April 23 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is going to Columbus. The league has confirmed Columbus, Ohio, as its newest expansion franchise, with Haslam Sports Group leading an ownership consortium that includes insurance giant Nationwide and investors Christine and Pete Edwards.
April 23 – English Premier League (EPL) side Brentford have entered a sponsorship deal with global jobs platform Indeed ahead of a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt betting sponsorships within the English top-flight that begins next season.
April 23 – Toronto, unlike other World Cup host cities, appears to have come to its senses. The city’s executive committee is now recommending that the majority of World Cup Fan Fest tickets be handed out free, after a backlash against an earlier plan to charge $10 a head.
April 23 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced a one-year sponsorship agreement between the Turkish eNational Teams and xDrive, one of the country’s leading gaming chair brands. This partnership establishes xDrive as the official sponsor, supporting the national teams across both domestic and international stages.
April 23 – Concacaf and Saudi Arabia’s PIF (Public Investment Fund) have launched an initiative designed to give women football players the tools to transition into new careers after their professional football careers are over.
The ‘Concacaf Next Game Plan Presented by PIF’ will be delivered via a new digital-led platform designed to help equip women football players with education, and opportunities once they retire from the game.
April 23 – Sports ETA, the US trade association for the sports events tourism industry, says that sports tourism has evolved into a $274.5 billion total economic impact industry in the USA.
The report finds that 3.6 million international travelers visited the US for sports in 2025, generating $6.3 billion in direct spending.
July 22 – With 50 days left until kickoff, FIFA is launching another last-minute tickets sales phase for the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday.
FIFA said new World Cup tickets will be released to the general audience with all 104 matches available on sale on a first-come, first-serve basis. The world governing body will keep releasing tickets until July 19, the day of the World Cup final at MetLifeStadium in New Jersey.
April 22 – Aston Villa have brought forward the redevelopment of Villa Park’s North Stand, compressing the project into a single-season build that will see the stand closed for the entirety of the 2026/27 campaign.
The most important lesson to learn in FIFA’s Disney World of football administration is nothing.
It doesn’t matter that support is bought with FIFA contributions disguised as development funds. It doesn’t matter that these funds have not been released in certain countries for a long time – against all promises and public declarations made. It simply doesn’t matter.
April 22 – Domestic triple chasing Manchester City will return to Asia this summer, confirming their first pre-season fixture in Hong Kong against Inter Milan.
April 22 – Jude Bellingham has taken a minority stake in ‘The Hundred’ franchise Birmingham Phoenix, marking a crossover investment into cricket for the Real Madrid and England midfielder.
April 22 – FIFA’s latest Women’s World Ranking has kept Spain as the top-ranked Women’s team in world football, retaining first place even after the side’s recent defeat to England.
April 22 – Japan’s FC Machida Zelvia beat the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli 1-0 to set up a an AFC Champions League Elite final against reigning champions Al Ahli Saudi on Saturday in Jeddah.
Machida striker Yuki Soma, restored to the line-up having missed the quarter final win over Al Ittihad, wasted no time making an impact.
April 14 – Las Vegas is not a 2026 World Cup city, having decided to opt out of bidding after reviewing FIFA’s host requirements. The entertainment capital of the world doesn’t even have an MLS team.
April 22 – Premier League and EFL clubs are growing frustrated at the Independent Football Regulator’s (IFR) refusal to share a clear operating budget. Repeated requests for the budget have gone unanswered.