“Manchester City have spent much of the last decade dominating the Premier League but for the last three and a half years there has been a very different battle to fight. City, English football’s champions in six of the last nine seasons, were charged with over 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023, leaving the legacy of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team under a cloud, even as a new era is beginning under Enzo Maresca. On Friday, it emerged that Manchester City had been found guilty of virtually all of the 115 charges, according to sources briefed on the matter who spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly. City are yet to be sanctioned and, at this stage, both financial and sporting sanctions remain on the table. City are almost certain to appeal the verdict, a process that could take several months. …”
NYT/ATH (Video)
The age of asterisk: Manchester City’s glittering era of success is tainted now “Welcome, then, to the age of asterisk. Whatever punishment Manchester Cityand their owners receive at the end of this process, the fact remains, everything is tainted now. Overturn the tables, scatter the gold coins. Throw your medals in the bin. You cheated to win them. Whatever that thing was, it’s done. Stolen glory, stolen income, stolen joy. Every chant, every “we won the lot”, every awkward documentary scene about the deep, throbbing heart of this empire of love. It all looks odd, sinister, cold, sloppy, but also, and this is always the best response, utterly absurd. This is not over of course. We still work on the principle of innocent until repeatedly proven guilty, pending mega-bucks final appeals. There could yet be a dramatic reversal at the next stage. …”
Guardian
Relegation? Titles stripped? Appeals? What next for Man City “It has taken more than two years, but a judgement finally appears to have been reached on the 115 charges levelled against Manchester City over breaches of Premier League financial rules. … We are not at the end of this process, however. Far from it. But what does this mean for City’s titles? What about their Premier League status? Will there be an appeal? And how long will it be before this saga does come to an end? …”
BBC (Video)
“Clock-watching. It’s a cherished element of the workday for uninspired office employees, but for referees, timekeeping is serious business. And this season, their handling of it is under more scrutiny than ever. That is because the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that sets the sport’s laws, introduced a suite of tweaks this season designed to curb time-wasting. These measures include a 10-second limit for substituted players when leaving the pitch. If they take longer, their replacement is not allowed to enter the pitch for a further minute. Referees have also been instructed to use five-second countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins. …”
“I never believed it would actually happen. Not really. Not until this week, when, for the first time, there was a sense, as The Godfather makes so abundantly clear, that you really can get to anyone. 
“Friday evening brings the return of the Premier League and, with it, nine more months of twists and turns, quality and controversy, and, for fans of the 20 clubs involved, more ups and downs than a FIFA president’s private jet during a World Cup. Eyes will be focused on the pitch but plenty of attention will be spared for matters off it too, and not only because there’s a summer transfer window with a week and a half left to run. Football’s richest, most-watched league will resume proceedings with its clubs subject to new financial rules, ones set to shape events in the 2026-27 season — and well beyond. Profit and sustainability rules (PSR), first introduced in 2013, are out; squad cost ratio (SCR) rules are in. So too, to less fanfare, are sustainability and systemic resilience (SSR) rules. At a vote by Premier League clubs in November 2025, the shift to an SCR regime was passed — barely. Fourteen clubs, the minimum needed to approve rule changes, voted in favour: Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Leeds United were the dissenting six. …”
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish thinks the rules impede aspirational clubs
“How was soccer invented? There are many conflicting beliefs concerning how the sport came to be. Known as football in most of the world, it is undeniable that this is one of the most popular sports today. Let’s explore how soccer was invented and spread over the years. … Regarding how soccer was invented in modern times, the codification of the sport began in the public schools of Britain at the beginning of the 19th century. Within the private school system ‘football’ was a game in which the hands were used during periods of play and grappling allowed, but otherwise, the modern shape of soccer was being formed. …”
“Like everywhere, the world’s smallest island nation has been gripped by football fever for the past six weeks. But once Spain lifted the World Cup trophy on Sunday, almost every trace of football on Nauru stopped. Football is almost non-existent on this Pacific island. Nauru has never fielded a team in an official international match and it has just one – hard sand – pitch. … But things may be slowly changing as a group of volunteers – led by British former academy player Charlie Pomroy – seek to introduce the game to what was once the world’s richest nation per capita but is now heavily reliant on foreign aid and has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. … A social media post from the Nauru Soccer Federation congratulating the new world champions and setting out a dream that ‘one day we hope to be in Spain’s position’ may have been fanciful, but the groundwork is real in what it says is the last country not to have had a senior international side. …”
“… 
“Folarin Balogun will be available to play the USMNT’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium after his one-game red-card ban was suspended, FIFA has confirmed. 
Members of the Moroccan national team line up for the national anthem ahead of a friendly match against Paraguay in Lens, France, on 31 March 2026.
“Soccer is a game of constantly moving parts — keeping track of it can be disorienting. Thankfully, starting formations provide a useful initial reference point, helping us make sense of the unfolding chaos. In theory, there are thousands of possible configurations of defenders, midfielders and forwards. In reality, most are captured by six broad shapes: 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 3-4-2-1 and 4-5-1. Since 2019-20, these six have accounted for 88 per cent of all formations used in club matches played in Europe’s top five leagues, and they will be the dominant shapes at the 2026 World Cup. …”
“The 
“The soccer haters are at it again. You can 
Senegal fans enjoy the Afcon final in Rabat in January, even if their team were stripped of the title after the controversy in the win against Morocco.
“You already know about the superstars who could light up the 2026 Fifa World Cup, but what about the next wave of talent? A record 1,248 players can feature in the USA, Canada and 
“WHEN Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, their list of opponents contributed to one of the weakest paths to glory in the competition’s history. This was the last 32-team tournament and the addition of more low level teams this year will only dilute the overall strength of the World Cup. Even though Argentina beat France and also came up against Croatia and the Netherlands, they also had Saudi Arabia, Australia, Poland and Mexico on their fixture list. The average ranking of their opponents was 25.3, the highest of any World Cup winner since Uruguay in 1930. …”
“Global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup are often pitched to host cities as economic jackpots. It’s a promise fuelled by an influx of tourists, packed hotels, new jobs and billions in spending. But as the games approach, skyrocketing ticket prices, weaker-than-expected hotel bookings and broader economic uncertainty are raising questions about whether the event will deliver the windfall many cities anticipated. … Fans are also facing confusion about visas. The administration waived its visa bond programme that requires visitors from 50 countries to pay a $15,000 bond deposit. In May, it dropped the requirement for those who have tickets to a World Cup game. However, amid reported delays in visa processing, travellers might not make it in time, or could still be barred from entering the country. Domestic travellers are also feeling squeezed. …”
“The 48 teams competing at this summer’s World Cup are making their final preparations for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They have qualified for what will be the biggest World Cup yet, expanded from the 32 teams that had competed since the 1998 edition in France, with a host of debutants and plenty of countries not regularly seen on the global stage. Our writers have spent months watching the sides involved and compiling this guide to every country that will take the field this summer. This article is detailed, but that also means it is long. You can search for a particular national team you would like to know more about, or jump to the group you are particularly interested in. …”
“This summer, the World Cup enters its biggest era yet. For the first time, 48 teams will compete for the trophy, with matches spread across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The expansion brings familiar giants and four first-time qualifiers into the field, creating the largest edition in its history, with more matches and storylines than ever before. Alongside former winners are returning sides with long World Cup histories, nations ending lengthy waits to get back on the stage and debutants appearing at the finals for the first time. Each continent provides its own stories, from South America’s traditional heavyweights to Africa’s growing ambitions and Europe’s deep field of contenders. Below is all you need to know about the 48 sides. …”
“It is nearly here. It feels like the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America has been in the planning stages for centuries, such is all the drama that has already taken place before a ball has been kicked. 
While demonstrating against the 2014 World Cup, protesters clash with police outside of Maracanã Stadium following the removal of indigenous Brazilians camped in Rio de Janeiro’s Museu do Índio.
“The World Cup promises to be the most-watched event in the history of sport. As a consequence, it will also be one of the most lucrative events on which bookmakers have ever offered odds. With huge betting markets already established in East Asia and Europe, and 
“The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced a raft of landmark rule changes that will come into force ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with the overarching objectives being to tackle discrimination, cut time-wasting, increase match tempo and improve fan and player experience. ‘We are trying to clean the game as much as possible,’ Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA referees committee, told reporters. Among the changes will be: A red card for covering the mouth in a confrontational situation; A red card for leaving the field of play in protest at a match official’s decision; VAR to overturn incorrectly awarded corners; Changes to on-field treatment rules. Collina is leading the implementation, while the World Cup’s 170 officials will take part in a final preparatory seminar in Miami on Tuesday. …”
SoFi Stadium workers protested against ICE last month, a key issue in their bargaining sessions with stadium operators.
“Thousands of tickets remain unsold for the United States’ high-priced World Cup opener, with data captured by The Athletic and other sources suggesting that the game is not on pace to sell out at current prices and purchasing rates. As of Thursday evening, two weeks before the 2026 World Cup begins, there were more than 3,500 tickets available on FIFA’s primary portal for the June 12 match between the U.S. and Paraguay. There were also over 6,500 tickets listed on FIFA’s resale platform, meaning there are over 10,000 tickets available for the match, which was initially billed as one of the tournament’s most attractive games. …”
“… The 10 players we will feature are the highest-ranked World Cup winners of our 100. Today, it is an Italian great who ranked 19th in our century and has a champions’ medal from the 1982 tournament despite never actually making it onto the pitch during it. Franco Baresi stood in the Amazon Theatre in Manaus. The salmon-pink opera house with a dome the colour of Brazil’s flag was built in 1896, when that city in the middle of the jungle became one of the richest on the planet during the rubber boom. …”
“A non-profit organization which supports people with serious spinal injuries was forced to cancel a raffle for two World Cup tickets after receiving cease-and-desist letters from a law firm representing soccer’s global governing body FIFA. In early May, Vancouver-based Spinal Cord Injury BC organized a promotion which invited people to enter a draw to secure two tickets to New Zealand against Egypt at BC Place on June 21, with proceeds intended to benefit various programs. The non-profit says on its website its key work is to ‘help people with spinal cord injuries and related disabilities to adjust, adapt and thrive’. …”
“FIFA’s 2026 World Cup is already surrounded by controversy before kickoff. From sky-high ticket prices and visa concerns to security fears, extreme heat, and fan backlash, critics say the tournament is becoming harder and more expensive for supporters around the world. With the biggest World Cup in history set across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, pressure on FIFA is growing fast.”
“It’s fair to say that Thomas Tuchel has ruffled a few feathers with his England squad for this summer’s World Cup. There was no room for 
“Zac Kenworthy, the vice-president of production at Fox Sports, has confirmed that his network intends to use half-time interviews during the World Cup and added it remains in ‘conversations’ with FIFA as to how they will use the 
“New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has secured a rare concession from FIFA after negotiating 1,000 tickets to matches at the upcoming World Cup finals priced at $50, which will be distributed by ballot to local residents. The 1,000 tickets will be split across games played at MetLife Stadium in neighboring New Jersey, including five group-stage fixtures, a round of 32 tie and a round of 16 game, but not the final on July 19. It is the only citywide access program of this kind that has so far been announced for the tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico this June and July. …”
“Whilst the FIFA World Cup remains the most coveted prize for the best players across the globe, there’s no greater achievement for fans than completing the painstaking 
“Stooped figures huddle into their overcoats as they make their way toward a football stadium. Under an overcast sky, they come in the hundreds, converging from every direction. The stands are beginning to fill with spectators, yet there is barely a glimpse of the football pitch itself. In the distance lie the faint outlines of an industrial landscape—mills, factories and towering smokestacks. This is the scene depicted in ‘Going to the Match,’ probably the best-known work by British artist L. S. Lowry. It captures the pre-match atmosphere of northern England in the mid-20th century. … Football is arguably the most popular sport on the planet, arousing strong and conflicting emotions. For artists, the game offers fertile ground, concentrating into 90 minutes a wide spectrum of human experience. That universality is what makes football such a powerful subject for visual culture ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first to be hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. …”
Mexico and South Africa playing the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
Congolese fans in Kigali, Rwanda during the 2016 African Nations Cup (CHAN) final between DR Congo and Mali.
“FIFA has drafted plans to use the MetLife Stadium field during the half-time show of the World Cup final, making it very likely that the interval for the tournament’s showpiece event on July 19 will run significantly beyond soccer’s 
“
“Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and a sustained ‘Trump Slump’ of declining international visitation, the substantial World Cup bump U.S. hotels were promised may not materialize, according to CoStar, the industry’s leading benchmarking and analytics firm.”
“In one of the more monumental shifts in the collectibles world, FIFA and Fanatics have inked a long-term, exclusive licensing deal that will allow Topps — owned by Fanatics — to produce soccer cards, stickers and trading card games for the World Cup and other FIFA events starting in 2031. This will end FIFA and Panini’s long-standing partnership in the space. Panini will have served as the key licensee for FIFA World Cup cards and 
“
“Ever wondered what it is like to be a Premier League referee? The ref cam, attached to the match official’s right ear, showing their point of view, has given a new insight into a referee’s perspective in the top flight this season. After trials in pre-season friendlies during the United States-staged Summer Series two years ago, and a league match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace in May 2024, this campaign’s rollout has been more comprehensive. 
“Across much of the investigative writing around gambling, betting, and football, the most obvious narrative is usually told in four ways: Footballers, referees, and the institutions responsible for developing the sport are corrupted; betting destroys youth; gambling companies exploit poor people; society has lost its morals. None of these are wrong, but over time they seem to produce more outrage than understanding about how football leaves itself open to betting. Betting does not actually create football’s culture of risk from scratch. It finds and enters a game already built and already training millions to become fanatical about living inside long odds, uncertain progression, selective visibility, and emotionally charged hope. …”
“In October 2025, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) flagged five suspicious bets placed on Burundian league matches between June and September of the previous year. These were the first such alerts the organization had recorded in the country since 2020. FIFA had already been in contact with the Burundi Football Federation (FFB) earlier that year over suspected manipulation in the top flight. Alexandre Muyenge, the President of the FFB, and also a police brigadier general, moved quickly, notifying national authorities and stepping up surveillance efforts. All coaches, players, officials and independent observers contacted during this investigation maintain that match-fixing has become routine in Burundi’s top division. One club, in particular, Deira Academy, stands out to investigators above all others. …”
“A coalition of more than 120 US-based civil society groups on Thursday issued a travel advisory ahead of the upcoming FIFA Men’s World Cup over what the ACLU called the “deteriorating 
“The 
“IT SEEMS bizarre that, despite the multitude of missiles falling on Tehran, the counter-strikes across the Middle East and the punchy rhetoric of the United States, FIFA are even considering to run the World Cup this summer. Let’s remember that the US is a host nation in this World Cup and host means ‘welcoming’ your visitors. And yet, Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Iran have either had partial or full travel bans slapped on them by the Trump administration. Furthermore, Mexico (co-hosts) and Colombia have been ‘warned’ by the US. Yes, Mexico, who helped the US win hosting rights for this tournament, have been warned. If you add it all up, among the 48 nations taking part, there are quite a few who have either been insulted, bullied, penalised (by tariff bingo) or threatened in some way by the US in the past 18 months. Why, oh why, would anyone want to travel to the States to take part in the competition in 2026? …”
“The 
“Shortly after the 
Iran fans at Qatar 2022. They have been banned from entering the US for this year’s World Cup, while Iran’s participation is now in doubt after the US-Israeli bombardment of the country.
