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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
World Cup spending: England fans could spend £150m if they beat Panama June 26, 2026 An England win against Panama at the World Cup on Saturday could lead to an extra £150m in consumer spending, while fans are expected to fork out an extra £22m in pubs across the country this weekend. England are top of Group L, level on points with Ghana, ahead of Saturday’s final match of the [...]
England draw with Ghana worth £20m extra to British pubs June 24, 2026 England’s lacklustre 0-0 draw against Ghana may have lacked fizz but hospitality industry experts estimate it was worth an extra £20m in trade for Britain’s pubs. Thomas Tuchel’s men were held to a goalless 90 minutes in Boston on Tuesday but the late kick-off and blistering weather proved a boon to boozers up and down [...]
Advertising at World Cup: Levi’s genius, hydration breaks and dodging rules June 23, 2026 This World Cup, now well under way, has been dominated not only by the action on the pitch but how much brands are spending off it. An estimated $10bn is being splurged by some of the world’s most recognisable organisations on adverts and campaigns, while some firms are milking the World Cup for free advertising [...]
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, [...]
Hydration breaks: World Cup ad cost could eclipse Super Bowl’s $7m price tag June 17, 2026 Ads during hydration breaks at the Fifa World Cup final could cost more than a Super Bowl commercial, according to one of the world’s biggest advertising groups. This year’s World Cup in North America and Mexico has introduced a drinks break during each half of football, effectively cutting the game into quarters, like many US [...]