Barcelona included on provisional UEFA Champions League list despite Negreira case noise | OneFootball

With the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 already reaching its final phase, the focus will soon start to shift towards club football.

On that note, Barcelona have received a welcome piece of news with UEFA including the Catalan club on the provisional list of teams qualified for the 2026-27 Champions League.

The development comes at a time when the Negreira case remains unresolved in the Spanish courts, and after Real Madrid submitted a dossier to European football’s governing body requesting that it consider excluding Barcelona from continental competitions.

Barcelona named among the qualified clubs

As reported by SPORT, UEFA has now published its provisional list of clubs qualified for next season’s Champions League, and Barcelona are included among them.

Barcelona have been included in UEFA’s provisional list for UCL next season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The inclusion has reopened the debate surrounding Barcelona’s participation in the tournament, given the backdrop of the Negreira affair and Real Madrid’s attempts to have the club sanctioned.

It also prompted a strong reaction from Miguel Galan, president of CENAFE, who interpreted the news as a significant blow to Real Madrid’s efforts.

Is Real Madrid’s complaint useless?

Galan argued that Barcelona’s presence on the list demonstrates that the club cannot be excluded from European competition while the Negreira case remains pending resolution in the Spanish courts.

He claimed that UEFA had effectively confirmed Barcelona would feature in the next Champions League and would not be sanctioned over the Negreira case.

He added the club’s inclusion as disproving any attempt to exclude Barcelona administratively while a criminal process remains open in Spain.

The CENAFE president went on to describe the documentation submitted by Real Madrid to UEFA as “useless,” insisting that jurisdiction to determine any potential criminal liability lies exclusively with the Spanish courts.

He also suggested the events under investigation would be time-barred under Spanish law, and maintained that Barcelona had not committed any crime of sporting corruption.

In his view, UEFA is simply applying the principle of presumption of innocence and will await a definitive court ruling before considering any disciplinary action.

However, a note of caution is warranted, as UEFA has been clear that the published list does not constitute a final decision on club participation.