No fixtures again — FIFA's funding plan now has a 19 September deadline, and Japan's story stays in the transfer market
Eleven days after the final there were no matches overnight; the movement is off the pitch. FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations on 29 July, JST, setting 19 September as the deadline to accept the World Cup commercial-stake plan. On Japan's side the coaching succession is settled, so the only story that keeps moving is Europe's transfer market — where Daizen Maeda and Hidemasa Morita are done deals and Kaishu Sano is still in talks.
No fixtures again — FIFA's funding plan now has a 19 September deadline, and Japan's story stays in the transfer market
Eleven days after the final there were no matches overnight; the movement is off the pitch. FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations on 29 July, JST, setting 19 September as the deadline to accept the World Cup commercial-stake plan. On Japan's side the coaching succession is settled, so the only story that keeps moving is Europe's transfer market — where Daizen Maeda and Hidemasa Morita are done deals and Kaishu Sano is still in talks.
FIFA puts a September 19 deadline on its World Cup investment plan — and offers members double the money to say yes
The fight over FIFA's plan to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial arm has a date and a price on it now. In a letter to all 211 member associations on Wednesday, president Gianni Infantino set September 19 as the deadline to accept, and spelled out the money: approve the plan and each association is promised $20 million; reject it and members get only the $10 million they were already due. UEFA, which is leading the opposition, controls just 55 of those 211 votes.
FIFA moves to sell a stake in the World Cup's commercial arm — and within a day, football pushed back
FIFA said on Tuesday it wants to carve its commercial and event operations into a $20 billion company and sell outside investors a minority stake of up to 20%, raising up to $4.2 billion it says would go to football development. Within a day, four of world football's biggest bodies — UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation and England's FA — had all objected, and UEFA was weighing a boycott. Crucially, this is a proposal, not a done deal: it still needs a majority of FIFA's 211 member associations and the FIFA council to approve it.
Zidane's France: the captaincy is open, and he 'hasn't spoken to Mbappé yet'
Zidane answered almost everything at his unveiling in Paris. The one thing he would not settle was whether Kylian Mbappé keeps the captaincy: 'I haven't spoken to him. The most important thing for him right now is to rest. We'll talk in September.' The job is his through 2030 — but who wears the armband, and who sits on his bench, is still undecided.
'A dream come true': Zidane confirmed as France coach, first game away to Türkiye in September
No fixtures overnight; the news was on the touchline. The French Football Federation confirmed on 28 July, JST, that Zinedine Zidane is Deschamps' successor on a four-year deal to 2030. He starts in September, with his first match away to Türkiye on the 25th. On Japan's side the coaching succession is settled, and the only moving story is the transfer market, where Kaishu Sano is still in talks.
France names its new coach tonight, JST; Sano's move is still in talks
No fixtures overnight, so today's headline is on the calendar side. The French Football Federation reveals Deschamps' successor at a press conference at 18:00 JST this evening, streamed live on its YouTube channel. Zinedine Zidane is the overwhelming favourite, but nobody has been named officially yet. Japan's confirmed transfers are done; the next names are still only in talks.
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The Captain, Wataru Endo
From an overlooked boy in Yokohama to the captain whose presence still binds Japan together.
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From Doha to North America
A map-led journey through Japan's World Cup history, from Doha to the 2026 horizon.
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Takefusa Kubo, Toward 2026
From Kawasaki to La Masia, Japan, La Real, and the road toward North America.
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Open the tournament map →Third-place race
The top 8 advance to the Round of 32
- 01KDR Congo4p · +1
- 02FSweden4p · +0
- 03EEcuador4p · +0
- 04LGhana4p · +0
- 05BBosnia & H.4p · -1
- 06JAlgeria4p · -2
- 07DParaguay4p · -2
- 08ISenegal3p · +2
- 09GIran3p · +0
- 10AKorea Rep.3p · -1
- 11CScotland3p · -3
- 12HUruguay2p · -1
