Plans to stage Villarreal v Barcelona in Miami this December have been scrapped, ending an attempt to take a La Liga regular‑season fixture outside Spain for the first time. The match will now return to Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica on the originally scheduled date.
In August the Spanish federation approved moving the fixture to Hard Rock Stadium on 20 December. The idea immediately ignited fury at home, sparking protests and symbolic player refusals during La Liga kick‑offs as fans, clubs and pundits questioned the rationale for exporting a domestic match.
Promoters Relevent blamed “insufficient time” to organise the event while La Liga cited “uncertainty in Spain” as a factor in the decision to pull the plug.
Timing and fallout
The cancellation was announced while Villarreal were on the pitch for a Champions League tie, a moment that earned sharp words from manager Marcelino, who called the timing “absolute disrespect” to the club, staff and supporters. La Liga described the postponement as a setback for the competition’s international ambitions and said it “deeply regrets” the lost opportunity to grow the league’s global profile and revenue streams.
Voices from the clubs
Barcelona said it “respects and accepts” the decision but lamented the lost chance to expand the competition’s image and denied fans in the United States an official La Liga fixture. Coach Hansi Flick had earlier acknowledged player unhappiness about the move yet said he would follow the league’s decision.
Money, logistics and unfinished business
Spanish football commentator Guillem Balagué suggested finances and muddled logistics lay behind the collapse. Questions lingered over who would pay, how Villarreal would deliver thousands of travelling fans and how revenue would be shared. Balagué added that as long as Javier Tebas leads La Liga, the idea of exporting a marquee fixture is unlikely to disappear — it may simply be delayed until the financial and logistical picture is clearer.
The bigger picture
Had it gone ahead, the match would have been the first European top‑flight league fixture held in the United States, following precedent set by domestic super cups being staged abroad. For now, the episode exposes the tension between global growth ambitions and domestic sensibilities, and it leaves a high‑profile experiment parked — for now — back on home soil.
