February 3 – In a strongly worded letter, world governing body FIFA has rebuked criticism by Members of the European Parliament over the host award of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
February 3 – Outspoken Spanish league boss Javier Tebas (pictured) has launched another scathing attack on Real Madrid for backing a European Super League and warns against taking revised plans for the breakaway league lightly, saying it could do untold damage.
February 3 – US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico, prompting a trade war between the long-time allies and the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.
February 3 – The Democratic Republic of Congo has called on Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain to end their “blood stained” sponsorship deals with Visit Rwanda because of the ongoing conflict in the region.
February 3 – Evision, the media and entertainment subsidiary of UAE mobile telecoms business e& (formerly Etisalat), has announced a strategic partnership with FIFA+ to bring the football-focused channel to STARZ ON, its free ad-supported streaming platform. This collaboration aims to enhance football content offerings in the MENA region by providing 24/7 access to premium FIFA programming at no cost.
February 3 – Having been close to being without a home stadium with their return to Camp Nou delayed and the Olympic Stadium booked for other events, Barcelona have been granted a lifeline and have formally requested an extension to their stay at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium until the end of the season.
February 3 – AC Milan have strengthened their ties with online trading platform Bitpanda, announcing an expanded partnership that will see the company’s logo feature on the back of the Rossoneri’s shirts with immediate effect.
February 3 – Colombia and Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran has departed the English Premier League for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in a reported £64 million deal.
February 3 – In 2024, Major League Soccer (MLS) caused uproar in the US community as the league announced that all of its teams would not participate in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup due to fixture congestion. After negotiations in December 2023, MLS allowed eight clubs to compete along with nine MLS-affiliated MLS Next Pro teams.
February 2 – The Russian owner of Botev Plovdiv, Anton Zingarevich, said he has still not received any official explanation from the Bulgarian authorities about why he has been issued with a 10-year ban from residing in Bulgaria.
February 3 – You can’t play the ‘beautiful game’ without a ball, and the game is littered with iconic and controversial balls. The Adidas Telstar and tango from the 1970 and 1978 World Cups are still considered the crown jewels with football aficionados while the Adidas Jabulani from 2010 was described by Brazilian goalkeeper, Julio Cesar, as “a ball you buy in a supermarket”.
February 3 – Atlanta, which has just completed the hosting of the College Football Playoff National Championship, has turned its attention to the 500-day countdown to the 2026 World Cup where it will host eight matches, including a semi-final.
February 3 – Women’s football is perhaps the fastest growing sector within the game, and that theme looks set to continue now that East London Ladies FC and MOLO have teamed up to celebrate one woman’s impact on grassroots football over the last decade in their new documentary ‘The New Gaffer’.
January 31 – In a potential breakthrough move, representatives of the world players’ union Fifpro are reported to have met with FIFA over the packed fixture calendar that has led to the threat of strike action.
January 31 – Manchester City will face defending champions Real Madrid. The top two UEFA-ranked teams will come head-to-head much earlier than most expected, after each club failed to make the top eight during Wednesday’s group stage climax.