Spanish top division LaLiga immediately criticised the new offer

Unify League A22

A22 Sports Management has again proposed a new European football competition, which would be broadcast free-to-air through its own D2C platform.

Named the Unify League after the proposed streaming service, the competition would consist of 96 men’s teams spread across four divisions and 32 women’s teams in two divisions. Qualification would be decided by, “annual domestic league performance.”

The increased number of teams is what differentiates the new proposal from the one A22 made last year, following its victory over FIFA and UEFA in a competition law case before the European Court of Justice.

The ”annual domestic league performance” description of qualification appears to be the same as the prior format, which saw domestic league performance allow teams to qualify for the bottom of three leagues but teams in higher divisions not needing to qualify - which would mean a team in the top division would have to be relegated three times before they were knocked out for following seasons. With four divisions this would stretch to four relegations. 

The proposed Unify streaming platform would broadcast men’s and women’s matches “side-by-side”. Viewers would be able to tune in for free through an ad-supported tier, with subscription fees for those who want fewer adverts and to use features such as, “favourite camera angles, live match data, and other interactive options.”

A22 does not rule out partnerships with broadcasters, stating, “Distribution partnerships with broadcasters, streaming services, clubs and content providers will also be an important component of the Unify experience to ensure ease of access for fans.”

Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22, stated: “A22 is focused on ensuring the sustainable growth and development of football. Our extensive engagement with key stakeholders revealed a number of pressing challenges facing the sport including increasing subscription costs for fans, an overloaded player calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football, and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of the current pan-European competitions. Our proposal is designed to directly address these challenges.”

He added: “Now is the time for all stakeholders, including UEFA and FIFA, to bring real innovation that prioritizes fan experience and affordability, player welfare and match competitiveness. We remain committed to fostering relationships built on mutual respect, transparency, and constructive dialogue. The fans, players, clubs, leagues and other groups that make up the football community deserve nothing less.”

However, LaLiga has already put out a statement criticising the plans. The league stated: “Once again, A22 has presented yet another model of the failed European Super League, now called UNIFY League. A project that threatens the governance of European football by seeking to follow a handful of big clubs for their own benefit, promoting a broadcast rights commercialization model that would benefit only a few elitist clubs and destroy the economy of national leagues. The project continues to lack support from clubs, federations, players, fans, national governments and European institutions.”