Markets World Tech USA · World
Nikkei 225
64,768.25
+1,013.35   +1.59%
Live
Hang Seng
25,465.80
-418.63   -1.62%
Live
Shanghai
3,901.17
+91.51   +2.40%
Live
ASX 200
9,265.90
+289.10   +3.22%
Live
Nifty 50
24,636.00
+252.40   +1.04%
At close

Economy

Are money and soft power draining World Cup football of its magic? | Richard Partington

· The Guardian

Are money and soft power draining World Cup football of its magic? | Richard Partington

It’s almost all over. No more hydration breaks, no more obligatory pans of the TV cameras to Hollywood A-listers, or dread of the crushing inevitability of English disappointment. The Fifa World Cup 2026 is at an end, after another month of planet-straddling drama laced with significance and symbolism, both on and off the pitch.

Before the kick-off between Spain and Argentina on Sunday evening, the result is already clear: football’s greatest prize is more than a sporting event; it is a geopolitically charged economic juggernaut.

Continue reading...