LaLiga President says games are coming to USA in 2025/26
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has claimed that official Spanish league matches are set to be played in the United States. The statement by the executive comes as Relevent Sports is currently feuding with U.S. Soccer over alleged antitrust regulation issues. The promoter wants to host official LaLiga games here Stateside to increase the division’s global popularity.
Interestingly enough, Relevent is currently in a joint venture with LaLiga North America. The 15-year agreement between the two sides was initially signed back in 2018. At the time of the deal, Tebas declared that he intended to bring Spanish soccer to the States. While this has yet to occur, the outcome of the aforementioned court battle between Relevent and FIFA/U.S. Soccer will prove to be crucial to the plans.
It is certainly possible that Tebas is speaking too soon to apply pressure on FIFA in the ongoing battle. Nevertheless, if LaLiga soccer is coming to America, it would only happen if FIFA bent on its stance or the courts favor Relevent. UCLA law professor Steven Bank asserts that this would then open the floodgates for other high-profile leagues to play here.
Hosting LaLiga games in USA by 2026 is ‘a goal’ for Tebas
Tebas made the most recent remarks during a Q&A session with Madrid-based business newspaper Expansión. The news outlet initially asked Tebas about a possible timeframe for LaLiga matches abroad. Tebas was not able to pin down an actual date but did say that he believes it will be “sooner rather than later.”
When pressed even further, the LaLiga president stated that the 2024/25 campaign would come too soon to make the plans. However, hosting a Spanish top-flight game in the States at some point during the 2025/26 season “is a goal” for Tebas.
The Spanish league official went on to claim that the move would help LaLiga rival other top divisions.
“It is not enough to just show the games on television,” proclaimed Tebas. “Official matches in the U.S. will strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second for LaLiga after Spain. There are other very competitive leagues emerging so we can’t always do the same thing, they would overtake us.”
“We have to do different things, be at the most technologically advanced, and doing things like taking a game abroad is a strategically very important issue. We have to address all of these issues. And if we are not at the international level, we would lose a lot. I think that one of the secrets why we have been able to maintain international television contracts at the level we have without lowering ratings, as has happened to Italian football and French football, is our international strategy. If not, we would have gone down.”
LaLiga trying to compete with Premier League’s popularity in United States
The comments by Tebas come days after a high-profile sports agency claimed that Premier League matches were coming to America. LaLiga seems adamant about beating their biggest rivals to the cash cow that is the United States.
The move will surely upset Spanish soccer fans of LaLiga. After all, these staunch supporters will see at least one fewer meaningful game, perhaps more, than usual. However, American soccer fans will have the opportunity to potentially watch clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid play meaningful matches.
The National Football League (NFL), the most profitable sports league in North America, has been playing regular-season games abroad for over 15 years. The decision has not gone down well with domestic fans. But the game has since opened up to other foreign markets.
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