La Liga’s dreams of hosting a domestic clash between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami were abruptly shattered after a wave of protest denounced the historic first.
Bringing a Spanish top-flight clash, featuring one of the biggest clubs in Spain, to the United States has interested La Liga president Javier Tebas for years. The promised financial boost and overseas exposure of such an unprecedented spectacle was thought to be the perfect way to grow the league.
Yet Tebas, in conjunction with American agency Relevent Sports, struggled to turn the vision into a reality. Objections from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), U.S Soccer Federation (USSF) and FIFA shut down plans in 2018, 2019 and 2024 to host a La Liga fixture on U.S. soil.
Everything changed, though, when Relevent settled its antitrust lawsuit with the USSF in April of this year. The ruling allowed the sports promoter to host foreign league matches in the United States after a six-year legal battle.
Four months later, the pieces were falling into place to bring Villarreal vs. Barcelona to Miami this December. Except the project spectacularly crumbled in what became a massive headache and failure for La Liga.
