La Liga in the U.S.? Atletico Madrid-Barcelona, one of football’s biggest fixtures, could reportedly be played in Miami

WHAT HAPPENED?

In a dramatic move, La Liga is reportedly attempting to set up the first domestic league fixture in the United States, according to The Daily Mail. Atletico Madrid-Barcelona, one of the biggest fixtures in the football calendar, could be played in Miami, with hard Rock Stadium – home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins – highlighted as a venue.

FIFA has long been opposed to the idea of domestic fixtures being played abroad, while the Spanish Football Association is legally allowed to block any move. However, outspoken La Liga president Javier Tebas has long vouched for fixtures abroad.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

There has long been interest in La Liga in the U.S., with summer preseason friendlies routinely selling out stateside. The fixture between Barcelona and Real Madrid in August, held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, featured a packed arena at a venue routinely used for NFL games. There has also been scattered talk of a Premier League game to be held in the U.S.

WHAT TEBAS SAID

Tebas expressed his optimism at a La Liga fixture in the U.S. in an interview with The Athletic: “It does not depend only on us, but if we are able to do it, we will. The idea is to do it as soon as possible. I cannot put a timeframe, but we are already working on it. The teams that take part will do so voluntarily. I will not decide it for them. We have to find a good date in the calendar, but we are going to try to do it in Miami, where we tried previously. We are not going to do a whole gameweek. It will be one game (per season), and that’s it.

“There are always going to be people against (an idea). We will to try to provide solutions to those who usually go to the stadium of the affected teams. We will try to be didactic in the explanations. We are talking about a single game, we are not talking about the entire competition. It is a single game among 380 in a season and it can help us maintain the economic level of our league.”

WHAT NEXT FOR LA LIGA?

It would seem to be a logistical challenge for the Spanish league to hold a fixture in the U.S., with numerous federations required to approve any game. Still, the report suggests that Dec. 22 could be a pivotal date in the scope of the league.