FIFA reaches settlement in a lawsuit with Miami Dolphins owner

FIFA has reached a settlement in an antitrust lawsuit that accused the global soccer governing body of unlawfully prohibiting foreign clubs and leagues from hosting official matches in the United States. The agreement with Relevent Sports, a sports promoter controlled by billionaire Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins American football team, was disclosed in a filing on Monday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

This resolution comes about a year after the federal appeals court in Manhattan revived Relevent’s case, which was initially dismissed by a trial judge in 2021. The U.S. Soccer Federation remains a defendant in the lawsuit. Representatives for FIFA and U.S. Soccer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, Relevent mentioned that FIFA will contemplate revisions to its regulations regarding the staging of matches outside a league’s home territory. Some European and South American teams already participate in “friendly” matches in the United States, but it remains uncertain whether the settlement will lead to non-U.S. teams playing regular season matches there.

FIFA introduced its foreign match policy in October 2018, subsequent to Relevent’s arrangement with Spain’s La Liga to hold a regular season match between FC Barcelona and Girona FC in Miami. Barcelona later withdrew from the proposed match, prompting Relevent to sue U.S. Soccer in September 2019 after it canceled a match in Miami between two Ecuadorean teams. FIFA was later added as a defendant in the lawsuit.

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Relevent, headquartered in New York, also operates the International Champions Cup. The potential hosting of regular season matches between foreign teams in U.S. stadiums could attract fans and sponsors currently supporting FIFA-affiliated Major League Soccer (MLS). The league received a boost with the addition of soccer star Lionel Messi, who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, to Inter Miami last year.

Additionally, the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, is set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in men’s soccer.

The lawsuit is titled Relevent Sports LLC v. U.S. Soccer Federation Inc et al, filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, under No. 19-08359.