Good morning football fans. It’s Friday, April. 3 - World Cup final tickets are the highest priced general admission tickets in football history, Uefa has warned that it may strip Italy of its Euro 2032 hosting due to its poor stadiums, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Editor’s note: The Route One team are taking a break over the Easter period, and we’ll be back in your inbox on Wednesday, April 8. While we’re away, there will be two Champions League matches on Tuesday (see here). Thank you, and we’ll see you next week!
KEY FIXTURES
FA Cup quarter-finals (Saturday, April 4): Manchester City vs. Liverpool, 12:45 BST / 7:45 ET. Man City are on a 17-game winning run at home in the FA Cup, and victory would see them surpass Clapham Rovers’ record of 17 consecutive home wins between 1873 and 1881. Liverpool lost 3-0 in their last visit to the Etihad in November last year, but they’ve been victorious in their last four away encounters with Man City in the competition. Chelsea vs. Port Vale, 17:15 BST / 12:15 ET. Chelsea enter the fixture with four losses in their last four in all competitions, while League One’s Port Vale have been in equally bad form with just one win in their last five. The last time these sides met was in 1929, when Port Vale won 1-0. Southampton vs. Arsenal, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. Arsenal have gone on to win the FA Cup on each of the last four occasions that they’ve reached the semi-finals. Southampton, the only side from the Championship left in the competition, are in good form, having taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer in their league.
The final FA Cup quarter-final is West Ham vs Leeds United, to be played on Sunday, April 5.
Results…
Women’s Champions League quarter-finals: Barcelona 6-0 Real Madrid (Agg 12-2) | OL Lyonnes 4-0 Wolfsburg (Agg 4-1) (Bracket)
TOP TALKING POINTS
World Cup Ticket Price Rise
FIFA raised the top ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 (£8,333), up from $8,680 in December, in the final phase of ticket sales, making it the most expensive general admission ticket ever for a football match. This price is seven times what the bid document from the United States, Mexico, and Canada suggested. The most expensive ticket for the final of the 2022 World Cup was priced at about $1,600.
The final phase of ticket sales, which opened on Wednesday, was marred by glitches. People who logged on at 11:00 ET, ready to finally secure a seat, found themselves in line for the “PMA late qualifier supporters sales phase,” a completely separate window intended for fans of the six countries who qualified only the day before. By the time the issues had been resolved, fans were sent to the back of the virtual queue.
Fifa previously reported over 500 million ticket requests, though some matches - including the United States’ opening fixture against Paraguay - have not sold as well as expected. This match, which will be at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles on June 12, was originally the third-most expensive of the tournament, yet thousands of tickets are still available. Fifa has not reduced prices for any matches, even those with weaker demand.
Championship Promotion Race
With seven matches remaining in the Championship, Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are nine points clear at the summit and look almost certain to secure one of the two automatic promotion spots. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are second, but Ipswich Town are just two points behind them with a game in hand. Middlesbrough have a 44% chance of automatic promotion, and Ipswich have a 39% chance, according to Opta’s prediction model.
When it comes to play-off spots, around seven teams have realistic ambitions to reach the four-team tournament. Outside of the top three, Millwall are most likely (83%) to feature in the play-offs, with Hull City (74%) and Southampton (68%) closely behind. Elsewhere, Wrexham, who are level on points with sixth-placed Southampton, are projected to have a 44% chance of reaching the play-offs. Derby County are also given an outside chance (12%) as they sit just three points behind Wrexham.
While Wrexham are chasing a historic fourth consecutive promotion, Opta ranks their remaining fixtures as the second-toughest of the group chasing a play-off spot, with challenging games against Coventry and Middlesbrough still to come. Derby face the toughest run-in overall, while Coventry have the most favourable fixtures for the rest of the season.
Euro 2032 Warning
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has again warned Italy that it risks losing its role as co-host, alongside Turkiye, of Euro 2032 due to the condition of the country’s stadiums. “Maybe Italy’s politicians should ask themselves why the football infrastructure is among the worst in Europe,” Ceferin said. “[Italian football’s biggest problem] is the relationship between the football authorities and politics.” This is the second time the Slovenian football executive has criticised Italian stadiums, having done so in August last year when he urged the country to ensure the venues met hosting standards.
Italy has until October to designate five stadiums to host matches, with any new builds or redevelopments required to begin construction by March 2027. Although public ownership has often been cited as a barrier to modernisation, several venues - including those in Rome, Florence, and Naples - have already been approved for redevelopment. Meanwhile, Milan’s city council offices were investigated this week over the proposed sale of San Siro to the city’s clubs, a move intended to facilitate the stadium’s renovation, as reported by Route One on Thursday.
In related news, Italian federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned following Italy’s failure to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup. Reports suggest his departure will also likely result in coach Gennaro Gattuso’s exit.
POLL
Are World Cup ticket prices justified based on the demand that FIFA claims?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Fixture congestion risks harming England's future World Cup chances and devaluing the FA Cup, the FA has warned (More) | Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi has apologised over comments he made about Mason Greenwood, who he signed at Marseille (More)
> La Liga leaders Barcelona travel to fourth-place Atletico Madrid on Saturday (April 4) ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday (Apr 8) (More); see the La Liga table (More)
> If Bayern Munich win their next two Bundesliga games, and second-placed Borussia Dortmund loses both, the title could be Bayern’s with five games spare; they are also four short of the 101 goals record from the 1971-72 campaign (More)
> Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni says he was disappointed by Uefa for banning him for a game “without proof” that he racially abused Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior (More)
Americas
> Inter Miami will host Austin FC in the MLS in the first-ever match at their new Nu Stadium on Saturday (April 4) at 19:30 ET (More); see inside the stadium (Watch); see every upcoming MLS fixture (More)
> The NWSL has hired two senior executives, Brian Kelly as chief commercial officer and Rachel Epstein as chief marketing officer (More) | See every upcoming NWSL fixture (More) and standings (More)
> USL Championship Eastern Conference leaders Louisville City open Matchday 5 with a home game against Charleston Battery on Saturday (April 4); see every upcoming USL Championship fixture (More) and Conference Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Nassr will look to increase their three-point lead in the Saudi Pro League when they play Al Najma on Friday (April 3); see the Saudi Pro League table (More)
> Women’s Asia Cup finalists Australia and Japan say their request to reduce the inequality in prize money between the men’s and women’s events was ignored (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: With all 48 teams locked in, who do you think will lift this summer's World Cup trophy?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇫🇷 France (22%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🇪🇸 Spain (36%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🇦🇷 Argentina (8%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🏴 England (20%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (14%)
Your punditry takes:
🇫🇷 J.C: “France have the deepest and easily the most talented team in the world!”
🇪🇸 T.S: “Every time I watch Spain, they dominate the opposition. Not only do I think they have the best overall squad, but the players will also be comfortable playing in the heat.”
🏴 B.B: “England have the most dynamic squad, lots of technical ability plus lots of athleticism, a combination no other country possesses.”
🇧🇷 T.C: “Brazil's recent history doesn't tell the full story of their World Cup potential. The roster is complete with both superstars like Vinicius and Raphinha, but also players like Joao Pedro who can make a real impact. This is a very talented and very deep roster.”
✍️ Many Routers’ voted for Portugal.
EXTRA TIME
Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, and Vini feature in Lego’s World Cup ad.
FIFA updates its World Ranking as France tops the list.
How Denver Summit smashed the NWSL attendance record.
The official Ronaldinho docu-series trailer has dropped.
Inside the most competitive league in Europe.
Who uses academy players most in the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard appears on The Overlap podcast.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Who scored the fastest goal in an FA Cup final inside just 13 seconds?
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.
Don't you have a Brazilian grandfather?
Answer
Ilkay Gundogan (for Manchester City). Watch the goal here.
