December 16 – After 62 matches, it’s down to the last two: on Sunday France and Kylian Mbappe and Argentina and Lionel Messi will face off to crown the world champion and bring the 22nd edition of the World Cup, the first one in the Middle East, to a close.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – He did not feel gay, he did not feel like a migrant worker, he did not feel disabled.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 16 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has outlined his ambitions to stage a 32-team Club World Cup from 2025, and confirmed that Qatar 2022 surprise package Morocco will host the 2022 edition of the competition.
December 16 – FIFA has announced that the budget for the 2023-2026 cycle will see £9.7 billion invested in football as the world cover expands its competitions and ambition.
December 18 – Portugal have parted company with coach Fernando Santos following their shock 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco at the World Cup.
December 16 – In something of a first, no doubt fuelled in part by the widespread alcohol ban, not a single British fan has been arrested at the World Cup in Qatar, according to the UK’s football policing lead.
December 16 – Player agents and intermediaries earned a combined $622.8 million in 2022, according to FIFA’s latest figures from its Transfer Match System (TMS) database.
December 15 – Dutch giants Ajax have trained more players for World Cup teams (11) than any other club, according to latest data from the CIES Football Observatory.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 15 – Those still backing the seemingly doomed European Super League have been dealt a hammer blow after the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) key adviser today ruled against them – a landmark decision for the future of European football.
December 15 – Serie A giants have extended their shirt sponsorship with Emirates, a partnership that has been in place for 15 years.
December 15 – A joint investigation unit commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and their players association (NWSLPA) has found widespread, ongoing misconduct in the top-flight North American league, according to a report released on Wednesday.
By Samindra Kunti in Al Khor
December 15 – After a history-making run, Moroccan hearts were finally broken. But following their 2-0 semi-final defeat to defending champions France coach Walid Regragui said that with a sense of pride prevailed that his side had shown “a good image”.
December 15 – More than three dozen Nepali civil society groups have called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to “stop looking the other way” while migrant workers in Qatar are denied compensation.
December 15 – Another day, another MoU for the Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) who are rapidly building a network of friends and influence across the football world.
December 15 – Major League Soccer has released detail of its expanded four-year ‘linear’ television agreements with FOX Sports and TelevisaUnivision in the US, plus TSN and RDS in Canada.