Many Spanish clubs opposed the initiative. So, in the last round of the Spanish championship footballers in protest were in a motionless position for 15 seconds at the beginning of each match. Against the background of these actions, the leadership of La Liga announced the cancellation of its previous decision.
According to the press service of La Liga, which governs the top division of the Spanish championship, the decision to cancel the match in the United States is due to the uncertainty that has arisen. “La Liga deeply regrets that the project, which represented a historic and unprecedented opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to be realized,” the communiqué said.
The clubs that were due to take part in the high-profile match regretted the decision to cancel the meeting outside Spain. “Villarreal accepted La Liga’s offer to play the match in the United States under two conditions – compensation for affected season ticket holders and no direct profit for the clubs. The league agreed, and the club actively cooperated in the preparations. However, Villarreal has repeatedly demanded clarity and was prepared to withdraw from the project if issues over the timing and organization of the trip were not resolved. “The club regrets the loss of the international development opportunity but will continue to work in the interests of the team and the competition,” said Villarreal, which was to be the nominal host of the match.
Barcelona said it respected and accepted La Liga’s decision – as much as it did after the announcement to host the match abroad. “The club is grateful for the support and unconditional love received from its fans in the United States and deeply regrets that they are deprived of the opportunity to attend an official Spanish league match in their country,” the Blue Granatas said in a statement.
The match between “Villarreal” and “Barcelona” was supposed to be held in Miami (Florida) in the run-up to Christmas in the new style. It could become the first ever official match of the Spanish championship, held abroad.
La Liga has a history of hosting official tournaments in other countries. Since 2022, the Spanish Super Cup in the “format of four” has been held in Saudi Arabia, which will host the tournament for the sixth time in early 2026. Saudi Arabia pays out more than $40 million for each draw, but is conditional on Real and Barcelona coming to the country. If at least one of the two biggest Spanish clubs misses the tournament, the amount is significantly reduced.
