In the final week of February, the University of South Carolina announced that its 77,559-capacity Williams-Brice Stadium had secured a friendly match between Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.
The match, which will take place on August 3, sold out within three hours. The outlay, including fees, started in the low three-figures but under “dynamic pricing”, supporters reported how prices shot up as the supply reduced. The Charleston newspaper The Post and Courier described tickets being snapped up at “Taylor Swift-ness”. Another regional publication said the pace of ticket sales outshone concerts for Beyonce and Jay-Z at the same stadium in 2018.
This is now becoming an annual story in North America. Last summer, Manchester United and Arsenal sold out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was the highest-grossing friendly on record for either team, in any territory, while also becoming the highest-grossing club soccer match at MetLife since the stadium opened in 2010. This summer, the same venue will host the Spanish Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. When The Athletic searched StubHub this weekend for available tickets, the “best price” quoted was $846 (£680) for a seat.
United and Arsenal sold out the MetLife (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
This, therefore, is frighteningly big business for leading European teams and this, we should remember, is for games that offer zero jeopardy and often throw up under-par selections, as coaches rotate heavily in pre-season. Yet what if there were to be a world where the games that truly mattered, involving Europe’s most famous teams, did land in North America?
After the events of the past week, this scenario is now more realistic than ever before. On April 8, a resolution filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan revealed the New York City-based event promoter Relevent Sports would drop FIFA as a defendant in its antitrust lawsuit against FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation. Without getting too wrapped up in the legalese, the thrust of the matter is as follows:
Relevent Sports is a promoter, founded by the billionaire Stephen Ross, who is also the owner of NFL team Miami Dolphins. Relevent has developed close ties with many of Europe’s foremost clubs, as for over a decade it has organised exhibition matches in the United States, while it has also been trusted by UEFA, the organiser of the Champions League and Europa League, to sell its media rights in North America.
In 2022, Relevent helped secure a 2.5x uplift on the previous deal when Paramount Global agreed a six-year package worth $1.5billion to broadcast UEFA competitions. In 2018, Relevent agreed a 15-year deal with Spain’s La Liga, and since secured an eight-year, $1.4billion deal with ESPN for La Liga matches, swiftly followed by $600million from television rights in Mexico and Central America. In the context of this story, therefore, it is important to keep in mind that Relevent are not nascent start-up disruptors, but a firmly established operation with their tentacles already encircling European football.
Relevent became a concern for FIFA, and by extension U.S. Soccer when, in 2018, the promoter sought to bring a La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Girona to Miami. Later that year, the FIFA Council issued a directive blocking the idea, saying that official domestic games must be staged in the league’s home territory.
In the following year, Relevent then sought to play an Ecuadorean domestic fixture in Miami, only for U.S. Soccer, whose approval would be needed as the federation of the territory where the game was proposed, to deny the application and cite the previous FIFA directive. Since then, Relevent has been engaged in a five-year legal battle against both FIFA and U.S. Soccer, arguing that the parties have conspired to prevent Relevent from hosting regular-season matches involving foreign clubs in the U.S., thus violating U.S. antitrust law designed to prevent unjust collusion or monopolies.
It had become background noise, until last Monday when FIFA were dropped from the lawsuit and the two parties announced a settlement, although details of it were not disclosed. Relevent CEO Danny Sillman, however, provided a clue, saying FIFA will “consider changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory”. In a matter such as this, it is difficult to imagine what a settlement could actually be; there is not exactly a half-way house because either games will either be permitted or not be permitted. Crucially, the matter was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Relevent can re-open the case at any time, while U.S. Soccer remain a defendant in the case that may be heard in the Supreme Court later this year.
Chelsea and Wrexham were popular in North Carolina (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Over the past week, The Athletic has made plenty of phone calls on this subject, to promoters, governing bodies, federations, domestic leagues and club executives. It is striking how, at this moment, next to nobody is prepared to put their name to quotes on the matter. For Relevent, FIFA and U.S. Soccer, that is because the sensitivity of the legal matters is too high. For governing bodies, leagues and club executives, it is perceived as the thorniest of politics. Under the veil of anonymity, however, clues to football’s future emerge.
One official familiar with the process says: “Literally everything is on the table right now and the the soccer world in five years could resemble a version of what it looks right now, or it could look radically different, and neither would surprise me.”
The initially interesting question is why FIFA has elected to re-think the matter now, when it has been dragged through the courts for half a decade. The first thing to say that the U.S. is currently a priority market for FIFA, with a men’s World Cup slated for 2026 and the women’s World Cup expected to be awarded to the U.S. and Mexico in 2027. Before that, the U.S. will host the Copa America this summer and FIFA’s inaugural summer Club World Cup tournament in the summer of 2025. FIFA has forecast that it will drive revenues of $11bn for the cycle through to the men’s World Cup in 2026.
For a long time before Gianni Infantino’s arrival as FIFA President in 2016, the world governing body had mostly kept out of club football, but he has explored all manner of options for FIFA to secure a broader slice of the club pie, with the Club World Cup a central tenet of his platform, while there were all sorts of whispers and innuendo within the football industry over how FIFA really felt about the proposed breakaway European Super League, despite Infantino saying his organisation “strongly disapproves”.
The Athletic has been told of reformist views gaining favour within FIFA, with leading figures, including Infantino, eager to explore ways to grow the game globally and most notably within North America. Only last week, Infantino encouraged owners of Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs to loosen their rules (and their pursestrings) to enable it to compete with Europe’s leading leagues. Infantino has spoken previously about wanting 50 leading national teams and 50 leading club teams that can compete with one another globally, rather than the game being concentrated in one or two continents.
Speaking to leading football executives this past week, it is also apparent that the Super League has indirectly influenced Relevent’s dispute with FIFA. This is because the European Court of Justice passed a landmark ruling in December, which said that FIFA and UEFA’s rules, which require their pre-authorization for a potential Super League, were “unlawful”.
Pulisic taking on Barcelona was a big attraction in 2023 (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
While Relevent are not proposing fresh competitions, they are making arguments on similar grounds, essentially questioning how these governing bodies can simultaneously operate as organizers, regulators, governing bodies and promoters. Interestingly, despite the previous FIFA directive, the organisation is not currently of the view that their existing statutes prevent domestic matches being taken abroad, with FIFA’s most recent court filings referring to a regulation that requires approval from the hosting federation and confederation, and in return from the federation and confederation where the teams involved are located. As such, FIFA is under pressure from Relevent to further clarify its regulations and policies to pave way for domestic matches overseas.
Since the ECJ ruling, conversations between FIFA and Relevent intensified over a potential settlement, with sources familiar with the discussions saying the ruling “lit a fire under FIFA”, and the governing body may have been concerned about the risk of further slaps on the wrists from the courts. Sources have indicated that FIFA had already been considering some form of settlement prior to December, because in July 2023, a United States District Judge ordered the completion of “fact discovery” relating to the case by the end of September 2024. Discovery can be burdensome and embarrassing affairs for major organizations, as it can shed light on details they may prefer not to be in the public realm.
All these factors have conspired to bring FIFA into the room with Relevent. There is no disclosed timeframe for FIFA’s reconsideration of their rulebook, but it has also been made clear to them that Relevent are seeking a fast resolution, and the fact the settlement is “without prejudice” means Relevent can use this as an albatross around Infantino’s neck.
“Even with the Germans and the English, if you talk to these executives and give them a drink, it becomes very clear they’d be ecstatic to play their games in North America,” jokes one executive with connections across the global game.
Just don’t expect them to say this aloud. In England, the debate has been toxic ever since the Premier League withdrew a 2008 proposal for an international round of games, following a backlash from local supporters and media. That reaction is unlikely to be too different now, and the politics is even more sensitive for the Premier League, who currently face the immediate threat of a government-imposed regulator entering English football. Any regulator is unlikely to sign off on plans that would be perceived by many, fairly or otherwise, to deracinate clubs from their local communities. The temptation for clubs is obvious. Broadcast deals internationally have now overtaken the Premier League’s domestic rights deal, which opens questions about whether the global supporter merits greater access to meaningful action.
This summer, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will all play pre-season in the U.S., with United, Liverpool and Arsenal facing one another, while Chelsea and City have organised a fixture against each other. These fixtures yield millions of dollars in appearance fees but also build a body of evidence that shows the potential of competitive European fixtures on U.S. soil. More Premier League clubs will be in town this summer, with Bournemouth and Aston Villa already signed up, as well as EFL side Wrexham. Last summer, Chelsea, Newcastle, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham and Villa played in a new Premier League Summer Series tournament, selling out three matches and selling 270,000 tickets across the board. The Premier League also now has an office in New York City. Its 2021 television deal with NBC is worth $2.7billion until 2028 — more than double the previous auction.
The Premier League’s chief executive Richard Masters said last summer: “The Premier League has come away from being a niche interest, as it was a decade ago. Now it feels mainstream and we are there really to take advantage of those opportunities and push us forward. But I don’t think we’re really any nearer a game abroad. I was here at the Premier League when the 39th game idea was launched. I’m very much aware of the reaction then and I’m not entirely sure that people’s views have changed.
A number of Premier League clubs toured the U.S. last summer (LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)
“What is interesting in the States is that there’s a much more liberal view of what sports can do. You can move a franchise between cities — you can do all sorts of things. But football in this country has a cultural reference point and we need to be aware of that and respect it.”
Politically, it is unfathomable that the Premier League would be the first movers. But Masters was speaking before this agreement to review the situation and there is no shortage of club executives who will be keen to push the envelope, particularly as budgets tighten around the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), leaving owners scrambling for cash to stay in line.
One executive with experience of promoting European exhibition matches in the U.S. says: “Every owner has to consider this a huge money-making opportunity to be able to play in the U.S.. A lot of the owners who work in other sports have seen the success of playing NFL games in Germany, Mexico and the UK, as well as NBA games in Paris.
“If Liverpool played Manchester United in the U.S. in any major market, in a regular season match, it would be like the Super Bowl. You could charge whatever. There would be events all around it, people flying in from all over the world, shoulder partnerships, concerts, the potential is endless.”
Last month, Casey Wasserman, the head of the Los Angeles Olympics for 2028 and founder of the Wasserman sports agency, which represents talents including the Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, said he would be “shocked” if it did not come about.
“Just as the NFL has done a really good job taking their games overseas I think you are going to see European professional (soccer) games being played in the United States,” Wasserman told the Rich Eisen Show. “It is the biggest sport in the world and this is the biggest sports market in the world.
“If you had a Manchester United v Chelsea match in New York or a Real Madrid v Barcelona in Miami, those levels of games in American cities — real games that count — could be massive. I would be shocked if it didn’t happen.”
La Liga did not formally comment when approached last week, but it is their view that the development is “important” as they push towards taking a league game outside of Spain. Last June, La Liga President Javier Tebas said: “When we can do it, we will do it, and the United States would be the ideal place.”
Spain, along with Italy, has already taken cup competitions to Saudi Arabia. Lorenzo Casini, the President of Serie A, discussed playing a gameweek outside of Italy during the Social Football Summit in Riyadh in January. He said: “It’s something we’re looking into, with its pros and cons. The first of which, obviously, relates to fans (in Italy) who would miss out on a gameweek. The location would need to be determined.”
The Italian national team then played two fixtures in the U.S. in March, in New Jersey and Fort Lauderdale, while Serie A has five clubs featuring U.S. ownership and U.S. national team stars Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah now play for AC Milan and Juventus respectively. Serie A, like the Premier League, also has its own New York office and many of those spoken to by The Athletic over the past week foresee Serie A being likely to follow La Liga across the Atlantic, while the French Ligue 1 is in all manner of difficulties with its own media rights packages and is desperately seeking fresh revenue streams.
There are also likely to be clubs within Mexico and South America who see huge potential in playing a one-off domestic league game in the United States. As an example, Mexico international games, when played in the U.S., are often better attended than those involving the U.S. men’s national team.
Another likely candidate would be UEFA who, like La Liga, already have existing agreements with Relevent to sell media rights in the U.S.. Intriguingly, so too do the EFL, and it is not difficult to imagine Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sensing the opportunity in taking a Wrexham match abroad, while Tom Brady’s involvement at Birmingham, or JJ Watt at Burnley, may see possibilities of their own. It is unlikely, however, that Premier League big beasts would allow those upstarts to make gains in the U.S. by moving before them. So if England moves, expect it to be as one.
Villa and Brentford in Maryland attracted a decent crowd (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
At UEFA and among the European Club Association (who represent the interests of clubs who compete in UEFA competitions), the hushed talk in siderooms has been of matches outside of Europe for several years. Outside of Europe, given China’s withdrawal from sport, that essentially means the U.S. or Saudi Arabia, but for now at least, Relevent are not in discussions with the Saudis. That does not mean others in football are not having those conversations. The Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi (also chair of the ECA and a UEFA Executive Committee member) has previously told The Athletic of his support for Champions League games outside Europe, speaking about the need for the Champions League to make “each match an event”, praising America for “its mindset, for creativity and entertainment”.
The type of ideas spitballed include a couple of group stage games heading to the U.S., or an opening tournament to replace the current Super Cup (where the previous season’s winners of the Champions League and Europa League face off), while many leading club executives don’t see it as particularly controversial to take a Champions League final to the East Coast of the U.S., when, if travelling from London, it is only an extra hour or two on from Azerbaijan, for example, which has hosted European finals in recent years (ET is five hours behind BST, Azerbaijan is three hours ahead).
Discussions and ideas are one thing. Actually seeing it through is a whole other ball game.
All of these proposals will face substantial obstacles. English and German football supporters will protest. Politicians at home may attempt to impose legislation, seeking to earn favour with football supporters in Europe. Then, of course, somebody is going to have to convince MLS why it ought to allow foreign competitors (with more impressive and popular products) to take centre stage on its territory. The MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who sat on the FIFA Stakeholder Committee that recommended blocking overseas games, has not hid his disdain.
“I feel very strongly that local fans should have the opportunity to see local games, and not for other purposes have those games played outside the home market,” Garber told ESPN in 2020.
Manchester United are returning to the U.S. this summer (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Relevent took a different view, arguing privately that MLS could use these one-off events involving European teams to engage in joint marketing initiatives and even sell tickets for their own games at such events. There have been suggestions that rival U.S. sports may also be opposed to incursions by European soccer, conscious that it could cannibalise their highly protected media and marketing space, yet Relevent would argue that character-based sports such as NFL and NBA could find innovative ways to collaborate from engagement with soccer stars to enhance their own audience. Another criticism is if these events are confined to a small number of games involving major European teams, then there is a danger these clubs could be creating a media rights Super League via the back door, where big clubs take the big cheques, so there would undoubtedly be pressure within domestic European leagues for the spoils to be shared.
Both MLS and U.S. Soccer, the latter of which remain embroiled in legal action with Relevent, declined to comment for this story. Should European games land on U.S. soil, the federation would expect a cut of the proceeds, while there would also be an expectation that the U.S. is not simply treated as the “world’s ATM” (as Garber described it last month) but that a slice of the profits are returned to develop grassroots sports within the U.S..
For now, such battles remain in the distance. As Relevent turn up the heat on FIFA, however, this struggle may come around sooner than we all realise.
(Top photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Read the full article here