German FA HQ raided by police in bribery probe days after shock World Cup exit July 1, 2026 Police have carried out a major raid on the headquarters of Germany’s football federation, the DFB, in a probe into suspected bribery relating to Euro 2024. The raid on Wednesday morning – 36 hours after the men’s national team suffered a shock elimination from the current World Cup by Paraguay – involved more than 150 [...]
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 [...]
Is football eating itself? Not before it eats other sports first June 25, 2026 The World Cup has become so big that it now puts all other sports in the shade, laments Ed Warner. I remember the summer of 1976 as a swathe of bleached playing fields, jumpers for goalposts and pick-up games of cricket. There happened to be an international football tournament that June, but I defy anyone [...]
Fifa World Cup brand value trebles to £4bn thanks to sponsorship and media rights June 24, 2026 The Fifa World Cup brand has grown in value to over $5bn after more than trebling in value in recent years, according to a new industry report. Consultancy Brand Finance estimates the World Cup brand is now worth $5.2bn (£4bn) – a 244 per cent increase on its value when the 2010 tournament was held [...]
Tartan Army cancel flights as Scotland eye a piece of World Cup history June 24, 2026 Scottish football fans have cancelled flights home from the US as the Tartan Army dare to dream of reaching the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time. Others who had already returned home are flying out again ahead of tonight’s final Group C fixture, against Brazil, even if they don’t have match [...]
Manchester United debt pile may force owners to fund new stadium June 24, 2026 Doubts have emerged over Manchester United’s capacity to fund their £2bn-plus new stadium unless the owners inject cash. The club announced on Monday that they had secured the land required to build the 100,000-seater venue – dubbed a “Wembley of the North” – from Indurent, which lets industrial units. The 25-acre site is only 350m [...]
Dallas, Boston, New York New Jersey: Inside England’s Fifa World Cup stadiums June 22, 2026 With England travelling around the United States for their Fifa World Cup Group L matches, Matt Hardy asks experts about what makes them so special. England’s opening victory at this year’s Fifa World Cup came in an incredible indoor stadium in Texas. The AT&T Stadium, known for the next six weeks as the Dallas Stadium, [...]
Why 2026 World Cup is when AI becomes the interface between fans and football June 21, 2026 The 2026 World Cup is the first AI-shaped major sports event and will change football fandom forever. Jon Williams outlines what sponsors, broadcasters and brands need to do about it. Football, like the creative advertising business I work in, thinks the biggest gains from AI are operational – speed, efficiency, and more. They’re not. AI’s [...]
An England World Cup isn’t just football – it is money, politics and a nation’s bad habits June 18, 2026 England are being asked to win the World Cup, yes, but the absurdity is that they are required to do so much more in the process, both commercially and politically, writes Ed Warner. And so they’ve begun. Our boys, Tom’s 26. Their world is in motion, three lions on their shirts, out to erase 60 [...]
England, Kansas City and Taylor Swift: Why FA chose midwest as World Cup base June 17, 2026 England have picked Kansas City as their home from home at the 2026 World Cup, along with three other teams, despite not having any games there. So why has the Taylor Swift-linked midwest become “base camp capital”? Kansas City’s recent contribution to sports discourse has been dominated by the Chiefs’ three Super Bowl wins in [...]