NCA Freezes £10M in Premier League Funds Linked to Sorare
The order covers £10,024,041.33 in the name of The Football Association Premier League Limited. According to The Sun, the National Crime Agency secured the order at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January 2025. Investigators want the money to remain untouched while they look at possible links between the funds and alleged third-party criminality.
The sum came from the Premier League’s commercial relationship with Sorare.
Sorare Paid for Premier League Digital Rights
The two sides announced their deal in 2023. Reports at the time put its value at £120 million across four years.
Sorare was allowed to issue digital cards based on players from all 20 Premier League clubs. The cards could then be entered into fantasy football contests. A user picked a squad, and points followed what the selected footballers actually did on the pitch.
The frozen £10 million is understood to be money Sorare had already paid to the league under that agreement. Sorare says there was no early cancellation of the partnership. Its position is that the contract finished after the 2025/26 season, when the agreed term came to an end.
The Premier League, meanwhile, is asking the court to alter the freezing order. As things stand, it remains effective until September 14.
Another Sorare Case Is Still Before the Courts
Sorare has a separate dispute with the Gambling Commission. The regulator brought charges in 2024, accusing the company of providing gambling facilities in Great Britain without an operating licence.
Sorare says the accusation is based on the wrong reading of its game. It considers the fantasy competitions skill-based and argues that UK gambling rules should therefore not apply. The disagreement has been running for nearly two years and will not be settled soon. Birmingham Magistrates’ Court is now due to hear the case on June 7, 2027.
Sorare began with blockchain cards bought and sold through crypto wallets. It later opened the marketplace to cash payments as well.
What the Freeze Means for the Premier League
The NCA investigation concerns a different issue. No court has ruled that the £10 million represents criminal proceeds, and the freezing order does not amount to such a finding. Its purpose is to keep the money available while the agency continues its work.
For sports rights holders, that is the uncomfortable part of the story. A league can receive money under an ordinary commercial agreement and still find those funds caught up in an investigation involving the payer. In this case, the Premier League faces no allegation itself, but £10 million remains beyond its normal control while the authorities examine where the payment came from.