How much Barcelona stand to earn from the Villarreal match in Miami

In the past few hours, it has emerged that Barcelona’s La Liga clash against Villarreal, scheduled for Matchday 17, could take place in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. 

If all goes to plan, the match will be held on 20 December, just before the Christmas break.

The proposal was discussed during Monday’s meeting of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) board and received approval to move forward. The next step is to obtain UEFA’s authorisation, followed by final confirmation from FIFA. 

Should the plan be given the green light, it would mark a historic move for Spanish football, taking an official league match overseas.

Finances at stake for Barcelona

Now, according to RAC1 (via SPORT), both clubs would receive financial compensation for this match. 

Barcelona’s share is expected to be between €5 million and €6 million, while Villarreal’s payment would be slightly higher to cover the revenue they would lose from not selling tickets for the home fixture.

Villarreal vs Barcelona could be played in the United States. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, not everyone is happy with the proposal. The Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) voted against the plan in what has been described as a tense meeting.

The players’ union has demanded full transparency on the decision-making process, calling for detailed information to be sent to all footballers involved. 

They also want a clear explanation of the criteria used to select this particular match to be moved to the United States.

Interestingly, none of the captains from La Liga’s first division teams were aware of the proposal beforehand, raising questions about communication and consultation between the league authorities and the players.

If approved, this fixture could represent a significant step in La Liga’s global expansion strategy, but the lack of player involvement may continue to stir controversy in the coming weeks.