The Spanish football match between Villarreal and Barcelona will, for the first time, be held outside Spain, in Miami. UEFA made this decision, granting an exception to the general rules after reviewing requests from the national federations of Spain and Italy.
The issue of holding national championship games abroad was discussed at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Tirana. After consultations with stakeholders, including fans, clubs, and other leagues, it was determined that there is little widespread support for staging matches outside the country. Nevertheless, due to the lack of clear and detailed regulations in the current FIFA rules—which are now being revised—the European organization agreed to allow two matches abroad: one Spanish and one Italian.
UEFA emphasized that this decision will not become standard practice. The organization intends to play an active role in FIFA’s development of new regulations, aimed at maintaining a balance between the interests of national championships and the connection between clubs, their fans, and local communities.
All national federations within UEFA have confirmed their readiness to coordinate such initiatives with the European organization before submitting new applications. In this way, football authorities have demonstrated a collective commitment to defending the interests of European football.
UEFA noted that holding national league matches at home stadiums is an important element in protecting fan rights and ensuring fair competition. The decision to move two games abroad was made as an exception and should not be seen as the start of a new trend. The main goal is to maintain the integrity of national tournaments and preserve their local character.
