Soccer

1/19/2026 |  Real Madrid, Chelsea return to Champions League with rookie coaches in season of firings (Fox Sports) Real Madrid and Chelsea resume in the Champions League this week after the winter break with new coaches working in the competition for the first time.
Job losses are a strong theme in a season where patience has run thin in the board room and 11 of the 36 Champions League clubs changed coach.

1/19/2026 |  SportsFootballGlobalLatest NewsTicketing Experts question FIFA’s 500 million World Cup tickets claim By Kieran O'Connor - January 16, 2026 (Insider Sport) FIFA’s claim of half a billion World Cup ticket requests has led to industry scrutiny, with experts questioning whether the figures reflect genuine fan demand or systemic ticketing distortions.
FIFA has reported an “unprecedented” demand for the 2026 World Cup, claiming over half a billion ticket requests were submitted during the draw.
The application phase ran from December 11, 2025 to January 13, 2026, with requests coming from every FIFA Member Association worldwide.

1/19/2026 |  Home Sports Football FIFA expands 2026 Series to keep fans and sponsors hooked SportsFootballGlobalLatest News FIFA expands 2026 Series to keep fans and sponsors hooked (Insider Sport) FIFA has once again expanded one of its tournaments, this time the FIFA Series for 2026, which will feature 48 national teams across 12 mini-tournaments hosted by 11 member associations.
The governing body announced the full line-up of hosts and group compositions on January 19, with nine men’s groups and three women’s groups spanning all six confederations. Hosts include Australia, Indonesia, Rwanda and Uzbekistan on the men’s side, with women’s events taking place in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire and Thailand.

1/19/2026 |  France Secures 2026 FIFA World Cup Base in Boston (SportsTravel) The French Football Federation has confirmed that the French national team will have its base camp at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Boston during the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
A video released by the FFF shows French manager Didier Deschamps touring the venue along with his backroom staff at some point after the World Cup draw in early December.

1/19/2026 |  MLS U22 Initiative Players (Spotrac News) Introduced as part of the 2021 MLS Roster Rules, the U22 Initiative encouraged MLS clubs to sign up young players to lucrative deals at a reduced budget charge. 
In 2024, the rules were changed, allowing new roster-building mechanisms for MLS Teams. 
Teams now can decide their own choice of their roster designation: Either 3 Designated Players & 3 U22s per team or the teams could decide to have only 2 Designated Players with 4 U22s with an additional bonus of $2,000,000 in general allocation money for prioritizing younger players which allowed teams further flexibility.
U22 acquisition fees do not count against a team’s Salary Cap, providing enhanced opportunities to domestic and international rising stars.