Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has expressed his desire for a Premier League match to be played in the USA in a recent interview. This follows FIFA’s decision in May to form a working group to explore the possibility of hosting domestic matches abroad.
Tom Werner:
“I'm determined one day to have a PL game be played in New York City.”
“I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in LA, one game in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make… pic.twitter.com/uxX7OBXWHQ
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) June 7, 2024
Liverpool chairman calls for Premier League match in the U.S.
Werner has opened up the possibility of staging Premier League games not only in America but also in other corners of the globe in a recent interview with the Financial Times. Werner said: “I’m determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City.”
“I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make it sort of a day where football, where the Premier League, is celebrated.”
The idea is not a new one, following the Premier League’s idea to stage “Game 39” back in 2008. This was scrapped due to widespread scepticism from players and fans alike, but Werner believes that the prospect of a league match in the USA shouldn’t be entirely dismissed.
He said: “Let’s figure out a way to offer them very cheap travel, accommodations so that if Liverpool is playing Nottingham Forest, we will support fans coming to New York.
“Make this an attractive thing for the fans as well.”
Pre-season tours to the U.S. have been a regular fixture for Premier League clubs in recent years. Before the 2023/24 season, the ‘Premier League Summer Series’ took place across various American cities, with clubs such as Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Newcastle United, Fulham, and Aston Villa participating.
FIFA open the door for domestic matches to be played abroad
Other leagues have explored the prospect of playing domestic matches abroad, including La Liga. President Javier Tebas announced in April 2024 that La Liga matches could take place in the United States as soon as the 2025/26 campaign. This followed a settled lawsuit between FIFA and Relevent Sports, who have previously tried to bring Spanish top flight matches to the USA.
FIFA also announced in May 2024 that they were exploring the impact of playing domestic league matches abroad by forming a working group of 10 to 15 independent individuals. The group was put together to assess the positive and negative aspects of staging domestic matches internationally.
Fifa is exploring the impact of moving domestic matches to be played abroad.#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 15, 2024