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Barcelona could play first La Liga match in USA: why the league wants games in America
The Barcelona vs Villareal 21 December La Liga match could be played in the USA. Image: Reuters
Spanish football could finally cross the Atlantic after the Royal Spanish Football Federation approved a request for Barcelona and Villarreal to play their December La Liga match in Miami – a move nearly a decade in the making.
The RFEF board gave the green light on Monday for the teams' matchday 17 game to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on December 20 in the first step towards the competition playing an official match abroad for the first time in its history.
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The proposal now heads to European football's governing body UEFA before requiring final approval from FIFA – the last hurdle in La Liga President Javier Tebas' American dream.
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'At its meeting on 11 August 2025, the RFEF Board of Directors received a request from Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona to play their match on matchday 17 of the first division in the United States,' RFEF said in a statement.
'… the Royal Spanish Football Federation will submit the request to UEFA to begin the process for subsequent authorisation by FIFA for the match to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 20 December 2025 …'
Why La Liga wants matches in USA?
La Liga has been pursuing their transatlantic vision for almost a decade, emulating the strategy employed by the NFL and NBA to establish themselves in other markets.
Tebas' first attempt came in the 2018-19 season with a proposed Girona-Barca match in the U.S. that never materialised.
A planned Villarreal-Atletico fixture for 2019-20 also fell through, with the matter ending up in the courts after the RFEF refused authorisation.
The courts sided with the Spanish Federation, then under Luis Rubiales, who was sacked in 2023 for kissing team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth celebrating Spain's women's World Cup victory in Sydney.
There was another near-miss last season, with a Barcelona-Atletico match almost proceeding before La Liga pulled back at the last minute to better structure the project.
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Now, with regulatory barriers cleared and internal conflicts resolved, the Villarreal-Barca clash appears poised to finally deliver Spanish football's long-awaited American adventure.
By taking a La Liga match to the USA, the football body hopes to tap into a new market and secure fresh sponsorship deals, a strategy regularly used by NFL and NBA teams, which travel worldwide to play exhibition games and attract new fans.
Also, they may manage better media rights deals with American broadcasters if matches are played locally. But why would American broadcasters be interested in La Liga? That's because the USA has a huge Hispanic community, many of whom already follow La Liga.
More importantly, it will help La Liga become a bigger global brand, strengthening its value and increasing demand for it.
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