LaLiga could hold first ever domestic game on US soil as early as this December with Barcelona’s clash with Atletico Madrid lined up to take place at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium
- Sources in the US hope the drastic change of venue will be approved
- LaLiga president Javier Tebas has made no secret of his desire to play a match abroad
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La Liga could play its first-ever domestic match on American soil as soon as December if FIFA, UEFA and the Spanish Football Association give the green light.
Barcelona will play Atletico Madrid at the temporary Barcelona Olympic Stadium on the weekend of December 22, but all three sides are working to bring the match to Miami and obtain permission from the Spanish Football Federation, UEFA and FIFA, which yet to be applied for, would represent the final hurdles to be overcome.
Sources in the US have reported this Mailsport they are hopeful that the move will be approved and the game will go ahead.
Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has made no secret of the fact that he has wanted to play a league match in the US for some time.
Last summer he said: ‘It’s a sign of respect for the American fans [of La Liga]. We see NBA and NFL play in Europe or Mexico. This would resonate in the American market.”
Barcelona’s LaLiga match against Atletico Madrid could take place at the Hard Rock Stadium
The match is scheduled for the end of December, but discussions are ongoing about a move to the United States
Barcelona faced Real Madrid last summer in a friendly at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in front of 82,500 spectators.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami is the proposed venue for the game in December.
The Spanish Football Federation has previously opposed the idea of playing a league match abroad. La Liga made two failed attempts to play one of its matches on American soil in 2019, but both happened while Luis Rubiales was president of the Spanish Football Federation.
La Liga tried without success to move Girona against Barcelona and then Villarreal against Atletico Madrid from Spain. In the post-Rubiales era, there is more optimism that La Liga would be supported by the Spanish national association.
FIFA has always opposed this idea. The rules of the world governing body stipulate that official competition matches must be played in the territory of the relevant affiliated association.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has made no secret of his desire to play a league match in the US
Sources in the US hope that the drastic change of location will be given the green light
But La Liga has taken UEFA president Alexander Ceferin’s aspirations to stage a Champions League final in the US one season as an indication of a softening of resistance to the idea.
Barcelona played a friendly in Dallas last December and is the club in Spain most open to the idea. They are also the club most in need financially of the benefits of an American payday.
The financially troubled club has a debt recently estimated at $2.5 billion by Victor Font, current president Joan Laporta’s main rival in the club’s most recent elections.
They lost an estimated €50 million last season playing outside Spotify Camp Nou while the arena was being renovated.
Their temporary home in Montjuic can accommodate only 45,000 spectators.
Barcelona played a friendly in Dallas, Texas last December and are open to the idea
Diego Simeone’s Atletico would also benefit financially and not lose a home game
The club is hopeful that they will be able to return home in early 2025, but construction work will only be half finished and the capacity will only be 60,000 people. Work on the new stadium, which will seat 105,000 spectators, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
Barcelona have currently exceeded the official spending limit for La Liga salaries and have struggled to sign players in recent transfer windows. The Miami game would boost their income.
Atletico Madrid would also benefit financially and not lose a home game. There will likely be disagreement among some of the remaining 18 clubs in the Spanish first division, as the two teams taking part in the Miami match would gain a financial advantage over the rest.
LaLiga confirmed to MailSport that their US partner ‘Relevant’ was in discussions with FIFA. “More steps still need to be taken, but we like the idea,” says a spokesperson.
