Villarreal and Barcelona\u2019s La Liga match in Miami has been postponed, with promoters Relevent saying there is \u201cinsufficient time\u201d to organise the event.<\/p>\n
A Relevent statement, first published by The Athletic on Tuesday evening, read: \u201cRelevent has informed La Liga of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on December 20.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relevent Sports, the events promoter and media rights company co-founded and owned by billionaire Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M.Ross, have a joint venture with La Liga to grow the league\u2019s business in North America and the game was due to be played at the Dolphins\u2019 Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.<\/p>\n
In its own statement, La Liga said it \u201cdeeply regrets\u201d the postponement and described the news as a blow to the \u201cinternational profile of the entire football ecosystem\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalisation of Spanish football, cannot go ahead,\u201d read the league\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe staging of an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players and the Spanish football brand in a strategic market such as the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe project fully complied with federation regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions that oversee compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues such as the Premier League and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and ability to generate resources, initiatives such as this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football.<\/p>\n
\u201cPassing up such opportunities makes it difficult to generate new revenue, limits clubs\u2019 ability to invest and compete, and reduces the international profile of the entire football ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n
In August, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) approved the request for December\u2019s La Liga fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona to be played in Miami<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fixture was initially scheduled to take place on the weekend of December 20-21 at Villarreal\u2019s Estadio de la Ceramica home in eastern Spain.<\/p>\n It would be the first time a European top-flight league fixture has taken place in the U.S, although the Spanish Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia in the four of the last five seasons.<\/p>\n On October 6, UEFA approved Italian and Spanish domestic league matches being staged overseas<\/a> in a landmark ruling, while reiterating its \u201cclear opposition\u201d to the plans, which it said were granted \u201con an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at global level\u201d.<\/p>\n Aleksander Ceferin, the president of European football\u2019s governing body, described the decision as \u201cregrettable\u201d and said that it should \u201cnot be seen as setting a precedent\u201d and that \u201cleague matches should be played on home soil\u201d.<\/p>\n Serie A, the top division of Italian football, is planning to play a match between Milan and Como in Australia, with discussions having taken place over the fixture being staged in the city of Perth on the weekend of February 7-8, 2026.<\/p>\n La Liga\u2019s controversial proposal sparked fury and raised questions about the league\u2019s integrity, with the Spanish football supporters\u2019 association, FASFE, joining with Villarreal and Barca fan groups to express their \u201cabsolute, total and firm opposition\u201d to the plans.<\/p>\n Real Madrid have called on FIFA, global football\u2019s governing body, to prevent the fixtures from taking place in Miami<\/a>, saying it would undermine the \u201cintegrity\u201d of La Liga and prove to be an unwelcome \u201cturning point in the world of football\u201d.<\/p>\n Glenn Micallef \u2014 the EU commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport \u2014 has said moving the fixture would be \u201cbetrayal\u201d of the Spanish clubs\u2019 local communities<\/a> and also called for discussions with representatives across the game to tackle this and several other controversial topics in football.<\/p>\n The Spanish league first attempted to stage a match abroad in 2018 with a proposal for Girona\u2019s home league game against Barcelona to be played in Miami. However, this was met with opposition from both the RFEF and FIFA, world football\u2019s governing body, as was a similar proposal the following year to play Atletico Madrid\u2019s league match against Villarreal in the U.S..<\/p>\n