Fifa defends World Cup ticket prices: ‘We had to apply market rates’ May 6, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended the price of tickets at this summer’s World Cup, insisting football’s world governing body “had to apply market rates”. Tickets for the tournament are the most expensive in its history and have triggered a wave of criticism, including a formal complaint from a fans’ group to the European Commission. [...]
Arsenal Champions League final run banks £123m and sets up record revenue May 6, 2026 Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final has already banked the club more than £120m in prize money, paving the way for their highest-earning season ever. The north Londoners reached the final for only the second time in their history in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, which clinched a 2-1 aggregate victory. And the [...]
Bournemouth: Vitality Stadium expansion setback hits European plans May 6, 2026 Bournemouth’s plans to redevelop the Vitality Stadium ahead of a potential first season in Europe have been hit by delays. In what has been a remarkable season, it is still on the cards for the south coast club to qualify for the Champions League. They sit sixth in the Premier League, which will earn a [...]
HMRC handed red card in £584,000 football referee tax lawsuit May 5, 2026 HMRC has lost a long-running legal battle against the UK’s football refereeing body over the employment status of 60 referees, after the tax authority issued a £584,000 tax bill. In a judgment on Friday, the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) upheld that the referees were self-employed and not employed by the body, the Professional Game Match [...]
Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 and S&P 500 May 5, 2026 Major Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 returns by a factor of five and the S&P 500 by three as brands look to dominate the conversation during the tournament. IG research looking at the performance of major World Cup sponsors saw an average return of 7.1 per cent during tournament cycles – from 30 [...]
Quarter of Brits planning trip to watch US sport matches stateside May 5, 2026 Nearly a quarter of British sports fans have said they plan to head to the United States to watch live sport as the home of NFL and NBA continues to drive fandom around the world. Nearly 40 per cent of UK sports fans have attended a live match in one of the NFL, NBA, MLB, [...]
Anti-US sentiment and Iran to have major World Cup security impact May 5, 2026 Anti-US sentiment and the conflict in Iran is set to have a major impact on the Fifa World Cup, security experts have warned. The United States – which is currently engaged in a conflict with World Cup qualifiers Iran – will host the majority of this summer’s tournament, which kicks off in just over a [...]
Why we can’t just dismiss Infantino’s sports diplomacy with Trump May 3, 2026 Former FCDO special adviser, Flint Global’s Alan Sendorek, discusses the sport diplomacy playing out with Fifa’s Infantino and Trump at its centre. Gianni Infantino’s efforts to cultivate a visibly warm relationship with Donald Trump have been mocked in many quarters. From the award of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize to hailing the President as ‘my [...]
Why Sunderland’s away kit legal row is a warning to all sports May 2, 2026 An artist is taking legal action against Sunderland over the design of the club’s away kit. Lawyer and IP expert Geoff Cunningham explains the dispute. Clubs, brands and sponsors are busy finalising kit launches, merchandise and commercial campaigns for next season and a summer of international football. But this week a dispute involving Sunderland AFC [...]
Death of Football Focus is a signal for every brand at the World Cup May 1, 2026 Brands will spend fortunes on this summer’s World Cup but they should heed the BBC’s warning when scrapping Football Focus, writes Amar Singh. I grew up with Football Focus. Saturday lunchtime, Bob Wilson in a grey suit, grainy footage of some Division Two ground in the rain. It was the traditional seat-warmer for a weekend [...]