The Relevent Sports lawsuit against FIFA and U.S. Soccer was a six-year antitrust fight, filed in April 2019 in federal court in Manhattan, that challenged a 2018 FIFA policy barring official domestic league matches from being played outside a league’s home country. Relevent settled with FIFA in April 2024 and with U.S. Soccer in April 2025, ending the outright prohibition on paper but leaving the practical question of whether such games can actually happen very much unsettled.
What Relevent Was Fighting
The dispute began in 2018, when Relevent — a promotions company co-founded by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Daniel Sillman — proposed staging a La Liga match between Barcelona and Girona at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. On October 26, 2018, the FIFA Council adopted a formal policy stating that “official league matches must be played within the territory of the respective member association.” The Barcelona-Girona game was scrapped. When Relevent later sought U.S. Soccer’s approval for matches involving Argentine and Ecuadorian clubs, the federation refused, citing the FIFA rule.1FindLaw. Relevent Sports LLC v United States Soccer Federation Inc2U.S. Department of Justice. CVSG Brief, Relevent Sports
Relevent sued under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act and Sections 4 and 16 of the Clayton Act, filed as Case No. 1:19-cv-08359 in the Southern District of New York.3CourtListener. Relevent Sports LLC v United States Soccer Federation Inc The core theory was that the 2018 policy amounted to a global geographic market-division agreement: FIFA and its member federations had effectively carved up the world so that each domestic league held a monopoly on live professional soccer inside its own borders. In the U.S., Relevent argued, that arrangement shielded Major League Soccer and its then-marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, from having to compete with top European and South American leagues for American fans and sponsors.4ESPN. US Soccer Faces Suit From Relevent Sports Over Planned Match in Miami
The SUM piece mattered to the antitrust story. SUM had managed U.S. Soccer’s commercial and media rights since 2002, during which time MLS Commissioner Don Garber simultaneously served as SUM’s CEO and sat on the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors. Former U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati was part of the New England Revolution ownership group. No competitive bidding for U.S. Soccer’s media rights took place after 2006. U.S. Soccer ended the SUM partnership at the close of 2022 and brought commercial operations in-house.5ESPN. US Soccer, MLS-Owned Soccer United Marketing Parting Ways After Nearly 20 Years
How the Case Moved Through the Courts
The early rounds went against Relevent. In July 2021, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni dismissed the complaint, finding that Relevent had not plausibly alleged “concerted action” among competitors because it had not shown an “antecedent agreement” among FIFA members to adopt the 2018 policy.6ESPN. Biden Administration Backs FIFA USSF Antitrust Suit Going to Trial
The Second Circuit unanimously reversed on March 7, 2023. A panel of Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston, Judge Gerard E. Lynch, and Judge Raymond J. Lohier Jr. held that the 2018 policy itself was “direct evidence of concerted action” under Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Because FIFA members are contractually bound to follow FIFA rules, the panel reasoned, the policy’s existence was enough at the pleading stage. Relevent did not need to separately prove a backroom deal preceded the vote.1FindLaw. Relevent Sports LLC v United States Soccer Federation Inc
U.S. Soccer petitioned the Supreme Court (No. 23-120). In March 2024, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar urged the Court to deny review, arguing U.S. Soccer was not a “passive or unknowing bystander” but an active participant in the association enforcing the policy. The Court denied certiorari on April 22, 2024, sending the case back for trial.6ESPN. Biden Administration Backs FIFA USSF Antitrust Suit Going to Trial7SCOTUSblog. United States Soccer Federation Inc v Relevent Sports LLC
The Two Settlements
With a trial ahead, the defendants settled separately. On April 8, 2024, Relevent and FIFA reached an undisclosed agreement. FIFA committed to consider changes to its rules on domestic league games played outside a league’s home territory and moved to create a working group on a new regulatory framework. Relevent dropped FIFA from the case.8Reuters. FIFA Resolves Lawsuit by Sports Promoter Owned by Billionaire Ross9Sportico. FIFA Relevent Sports Settlement
Relevent settled with U.S. Soccer roughly a year later. On April 9, 2025, the company’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the suit with prejudice, permanently barring refiling of the same claims. Neither side disclosed financial or operational terms. Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn, Relevent’s lead attorney, confirmed the settlement but declined to share specifics. Before the deal, Kessler had told ESPN that absent an agreement Relevent intended to “pursue these antitrust claims to their fullest extent.”10ESPN. USSF Relevent Settlement Clears Path for Foreign League Games11The Athletic. Relevent Sports US Soccer Lawsuit Settlement
What the Settlements Were Supposed to Unlock
With the legal barrier gone, foreign league games in the United States looked imminent. ESPN reported after the U.S. Soccer settlement that there was “now no legal impediment” to such matches.10ESPN. USSF Relevent Settlement Clears Path for Foreign League Games La Liga was the loudest voice, with president Javier Tebas and North American vice president Nicolás García pushing for an overseas fixture as early as the 2025–26 season. Serie A said it wanted to bring a match to the U.S. within three years. Liga MX was interested. The Premier League said it had “no plans to act.”12The Athletic. La Liga Serie A Premier League Matches USA FIFA Relevent
Two concrete fixtures were quickly scheduled. La Liga arranged Barcelona vs. Villarreal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for December 20, 2025. Serie A set AC Milan vs. Como for Perth, Australia on February 8, 2026, a date forced by the San Siro hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. In October 2025, UEFA granted “exceptional” approval for both, while stating the approvals would not set a precedent and that it continued to oppose the practice in principle.13BBC. UEFA Reluctantly Approves La Liga and Serie A Overseas Matches14SportsPro. UEFA LaLiga Serie A Overseas League Games
Both Matches Fell Apart
Barcelona-Villarreal was cancelled on October 21, 2025, after weeks of opposition inside Spain. Players across La Liga staged 15-second protests at kickoff. The Spanish Footballers’ Association, the national supporters’ association, and rival clubs objected. Real Madrid filed two complaints with Spain’s Higher Sports Council, arguing the match undermined competitive integrity. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also spoke against it. La Liga cited “uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks” and said it “deeply regrets” the cancellation.15The Athletic. Barcelona Miami La Liga Villarreal Cancelled16Yahoo Sports. LaLiga Cancels Barcelona vs Villarreal Match Scheduled for Miami
The Perth match followed. On December 22, 2025, Serie A and the Western Australian government confirmed the cancellation. Serie A president Ezio Simonelli blamed “financial risks that could not be mitigated” and “an escalation of further and unacceptable requests” from the Asian Football Confederation, which had imposed conditions on sanctioning the fixture, including a requirement to use Asian match officials. Simonelli called it a “missed opportunity in the growth of Italian football.”17CBS Sports. Serie A Cancel AC Milan Como Match in Perth Australia18BBC. Serie A AC Milan Como Perth Match Cancelled
FIFA’s Draft Rules Would Replace the Ban With Limits
The working group FIFA promised as part of its settlement produced a 15-page draft circulated in March 2026, titled “FIFA Regulations on Match and Competition Approval.” The framework would replace the outright prohibition with hard caps and approval layers:
- One regular-season match abroad per league per season, with Super Cups exempt from the cap.
- No more than five foreign league matches hosted by any single country per season.
- Approval required from the league’s own federation and confederation, the host country’s federation and confederation, and FIFA, which would keep a right of veto.
- Reciprocity, so that a league playing in the U.S. would have to offer MLS the chance to stage a game in that league’s home country.
- Applications submitted at least six months before the proposed date.
- Plans for revenue sharing among the participating clubs, domestic rivals, and the host country, plus financial support for travelling supporters.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the approach in October 2025 as building “guardrails” against a “free-for-all.” As of late April 2026, the draft had not been voted on by the FIFA Council, and FIFA declined to comment on the timing of adoption.19The Athletic. Football Games Abroad FIFA20The Guardian. Leagues Allowed One Game Abroad a Season New FIFA Proposals21SportsPro. FIFA Domestic League Games Overseas Proposal Draft
Where Things Stand
The lawsuit dismantled the flat ban. It did not dismantle the opposition from players, supporters, rival clubs, and regional confederations that killed the first two attempts to actually stage a match. As of mid-2026, no official regular-season game from a foreign domestic league has been played in the United States or anywhere else outside its home country.22ESPN. Relevent US Soccer Federation Settlement Foreign Leagues Coming to America Relevent continues to organize pre-season exhibitions, including a 2025 Summer Series partnership with the Premier League.23SportBusiness. Premier League Returning to US With Relevent La Liga remains the most vocal proponent of overseas fixtures, Serie A still says it wants to be first, and both now know that winning in court and getting the game played are different problems.