The esports division of the Spanish football club Barcelona, Barça Esports, has officially announced its departure from the League of Legends discipline. On Tuesday, October 20, the organization confirmed that the 2026 season was the last for the team. The club will now fully focus its efforts on VALORANT competitions.
Barça Esports' journey in League of Legends began in December 2021 with the presentation of its first roster, attended by club president Joan Laporta. Already in their debut 2022 season, the team secured third place in the Spring Split and qualified for the international European Masters tournament for the first time.
The team's biggest achievement over the five years was reaching the EMEA Masters Spring finals in 2025, where Barça lost to Los Ratones 0:3, missing the chance to claim the European title. Their final 2026 season was also marked by consistent results: second place at the LES Kick-off, third in the Summer Split, fourth in the Spring Split and Final Four, alongside appearances in both the Winter and Summer editions of EMEA Masters. In an official statement, the club expressed its gratitude to the players, coaching staff, and fans for their years of support.
The decision to leave the Spanish LoL league (LES) is directly tied to the club's strategy regarding VALORANT. According to Sheep Esports, Barça Esports applied to join the VCT EMEA partnership program for 2027–2028 but was not selected. The club's Head of Esports, Jogu, previously noted that securing a partnership slot could have been a decisive factor in keeping the LoL roster.
Despite the partnership rejection, Barça Esports will continue to compete in VALORANT in 2027. The team's main goal is to break into VCT EMEA through the open qualifier system, which kicks off in November 2026. This new format will give non-partnered teams a chance to reach top-tier tournaments.
The VALORANT division, launched in 2024, has already seen local success: in the 2026 season, the team won the second Spanish split and became the overall champion of VALORANT Rising Spain. The club also confirmed it will continue supporting its female Game Changers project, aiming to qualify for the international Game Changers Championship.
The club promises to announce the names of new players and updated VALORANT rosters for 2027 in the coming weeks.
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