Barcelona could make history once again by playing their first official LaLiga match outside Spanish territory, after the Spanish Football Federation authorized Villarreal to play their match on December 20 in the United States, more specifically in the Florida region, a place that already hosts other world events such as F1, ATP 1000 and UFC. However, if it's up to Real Madrid, the Catalan club won't be able to go ahead with their historic tour at the end of the year.
In a very harsh official statement, Real Madrid said it was completely opposed to the match between Barcelona and Villarreal being played at the Hard Rock Stadium, threatening to take action against the world's highest soccer institutions (UEFA and FIFA). It's worth noting that the match in the United States needs the approval of these higher authorities.
Upon learning of LaLiga and Barcelona's intentions, Real asked UEFA to put pressure on the RFEF to withdraw the request to hold the match in the USA, as well as asking the Supreme Sports Council to deny authorization to hold the event. In addition, Florentino Pérez confessed that he has formally requested that FIFA prohibit the match from taking place without the prior consent of all the clubs participating in the league, alleging a lack of equality.
FIFA sets up working group to evaluate national league matches abroad
It is worth remembering that this is not LaLiga's first attempt to play an official league match in the United States. In 2018/19, there was a first attempt to hold a match outside the country, but FIFA, the RFEF and the United States Football Federation itself rejected the proposal. Other proposals, always involving Barcelona in matches against Atlético de Madrid, have been analyzed and rejected by all instances.
However, Javier Tebas confessed in a recent interview that he has his sights set on an official match in the USA by the end of the current season, while FIFA has set up a working group to assess the impact of playing national league matches for their countries. Meanwhile, Serie A is preparing to stage Milan vs Como in Australia in February 2026.