Real Madrid Withdraws European Super League Proposal and Ends UEFA Dispute

Real Madrid has become the latest and final football club to withdraw from a proposed European Super League after ending its long-running dispute with the continent’s governing body UEFA.

The ESL was proposed as a seasonal football league for clubs across Europe back in April 2021. It was due to be organised by commercial enterprise European Super League Company SL, which was created to rival or replace the UEFA Champions League — the most prestigious pan-European club football competition.

Twelve clubs initially backed the project, including teams from England (Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United), Spain (Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus). However, the move was immediately met with a significant backlash from fans, supporters’ groups, other clubs and politicians, who argued that it was financially motivated and that it would destroy domestic leagues and the sport’s integrity.

The majority of those clubs backed out due to political pressure from those same groups, with individual leagues threatening to ban the ESL backers from competing in their own domestic competitions as a result. Despite those threats, Real Madrid and Barcelona remained attached to the project until the latter withdrew last week, leaving Real as the only remaining backer of the initial proposal.

Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez, one of the most prominent proponents of the ESL, had said that the European Super League would “save football at this critical moment,” indicating that elite teams across the continent were losing out on significant amounts of revenue. The move had also been prompted, he said, by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to matches being played without fans in the stadiums and clubs struggled to find new revenue streams.

In addition, Real demanded compensation from UEFA after the Provincial Court of Madrid upheld a ruling that UEFA, the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) and La Liga (Spain’s domestic top league) had been engaging in “anti-competitive behaviour” and “abusing a dominant position” in European football by threatening to ban clubs from joining the ESL.

By December 2024, the ESL had been rebranded as the Unify League, a competition that would have featured 96 clubs across four separate leagues, but the project failed to gain adequate support from clubs and backers.
In a bid to somewhat placate disgruntled clubs and owners, UEFA expanded the structure of the Champions League to create a 32-team group stage from the start of the 2024-2025 season. The updated format was designed to increase competition, fuel more global interest and drive larger commercial returns for qualified teams.

Reaction Statement

“This agreement of principles will also serve to resolve their legal disputes related to the European Super League, once such principles are executed and implemented,” read a joint statement by UEFA, European Football Clubs (EFC) and Real Madrid CF.

“Following months of discussions conducted in the best interests of European football, UEFA, European Football Clubs (EFC) and Real Madrid CF announce that they have reached an agreement of principles for the well-being of European club football, respecting the principle of sporting merit with emphasis on long-term club sustainability and the enhancement of fan experience through the use of technology.

“This agreement of principles will also serve to resolve their legal disputes related to the European Super League, once such principles are executed and implemented.”

Proposed ESL Structure

A break-away league would have included 20 clubs and been run as a midweek competition, allowing clubs to also participate in their own domestic leagues such as the Premier League. Alongside the 12 initial backers, another three clubs would have been added to the league as guaranteed members, and five more temporary members would qualify every year.

It was suggested that the competition could have begun as early as the 2021-2022 European football season, and that founding members would receive a share of a £3 billion ($4 billion) grant provided by investment bank JP Morgan.

“Florentino Pérez’ European Zombie League has shambled along dead on its feet for years while Real Madrid and Barcelona tried to pretend it had a future,” said Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association in response to Real Madrid’s withdrawal. “It’s taken Pérez almost five years to understand what fans instinctively knew – the European Super League would be widely despised and it was never going to work.

“Let’s not forget that six English clubs originally backed the competition as well. Football’s top executives must never again try to stitch up things in secret – supporters have to be heard on the big issues.”