Ibai has done it again: instead of buying an already-established club, he has started his own team from scratch, Ronin FC, based in Rubí with a debut planned in the Cuarta Catalana, the lowest tier of federated football in Catalonia. The question we all ask is obvious and delightful for any fan of sport and technology: could this project scale to the elite and end up facing FC Barcelona or Real Madrid? The short answer is yes, because the path exists and is the same as for any newly created entity; the long answer, however, is full of nuances, chained promotions and a good dose of patience, like when you try to speedrun Career mode in EA Sports FC and every season counts.
From scratch: this is how Ronin FC is born
Ibai’s move follows a clear philosophy: be the sole investor, avoid brands behind the scenes and not “buy history” by acquiring a place in the Tercera or Segunda RFEF, which would have clashed with the legacy of clubs with 80, 90 or 100 years behind them. Instead, he has decided to build a club from nothing, compete where appropriate and move across the map square by square, starting in the Cuarta Catalana. That humble yet ambitious approach matches his profile as a creator who builds community and projects from the ground up, very much in line with what we’ve seen grow on Twitch: first the idea, then the team, and finally the big stage.
Ronin FC will play in Rubí, in Catalan territory, and therefore integrates into Catalonia’s leagues. At this initial stage, the media impact will be enormous, which will likely attract players whose level is above the division, although it’s worth remembering that the reality of the Cuarta Catalana is very down-to-earth: you sign up by paying the registration fee and there are no salaries, and these are intense divisions where competition is raw. Right now, the club is forming half the squad and looking for a coach, a sign that everything is being built piece by piece at the pace required by a project that literally starts from zero.
The sporting path: 9 promotions to the top
To reach the Primera División you have to overcome nine consecutive rungs, with no shortcuts or tricks. If, as planned, Ronin FC starts in the 2025-26 season, the theoretical route to touch the summit of Spanish football would be as follows, step by step:
- Cuarta Catalana
- Tercera Catalana
- Segunda Catalana
- Primera Catalana
- Lliga Elit
- Tercera RFEF
- Segunda RFEF
- Primera RFEF
- Segunda División (professional football), and then the jump to Primera
This means that if the team strings together one promotion per season without missing any —a genuine competitive rocket— access to the top tier would arrive in 2033-34, debuting in Primera in 2034-35. It may seem distant, but in context it’s a relatively reasonable window for a club born in 2025: by then, even an early talent like Lamine Yamal will not yet be 30. Evidently, football reality is less linear than a paper progression: seasons go wrong, divisions require regrouping and opponents also want to climb, not to mention that from Segunda División onward the ecosystem is fully professional and competitive demands soar.
The key, then, would be to consolidate as you get promoted, fine-tuning the squad and sporting structure at each jump. Ibai’s media impact, which will put lights and audience on every match, can help attract talent and resources, but the grass rules and the rules are the same for everyone. Will we see a continuous express rise for almost a decade? It’s possible; whether it’s likely is, as always in football, another story. What is clear is that the roadmap is defined and that each season opens a new square on the board.
Dates, expectations and a realistic objective
That said, it’s worth adjusting the hype: the appeal of the project shouldn’t be measured solely by whether it reaches Primera, because the value of having created a club from the bottom division also lies in respecting timing, building identity and growing sustainably. In the short and medium term, a milestone that sounds particularly exciting is reaching the Copa del Rey and drawing a Primera team in a magical round; for a club born now, experiencing a night like that would already be unforgettable for its community.
At the same time, the team’s name —Ronin FC, with a Japanese nod— has generated debate on social networks, as expected in the digital age, with voices calling for a more local denomination. However, football has always coexisted with diverse identities, and the essence doesn’t change here: it’s a Catalan club that will compete in Catalonia, based in Rubí and ambitious to grow step by step. Also, having the sole investor be its own creator brings coherence and control over the project’s direction, something vital in such early stages, almost like launching an app in closed beta before scaling to production.
In short, Ronin FC is born with a clear route, a possible calendar —2025-26 as the start and, in the most optimistic scenario, 2034-35 for the Primera debut— and a narrative that hooks because of its authenticity. If you love following stories where the community pushes and every weekend counts, this club will give you many afternoons of live streams, discussion and learning. That said, the first match will also be the most important, because it will validate that unique mix of ambition, work and patience. Ready to follow this journey season by season?
