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When “Home” Games Go Global
A New Era for Domestic Football
Tahoe Lillelund
October 23, 2025
by Tahoe Lillelund
Deep Dive
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⚽ A New Era for Domestic Leagues?
Domestic leagues in Europe may be on the verge of a seismic change as they clash with UEFA in their pursuit to grow - and to catch up with the Premier League.
La Liga decided to abandon the game, but Villarreal vs Barcelona this December was going to be played in Miami, while Serie A plans to send AC Milan vs Como 1907 to Perth, Australia, in February 2026.
These aren’t preseason tours, they’re competitive league matches, right in the thick of title races. At the time of writing, both Barça and Milan are in tight championship battles. Barcelona and Villarreal would have traveled more than 10 hours to Miami, while Milan and Como face a 20-hour journey to Perth.
This is no longer a global game by viewership alone domestic leagues are going global in reality.
💼 What’s Driving It
“It is a reward for those fans who are behind the screen, in Asia or America, who are paying a fee to watch all the La Liga matches.”
— Rafael Louzán, RFEF President (Reuters)
“Having an international match is part of the strategy to strengthen the value of La Liga’s audiovisual rights globally … promoting the league to a potential audience of over 60 million people in North America.”
— Javier Tebas, La Liga President (AS)
“This is an opportunity for the clubs involved and Italian soccer to increase international visibility and grow their fan base.”
— Ezio Simonelli, Serie A President (Sports Business Journal)
“We understand that this journey may demand sacrifices in convenience, comfort, and routine … Yet sometimes sacrifice is essential … for the survival of the league itself.”
— Como 1907 Club Statement (ESPN)
These perspectives reveal the motivations behind this global push:
Rewarding fans outside Europe.
Increasing global visibility and broadcast value.
Ensuring league survival amid Premier League dominance.
But they also raise deeper questions:
Should we reward global fans by bringing league matches to them?
Can domestic leagues truly compete with the Premier League’s financial power?
And what happens to the local supporters left behind?
Richard Masters, CEO of the Premier League, made the contrast clear:
“We have no desire to play Premier League games abroad.”
— (The Times)
Interestingly, it’s American sports, especially the NFL, that have normalized this concept, staging regular-season games in London and Germany. European football may just be following that playbook.
🏟️ Football Belongs at Home
While La Liga and Serie A push outward, the Bundesliga has drawn a firm line.
“As long as I am here in the league responsible, there will be no match abroad … when it comes to competitive matches. Full stop.”
— Hans-Joachim Watzke, DFL Chairman (Reuters)
Players and fans have also voiced frustration.
Barcelona and Girona paused play for 15 seconds in protest of the Miami game. UEFA has labelled these fixtures “exceptional” and warned against setting a precedent.
Even legends like Marco van Basten have joined the chorus:
“Why on earth is Villarreal vs Barcelona played in the USA? … It’s completely ridiculous. And it’s cheating too, by the way!”
— (Barça Blaugranes)
La Liga has already hosted the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia, so perhaps this is just the next step in a broader globalization strategy that began years ago.
🌍 My Take
These matches are more than logistical experiments, they’re tests of football’s identity. La Liga mentioned that they are no longer hosting the game in Miami due to a lack of time to organize the game, but I wonder if the pressure and player protests were behind the decision.
For leagues outside England, going global may be a survival tactic, not just a commercial one. But the trade-off is real: how far can football stretch before it stops feeling local?
“Football is not just about balance sheets … If we pull it too far away from those roots, we risk breaking it.”
— Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President (ESPN)
✍️ Closing Thought
As more clubs look abroad, every “home” fixture will test what fans truly value access or authenticity.
If these games succeed commercially, the floodgates may open. If they flop, they’ll remind us why the heart of football still beats at home.