Liam Duckstein
La Liga pulls planned Villarreal v Barcelona match out of Miami
La Liga has cancelled plans to stage a regular-season match between Villarreal and Barcelona at Hard Rock Stadium on 20 December after organisers and the league said there was not enough time to put the event together.
The decision follows months of controversy. In August the Spanish football federation, the RFEF, approved moving the fixture to Miami — a proposal that drew sharp criticism across Spain and led to symbolic protests by players during recent matchdays.
Promoters Relevent said the match could not go ahead because of “insufficient time” to organise the event, and La Liga cited “uncertainty in Spain” as a factor. The league said it “deeply regrets” the postponement, calling it a blow to the “international profile of the entire football ecosystem”.
La Liga had argued staging an official league match outside Spain would be a “decisive step in the global expansion” of the competition and warned that “passing up such opportunities makes it difficult to generate new revenue.” If held, the fixture would have been the first European top-flight league match played in the United States. (The Spanish Super Cup, by comparison, has been staged in Saudi Arabia in four of the last five seasons.)
After the Miami plan was first announced, the Italian federation approved moving a Serie A game — AC Milan v Como — to Perth in February, adding to debate about domestic fixtures held abroad.
Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s coach, said his “players are not happy” and that he was “not happy” with the idea, but added that “La Liga decided that we will play this game.”
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Radio 5 Live he expects the issue will resurface while Javier Tebas remains La Liga president. Balague said the move complied with federation regulations and that doubts around the project were not related to sporting integrity.
Balague: “Perhaps there wasn’t enough money, perhaps the money wasn’t clear where it was going, but certainly it’s been a lot of confusion.”
He also questioned organisers’ claims about fan travel, noting Villarreal’s conflicting statements over whether they would receive payment and how some 5,000 supporters would reach Miami.
The cancellation leaves La Liga facing renewed scrutiny over the balance between growing its international profile and protecting domestic fixtures. League officials said they will continue to explore global opportunities, but for now the Miami match will not take place.