December 2 – FIFA are reported to be considering scrapping three-team groups at the World Cup 2026 tournament – the first with 48 teams – and sticking with the status quo of four-team groups.
December 1 – Almost every game at this World Cup has exceeded 100 minutes in length, but FIFA’s head of referees has defended his referees for the vast amounts of injury time being added.
November 27 – FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Serbia for hanging a political banner in their dressing room at the World Cup about neighbouring independent state Kosovo.
November 25 – The Danish FA (DBU) are playing down reports they are leading a possible withdrawal from FIFA over the ‘OneLove’ armband storm.
November 24 – FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Ecuador over homophobic chanting by their fans in their World Cup opener against hosts Qatar.
November 24 – FIFA’s last-minute decision to ban alcoholic beer sales at World Cup stadiums could cost them $47 million, with tournament sponsors Budweiser reportedly seeking a massive deduction in its $75 million sponsorship deal after the humiliation of having had their beer concession rights withdrawn by Qatari World Cup organisers.
November 24 – In a defiant protest, Germany’s player covered their mouths against FIFA’s clampdown on free speech and the ban of the ‘OneLove’ armband’.
November 23 – Germany’s football association (DFB) is examining whether FIFA’s threat to impose sanctions against players who wanted to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband at the World Cup is legal.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
November 23 – On the eve of Belgium’s opening game with Canada in the World Cup, Belgian veteran player Jan Vertonghen has said that he is afraid to talk about the OneLove armband.
By David Owen
November 23 – So, what do you know: 55 minutes into that extraordinary hour-long tormented, angry pre-World Cup vent by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, some hard, or hard-ish, financial information.
November 22 – European teams have reacted with disappointment and dismay after being forced by FIFA to abandon plans to wear ‘OneLove’ armbands at the World Cup in support of LGBTQ rights.
November 22 – New FIFA guidelines resulted in more than an hour of stoppage time in the first four World Cup games in bid to maximise playing time and avoid time-wasting.
November 22 – FIFA, whose articles of association used to prevent it from betting partnerships as it was operating under Swiss chartable laws, has announced its first World Cup betting partner for an event that is taking place in a muslim country where all forms of betting are outlawed.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
November 22 – Iran’s players boycotted their national anthem in a silent protest against the regime back home ahead of their World Cup curtain raiser against England.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
November 19 – In what was probably the most remarkable, unhinged and illogical rant ever made by a leading sports administrator, the kind of nonsense straight out of the Donald Trump play book, FIFA president Gianni Infantino embarqued on an almost-hour-long justification of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and chastisement of the western world.