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New York Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Was the Club World Cup really worth $1bn to DAZN – and what happens now?
The morning after the night before, DAZN rolled out the big numbers in the search for Club World Cup vindication on Monday. Alongside the 'heartfelt thanks' to U.S. President Donald Trump included in a company LinkedIn post to add the full stop to a month of coverage, there was the bold claim from DAZN chief executive Shay Segev that the competition had seen 'over three billion viewers' tune in to their free content. Advertisement That was three viewers for every dollar spent on becoming the tournament's global broadcast partner back last December and repeated the triumphant forecasts of FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the weekend. His slightly more reserved expectation was that between 'two and three billion' had been swept along ahead of the final. DAZN and FIFA have not been willing to show the working behind their optimistic sums but, by their reckoning, a 63-game run that ended with Chelsea's 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday achieved viewing figures that equate to roughly a third of the world's population. Little wonder, then, that Infantino declared his gift to football's ecosystem a 'huge, huge, huge success'. The unverified and questionable figures pushed by FIFA and its broadcast partner are in keeping with a competition driven by self-promotion. They serve a purpose, projecting the Club World Cup as an event that only the foolhardy missed, but drifted some way from reality. Viewing numbers were good, above some pre-tournament estimates, but far from spectacular. DAZN, now backed in part by Saudi Arabia's wealth, have so far offered no audience insight beyond the three billion claim but sub-licence holders in Europe and North America have delivered mixed verdicts to this point. The World Cup or even the Champions League it was not: this tournament caused ripples but not a splash. Advocates of the Club World Cup would find no shame in that, accepting this is just the start of a journey that has seen FIFA park tanks on UEFA's lawn. But for those, like Infantino, who suggest this marks the start of a 'golden era of club football', TV audiences were not fully convinced. Big sporting events do not make a habit of talking themselves down. FIFA said two years ago that the Qatar World Cup brought an engagement of five billion people, a number that included an 'array of platforms and devices across the media universe'. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), by chance, came to the same figure when counting up a global audience for the Paris Olympics last year. Advertisement They are figures typically taken with a tablespoon of salt and FIFA's latest count, this time for the Club World Cup, will inevitably be viewed through the same sceptical lens. 'These figures sound like a very rough estimate of reach, the number of people who watched at least a game for a couple of minutes,' says Francois Godard, senior media analyst at the London-based Enders Analysis. 'But the billion width of (Infantino's) estimate makes it difficult to take seriously. Anyway, the commercial value of the Club World Cup resides in the professionally and independently measured viewership in the richest markets, starting with the U.S., where advertising airtime is sold at the highest global prices. 'Everybody is equal, but to advertisers, one average U.S. viewer is worth a multiple of an average Latin American viewer.' The U.S., which played host to the Club World Cup, feels a pertinent place to start. On the back of underwhelming crowds at some stadiums and 12 months out from FIFA's World Cup coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico, there were strong figures reported by the two sub-licence holders, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) and TelevisaUnivision, who aired 18 games across their Spanish-speaking networks. The first data from Nielsen, which specialises in audience insight, suggested the two platforms brought in a combined 2.45m for the final alone. Also of note was the fact that almost half of the Club World Cup audiences on WBD channels came from the 18-49 demographic, a group targeted for long-term growth. 'Speaking specifically to the U.S. broadcasts on WBD and the TelevisaUnivision networks, the FIFA Club World Cup numbers were strong,' says William Mao, senior vice president of Octagon's global media rights consulting. 'The final drew 2.45million viewers across TBS and Univision broadcasts, putting the total audience in range of the average viewership for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on TNT / TruTV this past season. Advertisement 'To put the performance of the FIFA Club World Cup as a U.S. TV product into further context, the 494,000 average viewers across matches on WBD networks (TNT, TBS, TruTV) is higher than that of much-talked-about Roland-Garros broadcasts on TNT last month (399,000), greater than the 2024-25 NHL regular season average audience on TNT / TruTV (317,000), and also more than Major League Baseball's average on TBS in 2024 (353,000). 'Obviously, the FIFA Club World Cup had fewer overall matches and TV broadcasts than these other sports properties, but the average is still solid. For TNT and TelevisaUnivision, their sub-licenses were a worthwhile play given the resulting audiences.' Viewers on the WBD platforms were typically drawn to the big European sides and, until the final, it was Real Madrid's quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund that drew the biggest audience, peaking at 1.3million. Two of their top six broadcasts also included Lionel Messi's Inter Miami before the final drew in 1.3m, with a peak of 1.8m on TBS. Matches airing on weekends and nights across the tournament, 15 in total, averaged 535,000. TelevisaUnivision, meanwhile, was encouraged by its own figures. It had 856,000 watch the opening game between Al Ahly and Inter Miami before 1.43m watched Sunday's final. Its press release last night called that the highest-rated Spanish-language daytime telecast of the year to date. It added that the tournament coverage reached 9.2m total viewers across all TelevisaUnivision networks in the U.S. None of this, of course, includes the numbers of DAZN, which is not obligated to publish its viewing figures or sign-up numbers as a streaming platform and does not have its audiences measured in the same way as traditional broadcasters. A post-tournament report in the coming days is likely to shed greater light on the performance of FIFA's global broadcast partner for the maiden 32-team event, with numbers expected to have been most encouraging in South America after Palmeiras, Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense (eventual semi-finalists) advanced to the knockout stages. DAZN has always focused on this being a global event and the hope of Pete Oliver, chief executive of growth markets, to hit over 100million direct viewers on its platform is likely to have been realised. A figure closer to 150million is thought to have been hit. Advertisement FIFA, however, would be hard-pressed to conclude the Club World Cup had left a deep mark on the UK. Although DAZN will inevitably have driven audiences to its app, Channel 5, the UK's terrestrial broadcast partner, reported modest figures in a country that produced the eventual winners. Paris Saint-Germain's drubbing of Real Madrid in last Wednesday's semi-final drew an average audience of 657,000, which was broadly half (1.2million) of the Women's Euro 2025 clash between Wales and France on fellow terrestrial station ITV1, according to data from Overnights for Broadcast website. They also reported that coverage by the BBC, a public service broadcaster, of England against the Netherlands in the Euros averaged 2.3million in the less attractive late afternoon slot. Channel 5 said its biggest audience ahead of the final had been Chelsea's opening game against Los Angeles FC, when a peak of 1.4million viewers in the UK watched a fixture that kicked off at 8pm on a Sunday night. In a press release, it added that adults aged 16-34 had accounted for 34 per cent of the audience that had averaged 922,000. In contrast, the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain eight days earlier was watched by 2.6million in the UK. Sunday's final would eventually deliver a new high audience for Channel 5, an average of 1.1million across the five-hour broadcast. That represented a nine per cent market share, less than half the number that watched England play Wales in the Euros. That audience averaged at 2.9million, though the Club World Cup final numbers did not include DAZN's UK viewership. That underwhelming landscape, though, has not been replicated in other parts of Europe, where figures in other key territories are said to have exceeded some expectations. France, in particular, received the competition well — buoyed, no doubt, by the progress of an exciting PSG side which dominates the national marketplace in terms of support. With a selection of games broadcast on TF1, as well as DAZN, 3.8m watched PSG's victory over Atletico Madrid and then, according to Mediametrie, another 4.79million tuned in for the final against Chelsea. The direct comparison on the night was France's 5-2 win over the Netherlands at the women's Euros, which had 2.28million, but the Club World Cup final took a 30 per cent market share. Advertisement Its popularity was notable in Spain, too. Coverage of Sunday's final on Telecinco, a free-to-air established channel, averaged just under three million, according to figures from Barlovento Comunicacion. The same data group found that 4.1million had watched PSG trample all over Madrid four days earlier. Germany and Italy, who each had two competing clubs in the U.S., also reported far better ratings than in the UK. 'The early indications are relatively positive,' says Godard. 'We're looking at good ratings of Club World Cup games on broadcasters like Mediaset in Spain and Italy and Sat.1 in Germany. 'This is summer, there is no alternative football programming, and entertainment content is typically reheated. So the Club World Cup was a fresh piece of content in a slightly dry environment.' So, was the Club World Cup worth $1bn to DAZN? The streamer's unequivocal (and perhaps inevitable) answer is affirmative. It can point to record sign-ups to its app, with a hugely inflated customer base now at its disposal in a wide range of global territories. Social media exposure also exploded. According to data from Social Blade, a website used to track activity on multiple platforms, DAZN added one million subscribers to its YouTube channel, a rise of over 50 per cent. That helped deliver 253million views of its YouTube videos across 30 days. Extended highlights of Sunday's final alone had clocked up 17million views. There was little that was revolutionary about DAZN's coverage, although the advent of the camera stationed on the referee's chest undeniably offered the armchair viewers another intriguing perspective on play. There is already an expectation that similar angles will be made available to Premier League viewers, subject to approval from IFAB, the sport's lawmakers. Ref cam's of Neto's goal is AMAZING 🤯 Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every game. Free. | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #CHELAF — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 16, 2025 Besides, according to DAZN, this was as much about playing the long game. Although it is unlikely to see a short-term lift in its subscriber numbers, it has left a footprint on a landscape it wishes to eventually conquer. 'It has worked for DAZN,' says Pierre Maes, an expert in the sale of sports rights in Europe. 'It's seen a lot of people downloading the app and creating an account, that's for sure. Worldwide for DAZN, it has been good. Advertisement 'DAZN is a good partner for FIFA because it has this global footprint. Also, it can act like an agency, as it did here, to find sub-licences and bring exposure to all countries in the world. That's a beautiful asset.' The last month, though, is likely to have emboldened Infantino as plans begin for the next Club World Cup. To say those plans are at an embryonic stage would be something of an understatement: the date, location, entry criteria and number of participants are all yet to be determined. Either way, FIFA's ambitions would suggest it will be intent on sourcing more than $1billion from a broadcast partner next time around, especially if the format is expanded to include more of Europe's elite. DAZN might yet stick around for another dance, given the strong bonds that have been forged with FIFA in the last six months but will this new Club World Cup have convinced other broadcasters to chance their arm? 'I don't think so,' says Maes. 'It would be a huge surprise to me to see broadcasters pay a big amount for the next edition. 'Their resources are limited and they have to choose. And this is one more soccer competition. If they struggled to find a broadcaster for this edition, it's going to be as difficult, at least, for the next edition. 'For me, the Club World Cup is the illustration of football killing itself. We see more and more competitions invented to try to drive more revenues. By doing this, with an overabundance of events, football is killing itself. 'Look at the NFL in the States. Their main strategic priority and asset is scarcity. Every game is an event because there are not a lot of games. Football is doing exactly the opposite.' Another football property has been added to the menu for broadcasters to select from, but it remains to be seen if FIFA's new offering, showcased and promoted across the US, has done enough to convince future audiences to bite.
Morocco World
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
AS FAR Announce Eight New Signings Ahead of 2025-26 Season
AS FAR Rabat have confirmed the arrival of eight new players ahead of the 2025-26 season as head coach Alexandre Santos looks to rebuild the squad. The club has added reinforcements across all positions in a bid to improve depth and replace key departures. The new signings are: Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (29, goalkeeper): Joins on a free transfer from Wydad Casablanca. A five-time Botola Pro winner and 2022 CAF Champions League champion, he was part of Morocco's squad during the 2022 Qatar World Cup triumph. Joins on a free transfer from Wydad Casablanca. A five-time Botola Pro winner and 2022 CAF Champions League champion, he was part of Morocco's squad during the 2022 Qatar World Cup triumph. Marouane Louadni (28, centre-back): Returns from Qatar's Umm Salal SC. The former FUS Rabat and Rapide Oued Zem defender signs as a free agent. Returns from Qatar's Umm Salal SC. The former FUS Rabat and Rapide Oued Zem defender signs as a free agent. Mohamed El Abd Nouh (24, centre-back): Mauritanian international joins from FC Nouadhibou in a $180,000 deal. Mauritanian international joins from FC Nouadhibou in a $180,000 deal. Taoufik Razko (26, midfielder): Signs from JS Soualem after a season where he made 26 league appearances, scoring 3 goals and assisting twice. Transfer cost: $38,000. Signs from JS Soualem after a season where he made 26 league appearances, scoring 3 goals and assisting twice. Transfer cost: $38,000. Soulaimane El Bouchqali (25, central midfielder): Rejoins AS FAR after the club activated a buy-back clause with Renaissance Zemamra. His contract runs until 2028. Rejoins AS FAR after the club activated a buy-back clause with Renaissance Zemamra. His contract runs until 2028. Hamza Khabba (29, striker): Returns on a free transfer from Kuwait's Al Arabi, where he finished as the league's top scorer with 21 goals and ranked second in assists. Returns on a free transfer from Kuwait's Al Arabi, where he finished as the league's top scorer with 21 goals and ranked second in assists. Jamal Ech Chamakh (27, left-back): Arrives from Hassania Agadir after making 139 league appearances and scoring four goals. Arrives from Hassania Agadir after making 139 league appearances and scoring four goals. Abdelhamid Yunis (37, centre-back): Signs as a free agent from Saint-Étienne. The Moroccan international adds experience and depth to the backline. The arrivals are aimed at reinforcing the defence, particularly following the departures of Hatim Es-Saoubi, Larbi Naji, Hicham Boussefiane, El Hassan Hobeib, Henock Inonga, Et-Tayab Boukheriss and Akram Nakkach. However, fan reaction has been mixed. On the club's official Facebook page, one user wrote: 'The team needs a striker, a defensive midfielder, and a high-calibre winger.' Another commented: 'Honestly, all these signings are irrelevant — they won't benefit the team in any way.' Criticism was also directed at the goalkeeper signing. One supporter said: 'So now you're bringing us a goalkeeper just to scare the opponents? It's shameful to bring a keeper who was playing in Tetouan and Fes, struggled there, and now you bring him here without proper consideration – this is unacceptable!' AS FAR are now set to begin preparations for the upcoming Botola season and the CAF competitions, with hopes of returning to title contention.
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Infantino promises retractable roofs for 2026 FIFA World Cup, but can they douse the heat
Complaints of excessive heat have been soaring as much as the temperature itself at the Club World Cup, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino assured that stadiums with roofs will be used to ease concerns over severe weather at the World Cup in 2026. In a media conference at FIFA's new office in New York, he said: 'Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better.' 'Of course the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions. Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year,' he added. But there are two roadblocks. A) Only four of the stadiums in the US have retractable roofs. B) Many of them are NFL stadiums designed for winter—to retain the heat rather than out. Add the heavy watering of grass laid over the artificial turn and the humidity inside the stadium could rise. So the purpose of hosting games in indoor facilities could turn counterproductive, unless they are air-conditioned as it was in early stages of the Qatar World Cup in 2022. From more frequent breaks to rescheduling games to suit the weather than broadcast schedules, there has been a war-cry from players to coaches and officials to tame the heat that could potentially affect the marquee event next year. Not just football, baseball too was affected by stifling heat, triggered by a heat dome, which occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir that traps heat and humidity. A fortnight ago, Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners' Trent Thornton fell ill. De La Cruz vomited on the field with two outs in the fourth inning of Cincinnati's extra-inning loss at the St Louis Cardinals. 'I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,' Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'And then he went right out and got rid of it.' FIFPRO, the global representative organisation for 65,000 professional footballers have been repeatedly requesting FIFA to put commercial ambitions behind for players' safety. 'We clearly believe that from a health and safety perspective, this [extreme heat] is something that must take priority over commercial interests with regards to the safety of the players,' Alexander Bielefeld, director of policy and strategic relations, said on a conference call about extreme heat at the Club World Cup. 'Heat conditions are not happening in a vacuum. The debate on extreme heat is not happening in a vacuum. It's actually quite foreseeable.' he said. The organisation has been urging FIFA to lower the temperature at which cooling breaks are mandated to 78.8F on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature gauge (WBGT) and set a limit at which games are to be delayed or postponed at 82.4F. Some climatologists want to lower the threshold, taking into account the players' safety. Christopher Tyler, a reader in Environmental Physiology at the University of Roehampton, recently told The Athletic: 'FIFA would argue that it works because they haven't seen enough medical complications at that temperature or above, but the argument against that is that players are probably slowing down and changing how they are playing, so they're not getting ill. 32°C/89.6F is high compared to many other sports as a threshold from a safety point of view, but also, it will eventually compromise the quality of the game as well.' he said.
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Man Utd boss Van Gaal announces he is cancer free - 'I look good, don't I?'
Louis van Gaal announced in 2022 that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer and the former Manchester United boss has now revealed that he is cancer free Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed he is "no longer bothered by cancer" after undergoing treatment. Van Gaal announced in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. At the time, Van Gaal was in his third spell in charge of the Netherlands and he continued as manager until they were knocked out of the Qatar World Cup on penalties by eventual winners Argentina. He has not returned managed since then, but the 73-year-old has hinted at a return to the dugout now that he is cancer free. In an appearance on Dutch talk show Humberto, Van Gaal revealed: "Two years ago, I had a few surgeries, and it was all bad, including my fitness, but it all turned out well. "I'm no longer bothered by the cancer but I still have check-ups every three months. My PSA level is measured and it's 0.0. "That's going well, and the spread has also remained limited. I'm getting fitter and fitter. I'm 73, so I look good, don't I?" READ MORE: Man Utd forced into transfer market as Andre Onana set for extended spell on sidelines READ MORE: Man Utd bank millions from sell-on fees including £7.2m for star who never played a game Van Gaal was linked with the Borussia Dortmund job earlier this year, but has said he is only interested in coaching a national team. He told Sky Sports Germany in January: "No, that's not conceivable for me. I would only consider a position as a national team coach." Van Gaal spent two years in charge of United between 2014 and 2016 and was sacked just two days after winning the FA Cup. He has also spent time in charge of Ajax and Bayern Munich and had two spells at Barcelona. Speaking back in 2023, Van Gaal admitted it would be a "miracle" if he can become fully independent due to the physical toll the disease and the treatments have had on him. "How am I doing? Well, I had surgery two or three weeks ago," he said in September 2023. "They have tried to put everything in order, details of which I won't tire you with further, but now we have to wait and see. "On September 19, I have to go back again and then everything will be decided - and then a miracle could take place that I am able to go the toilet by myself again."
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Explained: Why FIFA World Cup 2026 could be the ‘most climate-damaging' ever
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the biggest in the tournament's history, but also potentially the most climate-damaging. With expanded teams, vast travel distances, and heavy infrastructure demands, environmental experts are sounding the alarm. read more The FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be 'the most climate-damaging' in the history of the tournament, a new study has claimed. As per the Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), the 48-team expanded World Cup will generate more than nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide. 'Driven by a high reliance on air travel and a significant increase in the quantity of matches,' said the report, which added that the carbon emissions during the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be equivalent to 'nearly 6.5 million average British cars driven for an entire year.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD FIFA World Cup 2026 to emit 9 million tonnes of CO2e The SGR's report was created in collaboration with the Environmental Defence Fund and the Sport for Climate Action Network. The report says that the total carbon emission during the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be almost double the average for the last four World Cup finals. It would also be significantly more than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which resulted in an emission of 5.25 million tonnes of CO2e. FIFA has not yet reacted to the report, but it has a history of making tall claims and falling flat on them. It had in past announced that the Qatar World Cup would be the first 'fully carbon-neutral World Cup,' but those claims have since been challenged by a Swiss advertising regulator, which labelled them as 'unsubstantiated claims.' Earlier, the US, Canada and Mexico, the hosts for the 2026 World Cup, had estimated an emission of 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during the original bid. However, that estimate was only for a 32-team tournament. The next year's World Cup, however, has been expanded by 16 more teams. It will have 104 matches, 40 more than the Qatar World Cup. It should be noted that FIFA has claimed that it would reduce its emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
