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In the first 15 days of the latest World Cup ticket lottery, which began Dec. 11, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said over 150 million requests were received — which is 30-times greater than the allotted supply for the tournament.
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Molly McVety
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Football Australia will be able to issue $90 tickets to the Socceroos’ most loyal fans after FIFA agreed to slash the price of some World Cup tickets following a global backlash.
Some fans will even get $US60 ($90) seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $US4,185 ($6,300).
However, they are likely to only equate to around 500 tickets a match that Australia plays.
FIFA said that the cheaper tickets would be made available for every game at the tournament, going to the national federations whose teams are playing. Those federations will decide how to distribute them to fans who have attended previous games at home and on the road.
The cheaper tickets, labelled “Supporter Entry Tier”, will be 10 per cent of the federation’s allocation — which itself will vary depending on stadium size.
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The “participant member association” allocation is 8 per cent of stadium capacity per country per match.
Australia’s group games are in Vancouver (54,000 capacity), Seattle (69,000) and Santa Clara (71,000), meaning it will respectively receive 432, 552, and 568 $90 tickets for its matches against a UEFA play-off winner (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo), USA and Paraguay.
So will its opponents. The next cheapest tickets are priced at around $400.
FIFA’s climbdown follows meetings between senior officials in Doha this week, where federations are understood to have pushed back at the pricing model.
Fans worldwide reacted with shock and anger last week on seeing FIFA’s ticketing plans that gave participating teams no tickets in the lowest-priced category.
The co-hosts had pledged eight years ago — when they were bidding for the tournament — that hundreds of thousands of $US21 ($32) tickets would be made available.
FIFA has also faced fierce criticism for a ticket pricing strategy that includes dynamic pricing, in which prices can increase due to demand, and acting as its own resale platform, taking a cut in the process.
When the original pricing was announced Football Supporters Association Australia chairman Patrick Clancy said the prices were high but he thought many Socceroos’ fans would still buy them.
“These are historically high prices — even the minimums,” he said.
“I’m sure there will be some people who choose not (to go), and that’s absolutely fine, but I suspect the large majority will not be put off.”
AAP/AP/PA
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(CNN) — Organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Summer Olympics have promised that there will be affordable tickets for the Games that start in less than three years time.
On Monday, LA28 announced fans would be able to register for tickets from January 14, 2026 and that at least one million would be priced at $28, according to Reuters.
“Every sport starts at $28 and that’s not just lip service to a couple tickets in the corner of some venue, but a meaningful number of tickets,” said Allison Katz-Mayfield, LA28’s senior vice president of Games delivery revenue, per Reuters.
“We’re looking at at least a million tickets at $28 and we’ve got about a third of our tickets under $100.”
After fans register on January 14, they will enter into a random ticket draw and hope to receive a time slot in which to purchase tickets later in 2026.
LA28’s decision comes amid widespread criticism of soaring ticket prices for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Global soccer governing body FIFA launched its third phase of ticket sales last week, with fans discovering the cheapest seat for the final would cost them more than $4,000.
Amid the backlash, FIFA said five million ticket requests were made in the first 24 hours of the third phase being launched and confirmed it would reinvest the revenue it generates “to fuel the growth of football.”
FIFA, though, had also promised it would be an affordable World Cup for fans, so many Olympic enthusiasts might wait to see a confirmed list of prices for LA28 before getting too excited.
CNN Sports has reached out to LA28 for comment about when a confirmed list of prices will be made available but has not yet received a reply.
Los Angeles has already hosted two Olympics, in 1932 and 1984, with venues for the latest edition laid out across the sprawling city.
The next Summer Olympics will begin on July 14, 2028 with the opening ceremony and will run until July 30, 2028. The Paralympic Games will begin on August 15, 2028 and close on August 27, 2028.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations that target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.
Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium, which local organizers say will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.”
In Egypt, the soccer federation issued a statement late Tuesday saying it sent a letter to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.”
Seattle PrideFest has been organized in the city since 2007 by a nonprofit which designated the June 26 game for celebration before FIFA made the World Cup draw Friday.
FIFA chose Saturday to allocate the Egypt-Iran game to Seattle instead of Vancouver, where the teams’ group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time.
Already, organizers in Seattle have promoted an art contest for the game, including one entry of a rainbow-flagged sun rising over Mount Rainier as a crab goalie goes for a soccer ball while holding a cup of coffee in its pinchers.
“With matches on Juneteenth and pride, we get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome,” Seattle’s Mayor-elect Kate Wilson wrote on social media. “What an incredible honor!”
FIFA controls only stadiums and official fan zones in World Cup host cities and should have no formal authority over community events like Seattle PrideFest.
FIFA declined comment Tuesday to the Associated Press, and did not address a question if it would consider switching the Belgium-New Zealand game to Seattle.
In Iran, where gays and lesbians can face the death penalty, the president of Iran’s Football Federation Mehdi Taj criticized scheduling the match during an interview aired on state television late Monday.
Taj said Iran would bring up the issue during a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week. The longest-serving member of the 37-person council chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino is Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida.
“Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point,” Taj said. State TV on Tuesday confirmed a complaint would be sent to FIFA.
The Egypt soccer federation led by Ado Rida said of the pride celebration it “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”
It urged FIFA to stop the celebration to “avoid activities that may trigger cultural and religious sensitivity between the presented spectators of both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially as such activities contradict the cultures and religions of the two countries.”
Iran had threatened to boycott the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. over complaints about five of its nine-person delegation, including Taj, not getting visas to enter the United States.
Iranians are subject to a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration and the U.S. in the past has denied visas for those with ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, like Taj. Iran ended up sending a smaller delegation including the team’s coach.
Tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program, particularly after American warplanes bombed atomic sites in the country during Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic Republic in June. Unlike the 2022 World Cup, however, Iran is not scheduled to play the United States in the World Cup’s opening matches.
Asked about the complaint Wednesday, Seattle’s organizing committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament.”
“The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle,” spokesperson Hana Tadesse said in a statement. “We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that defines our region.”
For years, Egyptian police have targeted gays and lesbians, sparking warnings even from the app Grindr in the past. Though Egypt technically does not outlaw homosexuality, authorities frequently prosecute members of the LGBTQ+ community on the grounds of “debauchery,” or “violating public decency.”
Iran also has targeted the LGBTQ community and its theocracy is believed to have executed thousands of people for their sexuality since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once famously went as far as to claim during a 2007 visit to the United States: “We don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” A crowd at Columbia University responded by laughing and heckling the leader.
FIFA risks being accused of a double standard if it sides with World Cup teams’ federations over the city of Seattle.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA fiercely defended the right of the host nation’s cultural norms to be respected in full by visiting teams.
A group of European federations wanted their team captains to wear a “One Love” armband with some rainbow colors that symbolized human rights and diversity, which FIFA and Qatari officials viewed in part as criticism of the emirate criminalizing same-sex relations. Some Wales fans had rainbow hats removed before entering the stadium.
Qatar also will play in Seattle at the World Cup, on June 24 against a European opponent which could be Italy or Wales.
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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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Football fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after the latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate.
The governing body allocates eight per cent of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
A list published by the German football federation revealed prices ranged from $US180-$US700 ($270-$1050) for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $US4,185 ($6,280) and the highest was $US8,680 ($13,025).
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 tickets being available.
The target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate”.
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But those prices are subject to change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
Football fans will be forced to pay top dollar at next year’s World Cup despite FIFA’s original claims of cheap tickets. (Reuters: Mariana Nedelcu)
There were only three categories in the price list published by the German federation.
The lowest-priced ticket was $180 for Germany’s opening group game against Curacao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920, rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found”.
The Associated Press approached FIFA for comment.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal could face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. (Getty Images/IPA)
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread ticket sales on Thursday, with fans able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its Random Selection Draw.
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.
Participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.
Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened December 11 and closes January 13, 2026.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success. Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
The last time the US hosted the World Cup in 1994, prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022, prices ranged from about $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced.
Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 on secondary resale sites.
For this tournament, FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15 per cent fee based on the total resale price.
FIFA said that closer to the tournament, any remaining tickets would go on general sale on a first-come, first-served basis.
It did not reveal a time frame for the release of those remaining tickets.
AP
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GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s public support for Donald Trump and a peace prize awarded to the U.S. president are the subjects of formal complaints to the global soccer body’s ethics investigators.
FairSquare, a London-based human rights nonprofit, said Tuesday it filed requests for investigations into Infantino’s alleged breaches of FIFA’s statutory duty to be politically neutral.
FIFA said its ethics committee does not comment on potential ongoing cases, and could not confirm receiving the complaint.
FIFA’s ethics code calls for a ban from soccer of up to two years for violating the duty of neutrality, though it is unclear if the case will be taken up. The FIFA-appointed current ethics investigators and judges are seen by some observers to operate with less independence than their predecessors a decade ago when then-president Sepp Blatter was removed from office.
Infantino has expressed views this year backing Trump and his policies, including suggesting the U.S. president deserved to get the Nobel Peace Prize which he did not win.
The FIFA leader also has closely aligned soccer with the United States government ahead of the men’s 2026 World Cup being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico. The tournament should earn more than $10 billion for FIFA.
Political leaders of all three co-hosts joined Infantino on stage to begin the World Cup tournament draw last Friday in Washington, D.C., after Trump got the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
“The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is in and of itself a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality,” FairSquare said in an eight-page complaint.
FIFA has not specified how Infantino created the peace prize last month though people familiar with the process in private conversations said they learned about it through media reports.
“If Mr. Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority this should be considered an egregious abuse of power,” FairSquare said.
FairSquare has previously challenged FIFA over the human rights record of Saudi Arabia, the 2034 World Cup host; the influence of the kingdom’s oil company Aramco which is a highest-tier World Cup sponsor; FIFA governance standards; and FIFA’s slow-moving investigation into possible statutes breaches relating to teams from Israeli settlements playing in the national soccer league.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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Orlando could potentially return to hosting World Cup soccer games in the coming years.On Friday, FIFA announced that the bid books to host the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups were submitted. A joint bid from the soccer federations of the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica to co-host the 2031 edition was included in Tuesday’s announcement. Orlando was named one of over 35 cities across the bidding countries vying to host 2031 World Cup games at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. “We are honored that both Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium have been selected to advance in U.S. Soccer’s bid book for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “This important next step in the process reflects the strength of our regional partnerships and the collective commitment of Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride, Orlando Venues, the City of Orlando, Orange County, and Visit Orlando to showcasing world-class soccer.” Orlando previously hosted six games of the FIFA Club World Cup last summer at both Inter&Co and Camping World Stadiums.Orlando leaders expressed their desire to host games in the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year following a visit to Orlando from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. During that visit, Infantino told reporters, “If the results of this test, of this Club World Cup that takes place now are positive, which I’m convinced they will be, with not just full stadiums, but also a welcoming atmosphere in the city to welcome the fans from all over the world, then I think that the prerogatives and the conditions for being a host city in Women’s World Cup in 2031 will certainly be met.”Related: Big test for Orlando’s Women’s World Cup hopes Orlando last hosted World Cup games last summer with the Club World Cup edition and previously the Men’s World Cup in 1994 at the then-Citrus Bowl, now Camping World Stadium. Caesar Lopez, the COO and general counsel for Orlando City Soccer Club, told WESH 2 last April that the club will be aggressively pushing for a 2031 bid.”We are more than excited about the opportunity to host and an honor to have a prestigious tournament like the Women’s World Cup in our market,” Lopez said. “We’ve had the success of our game really explode with the 1994 World Cup, and now having it again, an opportunity to be a catalyst for the women’s game, would be an amazing opportunity. We’re going to be aggressive about it. We want to make sure we serve our community and fans with the best soccer in the world.”A final decision on the hosting rights for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup is expected following FIFA’s Congress scheduled for April 30, 2026. The USA-Mexico-Costa Rica-Jamaica bid was the only one submitted. The host city selection will be made after the tournament is awarded to the bidding nation, according to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. Orlando City of Major League Soccer and the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League currently play at Inter&Co Stadium. Camping World Stadium, which will likely don a new name once its existing naming rights expire at the end of the year, has also hosted international soccer games throughout the year. Camping World Stadium is expecting to undergo a $400 million renovation with construction starting in December. Renovation to the stadium will increase capacity to a minimum of 65,000, among other things. Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.
Orlando could potentially return to hosting World Cup soccer games in the coming years.
On Friday, FIFA announced that the bid books to host the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups were submitted.
A joint bid from the soccer federations of the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica to co-host the 2031 edition was included in Tuesday’s announcement.
Orlando was named one of over 35 cities across the bidding countries vying to host 2031 World Cup games at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium.
“We are honored that both Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium have been selected to advance in U.S. Soccer’s bid book for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “This important next step in the process reflects the strength of our regional partnerships and the collective commitment of Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride, Orlando Venues, the City of Orlando, Orange County, and Visit Orlando to showcasing world-class soccer.”
Orlando previously hosted six games of the FIFA Club World Cup last summer at both Inter&Co and Camping World Stadiums.
Orlando leaders expressed their desire to host games in the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year following a visit to Orlando from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
During that visit, Infantino told reporters, “If the results of this test, of this Club World Cup that takes place now are positive, which I’m convinced they will be, with not just full stadiums, but also a welcoming atmosphere in the city to welcome the fans from all over the world, then I think that the prerogatives and the conditions for being a host city in Women’s World Cup in 2031 will certainly be met.”
Related: Big test for Orlando’s Women’s World Cup hopes
Orlando last hosted World Cup games last summer with the Club World Cup edition and previously the Men’s World Cup in 1994 at the then-Citrus Bowl, now Camping World Stadium.
Caesar Lopez, the COO and general counsel for Orlando City Soccer Club, told WESH 2 last April that the club will be aggressively pushing for a 2031 bid.
“We are more than excited about the opportunity to host and an honor to have a prestigious tournament like the Women’s World Cup in our market,” Lopez said. “We’ve had the success of our game really explode with the 1994 World Cup, and now having it again, an opportunity to be a catalyst for the women’s game, would be an amazing opportunity. We’re going to be aggressive about it. We want to make sure we serve our community and fans with the best soccer in the world.”
A final decision on the hosting rights for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup is expected following FIFA’s Congress scheduled for April 30, 2026.
The USA-Mexico-Costa Rica-Jamaica bid was the only one submitted.
The host city selection will be made after the tournament is awarded to the bidding nation, according to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
Orlando City of Major League Soccer and the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League currently play at Inter&Co Stadium.
Camping World Stadium, which will likely don a new name once its existing naming rights expire at the end of the year, has also hosted international soccer games throughout the year.
Camping World Stadium is expecting to undergo a $400 million renovation with construction starting in December.
Renovation to the stadium will increase capacity to a minimum of 65,000, among other things.
Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.
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Cristiano Ronaldo will likely avoid missing any Portugal matches at the men’s World Cup, despite receiving a red card in a qualifier.
Ronaldo swung an arm and struck Ireland defender Dara O’Shea with an elbow during Portugal’s 2-0 loss in Dublin earlier this month.
FIFA published a disciplinary verdict that imposed a three-match ban, judging Ronaldo’s action to be an example of “violent conduct”.
But two of those matches are deferred for a one-year probation period.
Ronaldo served a mandatory one-match ban when Portugal played its final qualifying match last week, a 9-1 win over Armenia that sealed its place at the World Cup in North America and Mexico.
FIFA cited its disciplinary rules that allowed for parts of a sanction to be probationary, though it was rare in cases of a three-match ban for two of them to be deferred.
Meanwhile, FIFA announced the World Cup draw would reward the four highest-ranked teams: Spain, Argentina, France and England.
They will be placed in separate sections of a new tennis-style seeded tournament bracket.
Defending champion Argentina’s passage to the semifinals appears easier. (Getty Images/Soccrates: Eric Verhoeven)
The draw procedure means the top four teams in the latest rankings will — if they finish top of their respective round-robin groups — avoid each other until the semifinals of the June 11-July 19 tournament.
The rule aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format.
At previous World Cups, the path for teams into and through the knockout phase was decided by the group in which they were drawn.
FIFA also revealed the four pots for the final draw, which takes place on December 6 AEDT in Washington.
The Socceroos will be drawn from pot two.
They are the lowest-ranked team in their 12-team pot, which also includes their continental rival Japan and world number 10 Croatia.
Forty-two teams have already qualified for the World Cup.
The other six entries will be decided in March when European and global play-off brackets are scheduled.
Those teams all will come out of the draw pot of lowest-ranked teams.
AP/Reuters
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Posted on: November 19, 2025, 11:11h.
Last updated on: November 19, 2025, 11:21h.
The tiny Caribbean island country of Curacao is headed to the 2026 World Cup.
On Tuesday, Curacao made history by becoming the smallest-ever nation to qualify for the World Cup. The country’s ascent to global soccer’s main stage came after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on Tuesday to finish atop its four-team Concacaf group (Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football).
The island nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands went undefeated in its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Curacao beat St. Lucia 4-0 and Haiti 5-1 in June, tied Trinidad and Tobago, and beat Bermuda 3-2 in September, and beat group favorite Jamaica 2-0 to open their October window before tying Trinidad and Tobago again.
In November, Curacao made easy work of Bermuda 7-0 to reach the group finale. The Jamaica rematch resulted in a tie, sending the nation that’s home to only 156,115 people to soccer’s main event.
Curacao easily becomes to smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup. Iceland previously held the mark, the country home to more than 352K people, making the 2018 tournament.
Curacao poached many football players from the Netherlands, as approved by FIFA, to help the nation reach its debut World Cup.
Part of the ABC islands, along with Aruba and Bonaire, Curacao is less reliant on tourism than most other Caribbean countries and territories. Curacao has large financial services and trade industries relevant to its size.
The nation also relies on its gaming industry. Along with land-based casinos, the country is known for being a hub for offshore online casinos and sports betting platforms.
Until 2023, obtaining an online gaming license in Curacao was a rather easy process. The country updated its compliance regulations that year to include stricter anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
The changes, which additionally included more stringent oversight of licensees’ gaming operations, were to improve the country’s poor global reputation for being home to many offshore gambling entities.
Once scorned by countries from the United States to China for allowing their licensees to take bets from people abroad, the Curacao Gaming Authority now goes by the motto, “Elevating the Curacao Gaming Industry.”
The Curacao Gaming Authority strives to protect the interest of the public and the integrity and stability of the Curaçao gaming industry by ensuring that all gaming is conducted honestly, responsibly, competitively, and free from criminal and corruptive elements, thereby elevating the Curacao gaming industry,” the regulator said.
The focus of the online gaming updates has dealt with protecting consumers and combating money laundering and terrorism financing. The regulatory reforms haven’t appeased foreign nations wishing for Curacao to prohibit its iGaming concessionaires from targeting players in their countries.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted throughout North America in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Host cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York, and Philadelphia.
The odds are long that Curacao will make a deep run. FanDuel has Curacao at 1000/1 to win the Cup. A $1 bet on that unthinkable coming true would net $1,000.
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Devin O’Connor
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DUBLIN (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo is at serious risk of being banned for the first game of the 2026 World Cup if Portugal qualifies as expected.
The soccer superstar was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea in the second half of a qualifying game Thursday that Portugal lost 2-0 in Dublin.
Ronaldo will serve a mandatory one-game ban imposed for any red card when Portugal hosts Armenia on Sunday knowing a win will secure a place at the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA disciplinary rules require its judges to impose a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play.”
The ban should be “at least three matches for violent conduct” or “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing.”
A FIFA ban would apply to competitive games and could not be served in pre-tournament exhibitions.
Ronaldo spun round and swung his right elbow into O’Shea’s back as they waited for the ball to be crossed around the hour mark at Aviva Stadium with Ireland holding a surprise 2-0 lead.
The referee issued a yellow card but minutes later upgraded it to red after a video review at the pitchside monitor.
Ronaldo curled his lips in a wry look as he walked off the field being jeered and mocked by Ireland fans.
He stopped and looked at the fans, clapped his hands toward them and raised two thumbs up in an apparent sarcastic gesture.
Ronaldo, who turns 41 in February, is aiming to play at a record sixth World Cup tournament.
The tournament draw is made Dec. 5 in Washington DC when Portugal, if it qualifies, will learn its schedule of three opponents in the group stage.
Ireland forward Troy Parrott had scored twice in the first half Thursday to revive Irish hopes of qualification likely through the playoffs ahead of facing second-place Hungary on Sunday.
Portugal tops Group F with 10 points, two ahead of Hungary. Ireland is third with seven points.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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MIAMI (AP) — FIFA has announced the creation of a peace prize, which it plans to award for the first time at the draw for the World Cup on Dec. 5 in Washington.
The award, called the FIFA Peace Prize, will “recognize exceptional actions for peace,” soccer’s governing body said Wednesday. But FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has a close relationship with President Donald Trump, would not tip his hand Wednesday when asked if Trump will be the first recipient of the award.
“On the 5th of December, you will see,” Infantino said. He was speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami, shortly after Trump addressed the same event.
Infantino said earlier Wednesday that, “in an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognize the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace.” FIFA said the award, which Infantino will present this year, will be bestowed annually “on behalf of fans from all around the world.”
Trump was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize last month despite lobbying from fellow Republicans, various world leaders and himself. And Infantino made no secret of the ties between himself, FIFA and Trump in his remarks Wednesday.
“I’m really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, who I consider really a close friend,” Infantino said. “Of course, he’s been very, very helpful in everything we do for the World Cup. … He has such an incredible energy and this is something that I really admire. He does things. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He says, actually, what many people think as well, but maybe don’t dare to say. And that’s why he’s so successful.”
FIFA recently added another link to Trump by appointing his daughter Ivanka to the board of a $100 million education project part-funded by 2026 World Cup ticket sales.
The World Cup draw, and the awarding of the peace prize, is expected to draw about 1 billion viewers worldwide, Infantino said.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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FIFA is set to sell 1 million more tickets to the 2026 World Cup during the second phase of the ticketing process that started Monday. Soccer fans must enter in a lottery by 11 a.m. Friday for a chance to be selected to purchase tickets in mid-November.
Anyone can enter this second-phase ticket draw, but those who reside in the three North American host countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States – will have a dedicated time slots during which they can buy single-match tickets to games in their home countries before sales open up to lottery winners in the rest of the world.
MORE: Road closures planned on 5-mile stretch of I-76 for paving and bridge repairs
FIFA’s first ticket lottery that took place in September drew criticism about the process and pricing.
The World Cup takes place between June 11 and July 19, and Lincoln Financial Field will host six matches, including a knockout-round game on the Fourth of July.
For anyone entering the lottery to purchase tickets, tournament organizers require you to create a FIFA ID. Fans who are selected in the draw will be notified at least 48 hours before their assigned time slot to buy tickets opens. In North America, ticket sales for lottery winner start Nov. 12 and last for 72 hours.
FIFA has already sold more than 1 million tickets during its first round of sales, which it called its presale phase.
“We have already seen massive interest from around the world for this tournament, and especially from within the host countries as Canada, Mexico and the United States prepare to host the biggest FIFA World Cup yet,” Heimo Schirgi, FIFA World Cup 26 chief operating officer, said in a statement. “This second phase, with its host country domestic exclusivity time slot, will allow us to say thank you to these local fans, while ensuring global opportunity as well.”
FIFA has been criticized for dynamic pricing of tickets, which adjusts the cost according to demand, and the organization’s exclusive resale website. While some tickets were listed at $60, the Athletic reported that many fans waited for hours in digital queues during the first phase before finding that those tickets were scarce.
One group of fans from England, upset with the cost to attend matches, estimated that even buying the cheapest face-value tickets, it would still cost more than $3,000 to attend every England match, if the team made it to the final. That is more than double what it cost in Qatar in 2022, ESPN reported.
Zohran Mamdani, a mayoral candidate in New York City, launched the “Game Over Greed” campaign, arguing that admission to the games is too expensive for most working class people living in the host cities. “What this means is the biggest sporting event in the world is happening in your backyard, and you’ll be priced out of it,” he said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, in September.
On its resale platform, FIFA charges sellers and buyers, each, 15% fees, and some tickets on the platform are already being sold for more than 10 times face value.
This latest ticket lottery is the second of four phases in the ticketing process. The third begins after the team draw on Dec. 5, which is when teams will be assigned to groups for the tournament’s first stage. At that time, matchups will be confirmed, and fans can submit applications for specific games The remaining tickets will be available in the spring, first-come, first-served.
NOTE: Portions of this article and its headlines were edited after it was originally published.
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Molly McVety
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With just over 200 days left until Boston takes the world stage as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, local organizers said Massachusetts has yet to deliver the funding they were expecting.
The organizers are warning that it could mean scaling back major fan events and services.
Boston Soccer 26 CEO Mike Loynd said the group is still waiting on $20 million included in Gov. Maura Healey’s supplemental spending proposal.
President Donald Trump said he would consider moving the World Cup matches Boston is set to host next year, questioning the city’s safety.
So far, the Massachusetts House of Representatives has earmarked only $10 million, while the state’s Senate has set aside $5 million to support public transit to the matches.
“It certainly would be downscaled, if not very limited, if we didn’t have the funding from the state,” said Loynd.
He said that he’s worked on a dozen major events, including the 1994 World Cup, and that the economic return for Massachusetts would far outweigh the cost.
“Every dollar spent will be returned five-fold, at a minimum, if not tenfold,” Loynd said. “So for us, yeah, it’s about maximizing this opportunity.”
President Donald Trump is threatening to move 2026 World Cup matches out of host city Boston, citing safety and the politics of Mayor Michelle Wu. Wu issued a brief statement on the tournament hours later.
Healey said she’s continuing to press lawmakers to approve the funding.
“I put forward a request for funding,” she said. “It’s currently with the Legislature now, and I’ll continue to have conversations with them about this.”
Massachusetts House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said the Legislature is mindful of the event’s potential, but must also balance other priorities.
“We put on major events before. We put on World Cup games before. I think we know how to do it, and we’re going to do it right,” Michlewitz said. “We certainly have to make sure we’re taking care of our everyday residents and not just about issues that are one-time events.”
The first batch of tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup are officially on sale, but getting them has not been easy.
Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues has said the Senate’s $5 million allocation is meant to help support public transit to the matches — and that senators are open to providing more funding down the road.
“As a longtime fan of European football, and the Portuguese National Team in particular, I am very excited to see Massachusetts host the 2026 World Cup, right here in our backyard,” he said in a statement to NBC10 Boston. “Earlier this year, the Senate proposed and secured $5 million to help support public transit associated with World Cup travel to Foxborough. I welcome future discussions about how the Commonwealth can continue to help the event be successful and look forward to having those conversations,” he said in a statement to NBC 10 Boston.
Organizers said that without the full $20 million, cuts could include fewer promotional events, no backup shuttle buses to move fans to and from Foxborough in the event the MBTA trains fail, and a smaller fan fest planned for downtown Boston.
Loynd said he expects to get reassurances from legislators this week.
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Oscar Margain
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On Location is the official hospitality provider for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the luxury hospitality brand visited Atlanta on Saturday for a sneak peek of what fans can expect when the biggest sporting event in the world makes its way to the city next summer.
What is usually just a normal pick-up soccer match for the Rush Union Youth League turned into an immersive experience with a sideline match viewing area, light bites, drinks, and an appearance from Grammy Award-winning artist Ciara.
It’s just a small preview of what On Location plans to offer during Atlanta’s eight matches, including a semifinal match. Their goal is to provide an elevated experience outside of just buying a general ticket.
Jennifer Ogden-Reese, the chief marketing officer for On Location, said they’re focused on infusing the local community into the experience.
“It’s going to be local entertainment, local food, and beverages. We’re really trying to integrate every one of the host cities into the hospitality experience and make it very special,” Ogden-Reese said. “And then we have all kinds of different offerings for folks depending on what they want to experience.”
On Location will offer seven hospitality offerings including private suites, pitch-side lounge, VIP, trophy lounge, champions club, the FIFA pavilion, and the platinum access program. Fans will be able to buy hospitality package bundles that include those looking to attend single-game matches, every match at a venue such as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or every match for a specific team. Each offering features different amenities, with prices ranging from $1,400 to over $3,000.
“It’s really about bringing people closer, giving them more access, more convenience, and more of an engaging experience they would get from just a ticket only,” Ogden-Reese said. “I think it’s really going to be both the kind of traditional hospitality elements, but also really those extra special moments where you have unique experiences that you’re not going to be able to get anywhere else, like being on the pitch and being able to engage with some special legends in the sport.”
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Laura Nwogu
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Erica Cantona has sparked fury after he called for Israel to be banned from the world cup over its ongoing war in Gaza.
The football legend spoke at the Together 4 Palestine concert in London on Wednesday night, where he demanded FIFA and UEFA take action against Israel, and drew a parallel with the sanctions placed on Russia following their invasion of Ukraine.
Addressing the crowd, the former footballer said: ‘I played for France and Manchester United. I know that international football is more than just sport, it is culture, it is political, it is soft power.
‘In a way that a country represents itself on a global stage, the time has come to suspend Israel from that privilege.
‘Four days after Russia started a war in Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia.
‘We are now 716 days into what Amnesty International have called a genocide – and yet Israel continue to be allowed to participate.’
‘Why, why is it double standards? FIFA and UEFA must suspend Israel. Clubs everywhere must refuse to play Israeli teams. Current players everywhere must refuse to play against Israeli teams.
Cantona’s speech was met with approval from the crowds, who applauded and cheered.
Erica Cantona has sparked fury after he called for Israel to be banned from FIFA and UEFA
The football legend spoke at the Together 4 Palestine concert in London on Wednesday night, where he demanded the football confederations take action against Israel
But the sporting legend’s demands have also been condemned by some, with critics saying Cantona has failed to recognise the violence endured in Israel on October 7 – the catalyst for its ongoing offensive in Gaza.
‘One too many kicks to the head for Cantona. Does he not understand who started the war with Israel? Why would FIFA and EUFA suspend the ones attacked’, one critic wrote on social platform X.
Another said: ‘The truth is October 7 was the trigger to the current conflict. The idea Cantona has is that suspending Israel will make that day not matter, right?’.
‘Sports [and] art must be places of dialogue and not of exclusion. Peace cannot be made in Gaza by excluding Israel. This proposal by Cantona, who should stick to his field of competence, is stupid’.
The French football star’s comments come after a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Israel has dismissed the findings as biased and based on unverified evidence.
It also comes after Spain became the latest country to threaten not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded from the competition.
The Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia had already taken the same stance. Spain’s addition to the list puts more pressure on both Israel and the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the popular contest.
The French football star’s comments come after a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza
Palestinians run as the 15-storey Mushtaha Tower collapses after being hit by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City, September 5, 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
Thick smoke rises from the area after the Israeli army launched intense attacks on residential areas and multi-story buildings where thousands of displaced Palestinians had taken refuge on al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City, Gaza, on September 19, 2025
A young girl reacts as displaced Palestinians elbow their way in front of a community kitchen in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on September 19, 2025
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE made the decision at a board meeting in Madrid.
The announcement comes as diplomatic ties between Spain and Israel frayed after large protests against the presence of a Israeli-owned cycling team disrupted the Spanish Vuelta race.
Spain’s prime minister also said Monday that he would like Israel to be banned from sporting events.
Pedro Sanchez said: ‘It’s already happening in some parts of the world and we’ve seen how European governments are saying that as long as the barbarism continues, Israel can’t use any international platform to whitewash its presence.
‘And I think that sports organisations need to ask themselves whether it’s ethical for Israel to keep taking part in international competitions.’
A day after Encona’s remarks, a British lawmaker in Birmingham called on European football body UEFA to ‘urgently cancel’ soccer team Aston Villa’s November 6 Europa League match against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv ‘to ensure public safety and community harmony.’ UEFA has not shown any indication it will do so.
The war in Gaza began in 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others.
48 hostages remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 65,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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President Donald Trump said Friday that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and didn’t rule out that he himself might oversee the event.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and didn’t rule out that he himself might oversee the event.
“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports, I guess,” said Trump, who made the announcement in an Oval Office event where he was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Vice President JD Vance.
The U.S. is co-hosting next year’s tournament — which for the first time will feature 48 national teams up from 32 — with Canada and Mexico. The draw event will determine the World Cup’s groups, and the games each team plays in the opening round.
Infantino said the 48 teams will play “104 matches in one month” and likened it to “104 Super Bowls.” Trump picked up on that theme, saying, “It’s like having many Super Bowls in a short period of time, because each one of these games, essentially, is a Super Bowl. Some of them are bigger than Super Bowls, actually.”
The World Cup kicks off June 11 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and runs through the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Games will be played in 16 cities across the three countries. Washington, D.C., is not among the host cities.
Trump said that the Kennedy Center “will give a phenomenal kickoff and we’ll be involved.” Asked if he’d be the one actually drawing the team names, Trump didn’t answer directly but deferred to Infantino, saying the FIFA chief “was the boss.”
Infantino said, “It’s a very interesting proposal,” and he indicated that he and Trump would discuss the matter further.
The choice of venue is interesting because Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center, installing himself as chair and replacing the board of trustees with loyalists. He’s also hinted he’d like to see the venue renamed the Trump/Kennedy Center.
There had been speculation for months that the draw would be held in Las Vegas. The event is traditionally a mix of entertainment and the business of dividing the teams into 12 groups of four for the opening stage of the tournament. When the United States held the World Cup in 1994, the draw was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Stevie Wonder was among the performers.
In December when the draw is held, 42 of the 48 teams will be known, including the automatic berths given to the United States, Mexico and Canada as hosts. The remaining six teams will be determined by playoffs in March.
The president also used Friday’s FIFA announcement to boast about his deploying the National Guard and federalizing Washington’s police force.
“So now, when we have this beautiful event in December, it’s going to be very safe,” Trump said. He added that the FIFA chief “can walk down the street with your beautiful wife. You can take her to dinner, if you can get a reservation.”
Asked about fans overseas obtaining U.S. visas to come watch their teams in the World Cup, Trump at first said the process would be a smooth one, but then added, “Certain countries are going to be very, very easy, and other countries are going to be obviously a little bit more difficult.”
A travel ban that the Trump administration imposed in June includes Iran, which has qualified for the World Cup. The policy makes exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.” It does not include an exemption for fans.
In an unusual move, Infantino also brought the World Cup trophy with him to the Oval Office. It’s a superstition nearly as old as the World Cup itself: players on national teams around the globe believe that touching the trophy before their team actually wins the tournament on the field can spark bad luck.
Even Infantino noted that the trophy is “for winners only,” but then he added to Trump, “And, since you are a winner, of course you can as well.”
The president did just that, calling the trophy “a beautiful piece of gold” and joking about keeping it and displaying it in the Oval Office, which Trump has redone in a gaudy, gold-hued decor.
“It fits very well right on the wall over there,” Trump said.
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WTOP Staff
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When Cheyna Matthews got pregnant with her first child back in 2018, she had a lot of questions.
In addition to concerns about her legal rights as a professional soccer player, how would she manage pregnancy and the birth? And, importantly, when could she safely play again?
“We play a lot of times because we love it. But now it’s also providing the financial security. So when you’re thinking of having children it’s like, `OK, I also have to figure out how I can get back to work.’ And when you’re working with your body, it’s one of the most important things,” Matthews said.
In an effort to give players and teams alike a guide for best practices surrounding maternity, global players’ union FIFPRO released a guide on Tuesday that covers how to manage pregnancy, what to expect in childbirth and how to prepare for a return to soccer.
Matthews, who retired from pro soccer in 2023, along with United States left back Crystal Dunn, Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult and Iceland midfielder Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir, helped devise FIFPRO’s “Postpartum Return to Play Guide.”
The protocol builds on FIFA’s groundbreaking regulations concerning maternity and parental rights that were first enacted in 2021 and expanded earlier this year.
Dr. Alex Culvin, FIFPRO director of policy and strategic relations for women’s soccer, said FIFA’s new regulations and the protections that were put in place increased the likelihood that more players would feel comfortable starting families during their playing careers, but there was very little guidance about what pregnancy, childbirth and recovery looked like.
“There is this perceived incompatibility, not just in football, in sport more generally, that you can’t have a child and be an athlete. And actually there are players out there who have disproven this on a daily basis,” Culvin said. “So we wanted to kind of bring all of this together, and elevate and listen to the player voice, centralize their experiences alongside experts on the scientific literature, and create something that hadn’t been produced before, with the FIFPRO stamp on it.”
The medical professionals who contributed to the guide were Dr. Pippa Bennett of the U.K. Sports Institute, Dr. Rita Tomas, the team physician for the Portuguese women’s national team, professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale with the Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport, and FIFPRO Chief Medial Officer Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge.
Matthews, who played in the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cup for Jamaica, has three sons with husband Jordan Matthews, a tight end for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
She had her first child when she was with the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League. She was among the league’s first players to have a child at what would be considered the peak of her playing career. Nine months after she gave birth, she played for Jamacia at the Women’s World Cup.
Matthews said she was lucky to have both a national team and club team that supported her before the FIFA regulations and the NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement were adopted.
“We are seeing more pregnancies, and I’ve had a lot of players coming to me asking questions, and I’ve been able to kind of help just from my experiences,” Matthews said. “But to have this guideline just from the initial finding out that you’re pregnant — even that experience itself, you have so many thoughts, so many ideas. What do I do? But having a guideline for the players, it does ease the stress.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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PARIS (AP) — Fresh off the year’s most extravagant wedding, Nita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, which Ambani founded and chairs.
“Today we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 to open the doors to a dream. A dream that belongs to 1.4 billion Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics and our shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani, an International Olympic Committee member, said in her address.
India House is one of several hospitality houses that spring up around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands. This is a smattering of what’s on offer from Saturday through Aug. 11, the day of the closing ceremony:
— Tributes to Indian architecture and artistic motifs (think tigers and peacocks)
— Virtual reality tourism
— Cricket matches
— Workshops on block printing
— Henna tattooing and Bollywood dance
— A lounge for athletes
— Food, of course, which ranges from biryani and mutton curry to curd rice and several desserts.
“It’s beautiful, it’s colorful. It’s smiles, it’s joy, it’s happiness. It’s India,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the event. “It’s what we all love, the entire world. The world is here today. And India House unites the world.”
Infantino was there to encourage the development of soccer in India, whose men’s team ranks 124th and women’s team 67th in their respective FIFA standings.
“In India, football is fantastic,” he said. “Together, we make it grow even more. And, I’m here for that. So to all Indians: Watch us, football is coming seriously now in India.”
India has sent 112 athletes in 16 sports to the Olympics.
In addition to daily activities, India House will have performances, including an opening night concert from famed Bollywood playback singer Shaan. Sunday is “Bollywood Day” but will feature an hourlong session with ex-cricketer and coach Rahul Dravid on the future of cricket at the Olympics.
Men’s and women’s cricket, played in the Twenty20 format, will be added at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Ambani was accompanied by her husband, Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire industrialist who is Asia’s richest man. It’s been a busy month for the couple: Their youngest son, Anant Ambani, was married just two weeks ago in an elaborate, global celebrity-filled affair that many have dubbed the wedding of the year.
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When World Cup comes to Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County will help foot the bill. In this 2022 photo, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, second from left, watches as Miami Mayor Francis Suarez bounces a soccer ball on his knee for an early World Cup press event. Pictured left to right: Tom Garfinkel, president and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium; Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County mayor; Francis Suarez, city of Miami mayor; Reggie Leon, vice mayor of Miami Gardens; and Rolando Aedo, chief operating officer of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved a $35.5 million funding package for World Cup.
mocner@miamiherald.com
The World Cup soccer extravaganza secured nearly $36 million in public funding and services on Tuesday as Miami-Dade commissioners defended the need for tax dollars to subsidize the seven matches coming to Hard Rock Stadium in 2026.
Facing backlash on the original proposal to commit $46 million to the event, the commission voted for a smaller funding package that covers early installments of cash subsidies to be paid by the end of the year. That leaves open the possibility for organizers to receive the rest of the requested public dollars as the summer games get closer.
“We just slashed this … because it looks very heavy,” said Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez, the board’s vice chair. “But we might need more.”
READ MORE: The original $46 million request for World Cup costs sparked controversy
Miami-Dade’s World Cup funding proposal revived the sometimes prickly debate about how much the local government should spend subsidizing sports. The county said it paid $10 million in 2020 to subsidize Super Bowl when it was last in Miami Gardens, and promoters of World Cup say the global soccer tournament promises to be a much bigger deal when it brings a quarter-final match and six other games to Hard Rock as part of its North American schedule.
Daniel Perez, the Miami-Dade Republican on track to be Florida House speaker later this year, last week called on commissioners to reject the funding package because “we have so many needs in our county.” Miami-Dade’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, also said she had “concerns” about the original $46 million proposal.
The smaller package passed 10 to 2, with commissioners Danielle Cohen Higgins and René Garcia voting against it. Commissioner Kionne McGhee did not attend the meeting.
“I think it’s too high of a price tag,” Cohen Higgins said after the vote.
She also criticized the proposal for having no details about why the money was needed. The sponsor of the proposal, Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert, said in a press conference that he did not receive a written request for funding from local World Cup organizers before submitting his original legislation calling for Miami-Dade to spend $46 million on World Cup.
There were two parts to the original funding request for the seven World Cup games scheduled for Miami Gardens over seven weeks in June and July 2026. The first involved $25 million in donated government services, including police and paramedic staffing at Hard Rock that is usually paid for by the stadium. That part of the request was approved.
The second part involved $21 million in cash, with half paid in 2024 and the other half in 2025. Gilbert modified his proposal to drop the 2025 cash pledge, reducing the overall total of $46 million to $35.5 million.
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the retired cruise executive recruited to run the FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee, told commissioners to expect significant spending in the local economy and the kind of worldwide exposure that’s hard to quantify.
“The benefit to this community is almost priceless if you think about being on the global stage,” she said. For local spending, Lutoff-Perlo pointed to an economic-impact study commissioned by Super Bowl organizers in 2020 that touted about $500 million in economic impact in Miami-Dade. With three of the seven World Cup games in Miami Gardens considered to be high draws — two qualifying games on the way to the final and a consolation match — Lutoff-Perlo said the 2026 impact should be more than $1.5 billion.
She said the group plans to raise more than $100 million from the private sector, on top of the contributions from local governments. In 2022, Miami-Dade also awarded the Miami Dolphins, owner of the Hard Rock, a $15 million bonus for securing World Cup as part of a long-standing deal that provides public funding to offset some of the costs of a stadium renovation the team said cost about $750 million.
Nobody at Tuesday’s meeting presented information from 2020 on how Superbowl spending translated to extra tax income to cover the $10 million Miami-Dade said it paid to subsidize the NFL championship or how the outlays for World Cup would impact future county budgets.
Before voting against the funding package, Garcia said he wanted more information to ensure the dollars are spent appropriately. Gilbert’s proposal has the county’s tax-funded tourism bureau managing the county’s contributions to World Cup.
“That is the people’s money,” Garcia said.
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Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a vote of FIFA’s full membership chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.The FIFA Congress on Friday voted 119-78 for Brazil in the reduced field of two candidates to host the 2027 tournament after a joint bid by the United States and Mexico was pulled late last month, and South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November.Video above: Inside Boston’s blighted White Stadium, city’s plan to make it worthy of a pro soccer teamIt will be the first time the global women’s tournament, first played in 1991, is staged in South America.Brazil was strongly favored to win since October when FIFA brokered deals for the men’s World Cups of 2030 and 2034. It left South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay getting just one game each of the 104 in the 2030 tournament that will be mostly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.A key point for FIFA was clearing the way for its close ally Saudi Arabia to get the 2034 World Cup uncontested in a fast-track process. South American soccer body CONMEBOL’s agreement to take a small part of the 2030 tournament removed it from the subsequent bidding. The US-Mexico decision to opt-out and focus on bidding for the 2031 World Cup — that decision is due next year — was another indicator of Brazil’s expected to win. The Brazilian bid team hugged and celebrated on the podium after the result was announced, and described it as a victory for women’s soccer, for their country and for South America.”We are a South American country that achieved the victory for women’s soccer,” Brazil’s soccer federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues said before reflecting on recent flooding that has devastated parts of the country. “After the things that impact all Brazilians — a catastrophe due to the climate change — our achievement today, the first Women’s World Cup in South America, will help strengthen us.”It was the first time that all of FIFA’s member associations had the opportunity to weigh in on the host of the women’s tournament. Previously, it was decided by the FIFA Council, the governing body’s decision-making committee.There were 207 of the 211 members eligible to vote in the electronic ballot, which gave three options: Brazil, BNG or abstain.Brazil was even more favored to win the contest, particularly after ranking higher in an evaluation report by a FIFA-appointed pane, FIFA said FRiday.l last week.The next World Cup votes, to endorse the 2030 and 2034 hosts, will be on Dec. 11 in an online congress held remotely.
Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a vote of FIFA’s full membership chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
The FIFA Congress on Friday voted 119-78 for Brazil in the reduced field of two candidates to host the 2027 tournament after a joint bid by the United States and Mexico was pulled late last month, and South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November.
Video above: Inside Boston’s blighted White Stadium, city’s plan to make it worthy of a pro soccer team
It will be the first time the global women’s tournament, first played in 1991, is staged in South America.
Brazil was strongly favored to win since October when FIFA brokered deals for the men’s World Cups of 2030 and 2034. It left South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay getting just one game each of the 104 in the 2030 tournament that will be mostly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
A key point for FIFA was clearing the way for its close ally Saudi Arabia to get the 2034 World Cup uncontested in a fast-track process. South American soccer body CONMEBOL’s agreement to take a small part of the 2030 tournament removed it from the subsequent bidding.
The US-Mexico decision to opt-out and focus on bidding for the 2031 World Cup — that decision is due next year — was another indicator of Brazil’s expected to win.
The Brazilian bid team hugged and celebrated on the podium after the result was announced, and described it as a victory for women’s soccer, for their country and for South America.
“We are a South American country that achieved the victory for women’s soccer,” Brazil’s soccer federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues said before reflecting on recent flooding that has devastated parts of the country. “After the things that impact all Brazilians — a catastrophe due to the climate change — our achievement today, the first Women’s World Cup in South America, will help strengthen us.”
It was the first time that all of FIFA’s member associations had the opportunity to weigh in on the host of the women’s tournament. Previously, it was decided by the FIFA Council, the governing body’s decision-making committee.
There were 207 of the 211 members eligible to vote in the electronic ballot, which gave three options: Brazil, BNG or abstain.
Brazil was even more favored to win the contest, particularly after ranking higher in an evaluation report by a FIFA-appointed pane, FIFA said FRiday.l last week.
The next World Cup votes, to endorse the 2030 and 2034 hosts, will be on Dec. 11 in an online congress held remotely.
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