Women’s soccer-focused investment group Mercury13 has made its third, and perhaps highest-profile acquisition, purchasing a majority stake in Spanish top-flight side FC Badalona Women.
This marks the first time a multi-club group in women’s soccer has invested in the Spanish market.
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The agreement was immediately followed by a pair of new major sponsorship agreements, with global sportswear brand Nike stepping in as club technical partner, and ticketing platform Fever joining as principal front-of-shirt sponsor and a strategic partner.
These deals will go live at the club’s upcoming (March 12) Copa de la Reina semi-final against major side – and local rivals – FC Barcelona Femeni.
Nike, a partner of fellow Mercury13-owned sides FC Como Women and Bristol City Women, had already been the kit supplier of the team in the current season and has now stepped up its commitment, while Fever takes up the most prominent sponsorship slot on offer, which has been empty thus far this season.
Fever is already invested in Spanish men’s soccer through a partnership with Barcelona, and has now branched into the women’s game.
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By GlobalDataFrom the upcoming 2026-27 season and onwards, Mercury13 has confirmed the team’s intention to play home games at the Estadi Municipal de Badalona, which is undergoing renovation work led by the local municipality.
Going forward, Mercury13 chair Lauren Holiday will join the board of FC Badalona Women, and a new chief executive will step in, in the form of former FIFA executive Pedro Iriondo.
Holliday commented: “Spanish women’s football has experienced extraordinary growth in recent years and continues to set new competitive standards. Badalona is a city with a proud sporting culture and sits in the heart of one of the world’s most exciting football environments. FC Badalona Women is at an exciting stage in its journey, and Mercury13 is committed to supporting the club as it builds its next chapter.”
Iriondo added: “Mercury13 brings dedicated focus, international experience, and a clear strategic vision for women’s football. Our priority now is to build strong professional structures around the club – operationally and culturally – while shaping a clear identity for FC Badalona Women that reflects the spirit of the city and its community. From there, our goal is to develop a competitive team that grows with Badalona and competes at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, club president Josep Bellet (who is also a member of the Liga F executive committee) will remain in his role.
The club, which currently sits eighth in Spain’s Liga F after 21 games, was promoted to the top flight after the 2021-22 season, and is currently in its longest consecutive top-flight spell, while the associated men’s team plays in Spain’s regional ninth tier.
It is understood that Mercury13 would ideally like to own one club from each of the main four women’s leagues across Europe, with Badalona now serving as the third of those four.
Mercury13 first entered the soccer ownership space with the acquisition of Italian Serie A side FC Como Women in March 2024.
In September 2025, meanwhile, Mercury13 acquired a majority stake in English second-tier side Bristol City Women.
Between those two purchases, Mercury13’s fund expanded, with the group attracting investment from The Avenue Sports Fund, at which point it identified England as the destination for its next purchase.
Other notable investors behind the firm include Italian soccer legend Giorgio Chiellini, former Spain international Juan Mata, former England women’s international Eniola Aluko, former FIFA chief innovation officer Luis Vicente, and prominent UK businessman Sir Martin Broughton, among others.
When it first launched in early 2023, Mercury13 announced its intention to eventually spend $100 million in buying up women’s soccer clubs from Europe and Latin America.
This latest acquisition was announced just weeks after Mercury13 announced the departure of co-founder, co-CEO, and figurehead, Victoire Cogevina Reynal.
The multi-club ownership group has now said the process to identify a new chief executive is underway and will provide an update on this process in due course.
