To vote or not to vote? LaLiga and its role in the Miami match explained simply

August 11 was a historic day for Spanish football. The RFEF, in a meeting of its Board of Directors, submitted the request to UEFA for the match corresponding to matchday 17 of the Liga EA Sports 25/26 between Villarreal and FC Barcelona at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on December 21.

Since then, the realization of the LaLiga match on American soil has generated criticism from various sectors. Despite the questions, the Rules of Application of the FIFA Regulations for International Matches are very clear:

• "Each team participating in an international match will be responsible for requesting authorization from the member association to which it belongs. In turn, the member association will be responsible for requesting authorization from the confederation to which it is affiliated."

In that sense, beyond the criticisms from clubs like Real Madrid, only Villarreal and Barça, as the teams involved, had to express themselves in favor or against the possibility of playing a Liga match outside of Spain. A general vote with the 20 First Division teams was not necessary to approve or disapprove the change of venue for the match.

Now, the RFEF must now await the endorsement of UEFA and FIFA. The response must be given at least 21 days before the organization of the match, that is, before November 30.

Serie A follows LaLiga's example with the organization of the match between Como and AC Milan in Australia

The same steps that Villareal and FC Barcelona followed to be able to play a league match abroad have also been followed by Como, Barça's rival in the last Gamper, and AC Milan.

The Italian teams presented the authorization to Serie A and the entity forwarded the request to the Italian Federation to raise it to UEFA. The match, in principle, will be played on February 6, 2026 at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

The relocation of the venue for that match is due to the fact that it coincides with the opening of the Winter Olympic Games that will be held in Milan and Cortina in February of next year.

Real Madrid requested that the Villareal - Barça not be played by LaLiga in Miami

Real Madrid issued a statement opposing the realization of the Villareal-Barça in American territory, alleging that "it violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs league competitions in a double round, altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs."

The white club also assures that Barça would take advantage because they will not have to visit La Cerámica and that it is very likely that the majority of the public attending that match will be culé fans. Now, UEFA and FIFA must assess whether or not it is convenient to approve the transfer of this match outside of Spanish territory.

The truth is that, if the Villarreal-Barcelona in Miami is approved, this will set a historical precedent that will open the door for the rest of the leagues on the planet to play matches outside their territory. Until mid-2024, FIFA prohibited the dispute of league competitions outside their country of origin. Now, the highest body in world football has a more flexible position in this regard.