The recent publication of the annual report on sports arbitration in football by FIFA – the CAS & Football Annual Report 2025 – offers particularly relevant reading for legal practitioners, clubs, agents and other stakeholders in the sports industry.
This document, now in its fourth edition, consolidates the growing importance of recourse to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as a forum for dispute resolution in global football, highlighting trends that warrant special attention from both a legal and strategic perspective.
- The Dominance of Football in International Sports Arbitration
One of the most striking findings of the report lies in the weight of football within CAS activity. In 2025, approximately 77% of the cases registered with CAS originated from disputes related to football, confirming the centrality of this sport in international sports litigation.
This figure not only reflects the economic and regulatory magnitude of football, but also the increasing complexity of legal relationships among the various actors involved, such as federations, clubs, players, coaches and intermediaries. For participants in this market, this scenario translates into a higher degree of specialization in sports litigation and a growing need for mastery of the rules and case law applicable within the CAS framework.
- CAS as a Supervisory Instance over FIFA Decisions
Under the FIFA Statutes, CAS constitutes the competent body to hear appeals against final decisions adopted by FIFA’s internal bodies.
The report reinforces this role by presenting a detailed analysis of appeals lodged against FIFA decisions, as well as emerging jurisprudential trends.
This reality confirms that, notwithstanding the regulatory autonomy of federations, an external review mechanism exists to ensure uniformity and predictability in the application of the rules, serving as a safeguard of legal protection for the various stakeholders in football.
- Types of Disputes: Recurring Patterns
Although the 2025 report examines specific cases in greater depth, a broader analysis of FIFA publications allows for the identification of recurring categories of disputes submitted to CAS, namely:
- Employment disputes between players and clubs;
- Disputes relating to transfers and solidarity mechanisms;
- Disciplinary matters and sanctions imposed by federations;
- Conflicts involving agents and intermediaries.
For legal teams, this thematic predictability enables the anticipation of areas of higher litigation risk and the adjustment of legal service offerings accordingly.
- Transparency and the Development of Legal Knowledge
The publication of annual and quarterly reports demonstrates a clear strategy by FIFA to strengthen transparency and legal predictability in global football.
These documents include not only statistical data, but also analysis of significant decisions rendered by CAS and by higher courts, such as the Swiss Federal Tribunal, thereby contributing to the consolidation of a genuine body of international sports jurisprudence.
This development carries relevant implications:
- It facilitates preventive legal advisory work;
- It enables more accurate risk assessment in contractual operations;
- It contributes to greater consistency in the drafting of contractual clauses.
- Emerging Trends and Legal Challenges
The report also allows the identification of several trends likely to shape the coming years:
a). Increasing number of disputes and legal sophistication
The growth in the volume of cases and the complexity of the matters addressed indicates a shift toward more technically demanding and financially significant disputes.
b). Internationalization of conflicts
Football remains a highly globalized sector, with disputes frequently involving multiple jurisdictions, reinforcing the importance of international arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism.
c). Pressure on the arbitration model
Recent developments within the European legal context have, in certain instances, called into question the traditional model of sports arbitration, opening the door to potential increased intervention by state courts.
- Practical Implications for Clubs and Agents
In light of the landscape described, several practical recommendations emerge:
- Strengthening regulatory compliance, particularly in disciplinary and transfer matters;
- Careful and precise contract drafting, with particular attention to dispute resolution clauses;
- Anticipation of risks based on the analysis of recent CAS jurisprudence;
- Continuous monitoring of regulatory trends, including amendments to FIFA regulations.
For agents and intermediaries in particular, the growing number of disputes requires increasingly professionalized and legally structured conduct.
- Conclusion
The CAS & Football Annual Report 2025 confirms that football remains at the epicenter of international sports litigation and that CAS continues to play a decisive role in shaping the rules of the game – not only on the field, but also in the legal arena.
For legal professionals and industry stakeholders, this report stands as an essential strategic tool, not only to understand the current state of sports arbitration, but above all to anticipate risks, identify opportunities and structure decisions with greater legal certainty.
In the context of increasing regulatory and litigious complexity, in-depth knowledge of these dynamics is no longer merely a competitive advantage, it has become a critical factor of differentiation. Relying on specialized, up-to-date legal counsel oriented toward the international context is, today, decisive for navigating successfully within an increasingly demanding and globalized sector.
By Ricardo Cardoso and Carlos Ferreira Vaz, Practice Area – Sports, Fashion and Entertainment
