Which clubs are in the Super League? Confirmed list & withdrawn members

The football world was rocked by the news of an impending Super League formation, but which clubs have agreed to participate? 

A new continental format has been put forward to challenge the current UEFA Champions League, with a total of 20 teams slated to compete in the competition "which is intended to commence as soon as practicable".

Twelve European clubs were confirmed as participants, but football's main governing bodies have spoken out in opposition to the proposal, which has been deemed a "cynical" operation by pundits and supporters alike.

Should the competition go ahead, domestic football in England, Spain and Italy could change forever, with a statement from those involved reading: "The Founding Clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion solely to support their infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the Covid pandemic."

Goal is here to provide you with a rundown of the confirmed list, including those that have withdrawn and the rumoured members.

Who are the founding Super League clubs & which have withdrawn?

Premier League clubs Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all signed up for the Super League, along with Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy and Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid from Spain.

In a dramatic turn of events, however, all six Premier League sides confirmed their plans to withdraw from the Super League less than 48 hours after the announcement due to the backlash the news received.

A statement released by the Arsenal board on the club’s website said: “The last few days have shown us yet again the depth of feeling our supporters around the world have for this great club and the game we love.

"We needed no reminding of this but the response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought."

A Manchester City official statement read: "Manchester City Football Club can confirm that it has formally enacted the procedures to withdraw from the group developing plans for a European Super League."

Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Tottenham also issued similar statements.

Liverpool chief John W. Henry issued a recorded video message to Liverpool supporters in which he apologised for the disruption and upset caused.

Atletico Madrid became the first official Spanish withdrawal on Wednesday, with a statement from the club explaining: "For the club, harmony is essential between all the groups that make up the rojiblanca family, especially our fans.

"The first team squad and their coach have shown their satisfaction with the club's decision, understanding that sporting merits must prevail over any other criteria."

Inter were the first team from Italy to officially withdraw, followed by AC Milan and Juventus.

With a majority of sides pulling out, it looks like the project is in trouble and may not get off the ground.

Indeed, Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli, one of the most vocal figures behind the move, conceded that it would probably not be able to continue without the English presence.

It had been reported that a further three teams will join the list of founders ahead of the inaugural season, with a qualifying mechanism set to be put in place for a further five teams to complete the division.

Which clubs are rumoured to be joining the Super League?

No official word has been given on which other clubs were in the running to join.

It was confirmed shortly after the initial announcement that reigning European Champions Bayern Munich, fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain would not be participating in the Super League, but a number of other top European clubs were reportedly in the running to join the competition.

Porto chiefs revealed that they had been invited to participate, but declined. Club president Pinto da Costa said: "As part of UEFA, we cannot participate in anything that is against the principles and rules of the European Union and UEFA.

"If that goes forward, something that I have a lot of doubts about, UEFA will not end and it is certain that they will continue to have evidence. It must be recognized that the events organized by UEFA are the official events. 

"We are not concerned with being or not, we are in the Champions League and we hope to continue to be for many years."

Further Super League reading

• Euro breakaway teams have declared war on football - Ferdinand

• PL's Big Six among 12 clubs confirming formation and format for Super League

• What is the Super League?