NEW YORK: La Liga plans to make an international soccer match an annual event after announcing Barcelona and Villarreal will play outside Miami on December 20, Spanish league president Javier Tebas said during an interview with The Associated Press.
Becoming the first major European league to move a competitive match abroad, La Liga is following the model of the NFL, which has played in London since 2007 and this season also has games in Berlin, Dublin, Madrid and Sao Paulo.
“The idea is to follow a similar model but with one difference: We will only play one match abroad,” Tebas said of future schedules. "So I strongly believe that what they are doing is something very positive for the competition. They are letting people all over the world to know the competition, to engage with the competition."
The soccer match will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. La Liga intends to announce future international games with longer lead times. It usually releases its schedule around the start of July.
“It’s a strategy that will help to increase revenues in the mid- to long-term, because we will increase the value of our partners, our sponsors. We will increase the value of audiovisual rights with our broadcasters,” he said. “Hopefully we will increase the interest, the engagement of the audience in other countries as we are expecting to bring this one game every year to different countries around the world.”
Italy's Serie A is planning to move a Feb. 8 match between Milan and Como from San Siro to Perth, Australia, because the Italian stadium won't be available after hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics two days earlier.
Tebas said the experience of playing in an NFL stadium with many food and beverage options and gathering areas could spark improvements in Spain. Real Madrid renovated Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and Osasuna revamped El Sadar.
Construction is ongoing at Barcelona's Camp Nou, Betis' Estadio Benito Villamarín and Getafe's Estadio Coliseum, and Valencia has long-delayed plans for a Nou Mestalla.
“The objective is to increase the match day experience more than the two hours,” Tebas said. “The clubs are already working towards that objective.”
