MADRID (AP) — Villarreal is promising travel and tickets for free for season-ticket holders if its Spanish league match against Barcelona is played in Miami in December.

The club said Tuesday that those who don't want to go, or can't go, will get a 20% discount on their season tickets.

The Spanish soccer federation on Monday approved a request for the match to be played in the United States on Dec. 20. UEFA and FIFA now have to approve the request before it can be made official.

“We would be the first (Spanish) team to play a league match abroad,” Villarreal president Fernando Roig told a news conference. "It would greatly help us expand our brand in a key market like the United States.”

Staging a match abroad has long been part of the league’s goal to promote soccer and its brand in

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