European Leagues extends EU complaint against FIFA to women's football

The European Leagues said Tuesday it extended its competition law complaint against FIFA to cover the women's international match calendar and regulatory decisions related to women's football. The association said the extension was submitted to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition, accusing FIFA of 'abusive conduct' toward the women's game. The European Leagues, which represents professional football leagues across Europe, first filed the complaint with the European Commission in October 2024 alongside FIFPRO Europe and LaLiga. The complaint focused on FIFA's imposition of the men's International Match Calendar, including the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup. It alleged that FIFA abused its dominant position under EU competition law and argued that an oversaturated calendar threatened players' health and well-being as well as the sustainability of domestic competitions. The extension comes after the European Leagues admitted 14 women's professional leagues in June, including England's Women's Super League and the Scottish Women's Premier League. The European Leagues accused FIFA of following the same pattern of conduct identified in the men's game, arguing that its dual role as regulator and competition organizer creates a conflict of interest. It claimed FIFA uses its regulatory powers to favor its own competitions and commercial interests while failing to meaningfully engage with women's professional leagues on calendar decisions. The association said the conduct threatens the growth and financial sustainability of women's professional leagues as well as players' health and well-being. It also said representatives of women's professional leagues must be included in decision-making on calendar-related matters. 'The European Commission must now act to ensure that EU law is respected and that the future of women's professional football is not determined unilaterally by FIFA,' it said. The complaint comes amid wider pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the controversy about the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which involved selling a minority stake in a new commercial entity controlling rights linked to FIFA competitions to private investors. Infantino withdrew the proposal following widespread opposition, but UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF later accused him of breaking trust 'through deception' and called for a fully independent review. FIFA has previously said its 2023 international match calendar followed extensive consultation with stakeholders and maintained that it has the right to set parameters for its own competitions within agreed schedules.