MONACO — Competitive European football matches should not be played outside Europe, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said Wednesday. 

Europe’s most powerful football official was objecting to plans by Spanish and Italian football authorities that would showcase some of their iconic clubs in new markets by playing league games in the U.S. and Australia.

The proposals — which would see a Spanish La Liga game played in Miami and an Italian Serie A game in Perth — already drew a stern warning this week from the European Commission over their impact on domestic supporters.

“We will open this discussion also with [world football governing body] FIFA and with all the federations, because I don’t think it’s a good thing,” Čeferin told POLITICO during an interview in Monaco.

“OK, if it’s an exception, fine; if there’s a reason, fine. But, in principle, European teams should play in Europe, because the fans that are supporting them live in Europe. It’s a big tradition,” he added.

Čeferin, a Slovenian lawyer who has run European football’s governing body since 2016, cautioned that legal options to kibosh the plans were limited — but made clear his displeasure with the concept promoted by heavyweight organizations in Spain and Italy.

“We’re not happy but, as much as we checked legally, we don’t have much space here if the federations agree, and both [Spanish and Italian] federations agreed,” Čeferin said.

“But I think that for the future we’ll have to discuss this very seriously because the football should be played in Europe, fans should watch football at home. They cannot travel to Australia or the U.S. to watch their teams,” he added.

‘Betrayal’

Italian authorities first triggered controversy by announcing plans for a league match between AC Milan and Como to take place in Western Australia, due to a clash with the Winter Olympics in northern Italy in February 2026. 

Spanish football chiefs then announced a regular season match between Villarreal and FC Barcelona was being scheduled for Miami in December, sparking howls of protest from the continent’s top supporter advocacy group. 

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) complained to the European Commission this week about “ongoing attempts to deterritorialise European football,” according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.

Opponents of the plan argue it undermines competitive integrity — with some clubs forfeiting crucial home matches due to the moves across the world — and ultimately starts to erode links between teams and their most loyal domestic supporters.

EU Sport Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who raised his “emotional” objection to European matches being played outside Europe during a POLITICO interview in May, met Wednesday with FSE head Ronan Evain and delivered a scathing critique of the Spanish and Italian plans. 

“I’m deeply disappointed by proposals to stage domestic league matches outside Europe,” Micallef said on social media Wednesday.

“This is the first big stress test for governance since the Super League. Strong, community-based clubs are the heart of the European Sport Model. Moving competitions abroad isn’t innovation, it’s betrayal,” he added.

Those comments drew a furious response from the Italian league, which said it was “astonished” by Micallef’s “excessive position”, and Spain’s pugnacious league chief Javier Tebas, who countered, “I understand the concern, but let’s put things in perspective: we are talking about 1 match out of 380.”

He added: “There are thousands of fans around the world — including Europeans — who have the right to see their teams play live at least once.”