Real Madrid vs Barcelona in Las Vegas: in which other countries has this game been played?
The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host the first ‘El Clasico’ of the 2022-23 campaign and despite the game coming as part of pre-season, neither side will want to lose.
Few football fans would doubt that meetings between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are about as big as it gets when it comes to club fixtures. Both teams boast massive fan bases not just in Spain but all around the world with Stateside ‘Cules’ and ‘Merengues’ in for a treat next Saturday as the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host ‘El Clasico USA’.
Saturday’s match will be the second Clasico to ever be held in the United States. The first was played in July 2017, at the Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida) in front of 64,000 spectators. This weekend’s game is on the other coast being staged at the home of NFL team Las Vegas Raiders summer, Allegiant Stadium which boasts a 65,000 capacity. Saturday’s game will be the first outing ever for FC Barcelona in Las Vegas.
Other ‘El Clasico’ venues
The phenomenon of Barcelona and Real Madrid meeting outside Spain is relatively new despite games between both sides a common occurrence away from their respective Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu homes. Atletico’s former home, the Vicente Calderon and Real Zaragoza’s La Romareda are just two of the stadiums that have hosted Barça-Madrid clashes away from the Spanish and Catalan capitals, invariably in Copa del Rey finals.
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium was first stadium outside of Spain to stage an official El Clásico match, as part of the 2021–22 Supercopa de España after the Spanish FA sealed a deal in 2019 with the government of Saudi Arabia to play both semi-finals and the final game in the Gulf state. The deal between both sides will see the Spanish Cup being staged in Saudi Arabia through to 2029.