FIFA is finally putting numbers on the "games abroad" debate — and the limits are tighter than the clubs pushing for transatlantic paydays were hoping for.
Under new proposals developed by a FIFA working group, domestic leagues would be permitted to move just one top-flight game to a foreign country per season. The host nation, meanwhile, could stage a maximum of five such matches. That cap exists almost entirely because of one country: the US, which would otherwise be flooded with European and South American clubs chasing North American ticket money.
What killed Barcelona in Miami and Milan in Perth matters here
This isn't an abstract policy debate. Last season, La Liga had Villarreal v Barcelona lined up for Miami, and Serie A had Milan v Como scheduled for Perth. Both were scrapped — killed by objections from local authorities, Relevent Sports getting cold feet, and the broader political firestorm involving FIFA and UEFA. That episode left considerable bad blood, and these proposals are the direct institutional response.
The approval chain FIFA is proposing is long and deliberately difficult to clear. A request would need sign-off from the clubs' national association, their confederation, the host country's football association, and that association's confederation — before FIFA reviews it and retains a right of veto. Player welfare concerns around travel and workload could be enough for FIFA to block any request outright.
Leagues themselves would not be consulted if clubs and associations push through without them. That's a notable structural detail. In England, the FA wouldn't sanction a move against the Premier League's wishes — but that alignment doesn't exist everywhere, and it creates obvious friction points in countries where clubs and leagues are less aligned.
The financial conditions aren't optional
Any approved game would need to demonstrate that revenue gets redistributed through the sport, that the host country's domestic league isn't harmed by the fixture, and that affected supporters have a genuine pathway to attend. These aren't soft guidelines — they're listed as requirements.
La Liga and Serie A have already signalled they intend to try again. The Premier League has repeatedly said it won't, though several American owners in the division have made their appetite for US fixtures obvious enough. Whether this framework makes those ambitions more or less realistic probably depends on how strictly FIFA enforces it — something the 2014 regulations, now considered toothless, signally failed to do.
FIFA wants the new protocol in place for next season. No date has been set for the working group's next meeting.
