After days of protests, it has been confirmed that the Villarreal vs Barcelona La Liga match scheduled to be played in the US has been cancelled.
Plans to host the highly anticipated La Liga fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami, US, have been officially scrapped, the league confirmed in a statement. The decision marks a setback in LaLiga’s long-standing ambition to stage official league matches overseas as part of its global expansion strategy.
According to LaLiga, the cancellation comes amid “uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks,” which has made it impossible to move forward with the event as originally planned. The match, originally scheduled for December 2025, is now expected to be played at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica instead.
In an official statement, LaLiga expressed regret over the decision, calling it a “historic and unparalleled opportunity” that could have significantly boosted the international profile of Spanish football.
“LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward,” the statement read.
The league emphasised that the proposed match fully complied with all regulatory requirements and did not affect the competition’s integrity. However, the relevant institutions in Spain opposed the idea for reasons unrelated to compliance.
La Liga further emphasised that staging official matches abroad would have been a “decisive step” toward enhancing the visibility and competitiveness of Spanish football globally, particularly in markets such as the United States.
“Renouncing such opportunities hinders the generation of new income, limits clubs’ capacity to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire Spanish soccer ecosystem,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, event promoters Relevent Sports Group, who were partnering with La Liga to organise the game, also issued a statement confirming the postponement.
“Relevent has informed LaLiga of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on December 20,” the group said via The Athletic. “Given the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.”
The development represents another pause in LaLiga’s efforts to hold competitive fixtures outside Spain, a move that has faced resistance from local football authorities in previous years.
Despite the setback, La Liga reaffirmed its commitment to bringing Spanish football to global audiences, pledging to continue exploring opportunities for international growth.
