Bilbao, Amsterdam, Milan: Where should Champions Cup rugby go next? May 22, 2026 The best thing about the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals weekend is its location: Bilbao. It is not the first time the two premier continental fixtures have ventured to El Botxo – the San Mames Stadium hosted Leinster’s victory over Racing 92 in 2018 and Cardiff’s Challenge Cup win over Gloucester a [...]
Enhanced Games isn’t sport but a product placement exercise May 21, 2026 The Killers are an odd choice of band to wrap this weekend’s Enhanced Games. I’ve no idea about lead singer Brandon Flowers’ attitude to the permissibility of performance enhancing drugs in sport, but the name of his beat combo jars with an enterprise testing scientific and medical boundaries. It won’t be spinach that the 50 [...]
City of London Nocturne return to see fan zone bonanza May 20, 2026 Britain’s biggest festival might take place in a field in Somerset, but we are proud to be bringing the festival atmosphere to the heart of the capital with the return of the City of London Nocturne. Cycling fans get the chance to see some of the world’s best on two wheels in action, but even [...]
Fifa’s World Cup model is grotesque and will drive away credible future hosts May 14, 2026 The FA and other potential future World Cup hosts should take Fifa to task over an event model that makes no sense for rational bidders, says Ed Warner. Great news! It’s just got cheaper to get to the World Cup. NJ Transit has slashed the price of a return train from Penn Station to the [...]
How high-net-worth individuals can rival private equity in sport May 12, 2026 Sport has been dominated by private equity, but high-net-worth individuals and family offices are coming becoming more common. At the end of April, Andrea Agnelli, the former chairman of Juventus, launched Gamma Waves Partners, a sport-focused investment platform targeting opportunities in innovative sports competitions, teams and athletes. Co-founded with former Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini and [...]
Formula 1’s reaction to season disruption a lesson for Fifa World Cup May 10, 2026 Formula 1 is firmly back on track but the consecutive Bahrain and Saudi Arabian race cancellations, the result of events in the Middle East, have highlighted how quickly established sporting fixtures can face significant disruption. The cost of the decision to cancel both races, given the potential risk to safety of staff working in the [...]
In defence of Bristol Bears CEO Tom Tainton’s rugby marketing comments May 8, 2026 “At Bristol Bears, we don’t call ourselves a rugby club. We are a marketing agency that plays rugby. Yes, our players have to be competent and able to deliver on the field, but if they are not bringing any value off the field, that genuinely factors into our recruitment conversations.” Those were the words of [...]
London City 7s returns with capital crying out for live rugby May 5, 2026 Dan James, founder of the London City 7s, pens his first of a new monthly column on short-form rugby in the capital. Rugby sevens has long been the better looking but somewhat inconsequential younger cousin of the traditional 15s game. If you were lucky enough to be one of the 113,000-plus fans in the record-breaking [...]
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 [...]