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The plan to hold the first European league match on foreign soil—a December fixture between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami—has been cancelled due to “uncertainty generated in Spain.”
La Liga President Javier Tebas expressed regret, calling the collapse a “missed opportunity” to grow the Spanish competition globally.
However, the news was met with strong domestic approval after weeks of intense pressure.
Villarreal CF, the match host, expressed “deep displeasure” with La Liga’s management of the event, stating they would have withdrawn from the project later this week regardless of the cancellation announcement.
The plan faced unified opposition in Spain, most notably from the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE), which had staged protests where players remained immobile for 15 seconds at the start of league matches.
Real Madrid also publicly opposed the move, arguing it would “adulterate the competition.”
The head of Spain’s Sports Council (CSD), Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, criticised the league’s process, emphasising that such significant initiatives require dialogue and agreement among all clubs, players, and fans.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) celebrated the cancellation as a “seismic victory,” while warning other leagues, such as Italy’s Serie A, to abandon similar foreign match ambitions.
