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Jordan's football federation chief has publicly accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of blackmail, claiming the world soccer body offered assistance in exchange for political endorsement during the World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has abandoned his controversial plan to sell private equity stakes in World Cup revenues after a three-day global revolt led by UEFA and other confederations. The Swiss administrator now faces potential challengers for re-election.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn plans to sell a majority stake in a new US$20 billion World Cup subsidiary to private investors, citing deep divisions among football's governing bodies and member nations.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has publicly criticised FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling him unsuitable to lead the global football governing body as the organisation pushes to monetise competitions through private investor stakes.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in a World Cup company has effectively collapsed after the Asian Football Confederation joined UEFA and CONCACAF in rejecting the proposal, raising questions about his leadership.
UEFA and its 55 member nations have voted to boycott all FIFA tournaments in protest against proposals to sell stakes in the World Cup to external investors, with European football authorities expressing deep concerns over governance and transparency.
FIFA is pursuing a $4.2 billion investment strategy through a newly created commercial entity, aiming to distribute over $10 billion to its 211 member federations while retaining full governance control of football operations.
A senior US House Democrat has initiated an investigation into FIFA, alleging the soccer body engaged in a corrupt arrangement with the Trump administration to secure favourable treatment and drop corruption cases.
FIFA has opened a formal investigation into a post-match fracas involving Spain and Argentina's players following Spain's 1-0 extra-time World Cup final victory. A disciplinary prosecutor has been appointed.
Donald Trump will present the trophy at Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, following controversy over his intervention in a player's red card. The visit highlights his deepening ties with FIFA and ambitions to host the tournament again.
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has defended the officiating in Argentina's contentious 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt, firmly rejecting Egyptian accusations of bias and asserting that match officials maintained complete independence throughout.
FIFA has defended Brazilian referee Raphael Claus against criticism from US President Donald Trump over a red card decision in the World Cup. The organisation praised Claus as a trusted, professional match official.
UEFA has launched a scathing attack on FIFA's decision to suspend rather than enforce a red card ban for US striker Folarin Balogun, calling the move unprecedented and undermining to sport's integrity.
FIFA's digital monitoring service identified 89,000 abusive social media posts during the World Cup group stage—a dramatic 13-fold increase from 2022. Racial harassment accounted for 11% of abuse detected, marking a troubling 3% rise from Qatar.
The expanded 48-team World Cup format has shattered attendance records with 4.6 million fans across group-stage matches, surpassing the 1994 tournament by over a million spectators despite lower average per-game turnout.
Iran's World Cup campaign ended after a 1-1 draw with Egypt, with the federation alleging unfair treatment throughout the tournament, including a disallowed goal and travel restrictions.
Dozens of World Cup ticket buyers faced last-minute cancellations on StubHub, with the resale platform and FIFA trading blame over responsibility. The crisis reveals deeper issues with speculative ticketing and third-party platform vulnerabilities.
The 2026 World Cup has surpassed the 1994 tournament's attendance record of nearly 3.6 million fans, with 48 matches still remaining and stadiums running at over 99% capacity across 16 host cities.