A request to stage December’s LaLiga fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in the United States has been approved by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), according to reports.
The RFEF’s board of directors, who received and discussed the proposal during a meeting on Monday, have given a green light to the request which will now be submitted to UEFA and FIFA for further approval.
In what would mark the first ever European top-flight league fixture to take place abroad, it has been requested that Villarreal’s home clash with Barcelona in December be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has regularly and publicly supported the idea of Spanish top-flight fixtures being played in the United States and spoke optimistically about the chances of a 2025-26 fixture being staged abroad last year.
According to The Athletic, the LaLiga match may have to be moved in order to fit in with the NFL calendar, as the Miami Dolphins are scheduled to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at the venue on December 21, in the weekend during which Barcelona and Villarreal are supposed to play.
As there are no Champions League fixtures scheduled in the midweek between December 15 and December 21, the match could in theory be rearranged for then, given both sides are competing in Europe’s elite competition this season.
A request to stage December’s LaLiga fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in the United States was approved by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in a meeting on Monday
The proposal is for Villarreal against Barcelona to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami
However, the Spanish Cup’s round-of-32 stage is scheduled between December 16 and December 18, which complicates matters.
LaLiga also attempted to stage a Barcelona match abroad back in 2018, this time with Girona the opponents included in the proposal, as well as a league game between Atletico Madrid and Villarreal the following year.
The requests, however, were both met with opposition from both the RFEF and FIFA.
It is understood the relationship between RFEF and LaLiga has improved since those initial proposals, and now the Spanish top flight has taken a significant step towards staging a fixture abroad.
While FIFA has so far shown opposition towards the idea, the possibility of staging domestic league fixtures abroad has been given a significant boost.
US events promoter Relevent, which was founded by Miami Dolphins founder Stephen Ross, has dropped world football’s governing body from their landmark lawsuit.
The case, issued in 2018, accused FIFA and the US Soccer Federation of stopping official league matches from being staged in foreign countries, preventing fair competition.
LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has publicly supported the idea of playing league matches abroad
However, as of April 2024, FIFA and Relevent have now settled the case.
Barcelona begin their LaLiga campaign with an away trip to Mallorca on Saturday, while Villarreal play Oviedo at home on Friday.
