Barcelona's regular-season game in Miami called off by Spanish league

Spain Soccer Champions League Barcelona's players celebrate the sixth goal of their team during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Barcelona and Olympiacos in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Joan Monfort/AP)

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish league has called off plans for Barcelona to play a regular-season game against Villarreal in Miami in December.

The league said Tuesday that the decision was made because of “uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.”

The league had finally succeeded in getting approval from soccer bodies such as UEFA and the Spanish federation to stage its first regular-season game abroad. But opposition by players, some clubs and fans had grown recently in Spain.

The Spanish league “deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

About The Author