La Liga isn't giving up on its American dream. League president Javier Tebas just confirmed they're planning another attempt to bring a regular-season match to the United States.
Speaking at a conference in London, Tebas made it clear he's still pushing for Spanish football to cross the Atlantic. "We are going to try again," he said. "I'm not sure when. We have to bring it up at the right time."
This isn't La Liga's first rodeo. Barcelona and Villarreal were supposed to play in Miami back in December at the Hard Rock Stadium. But those plans fell apart in October when clubs, players, and fans pushed back hard.
The main complaint? Moving a game overseas could mess with the competition's fairness. But Tebas doesn't see it that way. "We are talking about one match out of 380 in a season," he argued.
Learning from American Sports
Tebas wants to copy what the NFL and NBA have been doing for years. Last season, the NFL played games in London, Berlin, Dublin, Madrid, and Sao Paulo. The NBA does the same thing.
His reasoning is simple: European football makes billions from global TV rights. Fans worldwide support these clubs. So why not give something back by bringing games to them?
"We celebrate Halloween, which we never celebrated 20 years ago. We have NFL games. We have NBA games," Tebas said. He's worried that in 50 years, European stadiums might be empty while NFL and NBA venues are packed.
For betting fans, this could shake up fixture scheduling and home advantage calculations. If La Liga does play in the US, you'd need to consider how travel affects team performance and whether the "home" team really has an advantage.
Past Attempts and Opposition
Back in 2019, La Liga tried this before. FIFA shut it down, saying official league matches must be played in the member association's territory. Barcelona then backed out.
Even when they got approval from UEFA and the Spanish federation in October, it wasn't enough. Players protested, and the game promoter eventually said there wasn't enough time to organize everything properly.
Tebas also threw some shade at Manchester City's ongoing financial case. City faces over 100 charges from February 2023, but there's still no verdict after hearings ended in December. "You're generating uncertainty and that's damaging for an institution's image," he said.
The bottom line? La Liga is determined to play in America eventually. When it happens, it could change how European football thinks about global expansion.
