LA LIGA SCRAPS PLANNED BARCELONA-VILLARREAL MATCH IN MIAMI OVER “UNCERTAINTY” IN SPAIN
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
La Liga’s historic plan to stage a Barcelona vs. Villarreal league match in Miami this December has been called off, the Spanish top flight confirmed on Tuesday, citing “uncertainty” surrounding the event within Spain.
The game, originally scheduled for December 20 at the Hard Rock Stadium, would have marked the first-ever European league fixture played abroad.
In a statement, La Liga said the event’s promoters decided to cancel the organisation due to “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks,” adding that they “deeply regret that the project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity to take Spanish football to the international stage, cannot go ahead.”
Tickets for the Miami match were set to go on sale Tuesday, but organisers first delayed the presale before scrapping the plan entirely. The fixture will now take place as normal at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica.
Barcelona, in their own statement, said they “respect and accept” the decision to cancel the game, though they lamented the “lost opportunity to expand the image of the competition in a strategic market” and expressed regret that U.S. fans would be “deprived” of seeing the teams play live.
The proposal had sparked strong opposition across Spanish football. The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) organised protests last weekend, with players from all clubs standing still for 15 seconds at the start of league matches.
Real Madrid also voiced institutional opposition, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and captain Dani Carvajal criticising the idea, warning it would “adulterate” the competition and “stain” La Liga’s reputation.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has long sought to hold league matches abroad to grow the competition’s global reach. UEFA, which typically opposes overseas domestic fixtures, granted exceptional approval for the Miami match — as well as a Serie A game between AC Milan and Como planned for February in Australia.
With the Miami project shelved once again, La Liga’s ambition to take its domestic fixtures international remains on hold, despite years of planning and negotiation.
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