Rabat – European football took a decisive turn today as Real Madrid announced that it has officially withdrawn from the European Super League project after reaching an agreement in principle with UEFA and the European Football Clubs (EFC, formerly the ECA).
Real Madrid have reached an agreement with UEFA which sees them walk away from the European Super League with zero clubs remaining in the project ❌ pic.twitter.com/P62ZyhICqM
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 11, 2026
This announcement effectively ends the Super League project, which had been hanging on by a thread after Barcelona pulled out of the project last week. With Barcelona gone, Madrid had become the only club still formally attached to the breakaway competition.
Their withdrawal now closes the chapter on an idea that began in 2021 with 12 founding members but quickly collapsed under pressure from fans, federations, and governments.
The agreement was confirmed after three months of talks held in a cordial atmosphere, in a statement released by Real Madrid. The club stressed that the deal respects sporting merit, prioritizes long-term sustainability, and aims to improve the fan experience through technology.
It also resolves ongoing legal disputes, Madrid had been pursuing damages of $4.5 billion against UEFA through A22, the company promoting the Super League. Those claims will now be dropped.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and EFC president Nasser Al Khelaïfi welcomed Madrid back into dialogue after six years of tension. The deal marks the end of lawsuits, court battles, and failed negotiations that had defined relations between UEFA and the Spanish giants since 2021.
The Super League was launched with clubs from Spain, England, and Italy, but collapsed within days as the six Premier League sides withdrew under heavy backlash. Italian clubs and Atlético Madrid followed, leaving only Real Madrid and Barcelona. With Barcelona’s recent exit and Madrid’s official withdrawal, the project is now effectively over.
While details of the new competition model have not yet been revealed, UEFA insists that sporting merit will remain the foundation of all tournaments.
The agreement also signals a commitment to financial sustainability, moving away from reliance on external money injections that critics argued distorted the game.
For European football, this deal represents a reset. Real Madrid’s return to UEFA structures ends years of division and opens the door to a unified approach to competitions.
The focus now shifts to building formats that balance club stability, fair competition, and fan engagement, leaving behind the era of the Super League.
