One of the most successful and lucrative commercial rights partnerships in football is ending.

On Tuesday, it was announced that UEFA had entered into exclusive talks with Relevent Sports, the company owned by Stephen Ross, an American real-estate developer and principal owner of the NFL franchise Miami Dolphins and the Hard Rock Stadium in that Florida city.

This means UEFA’s three-decades-long relationship with TEAM Marketing, the agency that played a pivotal role in the rebranding and growth of the Champions League, turning it into the global sporting behemoth it is today, is expected to end in 2027.

The European Club Association (ECA), the independent body for the continent’s football teams which has more than 700 professional sides as members, revealed the development yesterday.

The Athletic breaks down what it means for the future of Europe’s blue-riband club competition and more…

What has been announced?

UEFA is now in exclusive talks with Relevent Sports, the New York-based sports media company and sporting events promoter, which also has an office in Switzerland, for the “global commercial rights for the UEFA men’s club competitions from 2027 to 2033”.

“The decision follows an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies,” a statement released by the ECA added. “UC3 (see below) anticipates concluding the process in the coming weeks and shall not be making any further comment in the meantime.”

The expectation is that a deal will be reached between UEFA and Relevent Sports sooner rather than later.

Why does this matter?

It is significant because it signals the end of UEFA’s partnership with TEAM Marketing, the Swiss-based agency that has been responsible for selling the global rights to the Champions League for more than 30 years.

Following the debacle of the failed attempt to launch a European Super League in 2021, UEFA and the ECA formed UC3, a joint venture between European football’s governing body and its leading clubs to manage their global commercial rights.

The previous rights cycle — covering 2024-27 — saw TEAM lose its mandate to sell the rights to UEFA’s men’s club competitions in North America to Relevent Sports, which was the first time it had not exclusively sold the rights worldwide.

Real Madrid celebrate winning the Champions League last season (Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Off the back of this, Relevent Sports secured a record six-year $1.5billion (£1.2bn) deal ($250m annually) with Paramount Global, the owner of the CBS network, to broadcast UEFA club competitions on CBS and its Paramount+ streaming platform in the United States.

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Now UC3 has gone a step further with Relevent Sports, with the expected outcome of these talks ending with the American agency obtaining the global commercial rights and replacing TEAM completely.

Could a Champions League final be played in the United States as a result of this?

This is the obvious link to make, and that has arguably moved a step closer with this news. However, sources familiar with the process on both sides — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions, like all those cited in this piece — stressed that Tuesday’s announcement does not serve as the catalyst for any official UEFA game to be played in the United States.

That said, Relevent Sport’s lawsuit against FIFA, world football’s governing body, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was filed in 2019, centred on it being able to stage a match from Spain’s top-flight La Liga match after signing a 15-year deal to promote the Spanish league in North America in 2018.

This was blocked by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was supported by FIFA, and led to a legal battle over the right for domestic leagues to stage matches and competitions outside their home country.

In April last year, Relevent Sports dropped FIFA as a defendant in an antitrust lawsuit against it and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and released a statement to The Athletic which included a line about FIFA now considering “changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory”.

Speaking on the Men In Blazers football podcast in April 2023, Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA’s president, admitted it is “possible” a Champions League match will be staged in the U.S. from 2026. Talking to UK outlet Sky News last August, however, Ceferin said UEFA are “not planning to host a Champions League out of Europe”.

Why does Relevent Sports want to be involved?

The agency is already working with UEFA from a North American market perspective, so taking on commercial rights for the rest of the world is the natural step for a company with its ambitions.

Sources familiar with Relevent Sports note how this deal further establishes the agency at the heart of being tasked with taking European football’s growth to the next level in the coming years.

It’s still a relatively young company, having only been founded in 2012, but already counts the Premier League, La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga as clients.

By now taking on the responsibility of selling UEFA’s global commercial rights for world football’s elite men’s club competition, the Champions League, Relevent Sports has taken its business to another level and further showcased its growth as a key player in the European football media-rights landscape.

What else is Relevent Sports involved in?

Its first notable foray into football was the International Champions Cup, a pre-season tournament that began in the U.S. in 2013, before being held in Asia and Europe in later editions.

Relevent Sports is still only some years into a 15-year deal with La Liga, where it is tasked with promoting Spanish football in North America. The agency’s website also notes a “multi-year” partnership with the Premier League “to build their event platform and bring impactful, league-centric experiences to U.S. fans”, adding that they “operated the inaugural Premier League Summer Series in 2023”.

Relevent Sports owner Stephen Ross (Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

A partnership with the English Football League (the three divisions below the Premier League, consisting of 72 total clubs) was announced in 2024, which saw them obtain exclusive rights to all EFL matches across North, Central and South America.

“The four-year deal, through the 2027-28 season, enables Relevent to sell all Sky Bet EFL matches, all play-off matches, all Carabao Cup matches, and three Bristol Street Motors Trophy (the EFL Trophy) matches in addition to having all betting rights throughout the U.S. market,” Relevent Sports’ website notes.

There is also a 17-year deal with the Bundesliga.

Is there any scope for more income with Relevent Sports?

That is certainly the plan, and it is undoubtedly how this partnership is going to be judged.

With UEFA’s men’s club competitions being expanded to include more competing clubs this season, more matches should, in theory, lead to increased revenues — and that is what UEFA and the ECA will be hoping for.

Last March, UEFA wrote to its member associations to outline its revenue distribution for the 2024-27 club competition cycle and estimated that €4.4billion (£3.7bn; $4.6bn) will be generated in 2024-25, with €3.3bn being distributed to the teams competing in the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and European Super Cup (a one-off game each summer between the winners of the previous season’s Champions League and Europa League).

Relevent Sports, from 2027, will be tasked with improving on this figure, with European clubs hopeful its expertise, particularly in the North American market, will pay off and add to their bottom line.

Why would UEFA move on from TEAM Marketing?

There is an argument UEFA and TEAM Marketing had become too close and comfortable in each other’s company, although the relationship’s track record in growing the Champions League and its revenues speaks for itself.

However, this switch to Relevent Sports should bring different ideas to the table and, ultimately, moves the power of UEFA’s commercial brand to the United States at a time when the country is staging the new-look, much-expanded Club World Cup this summer and co-hosting (alongside Canada and Mexico) the men’s World Cup next year, with the bulk of the matches being played there.

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Sources close to the ECA believe, as does every other European league and club, that the U.S. is the biggest sports market in the world but has room for so much growth as football becomes more popular in the country. By cementing its relationship with Relevent Sports, an agency firmly established in the States, there is a hope that it turbocharges UEFA’s commercial growth in that market.

The move to Relevent Sports and away from TEAM Marketing has been driven by UC3, and the clubs saying now is the time to really go for growth and take advantage of a new set of ideas.

What has TEAM Marketing said?

In a statement released via its website on Tuesday, TEAM Marketing said it was “disappointed” to learn about UC3 entering exclusive talks with Relevent Sports but that its staff “remain incredibly proud” of their work with UEFA over the past three decades.

“Together, we have built a world-class commercial programme that has delivered over €50billion in revenue for European club football, growing the value of the UMCCs (UEFA men’s club competitions) with each successive cycle,” the statement added.

“Even in the most challenging market conditions, we have always driven growth and consistently outperformed the market — including a more than 20 per cent increase in the current rights cycle.

“While this marks the end of an era, it is not the end of our ambition. Our deep knowledge of European club football, our track record of success, and our unwavering commitment to excellence remain.”

(Top photo: Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)