Real Madrid announced on its official website on Thursday that it has decided to end its plan to create a European Super League.

According to Real Madrid's official statement, after years of negotiations, the club, UEFA, and the European Club Association (ECA) reached an agreement in order to safeguard the best interests of European football.

UEFA, the ECA, and the club all agreed to commit to strengthening the club's long-term sustainable development while respecting the principles of fair competition, and to enhancing the fan experience through technological means.

All legal disputes concerning the European Super League between the club, UEFA, and the ECA should also be resolved while ensuring the continued implementation and maintenance of this principle.

Coincidentally, at the same time as Real Madrid's announcement, its arch-rivals Barcelona also announced their withdrawal from the plan to create a European Super League.

With the withdrawals of the Blaugrana and Los Blancos," the five-year dispute between the European Super League and UEFA has officially ended.

About the European Super League

The European Super League is an annual football competition planned and operated by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez through his majority-owned A22 Sports Management. It is a separate competition exclusively for 12 of Europe's top clubs.

The league was established with the aim of challenging or replacing the UEFA Champions League.

The concept for the European Super League dates back to 1998, but it was officially established on April 19, 2021.

The 2021 version of the European Super League has fifteen founding clubs who are permanent participants in the title race. An additional five clubs qualify each year based on their performance in their most recent domestic league season. The league will "start as soon as feasible," with a planned start before or during August 2021.

According to the 12 founding clubs announced at the time, in addition to Real Madrid, the initiator of the European Super League plan, its La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid and Barcelona were also involved.

Meanwhile, three Serie A giants—AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus—joined the plan, with Juventus' former president being a strong supporter of the UEFA Super League.

Furthermore, the financially already powerful Premier League Big Six—Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Manchester United—are also founding members of the European Super League.

However, the European Super League plan immediately faced strong opposition from most local fans, some players, the governments of the participating clubs' home countries, football associations, UEFA, and FIFA, who criticized the league for being solely driven by money, eliminating competition, and potentially engaging in monopolistic practices. This powerful wave of opposition ultimately led the Premier League six to withdraw from the plan and the ECA.

On April 21, 2021, the European Super League officially announced that it would "reconsider the most feasible approach to reshape the plan" and suspend the establishment of the league.

On May 31, 2021, A22 Sports Management filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice, alleging that UEFA monopolized the competition and that FIFA had proposed halting the competition's organization.

In October 2022, A22 Sports Management announced it would explore plans to relaunch the European Super League.

In July 2023, Juventus announced its withdrawal from the European Super League plan.

On December 21, 2023, the European Court of Justice ruled that banning the European Super League might conflict with certain EU regulations.

In June 2024, Juventus rejoined the ECA.

On December 17, 2024, A22 Sports Management announced it had submitted a proposal to FIFA and UEFA under the new name Unify League. With this change in concept, a club's annual ranking in the national league should be a prerequisite for participation. Unify is the name of a new streaming platform that should broadcast the league's matches.

On February 12, 2026, Barcelona and Real Madrid officially announced their withdrawal from the European Super League, rendering the plan effectively defunct.

Image source: Internet