May 27 – Violence erupted between LA Galaxy and San Diego FC supporters following their Major League Soccer (MLS) match this weekend, raising uncomfortable parallels to England’s notorious football hooliganism of the 1970s and 80s. The incident at Snapdragon Stadium has prompted questions about whether American soccer is importing more than just tactical innovations from abroad.
May 22 – Morocco has launched the construction tender for the Grand Stade Hassan II, a centrepiece of its 2030 World Cup ambitions and a strong contender to host the tournament’s final.
May 22 – Human rights research and advocacy NGO Fairsquare has accused FIFA of “ad hoc and selective enforcement of its rules” following the world governing body’s failure to act against the Israeli Football Association (IFA).
May 22 – German telecommunications entity Deutsche Telekom has landed the German broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup, according to domestic tabloid Bild.
May 22 – FIFA has confirmed its special Club World Cup transfer window has been approved by the 20 member federations that have teams in the 32-team tournament that kicks off June 14 in the US.
The special 10-day window (June 1 -10) means that teams will be allowed to sign new players for the tournament. Closing on June 10, the European summer transfer window will open fully June 16 and close September 1.
May 19 – In potentially the richest match either team has ever played, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) LAFC and Liga MX’s Club América will face off in a crucial Club World Cup qualifying playoff match on May 31 at BMO Stadium. The victor will be just seven matches away from a potential $125 million payday should they win the entire tournament.
By Samindra Kunti in Asuncion, Paraguay
May 16 – European football leaders staged a dramatic walkout at the FIFA congress in protest against Gianni Infantino’s delayed arrival following his Middle East Trip with US President Donald Trump.
Tensions boiled over at what had promised to be a routine Congress. Europe’s Council members walked out was supported by a sizable number of European football associations.
May 16 – FIFA and its administration have once again kicked the issue of Israeli settlement clubs into the long grass, a tradition the world governing body has maintained for more than a decade.
By Samindra Kunti in Asuncion, Paraguay
May 16 – South American football boss Alejandro Dominguez has once again beat the drum for a 64-team World Cup in 2030 to celebrate the tournament’s centenary. Taking the stage in his home country of Paraguay it was a remarkable exhortion of FIFA’s members to “think in a different way”.
May 16 – Football Unites the World is FIFA’s slogan, but it is money that truly unites FIFA, and FIFA is about to have a whole lot more, announcing at its 75th Annual Congress in Asuncion Paraguay that its new budget for the 2023 to 2026 is $13 billion, exactly double the $6.5 billion of its previous 2019 to 2022 cycle.
May 15 – FIFA’s 75th Congress is set to get started today in Asunción, Paraguay, with plenty of controversy already surrounding the event, which has been marred by the late arrival of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
May 15 – Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Fairsquare have warned of increased migrant worker deaths in Saudi Arabia, the host country of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
May 14 – U.S. President Donald Trump, who famously coined the term ‘bad hombres’, should be pleased to learn that 15,000 such individuals will be barred from U.S. stadiums during this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich has delivered a comprehensive list of violent football supporters to the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires, ensuring they’ll watch the tournament from afar.
May 13 – The Brazilian Beach Soccer team earned a record-setting seventh World Cup title in the Seychelles on Sunday, securing the crown with a 4-3 win over Belarus at the Paradise Arena in Victoria.
May 12 – Following the expansion of the FIFA men’s World Cup to 48 teams, the FIFA Council has unanimously approved plans to increase the Women’s World Cup (WWC) to the same number of participating countries.
The expansion will take place at the 2031 edition, which is expected to be hosted by the United States should they win what looks like an uncontested bid for hosting rights.