FC Barcelona Handbol

History

Early years

The handball section of Futbol Club Barcelona was founded on 29 November 1942 during the presidency of Enrique Piñeyro. In the beginning handball was played with eleven players per team and did not have a specialized field to play. They used football fields until the late 1950s, when they started to play, as in actual games, with seven players and a covered field.

In the early stages, competitions were dominated by other teams like Atlético de Madrid and Granollers, breaking their domination few times.

They won their first league title and cup in 1969. Their homefield Palau Blaugrana was constructed in 1971, where they have played since.

Valero Rivera era (1983–2004)

Things changed radically with the arrival of one of the best coaches in handball history, Valero Rivera. With him, the team became virtually unbeatable in Spain and in Europe, winning a record of 70 trophies under his rule, including 5 consecutive, 6 in total, European Cups.

Post Valero Rivera era (2004–February 2009)

This period, dominated by rival Ciudad Real, was difficult for Barça, but the Catalans still managed to win the Liga once, and also a Champions League title in 2005 after 2 very close final matches against Ciudad Real.

Xavi Pascual era (February 2009 - June 2021)

The 2010s marked Barça's return to the top, a return notably illustrated by a participation in the 2009-10 EHF Champions League final (a first since 2005), beaten 34-36 by THW Kiel; and a 27-24 victory the following season beating rival BM Ciudad Real to win the European Cup/ EHF Champions League for the 8th time, first in Cologne.

In 2013, the Barça handball team won the IHF Super Globe trophy, the only trophy that was still missing from the club's trophy cabinet.

FC Barcelona’s handball team closed out the 2013/14 Liga ASOBAL with a record-breaking winning run. Barça made history this season when they completed their Liga ASOBAL without dropping any points from all 30 match days.

FC Barcelona successfully defended its IHF Super Globe title in 2014, marking the first time a team has won back-to-back titles since the most prestigious club handball event has been hosted annually in the Qatari capital Doha.

Again, FC Barcelona handball team ended the 2014/2015 Liga ASOBAL season unbeaten for the second consecutive year.

FC Barcelona handball team won the seven titles disputed the 2014/2015 season, something which had not happened since the 1999/2000 season with Valero Rivera's Dream Team.

In 2017 FC Barcelona handball was again champion of the IHF Super Globe after beating the German team Füchse Berlin.

In 2018, the club won the Super Globe trophy again, for the fourth time. In a repeat of last year the team of head coach Xavi Pascual won the IHF Super Globe Final against Füchse Berlin, this time by a five-goal difference, 29–24.

Again Barça won the IHF Super Globe in 2019, their third in a row. The team led by Xavi Pascual beat THW Kiel 34–32.

Antonio Carlos Ortega era (July 2021 - present)

In the 2021–22 season, after the successes achieved the previous season, the azulgrana certified a new sextet, where the only title that escaped was the Super Globe in October. The team won the Spanish Super Cup, the Catalan Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, the Sacyr ASOBAL League, the Sacyr ASOBAL Cup, and finally the EHF Champions League. The team ended the season winning the 11th Champions League in Barça history. Barça revalidated the title in Cologne, being the first team to win two consecutive years with the new final four format, and extended its dominance in the historic record of the EHF Champions League.

The following seasons, from 2022/23 to 2025/26, the Blaugranas continued their domination in the local competitions by winning everything; recovering in October 2025, 6 years after their last coronation, the Super Globe trophy, 31-30 (ET) vs One Veszprém; and winning 2 EHF Champions League titles: in 2024 (31-30 vs Aalborg Håndbold) and in 2026 (37-34 vs Füchse Berlin).

Barça had an exceptional 2025-26 season, winning all 7 competitions played (Catalan Supercup, Iberian Supercup, Super Globe, Copa ASOBAL, Liga ASOBAL, Copa del Rey, EHF Champions League) with a dizzying record of 61 matches, 60 W, 1 L.

2026-27 season started with Barça as the big favorites in all competitions, including the EHF Champions League , despite losing the MVP of the last season (Emil Nielsen) and the MVP of the EHF FINAL4 2026 (Domen Makuc). On September 5, 2026, Barça won the Iberian Supercup for the fifth consecutive time (in as many editions) after beating in the final the Portuguese champion Sporting CP, 39-34.

Due to the club's achievements during his era, notably marked by 3 EHF Champions League titles in 5 years, Barça management decided to extend Antonio Carlos Ortega's contract as Barça coach until June 30, 2031.

Honours

Major Achievements

Double (League and Copa del Rey): 18 (1968–69, 1972–73, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24)

Triple Crown (League, Copa del Rey, and EHF Champions League): 8 (1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2014–15, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2025–26)

Season by season

As of 2025–26 season.

From the 1980–81 season onwards.

European record

Team

Staff

Staff for the 2026–27 season

General Manager Xavier O'Callaghan

Head coach Antonio Carlos Ortega

Assistant coach Konstantin Igropulo

Assistant coach Jordi Rosell

Goalkeeping coach Tomas Svensson

Physiotherapist Sebastià Salas

Club doctor Josep A. Gutiérrez

Current squad

Squad for the 2026–27 season

Transfers

Transfers for the 2026–27 season

Transfers for the 2027–28 season

Stats, Records (Players/Team/Coaches)

I) Players records:

Barça all-time goalscorers in Spanish League:

Enric Masip, 1.682 goals (14 seasons), RECORD

László Nagy, 1.297 goals (12 seasons)

Víctor Tomás, 1.289 goals (19 seasons)

Iker Romero, 1.093 goals (8 seasons)

Juanín García, 1.019 goals (9 seasons)

Xavier O'Callaghan, 1.007 goals (15 seasons)

Dika Mem, 968 goals (10 seasons)

Antonio Carlos Ortega, 939 goals (11 seasons)

Aitor Ariño, 917 goals (16 seasons)

Aleix Gómez, 850 goals (12 seasons)

Note: Last updated (September 11, 2026).

Barça all-time historic matches (most appearances) in Spanish League

David Barrufet, 530 matches (20 seasons)' RECORD

Víctor Tomás, 395 matches (19 seasons)

Xavier O'Callaghan, 380 matches (15 seasons)

Andrei Xepkin, 336 matches (13 seasons)

Enric Masip, 332 matches (14 seasons)

Notable former coaches/Players

Notable former coaches

Antonio Lázaro

Josep Vilà

Sergio Petit

Miquel Roca

Valero Rivera (1983–2003)

Xesco Espar (2004–2007)

Manolo Cadenas (2007–2009)

Xavier Pascual Fuertes (2009–2021)

Antonio Carlos Ortega (2021–present)