Incredible scenes as it has been announced that the LA LIGA game between Barca and Atletico is going to be held in Miami in December; the Spanish Football Federation have allowed this to be the first game to be held overseas. This looks to be the start of a potential long-term partnership between the USA and La Liga.
A big reason that Barcelona need this is because they have been unable to capitalise on their fanbase recently as the Nou Camp is currently under construction, thus they have had to use a different, smaller stadium with a smaller capacity of a 40,000 difference. The game day losses are huge to a club that is already financially unstable and looking to recover from utilising their financial levers. They are fortunate that they are one of the most famous clubs in the world and can garner a fanbase in the USA for such a game, and this game could generate upwards of tens of millions of dollars in revenue.
Despite how fans will certainly react, it is interesting seeing the start of this potential partnership, as long as the club look into how they can accommodate fans with travel packages or refunds/discounts.
This decision, in my view, is connected to the rise of viewership and attendance of American fans, the increasing affinity with the beautiful game and the culmination of the 2026 World Cup.
The rise of connection between USA and football
There were 69,879 fans in attendance in pre season, as Liverpool played Arsenal in Philadelphia.
There has been a generation shift in the USA with many more young people turning to soccer as one of the favorite sports. Schools in the USA are now ensuring football is offered to both boys and girls from a young age. More than 810,000 players at high school level played football in 2022. 55% of U.S. soccer fans are from the ages of 18 to 34 – this is key to growth.
It is also worthy to note the link between Spanish speaking countries and football. As we know, football is nothing short of a phenomenon in South America, generating Maradona, Pele and Messi. The USA is the second largest Spanish speaking population behind Mexico, with 13% of the country speaking Spanish – this will lead to a further increase in football affinity from citizens – this will continue to grow as Latinos currently represent a $1 trillion market in the USA as consumers and their spending power is rising. As they become more influential consumers in the USA, this will increase the viewership and importance that football has in the USA, which then may stimulate foreign clubs to look for ways to capitalise on this and gain.
Last season, Atlanta United FC and Charlotte FC became the first two clubs in league history to have an attendance of 65,000+ on the same day.It cannot be understated the steps that the MLS have made – they are investing more in youth academies to train the next generation.The MLS have also tripled the number of its teams in 20 years, and LAFC is valued at $1 billion. MLS have a 10-year, $2.5 billion global rights deal with Apple; there is intent to grow this further.
This is culminating beautifully into the 2026 World Cup to be held in the USA; a marking of intent. This will have an enormous impact on its popularity, and I suspect this will cement an even stronger partnership with Europe. When the USA last held a world cup, it did NOT HAVE a domestic league.
How does this link to European football?
I would add the importance of the fact that one of the best European coaches of the last 10 years, Mauricio Pochettino, has the USA national manager.
This is relevant because the credibility of the football stage in the USA, by cementing itself with a national fanbase and generating more fans of a younger age, will connect the country with the European Leagues, where the biggest success of football stems from.
There is no doubt that the MLS cannot possibly challenge the top 5 leagues in Europe for viewership, attendance, passion and connection. But this can change with the direction of European football aimed towards the US.
This is why I believe; the 2026 World Cup is a huge opportunity. This coincides with Messi going to the MLS, and Beckham being involved in trying to develop the game as much as possible. The La Liga fixture is the first step in this. London Mayor Sadiq Khan saw a huge prospect in Premier League fixtures being held abroad. He believed that a stateside ‘international round’ of Premier League fixtures was where we are headed as a nation. He mentioned the fact that all 32 NFL teams have all played in the UK. Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium and Wembley have been the home to many American football games.
It is worth highlighting that half of Premier League clubs have at least a minority stake from the US. If the games were at all going to go international, the USA would be the destination. La Liga has opened a door.
What does all this mean? I think the La Liga partnership is the tip of the iceberg. I think this issue is going to present itself many more times in the upcoming years, and I think after the World Cup, there is a very strong possibility that we will see Premier League games (1 or 2 for now) move to the US.