分类： sports

The 2023-24 Premier League title race is reaching a dramatic climax this weekend, with Arsenal holding a three-point advantage over defending champions Manchester City and a golden opportunity to pile massive pressure on their chasing rival. Mikel Arteta’s side, commonly known as the Gunners, will take on Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening, and a three points against the London outfit would push their lead at the top out to six points – at least for 48 hours. That gap will hold until City takes their turn on the road, where they face a notoriously tricky test against Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night, a fixture that has upset title-chasing sides on multiple occasions in recent seasons.

This title race has been defined by razor-thin margins, and that trend shows no sign of changing heading into the final stretch of the campaign. Just seven days ago, Arsenal and City were dead level on both points and goal difference, before the Gunners grabbed a crucial narrow victory over Newcastle United to pull ahead. But Arsenal’s path to a first top-flight title since the Invincibles season of 2003-04 is far from smooth: the north London side have failed to find the net more than once in any Premier League fixture since mid-March, a dry spell that could cost them dearly in the final four matches of the season. Even a perfect four-game finish may not guarantee the title, analysts warn, while City – who hold a game in hand over Arsenal – have clicked into devastating form, finding goals with far more consistency than their title rivals in recent weeks.

Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville, one of the most high-profile analysts of the league, believes Arsenal will face an almighty battle to cross the finish line first. Speaking on his popular podcast, Neville noted: “They’re not going to sail over the line — it’s going to be a real struggle. They’re not going to all of a sudden hit form in this next couple of weeks.” The pundit added that Arsenal would need every bit of grit and luck to get over the line, saying they would have to be “wheelbarrowed” to the title.

While all eyes are on the title race, the fight to avoid relegation is delivering equally high drama, and nowhere is that more evident than at Tottenham Hotspur. Just as new manager Roberto De Zerbi earned his first win at the club and sparked faint hopes of a Great Escape, the north London side’s season-long injury crisis has struck again with devastating timing. Dutch playmaker Xavi Simons was stretchered off with a serious knee injury during last week’s 1-0 away win over already-relegated Wolves, while striker Dominic Solanke is set to miss the remainder of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

The full extent of Tottenham’s injury list this term makes for grim reading for fans. Long-term absentees already include creative stars Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert, while club captain Cristian Romero is the latest high-profile name to join the treatment table. Despite the devastating string of injuries, De Zerbi remains defiant, focusing on what his available players can achieve this weekend. “We can win the games with the players, not with the coaches,” the manager said. “The coaches are important but the players are more important. But I want to be positive.” Tottenham remain stuck in the relegation zone, two points adrift of 17th-placed West Ham United, and face another tough test this weekend as they travel to take on European-chasing Aston Villa.

Elsewhere in the top flight, Chelsea will be looking to build on their first win in six matches and end a dismal domestic season on a positive note, while still clinging to faint hopes of snatching a late Champions League spot. The Blues sacked manager Liam Rosenior last month after a catastrophic five-match losing run in the Premier League, but interim head coach Calum McFarlane has overseen a marginal upturn in form, with a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final booking the side a place in the FA Cup final against none other than Manchester City at the end of the season.

Currently sitting in eighth place in the Premier League table, Chelsea still have a mathematical chance of claiming a top-four spot, though that outcome depends on a complex set of results. If Aston Villa – currently sitting in fifth place – holds that position and goes on to win the Europa League, the Champions League spot that comes with a fifth-place finish for the English league will be passed down to the sixth-placed team in the Premier League. If Villa finish fourth or higher and win the Europa League, however, no extra spot will be awarded. Right now, Brighton & Hove Albion occupy sixth place on 50 points and would be the first to benefit from this scenario, but the gap between the Seagulls and the chasing pack is tiny. Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham are all within one or two points of Brighton, with Everton and Sunderland also still in touching distance of the European spot.

The full matchweek fixture list (all times listed in GMT) is as follows: Friday at 19:00 sees Leeds United host Burnley. On Saturday, kick-off is at 14:00 for Brentford vs West Ham, Newcastle United vs Brighton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Sunderland, with Arsenal vs Fulham kicking off later at 16:30. Sunday’s fixtures are Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace at 13:00, Manchester United vs Liverpool at 14:30, and Aston Villa vs Tottenham at 18:00. Monday closes out the matchweek with Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest at 14:00, followed by the highly anticipated clash between Everton and Manchester City at 19:00.

In a storybook ending to her four-season tenure with the Newcastle Knights, 21-year-old NRLW star Jesse Southwell delivered a moment that will go down in State of Origin folklore on Thursday night: a match-winning, career-first field goal that carried the NSW Blues to an 11-6 win over Queensland Maroons in the series opener. The fairytale victory came just two days before Southwell relocates to Brisbane to join the back-to-back defending champion Broncos on a two-year contract, turning the critical late-game score into the ideal send-off for the Newcastle faithful that has supported her since she turned pro.

Southwell has already built an impressive resume in her young career, claiming two NRLW premiership titles with the Knights and earning representative honors at both the state and national level. But heading into Thursday’s clash at Newcastle’s Hunter Stadium, one milestone had eluded her: she had never attempted a field goal in 40 career top-flight games, let alone nailed one under playoff pressure.

The stage was set in the final 10 minutes of the clash, with neither side able to break through for a decisive score, locking the game at 6-all. After her first attempt at a one-pointer was charged down by Maroons forward Destiny Brill, Southwell got a second chance, thanks in large part to teammate Olivia Kernick. The pair had discussed a potential field goal setup earlier in a break in play, and after the first blocked attempt, Kernick again encouraged Southwell to step up for the second opportunity. This time, Southwell split the posts, putting the Blues ahead for good.

“ I’ve never kicked a field goal in a game before, in a real game I mean. But that was cool,” Southwell told reporters after the match. “It was actually Kernick at that point. We had a discussion earlier when there was a break in play about setting up for a field goal. I went to the first one, she actually told me to do that one as well which was so good, and then I missed that one. And then the second one came around and she was like, ‘Jesse, kick it now’. I was like, ‘Sweet’.”

NSW head coach John Strange said he never doubted Southwell’s ability to step up to the pressure moment, even after the first failed attempt, pointing to the young halfback’s signature mental toughness as the key to the historic play.

“The fact that she did that after the first time is just a testament to who she is. She’s got a really strong positive mindset as a young half, which you obviously need,” Strange said. “She backs herself. For me as a coach, I want all these players to back themselves, that’s why they’re in this team. All 17 players that played tonight are exceptional athletes and very good footy players. For me, it’s about them backing their ability. Jesse is obviously guiding the team around, but icing a moment like that when it turns up is exactly what you want.”

Playing the match on the home ground she called home for four seasons with the Knights added an extra layer of meaning to the play, and Southwell showed a maturity far beyond her 21 years when asked about her emotions in the aftermath of the kick. Rather than celebrating immediately, she shifted her focus to closing out the win, well aware of Queensland’s history of late match-winning plays against NSW in both men’s and women’s Origin contests.

“I was just thinking about my next job because there were still a few minutes left, and I just knew the game wasn’t over yet,” she explained. “Queensland have done it to NSW in the men’s game and the women’s game time and time again (when they win it late), so I was honestly just thinking about the next job and not losing the game from there.”

The fairytale send-off lines up with the next chapter of Southwell’s career: she confirmed she will pack her bags and relocate to Brisbane this Sunday, and will begin orientation and pre-season commitments with the Broncos in the coming week. She has already been commuting between Newcastle and Brisbane in recent weeks to ease the transition.

With the first game of the three-match series secured, Southwell and the NSW Blues will now head to Suncorp Stadium for the second Origin clash on May 14, where they will look to lock in the series win and claim the 2025 State of Origin title.

The world of professional golf was rocked Thursday by a pair of connected announcements that cast deep uncertainty over the future of the breakaway LIV Golf league, leaving PGA Tour-based players adopting a cautious, watch-and-wait approach as speculation swirls about a potential wave of returning defectors.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the deep-pocketed backer that launched LIV Golf in 2021 and lured top talent with blockbuster contracts, confirmed it will withdraw all financial support for the circuit following the 2026 season. The confirmation came just hours after LIV Golf itself released a statement acknowledging it was actively pursuing new long-term financial partners to sustain its operations.

The dual disclosures immediately sparked widespread industry speculation that dozens of golfers who abandoned the PGA Tour to join the rival league — and who lost their PGA membership in a bitter, years-long split that spawned multiple high-profile lawsuits and fractured the global golf community — could soon rush to secure a path back to the sport’s top traditional tour.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami, 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, a longstanding PGA Tour loyalist, shared his perspective on the unfolding situation. The 39-year-old American said he believes a pathway for readmission will eventually open for LIV golfers, but he stressed that it remains far too early to outline what terms that re-entry might include.

“I would think that the fans want everyone to be playing together and, you know, time heals all wounds,” Harman said. He added, however, that lingering hard feelings from the acrimonious legal battle remain a major barrier to reconciliation. “There is still some sentiment out here, especially with all the lawsuit stuff. That stuff’s going to be tough to get past.”

The rift between the two circuits dates back to 2022, when 11 high-profile LIV defectors — including six-time major champion Phil Mickelson — filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, challenging the tour’s decision to suspend players who signed with the new breakaway league.

To date, one of the sport’s biggest names, five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, has already rejoined the PGA Tour under an existing readmission program that requires participating players to pay steep financial penalties. Harman made clear that he supports maintaining meaningful consequences for any other LIV golfers who seek to return in the wake of PIF’s funding withdrawal.

“I think there has to be something,” he said, adding that such penalties would help ease long-running “bad blood and resentment” among players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour. Even so, Harman pushed back on assumptions that a mass exodus from LIV is imminent, noting that the end of PIF backing does not guarantee LIV Golf will cease operations entirely.

“I’m not sure that they’re closing shop. The funding’s drying up. They could secure funding from somewhere else and keep going. They have got a lot of big name players over there, guys that move the needle,” Harman explained. “Until it’s all done, until you’ve got guys that are actually calling and trying to come back to the tour, it’s not really a problem that we’re dealing with currently.”

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth echoed Harman’s cautious tone, saying he was relieved not to be part of the group tasked with negotiating readmission terms for returning LIV golfers. Spieth noted that the PGA Tour already extended offers of readmission to defectors several months ago, and Koepka was among those who took advantage of that opportunity.

“I know olive branches were given out, you know, a couple months ago. Brooks took ’em up on it. So I’m not sure what would now change,” Spieth said. Like Harman, he emphasized that the end of Saudi funding does not automatically mean LIV Golf will fold. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that LIV’s not going to still move on, too. I think there’s just too many unknowns for me to have a good gauge on what would happen there.”

Spieth added that the acrimony of the past four years has made the question of LIV golfer readmission an incredibly charged issue, and he has no desire to be involved in shaping its outcome. “There’s just a lot of different things that happened over the last four years. I’m kind of glad I’m not in that room.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a noted golf enthusiast whose company owns multiple courses that host events for both tours, weighed in on the developments Thursday. Trump said he wants to see the sport reunited, with top PGA Tour loyalists like Masters champion Rory McIlroy competing regularly against LIV stars such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

“Now they’ll all be accepted by the tour … they’ll all be back on tour and it’ll be great,” Trump said. He also noted that LIV Golf remains active for the time being, with its next tournament scheduled to take place in two weeks at his Trump National Golf Club, located on the Potomac River in suburban Washington D.C. “I’m not sure what’s happening with LIV, but they are playing at my course in two weeks.”

Global football governing body FIFA announced Thursday it will conduct a full review of its ticketing framework for the 2030 World Cup, responding to intense public backlash over the exorbitant ticket costs for the upcoming 2026 tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the FIFA Congress wrapped up in Vancouver, FIFA Deputy Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom framed the steep 2026 ticket prices as a reflection of North America’s unique market dynamics. “I will always have understanding for fans and their opinions, but I think there are quite a wide array of ticket prices — some are cheap, some are more expensive,” Grafstrom told reporters. “But of course, you know, we listen, we take into the account the comments, and of course, as for every World Cup, we will review and see how we do it for the next one.”

The organization has faced relentless criticism from fan groups since 2026 ticket sales launched. Football Supporters Europe (FSE), a prominent pan-European fan advocacy organization, has labeled the current pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal” of the global football community. Last month, the group escalated its pushback by filing a formal complaint with the European Commission over what it calls FIFA’s “excessive ticket prices” for the 2026 tournament.

FIFA leadership has pushed back against the criticism, arguing that soaring prices are driven largely by overwhelming market demand. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pointed to dynamic pricing models common in the North American events industry as a core factor behind the fluctuating costs, noting that prices adjust up or down based on demand for individual matches.

Recent data from resale platforms has underscored just how extreme the pricing has become: this week, four tickets to the 2026 World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, scheduled for July 19, were listed on FIFA’s official resale exchange for a staggering $2 million per seat, according to multiple reports. Third-party resale platforms routinely list final tickets for tens of thousands of dollars, putting the sport’s biggest match out of reach for most ordinary fans.

When asked whether fan anger over ticket pricing could damage the long-term legacy of the 2026 World Cup, Grafstrom defended the tournament’s financial model, noting that projected total revenues of up to $13 billion will be reinvested into global football development through FIFA’s Forward program. “I think, you know, the legacy is also what we’ll be able to do with the money that it generates,” he said. “This is a true legacy through the (FIFA) Forward program and in order to really develop the game of football in our member associations, and this will have a true impact.”

In a nail-biting Australian Football League clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night, Collingwood and Hawthorn battled to a thrilling draw that left both coaches with conflicting emotions after the final siren.

The Hawks, who had trailed by as much as 23 points midway through the second quarter and were still seven points down with just 60 seconds left on the clock, pulled off a stunning late equalizer. Forward Dylan Moore nailed a difficult goal right after the final siren sounded, locking in the two-point split for both sides that capped off a rollercoaster 90 minutes of play.

For Sam Mitchell, the encounter marked his first draw as Hawthorn’s head coach, and he admitted post-match that he could not pinpoint exactly how he felt about the result. The Hawks dominated key statistical categories throughout the game, outpacing Collingwood 62-34 in forward 50 entries and 39-23 in total clearances, with a particularly dramatic 19-5 win in centre bounce clearances — an area the club has invested heavily in improving over recent weeks. But that on-field dominance failed to translate to scoreboard points, thanks to persistent inaccuracy in front of goal. Hawthorn managed just 5.10 (goals-behinds) in the first half, and finished the full game with a underwhelming 13.15 total that wasted their plentiful attacking opportunities.

“I don’t know how to give a name to the emotion,” Mitchell told reporters after the match. “There is a part of me that thinks, you look at the numbers and go, ‘How did we only come away with two points’ and then with two minutes to go, ‘How did we get two points’, so I’m unsure how to feel.”

Mitchell acknowledged that Collingwood’s tight defensive structure and clinical attacking efficiency made the result tough to crack, adding that his squad still needs holistic improvement to turn their territorial dominance into wins. While the club’s work on centre bounce clearances paid off, other reliable areas of Hawthorn’s game fell flat on Thursday, leaving Mitchell frustrated by the missed chance to claim a full four competition points. “But then to not be able to maximise it in the front half, you get frustrated with that. So the glass is exactly in the middle for me which is why it’s a difficult feeling,” he said.

For Collingwood coach Craig McRae, the result also left room for reflection, particularly around his side’s tendency to concede late goals in every quarter. The Magpies conceded goals on the siren at half-time, three-quarter time, and full time, a pattern McRae flagged as a key area for improvement heading into future rounds. “When you’re in front by a goal with 40 seconds to go, you’d think you would hang onto those,” McRae said. “I think we got some work to do with our late-quarter decision-making.”

Even with the late collapse that cost Collingwood a win, McRae struck a measured tone with his squad after the match, framing the draw as a credible performance against one of the league’s top contenders. “But fundamentally, I said to the boys, ‘We didn’t win tonight, but we definitely didn’t lose’,” he said. “It’s important to acknowledge that we played some really good footy against arguably the best team in the competition. We come here tonight to see how our game stacks up and I think most of our fans would have been pretty happy.”

Ahead of a highly anticipated Saturday night fixture against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, Carlton Football Club senior coach Michael Voss has added his voice to growing criticism of the Australian Football League’s (AFL) current approach to rule enforcement and in-game officiating, aligning with recent remarks from Western Bulldogs head coach Luke Beveridge.

Last week, Beveridge drew widespread attention when he delivered a three-minute monologue slamming the state of the modern AFL, arguing the current rule set has turned the competition into a “ping pong” style of play prioritizing broadcast revenue over natural, flowing game action. Voss, a long-time respected figure across the league, has echoed that critique, calling on the governing body to adopt clearer, less ambiguous standards for simple calls and cut back on excessive reviews by the AFL Review Centre (ARC).

Voss specifically called out inconsistencies around the new last-disposal rule for balls kicked out of bounds. Under current protocols, any close call triggers a lengthy ARC review to determine which player touched the ball last before it went out of play. Voss argued that this process directly undermines the AFL’s stated goal of speeding up match play. He insisted that for any unclear last-touch calls, the straightforward solution of a boundary throw-in should be used immediately, eliminating the 25-second delays caused by constant reviews.

“I think the less we use the ARC, the better we are,” Voss told reporters this week. “The ball goes out of bounds and it takes us 25 seconds to review. Please don’t do that. If you’re unsure, throw it in. Our intention was to quicken up the game and we’re slowing it down by continually reviewing everything. For that part, if the intention is to make the game faster, let’s go down that path, but let’s not slow it down by analysing whether the ball came off my foot or my hand. I think we can be better than that, we can be much more black and white on the simple things.”

On the topic of recent draft adjustments that force Carlton to pay a higher selection price to secure father-son recruit prospect Cody Walker at the end of the current season, Voss played down the impact of the mid-season change, acknowledging that rule and system adjustments naturally bring discomfort but that the core demand from coaching staff is simply greater clarity around the league’s decisions.

Beyond rule discussions, Voss turned his focus to Saturday’s upcoming match, which holds extra narrative weight as it marks the first time Carlton will face St Kilda following the off-season off-field player moves that saw Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni switch clubs. De Koning, who will suit up against his former side for the first time this weekend, is already expected to be a focal point of the matchup. Voss admitted that friendly banter between former teammates is likely inevitable in the lead-up, but said he expects both sides to set personal friendships aside when the ball is bounced.

“Not that I’ve heard but I am not going to pretend there probably hasn’t been a little bit of banter that’s been exchanged,” Voss said. “I am really not too sure what Cotts (Matthew Cottrell) gets up to, so he’s the quiet assassin in all of this. It’s a bit of wait and see but look, I hope for whatever it’s worth that we walk out as competitors, really. They put the friendships aside. We’ve got jobs to do and our boys have a job to do for our team and clearly they’re going to be locked in on what they need to be able to get done. But maybe turn the microphones up (because) there might be a bit of banter between the two.”

For Carlton, the match comes after a far less turbulent week than the club experienced in the previous round, with the Blues still chasing a much-needed victory to boost their position in the 2025 AFL ladder.

As the clock ticks down on one of the most anticipated career decisions in the NRL this season, Manly Sea Eagles veteran Jake Trbojevic is increasingly certain he will extend his decorated career into 2027, with a recent form resurgence under interim head coach Kieran Foran pushing him toward activating the player option in his existing contract.

The 32-year-old former New South Wales State of Origin skipper, who made his top-flight NRL debut back in 2013, has spent years navigating a string of concussions that sparked widespread speculation about his potential retirement. After a underwhelming start to the 2024 season that mirrored the entire Sea Eagles squad’s slow start, Trbojevic has found new momentum since Foran took over the head coaching role from Des Hasler earlier this month.

In a press statement this week, Trbojevic confirmed he is “definitely” leaning toward playing another season, noting that his recent run of strong on-field performances has made his choice far simpler. He emphasized that any final decision will prioritize the long-term interests of both himself and the club he has represented his entire career, adding he has no intention of becoming a “burden” to the side he has supported and played for over more than a decade.

“It’s been a really enjoyable month. Having Foz (Foran) take over has been a breath of fresh air, and the consistent footy we’ve put together makes life a lot easier,” Trbojevic said. “The last few weeks have definitely made things a lot clearer. I just want to make a good decision for both me and the club. I don’t want to be a burden. We’re obviously always having ongoing conversations, and there’s great respect between both parties, so a final decision won’t be far away.”

His younger brother, injured star fullback Tom Trbojevic, has thrown his full support behind another season for the veteran lock, arguing that criticism of Jake’s early-season form was wildly overblown. The Sea Eagles remain heavily reliant on Jake Trbojevic’s leadership both on and off the pitch, with his veteran presence viewed as a core asset for the club’s developing young core.

“He’s definitely playing some of his best footy right now and really enjoying himself, so I definitely want to see him play on,” Tom Trbojevic said. “I thought everyone copped a bit of criticism at the start of the year, but I don’t think he was playing as badly as everyone was saying. We know what he’s capable of, and it’s great that he’s out there showing everyone that right now.”

As Trbojevic nears his final call, the resurgent Sea Eagles will face their biggest test of the Foran era this Sunday night, when they go head-to-head with the ladder-leading Penrith Panthers. Manly has notched four straight wins since Foran took over as caretaker coach, but the clash with the five-time defending premiers will be the first true measure of how far the side has progressed in recent weeks.

“Any time you play Penrith, it’s going to be a tough challenge,” Jake Trbojevic said. “It’s nice that we come in with good form because it gives you a bit of confidence. But we know it’s going to be a very hard test. Anyone who goes up against Penrith knows they’ve been the best side for the last five or six years. It’s a great challenge for us to see where we’re at. I’m just happy with our progression; we’ve continually gotten better and better. Hopefully, we can just go out and compete with them. I’m not going to talk about an end result, I just hope we can compete for a full 80 minutes.”

As FIFA’s 76th Annual Congress kicked off in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday, global football governing body president Gianni Infantino opened his address by cementing a long-stated position: Iran will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States as scheduled, and all of the team’s group-stage matches will be held on U.S. soil.

Iran’s participation in the upcoming tournament has been mired in uncertainty since regional tensions flared across the Middle East in February, following joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel. Multiple competing proposals emerged in recent weeks to upend the original fixture plan: Iranian officials briefly floated moving their group games from the U.S. to Mexico, a idea Infantino already rejected outright. Just one week prior, reports surfaced that Italy-born U.S. special envoy Paolo Zampolli had suggested replacing Iran with Italy in the tournament draw. The U.S. State Department quickly walked back that proposal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming that Iranian footballers would be welcome to compete.

Even as the fixture status was confirmed Thursday, new controversy emerged around Iran’s presence at the FIFA Congress itself. The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) delegation was the only group absent from the 211-member body’s opening session, after a confrontation with Canadian border officials earlier this week. FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and two colleagues left Toronto abruptly after landing, turning around and flying back to Iran rather than continuing on to Vancouver. Iranian state media reported the group was “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers during processing. Canada officially designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2024, and Canadian officials confirmed Wednesday that any individuals linked to the group are considered inadmissible to enter the country.

For the 2026 World Cup, Iran is slotted into Group G alongside New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, with plans to base their team camp in Tucson, Arizona. The squad is scheduled to kick off their tournament run against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. Immediately following Infantino’s confirmation that the matches will proceed as planned, U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of the FIFA president, voiced his public support for the decision. “Well, if Gianni said it, I’m OK,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think let ’em play.”

Beyond confirming Iran’s participation, Thursday’s congress also served as a major milestone in Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president, set for 2027. The head of global football has faced growing criticism in recent months: fan advocacy groups have slammed skyrocketing 2026 World Cup ticket prices as a “monumental betrayal” of supporters, and watchdog group Fairsquare filed a formal ethics complaint in December accusing Infantino of violating FIFA’s political neutrality rules after he awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during last year’s World Cup draw.

Infantino pushed back against ticket price criticisms in his opening address, noting that while some premium tickets carry high price points, a range of affordable options are also available to fans. He added that all projected tournament revenues, estimated between $11 billion and $13 billion, will be reinvested into global football development programs across all member nations. “And what is important is that all the revenues that we generate from the world go back to the entire world and finance football in all of your countries,” he said.

Despite the ongoing criticisms, Infantino secured a major boost to his re-election campaign Thursday when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially pledged their support for his 2027 candidacy. Together, the two confederations control 101 of the 211 total votes in FIFA’s presidential election. Combined with the 10 votes already pledged by the South American football confederation CONMEBOL, Infantino enters his re-election campaign with a commanding lead in pledged support.