Henry Bushnell

FIFA to allow cut-away TV commercials during 2026 World Cup ‘hydration breaks’ Matches at the 2026 World Cup will feature more TV ads than usual, with FIFA opening the door after instituting a blanket water break edict

FIFA will allow TV networks to cut to commercial breaks during the "hydration breaks" that will split up every half at the 2026 World Cup, sources tell @theathletic.com.

More on the rules and context:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...

100 days til the World Cup.

Massive effort from 100+ folks across @theathletic.com and @theathleticfc.bsky.social to set the stage for a massive (and massively complex) event.

Go dive in!
❓ www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...
⚽ www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...
🏙️ www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...

Mbekezeli Mbokazi is the most popular player in MLS you’ve never heard of The rising South African talent has brought his skill – and intense following – with him to the Chicago Fire

When Messi and Son came to MLS, they brought their many social media followers with them.

Meet the player you (might not) have heard of who boosted the Chicago Fire's social media following by more than half a million people.

The Mbokazi Effect.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...

The prices last week were unchanged from December. (And those were higher than the originals in October.)

Where are you seeing the cut-price ones?

The truth about World Cup ticket demand and why USA’s opener has struggled to sell out FIFA's unexpected sales window raised plenty of questions but also hinted at some realities about the ticketing situation this summer

A week after Gianni Infantino claimed that “every” 2026 World Cup match is “already sold out,” FIFA... launched an unexpected sale of 2026 World Cup tickets.

At least 64 of the 104 matches were available, according to fans who sent information and screenshots to @theathletic.com.

🤔

The takeaways:

What happens if Iran do not play at the World Cup? Explaining the possible fallout if Iran were not to take up their place at the tournament this summer - and who could replace them

101 days before the World Cup, a host nation is bombing a participant.

An unprecedented situation that is, of course, way larger than sport, with implications that aren't yet clear.

That said, if Iran can't or won't play...

Explainer @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

How the 2026 World Cup got caught up in a U.S. government funding fight Public rhetoric over a government shutdown has put the World Cup in focus, with security funding U.S. host cities need being held up

The World Cup has been dragged into a U.S. government funding fight.

@theathletic.com:

FIFA hikes 2026 World Cup parking prices, including for disabled fans FIFA recently raised prices and added inventory in additional U.S. cities after negotiating for control of lots near stadiums

Update: FIFA brings dynamic pricing — er "variable pricing" — to parking.

The latest on price hikes, including for ADA parking, and FIFA's negotiations for control of lots:

FIFA sparks World Cup ticket confusion with unexpected sales window, email missing details The unexpected email has led to mass confusion among fans, who have already had to navigate a complex ticketing process

The latest 2026 World Cup ticket saga: emails with missing details, an unexpected "exclusive" sales window, lots of questions and confusion.

More @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

How Kansas City wooed World Cup giants to its base camps: BBQ, padel, ‘KC Kind’ When it comes to destination U.S. cities, Kansas City isn't at the top of many lists. So how did it become such a desired World Cup base?

Argentina. England. Netherlands. All base-camping in… Kansas City?

This is the story of how the 2026 World Cup’s smallest host city wooed its giants — ft. BBQ, Topgolf, “red carpets,” and a battle for facilities that sent England scrambling:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

FIFA claim of a ‘World Cup for everyone’ doesn’t align with immigrant soccer fans, like me The melting pot I grew up in had one constant: soccer was the thread that weaved so many of us together.

Ahead of this summer's World Cup, FIFA has consistently claimed that the tournament is "for everyone."

But as @melanieanzidei.bsky.social writes from personal experience, immigrant communities across the United States are increasingly feeling shut out of soccer's biggest show.

Pochettino remains on course for World Cup with USA despite timing of Tottenham vacancy With the Tottenham job open, it's only natural for the U.S. manager to be linked with a return to a club he holds in high regard

With Tudor in place as interim manager, confirms what I reported yesterday that sources around U.S. Soccer weren't concerned with Poch leaving.

Might he take the Spurs job in the summer? Yes. But the focus now has to be squarely on the World Cup.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

ICE at the 2026 World Cup: Explaining the agency’s security role, fan concerns ICE's involvement and impact on the 2026 World Cup has been the subject of conjecture and confusion

ICE won't rule out immigration enforcement around the 2026 World Cup.

So, a security role that's relatively standard has stoked concerns that aren't going away.

@theathletic.com, an explainer on ICE and the World Cup:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

World Cup parking for $300? FIFA selling spots at L.A. games for more than tickets There's plenty of focus on the price of 2026 World Cup match tickets, but simply driving to the stadium will come at significant cost, too

FIFA is selling parking at LA's World Cup games, more than a mile from SoFi Stadium, for $250-$300.

The latest on this World Cup's exorbitant price tag, @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

Why a World Cup boycott is unlikely, and what it would take to organize one Calls for a boycott of the U.S.-cohosted event are growing, but there's ample reason why anything materializing is a long shot

There's lots of noise, understandably, about a 2026 World Cup boycott.

Let's cut through the noise, dissect what a boycott would actually entail and why, at this stage, it's extremely unlikely.

@theathleticfc.bsky.social:

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone to run unopposed in bid for re-election The incumbent U.S. Soccer president is poised to serve until 2030 while being eligible to run for re-election one more time.

Some U.S. Soccer news: USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone is running unopposed for re-election.

She'll win another four-year term next month, and serve until (at least) 2030.

Videos Show Moments in Which Agents Killed a Man in Minneapolis Federal authorities said the slain man, Alex Pretti, had approached agents with a gun. But videos show Mr. Pretti was holding his phone, not a weapon, when they pulled him to the ground.

Videos verified by The New York Times show Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the man federal agents shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday, was holding a phone, not a gun, when the agents took him to the ground and shot him. In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.

The extraordinary story of a soccer coach, a kidnapping and a Saudi job that didn’t exist Adrian Heath was duped into thinking he was on the verge of a new job – only to be held at knifepoint in Morocco. Turns out he's not alone

Ex-MLS coach Adrian Heath thought the job interview might lead to the next part of the world football would take him.

Instead, it turned into a nightmare.

“I started thinking about all the good stuff about my life,” he said. “My wife. My children. My grandkids.”

www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

How U.S. Soccer is allocating World Cup tickets – to USA supporters, but mostly paying members U.S. Soccer has informed fans of the process to secure World Cup tickets through the federation, and it comes with plenty of caveats

News: U.S. Soccer has finalized the allocation/lottery process for its USMNT World Cup tickets.

Three distinct, weighted random draws, with all the $60 tickets going to members of supporters groups — but with "a huge catch."

Details:

How U.S. sports tickets got so expensive – and why it shocks the rest of the world World Cup ticket prices are symptomatic of a greater issue across sports in America, where enough people have proven they'll pay in excess

The furor over 2026 World Cup ticket prices raised a fascinating question:

How did sports tickets get so expensive in the United States — all while remaining relatively modest in the UK, Europe & elsewhere?

Spoke to economists, sports execs, etc. for answers @theathletic.com:

FIFA, after backlash to World Cup ticket prices, creates new $60 category for small number of supporters One thousand of the cheaper tickets will be available for each team per game after outrage over historically high prices.

Statement from American Outlaws president Brian Hexsel, in part:

"While we're hopeful that this means FIFA actually recognizes how exorbitantly priced tickets are, it is too little too late. The small number of tickets available at $60 will in no way meet [supporters'] demand…"

More:

New Trump travel ban could exclude fans of Senegal and Ivory Coast from World Cup Senegal and Ivory Coast are both scheduled to play two of their group games in the U.S. and one in Toronto, Canada.

New @theathleticfc.bsky.social

New travel bans by Trump administration threaten to exclude fans of Senegal and Ivory Coast from World Cup next summer, with each team having two games in the U.S.

Up to four qualified nations impacted now along with Haiti & Iran.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/689...

Pricing for 90% of the supporters tickets remains unchanged.

But 10% — or 1.6% of the total ticket inventory — now priced at $60, per FIFA.

FIFA, after backlash to World Cup ticket prices, creates new $60 category for small number of supporters One thousand of the cheaper tickets will be available for each team per game after outrage over historically high prices this month.

News: FIFA, amid backlash to World Cup ticket prices, has carved out ~1,000 tickets per game to sell for $60 to supporters.

More details and context @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

‘Going to the World Cup’ used to be something ordinary people did. Not with these ticket prices The World Cup is about so much more than just the football. FIFA's pricing structure for next summer's tournament ignores that

“Going to the World Cup” used to be something normal people did.

Not with these ticket prices.

@theathleticfc.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

How soaring World Cup ticket prices compare to Super Bowl, other major sporting events The 2026 World Cup final could be the single most lucrative match in soccer history.

This is, in case you were wondering, by far the most expensive World Cup ever.

Tickets are largely more expensive than NFL and Super Bowl tickets.

An updated piece putting FIFA's prices in the context of all points of comparison:

World Cup ticket prices rise again after draw; What each match costs to attend For the first time, tickets are available to specific World Cup games, and the prices are largely on a significant rise

FIFA has hiked World Cup ticket prices yet again.

It's now...
💵 $700 for some standard group stage tickets
💵 $140 *at minimum* — no more Category 4
💵 $8,680 for a Category 1 ticket to the final

@theathleticfc.bsky.social has published a full list of prices here:

FIFA’s pricing for the tickets available to supporters of teams at the World Cup has been criticised by the leading European soccer fans’ group.

Full story from @mjslater.bsky.social ⬇️

🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

NEW:

Hotels across US, Canada & Mexico hiked prices during the FIFA World Cup in 2026, with an analysis by The Athletic revealing average increase of over 300 per cent per night around opening matches in the 16 host cities.

Report: nytimes.com/athletic/68757…

2026 World Cup to feature three-minute hydration breaks in every half throughout tournament Every game will pause for three minutes in the middle of each half, which will essentially split the match into quarters.

News: Every 2026 World Cup match will feature two "hydration breaks," no matter the weather.

Each half will pause for exactly three minutes midway through.

It's a player welfare measure. It also has sporting & commercial implications.

More @theathleticfc.bsky.social: