La Liga is once again pushing for a league game to be held in the US, proposing the December 21, 2025 fixture between FC Barcelona and Villarreal to be held in Miami, Florida.
A US-hosted league game has been a longtime ambition for La Liga President Javier Tebas, and will be discussed by the Spanish Football Association’s (RFEF) at its Madrid headquarters on August 11.
Marca reports RFEF will raise a petition amongst some of its leading officials to be debated on whether a La Liga game should be held outside Spain for the first time. If approved, the case will then be passed onto the RFEF Assembly for final approval.
La Liga must also gain clearance from FIFA, UEFA, and CONCACAF, but a recent move by FIFA last year may have already put the wheels in motion for Tebas’ plans.
In May 2024, FIFA announced the establishment of an independent panel of up to 15 delegates with experience in club, league and supporters organisations to approve if a league requests for a domestic league game be held overseas.
FIFA outlined the group must consider fairness and the consideration of fans as it would mean a traditional home game will be played outside their home territory, meaning general sale and season tickets could prove to be pricey and inaccessible to attend.
The proposed FC Barcelona and Villarreal La Liga fixture to be held in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, would be a ‘home’ fixture for Villarreal, despite being held outside of Spain.
La Liga was one of the first European leagues to express interest to FIFA regarding the opportunity to host league games outside of its domestic borders, unsurprising given this has been on the agenda since 2018.
Tebas’ US La Liga dream
FC Barcelona and Miami have been constantly linked with one another since 2018, when the Catalonia club were first linked to be playing a La Liga game in the city against Girona.
This first attempt was swiftly rejected and blocked by FIFA, RFEF and the Spanish football player’s union, but this did not deter Tebas’ ambition. The La Liga President stated in 2018 there is a $200m opportunity for the league to host a game in the US, citing ticketing, sponsorship and broadcast revenue.
The most recent attempt came last season, again involving FC Barcelona and Miami. The proposed fixture was FC Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid on December 21, 2024 and while RFEF softened its stance on hosting foreign La Liga games, it was unable to receive the full backing of the federation.
RFEF’s back-and-forth stance
The Spanish federation’s stance on overseas-hosted La Liga games has not always been as accepting as it is today.
Former president Luis Rubiales rejected two attempts in 2018 and 2019, and was firmly against the concept. However, Rubiales stood down as President in 2023 and was banned from all football-related activities for three years by FIFA.
Rubiales was found to have broken rules relating to his non-consensual actions to Spanish women’s players during their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph.
With Rubiales out and Rafael Louzán taking over as RFEF President, La Liga and Tebas’ optimism for a US-held league is likely to have grown. He will oversee the current process of handing in the vote to UEFA for approval.
