Category: Football

Netflix is set to release a FIFA football simulation game exclusively on its gaming platform in summer 2026, timed to coincide with the World Cup, the streaming giant said Wednesday.

The game, developed and published by Delphi Interactive, will be available to Netflix subscribers and can be played solo or online with friends using only a smartphone, the company said.

Los Angeles-based Delphi Interactive is also working on a premium James Bond game in cooperation with Amazon and Danish gaming publisher IO Interactive.

The upcoming game from FIFA, world football’s governing body, does not yet have a title or release date, with more details to arrive in 2026, the company said.

“The FIFA World Cup is going to be the cultural event of 2026, and now fans will be able to celebrate their fandom by bringing the game right into their living rooms,” said Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the game aspires “to reach billions of football fans of all ages everywhere in the world,” calling it “a great historic step for FIFA.”

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The game comes three years after FIFA removed its name from the world’s best-selling football video game.

FIFA had dominated the market for PlayStation and Xbox games for nearly three decades.

But in 2022, FIFA ended its partnership with EA Sports, the game’s US creator, in a dispute over licensing fees.

Earlier this year, FIFA launched FIFA Rivals, a free-to-use cartoon-style mobile game.

Netflix began offering video games in 2021 to extend its entertainment ecosystem beyond films and TV series.

The service offers a catalog of mostly mobile and, more recently, TV-playable games that are included with a standard Netflix subscription.

READ: India-South Africa fourth T20I abandoned due to fog

The winners of the 2026 World Cup will receive $50 million in prize money as part of a record financial contribution for the tournament from FIFA, world football’s governing body, announced on Wednesday.

The total World Cup prize fund of $655 million (558.5 million euros) represents an increase of almost 50 percent from the $440 million distributed to teams taking part in the last tournament in Qatar in 2022.

However, next year’s World Cup — to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 — will be the first to feature 48 teams, a 50 percent increase from the 32 teams last time.

The Argentine Football Association received $42 million in prize money after Lionel Messi inspired them to glory three years ago, when they won on penalties in the final against France.

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France received $30 million for their run to the final. This time, the beaten finalists will pocket $33 million, with the third-place finishers collecting $29 million and the other defeated semi-finalists getting $27 million.

Teams eliminated in the group phase will receive $9 million, while all 48 participating nations will get an additional $1.5 million to cover “preparation costs.”

Earlier, World Cup organisers also unveiled a new cut-price ticket category after a backlash by fans over pricing for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Football’s global governing body FIFA said in a statement that it had created a limited number of “Supporter Entry Tier” fixed at $60 for all 104 matches, including the final.

It said the plan was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.

FIFA said that the $60 (51 euro) tickets would be reserved for fans of qualified teams and would make up 10 percent of each national federation’s allotment.

For the unversed, the draw for tickets of all prices in the first round of sales will take place on Tuesday, January 13.

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World Cup organisers unveiled a new cut-price ticket category on Tuesday after a backlash by fans over pricing for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Football’s global governing body FIFA said in a statement that it had created a limited number of “Supporter Entry Tier” fixed at $60 for all 104 matches, including the final.

It said the plan was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.

FIFA said that the $60 (51 euro) tickets would be reserved for fans of qualified teams and would make up 10 percent of each national federation’s allotment.

Fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which last week called prices “extortionate” and “astronomical”, responded by saying FIFA was offering too little.

“While we welcome FIFA’s seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause, the revisions do not go far enough,” FSE said in a statement on Tuesday.

Last week, FSE said ticket prices were almost five times higher than in 2022 in Qatar, describing FIFA’s pricing for 2026 as a “monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup”.

“If a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final, it would cost them a minimum of $6,900,” it said at the time, adding that World Cup organisers had promised tickets priced from $21 in a bid document released in 2018.

On Tuesday, FSE said FIFA’s partial ticketing U-turn exposed flaws in how prices for next year’s tournament had been set.

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“For the moment, we are looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash,” FSE said.

“This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation — including with FIFA’s own member associations.

“Based on the allocations publicly available, this would mean that at best a few hundred fans per match and team would be lucky enough to take advantage of the 60 US dollar prices, while the vast majority would still have to pay extortionate prices, way higher than at any tournament before.”

The organisation also criticised the failure to make provisions for supporters with disabilities or their companions.

Announcing the $60 tickets on Tuesday, FIFA said that national federations “are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams”.

FIFA also said that if fans bought tickets for games in the knockout rounds only to find their team eliminated at an earlier stage, they “will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed.”

It added that it was making the announcement “amid extraordinary global demand for tickets” with 20 million requests already submitted.

The draw for tickets of all prices in the first round of sales will take place on Tuesday, January 13.

READ: Australia’s Steve Smith ruled out of third Ashes Test

France and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker Ousmane Dembele won the men’s FIFA Best award at a ceremony in Qatar on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati collected the women’s prize.

Dembele, 28, won the Ballon d’Or in September, rewarding an exceptional season with PSG, which included the Ligue 1 club’s first Champions League title.

Dembele was the cornerstone of PSG’s historic treble: Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Champions League.

Besides trophies, the footballer, whose career was hampered by inconsistency and injuries, scored decisive goals and key assists and maintained a level of consistency in 2025.

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“I wanted to thank my teammates. Hard work pays off, it’s been a fantastic year for me, both individually and collectively,” said Dembele after the ceremony, which took place on the eve of the Intercontinental Cup final between PSG and Flamengo, also being held in Qatar.

Bonmati, 27, was crowned women’s player of the year for the third time in a row, after also picking up her third consecutive Ballon d’Or in the autumn.

The personal awards come at the end of a year of ups and downs for the Spaniard, who lost both the Champions League and European Championship finals last season.

The winners were chosen by a vote of fans, media representatives, captains and national team coaches.

READ: Australia’s Green become IPL’s most expensive overseas player

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were ordered to pay their former forward Kylian Mbappe up to 61 million euros ($71.8 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses by a French labour court on Tuesday.

France captain Mbappe, who left PSG in June 2024 to join Real Madrid, had been claiming over 260 million euros in total from his former club.

PSG, in turn, had demanded that Mbappe pay them 440 million euros.

Mbappe, 26, also claimed that the Parisian club applied the wrong French legal classification to his contract, but the court rejected that claim.

The labour court said the final figure of between 60 million and 61 million euros was made up of 55 million euros in unpaid salary and around six million euros in holiday payments.

Qatari-owned PSG did not immediately say if they intend to appeal.

Lawyers for Mbappe said in a statement they “noted with satisfaction the decision given by the labour court”.

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“It re-establishes a simple truth — even in the professional football industry, labour laws apply to everyone,” the lawyers added in a statement.

The French club had said they were basing the figure they were claiming in part on a botched 300m-euro transfer to Saudi club Al Hilal, which Mbappe refused in June 2023.

Mbappe left for Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expired the following summer.

He insisted he made no agreement in 2023 to waive any payment from the club.

Mbappe initially filed a complaint in June over the way he was treated by PSG at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Mbappe argues that he was sidelined by PSG and made to train with players the club were trying to offload after refusing to agree a new contract.

It is a widespread practice that in France prompted the players’ union to lodge a complaint last year.

Mbappe was not invited to take part in PSG’s 2023 pre-season tour of Asia and missed the first game of that season, but was later recalled to the team after holding talks with the club.

After seven seasons with PSG he joined Real Madrid where he earns a reported annual salary of 30m euros.

Mbappe scored 256 goals in 308 games for PSG, but the club won the Champions League for the first time last season following his departure.

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Enzo Maresca insisted Monday that he “absolutely” remains committed to his job as Chelsea manager after saying at the weekend he had suffered his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club.

The Italian made the surprising comments after his side’s 2-0 win at home to Everton on Saturday, hitting out at unnamed parties for failing to support him and his players, though he stressed that he was not referring to fans.

He refused to clarify his comments at a press conference on Monday, on the eve of Chelsea’s League Cup quarter-final at third-tier Cardiff.

Maresca became visibly impatient with requests for him to make sense of remarks that have fuelled intense speculation he was taking aim at the club’s owners and sporting directors.

“I respect your (the media’s) opinion and I respect people’s opinion,” he said. “But again, I don’t have anything to add and my focus is just on tomorrow’s game where we can achieve a third semi-final in 18 months since I joined the club.”

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He also reiterated he was not talking about the club’s fans when he referred to a lack of support, saying: “I said after the game that I love Chelsea supporters. They deserve the best.”

Asked whether he remained committed to the job, he said: “Absolutely, yes.”

Maresca, who arrived at Chelsea in July 2024, won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

His team are currently fourth in the Premier League table and still have a chance to qualify automatically for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The former Leicester boss said he was enjoying the season despite the intense pressure.

“When you are Chelsea manager, you understand that the expectations are higher, especially probably this season they are higher, raised a little bit compared to last season, probably because of the Club World Cup, Conference League, we finished fourth in the Premier League,” he added.

READ: Sachin Tendulkar shares heartfelt message after meeting Lionel Messi

MUMBAI: Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar shared a heartfelt message on social media following an unforgettable meeting with Argentina’s FIFA World Cup-winning superstar Lionel Messi at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, arrived in Mumbai earlier in the day as part of his GOAT India Tour 2025, with the city’s stop emerging as the centrepiece of his visit.

The atmosphere at Wankhede in the evening was electric, as chants of “Messi, Messi” rang around the stadium when the Argentine great walked out alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul.

The reception reached another level when Tendulkar, Mumbai’s own sporting icon, joined Messi on the field, triggering thunderous applause from the packed stands.

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The moment symbolised a rare convergence of greatness, with both legends synonymous with the iconic No.10 jersey and celebrated for redefining excellence in their respective sports.

Tendulkar presented Messi with his India No.10 jersey from the historic 2011 World Cup triumph, a gesture that drew loud cheers from fans.

Soon after the meeting, Tendulkar took to his official X account to share his joy.

“Must say, today was a 10/10 day Leo Messi 😉,” Tendulkar wrote, alongside a picture of him handing over his No.10 Team India jersey to the football icon.

Must say, today was a 10/10 day Leo Messi 😉 pic.twitter.com/L6AaYY1PdL

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 14, 2025

Beyond the star-studded exchange, Messi and his teammates also spent time on the pitch with young girls from Maharashtra’s grassroots football initiative, Project Mahadeva.

The budding footballers shared a once-in-a-lifetime experience as they passed the ball around with Messi watching closely and joining in.

The celebrations continued as Messi and his teammates took turns kicking footballs into the crowd, each effort drawing louder roars from the stands.

Project Mahadeva was later officially unveiled by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alongside Messi, with the Chief Minister thanking the Argentine star for inspiring the next generation and expressing hope that these young players would one day feature in a FIFA World Cup.

Actor Tiger Shroff, who is associated with the initiative, was also present and met Messi on the field.

READ: Rodrygo nets winner as Real Madrid edge past Alaves

Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo struck goals to earn Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

Second-placed Madrid trimmed league leaders Barcelona’s advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position.

After Mbappe’s superb opener, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorroza Stadium.

Alonso was able to bring his key player, Mbappe, back into the side after he could only watch the defeat by City from the bench because of a painful knee.

The coach also handed a debut to Victor Valdepenas at left-back, with both Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia suspended, and Ferland Mendy one of several players out injured.

Mbappe appeared to be feeling his knee and also hobbling in the first few minutes, but, despite that, he was the game’s most influential player.

The forward had a shot deflected wide and then fired narrowly over as Alaves sat deep and tried to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.

By the time Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have cleared up.

Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappe drove towards goal at full tilt and whipped a shot into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.

England international Bellingham then blasted home from close range, but his strike was ruled out for handball.

Needing to fight back, Alaves moved on to the front foot and took control of the game before the break, almost pulling level.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save with his head, even if he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibanez from close range.

Los Blancos were dangerous again soon after the interval, with Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappe and then Vinicius Junior.

Real came to rue those misses when Vicente pulled Alaves level after 68 minutes.

The forward got in behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco’s chipped pass and whipped a shot past Courtois.

Eduardo Coudet’s side almost took the lead when Vicente’s low cross from the right was nudged wide by Toni Martinez, who was nudged off-balance by Raul Asencio’s pressure.

Instead, Madrid pulled back in front, with Vinicius breaking in down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from six yards out.

It was the Brazilian’s second goal in two games after going the previous 32 matches without finding the net, and a tense Alonso celebrated wildly, knowing that his future could depend on it.

Vinicius had appeals for a penalty turned down as he fell under a challenge from Nahuel Tenaglia, and Bellingham came close in stoppage time as Madrid tried in vain to ease their nerves by putting the game to bed.

Third-place Villarreal’s visit to Levante was postponed because of a weather warning in the Valencia region.

Real Oviedo, 19th, sacked coach Luis Carrion after a 4-0 hammering at Sevilla.

On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh straight La Liga game and ensure that they will lead the table into 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures before the winter break.

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MUMBAI: Two global sporting icons shared a memorable moment at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, as Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gifted his iconic No.10 jersey to Argentine football great Lionel Messi during the latter’s GOAT India Tour 2025.

Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and FIFA World Cup champion, arrived in Mumbai from Hyderabad earlier in the day, with the city’s stop turning into the highlight of his India visit.

The evening at Wankhede Stadium was electric, with chants of “Messi, Messi” echoing around the venue as the Argentine star walked out alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul.

The reception reached another level when Mumbai’s homeboy Sachin Tendulkar joined Messi on the field, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

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The presenter underscored the symbolic bond between the two legends, both synonymous with the iconic No.10 jersey and revered for redefining excellence in their respective sports.

Sachin Tendulkar then presented Lionel Messi with his India No.10 jersey from the historic 2011 World Cup triumph, a gesture that resonated deeply with fans inside the packed stadium.

Messi reciprocated by gifting Tendulkar the FIFA World Cup ball he won with Argentina, turning the exchange into one of the most cherished cross-sport moments witnessed in India.

Addressing the crowd, Tendulkar thanked Mumbai for its overwhelming support and described the occasion as a “dream moment” for the city of dreams.

He also expressed gratitude to Messi, Suarez and De Paul for gracing the iconic venue, while voicing hope that football would continue to grow in India through such global interactions.

The celebrations extended beyond cricket and football royalty, with Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri also sharing the stage with Messi.

The Argentine captain presented Chhetri with a signed Argentina jersey, acknowledging his contribution to Indian football.

Messi and his teammates were later felicitated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who presented the football superstar with a special memento to mark his visit.

READ: Van Dijk wants ‘leader’ Salah to stay at Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk wants Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool despite the Egyptian star’s incendiary rant about the club, but the Reds captain admits he does not know what will happen over the next few weeks.

Salah came off the bench against Brighton on Saturday for his first appearance since claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club following last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Leeds.

The forward also said in the same interview at Elland Road that he had no relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who had named him as a substitute for three straight games.

Salah was then omitted from the midweek Champions League trip to Inter Milan, a 1-0 win for Liverpool, but he was back in action as a first-half substitute against Brighton.

The 33-year-old provided an assist for Hugo Ekitike’s second goal in a much-needed 2-0 win, but will now jet to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and could be absent for five weeks.

After the match, Slot said there was “no issue to resolve” with his star forward, but speculation continues to rumble over the player’s future.

Van Dijk is adamant that he wants Salah to stay and said he had told him so.

“I would love to have him around because he is one of the leaders, but the fact is he is going to AFCON. We will be in contact over the next days and weeks like we always are and let’s see,” the Dutch defender said.

“I wish him absolutely all the best — and (to) come back, hopefully. I have no control over that.

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“We hope he will be absolutely successful there, and we all hope he will be coming back to be important for the rest of the season.

“But, on the other side of it, we all know football and have no idea what is going to happen.”

Premier League champions Liverpool ended a tumultuous week by extending their unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions.

Van Dijk said it proved the dressing room had not been distracted by the Salah situation.

“As a captain I have to deal with how the boys react to it and they reacted perfectly fine. Mo, in the end, reacted perfectly fine as well,” he added.

Van Dijk also praised Slot for dealing with a tumultuous period at Liverpool, whose Premier League title defence has collapsed in recent weeks.

“There is a lot of noise, pressure from the outside world and rightly so as we’ve not been close to the standard we were showing last season,” he said.

“But personally looking at it, and from the conversations we have on a daily basis, I think he has handled it very well.

“This moment of time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds. I think the manager has done perfectly.”

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