The NFL has played regular-season games in the UK, Mexico, Germany and Brazil and has its sights set on Spain in 2025 as part of the NFL International Series.
The NBA has played regular-season games in Japan, UK, Mexico and France as part of the NBA Global Games.
MLB has played regular-season games in Mexico, Japan, Australia, UK and South Korea as part of the MLB World Tour.
The NHL has played regular-season games in Germany, Czechia, Finland and Japan as part of the NHL Global Series.
While major North American sports leagues haven’t hesitated packing their bags to head abroad as part of their respective internationalization strategies, European soccer leagues have mostly relied on preseason tours to showcase their stars and clubs on foreign soil, especially in the United States.
That could soon change as Spain’s premier domestic league, LaLiga, appears to be the closest to playing meaningful soccer matches in the U.S. with president Javier Tebas saying in August “it could be from the 2025-26 season.”
Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes hosting LaLiga matches outside of Spain, especially in the U.S., would be a positive thing for the league as it eyes further growth in a key market ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to the continent.
“There have been other games and competitions that have been moved to other locations where people enjoy it and have a good time,” Casillas said. “It’s a bit more about giving visibility to a competition like LaLiga, a competition that carries the Spain brand and that people can enjoy.
“I believe this is part of the evolution that all sports are following.”
Tebas previously planned for FC Barcelona and Girona FC to play at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in 2018 but was met with opposition from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), FIFA and others. A recent lawsuit led by North American soccer events and media company Relevent Sports Group has opened the door for the possibility again.
Ironically, the RFEF in 2019 agreed to a three-year deal worth a reported $130.74 million with the Saudi sports authority to expand the Spanish Super Cup and host the competition in the Middle East nation.
Hosting a meaningful, regular-season match on U.S. soil would be the next progression for LaLiga, which has expanded its influence throughout the country. As the league’s largest market outside of Spain, according to Tebas, LaLiga has increased its engagement in the U.S. thanks to two massive undertakings in recent years.
LaLiga has been buoyed by a 15-year, 50-50 joint venture with Relevent Sports Group that launched LaLiga North America in 2018. As the exclusive representation of LaLiga in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for all commercial and development activities, LaLiga North America manages media rights and commercial agreements on behalf of the league while supporting its growth through content, events/activations, marketing agreements, development of youth academies and exhibition tours.
Reinforcing that growing interest and accessibility to a league located 4,000 miles away, LaLiga signed a $1.4 billion, eight-year deal with ESPN that started in August 2021 to make ESPN+ the exclusive English- and Spanish-language home for all LaLiga matches in the U.S.
“For us when we went into this deal, ESPN+, which is really the development of our DTC business, is the most important thing we have going,” said Tim Bunnell, ESPN senior vice president of programming. “ESPN+ was going to be driven by key, core new content and LaLiga fit perfectly into that strategy.”
According to Bunnell, who spoke alongside LaLiga North American CEO Boris Gartner at a co-hosted event in New York City, engagement on ESPN+ is up 26%, while ESPN Deportes ratings are up almost 40%.
ESPN+ has rights to a multitude of other sports properties including Formula 1, UFC, NHL, PGA Tour, NCAA football and U.S. Open tennis.
Whether or not LaLiga plays a match in the U.S. is still to be seen, but Casillas remains bullish on the league’s growth in the U.S., especially as soccer continues to skyrocket in popularity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I think it’s important to have an agreement between LaLiga and ESPN to be able to broadcast matches that are seen all over the world,” Casillas said. “And I also think it’s very positive that the World Cup will be here in the United States, as it will give football an even greater boost, and there will be much more development compared to 1994.”
Michael LoRé 