Over the last five years, Joan Laporta has become accustomed to being applauded. He entered the village At the Godó tournament, the children of wealthy families applauded him. He walked into a summer party on the Costa Brava, and everyone was taking selfies. He's ended up atop a bull at Mercabarna and on a tractor, he's sung with the gypsies of Gràcia, and he's made macaroni. Many of those applauding him today are the same ones who sneered at him some 10 years ago. Back then, they said Jan wasn't the same as before, that he didn't know what to do with his life after not shining much as a politician. Laporta seemed like a thing of the past, but he was destined to return as Barça president in the 2021 elections.

Considering how much the world of professional football has changed, it's no small feat to have reached 2026 and for members to be able to vote in democratic elections for the Barça presidency. With this joy in mind, let's talk.

Carles Planchart (Arbúcies, 1965), Albert Puig (Cambrils, 1968), and Francesc Cos (Terrassa, 1965), all three with a history at Barça and extensive experience in the world of football, are Víctor Font's picks for the club's sporting director position. All three advocate for maximizing the potential of Hansi Flick's current squad, emphasizing that the club already has excellent professionals working there, but that "more professionalism" and "better communication and coordination between the three key areas" are needed: the transfer market, performance – which includes everything from medical services, physical conditioning and injury prevention to nutrition – and La Masia.

Ferran Olivé has gradually gained prominence at Barça during Joan Laporta's second term. A psychiatrist by profession, Olivé has been one of the key figures on the board, where he has served as treasurer.

Five years after the elections that put him on the map, Víctor Font still wants to be president of Barça. Running under the "Nosotros" (We) banner, the candidate claims to have created a broad-based list that brings together all the different factions within the Barça fanbase. After the signature count – in which Marc Ciria and Xavier Vilajoana were excluded – Font now has the head-to-head debate against Joan Laporta that he has so often requested.

Lluís Carrasco had a great reputation as a publicist, but it was thanks to the 2021 Barça elections that he became known to the general public. He was Joan Laporta's campaign manager and the mastermind behind the banner. Looking forward to seeing you again Just a few meters from the Bernabéu. But this time, he's watching from the sidelines.

"We need the elections to be a plebiscite between the Barça of the past and the Barça of the future." Víctor Font's mantra for the past few weeks has finally become a reality: as Barça announced this Thursday, Marc Ciria obtained 2,247 valid member signatures but did not reach the threshold of 2,337. Therefore, the incumbent Joan Laporta (7,226 valid signatures) and candidate Font (4,440) will face off on March 15. This Monday, Ciria submitted 2,844 signatures at the Auditori 1899, 598 more than those validated in the final count. The signature validation process was much more unforgiving than expected: while approximately 6% of signatures are typically lost, Marc Ciria saw 21% of his signatures discarded. Joan Laporta has lost 944 signatures, 11% of those submitted, and Víctor Font, 704 (14%).

Clean-cut and the great-grandson of Barça presidents, Joan Camprubí Montal (Barcelona, ​​1987) was strongly considered a presidential candidate for the Catalan club following the emergence of Som un Clam, a movement he spearheaded that called for a change in the club's management model to ensure its continued financial viability while remaining in the hands of its members. However, this businessman and investor, an industrial engineer and former amateur football player, decided to step aside and instead advocate for unity among the other candidates, convinced that a united front against Joan Laporta was the only way to defeat him at the polls.

One day you're making macaroni, the next you're presenting a book. The life of the Barça presidential candidate resembles a giant obstacle course, in which Joan Laporta seems to be enjoying himself. Neither the money laundering allegation nor the presidential candidate's claim affects him.That's normal, because his team had known for days what was going to happen and had a strategy prepared: the club would issue a statement denying everything, and Laporta would go on the attack, deploying all his charm as a great seducer.

Last summer, Jaume Guardiola (Barcelona, ​​1957) stepped down as president of the Círculo de Economía and the board of trustees of the Esade Foundation after a long career in the business world. The former CEO of Banc Sabadell and, previously, BBVA, is returning to the forefront with the Barça elections. He admits to being a lifelong Barça fan and losing sleep when the team loses. He also says he is worried about the club's current situation.

Joan Laporta officially resigned as president of Barça on the very day the election campaign began. In accordance with the club's statutes, Laporta resigned with the intention of running again. Rafael Yuste was taking his place.who will head the provisional board until the end of the season. Josep Cubells, Alfonso Castro, Josep Ignasi Macià, Àngel Riudalbas, Joan Solé, and Sisco Pujol will also remain at the club. Meanwhile, Laporta, along with Elena Fort, Antonio Escudero, Ferran Olivé, José María Albert, Javier Barbany, Miquel Camps, Javier Puig, and Joan Soler, temporarily left the presidential box to begin a campaign that the Laporta camp has been planning for months and has framed as a sprint.

The most veteran employees of Barça remember Thursday, February 13, 2003, perfectly. The day before, Joan Gaspart had announced his resignation as president, putting an end to a disastrous administration that left the club on the brink of collapse. As stipulated in the statutes, the first vice-president, Enric Reyna, assumed the presidency. At that time, tours of the Camp Nou were already being offered, and to the guides' surprise, when they entered the presidential box, they found that the plaque with the new president's name had already been hung. Reyna didn't wait even 24 hours to make it clear that he was in charge.

Barça members will choose new president on Sunday, March 15But a couple of weeks before, everyone will have a better idea of ​​what the final results might be. The hopefuls—currently four are confirmed—will wage their first battle by collecting signatures. It will be a kind of public poll that will reveal the extent to which President Joan Laporta has everything in his favor to retain his mandate, or if, as the other pre-candidates insist, "it's a close race." Submitting the 2,166 signatures required—50% of the 4,331 delegates the club currently has—to move from pre-candidate to candidate is no easy feat. Members like Xavier Vilajoana know this well, as he is once again running for president after failing to meet the signature threshold five years ago and being dropped from the electoral race prematurely. The four names that have confirmed their candidacies already have previous experience. Besides Laporta and Vilajoana, Víctor Font was a candidate in the 2021 elections. And Marc Círia, who is running for president for the first time, was part of Laporta's board in 2015. There is a fifth name, Joan Camprubí Montal, none of whom are currently visible. He will make his decision next week, according to sources close to him.

Sunday, March 15, 2026. This is the date chosen by President Joan Laporta for the Barça elections. The predictions have come true, and the board, meeting in ordinary session this Thursday, has opted for to call the members to the polls as soon as possibleThe club's current sporting success, with the men's first team still in contention in all competitions, has influenced the decision. The president is the clear favorite in an election where he will face opposition from at least Víctor Font, Xavier Vilajoana, and Marc Círia, three club members who have submitted their pre-candidacies. According to the club's statutes, and given that his term is ending, Laporta could call elections between March 15th and June 15th. The president hinted that he would either do so soon or wait until the end of the season. But, as everyone suspected, it will be sooner. In fact, on the earliest possible date, coinciding with the weekend of the Barça-Sevilla match. "It's the most suitable date for the club's normal operations, both institutionally and on the field," the president stated. The elections will coincide with a potential Champions League round of 16 tie.