UEFA announces opposition to domestic league matches played in the US and abroad

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Oct 2025 11:49 CDT
• 4 min read

News

UEFA has officially announced its opposition to the concept of staging domestic league matches abroad, but has "reluctantly" accepted two existing requests.

In August, the Spanish federation approved LaLiga's plans to host a clash between Villarreal and Barcelona in the United States in December. The idea was to relocate the game from Villarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 21 December.

In the process, this fixture would have become the first domestic European league game to be played abroad. Italy's Serie A has also scheduled a game between AC Milan and Como to be played in Perth, Australia, in February.

Both plans have received fierce condemnation from fan groups, and there has been uncertainty over whether FIFA and UEFA would sanction these games.

UEFA has now issued an official statement on the matter, announcing that these two matches will go ahead, but it insists that they should not set a precedent. European football's governing body unequivocally rejects the concept of playing domestic league games abroad.

UEFA rejects league games played abroad

"UEFA has today reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country," the governing body's statement began.

"After the meeting of its Executive Committee in Tirana last month, UEFA undertook further consultations with stakeholders to assess the extent of the implications of the issue, following the applications it received from the Spanish and Italian national football associations.

"That consultation confirmed the widespread lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions around the concept of domestic league matches being relocated abroad."

Despite this, UEFA has announced that the Villarreal-Barcelona and Milan-Como games will be permitted to go ahead due to a lack of official regulatory FIFA framework on the subject.

"However, given that the relevant FIFA regulatory framework - currently under review - is not clear and detailed enough, the UEFA Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it," the statement added.

"UEFA will actively contribute to the ongoing work led by FIFA to ensure that future rules uphold the integrity of domestic competitions and the close bond between clubs, their supporters and local communities.

"In parallel, all UEFA national associations confirmed their commitment to engage with UEFA before submitting any future requests. In doing so, they voiced their collective determination to safeguard the wider interests of European football."

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is quoted as saying: “League matches should be played on home soil; anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions.

"Our consultation confirmed the breadth of these concerns. I would like to thank the 55 national associations for their constructive and responsible engagement on such a sensitive issue.

“While it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and shall not be seen as setting a precedent. Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national leagues and ensure that football remains anchored in its home environment."

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