FIFA says the 2026 World Cup has generated $15 billion in revenue, exceeding its projections, with ticket sales and hospitality reportedly accounting for $5 billion. The article argues that the tournament’s financial success has strengthened FIFA president Gianni Infantino despite criticism of FIFA’s decisions and governance.
Key Facts
FIFA announced that the 2026 World Cup had generated $15 billion in revenue, above its projections.
The Times reported that ticket sales and hospitality brought in about $5 billion.
The article says ticket and hospitality revenue was $929 million at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 2026 tournament added 40 games to the schedule compared with the previous format.
FIFA reported attendance of 6.8 million, surpassing the previous record of just under 3.6 million at the 1994 World Cup.
The article says the 211 FIFA member associations receive larger payouts from the tournament and each has a vote in the FIFA presidential election.
Infantino faces an election in March, and the article says many of his supporters remain behind him despite controversy over a proposed private-equity deal involving World Cup commercial rights.
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Deontay Wilder will fight unbeaten cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s bout with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on 11 December. Opetaia will make his heavyweight debut, and Netflix will stream the event worldwide, with the main event expected to begin around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday to reach U.S. viewers.
Key Facts
Organizers announced Wilder and Opetaia as the co-main event on Wednesday.
Wilder is 41 and has a professional record of 45 wins, four losses and one draw, including 43 knockouts.
Wilder held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020 and made 10 successful defenses.
Opetaia is 31, has won all 31 of his professional fights, and holds the IBF cruiserweight title.
Opetaia won the IBF title by defeating Mairis Briedis in 2022.
The Fury-Joshua event will take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and stream worldwide on Netflix.
Fury and Joshua have each lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk.
The main-event ringwalks are expected around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to the article.
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Tenerife is mourning striker Jesús de Miguel, who died from injuries after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a match on Monday. Fans, residents and club representatives have left flowers and other tributes at Tenerife’s stadium, where the collision took place.
Key Facts
De Miguel was 30 years old.
He died after sustaining injuries in a collision with goalkeeper Jesús Owono during Monday’s match.
De Miguel scored 11 goals in his first season with Tenerife, helping the club earn promotion to Spain’s second tier.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium to pay tribute.
The tributes include flowers, scarves, photographs, prayer cards and children’s drawings.
Visiting fans from Stoke-on-Trent returned to the stadium to leave a Port Vale shirt.
Canary Islands education and sport minister Poli Suárez said the club and Canarian sport were devastated.
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Novak Djokovic lost to qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the second round of the Paris Masters, ending his chance to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic said he plans to rest, while Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul remain in contention for the tournament’s last two places.
Key Facts
Hijikata, an Australian ranked 83rd in the world, beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Djokovic, 39, needed a strong run in Paris to qualify for the ATP Finals.
It is the second time in the past 20 seasons that Djokovic has missed the ATP Finals while fit; the other was in 2017.
Djokovic reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semi-finals this year but did not make the quarter-finals at any Masters 1000 event.
Djokovic said he plans to rest over the next few weeks.
Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are the remaining contenders for the final two ATP Finals spots, currently held by Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar.
Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur both lost their Paris Masters matches on Wednesday.
Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, who have already qualified for Turin, also lost in Paris.
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Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell said he has regained full movement in his lower body and is making progress with movement in his upper body after a serious neck injury during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. He remains hospitalized and said he is optimistic about his recovery.
Key Facts
Campbell was injured while making a tackle in the Lions’ win over the Vikings on Sunday.
Medical staff treated Campbell on the field for nine minutes before taking him to a Detroit-area hospital.
In a statement on Wednesday, Campbell said he had full movement in his lower body and was making progress with movement in his upper body.
Campbell said he remains hospitalized and is taking his recovery one day at a time.
Lions coach Dan Campbell praised Jack Campbell’s character and said he had earned the respect of his teammates.
Jack Campbell was named an All-Pro last season and is in his fourth NFL season.
Campbell signed a four-year contract extension with the Lions in May worth $81 million.
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Burnley’s 2025-26 accounts show a £9 million loss, helped by a £77.7 million payment from its ownership group and £38.8 million in compensation from Everton. The Everton award is under appeal, and without it Burnley’s loss would have been £47.8 million, a record for the club.
Key Facts
ALK Capital bought Burnley in 2020 using a £65 million loan secured against club assets and £37 million from the club’s bank balance.
Burnley’s borrowings reached £142.3 million in the 2024-25 accounts, including a refinanced loan and debts tied to future transfer payments.
Velocity Capital, the owners’ holding company, paid Burnley £77.7 million of the £80.1 million it owed the club for the purchase.
Burnley reported a £9 million loss for 2025-26, compared with losses of £24 million to £29 million in each of the previous three seasons.
Everton paid Burnley £38.8 million after a ruling linked Everton’s profit and sustainability breach to Burnley’s relegation chances in 2021-22.
Everton’s compensation payment is subject to an appeal expected to be heard in January.
Burnley said the appeal could result in repayment of anywhere from none to the full £38.8 million award.
Without the Everton payment, Burnley’s 2025-26 loss would have been £47.8 million, despite record revenue of £144.5 million.
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Alexander Zverev said he was annoyed that people questioned his becoming the world’s top-ranked tennis player. He made the comments after losing to Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters, his first match since reaching number one.
Key Facts
Zverev said he felt he had to explain why he deserved to be number one.
He lost to Musetti 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
The article says Zverev won the French Open and US Open in 2026.
Zverev had a 62-8 record this year against players ranked 11th or lower.
He won three of 12 matches against top-10 opponents this year.
He had lost his past 10 matches against Jannik Sinner.
The article says Sinner had dropped to number two after a knee injury kept him out since Wimbledon.
Zverev has denied allegations of physical abuse made by two former partners.
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Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a Spanish second-division match on Monday. Owono said he was grieving, and Spanish police opened an investigation under judicial supervision.
Key Facts
De Miguel, a 30-year-old Spanish footballer, died from injuries suffered in the collision.
Owono said the death had left him struggling to process what happened and focused on De Miguel and his family.
Owono did not attend Andorra’s voluntary training session on Wednesday.
The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation offered Owono support, describing the collision as an involuntary incident.
Spanish police opened an investigation under judicial supervision.
Tenerife and Andorra’s scheduled weekend league matches were postponed.
The Spanish football federation postponed Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches this week.
Tenerife announced a six-day mourning period and plans to hold a tribute at its stadium on Saturday.
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RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney says England must improve its discipline, after the team collected eight yellow cards and one red during the Six Nations. England begin their November campaign against Australia on Sunday, while organizers are working to build interest in the new Nations Championship finals weekend, with Friday ticket sales described as challenging.
Key Facts
England received eight yellow cards and one red across five Six Nations matches.
England spent 118 minutes of the Six Nations with fewer than 15 players on the pitch.
Sweeney said analysis ranks England as the world’s second-best side with 15 players, but eighth or ninth when down to 14.
England finished a 45-21 defeat by South Africa in July with 13 players after yellow cards for Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper.
England will play Australia, Japan and New Zealand during their November campaign.
The Nations Championship finals weekend will feature six play-off matches over three days at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Sweeney said ticket sales for Friday’s finals weekend matches had been challenging, while Saturday and Sunday sales were going well.
Organizers moved the planned 2028 finals weekend from Qatar to the United States for 2030.
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Manchester United’s late 3-2 Champions League comeback against Roma eased pressure on head coach Michael Carrick, but he said the team would not get carried away after one win. The result recalled earlier 3-2 comebacks under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which briefly lifted their teams before both managers were later dismissed.
Key Facts
United came from behind to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League.
The victory ended a run of nine games and almost eight weeks without a win, according to the article.
Carrick called the result important but cautioned that it was only one win.
In October 2018, United came from two goals down to beat Newcastle 3-2 under Mourinho.
Mourinho was dismissed about 10 weeks after the Newcastle comeback, following a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool.
In October 2021, United came from two goals down to beat Atalanta 3-2 under Solskjaer, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winner.
Solskjaer was dismissed three weeks after United lost 5-0 to Liverpool, following a 4-1 defeat at Watford.
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Mauricio Pochettino named a 26-player United States roster for two Concacaf Nations League quarter-final matches against Haiti. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun return to the squad, while two players could make their international debuts.
Key Facts
The United States will play Haiti in a two-leg quarter-final series.
Haiti will host the first leg in Miami on November 14 because of security issues in Port-au-Prince.
The return match will take place in Cincinnati on November 17.
Thirteen players earned their first caps during the previous international window.
Reed Baker-Whiting and Santiago Castañeda are listed with no previous senior caps.
Tyler Adams is entering his second camp as the United States' national team captain.
The roster includes defenders Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards, and midfielder Weston McKennie.
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The International Ice Hockey Federation said it still opposes a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that would reinstate Russian teams, citing practical and sporting challenges. Several national teams have said they will not play Russia at next year’s men’s World Championships, and sponsor Škoda said it would reassess its involvement if Russia competes.
Key Facts
The CAS overturned the IIHF’s exclusion of Russian teams from international competition following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The IIHF cited visa and entry rules, security, logistics and competition formats as challenges to Russia’s immediate return.
Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Finland have said their teams will not play Russia.
The Finnish city of Turku threatened to give up hosting duties for the 2028 World Junior Championship.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russia and Belarus will be barred from the upcoming World Junior Championship in Alberta.
Škoda Auto said it would reassess its sponsorship if Russia takes part in the annual world championships.
Škoda has been the tournament’s official main sponsor since 1993.
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Haas dropped Esteban Ocon for the rest of the season after a dispute with team principal Ayao Komatsu in Mexico City, ending Ocon’s time with the team earlier than planned. Ocon is expected to seek a reserve-driver role while trying to return to the Formula 1 grid, though the article says his prospects are uncertain.
Key Facts
Ocon had already been set to leave Haas at the end of the season.
The dispute followed a disagreement over Ocon’s tyre plan during Friday practice in Mexico City.
Haas announced that Ocon would not drive for the team again after the Mexico City weekend.
Ocon said he rejected reports or allegations that physical violence occurred during the disagreement.
Haas did not provide further details about the dispute, and the article says lawyers are involved.
Ocon made his Formula 1 debut in 2016 and had driven in 198 grands prix, according to the article.
The article says Ocon was outpaced by teammates Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo during different periods of his career.
Ocon was previously without an F1 seat in 2019 after losing his drive at the Force India team.
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Ireland have named Craig Casey, Nick Timoney and Sean Jansen to start against Argentina in Dublin on Friday, 6 November. Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier will be among the replacements, while Dan Sheehan captains Ireland in Caelan Doris’s absence.
Key Facts
The Nations Championship match will be played at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, with kick-off at 20:10 GMT.
Sean Jansen will start at number eight because Caelan Doris and Jack Conan are unavailable through injury.
Craig Casey will start at scrum-half alongside fly-half Sam Prendergast.
Nick Timoney’s selection gives him a ninth consecutive Ireland Test appearance; seven of his previous eight came off the bench.
Robbie Henshaw will start at centre with Stuart McCloskey because Garry Ringrose is out with a hamstring problem.
Mack Hansen, Andrew Porter and Ryan Baird return to Ireland’s starting lineup after injury absences.
Argentina have made 12 changes from the team that drew 28-28 with Australia in September.
Juan Cruz Mallia returns from injury to win his first Argentina cap since November 2025.
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Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Latvia and the Czech Republic have said they may refuse to play Russia at the 2027 men’s Ice Hockey World Championship after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the IIHF’s exclusion of Russian teams. The countries say their concerns relate to the war in Ukraine and the safety of players and staff; they plan to play their other scheduled matches. The decision leaves the IIHF facing questions about possible forfeits and the tournament format.
Key Facts
The 2027 men’s Ice Hockey World Championship is scheduled to take place in Germany from May 14 to 30.
Russia has been excluded from international ice hockey since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the IIHF had not provided enough evidence to justify Russia’s ban on security grounds.
Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said Russia would submit evidence of the planned boycotts to the International Olympic Committee.
Austria is considering joining the six countries threatening boycotts, while Germany has expressed uncertainty about hosting the championship.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said Russian and Belarusian players will be barred from the next World Junior Championship in Alberta.
Russia’s senior national football teams and clubs remain suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions.
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Rafael Nadal has accepted a proposal to join Real Madrid’s board of directors. The club’s members will vote on his appointment later this month, and his responsibilities have not been announced.
Key Facts
Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals.
He helped Spain win five Davis Cup titles before retiring in 2024.
Real Madrid said Nadal is a major figure in Spanish and world sport.
Nadal thanked club president Florentino Pérez and the board for proposing his appointment.
Nadal is a longtime Real Madrid fan and holds club membership number 67,778.
Real Madrid members are due to vote on the appointment at a meeting later this month.
The club has not said what responsibilities Nadal would have on the board.
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The Winnipeg Jets overcame a 4-0 third-period deficit to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in overtime, ending a nine-game losing streak. Kyle Connor scored twice during a four-goal rally completed in the final 2:06 of regulation, and Dylan Samberg scored the overtime winner.
Key Facts
Montreal led 4-0 early in the third period, with Cole Caufield scoring twice.
Tyrel Bauer scored his first NHL goal with 2:39 left in regulation to start Winnipeg’s comeback.
Morgan Barron scored at 18:03 to cut Montreal’s lead to 4-2.
Kyle Connor scored twice with the Jets’ goalie pulled, tying the game with 33 seconds remaining.
Dylan Samberg scored at 3:30 of overtime to give Winnipeg the win.
The Jets’ four-goal comeback was described as the latest in NHL history.
Montreal coach Martin St Louis said Winnipeg had been the better team over the full game.
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Real Madrid plans to put Rafael Nadal’s appointment as a club director to a vote by its General Assembly of Delegated Members. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and an honorary club member, said he accepted the invitation and wants to contribute.
Key Facts
Real Madrid’s board agreed to submit Nadal’s appointment for member ratification.
Nadal retired from professional tennis in November 2024.
Nadal won 92 singles titles, two Olympic gold medals and five Davis Cup titles with Spain, according to the club.
Nadal said he accepted the invitation from club president Florentino Pérez and the board.
Pérez won another four-year term as Real Madrid president in June.
More than a third of voting members backed challenger Enrique Riquelme in the presidential election.
Riquelme opposed plans to bring outside investment into the member-owned club.
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Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel, 30, died after an on-field collision during a Spanish second-division match. Clubs, players and football organizations paid tribute, while Spanish football authorities postponed domestic matches and UEFA arranged moments of silence at Champions League games.
Key Facts
De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest in an ambulance after receiving medical attention on the field and being taken to hospital.
Tenerife announced six days of official mourning and said club players, staff and officials would attend his funeral in Navahermosa, Toledo.
Tenerife scheduled a tribute at Heliodoro Stadium for Saturday at 6 p.m. local time.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed domestic matches through Friday, November 6.
UEFA said Champions League matches that week would observe a minute of silence; the anthem was also not played at Barcelona’s match.
Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono said the collision was a terrible accident and that he never intended to hurt anyone.
Local police opened an investigation into the incident.
Fans left flowers, candles and photographs outside Heliodoro Stadium, where the collision occurred.
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Rory McIlroy said people connected to LIV Golf had expressed a goal of destroying the European Tour at the 2026 Masters. He said LIV’s bankruptcy filing and the loss of Saudi backing point to a reset in professional golf, which he argued should support more sustainable tours.
Key Facts
McIlroy said LIV representatives spoke at Augusta National about wanting to destroy the European Tour.
DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings said LIV had a stated aim to destroy the DP World Tour.
LIV Golf launched in 2022 with Saudi backing and attracted several prominent players.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing after investing more than $5 billion, according to the article.
LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy protection last month.
The article says possible $300 million financing from BC Partners Credit could support a new version of LIV Golf.
Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia are among the players who have left LIV, according to the article.
McIlroy entered the Abu Dhabi event third in the Race to Dubai standings, 999.03 points behind leader Eugenio Chacarra.
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