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 [...]
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 [...]
Knicks NBA finals win over Spurs smashes broadcasting records June 17, 2026 The 2026 NBA Finals between the victorious New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs was the most watched series this century. The most-watched NBA postseason since 1998 averaged more than 20m viewers across broadcasters ABC and ESPN. And the crucial fifth game, which saw the Madison Square Garden Sports-owned New York Knicks win their [...]
Kia Oval worth £80m to the UK economy as Test gets underway June 17, 2026 The Kia Oval is worth £80m to the UK economy, new research has found ahead of England’s second Test against New Zealand. The south London cricket venue, sandwiched between Vauxhall and Oval tube stations, welcomed more than 550,000 fans in 2025 across Test matches, domestic cricket and the Hundred. Over one quarter of those fans [...]
England’s secret weapon against World Cup heat? British company’s £26 product June 17, 2026 England have turned to a British hot water bottle maker for help coping with the extreme World Cup heat ahead of their tournament opener against Croatia in Dallas tonight. High temperatures are expected to be a defining feature of this tournament – with dangerous conditions possible in 14 of the 16 host cities – and, [...]
2026 World Cup: England only attract half as many bets as Norway to lift trophy June 16, 2026 Tournament outsiders Norway have attracted twice as many bets on them to win the 2026 World Cup as England, surprising new data has revealed. Ahead of England’s first match of the tournament, against Croatia tonight in Dallas, Thomas Tuchel’s team have attracted five per cent of all betting tickets handled by Sportradar on behalf of [...]
Brits urged to back UK pubs during World Cup amid booking surge June 16, 2026 Brits have been urged to support their World Cup team by getting down to the local pub amid a four-fold increase in bookings for England games. The UK hospitality sector is set for a 42 per cent sales boost across the group stages of the World Cup – with kick-off times in the US, Canada [...]
And they’re off: Royal Ascot racegoers put on a patriotic show as iconic horse racing meet gets underway June 16, 2026 Royal Ascot, the greatest flat racing festival in all of horse racing, is underway and thousands of punters have dressed to impress at the Berkshire course. There are over 100 runners across Tuesday’s seven races, with over £2.75m in prize money on offer to the top performers. Racegoers must adhere to the strict Royal Ascot [...]
Children as young as 14 are being targeted by unregulated gambling firms on social media June 16, 2026 Children as young as 14 are being targeted by unregulated gambling firms, with AI-generated tipsters, influencers and the manosphere blamed for exploiting teenagers on social media. Over 30 unregulated gambling sites – such as Stake and Rainbet – are accused of targeting UK users primarily aged 14-25, according to new data collected last month by [...]
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 [...]