Dublin Expected As The Venue For CAS Sports Arbitrations After UEFA Reform

In February 2026, the Union of European Football Associations (“UEFA”) amended its Statutes (being the foundational constitutional document of UEFA) to name Dublin as a potential seat of arbitration proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”).

UEFA have Authorisation Rules which govern the authorisation of international club competitions.  The Authorisation Rules were amended in June 2024 to include Dublin as a seat of CAS arbitrations - but only for Authorisation Rules disputes. However, when the changes to the UEFA Statutes come into effect from 1 July 2026, the UEFA Statutes will allow Dublin to be a seat of CAS arbitrations of other matters (over and above Authorisation Rules disputes).  This development signals a potentially significant expansion to the variety of CAS sporting issues that could be arbitrated in Dublin.  Until now, CAS hearings, other than Authorisation Rule disputes, had to be held exclusively in Lausanne, Switzerland.