Europe's benchmark: FC Barcelona analysed

In European women’s football, FC Barcelona have long set the standard by which Europe's elite are measured. Three UEFA Women’s Champions League titles in the last five years, as well as national dominance with impressive consistency: the Catalans are undoubtedly one of the continent’s top teams. They play a precise, technically brilliant brand of football, carried by a natural footballing ability that is second to none.

When FC Bayern Women get started in the new Champions League season on Tuesday night (21:00 CEST), they can expect a test at the highest level. A battle with a team who have defined women’s football in recent years, and one that will show how close the German champions are to the European elite. fcbayern.com takes a look at the history of FC Barcelona Femení, the development of a flagship European project and the key players in the current squad.

A success story with hurdles

The origins of the modern FC Barcelona Femení go back to autumn 1970 – to a young woman with a brave idea and the firm belief that football shouldn’t be an exclusively male privilege. The then 18-year-old Immaculada “Imma” Cabecerá, now known as the pioneer of women’s football in Catalonia, convinced the Barça president at the time, Agustí Montal, to set up a women’s team. And this was at a time when women’s football was still banned in Spain. Montal secured his support, as long as enough players could be found.

Shortly after, Cabecerán put an advert in local newspapers calling on women aged between 18 and 25 to sign up. Seventeen answered the call and trained under former Barça player Antoni Ramallets. On Christmas Day 1970, Peña Femenina Barcelonista, as the team was originally known, played their first match at Camp Nou against Unió Esportiva Centelles in front of over 60,000 spectators, on one of the most unusual matchdays in football history. The occasion was a men’s charity match against ZSKA Sofia, where the women’s game was the opening act. The proceeds went to children’s hospitals and although the players didn’t yet wear the official club colours, the team was already closely tied to Barcelona.

From fall to double

In the years that followed, the club established itself as a founding member of the Liga Nacional, later the Superliga Femenina and now named Liga F. The women’s section was only fully integrated in the club structure in 2002 and given the official name of Futbol Club Barcelona Femení. A setback came in the 2006/07 season, when the club was relegated from the top flight and the existence of the women’s section hung in the balance. However, they achieved immediate promotion back to the Superliga – the starting point of a new, glorious era. Barça won the Spanish championship for the first time in the 2011/12 campaign and qualified for the Champions League. The following year, they defended their league title and completed the first double in the club’s history, the final breakthrough at domestic level. 

Carrying national dominance into Europe

Barcelona are undoubtedly the dominant force in Spanish women’s football. Ten league titles, including an unprecedented series of six in a row from 2020 to 2025, illustrate this undisputed superiority on home soil, along with 11 Copa de la Reina successes, 11 wins in the Copa Catalunya Femenina and five Super Cups – an impressive collection of national titles, which underline the club’s aspiration to set standards. In recent years, El Femení have also reinforced that aspiration on the European stage several times, winning the UWCL title in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and firmly establishing themselves in European women’s football.

Tactics, talent, tradition: How Romeu shapes the Catalans

Pere Romeu has been in charge of the team since July 2024 and combines continuity with fresh ideas. Born in Barcelona in 1993, the coach previously gained three years’ experience as assistant to Jonatan Giráldez and played a significant role in the most successful seasons in the club’s history. In his debut campaign as head coach, he oversaw an impressive 43 wins in 47 matches. The former defensive midfielder learned the basics of the game as a player at CE Europa and CP Sarrià. His style of play, inspired by Portugal legend Deco, is reflected in his coaching today: Barcelona attack with finesse, flexibility and the distinctive Barça philosophy.

Bonmatí, Putellas, Pajor: Barcelona’s all-star cast

It’s hard to think of another women’s team in the world that’s currently packed with as much quality as Barcelona. The Ballon d’Or has gone to a player from the Blaugrana in each of the last five years: Aitana Bonmatí, who’s won the award in the last three years, and Alexia Putellas, who claimed it in 2021 and 2022, have repeatedly redefined the game, set standards and constantly raised the bar.

This line-up is complemented by promising talents like Vicky López, who was recognised as the best player under 21 with the Kopa Trophy, as well as new additions of international calibre. Ewa Pajor, after nine years at VfL Wolfsburg, hit 43 goals in 45 appearances in her debut season for Barça and was recently honoured as Europe’s top goalscorer with the Gerd Müller Trophy.

Yet Barcelona don’t just live off individual brilliance. They’ve already demonstrated impressive form so far this season: six wins out of six in the league, 31 goals scored and just one conceded – a record that shows attack and defence in perfect balance. Romeu’s side warmed up for the visit of Bayern with a 4-0 victory against Eibar on Saturday.

Bayern’s record against Barça: tight, hard-fought, encouraging

In the past, matches against FC Barcelona Femení have repeatedly shown the Munich women the level at which Europe's top teams play – and that with determination and courage, they can hold their own against the Catalans. In the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League, FCB lost both legs by a narrow margin of 1-0, but their performances gave hope for more. 

In the group stage of the 2022/23 UWCL, FCB lost 3-0 at Camp Nou but pulled off a deserved 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena in the return game. On Tuesday they have another opportunity to show what they can do. With confidence, tactical discipline and fighting spirit, Bayern Women are looking to prove once again that they can compete at the highest level and give the three-time winners a run for their money.

Bayern go into the match on the back of a 4-0 win over Werder Bremen: