Ruben Amorim sacked: £20m cost of Manchester United’s failed experiment January 5, 2026 Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim, concluding a failed experiment which has cost the cash-strapped club around £20m in compensation. Amorim was relieved of his duties on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after publicly issuing a demand for more control of affairs at United in the wake of a 1-1 draw with Leeds [...]
Nottingham Forest takes major step in redevelopment of City Ground January 5, 2026 Nottingham Forest have taken a major step in their project to expand their City Ground stadium as their plans move forward once again. The struggling Premier League club is redeveloping its existing Nottingham-based stadium, with plans to expand the City Ground to a potential 52,000 seats. Nottingham Forest have called the City Ground home since [...]
Exclusive: Brits say taxpayer shouldn’t bail out struggling football and rugby clubs January 5, 2026 The majority of Brits say that the government should not use taxpayer money to support professional football and rugby clubs that are teetering on the edge of financial difficulty. Exclusive research by Ipsos for City AM shows that British adults think football teams (67 per cent) and rugby teams (66 per cent) should not seek [...]
Why 2026 will be the year of technology and AI in sport January 4, 2026 Arthur Hu, the chief information officer at Lenovo, discusses why 2026 is the year for AI and technology in sport It feels as if the sporting calendar never stops, it just keeps spinning with yet another tournament, match or race around the corner. And 2026 will be no different, headlined by the Winter Olympic and [...]
Three sport law disputes to watch for in 2026 January 3, 2026 Joel Leigh and Rufus Scholefield take a look at the sectors that could define sport law in 2026 The left over mince pies are running out and the sporting world is looking ahead and bracing for a year that promises thrilling competition but also, significant legal and regulatory challenges. 2026 looks certain to be remembered [...]
Why Squad Cost Ratio rules can’t afford to ruin joy of Premier League January 2, 2026 Trevor Watkins, global head of sport at Pinsent Masons and Former director and chairman of AFC Bournemouth, discusses why changes in Premier League football’s financing rules cannot afford to ruin the sport With the Christmas period behind us, the traditional festive season of football fixtures – once a full list on Boxing Day but now [...]
Prem to Champ to sevens: Four rugby business stories to follow in 2026 January 2, 2026 How do I feel about rugby in 2026? I am not too sure. We were supposed to have the launch of Ultimate Sevens and R360 but one of those has been mothballed until 2027, we were supposed to have an exciting promotion race in the Champ but ring fencing may stop that, and we’re still [...]
Why Mexico, Dubai and Italy are the countries to watch in sport in 2026 January 1, 2026 This time last year, City AM asked me to identify three countries for which 2025 would be an important year in sport. My three choices were Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the United States. Judging by recent standards, Saudi Arabia’s year was relatively quiet albeit interspersed with some rowdy moments, notably the Public Investment Fund’s acquisition [...]
Why 2026 is the year sport needs to confront the man vs machine question January 1, 2026 Man vs machine is the future of sport, whether we like it or not, but what do we want it to look like? If you want to understand where sport is heading, don’t look at the Olympic programme or the Premier League fixture list. Look instead at the strange, noisy, algorithm‑friendly world growing just outside [...]
IMG’s three sports sponsorship trends to watch in 2026 December 31, 2025 Look out for higher demands on AI, more prediction markets and greater sophistication in women’s sport sponsorships next year, says IMG partnerships expert Sam Galet. As we close out 2025 and look ahead to 2026, the sports business landscape is once again at an inflection point. Rightsholders, brands and agencies are all asking the same [...]