In a groundbreaking announcement, it has this afternoon been confirmed that one Spanish top-flight fixture-per-season will be played out in the USA (or Canada).
According to La Liga president Javier Tebas, the move comes as part of La Liga’s plan to “grow the passion for soccer around the world”, and will see a minimum of one league game take place Stateside for the next 15 seasons.
Tebas continued, “This ground-breaking agreement is certain to give a major impulse to the popularity of the beautiful game in the U.S. and Canada. Relevent has filled stadiums across the U.S. with the International Champions Cup, we’re thrilled to partner with them on a joint mission to grow soccer in North America.”
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The move comes as part of La Liga’s plan to expand their reach on a global scale, with the possibility of a game-per-season taking place in China having also been considered, as La Liga attempt to put pressure on the Premier League as the most powerful and widely-viewed league in world football.
The agreement will see La Liga join forces with Relevent Sports, the organizers of the annual International Champions Cup pre-season tournament, the majority of which is played out in the United States.
The possibility even exists that the first of the planned Spanish top-flight matches in either the USA or Canada will be played out this season, though this has yet to be confirmed.
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Relevent CEO Danny Sillman, meanwhile, who negotiated directly with La Liga to push a deal over the line, had the following to say, “This partnership demonstrates La Liga’s vision and foresight to be the top soccer league in the world. Combining LaLiga’s long tradition of excellence and unparalleled international reputation with Relevent’s expertise in this market will accelerate the growth and popularity of soccer in North America and LaLiga’s global brand.”
Javier Tebas also made it clear that while La Liga are indeed ‘thrilled’ to get started on their new venture Stateside, there will be no chance of El Clasico, world football’ biggest club fixture, being played out outside of Spain.