Barcelona Secures New Venue After Miami Fixture Drama Forces Last-Minute Scramble
Barcelona's promotional team demonstrates remarkable ingenuity.
As soon as the Catalonian side witnessed a significant portion of essential income eliminated due to the scrapping of their Miami-hosted league fixture against Villarreal, reports emerged of a new profitable exhibition match in Peru being arranged.
A mix of public opposition and the controversial messaging strategy of La Liga chief Javier Tebas eventually caused the downfall of an initiative that had been developing for over five years.
Barcelona chief Joan Laporta acknowledged he was "not excited" about the plan but admitted: "Revenue would be generated in Miami." That's no longer the case. The Catalonian team is believed to have forfeited approximately $5–6 million due to this cancellation. However, as one opportunity disappears, another emerges.
The current La Liga titleholders have been offered the opportunity to participate in an exhibition game in Peru during the winter hiatus that could earn the organization between €7–8 million ($8.2–9.3 million), as reported by Mundo Deportivo. The specific venue and adversary for this revenue-generating friendly remains undetermined, but Barcelona's interest in participating is becoming evident.
Laporta is, quite unexpectedly, allegedly keen to embrace the offer and has initiated discussions with coach Hansi Flick and sporting chief Deco regarding the practicality of organizing such a contest.
When Could Barcelona Stage Profitable Exhibition?
Flick dedicated considerable time last season criticizing La Liga's compressed calendar, yet now his own organization could be creating squad management challenges.
The Catalans concluded 2025 with the encounter against Villarreal—which will take place at the Estadio de la Cerámica following extensive discussion—on Dec. 20. Barcelona don't return to competition until the opening weekend of January when they meet local rivals Espanyol at the Cornellà-El Prat venue.
This provides the organization with a fourteen-day period to utilize. Barcelona are allegedly already in negotiations with the Spanish Footballers' Association to determine exactly how much rest they must provide their squad members, who are already displaying symptoms of being overextended.
Barcelona have been plagued with fitness problems throughout the opening three months of the current season. Flick lacked a single offensive-minded player who wasn't a youth prospect on the substitutes' bench for Sunday's Clásico—a shortage of alternatives that compelled center-back Ronald Araujo to play striker for the consecutive match.