Soccerex set Feb date for MENA edition alongside Sports Expo in Cairo
December 2 – Soccerex will hold the next edition of its conference and exhibition format in association with Sports Expo in Egypt in February 2025.
News
LA takes on New York for MLS title with Galaxy facing the Red Bulls
December 2 – Just over a month ago, the dream match-up of New York and LA squared off for a world title as the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in Major League Baseball World Series. On Saturday the two cities will meet again in Carson for the right to be called MLS Cup Champion.
Botev Plovdiv owner has 10-year ban on entering Bulgaria confirmed, but he refuses to give up his team
December 2 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv have confirmed that the club’s owner Anton Zingarevich (pictured) has been issued with a government ban on entering the country for a period of ten years. The club said that the Bulgarian authorities had confirmed the ban, but did not give any reasons for the decision.
Top scoring Suarez (aged 37, goals 25) signs for another year with Barca’s old boys at Inter Miami
December 2 – At 37-years-young, Luis Suarez is proving that age is indeed a number as he signed a contract extension with Major League Soccer’s (MLS), Inter Miami, that will see him remain in Florida until the end of the 2025 season.
Maddli makes her debut as Euro 2025 mascot
December 2 – UEFA has unveiled its Women’s Euro 2025 mascot, Maddli, a Saint Bernard puppy, named after Madeleine Boll, the first ever female licensed footballer in Switzerland.
Poll finds 72% of female football fans against FIFA’s Aramco sponsorship
November 29 – Female fans of the women’s game across the world oppose FIFA’s current deal with Saudi Aramco based on environmental, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights grounds, a poll by the New Weather Institute has found.
Former Georgian and Man City striker Mikheil Kavelashvili set to be country’s president
November 29 – Even if you are not qualified to run football, you can be president – in Georgia that is.
Alex Phillips takes over as FIFPRO general secretary, Sergio Marchi elected president
November 29 – Global players’ union FIFPRO has announced UEFA’s former head of governance and compliance, Alex Phillips, as its new secretary general.
Botafogo start as Copa Libertadores favourites as they face old rivals Atletico Mineiro
November 29 – In an all-Brazilian affair, Botafogo will be favourites against Atletico Mineiro in the final of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier club competition.
FIFA feeds its Messi-mania addiction with world’s Best Player nomination
November 29 – Lionel Messi may have had a stellar career and been the world’s best player for many illustrious years, but at 37, does he still genuinely merit being nominated by FIFA for their Best Player award or has the organisation thrown his name into the hat just to make sure they have all bases covered?
Draw pots confirmed for UEFA 2026 World Cup qualifying groups
November 29 – The draw pots for the UEFA 2026 World Cup qualifying groups have been decided with all eight Nations League quarter finalists, plus the four best-ranked UEFA nations (England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria) as the top seeded teams.
Climate researchers warn of ‘extreme heat’ at 10 of the 2026 World Cup stadia
Sobaclieu.com
November 29 – Researchers at the Wrocław University of Health and Sport Sciences in Poland have warned that footballers face a “very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress” at 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the 2026 World Cup.
USSF backs away from mandating youth soccer registration changes, leaving it to leagues to decide
November 29 – Last month as reported by Inside World Football (https://tinyurl.com/zynnae8x) the US Soccer Federation (USSF) announced that they would be reviewing how the soccer ecosystem chooses to register players.
Barcelona shut fans out of Olympic stadium for refusing to pay UEFA fines
November 29 – In a rarely seen move, FC Barcelona, have closed part of their temporary home, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to their own fans!
Germany return to world top 10 ranking as UEFA nations dominate
November 29 – With Germany returning to the top 10 of the world rankings, European nations now occupy eight of the top 10 slots, with only South American giants Argentina (ranked 1) and Brazil (5) breaking the European dominance.