The legal ruling comes in the build-up to the US, Canada, and Mexico co-hosting the men’s World Cup in 2026 (FIFA).

Global soccer’s governing body FIFA has settled an antitrust lawsuit accusing it of illegally banning foreign teams and leagues from playing official matches in the US.

The settlement, made with sports promoter Relevent Sports, controlled by the NFL’s Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, came more than a year after the federal appeals court in Manhattan, New York, revived Relevent's case, which a trial judge had originally dismissed in 2021. The US Soccer Federation remains a defendant.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

A Relevent statement said FIFA is set to consider changes to its rules about whether games can be played outside a league's home territory, with some teams already playing friendly matches in the US, including through Relevant’s International Champions Cup friendly tournament. Multiple top-tier European sides appear in that annual tournament in the build-up to their domestic seasons.

FIFA announced its foreign match policy in October 2018, following Relevent attempting to arrange with Spain's LaLiga to host a regular season match between Barcelona and Girona in Miami, Florida.

Barcelona eventually had to withdraw from the agreement, and Relevent subsequently sued US Soccer in September 2019 after it stopped a match in Miami between two Ecuadorean teams, with FIFA added as a defendant in the case a year later.

See Also:

US Soccer and FIFA's fear is that US stadiums hosting regular season matches between foreign teams would have the potential to draw away fans and sponsors from the US’ own Major League Soccer domestic club competition.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

This comes in the lead-up to the US, Canada, and Mexico co-hosting the men’s World Cup in 2026.