LaLiga has officially announced that FC Barcelona will face Villarreal CF on December 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This decision follows UEFA`s `reluctant` approval for two league matches to be played outside their home countries, an idea UEFA openly opposes.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed enthusiasm for the move, stating, «We`re looking forward to meeting all our fans in the United States again, and we thank LaLiga for the opportunity to get closer to one of the club`s main strategic markets. We`ve been visiting the country for many years and have always felt the passion that FC Barcelona inspires. As a global club with millions of supporters around the world, this opportunity reinforces our commitment to international fans, especially in such a key market as the U.S. An official match in a city like Miami, with a large culé community, will undoubtedly be a great spectacle featuring two teams competing at the highest level.»
Alongside the LaLiga fixture, Serie A also received conditional approval for AC Milan to play Como in Perth, Australia, in February. The Milan match is notably influenced by San Siro`s unavailability due to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony.
UEFA, in its statement, reiterated its firm opposition to domestic league games being held abroad. The organization highlighted a `widespread lack of support` from fans, other leagues, clubs, players, and European institutions. However, due to the existing FIFA regulatory framework being `not clear and detailed enough,` UEFA `reluctantly` approved the requests on an `exceptional basis,` clarifying that this should not be seen as a precedent.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin underscored this point, stating, «League matches should be played on home soil, anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions.» He affirmed UEFA`s commitment to protecting the integrity of national leagues and ensuring football remains anchored in its home environment.
These matches will mark a historic moment as the first-ever LaLiga and Serie A games played outside of Spain and Italy, respectively.
O`zbek Tiliga Tarjima
LaLiga rasman e`lon qildiki, «Barselona» klubi 20-dekabr kuni Mayamidagi Hard Rock stadionida «Vilyarreal» bilan to`qnash keladi. Bu qaror UEFAning ikki liga o`yinini o`z mamlakatlaridan tashqarida o`tkazishga «istaksiz» rozilik berishidan so`ng qabul qilindi, garchi UEFA bu g`oyaga ochiqchasiga qarshi bo`lsa ham.
«Barselona» prezidenti Joan Laporta bu qarordan mamnun ekanini bildirdi: «Biz Qo`shma Shtatlardagi barcha muxlislarimiz bilan yana uchrashishni intiqib kutmoqdamiz va LaLiga`ga klubning asosiy strategik bozorlaridan biriga yaqinlashish imkoniyatini bergani uchun minnatdorchilik bildiramiz. Biz mamlakatga ko`p yillar davomida tashrif buyurganmiz va har doim «Barselona» ilhomlantiradigan ehtirosni his qilganmiz. Butun dunyo bo`ylab millionlab tarafdorlari bo`lgan global klub sifatida, bu imkoniyat, ayniqsa AQSh kabi muhim bozorda, xalqaro muxlislarga bo`lgan sadoqatimizni mustahkamlaydi. Mayami kabi, katta «kule» hamjamiyati bo`lgan shaharda rasmiy o`yin shubhasiz eng yuqori saviyada raqobatlashayotgan ikki jamoaning ajoyib spektakliga aylanadi.»
LaLiga o`yinidan tashqari, Serie A ham «Milan»ning fevral oyida Avstraliyaning Pert shahrida «Komo» bilan o`ynashiga shartli ruxsat oldi. «Milan»ning bu o`yini San-Siro stadionining 2026-yilgi Qishki Olimpiya o`yinlarining ochilish marosimi tufayli band bo`lishi bilan bog`liq.
UEFA o`z bayonotida ichki liga o`yinlarini xorijda o`tkazishga qat`iy qarshiligini yana bir bor ta`kidladi. Tashkilot muxlislar, boshqa ligalar, klublar, o`yinchilar va Yevropa institutlaridan «keng miqyosdagi qo`llab-quvvatlashning yo`qligini» ta`kidladi. Biroq, mavjud FIFA reglamentining «yetarlicha aniq va batafsil» emasligi sababli, UEFA so`rovlarni «istaksiz» ravishda «istisno tariqasida» tasdiqladi va bu holat pretsedent sifatida qabul qilinmasligi kerakligini aniqladi.
UEFA prezidenti Aleksander Cheferin bu fikrni ta`kidlab, shunday dedi: «Liga o`yinlari o`z vatanida o`tkazilishi kerak, aks holda bu sodiq muxlislarni huquqlardan mahrum qiladi va musobaqalarga buzuvchi elementlarni kiritishi mumkin.» U UEFAning milliy ligalar yaxlitligini himoya qilish va futbolning o`z vatanida qolishini ta`minlashga sodiqligini tasdiqladi.
Bu o`yinlar Ispaniya va Italiyadan tashqarida o`tkaziladigan birinchi LaLiga va Serie A o`yinlari sifatida tarixiy lahzaga aylanadi.
