For much of the past decade, Barcelona’s women’s team represented the pinnacle of European football. They were the club every player aspired to join: five straight Champions League finals, three European crowns, a squad packed with Ballon d’Or winners, and a brand of stylish football that inspired admiration worldwide. Add to that the attraction of playing in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities, and Barcelona seemed untouchable.
Yet 10 years after turning professional, the once-dominant side now finds itself in turbulent waters. The very financial regulations designed to keep Spanish football sustainable are strangling Barcelona’s women just as much as the men, and the effects have been felt in devastating fashion.
A Summer of Departures
This past transfer window has been nothing short of chaotic. Six players walked away from the Catalan giants, all heading to England’s Women’s Super League, while midfielder Alba Caño confirmed she will leave for the NWSL in January. To make matters worse, the club only managed to bring in one new signing: Laia Aleixandri, joining on a free from Manchester City.
The reasons are clear. Although only the men’s first team competes in La Liga, the league’s financial fair play regulations apply to the club as a whole. Barcelona is more than just a football club; it fields professional teams in basketball, handball, futsal, roller hockey, and women’s football, plus its extensive academy structure. Every department is squeezed under the same salary cap umbrella, and the women’s side is now paying the price for the wider financial crisis sparked by the men’s team’s huge debts.
“It would be better for everyone if each sport had its own regulations,” admitted Xavi O’Callaghan, director of professional sports at the club. “Having the professional football league control everything else, it doesn’t make much sense. But we have to play with these rules even if they aren’t the fairest.”
Salaries Under the Microscope
Barcelona’s women currently operate with a salary pool of €13.75 million (£11.9m), a figure that counts towards La Liga’s strict overall salary cap. The summer exodus was, in part, an attempt to keep within this limit while balancing finances across all sports under the Barça umbrella.
“The women’s team has increased its salary by €1m [to €14.75m for the 2025-26 season]; the money is there but the market is inflated,” O’Callaghan explained. “To retain key players we have to spend more [on them] and rely more on the youth system.”
But that strategy is already showing cracks. The very youngsters who should form the club’s future are being lured away. Caño, just 21, turned down a new contract to sign for Boston Legacy FC. Lucía Corrales, 19, left for London City Lionesses in a €450,000 deal. Judit Pujols (20) opted for Wolfsburg, while Emilia Szymczak (19) is spending this season on loan at Liverpool. Rising Italian star Giulia Dragoni, only 18, has joined Roma.
Experience Lost
Perhaps most damaging has been the departure of seasoned internationals. Norwegian midfielder Ingrid Engen, Spanish defender Jana Fernández, and Sweden’s Fridolina Rolfö all exited this summer. Rolfö’s move to Manchester United in August raised particular concerns—not only was she still under contract, but Barcelona ended up paying to terminate her deal early.
When asked about that controversial decision, women’s sporting director Marc Vives defended the move as necessary. “We considered her performances and found that they were not optimal,” he told Sport. “And we decided that it was better for her leave in order for us to help this balance between the salary limit and the sporting aspect.”
A Squad Under Pressure
On paper, Barcelona still boast one of the strongest sides in Europe and remain favorites domestically. A domestic treble is within reach. But the thinness of the squad is alarming. Only 17 senior players are listed on the official club website. That leaves virtually no room for rotation, and one key injury could derail the season.
Take striker Ewa Pajor, for instance. She is the squad’s only natural central forward. At full-back, Ona Batlle and Esmee Brugts bring quality, but the next option is 18-year-old Aïcha Cámara, who only made her first-team debut in February during the Copa Catalunya.
January could bring reinforcements, but with the club’s overall finances so uncertain, there are no guarantees. The risk is clear: another Champions League triumph, once considered routine for this side, may now be out of reach.
Future in Doubt
What truly alarms supporters is the looming contract situation. As many as nine players will be out of contract next summer, including Mapi León, Clàudia Pina, Batlle, Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo, and goalkeeper Cata Coll. The following year, club legend and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas could also depart if her deal is not renewed.
If Barcelona cannot stabilize their finances, they risk losing the very core of the squad that propelled them to European dominance. Their reputation as leaders in women’s football—a status built painstakingly over the past decade—is now under genuine threat.
The Bigger Picture
Barcelona’s struggles highlight a broader issue: the financial model of women’s football in Spain remains too tightly linked to the men’s game. While clubs in England, Germany, and the United States invest directly in their women’s teams, Spain’s giants are shackled by collective rules that often make little sense in the women’s context.
As O’Callaghan pointed out, “Having the professional football league control everything else … doesn’t make much sense.” Unless that changes, Barcelona’s women may continue to pay the price for problems they didn’t create.
For now, the team must rely on its still-impressive starting XI and the belief that one of Europe’s most decorated clubs can weather yet another storm. But the cracks are showing, and unless solutions are found quickly, Barcelona could slide from their pedestal as the team every player dreamed of joining to one fighting simply to hold on.
