Finally, the Villarreal CF-FC Barcelona match of matchday 17 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 will not be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Although UEFA had given the green light to hold the match in the United States, the event's promoter, Relevent, confirmed its cancellation after the ticket sales were delayed.

Initially, the match would be played on Saturday, December 20th at a time yet to be determined. The company assured the English newspaper 'The Athletic' that "the uncertainty in Spain" generated as a result of the criticism towards the match prevented them from having enough time to sell tickets and organize an event of such magnitude.

Tickets were initially scheduled to go on sale on Tuesday, October 21, but the process was delayed longer than expected. Ultimately, Relevent agreed with LaLiga to suspend what would have been the first official match of the competition outside of Spain.

LaLiga's statement announcing the cancellation of Villarreal-Barça in Miami

LaLiga, for its part, issued a statement to confirm the cancellation of the match. The employers' association regrets not being able to carry out an initiative that Javier Tebas has been working on for more than seven years. In 2019, the association also had to cancel a Girona-Barça match in Miami, at that time due to the refusal of FIFA and UEFA to play first division matches outside the country of origin.

This is the statement shared by LaLiga canceling the match corresponding to matchday 17 of the 2025/26 season:

LALIGA reports that, after conversations with the promoter of the Official LALIGA Party in Miami, the promoter has announced its decision to cancel the organization of the event due to the uncertainty generated in Spain during the last few weeks.

LALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalization of Spanish football, cannot move forward. Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, reinforcing the international presence of the clubs, the positioning of the players, and the brand of Spanish football in a strategic market such as the United States.

The project fully complied with federal regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as ratified by the competent institutions that ensure compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.

In a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues like the Premier League or competitions like the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and ability to generate resources, initiatives like this are essential to guarantee the sustainability and growth of Spanish football. Giving up this type of opportunity makes it difficult to generate new income, limits the capacity of clubs to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire national football ecosystem.

Finally, LALIGA wishes to thank the clubs for their willingness and collaboration in this project, as well as their constant commitment to the growth of the competition. We will continue working, as always, to bring Spanish football to every corner of the world, defending an open, modern and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players and fans.

The Villarreal-Barça match of MD17 will be played at the Estadio de la Cerámica

Thus, the Estadio de la Cerámica will host the Villarreal-Barça match, which closes the Barça calendar for 2025. After that match, both teams will have a break for the Christmas and New Year holidays, returning to work on January 2.

Initially, both teams would receive between 5 and 6 million euros for traveling to Miami. The boards of directors of both clubs showed their support for the initiative, while clubs like Real Madrid expressed their firm rejection from the outset to moving competition matches outside of Spain.

The 'White House' had already filed two appeals with the Higher Sports Council (CSD). For its part, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) also protested against the match in Miami with a 15-second stoppage in matchday 9 of LaLiga. All these incidents led Relevent to cancel the event.