Girona vs Barcelona set to be first La Liga game to be played in USA next January with fans offered free flights

The game will be played in Miami on January 27 and 1,500 Girona fans will be flown across the Atlantic for free or given up to 40% refunds on their season tickets

Ed Malyon
Tuesday 04 September 2018 17:48 BST
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Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will host the La Liga fixture
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will host the La Liga fixture (Getty )

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When Spain's top flight goes global with its first game overseas it will be two sides from Catalonia, Girona and FC Barcelona, who face off on American soil.

Local newspapers in the autonomous region have reported that the game is confirmed for Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on January 27.

Girona season ticket holders will be offered a number of options to compensate them for missing a home game that they have already paid for, including free flights for 1,500 supporters to attend the fixture in Miami and free hotels for an overnight stay. Both the flights and hotels must be secured by refundable deposits.

Fans who don't wish to make the trip the Florida will instead be offered one of 5,000 tickets to the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp in September as well as a 20% refund on their season ticket.

Those who neither wish to travel to Miami nor Barcelona will have 40% of their season ticket price refunded, a significant amount of compensation but one that reflects the fact many fans buy a year-long ticket to guarantee entry to the home games against Barca and Real Madrid.

According to Barcelona-based newspaper Sport, Girona are set to make around €4m by offering up a home fixture for La Liga's first overseas game, while the league itself hopes to ensnare long-term sponsors and fans as part of a growing presence Stateside.

Girona are now owned by the City Football Group - who own Manchester City - after they purchased a 44.3% stake in Girona in August 2017. Another 44.3% of the club is owned by a group led by Pep Guardiola's brother, Pere, but the Premier League recently reaffirmed that it was not looking to follow La Liga in taking regular season games abroad.

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