Alibaba lands UEFA partnership covering EURO 2028 and men’s club competitions - Alibaba Group has struck a multi-year partnership with UEFA and UC3 to supply AI, cloud and e-commerce capabilities across UEFA EURO 2028 and UEFA’s men’s club competitions, tightening the link between technology infrastructure, fan engagement and commercial delivery. By Chris Brown
Simon and adidas take football experiences to US malls - Simon and adidas are rolling out a summer programme of live football-themed events and in-store activations across select US shopping destinations as both groups chase footfall, brand engagement and incremental retail sales. By Chris Brown
MetLife and Ares in dispute over Eagle Football restructuring - MetLife’s resistance to Ares Management’s Eagle Football restructuring highlights how stadium-backed insurance capital can collide with private credit when a multi-club group runs into refinancing and regulatory risk. By Chris Brown
Riquelme pledges 20,000-seat Alfredo Di Stéfano upgrade in Real Madrid bid - Enrique Riquelme has put stadium investment at the centre of his Real Madrid election bid, pledging a 20,000-seat upgrade for the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as part of a wider members-led redevelopment plan. By Chris Brown
Arsenal return to top five in Football Benchmark valuations - Arsenal’s Premier League title has helped lift their enterprise value to €4.93bn and pushed them back into the world’s top five most valuable football clubs, according to Football Benchmark. By Chris Brown
Newcastle United appoint BlueprintX to overhaul data and CRM strategy - Newcastle United have appointed BlueprintX to lead a transformation of their commercial and fan engagement data strategy as the club seek to scale revenues and personalise supporter experiences. By Chris Brown
Inter extend Socios.com deal until 2028 - Inter have extended their partnership with fan engagement platform Socios.com until 2028, reinforcing their digital fan strategy around blockchain-based loyalty and rewards. By Chris Brown
Fanatics Markets launches official FIFA World Cup 2026 prediction hub in US - Fanatics Markets has launched an official FIFA World Cup 2026 prediction hub in the US with ADI Predictstreet, packaging regulated event contracts with tournament news and official player data in a bid to deepen in-app engagement during the competition. By Chris Brown
New York and New Jersey subpoena FIFA over World Cup 2026 ticketing at MetLife - New York and New Jersey have subpoenaed FIFA as part of an investigation into alleged ticketing practices at MetLife Stadium for FIFA World Cup 2026, including claims of misleading seat allocations and engineered scarcity. By Chris Brown
Liverpool FC renew Wasabi partnership to scale global content - Liverpool FC and cloud storage firm Wasabi have renewed their global partnership as the club leans on AI-enabled media workflows to scale content output and fan personalisation worldwide. By Chris Brown
Unilever goes social-first for FIFA World Cup 2026 personal care push - Unilever has launched what it calls its biggest-ever sports partnership activation after becoming FIFA World Cup 2026’s Official Personal Care Sponsor, putting creator-led storytelling and retail-ready brand building at the centre of its tournament plan. By Chris Brown
Loewe to dress Spain teams on travel duty until 2030 - Spain’s football federation has appointed luxury fashion house Loewe as an official partner to supply travel wardrobes for its national teams, while Football Australia has renewed a commercial tie-up with Coca-Cola on a new two-year term. By Chris Brown
Zee enters talks with FIFA for India World Cup rights - Zee Entertainment has opened talks with FIFA to secure India’s broadcast and streaming rights for the 2026 World Cup as the rights package remains unresolved weeks before kick-off. By Chris Brown
Liga MX returns to EA Sports FC in multi-year licensing deal - Liga MX has agreed a licensing deal with Electronic Arts to return as a fully branded competition in EA Sports FC from the FC 27 release cycle, giving the league a global youth-facing distribution platform ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Mexico. By Chris Brown
Bournemouth win approval for Vitality Stadium expansion - AFC Bournemouth have secured unanimous planning approval to expand Vitality Stadium beyond 20,000 seats, unlocking new matchday and hospitality revenues while positioning the project as an economic boost for the local area. By Chris Brown
FIFA launches tap-to-unlock Fan ID for World Cup 2026 matchdays - FIFA has launched a free physical Fan ID for FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders, using a tap-to-unlock digital layer to deepen fan engagement and drive official merchandise and rewards activity across all 16 stadiums. By Chris Brown
Iran switch World Cup base camp to Tijuana after FIFA approval - Iran have moved their FIFA World Cup 2026 base camp from Arizona to Tijuana after securing FIFA approval, a switch aimed at reducing visa and security uncertainty while keeping travel tight to their early matches. By Chris Brown