Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

Rayo Villecano over Girona already today 3-1.  Villareal is up 2-0 and a man up on Oviedo late.  Mallorca vs Barça tomorrow at noon on ESPN2.  All game are streaming again on espn+.

Valladolid, Las Palmas, and Leganes are down.  Levante, Elche, and Oviedo are up from La Segunda.

ESPN Preview: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45907038/laliga-2025-26-big-questions-barcelona-real-madrid-title

Spoiler

LaLiga 2025-26 big questions: Barcelona, Real Madrid, title

It's just over a month since Real Madrid's campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup ended, but already the 2025-26 LaLiga season is upon us, and you can stream every game LIVE on ESPN+ (U.S.).

After the season kicks off with two matches Friday, reigning champions Barcelona begin their title defense the following day at Mallorca. Madrid's reward for reaching the semifinals of the Club World Cup is an extra three days' respite before they get underway against Osasuna on Tuesday, after their request to have the game postponed was rejected by the Spanish football federation.

It has been a busy summer of ins and out for all three of Spain's biggest clubs, while Madrid also changed manager when they replaced the legendary Carlo Ancelotti with former Bernabéu midfielder Xabi Alonso. Atlético Madrid meanwhile eclipsed both of their main rivals by signing seven new players in this transfer window.

But LaLiga is about so much more than only three clubs, and there are plenty of other fascinating storylines to follow, from fallen giants to upwardly mobile sides to aging icons dragging their beloved clubs back into the big time. ESPN's Spanish football writers Alex Kirkland, Graham Hunter, Sam Marsden and Sid Lowe answer all of the key questions ahead of the new season. -- Tony Mabert

What have Barcelona done in the transfer window?

The biggest deal Barça pulled off this summer was committing Lamine Yamal to a long-term contract. The forward, who turned 18 in July, is already the headline act for Hansi Flick's side and after scoring four goals in preseason, he looks ready to take his game to the next level over the next 10 months.

Elsewhere, there has been a shake-up in goal with Joan García signing from Espanyol for €25 million. García has joined to be No.1, while he will be backed up by Wojciech Szczesny, with Marc-André ter Stegen expected to leave when he recovers from back surgery. After Barça's top target, Athletic Club forward Nico Williams, chose to remain in Bilbao and sign a 10-year contract, Marcus Rashford has arrived on loan from Manchester United to add depth in attack. He could prove a shrewd addition if he recovers the form he showed earlier in his career.

Other than that, Barça will rely on the spine of the team that exceeded expectations last season, although they have suffered the loss of defender Iñigo Martínez just a week before the season starts. Martínez has moved to Saudi Arabia to help ease the club's financial issues. His leadership and aggression will be missed in the backline, with Ronald Araújo to step in alongside Pau Cubarsí in his place. -- Sam Marsden

After a domestic clean sweep, how can Hansi Flick make Barça even better?

In the past 35 years of LaLiga, only Barcelona have retained the title more than once. That is to say that Valencia, Atlético, Deportivo La Coruña couldn't do it, and Madrid could win back-to-back leagues only once since 1990 -- that happened in 2008. It's no slight on any of them, just evidence of how hard it is to retain the title in Spain. If Flick can win again while bedding in new signings, promoting more from the academy and dealing with the perpetual chaos around the club then, by definition, that will be a "better" performance.

To achieve that, they need to have a better defensive mentality -- all over the pitch. Part of Barça's appeal to neutrals last season was their barnstorming, never-say-die attitude. Some of their seesaw comeback matches -- against Benfica, Inter Milan, Atlético and Celta Vigo, for example -- were as thrilling as anything in living memory. But too often they looked naive and overdaring in their decision-making, with the mindset of "we'll score more than you" overriding "we're going to stop you from scoring." It was Flick's only real bugbear last season. Time to adjust that balance. -- Graham Hunter

What have Real Madrid done in the transfer window?

They've done a lot this summer, but have they done enough? Aware of the need to improve last season's vulnerable-looking defense, they've signed Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Álvaro Carreras. That's three-quarters of a new back four. Center back Huijsen, 20, already looks worth every penny of the £50 million Madrid paid to sign him from Bournemouth, as he will transform the team's in-possession play. Alexander-Arnold was a long-term target and it will be fascinating to see what role he plays, given the return to fitness of incumbent right back and club captain Dani Carvajal.

Franco Mastantuono also arrives from River Plate when he turns 18 on Thursday, although it remains to be seen how long the wide forward takes to adapt to Spanish football, and how big of a first-team role he takes on to begin. Gonzalo García's impact at the Club World Cup -- top scoring with four goals and an assist in 450 minutes played -- alleviated the need to sign a Plan B center forward. That might become even more telling if the uncertainty over Rodrygo's future leads to his departure late in the window.

But what about the midfield, where the club has decided no new recruits are needed? And obviously, the biggest signing of the summer is the man in charge of the team: Xabi Alonso. -- Alex Kirkland

What must Madrid do to avoid another year in Barça's shadow?

This is the $64,000 question. But in part -- and at the risk of falling into the unfair trap of blaming everything on former boss Ancelotti, who is, you know, the most successful manager there has ever been -- that has been at least superficially addressed by the fact that it is Xabi Alonso who must do it. His arrival, in theory at least, brings a change in structure and ideas ... and is brought by a change in attitudes. Which means everyone, including the club's hierarchy.

Failure can help too, as it sharpens minds and increases focus. Shaken out of some of their certainties by defeat, we have already seen a coach being listened to a little more than the previous one and a club acting accordingly in the transfer market (if perhaps not quite as much as Alonso would like). In the short term at least, there are likely to be some changes in attitude within the squad. That's a bit facile -- the easy old lines about just trying a bit harder, having more collective mentality, shedding ego and so on, should be avoided. Even when that might still continue to be an issue with the change, and it might.

So, onto some concrete things to do: it sounds wild, but they genuinely do need to resolve the problem (some problem, huh?) of having Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on the same team, finding a way of getting them to both press and to occupy spaces better. The really big hole has not been addressed directly: where is the midfielder, the No. 5, the Toni Kroos figure? There isn't one, not really. Rarely did a signing seem so obvious as Martín Zubimendi to Madrid this summer, yet it was never really in the cards and he ended up at Arsenal instead.

Which is where maybe we will see the importance of Huijsen stepping out with the ball, and why we are seeing them trying to adapt Arda Güler to a different role. A new formation, in which Alexander-Arnold comes inside more, might help to balance that. There are also early signs that Aurélien Tchouaméni could perform better in this structure.

Another very basic thing that would help them: keep players fit. Jude Bellingham is out until October after a minor surgery, and now Eduardo Camavinga -- still in search of a proper place and consistency -- is set to sit out the start of the season because of a sprained ankle. -- Sid Lowe

Yamal and Mbappé are both the new No. 10s for their club. Is this the start of a rivalry at a Messi vs. Ronaldo level?

Making the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons should be done with caution, mainly because of the brutal longevity both showed and are still showing. But in terms of Yamal and Mbappé being the best two players in the world right now, I think you can make a strong argument for that to be the case. The fact they have both inherited the No. 10 shirts at their respective clubs this summer highlights, if there were any doubts, that they are the star men.

There is no one who commands your attention on a football pitch at the moment more than Yamal. That's not to say he's necessarily the best in the world yet, but he's the most entertaining and exciting. An exhilarating energy fills the stadium once the ball is at his feet, you never know what he's going to do. As for Mbappé, because of a lack of team success, his debut season in Spain was probably underrated. Netting 44 goals was a superb return.

The Clásico fixtures will be about which of them can come out on top. Time will tell if their rivalry can reach a Messi vs. Ronaldo level, but everything is in place for it to be a generation-defining matchup. -- Marsden

LaLiga top scorer (via ESPN BET)
Kylian Mbappé; -135
Robert Lewandowski: +150
Alexander Sørloth: +1000
Raphinha: +1000
Ante Budimir: +1500
Julián Álvarez: +1500
Gonzalo García: +2000
Lamine Yamal: +2800
Ferran Torres: +3300
Marcus Rashford: +3300

What have Atlético Madrid been up to? Where do they figure in all of this?

They've been busy for the second summer in a row, spending around €175 million on striker Giacomo Raspadori, playmaker Álex Baena, defender Dávid Hancko, midfielders Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada, and fullbacks Matteo Ruggeri and Marc Pubill. With nine first-team players departing (Rodrigo De Paul, Ángel Correa, Axel Witsel, César Azpilicueta, Reinildo, Samuel Lino, Rodrigo Riquelme, Saúl Ñíguez and Thomas Lemar), the squad has been significantly overhauled. But how much will change?

Last season ended in disappointment and frustration, dropping out of the title race far too early, having topped the table at Christmas; falling short in the Champions League (round of16) and Copa del Rey (semifinals); being eliminated from the Club World Cup at the group stage. It's easy to imagine them being better this season: Baena was the best domestic player Atlético could have signed -- the league's most creative talent outside the big two -- and United States international Cardoso looks to be a fit for coach Diego Simeone's style and Almada is an underrated recruit.

To make their 2025-26 a success, Atlético need to improve on last season. That means being within a shout of winning the title in April (at least!) and, ideally, winning a trophy. -- Kirkland

Who wins the title?

Lowe: You have to start with what we know ... and at the moment that is Barcelona. But it is worth noting that despite the feeling that Real Madrid were miles off last season, they actually weren't so far behind (only four points.) Plus, they still have the most basic thing of all: lots of very good players. It seems logical to anticipate a better second season from Mbappé, who already scored more than 40 goals in his first campaign.

Kirkland: No team has retained the LaLiga title since Barcelona won their second in a row in 2019. Since then it has been Real Madrid, Atlético, Madrid, Barcelona, Madrid and Barcelona as champions. Can Flick's Barça break the pattern? They absolutely start as favorites to do so and were clearly the best team last season. But Real Madrid will be better, and it will be tight.

Hunter: Barcelona will repeat. I'm sad that their participation in the Club World Cup is going to cost Madrid so dearly, leaving them having suffered two inhumanely short preseasons, not enough rest and not enough teaching time for Alonso. It'll be a ripper of a title fight but Barcelona -- with their squad, momentum and Yamal -- are ahead.

Marsden: Don't listen to me, I've been wrong for the past three years. As detailed by Graham and Alex, there has been a lack of retaining the title in recent seasons, but that hasn't stopped me from picking Madrid, Barça and then Madrid again last season. So, with that in mind, I am going for Yamal's Barça just holding off Mbappé's Madrid.

LaLiga title odds (via ESPN BET)

Real Madrid: -120
Barcelona: +110
Atlético Madrid: +800

Who or what else should we be looking out for?

Lowe: You know that bit where you accuse journalists of bias? Here's your chance ... this time you're right. Look out for Real Oviedo. No, really. It has been 24 years since they were in the first division, in which time they have twice been on the edge of going out of business and fallen as low as the fourth tier. It's a miracle that they are around at all let alone back in the Primera División. And when was the last time there was a story as good as Santi Cazorla's? The former Spain midfielder overcame a succession of career-threatening injuries to help get his hometown back to the summit, even scoring in last season's promotion playoffs at age 40. So, yes, look out for Oviedo.

There are loads of other things, too. I'm intrigued by Elche's Eder Sarabia as a coach in the top flight, and how far he can hold onto his very deeply held principles of how to play. I wonder if Sevilla can arrest the decline. And of course -- passport bias alert -- I would like to see Marcus Rashford do well at Barcelona on loan, on a human as well as football level. And then there's Rayo Vallecano making it three Madrid teams competing in Europe next season.

Hunter: There haven't been sufficient mentions of Yamal so far for my taste, and frankly it's impossible to have too many. We should look out for, by marking big red circles in our calendars, turning off our phones and sitting glued to our screens, every single minute of football that we can watch Yamal playing.

I don't care what the Ballon d'Or vote will say when it's revealed next month -- the 18-year-old is the most scintillating, magical, uplifting, daring and remarkable footballer on the planet. At a time when Lionel Messi is still an active footballer, we've been privileged to be gifted someone else who is potentially of that level of magnificence. It's a miracle, and you simply need to take advantage of every single second.

I'll also be paying rapt attention to Alonso either forcing Mbappé to press and to track back -- or conjuring up a structure in which only nine outfield players (assuming Vini Jr. behaves) have defensive responsibilities.

Kirkland: Could this be the season Valencia finally are relegated for the first time since 1986? That might sound counterintuitive after a 12th-place finish last season -- and a week in which they've comfortably beaten Torino 3-0 in a friendly, committed young star Javi Guerra to a new contract and just signed a goal scorer in Arnaut Danjuma. But they came agonizingly close in 2023 -- finishing two points above the bottom three -- and last season coach Carlos Corberán arrived to save them with a miraculous late run, with only one defeat in 14 games between February and May.

Is that form repeatable? They've lost one of their best young players in defender Cristhian Mosquera -- who played more LaLiga minutes than anyone for Los Che last season -- as well as Liverpool-bound goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The good news is that Guerra and César Tárrega have renewed their deals, and another talent, Diego López, is reportedly close to doing so after scoring eight league goals last season. They might be fine, but I've just have a suspicion they might struggle, repeating their good year/bad year cycle.

Otherwise, I'm looking forward to seeing if Celta can again prove to be one of the most fun teams to watch, despite losing two of their best young players in Fernando López and Alfon González.

Marsden: I really rate Girona coach Míchel, so I want to see how he bounces back from a difficult season. Preparations for their Champions League campaign were destroyed by player exits and injuries, so it will be interesting to see if he can repeat his feat of two years ago, when Girona finished third after a more stable summer.

As Alex says, Celta Vigo, who have loaned winger Bryan Zaragoza, should be a good watch as well. At the other end of the scale, crisis clubs Valencia and Sevilla, given their standing in the Spanish game, always provide fascinating narratives -- just often not the ones they would want.

FC TV's experts weigh in on the 2025-26 season

Will Kylian Mbappe be better this season? I expect his work rate to be better, and I expect his communication with his teammates to be a lot better too because personally, his numbers were excellent. I don't doubt that if he stays fit he will score another 40 goals, but last year, he took a lot away from Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, so I expect that fluidity to be better, and I expect Real Madrid to be a lot better than they were last year. -- Steve McManaman

How will things be different for Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso? I think what Xabi needs, and I think what Xabi will get -- and has already received -- is the power from the president because I think in past times, under previous managers, if they had a problem with a player and dropped a certain player, that player would go above the manager's head and speak to the president directly. Here, I think the president and the CEO have already talked to Xabi and said 'listen, you are the boss, you can control the players and tell them yes or no or you are on the bench, and everyone has to abide by your decisions.' And I think that is the most important thing.

Xabi has come out on multiple occasions that if you don't work hard enough you will not be in the side, and that is a big warning because we know -- and we've seen the stats -- that Kylian, Vini Junior and Rodrygo (when he played) did not put the work rate in, and that should be the absolute minimum when you play in a football team like Real Madrid. -- McManaman

Who will win La Liga? Real Madrid. They've strengthened really well ... their problems last year were in defense, and they addressed all of those issues in the summer. Dean Huijsen has come in, Trent Alexander-Arnold has come in and Alvaro Carreras has come in, so they have focused on that area principally. And they're get back Carvajal, Militao and David Alaba (from injury) so as far as I am concerned, that area where they had huge problems last year, they have effectively fixed. -- McManaman

If they keep the same intensity and dynamism as last season, no doubt Barcelona. -- Luis Garcia

What can we expect for an encore from Lamine Yamal? Everything. He has become the star of the league already and is only 18. He came close to winning the Ballon d'Or, and has all the expectations that come with wearing the number 10 shirt this season. Barcelona is not the same when he is not on the field as we saw last year and in 2025-26, he will be eager for more. The Champions League will be his main target. -- Luis Garcia

Can Barcelona match or improve what they did last season? Last year was a massive surprise, they were outstanding. Now the standard is very high; they will need to improve the defense and some issues they had playing with that high line in some important matches, but with the experience of last year and a good rest during the summer, they should be the team to beat. -- Garcia

Who will be the revelation of LaLiga? I am going to stick with Alex Baena. His move to Atletico is going to give him the opportunity to shine on the big stage, and he's been ready for that for the last few years. -- Garcia

The Athletic preview: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6550631/2025/08/15/la-liga-new-season-real-madrid-barcelona-atletico/

Spoiler

La Liga season preview: Our predictions on Barcelona, Real Madrid and much more

The new La Liga season gets started later on Friday, with defending champions Barcelona opening at Real Mallorca tomorrow and Real Madrid welcoming Osasuna on Tuesday.

As usual, there is no shortage of storylines, including Barca again struggling to register their new signings, Madrid once more battling against La Liga’s authorities and Atletico Madrid spending big to try to challenge the Clasico duo for the title. There’s also plenty of political intrigue, controversy, figures under pressure and the possibility for history to be made on and off the pitch.

The Athletic has taken its annual stab at predicting how things will go (which will hopefully turn out better than last year, when we predicted Barcelona would sack new manager Hansi Flick by Christmas)…

Who will win La Liga and why?

Flick had a phenomenal first season in charge at Barcelona, winning the domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa.

His squad is arguably stronger this year. Defender Inigo Martinez has left, but on-loan Marcus Rashford brings another option in attack, and most importantly, the team’s young core should be even better — centre-back Pau Cubarsi, midfielders Pedri and Gavi, and especially emerging-superstar attacker Lamine Yamal.

Madrid also look to have significantly improved, with a rebuilt defence and fresh energy and impetus under new coach Xabi Alonso. Atletico have spent a lot again to try to mount a challenge, and Diego Simeone arguably now has the deepest squad of his 14 seasons in charge. But Alonso’s impact across the capital could be hampered by minimal pre-season preparation time after going to the final four of the Club World Cup last month, while Simeone’s new signings might take a while to settle in.

So, assuming Barcelona’s annual issues with actually registering their new players are resolved, and they get to return to play at their iconic Camp Nou again from September as planned, Flick’s team should be celebrating another title in May.

Who else will qualify for the Champions League?

Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico have finished among the top four in Spain every year since 2012-13, and they will again this time. But the race for the fourth Champions League qualification spot looks wide open.

Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are playing in that competition this season, so their domestic form could suffer as they juggle the extra eight games. That might open up an opportunity for Real Betis, who continue to make progress year on year under veteran coach Manuel Pellegrini. Betis’ top-four challenge will be especially strong if they can secure the return of Brazilian attacker Antony from Manchester United after his impressive loan spell in the second half of last season.

Mallorca could potentially challenge for a European spot, while Valencia improved tremendously after Carlos Corberan took over as coach in January.

Who will be the biggest underperformers?

One of the biggest questions is how Madrid’s Club World Cup exertions, tacked onto the end of last season, will affect how they start this new campaign.

Madrid’s players finally got to go on holiday on July 10, after losing 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals in the United States. They then returned for pre-season training on August 4, just 15 days before they welcome Osasuna to the Bernabeu for both sides’ opening La Liga fixture.

Managing that situation is a huge challenge for new coach Alonso, who also has to integrate three new defenders in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras.

Their games at the Club World Cup suggested that Alonso’s biggest issue will be how to fit both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior into his XI while implementing a version of the high-energy, high-pressing style he used at previous club Bayer Leverkusen.

Midfielder Jude Bellingham will be missing until mid-October at least, following a summer operation to fix a long-running shoulder issue, and players could also still leave in the summer transfer window, including Brazilian attacker Rodrygo.

Alonso could well end up being a success at the Bernabeu – he has the experience and nous to deal with the challenge of the job – but there might be some bumps along the way, and Madrid could be playing catch-up in the 2025-26 title race from early on.

How do you expect the promoted clubs to do?

Levante, Elche and Real Oviedo would all see a 17th-place finish in the 20-club table, so avoiding an immediate return to the second tier, as success.

The three promoted clubs are working with limited finances, having spent around €10million (£8.6m; $11.7m) between them so far on new players (for comparison, the three teams promoted to the Premier League this summer have spent over €300m combined).

But they all have superb stories to follow.

Oviedo’s club captain is former Arsenal and Spain playmaker Santi Cazorla, now 40, whose fairytale return to his hometown club saw him score in last June’s emotional play-off final victory.

Levante’s players, coach and staff played a big role in providing crucial supplies and support when the team’s home city of Valencia was badly flooded last October. Elche owner Christian Bragarnik’s CV includes experience as a striker in fifth-tier Argentine football, time spent as a video-store assistant, and working as an agent to Diego Maradona.

Who will be the best young player this season?

Yamal only turned 18 in mid-July and could already be the best player in Spain, if not the world, so he’s a good candidate for this section.

But Franco Mastantuono, Madrid’s new €63million signing from River Plate in Argentina, is even younger (his 18th birthday was on Thursday) and, some say, just as talented.

Already a senior Argentina international, Mastantuono is used to dealing with pressure and expectation. He has already played 64 senior games for River, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists. Some of those goals were spectacular, especially the tremendous free kick scored in a 2-1 derby victory against fierce local rivals Boca Juniors in April.

Many kids have arrived at Madrid with big hype and have taken a long time to settle, or just never made it at all. But people who know Mastantuono reckon he can hit the ground running and quickly rival Yamal as the hottest teenager in La Liga.

Which under-the-radar figure have the big clubs been sleeping on?

Athletic Club’s Mikel Jauregizar had a real breakout season in 2024-25 and is fast developing into one of the top defensive midfielders in La Liga. Only 18 months on from his senior debut, the super-combative and mobile 21-year-old has established himself as a key member of coach Ernesto Valverde’s team.

He is not the biggest at 177cm (5ft 10in), but Jauregizar ranked third-highest among all midfielders for tackles in La Liga last season. That ability to regain possession and then launch attackers such as brothers Inaki and Nico Williams was key to Valverde’s team’s success in finishing fourth.

Jauregizar did not help himself with his performance in Athletic Club’s biggest game of the season, being embarrassingly dribbled past by Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire in the Europa League semi-final first leg at San Mames. But his career so far suggests he is a very quick learner, and playing in the Champions League this season should bring plenty more experience and exposure.

Which club have had the best transfer window?

For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Atletico’s subsequent summer spending of around €150million looks directly aimed at fixing issues in the squad highlighted during that tough spell. Slovakia defender David Hancko and United States international midfielder Johnny Cardoso bring more physicality, while Italian Matteo Ruggeri and Spain’s Alex Baena form an all-new left flank.

On paper, they all look like excellent acquisitions. The question now is how Simeone integrates all his new players and whether he can get them to buy quickly into his trademark super-intense style of play.

If it all clicks, Atletico’s challenge could go a lot further this season.

Which club have had the worst transfer window?

Villarreal supporters had known that Spain international Baena was set to leave, and the club banking €42million from Atletico and signing Las Palmas’ Alberto Moleiro as a replacement for €16m was not such bad business. Similarly, selling inconsistent forward Thierno Barry to Everton for €30m and getting Spain Under-21 international centre-back Rafa Marin on loan from Napoli look like smart moves.

Less easy to understand is bringing in former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey on a free transfer.

Partey’s experience and ability could be useful on the pitch as Villarreal return to the Champions League this season, but for many, it is just unacceptable to sign a player who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in England. Partey denies the charges, and club president Fernando Roig said on Tuesday: “We respect the presumption of innocence and of course we condemn any kind of violence, inside or outside football.”

Tell us one great storyline we might have missed…

Barcelona’s issues around registering their summer signings with La Liga are eye-catching due to the size of the club and the regular drama involved, but they are far from the only ones struggling in this area ahead of the new season.

Just days before the games kick off this weekend, more than 50 new arrivals had yet to be officially registered with La Liga. Clubs still looking to make room within their budget included the three promoted clubs, as well as Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Real Sociedad, Betis and Alaves.

So some well-known names are likely to watch their new team’s opening game from the stands, while a frantic couple of weeks of wheeling and dealing are likely until the end of the transfer window.

What will be making headlines as the season progresses?

La Liga president Javier Tebas has been openly trying to stage official Spanish top-flight games in the United States since 2018, but until now has always been denied by a mix of political and practical factors.

Tebas is nothing if not dogged, however, and many of the big hurdles have now been removed — including the settlement of a U.S. legal case between world football’s governing body FIFA and promoters Relevent, and improved relations with the Spanish FA in the post-Luis Rubiales era.

A plan to play late December’s Villarreal vs Barcelona fixture in Miami is now well advanced, with both clubs publicly backing the idea.

The biggest opposition domestically comes from Madrid president Florentino Perez, while green lights are still required from the European game’s rulers UEFA, Concacaf (the regional federation that includes the U.S.) and the United States Soccer Federation.

Though it’s not yet fully sorted, sooner or later, Tebas’ signature project looks certain to happen.

Força Barça!

Edited by WBT

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...