Serie A seeks to win the race of becoming the first top European league to play league games in the United States. Serie A president Ezio Simonelli said on Tuesday that the league wants to play overseas soon.
Serie A and LaLiga have been the two elite leagues leading the charge of hosting matches in the U.S. Last year it was rumored that Barcelona and Atlético Madrid would play in Miami, however the idea fell through.
The Athletic spoke with Serie A commercial and marketing director Michele Ciccarese who said the Italian league could play games in the U.S. as soon as next year.
Serie A games in USA
"I would say that it's up to us to put together the piece of the puzzle and present a proper strategy to the authorities. This is what we are doing, and who knows, maybe in a window of one to two years, we will see the league playing if the approvals come,” Ciccarese said.
There are a litany of hoops the Italian league will need to jump through in order to make their dream become reality.
First, FIFA will need to change their rule against league games being played abroad. The governing body said in April 2024 it’s considering allowing such matches to take place.
Next, Serie A will need approval from the Italian Federation, UEFA and FIFA.
“We are working in order to potentially do it but there are barriers that we need to overcome with the right strategy in place and with the support of the clubs, without forgetting that players are players and they have a lot of competition, when they have to play Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League and play in international trophies," Ciccarese said.
Finding which Serie A teams will play in the United States is another challenge.
“It should be done in a way that makes sense for the club without forgetting the fans because you cannot play a Milan derby in America because the fans in Italy will get very upset as that game has a big meaning in Italy, so we have to play in a way that is respectful of our audience,” Ciccarese said.
Half of the 20 Serie A owners are from North America with nine from the U.S. and one from Canada. The league is also home to United States men’s national team stars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Yunus Musah.
