For the first time in history, a La Liga match could be played on United States soil.
According to El País, the Spanish league is attempting to bring Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid to Miami in December. The match is currently scheduled for Dec. 22 at the Catalans' Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, but if La Liga has its way, the major clash will become the next spectacle to hit the 305.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami already hosted the 2024 Copa América final and is set to host 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. With a capacity of 65,000, the venue would fit almost 10,000 more fans than Barcelona's temporary home while the Camp Nou undergoes renovations.
Prior to the start of the 2024–25 season, La Liga president Javier Tebas spoke about his plans to bring La Liga fixtures to the United States in an interview with Spanish outlet Expansion.
"I think it could be in the 2025-26 season, but La Liga will play official matches abroad," he said. "An official match in the U.S. will strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second market for La Liga after Spain.”
Tebas's plans directly contradicted the views of former Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who opposed bringing Barcelona vs. Girona and Atlético Madrid vs. Villarreal to the United States in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
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Although the United States has never hosted a competitive La Liga fixture, plenty of friendlies between Spanish sides have unfolded throughout the country. This summer, MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets, hosted a capacity crowd of near 82,000 fans at a preseason El Clásico.
A La Liga clash between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid offers much higher stakes and therefore promises an elevated level of competition for fans to enjoy. With three points on the line, superstars like Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Antoine Griezmann would leave it all on the pitch to send their team into the holiday break with a victory.
The match can only come to Miami, though, with the approval of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, UEFA and FIFA.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as La Liga Looking to Host Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in United States, per Report.
