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LaLiga canceled its attempts to stage a match between Barcelona and Villarreal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, with organizers saying on Tuesday they had "insufficient time" to stage the controversial event. The decision comes just two weeks after LaLiga officially announced its decision to move the game from Villarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica to South Florida, doing so days after UEFA "reluctantly" approved their application to do so. The match was scheduled to be the first league fixture in the sport's history to be played internationally and awaited FIFA's approval, but will instead be staged as regularly scheduled on Dec. 21. "Relevent has informed LaLiga of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on December 20," the sports and entertainment company tasked with promoting the fixture said in a statement. "Given the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place." LaLiga has been trying to stage a game in the U.S. since 2018 with the help of Relevent, who later filed an antitrust lawsuit against FIFA and U.S. Soccer for blocking their attempts. FIFA and Relevent settled the lawsuit in 2024 and though terms of the agreement were not made public, the deal appeared to pave the way for LaLiga and other leagues to stage competitive matches in international territories. The attempt to stage Villarreal-Barcelona was not without controversy, though, with many citing competitive imbalance and integrity. Players across LaLiga protested over the weekend by standing still for the first 15 seconds of their matches, while Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was one of the more vocal critics shortly after the plans to play in Miami were confirmed. "I don't like it," he said earlier this month. "I can understand the clubs financially, they will of course profit from it, and they can spread their brand further across the world. But I wouldn't do it. It's not good for the players. You have to travel a lot. It's also not fair in terms of competition. For us, it's now an away match on neutral ground. I totally understand if other clubs aren't happy about that." For its part, LaLiga used the news of the event's cancellation to defend its plans to even move the game from Spain to the U.S. in the first place. "LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward," a league statement read in part. "Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players, and the visibility of Spanish soccer in a strategic market such as the United States. The project fully complied with all federative regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions responsible for ensuring compliance, which opposed it for other reasons. "In an increasingly competitive global landscape, where leagues such as the Premier League or competitions like the UEFA Champions League continue to expand their reach and ability to generate revenue, initiatives like this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish soccer. Renouncing such opportunities hinders the generation of new income, limits clubs' capacity to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire Spanish soccer ecosystem." Serie A, meanwhile, also received clearance from UEFA to stage a February match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, a move that also awaits FIFA's approval. Milan star Christian Pulisic described the decision as "a strange one" for players, with Perth a 20 hour trip from Milan. "Am I super thrilled that we have to go to Australia to play one game?" Pulisic said while on U.S. men's national team duty earlier this month. "It's a little bit harsh because I heard about that as well, but as far as for the fan experience to grow the game worldwide, I get it, I guess, but as far as tradition, I can also understand why there would be a little bit of pushback, I guess, but for me, it's a strange one."
