No joke: Italy's Serie A plays in Australia

This has never happened before in international club football: Milan and Barcelona will play a league match in Australia and the USA in December and February, respectively. UEFA approved the requests on Monday.

06 October 2025

From: fop

UEFA emphasized that the approval was granted "reluctantly" and "by way of exception." FIFA's relevant regulations, which are currently being revised, are "not clear and detailed enough" to make a different decision. According to Europe's continental governing body, these exceptions remain.

UEFA announced that the match between Villarreal and Barcelona will take place in Miami on December 21. Serie A plans to play the Milan vs. Como match in Perth on February 6, the day of the opening ceremony of the Milan Winter Olympics.

“We want to protect the integrity of the national leagues” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin

"While it is regrettable that these two matches must take place, this decision is an exception and should not be seen as a precedent," assured UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. "Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of the national leagues and ensure that football remains rooted in its home turf."

Avoiding the Olympics?

While the Spanish league has been pushing for league matches abroad for around ten years, the plans have met with opposition from domestic fans. Serie A cited the Olympic Games as the reason for its request to play the match in Perth.