The race for foreign soccer leagues to host regular season matches in the United States seems to be heating up, as La Liga and Liga MX have done. It was previously revealed that FIFA may soon change its current rules on the matter. Currently, the governing body prohibits leagues from hosting matches in other countries. This possibility is upended by FIFA’s recent deal with Relevent Sports Group.
The media company/promoter is currently engaged in a legal battle with FIFA and the United States Soccer Association over the matter. Relevent has long wanted to host La Liga matches in the US, but this settlement clears the way for the Spanish top league to be played in the US.
Shortly after the deal was signed, La Liga president Javier Tebas declared that official Spanish league matches would soon be played in the U.S. A senior soccer executive told reporters in April that such matches were planned to be played across the ocean “sooner or later.”
When pressed further, Tebas insisted the “goal” was to host La Liga matches in the Americas during the 2025/26 season.
Mexican clubs could play Liga MX matches in the United States later this year
Tebas has a clear goal, but he may end up starting late. On Thursday, Club America president Santiago Baños revealed that the Liga MX team could play in the United States as early as 2024. The Mexican team’s stadium, Estadio Azteca, is undergoing extensive renovations. As a result, team officials may choose to play some home games north of the border in the near future.
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Club América will host Cruz Azul in the second leg of the Liga MX final on Sunday, May 26, in what will be the last match at this historic stadium before it is refurbished. The Azteca Stadium is one of the venues to host the 2026 World Cup and is in need of renovation.
“Now that the lawsuit has been closed and it seems like other teams may play in the U.S., I wouldn’t be opposed to the possibility of playing in the U.S. as the home team,” Baños told reporters. “We have a lot of fans, so it would be great to play in the U.S. or in other (Mexican) states.”
However, Club America has other options: in addition to the possibility of playing in the United States, the club’s president claimed that they could also find a temporary base in Mexico.
“We have many supporters in other cities who would like to see us play, so we are discussing whether we could play domestically as a local team,” Baños continued.
Foreign leagues scheduling official matches in the U.S. would have a negative impact on MLS
But it’s not necessarily a given that foreign clubs will play league games in the U.S. FIFA is currently studying the potential impact of allowing domestic leagues to play foreign competitions in the near future, and the governing body has formed a committee to compile information on the issue.
As for Major League Soccer, La Liga and Liga MX playing in the U.S. would be bad news for the league. MLS Commissioner Don Garber recently declined to comment on Tebas’ comments, but he did say: World Soccer Talk He said he “likes order” and that “MLS is a very structured organization.”
Already, foreign leagues are stealing a lot of attention from MLS – in fact, the Premier League is currently the most-watched soccer league in the U.S., Liga MX is currently second on the list, and Club America is the most popular club in the U.S. The Mexican side are aware of these figures and are ready to take advantage of this huge foreign fan base.
Photo: Imago
