Mundo Deportivo revealed that the La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal, scheduled for the end of this year, is likely to be played outside of Spain for the first time in La Liga history.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has submitted an official request to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to approve the match being played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA, instead of the Estadio de la Cerámica in Valencia.
This request comes after Barcelona and Villarreal agreed to the proposal, which would generate millions for the two clubs.
After the approval of the two clubs and the league, La Liga now needs the approval of the Spanish Federation, then UEFA, and finally FIFA, before the match is officially moved to Miami.
This isn’t the first time such a proposal has been made. La Liga was offered to host El Clásico, the Madrid derby, and some of Barcelona’s matches in the United States some time ago, but the clubs rejected the offer due to the stress.
Despite the extremely busy schedule for both teams, the lure of huge financial rewards from the match, along with it being the last before the break between the first and second rounds (December 20), made it logical for them to accept it.
It is unlikely that the relevant federations will block the match from being played in the United States, especially since FIFA is encouraging matches to be played in the United States in preparation for the most important event, the 2026 World Cup.
