European football clubs have long been aware of the financial allure of playing matches in the United States, where the sport’s popularity has increased exponentially over the last decade.
Thanks to both the increased profile of soccer amongst established Americans as well as the ingrained popularity within immigrant populations, the sport has blossomed in the U.S. Fans have increased in numbers for both Major League Soccer and clubs overseas as access to match broadcasts has become easier and more prolific.
FIFA found relative success with staging the first expanded Club World Cup in the U.S. last summer, ahead of a highly anticipated 2026 World Cup largely to be contested on American soil.
Murmurs of major European clubs playing league games in the United States have echoed across the continent for the last few years, but so far have been rebuffed by leagues who fear backlash from domestic fans who could view such a move as a cash grab. However, there may be movement on such a front as one league finds the prospect irresistible.
The Sporting News explains how the possibility of La Liga playing a match in the United States, or playing abroad in other markets in general, might be too much for the Spanish federation (RFEF) to put off any longer.
Will Barcelona vs. Villarreal be played in Miami?
According to a report by Adam Crafton of The Athletic, and subsequently confirmed by the Spanish federation, the RFEF has approved a request for December’s match between Barcelona and Villarreal to be played in Miami.
That approval does not necessarily mean the match will be played in the United States, but it is a significant step in the process.
Next, a request must be submitted to UEFA and FIFA to have the fixture location changed. Additionally, both the Spanish federation and U.S. Soccer must approve the request, as too must the relevant confederations involved, in this case being UEFA and CONCACAF. A deal must also be worked out to divide up the profits between a significant number of stakeholders, including La Liga, the RFEF, U.S. Soccer, the venue, the clubs, and many others.
If the match does end up being moved, it would mark the first time a European top-flight fixture has taken place in the United States, and potentially the first time a major European league has staged a league match outside its own country.
When is Barcelona vs. Villarreal game in Miami?
As of now, the match between Barcelona and Villarreal is scheduled to be played on the weekend of December 20-21.
It does not have a specific date just yet, as La Liga usually waits until a few months before to lock down the order of matches each weekend. This is for a few reasons. First, it ensures clubs have the ideal recovery time from fixtures in knockout competitions depending on who reaches each stage. Second, it allows the league to parse out an optimal schedule depending on the biggest games and most impactful matchups.
Notably for staging a match overseas, this matchweek does not contend with the UEFA Champions League, which will see league-phase play fall dormant between Matchweek 6 on December 9-10 and Matchweek 7 on January 20-21.
It is likely, however, that this could potentially affect the Copa del Rey, which is scheduled to see the Round of 32 played December 16-18.
Why does La Liga want to play a game in USA?
While other leagues continue to generally rebuff the idea of playing league matches abroad, the Spanish league has been at the forefront of this push for nearly a decade.
La Liga first attempted to play matches in the United States back in 2018, hoping to stage a game between Barcelona and Girona in Miami. However, both the RFEF and FIFA opposed the idea at the time, partially thanks to a strained relationship between the Spanish league and federation, hostilities which have largely cooled since.
The Spanish league is looking to capitalize on an increased profile in the United States in recent years. The fanbase for Barcelona and Real Madrid is enormous in the country, especially amongst the significant Latino community, and Spanish football as a whole could benefit from maximizing such links. And it has already ventured down the path of playing games abroad: Spain’s Supercopa has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2020, with the exception of the 2021 edition, which was played at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. professional leagues have made similar forays abroad in recent years. Major League Baseball has staged early-season games in Japan over the last few seasons with significant success. The NFL has played games in England, Germany, and most recently Mexico and Brazil as they look to raise the global profile of their sport.
