Spanish football giants FC Barcelona are the latest traditional sports club expanding into esports, announcing plans to field a team in the 2024 VALORANT Challengers Rising league in Spain.
This bold move into Riot Games’ popular tactical shooter comes as part of Barça Games, a new gaming and esports initiative launched by the club in collaboration with media partners.
Keypoints
- FC Barcelona is entering VALORANT esports, fielding a team in the Spanish Challengers league VALORANT Challengers Rising for the 2024 season
- This is part of FC Barcelona’s larger Barça Games initiative launched in collaboration with Mas Ros Media and FireSPORTS to expand their gaming and esports presence
- FC Barcelona already has experience in esports, with a League of Legends team competing in the Spanish regional league since 2022 and previously a Rocket League team
- The FC Barcelona VALORANT roster and staff are still undisclosed but they are targeting top placements in the domestic league
- Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero, former FC Barcelona players, recently became co-owners of KRÜ Esports who compete in VCT Americas VALORANT events
While new to VALORANT, Barcelona are no strangers to esports, having fielded a team in the regional League of Legends Spanish SuperLiga competition since 2022. They also previously managed a Rocket League roster that competed at several international LAN events during a 3-year run. However, the Valorant squad represents the club’s first steps into tactical FPS titles.
Barça Games aims to strengthen FC Barcelona’s presence across gaming, streaming and esports. The project launches next April and will encompass competitive gaming rosters, online content, and fan engagement opportunities. Alongside the new VALORANT team, Barcelona’s existing League of Legends squad will also come under the Barça Games umbrella as the club seeks to unite its digital sports assets.
LEAK: El FC Barcelona tendrá equipo de Valorant en 2024 para competir en LVP Rising.
Será de la mano de la iniciativa Barça Games que presentó el club recientemente y ya están valorando fichajes, por presupuesto podrían luchar por la liga. Pronto más noticias 🧐 pic.twitter.com/fPb6HschyH
— Lembo (@Lembo006) November 13, 2023
The specifics of Barcelona’s VALORANT roster are yet to be revealed, but according to inside sources they have already secured the services of former Case Esports coach Lucas “LRojo” Rojo to lead the squad. With the financial backing of such an iconic institution like FC Barcelona behind them, the team will be aiming high and targeting domestic domination in their debut season.
The team will battle it out in the rebranded Challengers Rising league, now known as VALORANT Challengers Rising, which serves as the tier two scene under the main VCT circuit. As part of plans to develop grassroots VALORANT, Riot Games recently announced an overhaul to the global Challengers ecosystem for 2024 and beyond. This includes longer splits, more regular tournaments, and the integration of Academy “affiliate” teams into the Spanish league.
FC Barcelona are the latest in a growing movement of major football clubs investing in VALORANT, no doubt inspired by ex-players Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero becoming co-owners of American VCT side KRÜ Esports. Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo also entered the tactical shooter in 2022 by acquiring a spot in the Pacific League for his organization CR7 Esports. With football and gaming audiences overlapping more than ever, we can expect to see more household names from the beautiful game make their mark on VALORANT esports.
