Election season is about to begin in Barcelona as the current President, Joan Laporta, announces the dates for the presidential election. And here’s the outlook you’ll want to have as a Culer.
Who are the Candidates?
As per reports, Victor Font, Marc Ciria, and Xavi Vilajoana are the ones who announced themselves to fight for the presidential elections against the heavyweight and current FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta.
Know Your Candidates: The Battle for the President’s Seat
Here’s a detailed look at every candidate who’ll battle it out for the seat of FC Barcelona president for the next 5 years.
Joan Laporta: The Heavyweight and The Favourite
Joan Laporta, a lawyer and politician, is the strongest candidate to win the elections, currently serving his second term as president since 2021. Widely known for his energy, shrewd strategy and excellent leadership, alongside the ability to revitalize the club during the dark times of the club.
Laporta first tookover the office of Barca President in 2003; he inherited a club in sporting and financial decline. He revitalized and revolutionized the institution through investing in top talents like Ronaldinho, giving importance to La Masia and its talents, and trusting club legends to lead the team, such as Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. Under his leadership, Barcelona established an inspirational and ground breaking partnership with UNICEF to truly align the club with its motto of “Mes que un club.” The club won 2 UCLs and 4 La Ligas, including the historic Sextuple under manager Pep Guardiola and the famous La Masia squad in the 2009 season. In his second tenure, he again tookover a falling grace of Barcelona, which was under a billion-pound debt and stabalized it’s ship. Although the tenure included a lot of controversies, starting from the false promise of Lionel Messi’s extension to the delay in the Espai Barca project. Yet, the credit for his good works, in the likes of signing important pieces like Lewandowski, Raphinha, or reestablishing the importance of La Masia and trusting the club legends such as Xavi to take charge, and further appointing a general in Hansi Flick to lead the troop and making them a competitive side in Europe by winning 2 La Ligas and reaching the UCL SF during this tenure outweighs the controversies.
His Future vision as of now is for Long-Term economic stability and sustainability, completion of Espai Barca, and expanding the club’s digital footprint with the help of Barca Vision.
Victor Font: The Main Opponent
Víctor Font is a high-profile technology and media entrepreneur, known primarily as the founder of Delta Partners Group. He has positioned himself as the “modernizing alternative” to the traditional styles of management seen under Joan Laporta. Having finished second in the 2021 election, Font is the leading opposition figure heading into the March 15, 2026, presidential elections under his new movement, “Nosaltres” (meaning “Us”).
Font spent over seven years developing his original project, Sí al Futur (Yes to the Future). His history is defined by a belief that the club must transition from a “personalistic” model, where one president makes most key decisions, to a professionalized corporate structure. Some of his key proposals in his last election campaign were to appoint Xavi as the manager of Barca and build a project around him (later adopted by Joan Laporta when he sacked Koeman to bring back Xavi). He also made a proposal to advocate for electronic voting to increase member participation and modernize the club’s digital assets.
For the current election cycle, Font’s vision emphasizes a shift from “me” to “us,” criticizing Laporta’s leadership as improvised and overly reliant on personal loyalty. His 2026 platform includes reconnecting with club legends, especially bringing back Xavi to give him his deserved farewell, and Lionel Messi to a meaningful role as an ambassador of the club to heal the wound of his 2021 departure. He also aims to build a world-class squad through collective planning rather than individual “levers,” famously suggesting that his model would make signings like Erling Haaland a realistic structural goal. Font plans to implement a clear hierarchy where sporting experts have total autonomy over the football project, separate from the political board.
Xavi Vilajoana: A Known Club Figure
Xavi Vilajoana is a former FC Barcelona player and director who presents himself as the candidate of “continuity and experience from within.” An industrial engineer by trade, he is unique among the candidates for having experienced almost every level of the club: from being a resident at La Masia and captaining the Barça futsal team to serving as a board member under the previous administration.
Vilajoana’s history with the club is extensive and deeply rooted in its sporting success. He served as the director responsible for youth football (La Masia) and Barça Femení during one of their most transformative periods. He is widely credited with overseeing the professionalization of the women’s team, which eventually led to their first-ever Champions League title. He oversaw the development of the current generation of young stars, including Lamine Yamal and Gavi, and insisted that his knowledge of the club’s “inside” is his greatest asset. He attempted to run in the 2021 elections but failed to collect the required 2,257 signatures during the pandemic, a setback he views as a learning experience for his 2026 campaign.
Vilajoana’s 2026 platform, recently announced as a “natural step,” focuses on a “Sports-First” management style. He criticizes the current administration for reducing investment in the academy, proposing a model where homegrown players are the first option, not just a financial necessity. He argues that Barça should not be run like a “multisport multinational” but as a sporting institution where experts, not just politicians, make the decisions. He advocates for long-term organic growth and financial sobriety, moving away from the high-risk “economic levers” (selling club assets) used in recent years.
Marc Ciria: A Prominent Economist
Marc Ciria is a prominent economist and financier, and the founding partner of Diagonal Inversiones. Known as one of the most vocal critics of the club’s recent financial maneuvers, he officially launched his candidacy for the March 15, 2026, elections with a platform focused on “financial realism” and structural recovery.
Ciria has a long history as a financial advisor within the Barça environment, often providing deep-dive analyses of the club’s debt for major media outlets. Historically, Ciria has been highly critical of Joan Laporta’s “economic levers,” arguing that selling off future assets for immediate cash is a short-term fix that compromises the club’s long-term independence. While he previously collaborated with Víctor Font’s Sí al Futur in 2021 as a financial advisor, he has now decided to lead his own project to offer a purely management-driven alternative.
Ciria’s vision is built on moving away from “political” management toward a “corporate” model that protects the members’ ownership. Ciria’s most famous campaign pillar is the return of Lionel Messi. He envisions a partnership modeled after Michael Jordan and Nike, a lifelong institutional and commercial bond that goes far beyond a “tribute game” and helps clear the club’s debt through global branding. Instead of selling more assets, he proposes a professional restructuring of the club’s €1.2 billion+ debt to avoid the risk of becoming a Public Limited Company (S.A.D.). He views the youth academy not just as a sporting heart, but as the club’s primary financial safeguard, advocating for a “blind protection” of young talents to ensure they aren’t sold off to balance the books.
The Aftermath of Announcements
The official date for FC Barcelona’s upcoming Presidential Elections is set to take place on 15th March 2026. Before that, Joan Laporta and his board are expected to formally step down in early February 2026. This coincides with the official publication of the electoral calendar, which triggers the period for candidates to collect the necessary 2,257 signatures. For interim basis, the club will be led by a Managing Commission. By statute, this is typically headed by the President of the Economic Commission. Currently, Joan B. Casas holds this position, making him the likely interim president. He will be joined by other members of the Economic Commission and the Discipline Commission to manage the club’s “essential daily operations” only, they cannot make major signings or long-term financial commitments during this period. This interim board will be in charge of Barca’s operations until final results are announced, which is likely to be announced on the same day the elections conclude, i.e., 15th March 2026.
