LaLiga is Fighting for a Big U.S. Debut

LaLiga opened its North American arm in 2018. And in many ways, the last six years have been an unmitigated success for LaLiga North America (LLNA). CEO Boris Gartner tells Front Office Sports the company has been profitable since its third year, with $77 million in revenue generated as of this season.

Perhaps its biggest accomplishment was in 2021 when it brokered two eight-year media-rights deals, one with ESPN in the U.S. worth $1.4 billion, and another in Mexico and Central America with Televisa/Sky worth $600 million. The two deals are the largest for LaLiga outside of Spain.

LLNA has also attempted to build fandom on the ground, including Tuesday’s announcement of the second edition of its “El Partidazo” series, which are 40 watch parties in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles where LaLiga fans can come together to celebrate major games like El Clásico. The series has leveled up this year and will include “core events” that will be two-day celebrations featuring pick-up soccer matches and a chance to meet LaLiga ambassadors.

But LLNA’s successes have felt like a buildup to the main event that has yet to take place—an official LaLiga match in the U.S.

The Long Game

LaLiga teams have played several friendlies in the U.S. through the years—including powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid as recently as last month. But an official game can catapult growth to new heights. We’ve seen that in American leagues like the NFL and NBA, both of which have built strong fan bases in Europe. 

“I don’t think that anybody can argue against what an official league match played in foreign soil does for the growth of that property and for the sport,” Gartner says.

LLNA has been pushing for a regular-season game on American soil since 2018, but it’s been held back by the U.S. Soccer Federation and FIFA due to a rule that bans domestic matches from being played in foreign countries.

LaLiga and Relevent Sports (which manages LLNA) filed an antitrust lawsuit against the USSF and FIFA in 2019, and earlier this year, made significant inroads after FIFA agreed to review its policies. Gartner was tight-lipped about the lawsuit, but he acknowledged the industry of international soccer is “complex” due to the varying agendas of its many federations.

Still, his team is taking all the steps to prepare for a U.S.-based match which he believes is inevitable.

“We think that just having an official league match in the U.S. is not a matter of if but when,” Gartner says.

Viva Miami

When LaLiga does hold its first game, the location is pretty obvious: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Not only does Dolphins owner Stephen Ross own Relevent Sports, but the city has a large Hispanic population, and it also wouldn’t be difficult for fans in Mexico and Latin America to make the trip.

It’s unclear which teams would play—but given the duopoly atop LaLiga, it’s likely at least one of Real Madrid or Barcelona would be participating. Though Atletico Madrid’s COO did tell The Athletic that his team wants in.

For fans unable to attend in person, Gartner reveals the package with ESPN already included a stipulation for matches played in the U.S. While most LaLiga games exclusively air on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, a handful find their way onto linear television, including ABC. Expect that U.S. match to be one of those games.