2000–2005: Formation in Elite 1 The club was founded in 2000 after the merger of two teams in the area of
Perpignan,
XIII Catalan and
AS Saint-Estève. The merged team took the name Union Treiziste Catalane, often abbreviated to UTC. XIII Catalan were founded in 1935 and thus were founding members of the
French Championship. During their run, they won 11 French Championships and 11
Lord Derby Cups.
AS Saint-Estève were founded in 1965. They won six championships and four Lord Derby Cups. There were two other clubs in the twelve-team competition in Pyrénées-Orientales:
Pia XIII and Saint-Cyprien. In 2002 Saint-Cyprien joined the merged UTC side. UTC won the 2005 French Championship and the 2004 and 2005
Lord Derby Cups.
2006–2007: Transfer to Super League and Challenge Cup final In 2006, UTC transferred from the
French to
British rugby league system, joining the
Super League XI following a successful application in 2005. They were selected ahead of
Toulouse Olympique and
Villeneuve Leopards. After having planned to be called Perpignan, the club was named Catalans Dragons to represent the whole
Catalonia region, with matches played in
Carcassonne and
Narbonne, as well as across the border in
Figueres in Spain while expansion work at the
Stade Gilbert Brutus took place. while a new club,
Saint-Estève XIII Catalan, was formed in the French Championship to serve as a reserve team for the club. The club set a target for 75% of the players be qualified to play for
France. History was also created on 20 June, when the club played in the first Super League game to be played in Spain, at
Barcelona's
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, the venue for the
1992 Summer Olympics, against
Warrington. The Dragons led 10–6 at halftime, but Warrington finished as the winners 12–24. The purpose of the latter fixture was to promote the sport in
Catalonia, with around 1000 tickets being sold in the local area, and the game was televised on the Catalan channel
El 33. Immediately after the game, Walters commented that the event in Spain could become an annual one,
2018–present: Establishment as a top club On 25 August 2018, Catalans Dragons won their first British Rugby League trophy, after defeating
Warrington 20–14 in the
2018 Challenge Cup Final, in the process becoming the first non-English team to win the competition. During the
2019 season, Catalans Dragons held their home match against
Wigan at the
Camp Nou in
Barcelona. The match was the first
Super League game in
Spain and attracted a record attendance for a Super League game, outside of the
Grand Final or
Magic Weekend, of 31,555. The game resulted in a 33–16 victory for the Dragons. On 28 January 2020, Catalans Dragons announced that they had signed
Israel Folau despite him holding to the Biblical teaching that those who practice homosexuality without repenting will go to hell (going so far as to suggest that the 2019–20 Australian bushfires were God's judgment on Australia for allowing same sex marriage and abortion). Wigan Warriors responded by saying that their next game against Catalans would be named Pride Day. In
2021, Catalans won Super League's
League Leaders' Shield for the first time, following a 31–30 golden point extra time victory over reigning champions
St Helens during
Magic Weekend. On 9 October 2021, Catalans played in their first ever
Super League Grand Final with the opponents being reigning champions St Helens. Catalans lead the match in the second half but a try late to St Helens saw Catalans lose 12–10. In the 2022 Super League season, Catalans finished 4th on the table and qualified for the playoffs. The club would be eliminated from the playoffs in the first week, suffering a shock 20-10 loss against Leeds. In the 2023 Super League season, Catalans finished second on the table, equal on points with Wigan who finished first. They would eventually reach the grand final after beating St Helens in the semi-final which ended the clubs four-year dominance of the competition. Catalans would go on to lose the
2023 Super League Grand Final 10-2 against
Wigan. Catalans became the first team since the Super League era began in 1996 to not score a try in the final. In the
2024 Super League season, Catalans had a disappointing campaign finishing 7th on the table and missing out on the playoffs. In the 2025 Super League season, Catalans had an even tougher season than what they experienced in 2024 with the club finishing 9th on the table. ==Stadiums==