La Liga scraps plans of Barca-Atletico fixture in Miami but still hope to have league fixtures in the coming season.
La Liga scraps plans to host next month’s fixture between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in the United States. The Spanish top flight still intends to host domestic games abroad in future.
In a decision that would have caused a great deal of controversy, Miami was selected as the location for the match, which was a home match for Barcelona, on December 22. Although the concept has gained acceptance in some quarters as teams want to make money from their enormous worldwide fan following, no major European league has held a competitive match in the US.
La Liga has already acknowledged that December will be too early to break the tradition by hosting such a high-profile match nearly 4,500 miles away, even though it would have required approval from FIFA, Uefa, and the Spanish Football Association to make the transfer. According to The Guardian, it is still eager to go overseas, and a new effort is probably in the works for the upcoming season.
Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, has long expressed his desire to host some league matches abroad, stating in April that it “may happen in the 2025-26 season.” Spain’s finest clubs thrive in the North American market, although there is fierce rivalry, especially in the Premier League.
After settling with the US-based event promoter Relevent Sports in an antitrust case the business filed, FIFA started reviewing its policy on regular-season league games played in other countries six months ago. That case followed Fifa’s six-year-old embargo of La Liga and Relevent’s effort to host a Girona vs. Barcelona match in Miami.
Any modification to FIFA’s regulations would allow La Liga, or any other league, to defy decades of custom and hold domestic matches overseas. While Premier League clubs are reportedly keeping a close eye on developments, the English top league has insisted that there are currently no plans to leave.