Latest news with #BeautifulGame
Business Insider
30-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Get In! Walmart Kicks Off Partnership with Major League Soccer Ahead of the 2026 World Cup
U.S. retail giant Walmart (WMT) is investing in the Beautiful Game ahead of next Summer's World Cup. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Walmart is teaming up with Major League Soccer (MLS) in a multiyear partnership that will see the retailer tap into a growing U.S. fanbase for the sport. Kick Off Walmart will invest in MLS and become an official sponsor and partner of the league. Terms and the exact length of the partnership have not bene disclosed. The partnership kicks off with the Leagues Cup, a tournament that ends in a final on August 31. It features 18 MLS clubs competing against 18 teams from Mexico's Liga MX. 'Walmart will be front and center for the highly anticipated tournament,' said William White, Walmart's chief marketing officer. During the tournament and beyond, Walmart advertising will be featured across stadiums and other aspects of games, and soccer, once called the Beautiful Game by legendary star Pele, will be highlighted in its in-store and online shopping experiences. The tie-up comes around 12 months out from the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, and will feature some of the world's biggest football stars such as Argentina's Lionel Messi and Spain's Rodri. 'The lead-up to 2026 is a once-in-a-generational moment for soccer in North America,' said Carter Ladd, executive vice president and chief revenue officer at MLS. Fan Experience While Walmart has already been an advertising partner of MLS, this is its first sponsorship deal with the league. In addition, beginning in 2026, the league and Walmart said they will add to the fan experience by building out programming around televised matches on Saturdays that includes more storytelling around games across MLS platforms. Walmart will also launch a soccer landing page on its website, called a 'curated shopping hub,' that will include all things related to the sport — from gear and equipment to tailgate and watch party items. 'We're thrilled to be an official MLS sponsor and engage with the league's fast-growing and culturally vibrant fan base,' said White. 'The fanbase is generally younger, more culturally diverse, and that is an audience that's really important to Walmart. It's a big part of our growing customer base.' Indeed, nearly three-quarters of the MLS fanbase is made up of Gen Zers or millennials, and more than 30% is Hispanic. That could lead to a boost in its sales to younger people and those in Mexico and Canada gearing up for the World Cup. Is WMT a Good Stock to Buy Now? On TipRanks, WMT has a Strong Buy consensus based on 28 Buy ratings. Its highest price target is $120. WMT stock's consensus price target is $111.33 implying a 13.07% upside.
CNBC
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CNBC
The world's 'football' is America's 'soccer': Trump signaled that could change
The U.S. has long referred to European football as "soccer" — but President Donald Trump signaled this week that he could officially change the practice. Speaking to DAZN TV channel, Trump was asked about the possibility of an executive order to rename the sport. "I think we can do that, I think I could do that," Trump laughed as he spoke to the global sports streamer in an interview published Monday. "They call it 'football,' but I guess we call it 'soccer,' but that change could be made very easily. But it's great to watch," he said, as he was interviewed during the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, which was held in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday. It remains to be seen how serious Trump is about making the name change, but he certainly appears to have caught the bug for what the British call "the Beautiful Game." CNBC has reached out to the White House for further comment and is awaiting a response. Trump, who was present for the FIFA Club World Cup final match, appeared with winners Chelsea — much to the bemusement of players — as they lifted the competition trophy. The newly expanded soccer — or football — tournament was launched this year and saw top-flight teams from around the world compete in matches held across 12 venues in the U.S. in the last month. British club Chelsea stunned their French counterparts, Paris St. Germain (PSG), clinching a 3-0 win on Sunday. Trump unexpectedly appeared on the stage with the Chelsea players as they lifted the trophy. There are vast amounts of money to be made in football — the tournament win has netted Chelsea around £84 million (almost $113 million), according to the BBC, for their participation and performance. When the Chelsea players were asked about Trump "crashing" the trophy presentation, Chelsea Captain Reece James commented, "To be honest it was quite loud. I couldn't hear too much. He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment." His team mate Cole Palmer, who was instrumental in all three goals netted by the team, looked visibly confused at the time. The "America First" president, known for his protectionist stance, told DAZN that the sport had a unifying quality, and was about "love" between countries. "The game is about unity, it is about everyone getting together," he told the network. "It is about a lot of love between different international countries," he added, saying hat "this is the most international sport on the planet, so it can really bring the world together." The U.S. won't be able to escape the footballing mania next year, when it's set to host the World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada.
Hypebeast
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
In ''Football City, Art United,' Artists and Athletes Reimagine the Beautiful Game
Summary While art and sport may move in differently – in the studio and on the field – a shared energy pulses through them; fueled by drive, discipline and instinct, both disciplines not only give us a language for how to understand the world, but how to move through it. ForFootball City, Art United, a new exhibition in Manchester, international athletes are paired 11 contemporary artists, with each collaboration bringing forth a new artwork that looks within and beyond the pitch to reimagine the emotional, cultural and political charge of the Beautiful Game. Staged within the industrial interior of theOMA-designedAviva Studios, the exhibition joins the curatorial efforts of footballer Juan Mata, curatorHans Ulrich Obristand filmmaker Josh Wilding in an expansive showcase of painting, video, performance, architectural intervention and playable installations. Highlights include 'The Playmaker,' an immersive arena conceived byStefano Boeriwith Sandro Mazzola and Eduardo Terrazas, mapping Mazzola's legendary footwork into bold graphic Barringtonand Raí's 'The Field (after Raí)' brings the arena into abstraction, whilePaul PfeifferandEdgar Davids' sound-light installation,Crowds and Power, evokes the tension that looms between the locker room and the stadium. Extending outside of the venue,Rose Wylierenders practice shots of English defender Lotte Wubben-Moy's in streaks of brilliant hues, spilling them onto the streets in a series of billboards. Football City, Art Unitedis now on view through August 24, 2025. Head to Factory International's website to purchase tickets and learn more about the featured works. Aviva StudiosWater St,Manchester M3 4JQ,United Kingdom
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First Post
12-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
AIFF confirms indefinite suspension of Indian Super League, urges patience amid uncertainty over rights agreement
The All India Football Federation's confirmation comes after a notice from the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which informed the participating clubs that the 2025-26 edition of India's top-flight competition was being put on hold due to uncertainty over the Master Rights Agreement. read more Mohun Bagan Super Giant had won the League Winners' Shield as well as the ISL Cup in the 2024-25 season of the Indian Super League. PTI The has worsened with the All India Football Federation confirming that the 2025-26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) has indeed been put on hold. The development comes at a time when the men's football team has and has been struggling against lower-ranked teams, with the suspension of India's top-flight division casting a shadow on the future of the 'Beautiful Game' in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The confirmation from the AIFF comes after Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), a subsidiary of the Reliance Group that was created to operate the ISL, had earlier informed the clubs that the league had been put on hold due to contractual issues that are yet to be resolved. More from Football The federation, however, urged its stakeholders to remain patient while discussions over its Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with the FSDL continue. The current MRA between the two bodies, which establishes the structure, operations and commercial framework of the ISL, is set to expire on 8 December, at which point the upcoming season will already be underway. 'The AIFF and its stakeholders will take all possible steps and do all things within their power to ensure continuity of the ISL in the best interests of Indian football. We request the understanding of all stakeholders in the interim,' the AIFF said in a statement on Saturday. The original MRA was signed in 2010 and granted the FSDL exclusive commercial and operational rights for a period of 15 years for the league that was officially recognised by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation as India's top-tier competition in 2019, five years after the inaugural edition. The FSDL had reportedly proposed a new model of governance under a holding company in which 60 per cent of the ownership would go to the clubs while it would retain 26 per cent, with the remaining 14 per cent going to the AIFF. Talks with the Delhi-based national federation, however, have stalled with the AIFF having formed an eight-member task force to study the issue instead of finalising a new MRA by April.
Scottish Sun
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Inside the strangest football stadiums in Europe including one beside Hitler's bunker and another with a STEAM TRAIN
FANCY WATCHING a game of football on the side of an active volcano? Or maybe you would prefer the 90-minute experience of sitting high up a mountain pass, perched on a slender goat trail? 25 Amazing football stadium in Henningsvaer in Norway Credit: Getty - Contributor 25 Mountains rise about the Reine Stadion in Norway Credit: Leon Gladwell The thing about new grounds these days is that while they cost billions of pounds to build, more often than not they all look the same and lack uniqueness or character. There is something thrilling and wonderful about watching a match played in bizarre or strange surroundings – locations far removed from the pristine, copycat comfort of the Premier League. Author Leon Gladwell went on a two-year voyage to discover and photograph 100 of Europe's wackiest and strangest venues, travelling more than 130,000 miles across 71 trips. He has collected them all into a glossy new book European Football's Greatest Grounds. And SunSport has put together 10 of the most remarkable, bucket-list places on the continent where you can go and watch the Beautiful Game. Campo di Calcio Zuel (Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy) The Trampolino Olimpico, a ski jumping hill in the Dolomites, was opened in 1923 and was used as a venue during the 1956 Winter Olympics. The faded Olympic Rings are still visible from the bottom of the 49-metre high launch ramp. Yet there is no chance of Eddie 'The Eagle' flying over the goalposts because the jump has been closed for 35 years. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK During the summer months, when the snow has melted, the area below is used for junior football, thanks to the installation of a football pitch by Serie A giants AC Milan. It also has a key place in movie history – it was the scene of a famous ski jump by James Bond in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. 25 The ski jump at Cortina d'Ampezzo at the 1956 Winter Olympics Credit: Hulton Archive - Getty 25 The ski jump now has a summer football pitch at the landing area Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 AC Milan were behind installing the pitch in the beautiful Dolomite mountains Credit: Leon Gladwell Campo Gerini (Rome, Italy) Italian stadiums might look old and rundown but that is part of their charm and romanticism. Anyone who grew up watching the Italia '90 World Cup on TV will instantly recognise some of the famous yet tired arenas that hosted the world's best footballers 35 years ago. One of the nation's quirkiest grounds can be located in its capital Rome, eleven kilometres south-east of the Colosseum, in the second-largest urban park in Europe. Campo Gerini hosts various football factions seven days a week, from junior sides right through to senior matches in Italy's ninth tier. Some of the pitches are located next to a decaying aqueduct built in 50 BC during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Yet the future of the area is in doubt after 40 hectares of land (the equivalent of 60 football pitches) were sold to private individuals, including a supermarket entrepreneur, in 2023. 25 Footballers play in the shadow of an ancient aqueduct Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 The historic ruins were built in 50BC Credit: Leon Gladwell Eriskay (Scotland) Eriskay is a remote island in the Outer Hebrides and is barely four kilometres in length. With a population of just 143, it is one of the smallest regions to support a football club. And Barnet's old uphill slope is nothing compared to this imperfect playing surface. The bumpy, bobbly Cnoc Na Monadh pitch, with his wobbly touchlines, has a 'wee hill in the corner' and as such, one of the corner flags is as high as the crossbar. Occasionally, stray sheep might make a beeline for the centre circle and after every winter, groundstaff have to painstakingly remove all the local wildlife's POO. Fifa's World Football Museum gave Eriskay worldwide recognition in 2015, branding it as one of the eight most remarkable places in the world to play football. Post-match drinks can be enjoyed in the island's only pub, Am Politician, which is named after the celebrated shipwreck. 25 The bumpy, bobbly Cnoc Na Monadh pitch Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 The remote island is a remarkable spot for a football ground Credit: Leon Gladwell Feldstrasse (Hamburg, Germany) Hamburg's historic SC Hansa 11 club has a unique claim to fame – it is next door to a gargantuan Nazi-built Second World War BUNKER. Two artificial pitches in this inner-city sports ground are flanked by the astonishing Flakturm IV. This air raid shelter was built in the 1940s under orders from Adolf Hitler to protect the country from Allied air attack. An anti-aircraft gun has long gone from the imposing concrete blockhouse tower and it has since been converted into a public rooftop terrace, which doubles up as a live music venue. On the other side of the ground is the Millerntor-Stadion, which is home to Bundesliga side, FC St. Pauli, a must-see destination for all football hipsters. 25 The stadium is overshadowed by a Nazi-built anti-aircraft fortress Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 The bunker is now a a public rooftop terrace Credit: Alamy Grigoris Lambrakis Municipal Stadium (Athens, Greece) The best stadiums are not really the ones located off a motorway, far out of town, next to a shopping centre, with ample parking spots. The most interesting ones exist within a deprived community, perhaps next to a housing estate, in a hustling, bustling city, which has been dwarfed by the skyward creep of urbanisation. Athens Kallithea FC's ground, known locally as El Paso, is one such neighbourhood spot and some lucky fans can watch action in Greece's top division from their apartment block windows. Otherwise punters can perch on limestone cliffs that roll around half the pitch, standing behind coils of barbed wire and iron railings. In the mid-1960s, Sergio Leone's spaghetti-western classic For a Few Dollars More, starring Clint Eastwood, was released in Greece under the name Duel in El Paso. Kallithea used that nickname and to this day, they run on to the pitch to the dustbowl strains of Ennio Morricone's haunting score. 25 Athens Kallithea FC's ground is overlooked by appartments and cliffs Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 It was built in 1970 on the site of a former quarry Credit: Leon Gladwell Gryluvollur (Hveragerdi, Iceland) There is no danger of flooding or soggy pitches for Iceland lower-league side FC Hamar. That is because underneath their hillside ground are boiling underground rivers hot enough to cook an EGG. Situated on the slopes of the Grændalur volcano, fumarole vents near the touchline and in neighbouring backyards belch plumes of sulphuric steam into the air. A Gryla geyser lies dormant just 70 metres from the pitch and until the late 1990s, it would often shoot boiling jets of water up to 12 metres high during matches. At least for those who live in this alien landscape in the little village of Hverageroi (which translates as 'hot spring garden'), players can use the gases to steam-dry their match-day kits. 25 A geyser erupts spectacularly in Iceland Credit: Getty 25 The scenic pitch is situated on an active volcano Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 Hot steam rises above the pitch of FC Hamar Credit: Leon Gladwell Janosovka (Cierny Balog, Slovakia) Ideally, a football ground needs to have good, reliable transport links – but there is one in Slovakia which takes that concept to its extreme. One slumberous village in Cierny Balog actually has a STEAM TRAIN that passes directly by, just metres from the pitch and only a few feet from one of the grandstands. A busy logging railway used to haul timber up and down the valley for more than 80 miles of narrow gauge track for almost 75 years. These days, it is a heritage railway for tourists but the line goes straight through the ground of this semi-professional club. There are no confirmed accidents involving trains at the ground but the chairman often jokes that a few of his wingers should hop on and off to get them up the line a bit quicker. Yet anyone planning a Rory Delap-style long run-up for their throw-ins might think again… 25 Janosovka's ground has a vintage train line running alongside Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 The train line runs between the pitch and the main stand Credit: Leon Gladwell Kvarlis Tsentraluri Stadioni (Kvareli, Georgia) Kvareli Duruji FC in Georgia's fifth division play football inside the walls of a medieval CASTLE. The rural 17th-century fortress, which has an iron-studded entrance gate, has wooden grandstands and can house up to 2,500 fans. Legend has it that a player once went down headfirst into a sinkhole that emerged during one match in 1978. That has since been filled in and bricked over but underneath the pitch are tunnels and rooms that were built to store earthenware vessels used for the fermentation and ageing of local wine. When Gladwell went there, a special friendly match was arranged in his honour and his son Noah was allowed to play – even though he ended up missing a key penalty. 25 The pitch is inside an 17th Century castle in Georgia Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 Legend has it a player once fell down a pot hole into a tunnel Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 The castle is in the centre of the city of Kvareli Credit: Leon Gladwell Valloyran (Sandavagur, Faroe Islands) Those who live in the Faroe Islands can get to church on time on a Sunday – and then, after their prayers, have a little kickabout next door. One of the country's 26 grounds – in the seaside fishing village of Sandavagur – is overlooked by a beautiful red-roofed wooden church and cemetery. There are so few seats that it is essentially standing room only around this tiny football field – but you could choose to watch from your car given how close you can park behind one of the goals. The artificial pitch ensures few games are called off but spectators have to wrap up warm in the face of the fierce Faroese weather. 25 The picturesque ground is overlooked by a red-roofed church Credit: Leon Gladwell Yenisehir Stadyumu (Gumushane, Turkey) The city of Gumushane, which is 3,970ft above sea level, lies on the ancient Silk Road, the historic trade route from China to Turkey. To reach their football club, you have to endure a hair-raising zig-zagging journey along the Zigana Pass in the Pontic Mountains. Fans can either watch from the grandstands or, to avoid buying a ticket, find a spot up on the uphill goat paths. Pity the poor groundsman who has to work with a pitch that sees little sunlight due to the towering walls of red rock that encircle the ground. It is one of the most remote places to visit in Europe, several hours outside of Black Sea resort Trabzon, but also one of the most special. 25 The Yenisehir Stadyumu is 3,970ft above sea level Credit: Leon Gladwell 25 It is cut into the mountains alongside the ancient Silk Road, the historic trade route from China to Turkey Credit: Leon Gladwell
