LaLiga on Tuesday canceled the regular-season meeting between Barcelona and Villarreal that had been scheduled for Dec. 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, ending the league’s most advanced attempt to stage an official match outside Spain.
The road to approval
The league and its U.S. partner Relevent Sports Group first pursued an overseas fixture in 2018, signing a 15-year agreement aimed at growing the competition in North America. Earlier proposals—Girona vs. Barcelona in 2019, Villarreal vs. Atlético Madrid in 2020, and Barcelona vs. Atlético in 2024—each stalled amid resistance from FIFA, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and U.S. Soccer.
That resistance eased after Relevent won court cases in 2024 challenging FIFA and U.S. Soccer’s authority to block such events, and after leadership changes at the RFEF. In August 2025 the Spanish federation forwarded the Miami request to UEFA, which granted “reluctant” approval on Oct. 6 while FIFA declined to intervene. U.S. Soccer also signaled its consent, and Concacaf began its own review on Oct. 9.
Mounting opposition
Despite those regulatory steps, backlash intensified. Real Madrid publicly vowed to fight the plan in August and in recent days saw support from head coach Xabi Alonso and players Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and coach Hansi Flick also expressed reservations. Over the weekend, a league-wide protest organized by club captains and the players’ union AFE drew additional attention after LaLiga tried to limit television exposure of the demonstration.
Questions also emerged from Concacaf, which insisted on appointing match officials under its jurisdiction, a demand the RFEF resisted. Separately, Hard Rock Stadium faced a potential clash with an NFL game on Dec. 21 and the University of Miami’s possible College Football Playoff appearance on Dec. 20, although venue officials said the field could accommodate all events.
Why organizers backed out
In statements issued Tuesday, LaLiga and Relevent cited “uncertainty” and a lack of time to finalize logistics, with Relevent noting that “there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale.” The league also faced the threat of legal action from Real Madrid, and Spain’s sports ministry (CSD) had not yet delivered a formal ruling.
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Support for the Miami game was largely limited to LaLiga, Relevent and the two participating clubs. UEFA reiterated its dislike of domestic matches abroad even while authorizing the fixture, and the AFE said players merely wanted transparency about working conditions. Atlético Madrid captain Koke summarized the union’s stance: “We were neither for nor against … we were asking for transparency.”
Winners and losers
Real Madrid emerged with a political win, having opposed the plan from the outset. Many players and supporters who argued that an overseas game would undermine the league’s home-and-away integrity also claimed vindication.
The setback damages LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas, who championed the initiative. Villarreal, which risked alienating fans by surrendering a marquee home date, now receives no compensation, while Barcelona loses a revenue opportunity that club president Joan Laporta said would offset earlier matches at 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff.
What’s next?
Tebas insisted on social media that the league “will keep trying,” calling the abandonment “an excuse to kill the project” by opponents. Relevent suggested better lead time could resolve logistical issues in future bids. However, Villarreal officials criticized the process as “disrespectful,” and other clubs may be hesitant to volunteer after seeing the fallout.
The broader question could soon extend beyond Spain. Serie A plans to stage AC Milan vs. Como in Perth, Australia, in February, and a FIFA working group is expected to recommend rule changes on cross-border domestic matches in the coming months.
Source: ESPN
