Laporta Heads to Copenhagen… A Major European Meeting Awaits the Barcelona President
Joan Laporta’s upcoming trip is about more than simply another journey outside Spain for the Barcelona president. His stop in Copenhagen carries particular significance for the club, especially after recent developments that have brought Barcelona back into the heart of the European football scene.
The Barcelona president is set to travel to the Danish capital on September 29 and 30 to attend the General Assembly of the European Football Clubs (EFC), a gathering that will bring together many of the leading figures in European football. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is also expected to attend the event.
Laporta’s participation comes after Barcelona officially returned to EFC membership in February 2026, when the organisation’s board unanimously approved the club’s readmission as an Ordinary Member. The move ended an absence of almost five years that was directly linked to Barcelona’s involvement in the European Super League project.
Barcelona was one of the founding members of the organisation when it was known as the European Club Association (ECA) in 2008. Laporta also previously became the ECA’s first vice-president, before the club’s presence within the organisation was reduced during the period of conflict surrounding the Super League project.
The Copenhagen gathering carries additional relevance for Barcelona because of Ceferin’s expected presence, particularly after UEFA recently awarded Spotify Camp Nou the right to host the 2029 Champions League final. That makes the presence of Barcelona’s leadership at the European gathering even more notable.
Relations between Barcelona and the organisation had already begun improving before the club’s official return. Laporta attended the ECA gathering in Rome last October as a guest as part of the process of rebuilding relations, where he was received by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain president and EFC chairman.
Before heading to Copenhagen, Laporta is also expected to travel to the Netherlands alongside vice-president Rafa Yuste to attend the funeral of Bartina, the wife of former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, who died on September 16. Several prominent figures from Barcelona’s history are also expected to attend, including Pep Guardiola, Jose Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain and journalist Lluis Canut.
Laporta’s movements over the coming days will therefore combine a personal and emotional visit connected to the Koeman family with an important European football gathering for Barcelona, coming after the club’s return to EFC and ahead of the 2029 Champions League final at Spotify Camp Nou.
