Turf good, grassroots bad: Budget spares horse racing but divides sport November 26, 2025 Horse racing chiefs have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to afford it an exemption from major increases in gambling taxes announced in today’s Budget. While tax on remote gaming will jump to 40 per cent from April and remote sports betting from 15 to 25 per cent in 2027, duty on horse racing wagers has been [...]
‘Next-level unprofessional’ cup draw adds to club concerns over WSL November 26, 2025 Women’s Super League chiefs are facing widespread discontent over their handling of the professional game following a shambolic League Cup draw live-streamed on TikTok. It is understood that at least four clubs were unhappy with the draw, which was performed by influencer GK Barry and described to City AM by one witness as “next-level unprofessional”. [...]
British Lions vows to ban players who defect to R360 rugby breakaway November 26, 2025 British and Irish Lions chiefs have landed another blow on R360’s plans by warning they will not pick any player who signs up for the planned rugby franchise league. It follows England, Ireland, New Zealand and five other leading unions adopting the same stance last month and comes less than a year before R360’s proposed [...]
Channel 4 confirmed as UK home of Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics November 26, 2025 Channel 4 will show its eighth Paralympic Games in a row next year after being confirmed as the UK broadcaster for Milano Cortina 2026. The Winter Paralympics, set to take place in northern Italy in March, extends Channel 4’s sustained support for parasport which began with London 2012. “We are super excited to bring the [...]
Mercury13: Mata-backed women’s football group lines up Spanish club November 26, 2025 Juan Mata-backed investment group Mercury13 is in advanced negotiations about buying a stake in Spanish top-flight women’s club Levante Badalona. Mercury13, which bought FC Como Women in 2024 before investing in WSL2 club Bristol earlier this year, has pledged $100m to build a global portfolio of clubs, with Badalona earmarked to be its next investment. [...]
Magic Weekend 2026: Ashes sell-out lures Super League to Hill Dickinson Stadium November 25, 2025 Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium will stage rugby league’s Magic Weekend for the first time next summer following the success of its hosting of an Ashes clash. The Merseyside venue will be the third different venue for the two-day Super League festival in as many seasons, after St James’ Park in Newcastle this year and Elland [...]
F1 to rival NBA and NFL teams valuations, predicts Aston Martin chief November 25, 2025 Formula 1 teams are on course to rival top US sports franchises as the most expensive in the world following a boom in valuations, says Aston Martin F1’s commercial chief Jefferson Slack. This month’s sale of a minority stake in Mercedes F1 valued the team at $6bn (£4.6bn), while McLaren were valued at around $5bn [...]
England rugby chiefs axe bonus scheme that led to coup attempt on CEO Sweeney November 25, 2025 The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has scrapped the controversial long-term incentive plan (LTIP) that led to a major rebellion against CEO Bill Sweeney earlier this year. Sweeney faced and survived a vote of no confidence in February after it emerged that he had been paid £1.1m in 2023-24 despite the RFU making a loss of [...]
Budget: Odds to be slashed if betting industry taxed higher, Reeves warned November 25, 2025 Tax rises for the betting sector in tomorrow’s Budget could leave punters with worse odds across all sports, say industry spokespeople. Chancellor Rachel Reeves may target so-called “sin taxes” on Wednesday as she looks to fill a fiscal black hole, with the gambling sector expected to be hit. Reeves could exempt flutters on horse racing [...]
Fifa and Saudi Arabia team up again in $1bn stadium loans project November 24, 2025 Saudi Arabia and Fifa have demonstrated their close ties by offering up to $1bn (£760m) in soft loans for member football associations in developing countries to build or revamp stadiums. The Saudi Fund for Development has pledged to provide the finance, which Fifa said would “prioritise developing nations… helping them invest in facilities that drive [...]