Trump and Infantino: The venomous relationship between sport and politics July 7, 2026 The debacle between Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino proves beyond doubt sport and politics are intertwined, Matt Hardy writes. “I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.” Those were [...]
England World Cup final run could see Brits spend extra £250m July 6, 2026 A run to the Fifa World Cup final could see England fans generate an extra £250m in retail and home-viewing spend. Data from Novuna Finance shared with City AM suggests that the nation could spend an additional £75m-£150m should Thomas Tuchel’s England side go on a knockout run, while reaching the coveted final – later [...]
Tickets for England World Cup quarter vs Norway on sale for $8m July 6, 2026 Tickets for England’s Fifa World Cup quarter-final are on sale for $8m as fans look to snap up a spot for the last eight tie in Miami. England posted one of their greatest ever World Cup victories on Monday, beating Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca Stadium in the co-host’s capital. And they’ve been rewarded with [...]
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 [...]
Tech, trackers and tourniquets: How England are preparing for Mexico World Cup altitude July 3, 2026 For an array of reasons, England face the toughest test of their World Cup credentials late on Sunday night when they face co-hosts Mexico. At the Azteca Stadium, they will come up against a team who have won four games out of four at this tournament, are backed by fervent home support and who have [...]
Cruyff turn: Starmer allows pubs to stay open for England World Cup game July 2, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has performed a Cruyff turn as he announced that pubs would be able to stay open until 5am for England’s game against Mexico on late Sunday night. Before the change in policy, pubs were set to be forced to kick punters out at half time in the early hours of Monday morning. [...]
Hated World Cup hydration breaks here to stay for even hotter 2030 and 2034 July 1, 2026 Hydration breaks are expected to remain a feature of future World Cups despite attracting widespread criticism, City AM understands. The divisive three-minute pauses, taken midway through each half, have become one of the tournament’s hottest talking points. They have effectively turned football into a game of four quarters and head coaches have said they are [...]
Unilever chief on how to activate 35 brands at the Fifa World Cup June 30, 2026 With the World Cup a sponsor’s heaven, Matt Hardy asks Unilever how the FMCG behemoth activates 35 brands amid a need to be noticed. A number of the brand campaigns at this Fifa World Cup have been sublime, others have fallen a little flat. Activating at a tournament watched by billions across nearly 200 countries [...]
World Cup: How brands will activate as the knockouts begin June 27, 2026 Most eyes will be firmly fixed on the pitch as the World Cup enters the knockout phase next week. But for the discerning observer, there is another contest playing out in the background: what are the sponsors up to? With marketing and sponsorship deals related to the World Cup reported to generate between $2.5bn and [...]
World Cup proves film and music walked in the US so that sports can run June 26, 2026 With the US experiencing football fever Alistair Watkins argues that we have seen this before, with sport following in the footsteps of film and music When people think about European culture making its mark in the United States, they tend to think of music, film and television. From The Beatles to Harry Potter and One [...]