UEFA is close to closing a deal for the commercial rights of the Champions League with Relevent Sports, a company from the United States.
The Champions League final could be moved to the United States after UEFA is close to reaching an agreement to sell its commercial rights to Relevent Sports, a US company, The Sun reports.
The European organisation has ended its relationship of more than 30 years with Team Marketing, a company linked to the Champions League since 1992, and is opening a new stage that could end with the final of the top continental competition on the other side of the Atlantic.
New owner of the commercial rights of the Champions League
The Board of UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), has assured in a statement that it “is entering into an exclusive negotiation period with Relevent Sports for the global commercial rights of UEFA men’s club competitions from 2027 onwards.”
The company, owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and based in New York, is thus entering a bidding period to acquire the commercial rights to the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference.
According to the ECA itself, the negotiation with Relevent Sport represents the end of “an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted offers from several global and regional agencies” and which is expected to conclude “in the coming weeks”.
Team Marketing, unhappy with the situation
For its part, Team Marketing has also reacted to the news, showing its discontent with the result: “We have been informed by UC3 that they have entered into a period of exclusive negotiation with Relevent Sports for the 2027-33 commercial cycle of its men’s club competitions. Naturally, we are disappointed, but we remain incredibly proud of the work we have done alongside UEFA over the past 35 years.”
This announcement marks the end of a commercial relationship that began in 1992, when the competition began to use the name UEFA Champions League and a new format was introduced: three preliminary rounds and two groups of four teams in which each winner went on to the final.
The future of the Champions League final is up in the air
This situation opens up a new panorama for the Champions League due to the great interest of the company Relevent Sport in bringing the great European teams to American lands. And the entity founded by Stephen Ross is the organizer of the International Champions Cup, the friendly summer tournament that has had the participation of the best teams in the world.
Along the same lines is the position of UEFA and its president, Aleksander Ceferin, who in 2023 described the idea of bringing the Champions League final to the United States as a “possibility”.
For now, the next two finals will be held in Europe. The 2025 final will be held in Munich and the 2026 final in Budapest. However, there are no scheduled venues for 2027, leaving the fate of the year’s biggest club match up in the air.
CREDITS:
Director: Alejandro Bernal
Text: Max Hackenbroich
