# European Court Rules FIFA and UEFA Competition Rules Illegal

> The European Court of Justice declared that FIFA and UEFA's approval rules for new interclub football competitions violate EU competition law.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T02:29:35.726440Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/european-court-rules-fifa-and-uefa-competition-rules-illegal-0b142cfd

On December 21, 2023, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that FIFA and UEFA's regulations, which demand prior approval for new interclub football competitions and forbid participation in unauthorized ones, are against EU competition law and the freedom to provide services [1][3][5][6][7][11][15]. This decision challenges the long-standing authority of football's governing bodies over the sport's structure in Europe.

The ruling has immediate implications for the power dynamics in European football, potentially allowing new competitions to form without unilateral obstruction from FIFA and UEFA. It compels these organizations to reform their regulatory frameworks to adhere to EU law, fostering greater transparency and fair competition.

## What the Records Show
The ECJ concluded that FIFA and UEFA hold a dominant position in the market for organizing and marketing interclub football competitions within the European Union [6][7][11]. The court found their rules on prior approval constituted an abuse of this dominant position and were an anti-competitive decision by an association of undertakings [6][7][11][15]. Specifically, the ECJ stated that FIFA and UEFA's rules lacked a clear framework of substantive criteria and detailed procedural rules to ensure they were "transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate" [6][7][11][15]. Without such a framework, the rules enabled FIFA and UEFA to "abuse their dominance by restricting competing associations from entering the market" [7]. The ruling directly states that "The FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law" [3][15].

## The Timeline
The legal challenge originated after the proposed European Super League (ESL) met widespread opposition in 2021 [3]. A22 Sports Management, the promoter of the ESL, first revealed the project in April 2021 [4]. FIFA and UEFA objected to the ESL, threatening to impose sanctions on clubs and players who might participate [4][5][15]. The European Superleague Company then filed a claim in the Madrid courts, arguing that FIFA and UEFA's statutes violated competition law principles and were incompatible with EU law [4][16]. This led to the Spanish court referring questions to the ECJ [6][16]. Following the ECJ's December 21, 2023, ruling, A22 Sports Management hailed the decision as a victory, with CEO Bernd Reichart stating, "We have won the right to compete. The UEFA monopoly is over" [2][5]. UEFA, in its reaction, acknowledged the judgment but noted it had already addressed the "pre-existing shortfall within UEFA's pre-authorisation framework" in June 2022 [1]. UEFA expressed confidence that its new rules comply with all relevant European laws and regulations [1].

## Broader Regulatory Scrutiny
The ECJ ruling is part of a larger trend of increased regulatory scrutiny on major football organizations. European Leagues, FIFPRO Europe, and LaLiga filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA on October 14, 2024 [8][9]. They accuse FIFA of "abusive and anti-competitive" conduct related to the International Match Calendar and decisions concerning the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 [8][9][13]. Separately, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and Euroconsumers filed a complaint against FIFA with the European Commission on March 24, 2026 [10][14]. This complaint alleges that FIFA abused its monopoly position to impose excessive prices and "opaque and unfair purchasing conditions" for tickets to the 2026 World Cup [10][14]. FSE and Euroconsumers stated that FIFA holds a "monopoly over ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup" and has used that power to dictate terms to fans [14].

## What we could not confirm
We could not confirm the specific details of the changes UEFA stated it made to its authorization framework in June 2022, or how these changes directly address the ECJ's requirements for transparency, objectivity, non-discrimination, and proportionality [1][6][7][11][15].

## Evidence cited
1. UEFA reacts to ECJ ruling on Super League, A22 CEO insists the monopoly is over - Football Italia (football-italia.net) — https://football-italia.net/uefa-reacts-to-ecj-ruling-on-super-league-a22-ceo-insists-the-monopoly-is-over/
2. European Super League hopes reignited as court rules Uefa and Fifa acted illegally by blocking competition - SportsPro (sportspro.com) — https://www.sportspro.com/news/european-super-league-ecj-ruling-uefa-fifa-a22-bernd-reichart/
3. Super League scores crucial ECJ legal win against UEFA, FIFA (compasslexecon.com) — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdPUF4_Qwg5bEqkpLhni30H384I1S9xvWIV_XZBE1ALEExlDGmXJ3CoNfQq9DgO7KUENCS1QO4G-4-ETpzRbYQFd2rMydazU0teWL136X94M7ZWtuFMXJm_kZ7PYUXJSjbyDVqaRkSJjpbT_X6tfs5YRsv8CskHW69UnosBOI0bJOuGX5yBctsCfXnZxIhOa3V-XLGKV52GybxNeN_Bwu9HL_5B09HxJfBL1RAbMg=
4. European Super League: the legal game is still on - Howard Kennedy (howardkennedy.com) — https://www.howardkennedy.com/news/european-super-league-the-legal-game-is-still-on/
5. European Super League Wins Boost in EU's Top Court (time.com) — https://time.com/6349372/european-super-league-ecj-ruling/
6. ECJ holds that FIFA and UEFA breached EU competition law by adopting rules attempting to block the Super League - Delphi (delphi.se) — https://delphi.se/sv/nyheter/ecj-holds-that-fifa-and-uefa-breached-eu-competition-law-by-adopting-rules-attempting-to-block-the-super-league
7. FIFA and UEFA rules get wrap on the knuckles from Europe's highest court (taylorwessing.com) — https://www.taylorwessing.com/en/insights-and-events/insights/2024/01/fifa-and-uefa-rules-get-wrap-on-the-knuckles-from-europes-highest-court
8. European Leagues and Fifpro accuse Fifa of anti-competitive conduct over match calendar | Fifa | The Guardian (theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/14/european-leagues-and-fifpro-accuse-fifa-of-anti-competitive-conduct-over-match-calendar
9. FIFPRO Europe, European Leagues and LaLiga file EC complaint against FIFA (fifpro.org) — https://www.fifpro.org/en/news/fifpro-europe-european-leagues-and-laliga-file-ec-complaint-against-fifa
10. Joint-Statement: FSE & Euroconsumers file complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over 2026 World Cup ticket practices - Football Supporters Europe (fanseurope.org) — https://fanseurope.org/news/joint-statement-fse-euroconsumers-file-complaint-to-the-european-commission-against-fifa-over-2026-world-cup-ticket-practices/
11. EU Competition Law and the European Super League | DWF (dwfgroup.com) — https://www.dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-insights/insights/2024/01/eu-competition-law-and-the-european-super-league
12. ECJ Ruling on Super League: How It Reshapes European Football (thecoverstorymag.com) — https://thecoverstorymag.com/ecj-ruling-on-super-league/
13. European Leagues, FIFPRO and LALIGA take legal action against FIFA due to "overloaded" international fixture calendar | Sport Resolutions (sportresolutions.com) — https://www.sportresolutions.com/news/european-leagues-fifpro-and-laliga-take-legal-action-against-fifa-due-to-overloaded-international-fixture-calendar
14. Fans file complaint against FIFA over World Cup ticket prices – WSLS (wsls.com) — https://www.wsls.com/sports/2026/03/24/fans-file-complaint-against-fifa-over-world-cup-ticket-prices/
15. PRESS RELEASE No 203/23 (europa.eu) — https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2023-12/cp230203en.pdf
16. FIFA and UEFA rules on Super League unlawful, ECJ finds | Irish Legal News (irishlegal.com) — https://www.irishlegal.com/article/fifa-and-uefa-rules-on-super-league-unlawful-ecj-finds