In a move that marks another significant chapter in the slow death of the European Super League, FC Barcelona announced on February 7, 2026, that they are officially departing from the controversial project. The decision leaves Real Madrid standing alone as the only club still committed to the breakaway league that once promised to reshape European football forever.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta did not mince words when explaining the rationale behind the exit. The Catalan club, he stated, simply did not feel comfortable continuing their partnership with Real Madrid due to what he described as a deteriorating institutional relationship between the two Spanish giants. Beyond the interpersonal tensions, Laporta pointed to cold, hard economics: the Super League had become nothing but expenses with no tangible benefit for the club.

Perhaps most significantly, Barcelona managed to negotiate their departure without paying the rumored 300 million euro penalty fee that had long been speculated as the price of exit. The terms of this agreement suggest that the Super League's remaining architects recognized the futility of attempting to hold clubs hostage to a project that has lost all momentum and credibility.

The European Super League now consists of just Real Madrid and A22, the organizing company behind the venture. It is a far cry from the ambitious vision unveiled in April 2021, when twelve of Europe's most prestigious clubs announced their intention to form a new elite competition that would rival and potentially replace the UEFA Champions League.

That original consortium included six Premier League heavyweights, Italian powerhouses, and Atletico Madrid. Within 48 hours of the announcement, the project had already begun to crumble under the weight of fan protests, government intervention, and pressure from domestic leagues. The English clubs withdrew first, followed quickly by the Italian sides and Atletico. Only Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus remained defiant, though Juventus eventually stepped away as well.

For years, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been the most vocal advocate for the Super League, arguing that traditional football structures are financially unsustainable and that elite clubs deserve greater control over their commercial destiny. He has pursued legal challenges against UEFA and continued to insist that the Super League would eventually become reality.

Now, however, Perez finds himself isolated. Without Barcelona by his side, the Super League lacks even the pretense of being a viable competition. Two clubs cannot form a league, and the departure of the Catalan giants effectively reduces the project to little more than a legal case and a set of corporate structures with no teams to govern.

The timing of Barcelona's exit is notable. Relations between the two clubs have been strained on multiple fronts in recent years, from transfer battles to disputes over league governance. Whatever united them in the original Super League vision has clearly evaporated.

For neutral observers, Barcelona's departure represents the likely final nail in the Super League coffin. While Real Madrid may continue to pursue legal avenues and maintain the organizational framework, the dream of a closed European elite league appears more distant than ever. Football's traditional pyramid, with promotion, relegation, and qualification through domestic competition, has survived its most serious challenge.

The question now is whether Florentino Perez will finally accept defeat or continue his solitary crusade. Either way, the Super League as originally conceived is finished.