World Cup Ticket Exploit

GM football fans. It’s Thursday, Feb. 26 - A ticket broker touts huge returns for Fifa World Cup ticket investors, Messi admits to regretting not learning English, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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UEFA Europa League knock-out play-offs, leg 2, (Feb 26): Red Star Belgrade vs. Lille, Agg 1-0, 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET. French teams have won four of their six away major European visits to Red Star, but Lille’s only trip there saw them lose 1-0 earlier this season in the league phase. Stuttgart vs. Celtic, Agg 4-1, 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET. Stuttgart, who have a three-goal cushion in the second leg, have won five and drawn two of their last seven games at home. Celtic go into the fixture off the back of two losses, though they are unbeaten in their last five away from home. Nottingham Forest vs. Fenerbahce, Agg 3-0, 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET. Forest could win three consecutive major European fixtures for the first time since the 1983-84 Uefa Cup. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce have won just one of 10 away European matches in England. See all Europa League fixtures here.

Results…

Football fans love a peek behind the curtain to know how things really work. Brighton and Brentford often attract a lot of attention for their secret scouting practices, but very little is known about how they actually operate. So when Route One dug a little bit deeper to uncover what the next generation of clubs is doing to stay ahead of the competition, one name kept coming up: Gemini Sports.

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A Miami-based ticket broker has offered investors 50% returns over six months based on a plan to resell Fifa 2026 World Cup tickets at steep mark-ups. The broker, who won’t be named, sought over $5m to buy 8,000 World Cup tickets. This proposal has been verified by a pitch deck from the company, which was reviewed by Reuters.

The investment proposal outlined that the firm would target 33 matches that were “carefully selected for their market demand and projected returns.” However, the broker warned that the tickets could be cancelled by a "Fifa invalidation or enforcement actions," though the firm said it takes steps to mitigate these risks. It’s unclear whether any investor backed their proposal.

In related World Cup ticket news, Fifa unexpectedly emailed thousands of fans on Tuesday offering an “exclusive additional chance to purchase tickets”, but the message appeared to be incomplete. According to reports from recipients, the embedded purchase link led to a page stating that the ticket portal had already closed and would not reopen until April. Fifa had previously indicated that unsuccessful applicants’ next opportunity to buy tickets would be in April, leaving it unclear whether the email was sent in error or if the sales window has been brought forward.

Lionel Messi has admitted that he “deeply” regrets not learning English as he felt “half ignorant” when meeting people and not being able to communicate with them. Reflecting on his school years, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also expressed regret over not applying himself to his studies when he was young.

“I regret many things,” Messi told a Mexican podcast. "I experienced situations where I was with incredible and spectacular personalities to be able to talk and have a chat and you feel half ignorant. I always thought: 'What an idiot, how I wasted my time.’”

Aside from his regrets, Messi revealed that he was offered a chance to play for the Spanish national team but made it clear that he was always going to play for Argentina. Additionally, the 38-year-old discussed how his time under Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2012 was formative for his career: “Pep always told us that the best way to respect your opponent is to keep scoring more goals.”

Investors are pouring money into small-sided, digital-focused football leagues as audience figures and global reach expand, reports Reuters. Kings League, founded by former Spain and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, raised $63m last month (a total of over $160m since 2023), and its competitor Baller League raised $25m in December 2024.

While investors are attracted to the direct audience ownership and low infrastructure costs, concerns remain around the long-term commercial viability of these leagues. Plus, traditional sports formats still have a huge pull, with private equity investment in legacy football and basketball formats drawing 192 deals in 2025, up from 54 in 2019.

Both Kings League and Baller League are now targeting the United States as their next major growth market in 2026. Baller League has paused its original German competition to focus on launching in the US and expanding its UK presence. Kings League is also preparing a US debut, which would mark its eighth domestic men’s competition, with existing leagues spanning markets from Italy to Saudi Arabia. Typical investment needed for each market is €5-7m ($5.9-8.3m; £4.3-£6.1m), the league says, though the US venture will be more.

> Manchester United said it turned a profit for the six months to 31 December 2025 as its cost-cutting measures begin to bear fruit (More) | Andre Onana wants to fight to re-establish himself as Manchester United’s goalkeeper when his season’s loan at Trabzonspor finishes in May (More); dive into how Senne Lemmens is establishing himself as Man United’s no.1 (More)

> UEFA rejected Benfica’s appeal for Gianluca Prestianni to play in the second leg of their tie against Real Madrid after receiving a provisional one-match ban for alleged racial abuse of Vinicius Jr (More)

> England captain Leah Williamson has said she would consider strike action in protest over player welfare concerns (More)

> Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin has condemned Fifa president Gianni Infantino for suggesting Russia could rejoin world football (More)

> A consortium led by former professional poker player James Bord has pulled out of a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday (More) | West Brom have sacked Eric Ramsay just 44 days after appointing him as head coach (More)

> Local and national officials expressed concerns that the ongoing partial government shutdown in the United States could impact planning and preparation for the World Cup (More) | Miami may have to cancel its Fan Fest for the World Cup over funding delays, says the host city’s committee chief operating officer (More)

> NWSL Atlanta expansion team announces a seven-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Georgia-based insurance company Aflac (More)

> The Portuguese football federation said it was monitoring the situation in Mexico amid a surge in violence ahead of its friendly against the Mexican national team in March (More)

> Cristiano Ronaldo scored again in Al Nassr’s 5-0 Saudi Pro League win at Al Najma, taking his goal tally to 965; track Ronaldo's goal tally (More)

> Senegal’s prime minister says it’s “regrettable” that 18 people have been handed prison sentences for hooliganism related to the 2025 Afcon final (More)

Yesterday’s Poll: Jamie Carragher ranked Petr Cech as the Premier League's best-ever goalkeeper. Do you agree?

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (32%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅‍♂️ Nope (65%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)

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Question: Which player won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in the 2010–11 season despite his team being relegated from the Premier League?

Scroll below for the answer.

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

Answer

Scott Parker.