It seems like Javier Tebas' wish of bringing Spain's LaLiga matches across the Atlantic might be closer than ever. The 61-year-old has served as the president of LaLiga since 2013 and has continuously pursued the idea of having competitive soccer matches between European clubs on American soil.
In recent years, a handful of European countries have tested the waters by playing their Super Cup (between league and domestic cup winners) games outside of Europe. The pioneer was Italy, who played its first Supercoppa Italiana in China in 2009. Spain joined them in 2018, when they moved the Spanish Super Cup to Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
In fact, Tebas himself had tried to bring LaLiga matches to the United States years ago, originally planning on a Barcelona vs Girona match in Miami back in 2018, but the initiative was met with strong opposition from the Spanish Football Federation, FIFA and fans.
Although it wasn't met with the warmest of receptions, Tebas and Relevent Sports, the media company and promoter in charge of organizing soccer matches in the United States, haven't stopped their fight.
In 2019, Relevent Sports sued FIFA over the policy of not permitting a country to host official league matches involving teams from other countries. Earlier this month, Relevent and FIFA reached an agreement to drop FIFA from the lawsuit and allow both parties to work together in bringing league matches from all parts of the world to the United States.
"I don't know when, but this time LaLiga will play official games abroad," Tebas told Spanish economic and business newspaper Expansión. "I think it could be from the 2025-26 season. An official game in the United States would strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second biggest for LaLiga after Spain," Tebas added.
Tebas, however, is not a pioneer when it comes to these ideas. Liga MX authorities have also taken advantage of their proximity to the United States and the huge market opportunities. In 2015, Liga MX revamped their Super Cup tournament, the Campeón de Campeones, and ever since such games have taken place in the United States.
Although nothing is settled yet, the potential revenue of bringing league matches to the United States might be too good for LaLiga officials to pass on. Over the last decade, friendly soccer games all over America have seen record attendance numbers. Spain's "El Clásico" between Real Madrid and Barcelona has already been played twice in American soil and this year, another game between both rivals has been scheduled for this year on August 3 at MetLife Stadium.
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