joan Laporta had indicated in October 2025 that the club sought to reestablish ties with UEFA, stepping back from the project that was initially launched by 12 top European clubs in 2021 but collapsed under intense fan and institutional opposition.
“We are in favour of peace because there is a way forward for the clubs in the Super League to return to UEFA,” Laporta stated, emphasizing Barcelona’s alignment with UEFA and the European Football Clubs (EFC).
The European Super League, first announced in 2021, was intended as a semi-closed competition featuring 12 elite clubs, including Premier League sides Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham, alongside Spanish, Italian, and other European heavyweights. However, widespread backlash from fans forced all six English clubs to withdraw within 72 hours of the announcement.
Following the English clubs’ exit, four more teams — Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus — also pulled out by 2024. Barcelona’s withdrawal now leaves Real Madrid as the sole remaining participant in a project largely seen as a failed attempt to establish an independent league outside UEFA’s jurisdiction.
The announcement marks a significant step in the full reintegration of European football clubs into UEFA competitions and reflects the ongoing tensions between breakaway proposals and established governing bodies.
