After months of speculation, football giants FC Barcelona have officially confirmed their entry into Valorant esports, joining the expanding community of traditional sports organizations making their mark in the esports realm. This move underscores the ongoing growth of the Valorant esports scene, as more established entities recognize the potential that the competitive gaming sphere has to offer.

The FCB Valorant team, Barca eSports, is set to embark on their esports journey by making their debut in the upcoming Valorant Challengers Spain, one of the prominent tier 2 Valorant leagues in Europe.

The news was confirmed by Juli Guiu – Vice president of FC Barcelona – and was brought to light by the official website of the Spanish League.

It’s worth noting that the world of esports is not a new thing to FC Barcelona, as they had previously joined the League of Legends LVP SuperLiga in 2022 and maintained a Rocket League team from 2019 to 2021.

“With the participation of FC Barcelona in the Valorant competition of the LVP we add a new team that will represent the Club during this 2024,” Guiu said in a statement. “The Club continues to shape its commitment to esports and adds a team to the Valorant competition that, together with the one that competes in League of Legends, are framed in the will to explore new opportunities and reach new audiences.”

Fans will be able to watch Barca eSports in action for the first time on 15th January during the opening day of VCL 2024 Spain: Rising Split 1, where they take on ZETA in the tournament’s first game.

Here’s a list of all the teams participating in the VCL 2024 Spain:

  • Barça eSports
  • FIVE Media Clan 
  • Case Esports
  • UCAM Esports Club 
  • ZETA 
  • KPI Gaming 
  • Ramboot Club 
  • AYM Esports 

Unfortunately, the official roster of Barca eSports hasn’t been disclosed at the time of writing. However, with VCS 2024 set to kick off from 15th January, it’s safe to assume that the org has a preliminary concept of how the lineup will shape. 

e-Latam