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- Leagues would be obligated to exchange international game opportunity with host nation
- Countries would be limited to hosting five domestic league matches a season
Domestic soccer leagues will reportedly be allowed by Fifa to play one game each season overseas.
According to The Athletic, soccer’s governing body this year sent out a draft proposal to replace its current guidelines for international fixtures. It sets out that leagues will need to attain the approval of its home federation and confederation, and the host country’s federation and confederation, with Fifa to have the final say.
In addition, the Guardian adds that host countries will be restricted to hosting a maximum of five games from foreign competitions each year. This provision would help protect Major League Soccer (MLS) and US Soccer from having to fend off competition from leagues around the world aiming to cash in on the lucrative US ticket market.
The Athletic reports leagues will be obligated to exchange the opportunity to hold international games with the host country’s own division. It means for example that a competition like MLS would be able to play a fixture in Spain should LaLiga play in the US.
Fifa’s drafted proposition would also mandate leagues protect players from the impact of travel, while consideration must be given to both teams’ supporters, such as potential financial renumeration to ensure they can attend the fixture overseas.
An application would have to be filed with soccer’s governing body at least six months before the match’s proposed date, with detailed information on how revenue raised from the event will be distributed between the two participating clubs, their domestic rivals, and the host country.
The proposed limit on international games for leagues does not include ‘Super Cups’, the games held between the previous campaign’s league and cup winners usually held at the start of the new season.
However, similar outlines would be implemented for confederations wanting to play continental games abroad, making it harder for the likes of Uefa to play the Champions League final outside of Europe.
Fifa is expected to receive stakeholder feedback for its proposed set of guidelines, with the Guardian noting the organisation wants to finalise the proposition in time for next season.
In October, Fifa president Gianni Infantino noted the sport was taking a “big risk” by taking domestic games overseas. He hinted then that soccer’s governing body would consider establishing regulations to protect the interests of all stakeholders.
His comments came after Fifa appointed a working group to advise on a ‘revised legal framework’ around overseas league games. This development came a month after Relevent Sports settled an antitrust lawsuit against US Soccer, which opened the door for domestic leagues to stage fixtures in the US.
Relevent attempted to hold a LaLiga match in Miami back in 2018 between Barcelona and Girona. It then sued Fifa and US Soccer a year later, with the former dropped as a co-defendant in 2024 after it opted to strike an agreement with the agency.
The new framework will open the door for leagues like LaLiga and Serie A to revive plans for an international game, with both leagues close to staging matches overseas this season. The two matches were ‘regrettably’ approved by Uefa, which found it had little leverage to counter the two proposals.
LaLiga announced plans to arrange a game between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami last December. However, it scrapped its proposal after receiving heavy criticism in Spain, particularly from players.
Meanwhile, Serie A also set out a proposition for AC Milan to play against Como in Australia’s Perth. The game would have been held during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, when the San Siro was unavailable to host soccer matches.
However, it too was canned, with the Italian league claiming the Asian Football Confederation imposed ‘unacceptable requests’ it could not agree to.
LaLiga and Serie A felt the opportunity to hold a game abroad would help narrow the revenue gap between themselves and the Premier League. It would also create an opportunity to strengthen their presence in key overseas markets, engage with their international fans and create additional opportunities for sponsors.
They are the two highest-profile leagues to have pushed for international games, with the Premier League less enthusiastic on the idea. The Bundesliga is also not considering taking matches abroad, despite having a marketing partnership with Relevent in the Americas.
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