La Liga President Javier Tebas has revealed plans to host league games in the US for the 2025/26 season.
Tebas has stated that he hopes that FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will be available for a potential league game to be hosted in the country, with both Spanish giants heading to the US for a preseason tour this summer.
He told Expansion: “I think it could be in the 2025/26 season, but La Liga will play official matches abroad. An official match in the US will strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second market for La Liga after Spain.
“Other very competitive leagues are coming so we cannot always do the same thing, but we cannot allow them to overtake us.”
La Liga has been bolstering its internationalisation efforts in North and Latin America over the last several years. Teams such as Sevilla and Real Betis have contested preseason fixtures in Mexico to tap into the shared language and culture of Hispanic people.
The Spanish top-flight league originally had plans in place to host a league game in Miami, Florida between Girona FC and FC Barcelona in 2018. This was supported by a multi-year partnership with US entertainment company Relevant.
Tebas believed in 2018 that league games in North America would generate upwards of €200m for each club to play one game per-season, if they were willing to.
However, the proposed Girona-Barcelona game was blocked by the Spanish Football Federation and FIFA. But following an antitrust lawsuit win for Relevant which was settled out of court with FIFA recently, La Liga now has the greenlight to begin the process of hosting league games again for the 2025/26 season.
The move appears to be a commercial manoeuvre from Tebas to generate more revenue for the league after being a regular critic of the sheer financial difference between La Liga and the Premier League.
Tebas also hinted that other European leagues have been exploring a similar approach in hosting league games outside their respective country.
The announcement from the La Liga President has caused major criticism from fans in Spain, citing a lack of consideration to fans who may miss out on attending a league game and prioritising money more than fan support.
