• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Soccer’s Super League Back From Dead As Unify League

The controversial UEFA challenger lost steam due to public backlash, but it is relaunching after winning its anti-trust case.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The contentious European Super League is relaunching with a new name.

A22 Sports Management, the Madrid-based promoter that launched the original league, announced Tuesday it has submitted a new proposal to UEFA and FIFA for the Unify League.

The Super League originally launched in April 2021 with the support of 12 major European clubs, but backlash from fans, the U.K. government, and the Premier League quickly led the English clubs to drop out. “I want to apologize to all the fans, supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the last 48 hours,” owner John Henry said when backing out. “It goes without saying, but should be said, that the project put forward was never going to stand without the fans. No one ever thought differently in England.” And despite a favorable ruling in December 2023 that cleared the way for a new league, most of the remaining clubs took UEFA’s side after fan outrage at a prospective closed league.

Twelve clubs originally latched on to the Super League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus. Now, only Real Madrid and Barcelona remain publicly committed to the project of a Champions League competitor.

The Super League failed the first time largely because it wanted to establish 15 permanent teams, giving more money and stability to the biggest clubs while making it harder for smaller ones to qualify.

Now, A22 is trying again, and doing away with that permanent model. The Unify League would have free, ad-supported, direct-to-consumer streaming (on a platform called Unify) and a new qualification process based on annual domestic league performance. The promoter also changed its plans to 96 clubs spread among four leagues—which it said Tuesday will be called Star, Gold, Blue, and Union—with 16 teams in each of the first two leagues and 32 in each of the second.

Last December, the European Court of Justice ruled UEFA and FIFA had illegally been “abusing a dominant position” by threatening clubs and players who played in the Super League, setting up Tuesday’s announcement.

“Today a Europe of freedoms has triumphed, and also football and its fans have triumphed,” Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said after December’s ruling. “We are facing a great opportunity to improve European club football.”

Pérez has close ties to A22, but the company has important opponents. King Charles proposed a bill in the U.K. in November 2023 that could prevent English teams from joining any kind of new league. In addition, the former Super League teams have rejoined the European Club Association. The ECA is chaired by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi. Along with Bayern Munich, PSG was the most notable absence from the original Super League lineup; its Qatari owners also run beIN Sports, a broadcaster that partners with UEFA to air the Champions League.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has been a steadfast opponent of the A22 project from the start and rejected the new league in typically colorful terms Tuesday.

“Those from A22 Sports are back with a new idea: they produce formats as if they were churros, without analyzing or studying the economic and sporting effects on the competitions,” Tebas tweeted in Spanish on Tuesday. “The television model they propose only favors the big clubs, (and they know it…) while endangering the economic stability of the national leagues and their clubs.”

A22 is also proposing a similar product with 32 women’s teams. The top European women’s teams currently qualify for the Women’s Champions League.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jenny Just

Austin FC Co-Owner: Teach Your Daughters to Play Poker

She calls poker a “mind sport” like chess that teaches important life skills.
April 27, 2025; Anfield, Liverpool, BRITAIN; Liverpool player Mohamed Salah scores the fourth goal against the Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League match.

Tottenham Hotspur Gets $134M Amid Hot Start to Season

The team recently rejected three takeover offers, declaring it is not for sale.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and Portland Trail Blazers logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.

NBA Reopens Doors in China—and Eyes the WNBA Next

The Mavericks and Rockets are set to play games in Macao next year.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates a made shot as Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) looks on during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
October 10, 2025

Aces Win WNBA Title, Starting Offseason of Uncertainty

The Aces won their third trophy in four years.
Sep 29, 2025; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) poses during media day at Intuit Dome
opinion
October 12, 2025

Clippers’ Aspiration Fiasco Recalls Another Doomed NBA Sponsorship

The Kawhi controversy has shades of the still-recent FTX scandal.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Athlos
October 10, 2025

Track Start-Up Athlos Makes ‘Millions’ but No Profit Yet

Alexis Ohanian called being profitable by the 2028 Olympics a “great goal.”
Cheryl Reeve
October 10, 2025

WNBA Officiating Task Force Still Taking Shape After Outcry

How refs are trained and instructed was a major issue this year.
Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to International Basketball Federation board member Mark Tatum in the fourth quarter between the United States and Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
October 9, 2025

NBA Aims for Drama-Free Return to China After 6-Year Hiatus

The league looks to rebuild its presence in the populous country.
Bad Bunny performs on stage for his “Most Wanted Tour” at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, May 11, 2024.
October 9, 2025

Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA to Run Alternate Super Bowl Halftime Show

Group announces “The All-American Halftime Show” on Feb. 8.