Will Premier League join La Liga & Serie A in hosting games abroad?

With nan Serie A and La Liga group to return regular play fixtures overseas to Australia and nan USA, respectively, will nan thought of Premier League matches being played overseas beryllium revived?

In nan past month, Italy and Spain's shot federations person revealed plans to shape convention fixtures successful Perth and Miami.

AC Milan's location lucifer against Como successful February would beryllium played much than 8,500 miles distant from nan San Siro, while Villarreal's location fixture pinch Barcelona successful December would return spot astatine nan Hard Rock Stadium, a 2026 World Cup big venue.

Both shot federations are now seeking support from Fifa and Uefa.

Fifa is group to alteration its rules aft it group up a moving group past twelvemonth to look astatine nan effect of playing competitory home matches overseas.

This followed a ineligible colony betwixt Fifa and lucifer promoter Relevant Sports successful nan USA past year, which, successful nan words of Premier League main executive Richard Masters, "left nan doorway ajar" for convention games to beryllium played successful different countries.

The Premier League says it has nary plans to do so, contempt being nan instigators of nan infamous '39th game' thought during Richard Scudamore's clip astatine nan helm.

There are 11 US-owned clubs successful nan apical flight, person than ever to nan two-thirds mostly of 14 that is needed to enforce changes to nan Premier League's rules.

A 3rd of EFL clubs are besides partially aliases mostly US-owned, and a number of English clubs are for waste aliases seeking caller investment, truthful it whitethorn not beryllium agelong until that tipping constituent is reached.

With Serie A and La Liga announcing their volition to return matches to Australia and nan USA, respectively, and pinch awesome US sports leagues regularly playing regular-season games overseas, it would beryllium nary astonishment if American owners of Premier League clubs pushed to do nan same, particularly fixed immoderate of them besides ain US franchises successful nan NFL, NBA and MLB.

Last twelvemonth Liverpool president Tom Werner told nan Financial Times that he hoped to spot Premier League games played successful New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Riyadh and Rio de Janeiro, raising fears among immoderate fans of an attempted resurrection of nan '39th game' conception that was considered and past abandoned by nan Premier League successful 2008 aft a instrumentality backlash.

Niall Couper, main executive of shot run group Fair Game, told BBC Sport that "the caller revival of ideas for illustration a 39th crippled played overseas is simply a stark informing sign".

Couper added: "It shows a willingness to prioritise world markets complete section fans and to move our nationalist crippled into a world intermezo marque alternatively than a ineffable institution."

Last year, Premier League main executive Richard Masters told BBC Sport location were nary plans to reintroduce specified an idea, and Bournemouth's American proprietor Bill Foley has said he does not support staging convention matches abroad.

Earlier this year, Tom Wagner - nan US proprietor of Birmingham City - told maine nan thought of playing immoderate home cup matches overseas should beryllium 'seriously considered', but distanced himself from nan thought of staging regular play matches overseas.

The UK authorities was reportedly considering tabling an amendment to nan Football Governance Bill successful bid to forestall immoderate anticipation of staging convention matches overseas, but chose not to do so.

In 2018, Barcelona abandoned plans to play a convention fixture against Girona in Miami because of a "lack of consensus", contempt having support from La Liga. The RFEF and players' national (AFE) were vocal successful objecting to nan move, but nan erstwhile has changed its position.

"Spanish shot is wished to found a beardown beingness successful football's 2 biggest maturation markets: nan Middle East and nan United States," said Spanish shot master Andy West.

"The erstwhile is already served by nan Super Cup, a four-team mid-season arena which has been held successful Saudi Arabia since 2020."

West added: "Of course, La Liga is alert of nan request to compete financially pinch nan Premier League, and exploiting nan pulling powerfulness of Barcelona and Real Madrid is its strongest suit.

"And, considering its Spanish-speaking heritage, nan section team's links pinch Barcelona (Messi, Suarez et al), and its emerging position arsenic a powerfulness guidelines for nan world crippled – pinch Fifa moving much and much of its operations to South Florida – Miami is an evident location."

For immoderate Premier League nine owners, nan financial entreaty of hosting matches overseas is difficult to ignore. With median matchday revenues beneath £1m, nan opposition pinch markets for illustration nan U.S. is striking. American fans routinely salary premium prices for elite athletics and NFL tickets mean $132 (£105).

In a 60,000-seat stadium, akin to Tottenham's NFL setup, that equates to £6.3m per match, excluding merchandise and hospitality.

Top clubs for illustration Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs, already earning £5m+ per location game, could bid moreover higher prices overseas, backed by world fanbases apt to capable overseas stadiums.

But for smaller clubs for illustration Bournemouth aliases Burnley, hosting a location crippled overseas risks losing nan advantage of having nan mostly of fans giving vocal support, particularly against globally celebrated opponents.

With each Premier League spot worthy £3.5m successful prize money, nan competitory costs of diminished instrumentality support could outweigh commercialized gains.

According to nan Deloitte Money League, 14 Premier League clubs classed successful nan world apical 30. Yet if La Liga aliases Serie A statesman staging overseas fixtures, nan Premier League's separator whitethorn commencement to erode.