Miami Set To Host Barcelona-Villarreal LaLiga Match In December

Seven years after their first botched attempt, LaLiga’s American adventure looks closer to reality than ever before. The Spanish football federation will meet on Monday to formally discuss the process of moving Barcelona’s December league fixture with Villarreal to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

It’s been a long road for LaLiga president Javier Tebas, Relevent Sports and their relentless pursuit of a competitive European fixture in US territory. In 2018, Girona and Barcelona were meant to break new ground only to crash into fierce opposition from FIFA, UEFA, the US federation and Spain’s own federation.

Back then, Luis Rubiales was running the RFEF show however his toxic relationship with Tebas, turned strategic discussions into personal vendettas that served nobody’s interests.

Rubiales is now long gone after his spectacular downfall following that Women’s World Cup final kiss scandal. His replacement, Rafael Louzan, appears willing to work with LaLiga rather than against it.

The legal landscape has shifted dramatically too. Relevent Sports Group’s lawsuit against FIFA and the US Soccer Federation may have been dismissed in April, but not before forcing world football’s governing body to climb down from its obstructionist stance.

The regulatory hurdles though remain substantial. UEFA and Concacaf both need convincing, along with the US Soccer Federation. Each has their own concerns about precedent, competitive integrity, and what happens when every league demands sanctioning in the golden money pot of the States.

For Tebas, he needs LaLiga’s viewing figures in the US to continue growing if he wants to overtake the English Premier League as the dominant football force in the country’s commercial and broadcast markets.

If Barcelona maintain their current form, you’re potentially showcasing the world’s most marketable club with the world’s most exciting player, Lamine Yamal at peak condition.

Villarreal make logical opponents too. They’re established enough to legitimise the occasion but unlikely to kick up the sort of fuss that might derail proceedings. The Yellow Submarine has played enough European campaigns to understand the value of global exposure.

RFEF meeting won’t guarantee anything, but it represents the furthest LaLiga has progressed down this path. After seven years of false starts and political interference, that feels significant.

Insideworldfootball.com