Real Madrid Opposes Barcelona, Villarreal Proposal to Play La Liga Matches in Miami

Real Madrid is adamantly opposed to La Liga clubs Barcelona and Villarreal playing a league match in Miami during the upcoming season, a move that has been approved by the Spanish football federation.

The club announced as much with a lengthy statement Tuesday.

"The measure, implemented without prior information or consultation with the clubs participating in the competition, violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs double-round league competitions (one match at home and the other at the opposing team's home), altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs," the statement read, in part.

"The integrity of the competition demands that all matches be played under the same conditions for all teams. Unilaterally modifying this regime violates the equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results, and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests other than strictly sporting interests, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking adulteration of the competition. If this proposal is implemented, its consequences would be so serious that they would mark a turning point for the world of football."

Real Madrid also explained they issued a request to FIFA to not authorize the match, issued a request to UEFA to tell the Spanish football federation (RFEF) to withdraw or deny the requested game, and issued a request to the Higher Sports Council to not authorize the game as currently planned.

This comes after Tom Mallows of BBC reported Monday the RFEF approved the request from Barcelona and Villarreal to play their league game in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium during the weekend of Dec. 20, 2025.

Villarreal is scheduled to host Barcelona for the contest that would become the first overseas game for a Spanish first division matchup if it does take place in Miami.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has previously said he wants to play a competitive match in the United States even after the league's bid to play a game between Barcelona and Girona in January 2019 in Miami was opposed by the RFEF, UEFA and FIFA.

It would mean losing a marquee home game for Villarreal, although club president Fernando Roig said season ticket holders would be provided a free ticket and travel. Those who did not want to accept the offer would be given a 20 percent discount on their season ticket package.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have each won two La Liga titles during the last four years and are widely considered the two top clubs in the league. Real Madrid is surely concerned their presumed top competition for the upcoming season will receive an unfair advantage by getting to play one of their scheduled road matches in a neutral environment.

And they made that concern officially known Tuesday.