England v Argentina: Bellingham bounce attracts more bets than Messi to score July 14, 2026 Jude Bellingham’s emergence as England’s World Cup hero has seen him backed by more punters than Lionel Messi to score in Wednesday’s semi-final with Argentina. Data from Sportradar, which processes betting tickets for 250 gambling firms worldwide, reveals that Bellingham has accounted for more than half (52 per cent) of wagers in the goalscorer market. [...]
Politicians call for easing of private school stranglehold on elite rugby July 14, 2026 Politicians have called for an easing of the stranglehold private schools have on providing England with elite rugby players. Nearly two thirds of the matchday 23 that played Fiji at the weekend had some form of private or independent education, underlining concerns about the shortage of state-school pupils making it in the sport. Just last [...]
Aston Villa sign £20m a year Visit Rwanda shirt sponsor deal July 14, 2026 Visit Rwanda have kept their presence in the Premier League by agreeing to become the front-of-shirt partner to Aston Villa. The Paul Kagame-linked tourism board concluded a sleeve deal with Arsenal last season after mounting pressure from fans but have now signed a £20m-a-year deal with, according to The Athletic. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will [...]
Atlanta set for major economic boost as England World Cup fans spend July 14, 2026 Atlanta is set to enjoy a major economic boost from England fans at the World Cup after Brits splashed the cash in Miami last week. Spending data from Revolut shows that UK customer spending in Miami was up 322 per cent on Saturday, when England beat Norway 2-1 to book a spot in tonight’s semi-final [...]
Infantino facing IOC probe after complaint lodged over Trump’s Balogun intervention July 14, 2026 Fifa boss Gianni Infantino is facing an International Olympic Committee investigation after an official complaint was filed following US President Donald Trump’s intervention to block Folarin Balogun’s ban. The decision to suspend Balogun’s ban – enabling the USA’s best player to continue playing in the World Cup after he was sent off against Bosnia and [...]
SailGP, rugby and PJL: Inside the new £50m budget sporting asset class July 14, 2026 With big money tickets ever harder to find, investors are looking far and wide for their next affordable investment. Big-money takeovers will always catch the eye; whether that be the multi-billion-pound purchase of Chelsea by a Todd Boehly-fronted consortium from Roman Abramovich, the £1.3bn takeover of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bengaluru by a [...]
Why do six Premier League clubs still not have front of shirt sponsors? July 13, 2026 Not so long ago it was unthinkable that a Premier League club would go into a new season without a sponsor on the front of their shirt. In recent years Chelsea and Nottingham Forest have made headlines for starting a campaign with a vacancy in that prime spot, precisely because it was such an anomaly. [...]
Fifa’s 64-team World Cup plan facing opposition from Uefa, Concacaf and Asia July 13, 2026 Fifa’s plan to consider expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is facing major pushback, with Uefa and other confederations believed to be firmly opposed to the proposal. The first edition of the tournament to feature 48 nations is yet to finish but Fifa president Gianni Infantino has revived the prospect of further expansion [...]
Paul Hastings opens global sports practice as another law firm enters sector July 13, 2026 Law firm Paul Hastings have launched a new global sports practice as the Bishopsgate-based US giant expands its offering. Former Baltimore Ravens general counsel Brandon Etheridge and former Slaughter figure Mark Zerdin, who advised TWG Motorsports on their Cadillac F1 team entry, will form the core of the practice, which will form part of deals-based [...]
Wimbledon: HMRC set to slap Sinner and Noskova with £1.6m tax bill July 13, 2026 Wimbledon winners Jannik Sinner and Linda Noskova have been slapped with whopping multi-million pound tax bills after bagging £3.6m apiece at the All England Club. Sinner defended his title with a four-set win over French Open champion Alexander Zverev on Sunday while Noskova toppled Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova in three sets on Saturday. Both picked [...]