Spanish football may soon make its debut across the Atlantic, as the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has backed a proposal for Barcelona and Villarreal to hold their December LaLiga fixture in Miami — an idea that has been in the works for nearly ten years.
On Monday, the RFEF board approved the plan for the matchday 17 clash to take place at Hard Rock Stadium on December 20, marking the first step toward hosting an official league game outside Spain for the first time.
The plan will now be reviewed by UEFA, followed by FIFA’s final sign-off — the last step in LaLiga president Javier Tebas’ long-standing goal of bringing the competition to the United States.
In its statement, the RFEF confirmed: “At its meeting on 11 August 2025, the Board of Directors received a formal request from Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona to stage their matchday 17 fixture in the United States. The federation will forward this request to UEFA to begin the authorisation process, which will then proceed to FIFA for final approval, with the proposed venue being Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 20 December 2025
LaLiga has been working toward hosting a game in the United States for nearly ten years, inspired by the way the NFL and NBA have expanded their reach into global markets.
The first push came in the 2018-19 season with plans for a Girona vs Barcelona match on U.S. soil, but it never went ahead. A similar proposal for a Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid fixture in 2019-20 was also blocked, eventually ending up in court after the RFEF denied permission.
The court ultimately ruled in favour of the Spanish federation, which at the time was led by Luis Rubiales — later dismissed in 2023 following the controversy over kissing player Jenni Hermoso during Spain’s Women’s World Cup celebrations in Sydney.
There was another close call last season when a Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid match was nearly approved before LaLiga decided to pause and refine the plan.
Now, with most legal and organisational obstacles removed, the Villarreal vs Barcelona meeting is set to become the first official step in Spanish football’s long-envisioned journey to the United States.