Spotlight on the Blaugrana: Barcelona opposition profile

Three Champions League triumphs in the last five seasons, coupled with domestic dominance and impressive consistency: Barcelona are undoubtedly one of Europe’s top teams. The Catalans’ style of play is precise, technically adept and underpinned by a natural flair for the game.

After the close-fought 1-1 draw in the semi-final first leg last Saturday, FC Bayern Women visit Camp Nou for the return match on Sunday at 16:30 CEST. fcbayern.com takes a look at the club’s history, its development in recent years and the key players in the current squad, amongst other things.

A success story despite initial resistance

The story of today's Barcelona Femení begins in the autumn of 1970, with a young woman, a courageous idea and the conviction that football should not be a male preserve. The then 18-year-old Immaculada ‘Imma’ Cabecerán, who is now regarded as a pioneer of women's football in Catalonia, won over then Barça president Agustí Montal with her plan to set up a women's team. At a time when women's football was still officially banned in Spain. Montal promised his support on the condition that enough women players could be found.

Shortly afterwards, Cabecerán placed an advert in local newspapers calling for women aged between 18 and 25 to sign up. 17 responded to this call and from then on trained under the guidance of former Barça goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets. On 25 December 1970, the Peña Femenina Barcelonista, the nucleus of today's Barcelona Women, played their first match at Camp Nou against Unió Esportiva Centelles in front of more than 60,000 spectators. The occasion was a charity match between the men's team and ZSKA Sofia, with the women's encounter scheduled as a warm-up game. The proceeds went to children's hospitals, and even though the players were not officially wearing the club's colours at the time, their close connection to Barcelona was already evident.

The first major titles

In the following years, the club consolidated itself as a founding member of the Liga Nacional, which later became the Superliga Femenina. It was not until 2002 that the women's section was fully integrated into the club structure. The team suffered a major setback in the 2006/07 season, when the club was relegated from the Superliga and the future of the women's section was for a time uncertain. The following year, however, the team came straight back up, marking the beginning of a new, glorious era.

In the 2011/12 season, Barça finally won the domestic championship for the first time and secured qualification for the UEFA Women's Champions League. The following season, the team successfully defended the title and were finally recognised as a domestic powerhouse with the first double in the club's history.

Domestic and European success

Barcelona are undoubtedly the dominant force in women's football in Spain today. Eleven domestic league titles, including an unprecedented run of seven in a row (2019/20 to 2025/26), are proof of the club's almost undisputed dominance on home soil. On top of this come 11 triumphs in the Copa de la Reina, 11 successes in the Catalan Cup and six Super Cup wins. Barcelona have also impressively underpinned this claim on the European stage in recent years: in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the team secured the UEFA Women's Champions League title, while last year they narrowly missed out to Arsenal in the final in Lisbon.

How head coach Romeu has shaped the Catalans

Pere Romeu has been in the Blaugrana dugout since July 2024, combining continuity with a breath of fresh air. Born in Barcelona in 1993, the head coach previously gained three years' experience as an assistant under Jonatan Giráldez and played a key role in the most successful seasons in the club's history to date. In his maiden season as head coach, he achieved an impressive 43 wins in 47 games. As a player, a defensive midfield strategist, he learnt the basics of the game at CE Europa and CP Sarrià. His style of play, inspired by the Portuguese midfielder Deco, is reflected in his coaching work today: Barcelona play with finesse, flexibility and the unmistakable Barça philosophy.

Bonmatí, Putellas, Pajor & Co: Barcelona's star-studded line-up

The Catalan squad is dominated by numerous world-class players. In the past five years, the Ballon d'Or has gone exclusively to Blaugrana players: Aitana Bonmatí, winner of the accolade for the past three years, and Alexia Putellas, who was honoured in 2021 and 2022, have consistently shaped Barça’s game.

This group is complemented by promising young talents such as 19-year-old Vicky López, who was awarded the Kopa Trophy as the best player under the age of 21. In defence, Irene Paredes, Mapi León and Esmee Brugts, among others, provide the necessary degree of stability in the Catalan side's play. Up front, it's Ewa Pajor, Claudia Pina and Caroline Graham Hansen whose job it is to regularly cause problems for opposing defences.

The team are once again demonstrating their impressive form this season: 25 wins from 26 league games, 116 goals scored and just seven conceded - those are figures that speak for themselves. Like Bayern, Barcelona also wrapped up the title this week. Thanks to their 4-1 win at city rivals Espanyol, no-one can catch them.

The Catalans suffered their only defeat of the season to date against Real Sociedad San Sebastián - the club to which current FCB striker Edna Imade was loaned in the first half of the 2025/26 season. Indeed, Imade herself scored the winner from the penalty spot in a 1-0 victory for the Basque club in November of last year.

Bayern's record against Barça so far

In the semi-finals of the 2018/19 campaign, FC Bayern Women narrowly lost 1-0 to Barcelona in both legs, but the performances on display raised hopes of more to come. In the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League, they initially suffered a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou before striking back impressively with a well-earned 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena. This season, they were beaten 7-1 in Barcelona on the first matchday before the 1-1 draw in the semi-final first leg.

In addition to their Champions League encounters, the two teams also played each other in the Amos Women's French Cup in August 2022, when FCB reached the final with a deserved 2-1 win over Barcelona and ultimately went on to win the title by beating Manchester United.

The analysis of the first leg: