Will Major European Leagues Have Their Matches Played Abroad?
As European football leagues continue to grow globally, one idea which is gaining more consideration year on year is leagues playing their domestic matches abroad. Despite this, there is scrutiny from fans and clubs about such expansions, and there are also significant regulatory hurdles which will need to be overcome for this to happen.
This article will consider the current trends regarding European football matches being played abroad, the legal implications that this causes, and finally, what we can expect in the future.
Current Trends
Europe’s top leagues and competitions are increasingly realising the benefits of tapping into overseas markets to further grow their competitions worldwide. While some competitions have been more hesitant towards this, other competitions have capitalised on this area for growth.
There has been a growing trend of Cup and Super Cup matches being played outside of domestic countries. The Supercoppa Italiana (Italy’s Super Cup competition), was one of the first major European competitions to make this move as early as 1993, which was held in Washington DC in the US. [1] Since then, the competition has been held in countries such as Libya, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. [2]
Similarly, the Supercopa de España (The Spanish Super Cup), has been played in Saudi Arabia since 2019. [3] In this deal, the Saudi Arabian government agreed to pay €30 million to the Spanish Football Federation up until 2029. [4]
These trends show that Europe’s major football federations have actively implemented competitive games abroad, going beyond traditional pre-season and friendly tours. Nevertheless, not all competitions have taken to this change. For instance, The Community Shield, England’s Super Cup equivalent, has not been played abroad since its inception in 1908, despite this idea gaining momentum in recent years. [5]
Even with the rise in Cup and Super matches being played overseas, a league match is still yet to be played abroad in a major European league, despite considerable attempts to do so.[6] So, what is getting in the way of league matches being played abroad?
Legal Implications
La Liga have without a doubt been the front runners in trying to get their matches being played in overseas territory. In 2018, on behalf of U.S sports promotor Relevant, they proposed a match between Barcelona and Girona to be played in Miami in the US [7], and in 2019, they attempted to move Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid to Florida. [8]
Off the back of the initial proposal, FIFA introduced a policy in 2018 to officially ban domestic matches from being played abroad, citing that the proposal would disrupt fans, teams and leagues in the host country and would not respect the structure of international football. [9] As a result, both attempts to play La Liga games in the US were blocked by the U.S Soccer Federation. [10]
Since then, however, there have been signs that this policy could be disrupted. In May this year, Relevant sued U.S Soccer and FIFA for the decision alleging that the ban ‘illegally closed the doors of the United States to international soccer’. [11] In response, FIFA stated that they would consider changing their policy to allow domestic matches to be played abroad. [12]
Consequently, FIFA introduced a working group, which will consist of 10-15 board members, and is set to manage i) the rules, procedures and processes to authorise interclub football matches and ii) the criteria to be applied for authorised such matches. [13] In theory, the working group would work to relax FIFA’s outright ban on domestic league matches being played abroad, and could therefore give leagues the green light to go ahead with these plans.
As of now however, significant hurdles still remain. Earlier this season, La Liga tried to arrange the match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, scheduled for December 22nd, to be played in Miami. [14] However, this time, the proposal was cancelled due to time constraints and the many regulatory hurdles which they needed to overcome. [15] Under Article 11 of FIFA’s Regulations for Governing International Matches, La Liga would need to have authorisation from UEFA at least 21 days before the match [16], and then approval from U.S Soccer and Concacaf. [17] As the rules regarding international fixtures are still in transition, this is very much up in the air, and La Liga’s proposal arguably came too soon.
What Can We Expect In The Future?
With FIFA’s new working group expected to loosen the rules for league matches being played abroad, this could open up the doors for European leagues to do so. Other leagues may be encouraged to follow La Liga’s approach, should they get the green light in the future, particularly due to the financial incentives. For instance, the Premier League’s international broadcast revenue is now worth more than its domestic revenue [18], so such a move would cause further growth.
Nevertheless, there are doubts over whether this will be consistent across all of Europe’s major leagues. For instance, English’s football newly introduced independent regulator could make it very unlikely for Premier League matches to be played abroad, as such a move could cause major scrutiny from clubs and local fans, who may feel alienated from their clubs if matches are played overseas. [19] As one of the aims of the regulator is to give fans a greater voice in running their clubs [20], this could cause a direct conflict of interest if Premier League matches are played abroad.
Across leagues as a whole, European matches being played abroad could also cause further issues for clubs and players, who would have to factor in longer flights and less recovery time into what is already a tight schedule. [21] As a result, the FIFA working group would have to consider significant factors if the move is to go ahead, such as whether single fixtures would suit clubs and players more than multiple fixtures. This is set to be a fast-moving period in relation to the European league fixtures as we know it. For now, all we can do is watch this space.
Sources
[1] Forbes, ‘Serie A’s First Four-Way SuperCoppa Italiana Begins Amid Controversy’ https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmetgates/2024/01/18/serie-as-first-four-way-supercoppa-italiana-begins-amid-controversy/ last accessed 14th November 2024.
[2] Goal, ‘Moving the Community Shield to the United States: Taking English curtain-raiser to America the answer to Premier League’s most divisive question’ https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/move-community-shield-united-states-answer-premier-league-most-divisive-question/blt3d21630795108a73#cs943854586e26fdd5 last accessed 14th November 2024.
[3] Sporting News, ‘Why is Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia? Reasons first domestic trophy in Spain is played in the middle east’ https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/football/news/spanish-supercopa-saudi-arabia-reasons-trophy-spain-middle-east/f8oyydzjllygeemht6abzzsz last accessed 14th November 2024.
[4] Ibid.
[5] n(2).
[6] BBC, ‘FIFA to explore impact of moving domestic matches abroad’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cprgr2175x7o last accessed 14th November 2024.
[7] Goal, ‘No to the USA? Barcelona’s plans to play La Liga game with Atletico Madrid in Miami put on hold’, https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/usa-barcelona-s-plans-play-la-liga-game-with-atletico-madrid-in-miami-put-on-hold/blt998301d09a4799f2#cs63caaa10ec1e91aa last accessed 14th November 2024.
[8] n(8).
[9] The Guardian, ‘FIFA court deal could open way for European league matches in US’, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/apr/09/fifa-court-deal-could-open-way-for-european-league-matches-in-us#:~:text=Fifa%20court%20deal%20could%20open%20way%20for%20European%20league%20matches%20in%20US,-This%20article%20is&text=Fifa%20says%20it%20will%20consider,a%20lawsuit%20challenging%20that%20policy. last accessed 14th November 2024.
[10] The Athletic, ‘FIFA moves step closer to allowing domestic club matches to take place abroad’ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5495037/2024/05/15/fifa-premier-league-us-matches-abroad/ last accessed 14th November 2024.
[11] AP News, ‘FIFA moves toward ending soccer tradition and letting league games be staged in other countries’ https://apnews.com/article/fifa-rules-domestic-games-abroad-777937fbf502c867c03076bd2005b3f6 last accessed 14th November 2024.
[12] n(9).
[13] FIFA, ‘Update on working group on FIFA Regulations Governing International Matches’ https://inside.fifa.com/about-fifa/organisation/news/update-on-working-group-on-fifa-regulations-governing-international-matches last accessed 14th November 2024.
[14] n(7).
[15] n(7)
[16] Fifa International Fixture Regulations Article 11.
[17] n(7)
[18] SportsPro, ‘How the Premier League’s global popularity is driving its revenue growth’ https://www.sportspromedia.com/insights/opinions/premier-league-tv-rights-revenue-global-popularity-sponsorship-data-ampere/#:~:text=For%20the%202022%20to%202025,more%20than%20half%20of%20its last accessed 14th November 2024.
[19] n(10).
[20] GOV.UK, ‘Historic Football Governance Bill Introduced in Parliament’ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/historic-football-governance-bill-introduced-in-parliament last accessed 14th November 2024.
[21] One Football, ‘FIFA considers allowing domestic matches to be played overseas’ https://onefootball.com/en/news/fifa-considers-allowing-domestic-matches-to-be-played-overseas-39493639 last accessed 14th November 2024.
