Fifa is moving to sharply restrict domestic league matches played outside their home countries, according to new proposals that would cap each league to just one foreign fixture annually and give the governing body explicit veto power over any relocation.
The framework emerged from a Fifa working group that has been developing stricter rules for nearly two years. The effort follows high-profile embarrassments last season when La Liga and Serie A attempted to move matches to Miami and Perth, respectively. Those games, involving Barcelona versus Villarreal and Milan versus Como, were ultimately scrapped after objections from multiple quarters, including local authorities and league promoters.
Under the new system, host countries could stage no more than five matches connected to outside leagues each season. Any request to relocate a competitive match would require approval from a chain of stakeholders: the clubs' national association, their continental confederation, the host nation's football authority, that nation's confederation, and finally Fifa itself.
Fifa's veto power would extend to concerns about player welfare, travel fatigue, and workload management. The proposals also demand evidence that revenues from foreign matches will be reinvested in the sport, that the host country's domestic league won't suffer harm, and that supporter accommodation and travel arrangements are guaranteed.
The current 2014 regulations give Fifa authority only to block matches if procedures aren't followed. The new protocol represents a substantial tightening, though Fifa explored outright bans before settling on restrictions, citing legal considerations.
The five-match ceiling per country stems directly from concerns that the United States would become a dumping ground for European and South American clubs seeking to tap North America's lucrative ticket market. Protecting Major League Soccer and US Soccer remains central to Fifa's thinking on this issue.
The Premier League has repeatedly resisted relocating matches despite speculation that American owners would welcome staging games in the US. England's FA aligns with its league on such decisions, but that alignment doesn't exist universally, creating potential friction in other countries where national associations might approve moves that domestic leagues oppose.
Uefa approved the Barcelona and Milan matches last season while expressing reservations and criticizing Fifa's earlier framework as insufficiently detailed. La Liga and Serie A have signaled determination to try moving matches again despite the new obstacles.
Fifa aims to implement the protocol for next season, though no meeting date has been scheduled yet for the working group to review stakeholder feedback. The governing body declined comment on specifics but described the situation as ongoing.
A parallel set of protocols has been drafted governing cross-continental club competitions, though it remains unclear whether planned changes to the Fifa Club World Cup would be subject to these procedures. Domestic leagues would similarly lack consultation rights over new tournaments, theoretically allowing decisions like a Premier League sidelining.
The working group's composition reflects a complicated history. Relevant Sports, the American promoter behind La Liga's international expansion efforts, brought an anti-trust lawsuit against US Soccer in 2019 after Miami matches were denied. That suit, which named Fifa as co-defendant, was withdrawn in 2024. Relevant subsequently secured a seat on the Fifa working group and won a lucrative contract to sell Uefa's broadcast and commercial rights on behalf of Europe's biggest clubs.
Author James Rodriguez: "Fifa's finally putting real teeth into this, but the appetite from European leagues to chase American money isn't going anywhere, and these restrictions might just delay the inevitable."
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