LONDON — La Liga President Javier Tebas has reignited ambitious plans to stage an official Spanish league match in the United States, despite previous attempts collapsing amid significant opposition. Speaking at a London news conference on Thursday, Tebas confirmed his determination to bring a top-tier Spanish football game to American soil, viewing it as crucial for global expansion.
The initiative previously faced collapse in October when Barcelona and Villarreal’s scheduled December matchup at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium was canceled due to mounting resistance from clubs, players, and fan groups. Critics argued that moving domestic matches overseas compromised competitive integrity, though Tebas countered that a single game among 380 season matches would cause minimal disruption.
Tebas pointed to successful international expansions by American sports leagues as his model. The NFL has regularly hosted games in London, Berlin, Dublin, Madrid, and São Paulo, while the NBA continues to stage overseas contests. European soccer leagues, Tebas noted, benefit enormously from global broadcasting deals worth billions, making international games both a respectful gesture to worldwide fans and a strategic growth opportunity.
“They don’t come to Europe on vacation,” Tebas remarked regarding American leagues, “they come to get fans, to sign television deals, to attract children to their competitions. We opened the doors to Europe. Instead, the United States, which opens the doors for us to go, we close them here in Europe.”
Despite obtaining approval from UEFA and the Spanish soccer federation in October, the league faced player protests and logistical challenges that forced postponement. This followed a similar abandoned attempt in 2019 when FIFA reinforced policies requiring league matches to occur within national territories.
Separately, Tebas addressed Manchester City’s ongoing financial misconduct case with the Premier League, noting that prolonged uncertainty damages institutional reputation, though he emphasized this was unrelated to La Liga’s international ambitions.