Why Fifa World Cup players are drowning in commercial red tape July 12, 2026 Joshua Charalambous and Ellie Chakarto take a look at why this World Cup is restraining its stars A lot has been made about the star power at the Fifa Men’s World Cup – goals for Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal – and of course, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who both [...]
Ed Warner: Why I’m optimistic about the future for Sussex Cricket July 9, 2026 ‘What will you do about your blog?’ was one question at interview, repeated a number of times since I was announced as the chair of Sussex Cricket last week. What of my trenchant criticisms of cricket’s leadership, the sport’s confused calendar and the divide between its haves and have nots? For now, this column and [...]
Football may not come home but US investors will still cash cheques here July 5, 2026 The US continues to invest in the English football pyramid. Matt Bonass gives his best shot at explaining why Football attracting money is not novel, but what has changed is the type of money, where the money has come from and the thinking behind it all. In a previous era club ownership was a passion [...]
Fifa World Cup 2026: The tournament of IP infringement and touts July 4, 2026 With the World Cup well underway, Ben Travers explains why IP laws are being ignored? Much has been written of the economics of the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which looks set to be the biggest yet with tens of billions in revenue on the table. With the global sports industry representing potentially trillions of dollars [...]
Ferdinand, Crouch, Foster: How footballers have built media empires for the future July 3, 2026 Footballers need to retire eventually. Calum Hopkins takes a look at how they can do it in a changing media landscape. With the World Cup knockouts well underway, it is time to consider whether the people sitting in the studio continue to have the power. We are seeing a massive shift in football; the audience [...]
Why brands can fail miserably at sponsoring Wimbledon July 3, 2026 With the Grand Slam in full swing, Sam Milne discusses why brands still manage to fail at Wimbledon Pimm’s, strawberries and cream, pristine grass courts, and royalty and sporting legends intermingling evoke only one place: Wimbledon. It’s one of the few global sporting events that feels timeless, and minus the players themselves, an image from [...]
Reality is rugby’s Nations Championship is botched July 3, 2026 With the inaugural Nations Championship around the corner, Ollie Phillips looks at why the sport’s bosses missed a trick. The Nations Championship kicks off this weekend, but when you look at what is the star match of round one based on the players involved – South Africa’s home fixture against England on Saturday – it [...]
Sumo’s London return shows the capital really is a global sport leader July 2, 2026 An astonishing thing is happening in Greenwich’s historic Borough Hall. The somewhat garish landmark of SE10, until next Wednesday, is at the epicentre of London’s love affair with Sumo. Having returned to the capital in 2025 for the first time since the early 1990s, Morning Wire revealed last month that the highest level of the [...]
Ben Stokes bombshell shows how power has swung to sport’s players and coaches July 2, 2026 Social media has allowed the likes of Ben Stokes to control their own narrative but we are no nearer to knowing the truth, says Ed Warner. Truth is a pliable concept, capable of being moulded to suit the interests of the individual, and a battleground for competing narratives. Perspective is not all; volume and reach [...]
Good call: How Wimbledon’s comms help it to avoid break points June 28, 2026 Wimbledon’s success lies in heritage, prestige and scale but its disciplined communications also give it a competitive advantage, writes Jess Chan. Wimbledon is one of the most commercially successful institutions in global sport. I won’t dispute that its heritage is to be credited for its prestigious reputation. But its biggest competitive advantage is how it [...]