FIFA – Inside World Football

DAZN sub-licenses 2025 Club World Cup TV rights to Globo in Brazil

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 01:39:46 +0000

April 24 – Brazilian broadcaster Globo has partnered with streaming platform DAZN to broadcast the inaugural edition of the new Club World Cup.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 13 in the United States and will feature four Brazilian clubs: Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Palmeiras.

The coverage of Globo, Brazil’s largest broadcaster and behemoth in the TV industry, will include all matches involving Brazilian teams,

Channel 5 agrees DAZN sublicence to offer free-to-air CWC matches

Andy Elliott — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:18:22 +0000

April 24 – FIFA has secured a crucial broadcasting agreement for one of its key TV markets as Channel 5 reached a sublicensing deal with global rights holder DAZN to broadcast the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) this summer in the United Kingdom.

Channel 5 will show 23 of the 63 matches, including 15 group games, four round of 16 matches, two quarter-finals, one semi-final, and the final. The remaining matches will be available exclusively on the DAZN platform and free globally via the DAZN app.

FIFA World Cup 2026 poster winners announced for the 16 host cities

Andy Elliott — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:16:27 +0000

April 22 – The FIFA World Cup 2026 poster competition has finally wrapped up with all 16 cities proudly displaying the winners of a month’s long process to design a poster that reflects their relationship with football and the World Cup.

While many posters have become iconic to die-hard football supporters, the jury is out on the 2026 selection and the artists who have poured their heart and souls, and perhaps a little AI,

Club Leon boss slams FIFA and Infantino over Club World Cup

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:05:44 +0000

April 17 – Club Leon manager Eduardo Berizzo has blasted FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino over his side’s exclusion from the Club World Cup because of multiple-club ownership rules.

In March, Zurich ruled that Leon were not eligible to play in the inaugural 32-team competition after failing to meet FIFA’s multi-club ownership criteria, and Infantino has since offered up their spot in a playoff match between Club America and Los Angeles FC.

FIFA hails ‘one million volunteers’ on revamped programme

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:39:23 +0000

April 17 – FIFA says its revamped volunteer programme has now passed the one million mark since its launch in December 2020. However, while the organisation celebrates growing numbers, the reality on the ground in some host cities paints a more complex picture.

The milestone was marked with a photo op in Atlanta, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino met Craig Collins — officially dubbed the one millionth FIFA World Cup volunteer.

Infantino drums up flagging support for CWC ticket sales in Atlanta

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:16:20 +0000

April 15 – With the FIFA World Club Cup rapidly approaching, ticket sales are nowhere near Taylor Swift territory, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino is displaying unwavering confidence in his competition as it arrives shortly on American shores for the first time.

At Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium – which will host CWC matches before welcoming the actual World Cup next summer – Infantino brushed aside concerns about the tournament’s marketing to American consumers.

“I’m not worried at all to fill a stadium when teams are coming to play a World Cup,

FIFA announces Club World Cup officials

Andy Elliott — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 10:03:32 +0000

April 15 – FIFA has announced its team of 117 match officials who will oversee the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer — a landmark tournament that will also serve as a testing ground for new officiating technologies and rule adaptations.

Referees, assistants, and video officials from 41 member associations have been selected following an ‘extensive preparation programme’ involving cross-confederation seminars. In total, 35 referees,

The post FIFA announces Club World Cup officials appeared first on Inside World Football.

Concacaf’s Montagliani adds further warning to 64-team World Cup proposal

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:04:00 +0000

April 15 – Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has added his voice to the growing concern over the proposal to expand the World Cup to 64 teams, saying growing the number of teams “would not be the right move”.

At the FIFA Council in March, Uruguayan football boss Ignacio Alonso suggested expansion of the 2030 World Cup.FIFA subsequently said it would analyse the proposal.

Since then Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez has been banging the drum for expansion to 64 teams.

Infantino drums up flagging support for CWC ticket sales in Atlanta

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 02:30:25 +0000

April 16 – With the FIFA World Club Cup rapidly approaching, ticket sales are nowhere near Taylor Swift territory, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino is displaying unwavering confidence in his competition as it arrives shortly on American shores for the first time.

“I’m not worried at all to fill a stadium when teams are coming to play a World Cup,

AFC chief Salman warns against 64-team World Cup expansion

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:40:46 +0000

April 14 – Following in the footsteps of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has expressed opposition to a 64-team World Cup.

Salman told Agence France Press: “Personally, I don’t agree.”

He pointed to the 2030 edition which is to be played with 48 teams, saying that the “the matter is settled”.

He didn’t rule out discussing the number of participants at subsequent tournaments,

Dominguez sticks to 64-team World Cup theme, saying it is a party for everyone

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:28:22 +0000

April 11 – South American football supremo Alejandro Dominguez has repeated the idea of expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams as a one-off centenary celebration of the tournament.

Speaking at the 80th Conmebol Congress, the president of the South American federation said: “We are convinced that the celebration of the centenary will be something unique, because it has only once been 100 years old. And for this reason, we are proposing,

FIFA earmarks $1m for each CWC host city to create local legacy

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:53:24 +0000

April 11 – FIFA will distribute $1 million to each of the 11 host cities for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with the money targeted at supporting local community projects and creating a legacy that outlives the tournament.

The funds will be used to build small community-focused pitches and support social initiatives in each city. The legacy programme is part of a broader push by FIFA to highlight the impact of the first edition of its expanded 32-team Club World Cup,

With CWC sales slow, FIFA incentives ticket sales with 2026 World Cup option

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 06:12:50 +0000

April 11 – Buy one, get two is a typical ploy to encourage consumers to purchase more goods. In a first-of-its-kind offer, FIFA is selling packages to the 2025 World Club Cup that include an incentive to guarantee an opportunity to purchase tickets for the 2026 World Cup…while supplies last!

For 25 days only, according to FIFA, football fans will have “a once-in-a-lifetime to be part of the two most prestigious events in the men’s football calendar.”

The packages are split into two categories.

Women’s Olympic football expands to 16 teams

Andy Elliott — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:29:13 +0000

April 10 – The Women’s Olympic football tournament will expand to 16 teams for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Wednesday, with the men’s tournament downsized to just 12 teams.

The IOC pointed to the growing popularity of women’s team sports in the United States as a motive to change the competition format. “We wanted to do something to reflect that growth with the United States being the home of the highest level of popularity of women’s football,” said IOC sports director Kit McConnell.

The post Women’s Olympic football expands to 16 teams appeared first on Inside World Football.

World Cup? San Sebastián against hosting matches at 2030 tournament

Andy Elliott — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 08:42:28 +0000

April 10 – To be a host city for FIFA World Cup matches is a dream for many communities, but not for the beautiful Basque city of San Sebastián which has asked FIFA to withdraw its name as a venue for the 2030 edition of the men’s World Cup.

A letter signed by residents and associations around San Sebastián’s historic centre said that “hosting the FIFA World Cup will only worsen living conditions in our city,” adding that it would “further exacerbate the touristification” of the area.

FIFA and WTO study predicts $47bn of economic impact in US for CWC2025 and World Cup in 2026

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:36:51 +0000

April 9 – FIFA’s two flagship men’s tournaments in the United States – the expanded 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup – are projected to generate a combined $47 billion in gross output and create nearly 300,000 jobs in the US, according to new research released by FIFA and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The study, conducted by independent analysts OpenEconomics, estimates that the two tournaments will contribute $62 billion to global GDP,