December 18 – The expanded FIFA Club World Cup has already drawn widespread criticism for cramming more fixtures into an already congested football calendar. But if the backlash over its scheduling wasn’t enough, the recently revealed ticket prices for the tournament could escalate the controversy to new heights.
December 18 – UEFA has begun the first stage of a tender for exclusive hospitality sales, marketing and production rights for UEFA EURO 2028, publishing a Request for Information (RFI) to hospitality companies worldwide.
December 18 – FIFA has apologised to the Ukrainian FA for displaying a map during the European section of the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw that excluded Russia-occupied Crimea from the country’s territory.
December 18 – Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior has finally got his hands on a major global player award.
December 18 – Saudi Arabia has been dry since 1952, and we’re not talking about rain. King Ibn Saud banned alcohol that year, and the chances of football fans being allowed to drink in stadiums during World Cup 2034 are about as strong as Budweiser Zero.
December 18 – Some elite-level female professionals are dealing with a packed schedule whereas at the opposite end of the scale, others don’t have enough games to play, according to global players’ union Fifpro.
December 18 – The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga is making Bundesliga live content more accessible in select international markets by expanding its ‘Bundesliga Pass’ OTT service with OneFootball to Vietnam and South Africa.
December 18 – Tottenham Hotspur continues to remain ‘Spursy’ on the pitch, however, when it comes to marketing and partnerships, the North London club roar. In a new deal, the club has announced that Tiger Beer will be its ‘Official International Beer Partner’ in an effort to capitalise on the team’s growing presence in Asia.
December 18 – In the United States, the pinnacle for collegiate athletes is winning a National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) title, and on Monday in a thrilling overtime classic, unseeded Vermont (15-2-6) won its first men’s soccer NCAA championship in programme history beating Marshall University (15-1-7).
December 18 – Sloboda Tuzla, a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Premier League, has fired all of its coaches and players following a string of poor results. The news was delivered by club president Azmir Husić (pictured) after the team’s final match of the year.
December 18 – Tottenham Hotspur have lost their appeal against the severity of Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban for making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to a remark about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min.
December 17 – Women’s Euro 2021 champions England will open their title defence against France at the 2025 European Championship in Switzerland next summer.
December 17 – Prize money for next summer’s 2025 Women’s European Championship will increase by a whopping 156% compared to the previous edition, with the 16 teams sharing €41 million.
December 17 – The Leagues Cup will undergo a dramatic change in 2025 according to Liga MX president Mikel Arriola, who spoke to reporters on Sunday having taken over the reins as acting commissioner of the league after the surprise ousting of Juan Carlos Rodriguez.
December 17 – French authorities are considering what action to take after the high-profile clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was briefly interrupted Sunday because of yet more homophobic chanting by PSG fans, a stain on the game that continues to blight top fixtures across the country.