Bumper IPL takeovers boost T20 cricket franchise league’s value to over $20bn July 29, 2026 Multiple blockbuster team sales have boosted the Indian Premier League’s business value to more than $20bn, according to a new report by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey. The IPL’s value has increased more than 11 per cent year-on-year to $20.6bn following the takeovers of franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a record $1.78bn and Rajasthan Royals [...]
Overseas games: Will World Cup success force Fifa’s hand over divisive issue? July 29, 2026 Fifa’s staging of the World Cup in North America may have been a massive commercial win, but it might also have ramped up the pressure on world football’s governing body to make a decisive call on one of the game’s most contentious issues: domestic leagues taking matches to more lucrative overseas locations. The biggest ever [...]
Uefa blasts Fifa over Infantino plan to ‘sell football’s soul’ for $4bn July 28, 2026 Uefa has accused Fifa of “selling football’s soul” after the world governing body revealed plans to raise more than $4bn by selling stakes in a new subsidiary that would manage the commercial rights to the World Cup and Club World Cup. The new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, would consolidate the media rights, sponsorship, ticketing and [...]
Real Madrid break world record for sports team with £1bn revenue July 28, 2026 Real Madrid have claimed the highest operating revenue of any sports team in history after reporting income of more than €1.2bn for last season. The figure declared, €1.221bn, equates to £1.04bn and $1.36bn at current exchange rates and is a three per cent increase on the 2024-25 campaign. As such it surpasses the $1.23bn reported [...]
Premier League and EFL set for summit with Football Regulator over new financial deal July 28, 2026 An end to one of the longest-running saga plaguing English football could be in sight after the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) stepped up talks over a blockbuster new financial redistribution deal. Premier League CEO Richard Masters and chair Alison Brittain and their EFL counterparts Trevor Birch and Rick Parry are expected to [...]
Gianni Infantino: Democrats ask to quiz Fifa boss over Trump ‘corruption’ allegations July 28, 2026 Democrats have launched a bid to haul Fifa boss Gianni Infantino before US legal chiefs and question over potential corruption in its links to President Trump’s administration. Rep Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary Committee has written to Infantino requesting that he appear before them to discuss “Fifa’s brazen campaign to curry favor with Donald [...]
Barry Hearn on Brentwood Town investment: ‘I’m a tight bastard but I’m a believer’ July 28, 2026 Matchroom president Barry Hearn on why he has returned to football with Brentwood Town FC, aiming for promotion to the English Football League and educating the council on the club’s need to buy its stadium. Barry Hearn doesn’t miss a beat when asked if he has missed football since selling Leyton Orient more than a [...]
Exclusive: Wimbledon chiefs ready to defend brand amid Saudi tennis complex similarities July 28, 2026 Wimbledon chiefs stand ready to defend its distinctive green and purple branding after plans emerged for a Saudi tennis mega-complex with a similar colourway. Renders for a National Tennis Centre in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya giga-project were released in June, showing a central court draped in foliage and 29 other courts decked out in a purple [...]
If SailGP steers towards ultra-aspirational audience it will soar July 27, 2026 Having spent two days consuming SailGP in Portsmouth, Matt Hardy looks at what’s next for the series dubbed F1 on water Akin to a horde of middle aged parents at an Algarve all-inclusive, an eager line forms within eyesight of prime real estate with hundreds ready to grab the best spot. But rather than being [...]
Italy Pirlo hire off after Russian betting firm links revealed July 27, 2026 Italy’s plans to name Andrea Pirlo manager of their national football team have been scrapped after his links with a Russian betting firm were criticised by politicians. Pirlo, the 47-year-old manager of Dubai United, has been a global ambassador for Fonbet since October and was all but confirmed for the Italy job despite no official [...]