NWSL rubberstamps Denver as league’s 16th franchise
January 31 – The NWSL in the US has officially named Denver, Colorado, as the league’s 16th franchise. Denver will begin play in the 2026 season.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Apple’s $2.5bn MLS streaming deal starts to show cracks
January 31 – The MLS’s groundbreaking 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple is starting to show cracks after just two seasons, with not even Lionel Messi driving the subscriber growth that was predicted for the streaming service both within the US and internationally.
We are in Kansas Dorothy. 2026 host cities follow FIFA’s yellow brick road with 500 days to go
January 31 – Excitement is building in the respective host cities for the 2026 World Cup, and with the 500-day countdown officially beginning, each local organising committee is keen to highlight their progress. In Kansas City, KC2026 is sharing ways for the region to get involved.
Condor signs exclusive travel partnership with Bulgarian FA
January 31 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has signed a partnership agreement with Condor, Bulgaria’s leading travel agency.
Serie A to partner with 7-a-side Kings League in pursuit of younger demographic
January 31 – Hot on the heels of the rapidly growing six-a-side Baller League, comes the announcement that the Kings League, the innovative 7-a-side football competition founded by Gerard Piqué, will form a partnership with the Serie A, Italy’s top football league.
Barca in home hunt for El Clasico in May
January 30 – The El Clasico, between Real Madrid and Barcelona is widely considered to be the biggest club game in world football and is eagerly awaited every season. On May 11, the second La Liga instalment following Barca’s thrashing of Madrid 4-0 at Estadio Bernabeu, is scheduled to take place at the Camp Nou, however, the game is now in jeopardy of having no facility to play in.
SIGA signs 11 Portuguese players to 6th edition of Women’s Global Mentorship programme
January 30 – SIGA is has admitted 11 Portuguese female footballers as mentees into the SIGAWomen Global Mentorship Programme.
EE stays connected with Home Nations and Wembley Stadium for another four years
January 30 – UK mobile network operator EE, has extended its partnerships with all four Home Nations football teams – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Baller League competes €23m financing round with Apex and its athlete investors
January 29 – Sports investment firm Apex has invested in the rapidly growing six-a-side Ballers League, alongside a roster of its football stars – including Diogo Dalot, Diogo Jota, Mason Mount, José Fonte, André Silva, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu – who are participating financially in the league.
Leicester City helicopter crash was not pilot error. Srivaddhanaprabha family pursue £2.1bn claim
January 29 – A helicopter crash that killed the owner of Premier League club Leicester City and four others was an accident, an inquest jury has concluded.
CAF financially fuelled by Total Energies 4-year renewal
January 29 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Total Energies have renewed their partnership with a four-year deal.
Marseilles-Nice derby marred by racist banners and homophobic chanting
January 29 – The French league has condemned yet another incident of homophobic and sexist chanting and racist banners, this time by home fans during a top-flight match between Nice and visiting Marseille last weekend.
French football and rugby union ready to join forces to manage Stade de France
January 29 – The French Football Federation (FFF) and French Rugby Federation (FFR) are preparing to join forces to manage the Stade de France if negotiations with GL Events for the stadium’s operation collapse.
Israeli top tier game abandoned over security fears, and it wasn’t the Palestinians
January 29 – A top-flight Israeli game was abandoned at halftime for security reasons after fans threw flares at players and rushed onto the field.
UCL reaches winner-takes-all final round of league matches with 27 clubs still in the hunt
January 29 – Tonight the UEFA Champions League concludes its league phase with, for the first time, all 18 games being played on the same night and with the same kick-off time.
The new format has been a major success. 27 of the 36 teams still have something to for, whether it is getting into the top eight teams, or securing a place in the next 16 places for the knockout play-offs.