World Cup events in doubt as US shutdown risks host city funding February 25, 2026 Fears of “catastrophic” security issues at this year’s Fifa World Cup have emerged after US officials warned of financial shortfalls to the tune of over £650m. A partial federal government shutdown across the pond forced the freezing of nearly $900m of funding that would have been spent on the 11 US cities co-hosting the World [...]
Mexico World Cup games will go ahead despite violence, says Fifa’s Infantino February 25, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has dismissed concerns that Mexico could be stripped of hosting matches at the 2026 World Cup following cartel-related violence in the country. Gangs have been blamed for the torching of vehicles and blocking of roads in Jalisco state, whose capital Guadalajara is due to stage four fixtures at this summer’s tournament. [...]
Exclusive: RFU insist they will retain key role in spite of crunch votes February 25, 2026 The RFU has insisted it will retain its key role across English rugby regardless of the outcome of two crunch votes this week which could see Prem Rugby ringfenced. On Friday the RFU Council will vote on proposals outlined in a recent Governance and Representation Review and is also set to approve plans, dubbed Project [...]
Pro Climbing League leans into urban boom ahead of sold-out London launch February 24, 2026 When the first batch of tickets for the London launch event of the Pro Climbing League went on sale last month they sold out in five minutes. Not quite Oasis or Taylor Swift levels of devotion, but for a minority sport with little history as a spectator event, impressive nonetheless. On Saturday night at Magazine [...]
Deloitte big winner at Winter Olympics as sponsor sees engagement surge February 24, 2026 Big Four accounting firm Deloitte was one of the best performing sponsors at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics based on online engagement. The London-headquartered giant was joined by TCL Technology and Omega SA as the best engaged firms, according to UK engagement. According to research from adtech firm Quantcast, Deloitte enjoyed a 15 per cent [...]
LA 2028 Olympics sponsors ‘not asking about’ Wasserman position, says CEO February 24, 2026 The CEO of the LA 2028 Olympics insists sponsors have not raised any concerns about Casey Wasserman remaining as chair despite his appearance in the Epstein files. Wasserman has already initiated proceedings to sell his eponymous global agency after historic emails between himself and Jeffrey Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell were among [...]
Premier League must ditch unlicensed betting firms immediately, says Entain February 24, 2026 Entain, the parent company of betting brands Ladbrokes and Coral, has called on the Premier League to impose an immediate ban on the advertising of gambling firms without UK licences. The bookmaking giant has urged England top football clubs to halt pitchside advertising of betting companies targeted at overseas gamblers straight away and commit to [...]
Raducanu ditches Nike after eight years to sign £2.6m deal with rival February 24, 2026 Emma Raducanu has ended an eight-year relationship with Nike to become the first female tennis player on the roster of Uniqlo. The 23-year-old former US Open champion has signed a multi-million pound deal with the Japanese casualwear brand and follows the likes of Roger Federer in ditching the “Just Do It”- famed sportswear brand for [...]
Exclusive: Inside the plan to keep the Welsh Rugby Union in check February 24, 2026 One of Wales’s leading business figures is rallying support for a committee that would hold the Welsh Rugby Union to account amid its biggest crisis of the professional era. The Welsh Rugby Union and embattled chairman Richard Collier Keywood are facing an Extraordinary General Meeting amid a legal row over plans to reduce the number [...]
Ukraine invasion anniversary prompts fresh Russia Paralympics ban calls February 24, 2026 Calls for the ban on Russian Paralympians to be reinstated have heightened as the invasion of Ukraine marks its fourth anniversary. The Winter Paralympics is set to begin next week, days after today’s conflict anniversary, with the International Paralympic Committee admitting 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes despite Western outcry. Officials representing host country Italy have [...]