Official: LaLiga cancels Barcelona fixture with Villarreal in Miami

Tom Weber

• Updated: 21 Oct 2025 15:08 CDT
• 4 min read

Breaking

Barcelona's controversial clash with Villarreal in December will not take place in Miami, LaLiga has announced.

The Spanish top-flight had hoped to open up potential new revenue streams by scheduling domestic league matches abroad, with the first such fixture set to take place in December.

LaLiga drew up plans for Villarreal to host their crunch clash with Barcelona in Miami, Florida, in December, and the league even received official approval from UEFA, albeit reluctantly.

UEFA said that its sanctioning of the Villarreal-Barcelona game and of AC Milan-Como in Perth, Australia, should not set a precedent, with European football's governing body citing a lack of clear FIFA regulation as the reason why it could not block these plans.

The news that the game in Miami would go ahead sparked massive outrage among supporters, the LaLiga clubs not involved in the matter and players. At the weekend, games in LaLiga started with a brief delay because players stood still to protest the decision.

LaLiga cancels Barca-Villarreal in Miami

The main argument against what many viewed as a blatant cash grab was that it 'adulterated the competition' by essentially taking a home game away from Villarreal. Given Barcelona's stature, the fixture in Miami would have been like a home game for the visiting side.

Now, LaLiga has announced that it has been forced to abandon its plan to stage this game stateside, with organisers citing the backlash and a lack of time to properly set up this event.

"LALIGA reports that, following discussions with the promoter of the Official LALIGA Match in Miami, the latter has announced its decision to cancel the event due to the uncertainty surrounding Spain in recent weeks," an official statement from the league read.

"LALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalization of Spanish football, cannot go ahead.

"Hosting an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, strengthening the international presence of the clubs, the positioning of the players, and the brand of Spanish football in a strategic market like the United States.

"The project fully complied with federal regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions that oversee its implementation, which were opposed for other reasons.

"In a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues like the Premier League and competitions like the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and revenue-generating capacity, initiatives like this are essential to ensuring the sustainability and growth of Spanish football.

"Forgoing these types of opportunities hampers the generation of new revenue, limits clubs' ability to invest and compete, and reduces the international reach of the entire Spanish football ecosystem.

"Finally, LALIGA would like to thank the clubs for their willingness and collaboration in this project, as well as their ongoing commitment to the growth of the competition.

"We will continue working, as always, to bring Spanish football to all corners of the world, championing an open, modern, and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players, and fans."

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