December 9 – The United Soccer League (USL) continues to provide healthy competition to Major League Soccer despite its second tier status, and that crosses over into the youth game.
December 10 – This week’s capacity tracker shows the Premier League suffering from a slight attendance slump in the build-up to Christmas – a pattern reflected last season as the festive season approaches.
December 10 – Concacaf will hold the draw for Round One of its premier club competition, the Champions Cup, in Miami today. The final 27 teams have been pre-seeded based on the Concacaf club rankings.
December 10 – UEFA’s Playmakers programme made its way to Montenegro for a unique football festival last week, as the institution looked to inspire the next generation of football lovers with a female-focussed event.
December 10 – Argentinian giants River Plate have announced the introduction of facial recognition technology at their iconic Estadio Mâs Monumental, enabling fans to ‘enjoy quick, secure, and ticketless access’.
December 9 – The English Football Association is still reportedly weighing up whether it will officially endorse Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid at this week’s virtual FIFA Congress amid ongoing human rights concerns.
December 9 – Having held the draw for the group stage of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, FIFA has now released the venues, dates and kick-off times for the 63 matches.
December 9 – The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has prompted the country’s football federation to change the national team’s kit and logo from red to green.
December 9 – The Ligue de Football Professionel (LFP) has signed a multi-year deal with Essilor which will see the French multinational corporation become the Visual Health Partner of the Ligue 1 McDonald’s, Ligue 2 BKT, the Trophée des Champions and the LFP’s esports division.
December 9 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has continued to build its sponsorship revenues, hitting a record $665 million in 2024, uncovered by research courtesy of Sponsor United.
December 9 – Gibraltar FA president and chairman of FIFA’s subcommittee for human rights and social responsibility Michael Llamas has called FIFA’s decision to ignore the Qatar report ‘disappointing”, but denies that the work of his committee has been undermined.
December 9 – In a move that stunned Manchester United fans as well as the football world at large, United sporting director Dan Ashworth is leaving the club just five months after taking over the role as part of an overhaul by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe.
December 9 – Completing a league-and-Libertadores double on Sunday, Brazilian club Botafogo clinched their first national title since 1995 with a 2-1 victory against Sao Paulo.
December 9 – Global sportswear brand Puma and Manchester City have unveiled an innovative AI-powered kit design platform, giving fans the unprecedented chance to design the club’s official Third kit for the 2026/27 season.
December 9 – Sheffield United owned by Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, currently top of the Championship and bidding for a return to the Premier League after being relegated last season, is set to be sold for £105 million an American consortium led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy.