Events

Mexico to host first games between LaLiga teams

Estadio BBVA

Featured image credit: Rick González / This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence / Resized to fit

Mexico is to host its first-ever games between LaLiga sides when Atlético Madrid, Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Sevilla travel to North America this summer.

The quartet of Spanish teams are to play LaLiga Summer Tour games in two of Mexico’s 2026 FIFA World Cup venues in Monterrey and Guadalajara, and the US city of San Francisco in August.

To kick off the tour, Atlético will take on Real Sociedad at the 53,500-capacity Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Wednesday, August 2, while Sevilla will face Real Betis in a derby rivalry fixture at the 46,000-seat Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. These matches will mark the first time ever that two LaLiga clubs will play head-to-head in a friendly match on Mexican soil.

The tour will culminate in a double-header at Oracle Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, on Saturday, August 5 where Atlético will play against Sevilla, and Real Betis will round out tour play against Real Sociedad.

“The LaLiga Summer Tour is an exciting opportunity for us to continue reaching new fans by bringing the history and passion of LaLiga to North America,” said Óscar Mayo, executive general director of LaLiga. “LaLiga is in a period of rapid transformation as more teams are improving and the athletes are reaching entirely new fan bases globally. There’s a real passion growing in Mexico and the United States for the sport and we hope to tap into that with this tour.”

LaLiga said the tour continues its strategy to expand the fan base for LaLiga, its clubs, and players across the US and Mexico. Relevent Sports, the soccer events and media company, will organise and operate the tournament.

Boris Gartner, chief executive of LaLiga North America, said: “We are thrilled to bring our teams to North America and showcase the talent and excitement of LaLiga to fans across the continent. We believe that through these matches we can continue to foster deeper connections with our fans across Mexico and the US.”

Also this week, it was announced that five US venues will host the first Premier League Summer Series pre-season tournament to be held in North America. Six clubs, including Chelsea and Newcastle United, will feature in nine games to be played in July.