La Liga to stage Barca-Villarreal in Miami, first regular-season game

La Liga confirmed Wednesday that Villarreal will host Barcelona at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Dec. 20, marking the first time a regular season La Liga match will be played in the United States. The league announced the move after UEFA on Monday gave exceptional approval for two national league fixtures to be held abroad, with final authorization from FIFA still pending.

UEFA said its Executive Committee reluctantly approved the requests from the Spanish and Italian leagues because existing FIFA rules governing cross-border domestic matches are not sufficiently clear. The governing body reiterated its opposition in principle to national league games being played outside their country of origin but said it could not lawfully block the applications under the current regulatory framework. UEFA added that it will work with FIFA to shape future rules that protect the integrity of domestic competitions and ties between clubs and local communities. A separate Serie A match, AC Milan versus Como, has been approved for Perth, Australia.

La Liga President Javier Tebas described the Miami match as a step that projects Spanish football to a broader audience, saying the fixture will bring...