MADRID (AP) — The Spanish league is finally playing a regular-season game in the United States.
La Liga confirmed Wednesday that Villarreal and Barcelona will face each other at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Dec. 20.
“This match is a historic step that takes La Liga and Spanish football to an all-new level,” Spanish league president Javier Tebas said in a league statement.
He and the league had been pushing for a regular-season game abroad for some time,
with the first attempt coming in 2018 with a match between Barcelona and Girona, but the idea was dismissed after criticism from some players, fans and clubs. Its subsequent attempts to play there also failed but the plan moved forward this time after UEFA on Monday gave consent for the game despite opposition from fan groups across the continent.
The European governing body did not oppose the plans by both the Spanish league and the Italian league, which wants to have AC Milan face Como in Australia next year.
UEFA blamed a lack of clear rules from world soccer body FIFA to block the proposed games, which many fans see as a threat to cut teams’ ties to their home communities.
The Spanish soccer federation, which under previous administrations strongly opposed the league match abroad, also gave the go-ahead for La Liga’s plans this year.
Staging a match abroad has long been part of the league’s goal of promoting soccer and its brand in other countries. To help achieve the goal, a few years ago it signed a long-term partnership with sports and entertainment group Relevent Sports, which is part of Stephen Ross’ portfolio of companies including Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, the Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open tennis tournament.
Plans for the La Liga game in Miami were renewed after FIFA withdrew from a legal action brought by Relevent in a Manhattan court. Weeks later, FIFA said it would review its rules and created a working group that includes UEFA lawyers.
Relevent has since become a key commercial partner of UEFA and the influential European Club Association, being entrusted this year to sell six years’ worth of commercial rights for the Champions League and other continental competitions through 2033.
Villarreal, playing in the Champions League this season, would nominally be the home team for the match in Miami, though Barcelona fans should be the vast majority at Hard Rock Stadium. Former Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the main attraction at Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer.
Villarreal had said its season ticket-holders can travel for free and receive free tickets for the match. It said those who don’t want to go, or can’t go, will get a 20% discount on their season tickets.
Games abroad have become routine in U.S. pro sports leagues — with the NFL playing in several European cities — but still jar with European soccer culture which thrives on tribal rivalries and fans of visiting teams being in the stadium.
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