Sovereignty has replaced ownership as the real currency of power in football June 4, 2026 The City AM Football Power List illustrates the shifting sands of the sport ahead of the 2026 World Cup, writes one of its judges, Amar Singh. We are days away from a truly super-sized Fifa World Cup – 48 teams, three host nations, and a tournament that will be watched by more people than any [...]
Fifa boss Infantino pips PSG chief Al-Khelaifi in City AM Football Power List June 4, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has topped the inaugural City AM Football Power List, a week before the biggest ever men’s World Cup is due to kick off. The ranking, compiled with a 16-strong panel of expert judges drawn from across the sports industry, is designed to be a snapshot of who controls the most popular [...]
City AM Football Power List shows that systems, not individuals, control sport June 4, 2026 Ed Warner, one of the judges for the City AM Football Power List, gives his take on what the rankings reveal about the game. Here’s your gentle starter for 10: who’s the most powerful man in world football? Easy, right? Gianni Infantino. But who are the 24 people you’d rank immediately behind Fifa’s president? I’ve [...]
City AM Football Power List 2026: Who really runs the world’s most popular sport? June 4, 2026 The City AM Football Power List seeks to answer a simple question: ahead of the 2026 World Cup, who really runs the planet’s favourite sport? To answer it, we assembled a panel of experts from across the sports industry and picked their brains for nominations and, ultimately, a top 25. You can read more about [...]
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 [...]
Fifa defends World Cup ticket prices: ‘We had to apply market rates’ May 6, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended the price of tickets at this summer’s World Cup, insisting football’s world governing body “had to apply market rates”. Tickets for the tournament are the most expensive in its history and have triggered a wave of criticism, including a formal complaint from a fans’ group to the European Commission. [...]
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 [...]
2026 World Cup prize money boosted as Fifa counts on $11bn revenue bonanza April 29, 2026 Fifa has topped up prize money for the 2026 World Cup after teams raised concerns about the cost of competing in a tournament that spans the US, Canada and Mexico. Football’s world governing body has approved an increase in total payouts from the $727m it announced in December to $871m, raising the guaranteed sum for [...]
World Cup: No Plan B if Iran don’t show up, insists Fifa boss Infantino March 31, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino insists there is “no Plan B” if Iran do not take their place at the World Cup but ruled out moving their games from the US to Mexico. Iran’s participation has been in serious doubt since the US and Israel began a military offensive on the country in late February. Iranian [...]
2026 World Cup: Iran asks Fifa to move games from US to Mexico March 17, 2026 Iran has asked Fifa to move its 2026 World Cup games from the US to Mexico as the wrangling over the war-torn country’s participation continues. The Iranian embassy in Mexico posted a statement on social media saying that talks were ongoing over the possible solution after President Trump suggested that it may not be safe [...]