La Liga President Javier Tebas has announced that games will be held abroad, and could be as soon as two seasons out. The first destination will be the United States of America.
Previously the idea had been suggested and later shelved, due to disagreements between the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga, but with then President at the RFEF Luis Rubiales gone, Tebas appears to feel confident that it will happen.
“I don’t know when, but this time LaLiga will play official matches abroad, I think it could be in the 2025-26 season.”
“The official match in the US will strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second for LaLiga after Spain. Other very competitive leagues are coming so we can’t always do the same thing, they would overtake us,” Tebas told Marca.
Barcelona and Real Madrid were reportedly keen to take La Liga abroad in the past, and originally the first suggested fixture was a clash between Girona and Barcelona in Miami, with the former giving up a home game in exchange for a financial boost.
It is understandable that La Liga is keen to strike before the Premier League does similar, and it is no surprise that Spanish football is following in the footsteps of American sports like basketball and NFL in a bid to market and reap the financial rewards. Equally fans abroad will be able to see their teams up close.
However it is another step in disenfranchising local supports, who previously had been a crucial part of football clubs. Those clubs no longer belong to their local communities in the same fashion, and taking a game away from the locals, no doubt at an extortionate price to see the game if they want to, is a further erosion of their role in the game. There is also a real possibility that many of the people who do want to see the teams they support are priced out of the games for financial gain.
