UEFA reluctantly greenlights overseas league matches

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has described the organisation’s decision to allow two European domestic league games to be played outside of Europe as “regrettable” and “exceptional”, insisting that it “will not set a precedent”.

The matches include a La Liga clash between Villarreal and Barcelona, scheduled for December in Miami, which will be the first European league fixture played abroad. Additionally, AC Milan will face Como in a Serie A match hosted in Perth, Australia, in February.

Despite firmly opposing the concept, UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, stated that it "reluctantly" approved the fixtures because there is currently no legal mechanism to prevent them.

“League matches should be played in their home countries,” Aleksander said, warning that holding games overseas risks alienating loyal fans and distorting the competitive balance. He added that a broad consultation with stakeholders, including national associations, clubs, players and institutions, showed widespread concern over the idea.

Aleksander stressed that the move is a one-off and that UEFA remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of domestic competitions. “This should not be seen as a precedent,” he reiterated.

Fans’ group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) strongly criticised the decision, arguing it could cause “long-lasting harm” to the sport. They called for stricter regulations to prevent domestic league matches from being held abroad in the future.

Fans push back as leagues reignite overseas match plans

FSE said it stands in solidarity with fans in Spain and Italy and is exploring all possible actions to oppose the games. It warned that La Liga and Serie A risk damaging their traditions and future success by pursuing such plans.

UEFA echoed the lack of support from across the football community but pointed out that FIFA’s current regulatory guidelines are not robust enough to block such events. FIFA had previously set up a working group to evaluate the implications of hosting domestic league games overseas.

La Liga has attempted to stage matches abroad before, including a proposed Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid fixture in Miami last year, which was later scrapped due to scheduling issues. A similar attempt in 2019 to move a Girona vs Barcelona game to Miami also failed amid resistance from Spain’s football authorities and players' union.

While other domestic cup competitions, like the Spanish and Italian Super Cups, have taken place overseas, Premier League CEO Richard Masters stated in August that England’s top-flight has no plans to hold matches abroad. The league previously considered the controversial “39th game” concept in 2008 but dropped it after fan and media backlash.

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