FC Barcelona Announces First Women's Esports Team for 2025

Barcelona's throwing its weight behind women in esports. Big time.

The club dropped the announcement back in March 2025 during the Sports Tomorrow Congress at Mobile World Congress. Jordi Guarte, the head of Barça Esports, confirmed the squad's coming together sometime in 2025. No exact date yet. No specific game announced either, though the smart money's on VALORANT's Game Changers circuit.

What We Know So Far

Here's where things get interesting. Barcelona already runs a VALORANT Rising team (their men's squad competing in Spain's top tier). They've got infrastructure. They've got coaches. They've got experience navigating Riot's competitive ecosystem since entering VALORANT in January 2024.

The women's team announcement feels like the logical next step.

Guarte explained the initiative aims to compete in major international tournaments whilst establishing Barcelona as a benchmark for diversity and gender equality in competitive gaming. That's not just PR talk. Barcelona Femení (their women's football team) dominates La Liga F and won multiple UEFA Women's Champions League titles. The club knows how to build championship-calibre women's teams.

Why Game Changers Makes Sense

VALORANT's Game Changers circuit has exploded since Riot launched it. Think about the numbers. The 2026 North American season alone features over sixty days of competition with a $150,000 prize pool split across multiple events. Teams like Shopify Rebellion and G2 Gozen have proven there's genuine competitive depth here.

VALORANT Game Changers 2026 Announcement

Barcelona joining would elevate the entire European scene. Major football clubs entering women's esports legitimises the space. Brings resources. Creates opportunities for players who've been grinding in smaller organisations or playing without org backing entirely.

The timing's perfect too. VCT announced expanded 2026 formats with more open qualification paths and the Game Changers Championship scheduled for November. A Barcelona women's squad launching mid-year gives them time to build chemistry before the biggest tournaments kick off.

Barcelona's Broader Esports Push

This isn't Barcelona dipping their toes in the water. They've been building Barça Esports since 2019 with teams across multiple titles:

• League of Legends competing in Spain's Superliga
• VALORANT Rising in VCL Spain
• eFootball squads
• Rocket League divisions

Adding a women's VALORANT squad fills an obvious gap whilst aligning with the club's stated values around inclusion. Barcelona Femení's success created a blueprint. Strong youth development. Proper investment. Long-term thinking.

The esports division can follow that same model.

What's Next

Details remain scarce. No roster announcements. No confirmed game (though VALORANT seems inevitable). No specific competition plans yet.

FC Barcelona eSports Page

But here's what matters: one of the world's biggest sports organisations is putting real commitment behind women's competitive gaming. That creates ripple effects. Other clubs might follow suit. Sponsors take notice. Young players see viable career paths.

The infrastructure exists. The competitive circuits are running. Game Changers tournaments pull solid viewership across regions. What's been missing is heavyweight organisational backing outside a handful of established esports brands.

Barcelona entering changes that calculation.

Their announcement came at Sports Tomorrow Congress, an innovation conference focused on the future of sports. Fitting venue. Because women's esports represents exactly that: the sport's future, not some side project or diversity checkbox.

Whether Barcelona joins Game Changers this year or waits for a proper 2026 season launch, their commitment signals something bigger. Traditional sports organisations finally recognising competitive gaming's potential whilst addressing the gender imbalance that's plagued esports since its inception.

About time.