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. [...]
Arsenal Champions League final run banks £123m and sets up record revenue May 6, 2026 Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final has already banked the club more than £120m in prize money, paving the way for their highest-earning season ever. The north Londoners reached the final for only the second time in their history in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, which clinched a 2-1 aggregate victory. And the [...]
Stormzy-backed Padel Social Club raises £5.5m to open three new sites May 6, 2026 Stormzy-backed Padel Social Club has raised £5.5m from new investors to open three new sites across London. It comes as the business prepares to add a total of 17 new courts at sites at the O2, in Kentish Town and Paddington this year. The fresh investment includes leading consumer investors Clark Group and Active Partners, [...]
Exclusive: Two Super League clubs circling Saracens’ Ben Earl May 6, 2026 Rugby league’s biggest clubs are circling England rugby union international Ben Earl after he made comments about switching codes. City AM understands that both Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors are looking at the Saracens back-row, potentially targeting the 28-year-old for a move north after next year’s Rugby World Cup. Super League clubs get salary cap [...]
Bournemouth: Vitality Stadium expansion setback hits European plans May 6, 2026 Bournemouth’s plans to redevelop the Vitality Stadium ahead of a potential first season in Europe have been hit by delays. In what has been a remarkable season, it is still on the cards for the south coast club to qualify for the Champions League. They sit sixth in the Premier League, which will earn a [...]
Aryna Sabalenka raises Grand Slam boycott threat as pay row escalates May 5, 2026 Women’s world No1 Aryna Sabalenka has warned that top tennis players will boycott Grand Slams if their demands for more prize money and benefits continue to be resisted. Sabalenka was among a group of stars who criticised French Open chiefs at the weekend for failing to heed their calls, which have also been directed at [...]
London City 7s returns with capital crying out for live rugby May 5, 2026 Dan James, founder of the London City 7s, pens his first of a new monthly column on short-form rugby in the capital. Rugby sevens has long been the better looking but somewhat inconsequential younger cousin of the traditional 15s game. If you were lucky enough to be one of the 113,000-plus fans in the record-breaking [...]
Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 and S&P 500 May 5, 2026 Major Fifa World Cup sponsors outperform FTSE 100 returns by a factor of five and the S&P 500 by three as brands look to dominate the conversation during the tournament. IG research looking at the performance of major World Cup sponsors saw an average return of 7.1 per cent during tournament cycles – from 30 [...]
London Marathon ballots entries double in two years to record 1.34m May 5, 2026 The London Marathon has broken its own world record for applications after demand more than doubled in just two years. A total of 1,338,544 people entered the ballot for next year’s London Marathon, which opened just before this year’s race nine days ago. That number represented an 18 per cent year-on-year increase and more than [...]
Quarter of Brits planning trip to watch US sport matches stateside May 5, 2026 Nearly a quarter of British sports fans have said they plan to head to the United States to watch live sport as the home of NFL and NBA continues to drive fandom around the world. Nearly 40 per cent of UK sports fans have attended a live match in one of the NFL, NBA, MLB, [...]