Joan Laporta: 'New Champions League format improving the competition'

As part of the interview that FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta gave to CNN’s Amanda Davies, World Sports Anchor at CNN, the Barça president said he believed that Barça and PSG were the teams in the best form and playing the best football in the competition, adding that it was a “shame we couldn’t face each other in last year’s final” or at the Club World Cup.

"Everybody that likes football last season said that Barça and Paris Saint-Germain were the teams ... offering the best football of the world."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta tells CNN Sports' @AmandaDCNN he hopes to come up against PSG in the Champions League this season. pic.twitter.com/LjJP8TcYzK — CNN Sports (@cnnsport) August 6, 2025

The new Champions League: a step forward

President Laporta praised the current system of Europe’s top club competition, promoted by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, saying that the new Champions League format is improving the tournament, and expressing his hope that the Barça v PSG matchup can happen this season.

Barça Academies in the USA

In a wide-ranging interview that also covered the importance of the Asian and US markets, the president highlighted the work of the Barça Academies in the United States, where La Masia’s training principles are applied and where they can continue to contribute to the growth of soccer in the country.

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