Barcelona are back in action for the first time since it was confirmed that they will head to the United States later this month to face Villarreal in La Liga’s first match outside of Spain. The move has been widely condemned, and this weekend, the players have made their feelings very clear.

Prior to the three matches played thus far, including Barcelona’s fixture against Girona at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the 22 on-field players have stopped for the opening seconds in protest of the move, which has been La Liga’s ambition for many years. The official feed panned away from the pitch while this was going on, but fan footage has showed the events in Montjuic.

Girona kick off and then everyone stays still for 15 seconds, including Barcelona players, in protest of LaLiga taking Villarreal-Barça to Miami

— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) October 18, 2025

Barcelona player has already spoken out against fixture

It is unclear how the Barcelona squad feels about flying out to Miami in late December to play a La Liga match, although Frenkie de Jong recently made his feelings known. His are shared by many players across Spanish football’s top flight.