Fifa seeks advice on banning league matches abroad, says report | OneFootball

Seeking to ban national league games in foreign countries, FIFA has reportedly begun overhauling its regulations and is seeking legal advice on this possibility. The world governing body of football would like to prohibit the practice, which is said to have irritated it with the announcement of games in these settings in recent days. The information comes from the British newspaper The Guardian.

To that end, FIFA will rely on legal opinions in its first review of the relevant regulations in about 11 years. This week, UEFA blamed the “relevant regulatory framework of FIFA” for the decision to allow Villarreal vs. Barcelona to take place in Miami in December, and Milan vs. Como in Perth in February.

Outdated regulations

In addition, a source involved in the process reportedly stated that FIFA was working to make its regulations more robust, with a view to new rules being ready in early 2026.

FIFA’s regulations were written back in 2014, when national leagues moving matches to foreign territories were not considered a significant issue after the collapse of the Premier League’s plans for a 39th game in 2008. At that time, the proposal by then–Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore envisioned an “international round,” but fans were outraged and it was not pursued elsewhere.

Furthermore, FIFA can only block what its regulations call an “international match” if the proper procedures it requires are not followed. The rules stipulate that such matches must be authorized by the football associations of the participating clubs and of the territory where the match will be played, as well as by the respective confederations.

La Liga and Serie A gave their approval at the start of the season before referring the matter to UEFA, which issued its decision this week. The matter now lies with the host federations — the United States Soccer Federation and the Football Australia — and their respective confederations, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.