FIFA is reportedly considering a massive step that would allow Premier League and La Liga games to be played abroad.

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FIFA to set up a working groupWill study the impact of playing league games abroadLa Liga open to playing league fixtures away from SpainWHAT HAPPENED?

In a potentially groundbreaking move, football's global governing body, FIFA, is poised to establish a working group to assess the implications of hosting competitive domestic matches in foreign countries, according to This initiative comes amidst discussions spurred by a legal settlement between FIFA and match promoter Relevant Sports in the United States.

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While the Premier League currently asserts that it has no immediate plans to pursue this avenue, its chief executive Richard Masters believes that the recent developments have "left the door ajar" for such endeavours in the future. One must also note that it was the Premier League, under the leadership of Richard Scudamore, who first promulgated the idea of the "39th game".

Meanwhile, La Liga is already making preparations for overseas fixtures as early as the 2025-26 season. This decision follows the revival of La Liga's previous plans, which were interrupted when Barcelona's league match against Girona, scheduled for Miami in 2019, was ultimately cancelled.

WHAT LINEKER SAID

As FIFA moves closer to potentially permitting domestic league matches to be played abroad, the initiative has already received a red flag from former England international Gary Lineker. He quoted BBC Sports's tweet and wrote "No. No. No." to express his disapproval.

WHAT FIFA HAS SAID

Historically, FIFA has opposed the notion of playing league matches abroad due to concerns about potential financial repercussions for domestic clubs. However, upon further deliberations at the FIFA Council meeting in Bangkok, it was agreed that a working group would be tasked to "gather further information and issue recommendations" to the governing body before deciding on the next step. Key considerations include the scheduling of matches, maintaining the integrity of sporting competition, and evaluating the impact on the development of football in host countries.

Central to FIFA's deliberations is ensuring that "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".