March 22 – Prior to the Concacaf Nations League doubleheader on Thursday at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, the smart money was on the USA and Canada to advance and contest the final on Sunday. 180 minutes later, the smart money looked foolish.
March 20 – Mexico weathered a relentless Canadian storm to win 2-0 and set up a Nations League final against Panama, a repeat of the Gold Cup final in 2023 when Concacaf were last in the SoFi Stadium.
March 21 – The governance of South American football is under renewed pressure as Conmebol President Alejandro Domínguez faces a formal legal complaint in Brazil, deepening tensions with the continent’s largest footballing power over his handling – and apparent trivialisation – of racism in the game.
March 21 – After a break of nine years, UEFA has resigned Carlsberg as an official global sponsor of UEFA men’s and women’s national team football through 2030.
March 21 – Palestine wants FIFA to expedite its investigation into Israeli settlement clubs operating in the West Bank with a view to the organisation’s Council making a final decision.
March 21 – As political tensions between Canada and the United States escalate following controversial remarks from former US president Donald Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state, the Canadian Premier League (CPL) has launched a national branding campaign titled ‘Made in Canada’, emphasising homegrown talent and self-sufficiency in football development.
March 21 – With goals from Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo in a 2-0 victory against Bahrain, Japan became the first country to qualify for the enlarged 48-team 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
March 21 – Chelsea’s strategy of locking down their players on long-term contracts is paying off in terms of squad stability, but it might come back to bite them as their financial commitments continue to grow. According to the latest study from CIES Football Observatory, a staggering 91.8% of Chelsea’s current squad is contracted until at least 2026, securing their place at the top of the table for ‘minutes secured’ across 37 global leagues.
March 21 – Dutch club Ado Den Haag have confirmed that the proposed acquisition by businessman John Lageman has been called off.
March 21 – Marriott Bonvoy has been unveiled as the latest heavyweight partner of Hong Kong’s soon-to-be-opened Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP), in a multi-year deal that positions the global hotel group at the heart of Asia’s newest sports and entertainment hub.
March 21 – Canada have announced they are hosting a four-team friendly tournament this June at Toronto’s BMO Field. Played as two doubleheaders on June 7 and June 10, matches will complete four days before the Gold Cup kicks off.
March 21 – With a goal in the fourth minute of added time Panama derailed the USA’s expectations of a ‘fourpeat’ Nations league win with a goal by supersub Cecilio Waterman in the fourth minute of added time.
March 21 – Concacaf has inked a multi-year deal with Sports AI and data heavyweight Stats Perform, as the confederation looks to capitalise on the soaring value of sports data and betting content to grow its bottom line.
March 20 – New Zealand will be sky-high favourites to clinch Oceania’s 2026 World Cup ticket, but in the final round of qualifiers other contenders can secure a playoff berth.
March 20 – In a bizarre proposal, the Canadian host city of Toronto is considering spending $10.7million on hospitality tickets for the 2026 World Cup with the aim of reselling them at higher prices.