Why La Liga May Come To Regret Playing Games In The United States

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, talks during Day 1 of Soccerex Europe Convention at Tagus Park on September 5, 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal.

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La Liga president Javier Tebas is getting closer than ever to his long-held wish of staging a regular season match on American soil after the Royal Spanish Football Federation approved his league’s most recent proposal this week.

There are still several hurdles to clear before the fixture between Villareal and FC Barcelon – currently scheduled for Dec. 21 at Villareal’s Estadio Ceramica – is officially moved to Miami Gardens, Florida.

And as the soccer world frets over whether the relocation will ultimately get the go-ahead, and whether it represents a net positive or negative for the sport around the world, there’s one question that is curiously absent:

What evidence does Tebas have that playing Stateside will do La Liga more good than harm?

While there is imbalance in wealth, power and competitive history in nearly every elite European soccer league, the imbalance in La Liga is more severe than most. And when you look closely at the implications of taking matches to the U.S, it’s pretty clear that doing so will only increase the leverage of La Liga’s two elite clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, at the league’s expense.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Everyone Else

Real Madrid and Barcelona are No. 1 and No. 3 in Forbes’ list of top 30 most-valuable soccer clubs for 2025. Only one other La Liga club makes the cut, Atletico Madrid at No. 13. Those three top 30 clubs are fewer than England’s Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and even the United States’ own MLS.

On the field, Real Madrid (36) and Barcelona (28) have won 64 of the 94 contested Spanish league championships, or 68% all time.

And historically, one of La Liga’s biggest impediments to keeping pace with the Premier League in particular has been a failure to combat that imbalance more aggressively.

While the creation of the Premier League as a business entity in the early 1990s widened the gap between England’s first and second tiers, the even distribution of TV revenue among clubs undeniably lifted the profile of all the clubs who have managed to play the majority of their seasons in the EPL since.

Take Chelsea and Manchester City, for example. All but one of Chelsea’s six league titles have come in the Premier League era, as have all but two of City’s 10 league-winning campaigns. Off the field, they’ve become nearly as recognizable globally as more historic giants like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, and other teams in the EPL with less on-field success have also succeeded at growing considerable global followings.

Meanwhile, La Liga remains captive to its two dominant clubs even as it tries to take baby steps toward a more equitable dynamic. Until a decade ago, every La Liga club negotiated its own TV agreement, leading to enormous revenue disparities. And even now that the league sells its rights collectively, it still funnels the most revenue to its biggest teams as a concession.

Yet Tebas’ desire to play games on American soil is exactly the kind of endeavor that makes two-club domination harder to escape.

Giving Away Leverage

La Liga isn’t as popular on U.S. TV as the Premier League, Liga MX, the Champions League or even MLS. And the only way La Liga games are commercially viable at the box office in the U.S. is if Real Madrid or Barcelona are playing. There simply aren’t significant fanbases of other La Liga teams in North America – even among Spanish speaking fans – like there are of lesser-accomplished English teams like Crystal Palace, Fulham, Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle and so on.

And if the idea of playing games on U.S. soil becomes a bigger part of La Liga’s strategy, you can bet Barca and Real Madrid will demand far greater concessions than they currently receive. Already, media reports suggest it’s Barcelona who will earn the majority of the revenue from a match in the U.S. that was a scheduled away fixture, estimated between $5.8 and $7 million.

Then there’s the likelihood La Liga’s move becomes a watershed event, making it easier for other leagues to justify taking their games global. If the Premier League or Liga MX – the leagues with the most robust U.S. fan presence – follow such an example, they’ll probably have more success than La Liga in the endeavor. The end result could be the gap between the EPL and La Liga actually widening.

What the FIFA Club World Cup should’ve made clear is that American fans will no longer attend major soccer events simply out of curiosity. They have more choices than ever on TV, and what they want to see in person will mirror their viewing habits.

In trying to stage games on American soil, La Liga is trying to run before it can walk. If it doesn’t solve its competitive and financial balance problems first, the Land of Opportunity is likely to become its Land of Disappointment.