FIFA is taking steps toward a significant policy update that could pave the way toward allowing domestic soccer matches to be played in other countries.
The change would break a long-standing tradition that prevents teams’ home matches from being played internationally. The news comes in the wake of FIFA agreeing to withdraw from a court case filed in New York that sought to challenge the rule, reported NBC 5 DFW.
FIFA discussed the matter at a council meeting on Wednesday in Bangkok. It was agreed to create a panel of 10 to 15 soccer stakeholders to provide guidance on the potential rule change in the coming months.
FIFA wants to ensure existing fans are not treated unfairly. As a result, the governing body has directed the yet-to-be-appointed working group to provide “advance notice to fans who may miss the opportunity to attend a home or away match in the home territory,” per NBC 5.
The group will also be tasked with considering “whether adequate provision has been made for fans of the teams playing a proposed out-of-territory match to attend the match in the host country,” reported The Guardian.
Currently, the only soccer games played abroad are preseason exhibition games. If the policy is changed, we could eventually see domestic European league games in major U.S. cities, such as Dallas.
While not all leagues have signaled enthusiasm, La Liga, Spain’s top men’s professional soccer division, has already revived plans to play domestic matches abroad.
In 2026, the metroplex is set to welcome the FIFA World Cup. Matches will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Dallas-Fort Worth has been awarded nine matches, more than any other host city in the tournament. Unfortunately, despite efforts to lock down AT&T Stadium in Dallas for the final match of the World Cup, organizers eventually decided that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, would host the game.