Official: Barcelona vs. Villarreal match in Miami cancelled

The Spanish League has announced the cancellation of the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match scheduled to take place in Miami, USA, for the 2025/2026 La Liga season.The decision to host the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match in Miami faced opposition from several La Liga clubs, most notably Real Madrid.Barcelona and Villarreal were scheduled to face each other in the 17th round of the La Liga season at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA.Cancellation of Barcelona vs. Villarreal match in MiamiAccording to an official statement, the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match scheduled for Miami has been cancelled. The match will instead be played at Villarreal's home ground, Estadio de la Cerámica.Relevent, the company organizing the match, attributed the decision to insufficient time to organize the event in Miami, necessitating its cancellation and the rescheduling of the match to Estadio de la Cerámica.La Liga stated in an official release: "The Spanish Professional Football League (LALIGA) announces that after discussions with the organizers of the official La Liga match in Miami, the latter have announced their decision to cancel the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain in recent weeks.It added: "La Liga deeply regrets that this project, which represented an unparalleled historic opportunity to internationalize Spanish football, could not move forward. It continued: "Hosting an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, enhancing the international presence of clubs, elevating the status of players, and boosting Spanish football in a strategic market like the United States. The project was fully compliant with federation regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as certified by the relevant institutions that ensured its commitment, and which opposed it for other reasons."It continued: "In the context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues like the English Premier League and competitions like the UEFA Champions League are expanding their reach and increasing their revenue generation capacity, initiatives like these are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football. Overlooking these opportunities hinders the generation of new revenues, limits the ability of clubs to invest and compete, and diminishes the international reach of the entire football ecosystem."It concluded: "La Liga thanks the clubs for their support and cooperation on this project, and their constant commitment to creating the competition. We will continue to work, as usual, to bring Spanish football to all countries of the world, defending an open, modern, and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players, and fans."Relevent had previously entered into a project with La Liga to develop the league's business in North America, including the staging of the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA.The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) had previously approved the staging of the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match, scheduled for December 20th, at Hard Rock Stadium back in August. UEFA also subsequently approved it.La Liga clubs expressed their anger over the decision to move a league match outside of Spain, and this anger extended to the players' union, which took protest action against the decision. The start of matches in the previous round of La Liga was disrupted as a message of protest against this decision.Who is the historical champion of La Liga?Real Madrid is considered the historical champion of La Liga, with 36 titles. Barcelona follows with 28 titles.