Villarreal-Barça in Miami (USA): "This match will bring us closer to our fans & sponsors" (Joan Laporta)

"LALIGA was very keen for this match to take place in Miami (Florida, USA), and we'll go and play wherever LALIGA tells us to, as it's the body that governs the competition. The United States is a market we've been developing and consolidating. Our office has moved from New York to Miami, and this match will bring us closer to our fans and sponsors," said Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona (LALIGA EA Sports), on 09/10/2025.

Laporta's comments came three days after the FIGC's request to relocate the AC Milan - Como 1907 game (Matchday 24 of the 2025-26 Serie A Enilive) to Perth (AUS) in February 2026 and the RFEF's request to stage the Villarreal CF - FC Barcelona game (Matchday 17 of the 2025-26 LALIGA EA Sports) at the Hard Rock Stadium (65,000 capacity) in Miami on 20/12/2025 were "approved on an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at global level" by UEFA on 06/10/2025.

According to LALIGA the match "reinforces its commitment to innovation, internationalisation, and the sustainability of the competition and its clubs" and the project "reflects LALIGA's evolution as a…