La Liga president confirms desire to resurrect plans for matches to be played in United States

Tebas is refusing to back down from his vision of global expansion, even after a high-profile attempt to move a fixture to Miami was thwarted late last year. The league had previously targeted a clash between Barcelona and Villarreal to be held at the Miami Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium on December 20. Had it gone ahead, it would have marked a historic first for major European football, but the plans were ultimately scrapped in October following mounting pressure from fans, players and concerns over the sporting integrity of the competition. Addressing the criticism that moving a home game thousands of miles away undermines the fairness of the league, Tebas was dismissive of the impact such a move would have on the overall season.

Tebas pointed out that the scale of the international venture is minute compared to the full domestic calendar, suggesting that the benefits of global exposure far outweigh the logistical and competitive concerns raised by traditionalists. The president is pushing for La Liga to be a pioneer in this space, regardless of the pushback received from domestic supporters and player unions.

"We are going to try again. I'm not sure when. We have to bring it up at the right time," Tebas told reporters while attending the Financial Times Business of Football Summit. "I don't think it will cause damage. We are talking about one match out of 380 in a season."

The Liga chief is looking to emulate the successful international models of American sporting giants like the NFL and NBA, both of which have successfully exported regular-season games to Europe, Mexico and South America to grow their brands and secure more lucrative broadcasting deals. Tebas believes European football must adopt a similar strategy to remain competitive in the global entertainment market.

Tebas highlighted the irony of European fans embracing American sports while football officials remain hesitant to export their own product. He argued that the cultural exchange is currently one-sided and that Spanish football is missing out on a massive opportunity to solidify its fanbase in the United States. By taking a game to the United States, Tebas hopes to secure the future of the league by engaging younger audiences and ensuring that Spanish clubs remain a dominant force in the global consciousness for decades to come.

"We celebrate Halloween, which we never celebrated 20 years ago. We have NFL games. We have NBA games," Tebas explained. "Let's see if 50 years from now we'll have the stadiums empty, and the ones for the NBA and the NFL full. Because they don't bring just one game, they all bring many games. They don't come to Europe on vacation, they come to get fans to sign television deals, to get children for their competitions. In other words, we opened the doors to Europe. Instead, the United States, which opens the doors for us to go, we close them here in Europe."

The road to America has been fraught with legal and political hurdles for La Liga. While they managed to gain provisional approval from UEFA and the Spanish FA last year, the mission was ultimately derailed by player protests and the promoter, Relevent, citing a lack of time to "properly execute an event of this scale."

This follows a failed 2019 attempt to take a game abroad, which was blocked by FIFA due to their policy that league matches must be played within the territory of the member association. Despite these roadblocks, Tebas remains undeterred and ready to fight the next battle.

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