The organizing company Relevent Sports suspended the historic match that LaLiga planned to play in the US, thus frustrating Javier Tebas’ plans to internationalize Spanish football.
The long-awaited match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona, which was going to be played in Miami for matchday 17 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/2026, was canceled by decision of Relevent Sports, the event promoter company. The organization claimed “the uncertainty generated in Spain” in recent weeks as a reason to back down with the project.
In a statement, LaLiga confirmed that Relevent officially communicated its decision to cancel the organization of the match and He “deeply” regretted the suspension of what he defined as “a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalization of Spanish football.”
The protests led to the suspension of Barcelona-Villareal in Miami
The measure occurs in the midst of a context of institutional tension within Spanish football, with the symbolic 15 second strike decreed by the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) and the lack of consensus from the Government on holding an official meeting outside the national territory.
“The game on American soil It would have meant a decisive step in the global expansion of the competitionreinforcing the international presence of the clubs and the Spanish football brand in a strategic market like the United States,” stated the official LaLiga statement.
The project had the support of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)which had approved the request of Villarreal and Barcelona to play at the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and was awaiting final authorization from FIFA.
However, history repeated itself again. Already in 2018 and 2019, LaLiga had tried to hold official meetings in Miami (between Barcelona-Girona and Villarreal-Atlético de Madrid), but Justice blocked them due to the opposition of the RFEF and FIFA.
Despite recent advances, the current federation president Rafael Louzán had shown greater openness to the idea. But Relevent’s decision, which justified its position by saying that “It would be irresponsible to sell tickets without a confirmed match,” once again thwarted the plans of Javier Tebas and its internationalization team.
The promoter, owned by magnate Stephen M. Ross, also co-founder of the joint venture with LaLiga for the development of tournaments in North America, assured that no there was sufficient time to guarantee the logistical success of the event. Thus, the dream of watching an official LaLiga match in the United States is once again postponed indefinitely.
Source: Ambito
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