Just days after being named one of the 30 finalists for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Lamine Yamal is now at the center of a situation that could mark a first for FC Barcelona — and involves a potential trip to the United States in the near future.
According to Diario AS, advanced negotiations are underway for Barcelona to play a 2025–26 La Liga match in Miami before the end of the year. The match in question would be their Week 17 clash against Villarreal, originally scheduled to be played at Estadio de la Ceramica around December 20.
The goal behind this move is clear: to expand the Spanish league’s reach into a growing market like the United States, where interest in soccer has surged in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down.
This aligns with the rising profile of Major League Soccer following the arrival of superstars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Thomas Muller and Son Heung-min, as well as the hosting of several major tournaments such as the 2024 Copa America, 2025 Gold Cup, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Barcelona are La Liga’s reigning champions.
What needs to happen for Barcelona vs Villarreal in Miami to be confirmed?
Holding a domestic league match in another country is an unusual event, and must go through a series of bureaucratic steps before becoming reality. That process is set to begin this Monday, when the board of directors of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) meets to discuss the proposal.
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Diario AS shared one of the agenda items for the upcoming meeting: “Submission to UEFA of the request to begin the procedures for the subsequent authorization by FIFA of the match corresponding to Matchday 17 of the National Championship of the First Division League between FC Barcelona and Villarreal CF, at the ‘Hard Rock Stadium’ in Miami on December 20, 2025.”
As the agenda notes, the first step is for the RFEF board to approve the plan, after which it will be sent to UEFA, the governing body for European soccer. Once UEFA grants its approval, the final green light would need to come from FIFA.
Spanish soccer has expanded its international reach in recent years
If the Barcelona vs Villarreal match in Miami is confirmed, it would mark the first time in history that a La Liga match is played outside Spanish territory. However, Spain has seen similar precedents in other competitions in recent years.
In 2018, the Spanish Super Cup was held outside of Spain for the first time. That year, Barcelona defeated Sevilla 2–1 in Tangier, Morocco. From that point on, a new tradition began: starting in 2020, the competition has been held in Saudi Arabia with a four-team final four format instead of a single-match final. A current agreement keeps the tournament in Saudi Arabia through at least 2029.
Has Lamine Yamal ever played in the United States?
Given the superstar status he has reached in recent years, Lamine Yamal’s potential appearance in that Barcelona vs Villarreal match would be a major event for fans in the United States. He could even arrive as the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, which would further amplify the buzz around his presence.
That match would mark Yamal’s second visit to the U.S. to play soccer. His only prior appearance was during Barcelona’s 2023 summer tour, where Lamine played in three friendlies — against Arsenal, AC Milan, and Club America — and scored one goal.
However, the Spanish star missed two other chances to return to the U.S. In the summer of 2024, Barcelona returned for another round of friendlies, but Lamine did not travel with the team, having received extended rest after representing Spain at Euro 2024. And this year, Barcelona failed to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, denying Yamal his first chance to compete officially on American soil.
