History of FC Barcelona Femení in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 30, 2025

FC Barcelona Femení, also known as Barça Femení, is the professional women's football team of FC Barcelona. They compete in the Liga F, the highest level of Spanish women's football. Their home games are primarily played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, with occasional matches at Camp Nou or Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. As the women's section of the larger FC Barcelona organization, they represent a significant part of the club's overall sporting presence.

November 1970: Immaculada Cabecerán's Proposition

In November 1970, footballer Immaculada Cabecerán approached FC Barcelona with the proposition to create a women's team, leading to the formation of Selecció Barcelona.

November 1970: Formation of Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona

In November 1970, the Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona, the "embryo" of Barcelona Femení, was formed, marking an early effort to establish a women's team associated with FC Barcelona.

1970: Club Formation

In 1970, the club was formed with financial support from FC Barcelona, initially known as Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona, but without being an official section of the club.

1971: First matches against Espanyol

In 1971, Barcelona Femení played their first matches against local rivals Espanyol.

1971: Name Change to Peña Femenina Barcelonista

In 1971, the team changed its name to Peña Femenina Barcelonista, marking an early stage in the club's development.

1973: Catalonia-based League Win

In 1973, the Penya Femenina Barça won the Catalonia-based league, marking an early success for the team.

1975: Decline of Women's Football

By 1975, the initial strength of women's football in Spain was flagging, impacting the league's stability.

February 1977: Call for Players in Revista Barcelonista

In February 1977, P.F. Barcelona published a call for players in the Revista Barcelonista, indicating a player shortage and a crisis within the team.

September 1977: Dissolution of Women's League in Catalonia

By September 1977, the women's league in Catalonia had dissolved, and the prospect of establishing one was considered unrealistic due to flagging interest.

1978: Establishment of Catalan Women's League

By the 1978–79 season, a Catalan women's league was re-established, concurrent with a cup competition.

1979: Runners-up in Cup Competition

In the 1978-79 season, P.F. Barcelona Atlético finished as runners-up in the cup competition after losing the final on penalties.

1980: Formal Recognition of Women's Football

In 1980, the Spanish Football Federation (then FEF, now RFEF) formally recognized women's football, paving the way for its further development.

1981: Approval of Women's Football Department

In 1981, the Spanish Football Federation approved the creation of a women's football department within the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) to establish the Women's Catalan Football League, with Barcelona as a founding member. In 1981 a splinter group also left and formed Penya Barcelonista Barcilona.

1982: Núria Llansà Appointed as Coach

In the 1982–83 season, Núria Llansà, a former player and advocate, was appointed as the coach of the team.

January 1983: Lack of Fixed Training Facilities

In January 1983, ahead of the Copa de la Reina, Barcelona lacked fixed training facilities or times, and their relationship with FC Barcelona was considered among the worst of women's teams with parent clubs.

1983: Name Change to Club Femení Barcelona

In 1983, after women's football was officially recognized in Spain, the team became known as Club Femení Barcelona, a step towards formal recognition.

1984: Increased Interest from FC Barcelona

In 1984, FC Barcelona showed more sustained interest in women's football, offering its stadiums and facilities.

1985: Copa Generalitat Win

In 1985, Barcelona won its first official competition, the Copa Generalitat/Copa Catalana, defeating Barcilona and Vallès Occidental.

1985: Home Games at Mini Estadi

Since at least 1985, the team played most home games at the Mini Estadi, establishing a consistent venue for their matches.

1988: Founding Member of Liga Nacional

In 1988, Club Femení Barcelona, sponsored by FC Barcelona, became a founding member of the Liga Nacional, the first top-flight national women's league in Spain.

1988: First league match against Espanyol results in a draw

In 1988, the first league match between Barcelona Femení and Espanyol resulted in a 2–2 draw.

1992: Top Three League Placement

In 1992, Barcelona began a successful three-year run, placing in the league's top three.

1994: Copa de la Reina Win

In 1994, Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, marking a significant achievement during their successful period.

2000: Incorporation into Barcelona Foundation

In 2000, Andreu joined the board of FC Barcelona and brought Club Femení Barcelona into the Barcelona Foundation's organizational structure, making the women's team part of the club in administration.

2001: League Rebranding and Barcelona's Placement

In 2001, the league was rebranded as the Superliga Femenina, but Barcelona was placed in the second division due to their inability to pay the inscription fee.

2002: Segunda División Win

In 2002, Barcelona won its group in the Segunda División but remained in the second division after unsuccessful promotion playoffs.

2002: Official Section of FC Barcelona

In 2002, the team officially became a section of FC Barcelona and adopted the name Futbol Club Barcelona, marking a significant milestone in the club's history.

2002: Incorporation as Official Section

In the summer of 2002, the FC Barcelona board unanimously approved incorporating CF Barcelona as an official section, rebranding the women's section as Futbol Club Barcelona Femení.

2003: Segunda División Win

In 2003, Barcelona won its group in the Segunda División for the second consecutive year, but remained in the second division after unsuccessful promotion playoffs.

2004: Promotion to Superliga Femenina

In 2004, Barcelona was promoted to the Superliga Femenina, marking their return to the top division.

2006: Llorens restructures the women's section

In 2006, Llorens came in to restructure FC Barcelona Femení, when the women's section was weak.

2006: Xavi Llorens Hired as Manager

In 2006, Xavi Llorens was hired as manager to replace Natalia Astrain after the club restructured and significantly reduced the women's section.

2008: Return to Superliga

In 2008, Barcelona returned to the Superliga, reclaiming their spot in the top tier of Spanish women's football.

2009: Consolidation in Top Positions

Between 2009 and 2011, Barcelona consolidated themselves in top positions in the league table, setting the stage for future success.

April 2011: Start of Winning Streak

On April 17, 2011, Barcelona began a 15-match winning streak, setting a record in Spanish women's football by 2015.

December 2011: End of Winning Streak

On December 11, 2011, Barcelona's 15-match winning streak, the longest in Spanish women's football history, came to an end.

2011: Copa de la Reina Win

In 2011, Barcelona won their second Copa de la Reina, defeating local rivals Espanyol 1–0 in the final.

September 2012: Start of Unbeaten Run

On September 23, 2012, Barcelona began a 54-game unbeaten run, setting another record at the time.

2012: First League Title

In 2012, Barcelona won their first league title with a then-record 94 points, qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time.

2012: Barcelona wins league on the last day at San Mamés

In the 2012–13 season, Barcelona were at one stage 8 points behind Athletic before winning the league on the last day at San Mamés.

2013: League and Copa de la Reina Double

In 2013, Barcelona defended their league title with a win over Athletic Bilbao and won the Copa de la Reina, achieving a domestic double.

2013: Champions League Quarterfinals

In 2013–14 season, Barcelona qualified for the quarterfinals of the Women's Champions League for the first time and won their third straight league title.

April 2014: End of Unbeaten Run

On April 20, 2014, Barcelona's 54-game unbeaten run came to an end, concluding a period of dominance.

2014: Sponsorship Deal with Stanley Tools

In 2014, Barcelona made a sponsorship deal with Stanley Tools, contributing to the professionalization of the team.

2015: Professionalization of the Club

In 2015, Barcelona professionalized its women's football team, solidifying its position as a dominant force in Spain and Europe.

2015: Four Straight League Titles

In the 2014–15 season, Barcelona became the first team in the Spanish women's league to win four straight league titles.

2015: Professionalization of the Women's Section

In the summer of 2015, Barcelona decided to professionalize the women's section to compete in the Champions League and improve player conditions, bringing in Markel Zubizarreta as team manager.

2016: Emergence of Atlético Madrid Femenino

In 2016, Atlético Madrid Femenino emerged as a strong side, becoming a challenger to Barcelona's success and developing a rivalry.

2016: Greater Priority on Champions League

In 2016, as part of their new professionalism, Barcelona placed a greater priority on competing in the Champions League, focusing on improving conditions.

2016: Rakuten Sponsorship

In 2016, when Rakuten sponsored the men's team's shirts, Barcelona Femení was not included, allowing them to sign an exclusivity deal with Stanley.

2017: Barcelona beat Atlético in Copa de la Reina final; Zubizarreta becomes sporting director

In 2017, Barcelona beat Atlético in the Copa de la Reina final, which was Llorens' final match as coach. In the summer of 2017, Zubizarreta became sporting director.

2018: Large clubs incorporate women's sections

Around 2018, most other large clubs (i.e. those with historic men's teams) started incorporating women's sections.

2018: Atlético Madrid's League Title

Between the 2016–17 and 2018–19 seasons, Atlético Madrid won three league titles, with Barcelona finishing as runners-up each time.

2018: Shirt Deal with Stanley

In 2018, Stanley became the first shirt sponsor specific to the women's team, marking a financial milestone.

2018: Barcelona Femení joins men's team on pre-season tour

In the summer of 2018, Barcelona Femení joined the men's team on a pre-season tour for the first time. The Guardian considered this a groundbreaker in growing commercial opportunities and promoting equality for women's football.

January 2019: Lluís Cortés replaces Sánchez as coach

In January 2019, Lluís Cortés replaced Sánchez as the coach of Barcelona Femení.

March 2019: Barcelona defeats Atlético at Wanda Metropolitano, breaking attendance record

On March 17, 2019, Barcelona defeated Atlético at the Wanda Metropolitano in a match that broke the world record for attendance at a women's club football match with 60,739 attendees.

2019: Team moves to Johan Cruyff Stadium

In 2019, Barcelona Femení moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí.

2019: Barcelona finishes as runners-up in all competitions

In 2019, Barcelona finished as runners-up in all competitions, which the club considered disappointing.

2020: Alexia Putellas begins to sweep individual awards

Around 2020, captain Alexia Putellas swept all individual awards for two seasons.

2020: Barcelona wins four titles

For the 2019–2020 season, Barcelona won four titles, but did not reach the final of the Champions League.

2020: Real Madrid incorporates a women's section

In 2020, Real Madrid incorporated a women's section.

2021: Alexia Putellas continues to sweep individual awards

Around 2021, captain Alexia Putellas swept all individual awards for two seasons.

2021: UEFA Women's Champions League Win

In 2021, Barcelona won the UEFA Women's Champions League, becoming the first Spanish women's team to complete a continental treble.

2021: Barcelona wins first Champions League title; Cortés departs

In 2021, Barcelona won their first Champions League title by defeating Chelsea 4–0 in the final. A month later, Cortés left the team.

2021: Barcelona defeats Atlético in Supercopa final

In the 2021-22 season, Barcelona defeated main rivals Atlético 7–0 in the Supercopa final.

2022: Increased attendance attributed to equal treatment in advertising and merchandising

By 2022, the team had averaged crowds four times larger than when they played at the Mini Estadi, attributed by Zubizarreta to the club treating the women's players equal to the men's in advertising and merchandising.

2022: Barcelona Femení breaks world record attendance twice

By the time Barcelona Femení successively broke the official world record attendance twice in 2022, the increasing support tracked with global trends but also showed the dedication of the domestic support the team had fostered.

2022: Varied audience for Barcelona Femení games

In 2022, the audience for Barcelona Femení games was more varied than that of the men's team, suggested to be due to the fact the women's team did not offer season tickets.

2022: Barcelona breaks transfer fee record to bring in Keira Walsh

In the summer of 2022, Barcelona broke the world record for a transfer fee in women's football to bring Keira Walsh from Manchester City.

2023: UEFA Women's Champions League Win

In 2023, Barcelona secured another UEFA Women's Champions League title, further establishing their dominance in European women's football.

2023: Barcelona wins another Champions League title

In 2023, Barcelona won another Champions League title.

2024: Barcelona defeats Lyon for the first time

Ahead of Barcelona defeating Lyon for the first time in 2024, Lyon were called Barcelona's bestia negra.

2024: Barcelona has won every women's Clásico as of 2024

As of 2024, Barcelona has won every women's Clásico.

2024: Stronger Real Madrid important for league competitiveness

By 2024, staff and players at Barcelona said that a stronger Real Madrid was important to keep up the competitive status of the league and for the global image of the game.

2024: Barcelona wins continental quadruple

In 2024, Barcelona exceeded previous successes and completed their first continental quadruple by defeating Lyon 2–0 in the Champions League final, marking their third Champions League title in four years and their first defeat of European rivals Lyon.

2024: UEFA Women's Champions League Win

In 2024, Barcelona won their third Champions League, becoming the first Spanish women's team to complete a continental quadruple.

2024: Barcelona Femení's popularity and its connection to feminist values

In 2024, El Periódico wrote that Barcelona Femení plays for people "who have become hooked on [their] way of playing and understanding football". Also in 2024, Jim O'Brien and Xavier Ginesta questioned whether the club promoted the women's team for genuine change in gender politics or brand marketing.

2024: Barcelona Femení as prevailing sense of identity for FC Barcelona

In 2024, the success of Barcelona Femení was considered by local sportswriters and the FC Barcelona club historian to be the prevailing sense of identity and club narrative for FC Barcelona.