GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, June. 17 - A record-breaking World Cup is on the horizon, the WSL will undergo major changes, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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Club World Cup: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 17:00 / 12:00. Dortmund are the clear favourites to win Group F, doing so in 75.2% of Opta’s prediction model simulations. Fluminense haven’t been in good form, having ended their season with 16 defeats across 38 matches, their most in a single campaign since 2019. Dortmund, however, have won each of their last six games in all competitions, scoring at least three goals in every match.

TV Channels: Channel 5 or DAZN (UK) | DAZN (US) | DAZN (Canada)

Results…

The 2026 World Cup is set to be the most lucrative sports event ever staged, with Fifa’s revenues projected to top $10bn (£7.4bn). Fifa expects to bring in $13bn over the four-year 2023-26 cycle, almost 75% more than the $7.5bn over the Qatar 2022 cycle.

Fifa’s income is expected to rise because of the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams, with the number of games growing from 64 to 104. The report (paywalled) also describes it as a “global moment of convergence, with sport, technology, music, culture, media, politics and identity all colliding at an unprecedented scale”.

In related news, the European football industry has reached a record €38bn (£32.2bn, $43.6bn) in revenue for the 2023-24 season–an 8% year-on-year increase in turnover across the continent.

Germany’s antitrust regulator has called for tighter enforcement of the 50+1 rule, which requires a club’s membership to have majority voting rights over how teams are run. Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, previously exempt, now face potential structural changes.

Leverkusen’s exemption stems from being founded as a workers' team by pharmaceutical giant Bayer, whose long-term financial support secured them a special status. However, the regulator is now arguing that a recent European court ruling suggests that exemption from the rules is “no longer possible.” While Leipzig, who are owned by Red Bull, weren’t directly named, they too would need to grant greater democratic member control, similar to other Bundesliga clubs.

In response, Leverkusen said the regulator’s reasoning was not legally compelling and that it would assess the decision while reserving all legal options. In addition, the regulator has been examining the Bundesliga for over seven years now and has brought about limited changes.

Dive deeper into what the Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule means here.

The top two tiers of women’s football in England have voted to expand the Women’s Super League (WSL) from 12 to 14 teams starting in the 2026–27 season. It comes as WSL Football, the company that runs both leagues, aims to increase jeopardy and encourage investment in women’s teams.

An FA review found that there were too few high-stakes matches, with several clubs remaining in the top flight for extended periods despite limited progress, likely due to the absence of competitive relegation pressure.

A play-off system for relegation and promotion will also be introduced, ending speculation that relegation might be paused during expansion. Pending FA approval, the new format will include one automatic promotion place for the WSL 2 (currently the Women's Championship) winner, with the bottom club in the WSL relegated. Additionally, the second-bottom WSL team will face the WSL 2 runners-up in a promotion/relegation play-off.

> Tottenham Hotspur have signed Mathys Tel on a permanent transfer from Bayern Munich (More) | Rayan Cherki says he chose Manchester City as he believes he can fulfil his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or at the club (More)

> Irish club Drogheda lost its appeal against being removed from the Conference League next season for breaking Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules (More)

> Atletico Madrid are interested in Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson as he heads into the final year of his contract at Anfield (More) | Four Atletico fans have been handed prison sentences by a Spanish court for hanging an effigy of Vinicius Junior from a bridge in 2023 (More)

> Gareth Bale has been lined up to front a US-based private equity group’s potential takeover at Plymouth Argyle (More)

> The MetLife Stadium pitch was criticised by both FC Porto and Palmeiras head coaches following their goalless draw in the Club World Cup, labelling it as ‘dry’ and ‘slow’ (More)

> USMNT end their losing streak with a 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in their Concacaf Gold Cup opener (More); see Gold Cup group stage standings (More)

> NWSL’s Angel City wear ‘Immigrant City Football Club’ shirts in response to the Los Angeles raids (More); ESPN’s updated NWSL power rankings (More)

> Tampa Bay Sun have won their first USL Women’s Super League championship following a 1-0 victory over Fort Lauderdale United (More)

> Japan's Kazuyoshi Miura made his first appearance of his 40th season as a professional footballer (More)

Yesterday’s Poll: Are fans at risk of football fatigue with so many summer fixtures?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🚨 Yes... (65%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅 Nope... (33%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other… (2%)

Your punditry takes:

Meet Auckland City, the CWC’s only amateur team.

How do add-ons work in football transfers?

Fifa moves fans to make stadiums appear full.

Women’s team told to change name by men’s club.

Real Madrid launch new away kit.

Officially the best PL performance last season.

Question: There are 12 clubs from Europe participating in this year’s Club World Cup–how many can you name?

Scroll below for the answer.

Club World Cup

*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.

Answer

Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Juventus, Porto, Benfica, Real Madrid, Barcelona, RB Salzburg.

Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.