LaLiga has announced a new partnership with the prediction market platform Polymarket, marking the first time a top-tier European football league has collaborated with the platform. The multi-year deal grants Polymarket exclusive rights to prediction markets in the U.S. and Canada, including licensing for match-related predictive data and intellectual property.
Under the terms of the agreement, Polymarket will receive brand exposure during LaLiga broadcasts and will participate in digital content production and exclusive fan experience events. Betting markets for matches featuring powerhouse clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are already live on the Polymarket platform.
Expanding the North American Sports Footprint
In a press release, Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan stated that the partnership aims to transform viewers from passive spectators into active participants. He believes the platform offers fans a more expressive way to engage with the game, allowing their insights on player performance, match flow, and season outcomes to be translated into real-time market value.
Boris Gartner, CEO of LaLiga’s joint venture partner Relevent, added that the move is designed to reach a younger, more diverse North American audience. He noted that the growth of soccer in North America is being driven by younger audiences with multi-screen consumption habits, and that prediction markets offer a more effective way to engage these groups.
Polymarket has been aggressively expanding its footprint in the sports sector. Following the appointment of former Fanatics Chief Commercial Officer Ari Borod as Head of Sports, the platform has secured deals with the NHL, MLB, UFC, and MLS.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Ari Borod emphasized that the U.S. market is currently showing significant interest in soccer, and that LaLiga, as one of the world’s most influential sports leagues, is a key pillar of their strategic roadmap.
This aggressive expansion is backed by substantial capital. Polymarket recently secured $1.6 billion in funding led by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. Meanwhile, the platform is locked in fierce competition with rival Kalshi, which raised $1 billion last month, doubling its valuation to $22 billion.
Although Polymarket recently received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to return to the U.S. market, the industry continues to face intense regulatory scrutiny. In response to recent allegations of insider trading, both Polymarket and Kalshi have implemented new compliance policies to address concerns regarding the potential abuse of prediction markets. CFTC official Michael Selig previously warned that pushing prediction markets into unregulated offshore spaces could lead to systemic risks similar to the collapse of FTX.
