La Liga Confirms Villarreal Vs Barcelona's Historic Match In Miami
JAKARTA - La Liga has confirmed plans to move the league match between Villarreal vs Barcelona to the United States by December 20, 2025, after UEFA allowed the match to be moved to Miami earlier this week.
La Liga president Javier Tebas said at the World Soccer Summit on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, in Miami that plans for Villarreal vs Barcelona to face each other at Hard Rock Stadium have almost been completed.
Barcelona's match against Villarreal will be the first of one of the five major European leagues to be played overseas, imitating models that have been implemented by the NFL and NBA in recent years.
"This match is a historic step that brings La Liga and Spanish football to a completely new level."
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"We understand and respect the concerns that may arise from this decision, but it is important to understand its context."
"Ini adalah satu dari 380 pertandingan yang akan berlangsung seluruh musim. La Liga memperwakili jumlah penggemar di seluruh dunia, termasuk banyak orang yang mengikuti tim mereka dengan semangat dan berhak mendapatkan kesempatan untuk menyaksikan mereka secara langsung at least sekali."
"This match aims to bring our football closer to the global fan base without reducing our commitment to those enjoying it every week at stadiums throughout Spain," Tebas said in a statement.
Tebas's remarks came after UEFA said earlier this week that it was with a heavy heart that it had approved Europe's two top league games to be played abroad.
Other matches are requests from Serie A, AC Milan and Como clubs to play in Perth, Australia, in February 2026.
ESPN reports that the United States Football Federation (US Soccer) has also approved a match in Miami. Only Concacaf - North, Central American, and Caribbean Football Confederations - still need to sign.
Indeed, Villarreal is scheduled to host Barcelona at the Estadio de la Ceremica on December 20, 2025.
Since the match was moved to the United States, La Liga said compensation measures had also been applied to the home club's seasonal ticket holders.
"We know that playing this away match will have an impact on our seasonal ticket holders. Therefore, we apply concrete and meaningful steps to compensate them."
"We believe this will be an extraordinary experience," said Villarreal President Fernando Roig.