March 13 – When British foreign secretary Boris Johnson first raised the notion of England boycotting this summer’s World Cup in protest at what has been dubbed spy-gate, he was roundly condemned and his office was quick to issue a clarification saying he meant officials and politicians rather than the team itself.
March 13 – FIFA have confirmed that 568,448 tickets have been allocated following the second random selection draw sales window from 5 December to 31 January, on top of the 735,168 tickets allocated during the first sales phase, making a total of 1,303,616 tickets allocated to date.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – One week before bid books are due to be handed in to FIFA by the two rival contenders for the 2026 World Cup, Sunil Gulati has stepped down as the main man for the three-nation US-Canada-Mexico bid as part of a reshuffle.
March 8 – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be a pundit for Russia Today (RT) during this summer’s World Cup. The international broadcast network is funded by the Kremlin and often perceived as a controversial mouthpiece of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – The humiliation of Vitaly Mutko, for years one of FIFA’s most influential administrators, is complete after it was confirmed that the once all-powerful Russian football supremo has been forced to relinquish his last remaining role with the World Cup this summer.
March 6 – Now that FIFA have changed the rules on what the two bidders for the 2026 World Cup can and can’t do to promote their credentials, Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaa has wasted no time rallying support from within his own confederation.
By Samindra Kunti in Zurich
March 5 – Russia 2018 anti-discrimination chief Alexey Smertin has reiterated that LGBT fans will be welcome at the World Cup this summer. Rainbow flags will be allowed to fly at stadiums during the tournament.
March 1 – Los Angeles’ hopes of being one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup should the US-led bid win the vote appears to be back on track.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Morocco looks to be closing the gap on its United States-led rival in the race to land the 2026 World Cup with the outcome in June by no means as clearcut as a few weeks ago, according to an ESPN report.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – The increasingly hostile Saudi-led diplomatic spat with Qatar, which recently spilled over into football, has taken an unsavoury new twist with the Saudis apparently briefing some German media that the Gulf state could be stripped of hosting the 2022 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 23 – With the Moroccan government having already stated its support for the country to stage the 2026 World Cup, US president Donald Trump is being urged to issue the same guarantees, with bid books due to be handed over to FIFA in mid-March.
By David Owen
February 22 – Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has come out in favour of Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 22 – Amid accusations of double-standards and favouritism, FIFA has staged a rare u-turn by lifting its ban on member federations and regions publicly endorsing one or other of the two candidates bidding to stage the 2026 World Cup – provided both bidders are given the same opportunities to promote their credentials.
February 22 – Construction delays at the new Samara World Cup Arena have been resolved according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, with test games now rescheduled for end April.
February 22 – Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid campaign team has begun issuing a series of promotional e-magazines in several languages that have been distributed to FIFA members in the hope of generating support ahead of the all-important vote on June 13.