Investors – and fans – should welcome Fifa’s $20 billion World Cup stake sale July 29, 2026 Ignore the outcry, Fifa’s plans to sell a minority stake in the World Cup will make international football more transparent and accountable and raise huge sums to develop the game, says Chad Teixeira Football’s governing bodies agree on almost nothing, so when UEFA announces that the World Cup “isn’t Fifas to sell”, it’s worth asking [...]
European Commissioner vows to probe Fifa sell-off amid furious backlash July 29, 2026 Furious European Commissioner for Sport, Glenn Micallef, has vowed that the EC will investigate Fifa’s controversial proposals to sell stakes in a new commercial entity to outside investors. Football’s world governing body on Monday revealed plans to raise $4bn by selling minority holdings in a new vehicle, Fifa Forward Enterprise, that would control all commercial [...]
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 [...]
Fifa boss Infantino: World Cup critics are ‘consumed with hate’ July 27, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has launched a broadside at critics of some aspects of the 2026 World Cup, branding them “consumed by hate”. The tournament, which concluded eight days ago, has been broadly hailed as a success but was punctuated by outrage at President Trump’s apparent intervention in the Folarin Balogun incident, sky-high ticket prices [...]
Fifa’s 64-team World Cup plan facing opposition from Uefa, Concacaf and Asia July 13, 2026 Fifa’s plan to consider expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is facing major pushback, with Uefa and other confederations believed to be firmly opposed to the proposal. The first edition of the tournament to feature 48 nations is yet to finish but Fifa president Gianni Infantino has revived the prospect of further expansion [...]
Deloitte warns of ‘challenges ahead’ for European football despite €40bn milestone July 8, 2026 Deloitte has forecast “challenges ahead” for European football clubs despite collective revenues surpassing the €40bn (£34bn) mark for the first time. Expansion of the Champions League and Uefa’s other club competitions was the key driver as aggregate revenues grew 13 per cent year on year in the 2024-25 season, Deloitte said. Teams also benefited from [...]
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 [...]
2026 World Cup: How England went from misery to magnet for blue chip brands June 16, 2026 As they begin their 2026 World Cup campaign, the England brand is unrecognisable from 10 years ago – and it is paying off in growing revenues for the FA. This month marks a decade since one of the darkest days in the Football Association’s history, when England’s men were humbled by Iceland – a nation [...]
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 [...]