In December, a US District court had ruled that MasterCard should get the eight-year World Cup deal, from 2007-2014, rather than rival Visa, saying FIFA breached its contract with MasterCard by switching World Cup sponsorship rights for the period to Visa. In that decision, the judge said FIFA negotiators "lied repeatedly to MasterCard."
But the US Court of Appeals said the judge needed clarify whether the 2006 agreement between MasterCard and FIFA was binding and whether it would supersede a 2002 contract under which MasterCard contended it had the right of first refusal on a new pact.
MasterCard, in a statement, said that it "looks forward to Judge Preska addressing this particular issue and final resolution of the ongoing matter."
