A new competition for Real Madrid and Barcelona? Porto president Andre-Villas Boas reveals talks over new Super Cup with La Liga and Portuguese giants but admits clubs at 'loggerheads' over negotiations

Just as reports of a rejigged European Super League converging with the Champions League have surfaced, Villas-Boas has added spice to the pot, revealing that he personally pitched the idea of a brand new Super Cup to key figures in Spain and Portugal and got a surprisingly warm reception. He used his appearance at the Portugal Football Summit this Friday to issue a rallying cry to football leaders: adapt or be left behind, and warned that football was heading “inevitably” toward this kind of competition within the next decade, where the best teams from each country will face each other more frequently on the continental stage. 

Speaking at the event, Villas-Boas said: "We're on a path to brand expansion and international positioning. It's a huge challenge, which will likely come with new competitions. If we consider sports other than football, we have other competitions like the Iberian Super Cups, cross-border leagues... I believe football will be heading in that direction within ten years. 

"I launched the challenge of an Iberian Super Cup to Pedro Proença [president of the FPF] and other great Portuguese and Spanish clubs. Now we're all at loggerheads, but the idea of creating one remained. At the time, it was very well received by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Sporting, and the FPF." 

While the Iberian Super Cup remains on the drawing board, La Liga is already taking bold steps. League president Javier Tebas has all but confirmed that Barcelona’s regular-season clash with Villarreal will take place in Miami on December 20, the first-ever official Spanish league game held outside Europe. Originally slated for Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica, the fixture will mark a historic step in La Liga’s long-term push to expand into international markets, particularly the lucrative North American one.

“This is a landmark moment for La Liga and for world football,” Tebas said in a statement. “By bringing an official match to the United States, we are not only connecting with millions of fans across North America, but also reinforcing Spain’s leadership as a global soccer powerhouse. With the support of all relevant institutions, this initiative is bold, historic, and designed to inspire both our fans abroad and those at home in Spain.”

The decision hasn’t gone down well with everyone. UEFA officials made it clear they were “opposed” to domestic league games being exported, arguing that it breaks the principle of national competition. However, the lack of explicit FIFA rules on the issue meant they were forced to give the green light, a loophole Tebas eagerly exploited. Real Madrid, however, are furious. The club has publicly condemned the idea, saying it undermines tradition and gives Barcelona an unfair commercial advantage. Tebas has brushed off the criticism, insisting fans, players, and sponsors all support the move.

"See what they say now, but I know players from both teams want to come," he said. "Madrid has nothing to say on this issue. Not even the League itself. The regulations establish that the clubs request it from the Federation. La Liga gives its opinion, and it is favourable.

"But with the current leaders [Madrid], it's impossible. It makes me sad because they don't like everything La Liga does. If it weren't Miami, it would be something else. We're very bad and we don't do anything right. To have the squads we have, we have to remember that 42% of our audiovisual income comes from outside Spain. We have to respect those fans who pay to watch football. Because if not, we wouldn't have them."

Spain isn’t alone in taking football on tour. Serie A confirmed that its January fixture between AC Milan and Como will be played in Perth, Australia, another groundbreaking moment in the sport’s globalisation. League officials say the match will help grow Italian football’s visibility in Asia and Oceania while generating significant commercial income. For Villas-Boas, the writing is on the wall. The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss argues that Portuguese football’s leadership needs to think creatively and collaborate more closely with La Liga and UEFA to unlock new cash flows and revenue streams.

"We'll see a Villarreal-Barcelona match in Miami and a Milan-Como match in Australia. We have to seize this opportunity," he said. "We have games with 1,500 spectators. A Casa Pia-Sporting match, for example. Wouldn't our game in Newark or Geneva, with our expatriates, have more than that? President Ceferin said that leagues should be played in their countries, that this was an exception, but it's up to the federations to seize these opportunities. These are new cash flows and revenue streams.  It's up to the presidents of the league and the FPF to create summits of presidents rich in content and discussion."

But not everyone is buying into the new global model. Critics argue that these long-distance fixtures are designed purely to fill league coffers at the expense of player welfare. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong slammed the Miami plan, saying the transatlantic travel is not fair for the competition. Former Barca star and Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman echoed the sentiment, warning that Villarreal will lose their home advantage as more Blaugrana fans are expected in the U.S. stands. Serie A’s Adrien Rabiot voiced similar frustration over Milan’s trip to Australia, calling it “unnecessary” and adding that players are already facing overloaded calendars.