FC Barcelona set to enter League of Legends esports to rival Ibai & Pique’s team

Spanish football giants Barcelona will join reportedly League of Legends’ Superliga in 2022 after purchasing the spot of S2V Esports. The move follows the recent announcement that streamer Ibai Llanos and Barcelona player Gerard Piqué will also field a team in Superliga next year. 

Barcelona may well have become the latest football club to venture onto the Rift, having reportedly secured a place in Spain’s Superliga.

According to an initial report by Spanish outlet 2Playbook, Barcelona beat out bids from fellow La Liga side Sevilla FC and esports org Case eSports to acquire the slot currently occupied by S2V Esports.

This is the latest shake-up of the Spanish regional league, as it follows reports that a joint venture headed by streamer Ibai Llanos and Barcelona center-back Gerard Piqué have signed a team to field in Superliga in 2022, after purchasing the slot held by Astralis SB.

Barcelona enters esports

The move is one of Barcelona’s biggest move in the esports industry to date. They opted to compete in KONAMI’s eFootball.Pro league instead of FIFA-based eLaLiga Santander and have also fielded talent in Hearthstone and Rocket League, seeing mixed success.

Barcelona has previously fielded teams in Rocket League and Heartstone

However, their venture into League of Legends marks a major step for the Spanish club. While they have previously reached an agreement with Tencent to explore League of Legends options in China, 2Playbook’s report states that the deal is “yet to be activated” due to the financial situation at Barcelona.

While there is no word on players or staff for the team, 2Playbook report that Barcelona have already signed a coach to lead the team.

Barcelona will face their own player

All of this will make for a fascinating season of Superliga, especially considering some of the new Barcelona team’s competition.

Gerard Piqué has made 372 appearances for Barcelona, as well as over 100 for Spain

Also joining Superliga in 2022 is an as-yet-unnamed team owned by streamer Ibai Llanos and Barcelona player Gerard Piqué. The duo bought the Superliga slot occupied by Astralis SB on September 2. This will put Barcelona in direct competition with Piqué, who has played for the Blaugrana since 2008.