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 [...]
Exclusive: O2 Arena bosses open to hosting another Formula 1 launch event June 18, 2026 O2 Arena bosses are open to hosting another Formula 1 launch event if the motor racing series decides to repeat its popular pre-season showpiece. To celebrate its 75th season, Formula 1 staged a sell-out event at the 20,000-capacity O2 in Greenwich, with all teams showing off their cars alongside music from the likes of Machine Gun [...]
Exclusive: London in talks to host return of sumo at Royal Albert Hall June 18, 2026 Sumo wrestling could return to the Royal Albert Hall by the end of the decade as talks between London and Tokyo edge towards a deal, City AM can reveal. London Mayor Sadiq Khan met the Japan Sumo Association in Tokyo this week following on from last year’s give-day Basho at the iconic Kensington arena. It [...]
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 [...]