Real Madrid have kicked against the proposed plan to to have a La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, Afrosport reports.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) approved on Monday for the matchday 17 fixture to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on December 20, potentially making it the first La Liga match be played abroad and the first-ever European league fixture played in the United States.
Madrid, in a statement, warned that the proposal could undermine the competitive balance of football and has promised to raise a petition before European football governing body, UEFA, and global body, FIFA to block the move.
“Real Madrid C.F. would like to make it clear to its members, supporters, and football fans in general that it firmly rejects the proposal to play the National First Division League Championship match between Villarreal C.F. and F.C. Barcelona on match day 17 outside Spain,“ read the statement.
“The measure, which was taken without prior information or consultation of the clubs participating in the competition, infringes the essential principle of territorial reciprocity, which applies in two-legged league competitions (one match at home and the other at the home of the opposing team), upsetting the competitive balance and giving an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs.
“The integrity of the competition requires that all matches take place under the same conditions for all teams. Unilaterally modifying this regime breaks the equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results, and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on non-sporting interests, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking the adulteration of the competition. If this proposal were to be carried out, its consequences would be so serious that it would be a turning point in the world of football.
“Any modification of this nature must, in any case, have the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition, as well as strictly respecting the national and international rules governing the organisation of official competitions.”
T E A M! pic.twitter.com/ukTPPXdaoo
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) August 12, 2025
The Hard Rock Stadium is not an unfamiliar ground for Los Blancos having played there two times during the FIFA Club World Cup where they reached the semi-finals but lost to eventual runners-up Paris Saint-Germain.
They played their only pre-season game against Austrian side WSG Tirol on Tuesday, winning the match 4-0 ahead of their La Liga opener against Osasuna next Tuesday.
