FIFA is seeking an independent agency to assess the expansion of the mens World Cup to 64 teams, according to documents seen by the Press Association.FIFAs president, Gianni Infantino, is under increasing pressure amid mounting opposition to plans to seek private investment in a company which would run the World Cup, with three confederations having rejected it and his senior adviser having quit over it.One of the key concerns around the plan was the potential for private investors to seek ever bigger, ever more frequent tournaments to maximise returns.Now PA has seen documents in which FIFA expresses its wish to appoint an independent agency to assess an expansion to 64 teams from the current 48, starting with the next finals in 2030.The timeline on the documents said FIFA would receive agency proposals by August 7, with a FIFA decision on August 14. Delivery of analysis by the agency is then scheduled for September 11.FIFA has been approached for comment.FIFA wants the agency it appoints to test market appetite and system-wide consequences of this movement, including commercial spaces and risk of saturation.The FIFA brief adds: Consumer or fan evidence may be used where it helps, but it should not become the centre of the study that remains a B2B focused study.The analysis should enable a clear strategic judgement: does a 64-team format expand global relevance and participation in a way that strengthens the football economy, or do dilution, calendar congestion, execution complexity and saturation undermine the proposition?FIFAs brief said the final judgement should establish whether the incremental value generated by expansion would outweigh the potential dilution and wider costs imposed on the football ecosystem.IFAs deadline for the delivery of the analysis on the impact of expansion is eight days prior to the deadline given to national associations to give their approval to plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) which would run commercial and operational aspects of all its tournaments including the mens and womens World Cups.The most controversial aspect of FFE was the proposal to sell minority stakes in it to private investors. Thrive Eternal a company founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of the United States President Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is earmarked to lead the investor group, FIFA has said.Those plans have been rejected by UEFA which also intends to boycott FIFA competitions until the project is scrapped along with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the confederation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).Infantinos senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, also announced his resignation on Friday morning, with the investment banker calling the FFE proposal a bad deal for football.The threat of bigger and more frequent tournaments was highlighted as a key concern for UEFA if private equity had an influence over their running.The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever, UEFA said.Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.AFCs statement was especially damning for Infantino, calling for an urgent review of its governance framework and pointing out: This is not the first occasion where major stakeholders have been confronted with significant initiatives after the direction of travel appears to have already been determined.The Press Association is seeking to ascertain whether confederations were aware of the World Cup expansion brief, which is it believed was sent to agencies on Thursday.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski landed head coaching interviews this offseason and he'll do some work to build up his credentials for the next step up the ladder this preseason. Head coach Liam Coen told Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that Udinski will call the majority of the offensive plays for the team in August's preseason games. Udinski called the plays in Jacksonville's preseason finale last year. Coen said Sean McVay gave him the same chance with the Rams earlier in his career and that he wants Udinski to get that opportunity.Seanprovided me that experience in [Los Angeles] and I want do the same for Grant, Coen said.Udinski interviewed with the Bills and Browns before signing a new deal with the Jaguars. If the team is able to repeat its success from 2025, that could turn out to be a one-year extension of his stay in the AFC South.

Photo Credit: Marlins Radio Network on XThe Miami Marlins and Telemundo have announced a local deal that will see the Marlins broadcast games over-the-air in Spanish for the first time.The agreement will see two Marlins games air in Spanish on WSCV (Channel 51) in Miami: Sunday, Aug. 9, vs. the Los Angeles Angels at 1:40 p.m. ET and the regular-season finale on Sunday, Sept. 27, vs. the Atlanta Braves at 3:10 p.m. ET.Unlike most Spanish-language broadcasts, the Marlins games on Telemundo will feature a dedicated broadcast team. Jose Francisco Rivera will handle play-by-play, with Daniel lvarez-Montes providing color commentary.Baseball is deeply rooted in the Spanish-speaking community, and that is especially true here in South Florida, said Caroline OConnor, Miami Marlins President of Business. Our partnership with Telemundo 51 Miami allows us to connect with Spanish-speaking fans in a more meaningful way through Spanish-language broadcasts while expanding access to Marlins baseball across the region.Major League Baseball has a large Hispanic following, with the sport being popular in countries like Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Panama, all of which have large diasporas in the United States. Miami has an especially large Hispanic community.Despite many teams adding over-the-air simulcasts of their English-language broadcasts, relatively few have done the same in Spanish. Other than the Marlins, the Milwaukee Brewers are one of the few teams with such a deal, airing select Sunday home games in Spanish on WYTU (Telemundo Channel 63) in Milwaukee.Major League Baseball itself long lacked an over-the-air national Spanish-language television deal, though it changed that with an agreement with Univision in 2024. That deal includes a Tuesday night whiparound show on UniMs and select playoff games, including Game 1 of the World Series, on UniMs or Univision.Two games is certainly not a significant deal for the Marlins, but it is a good start for the team in a city with a large Spanish-speaking population.The post Marlins expand Spanish-language coverage with new Telemundo partnership appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Man United Eye Club Brugges Tresoldi as Brugge Insist Hes Not for SaleManchester United have registered concrete interest in Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi, 21, with Belgian journalist Tomas Taecke reporting for HLN that the Red Devils hold concrete interest in the Germany U21 forward, with that interest only increasing.According to Taecke, AS Roma are also in the picture and have already had a 35m bid knocked back by Club Brugge, who have made clear the striker is not for sale this summer. That rejection has done little to cool Uniteds interest if anything, it establishes the floor for any serious conversation. Follow Stretty News on Google as a preferred source and be first with every United update.Tresoldis Case for Old TraffordTresoldi joined Brugge from Hannover 96 last summer and made an immediate impact in the Belgian Pro League, scoring 23 goals and contributing seven assists across 58 appearances in his debut campaign.A product of the Hannover 96 academy, he made 80 first-team appearances for the German second-division club before moving to Belgium, scoring 14 goals.Uniteds Striker ContextUniteds summer business has been focused on midfield and goalkeeping Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Karl Darlow are among the new faces signed for the upcoming season but the forward line has its own question marks. Joshua Zirkzee is expected to return to Italy, with Juventus reported to be big admirers of the Dutchman.United already transformed their attack a year ago, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko all of whom reached double figures. The thinking around Tresoldi, per the HLN report, is that he could develop alongside Sesko rather than compete directly with him, future-proofing the forward line without disrupting the Slovenians trajectory.Benjamin Sesko during a professional football match.Dusan Vlahovic has also been mentioned in connection with United this window, reflecting the clubs broader awareness that a more established centre-forward may be needed. Tresoldi, however, represents a younger, higher-upside option at presumably a lower cost provided Brugge can be shifted from their current position.Brugges Stance the Key ObstacleClub Brugge have been unequivocal: Tresoldi is not for sale. They rebuffed Romas 35m approach and Taecke notes that if United were to go all out for Tresoldi, Brugges resolve would face a genuine test. The Red Devils are said to be following the 21-year-olds situation very closely, believing he can make an instant impact at Old Trafford and develop into a regular goalscorer in future years.A view of the pitch and stands at Jan Breydel Stadium, home of Club Brugge.Brugge have already sold Christos Tzolis to Arsenal for 40m this summer, which complicates any argument that they are reluctant to cash in on their top assets at the right price. Whether United decide to formally test that threshold is the next development worth watching.

Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Liam Coen often talks about finding an edge.One way that Coen accomplishes that is by using what's said in the media -- or what's not said -- as added motivation for his players. Most notably, this approach was on display last season during the Jaguars' road win over Denver, when Broncos coach Sean Payton referred to theJaguarsas a"small market"team. Coen made sure that the Jaguars players were aware of that comment throughout the week.Even as the Jaguars ended the 2025 season on an eight-game winning streak and finished the year 13-4, the general lack of national recognition made it easy for Coen to find bulletin board material."You know what I said to the staff the other day?" Coen said while appearing on 1010XL's 'The Drill.' "I go, guys, this is the best part about coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars -- you don't have to make up telling your players stuff. You don't have to make up the fire. You don't have to make it up. It's given to us every day. It's a gift from the heavens. I just scroll. I pull out my phone, look at the NFL Network website, and just pop up here, and I'm just curious if I see any photos or anything about the Jacksonville Jaguars."I think I'll just scroll right on through," Coen says with his phone in hand. "I think I'll see 40 pictures of Caleb Williams, and I won't see a single thing about any of our players on here. It's beautiful. I'm just going to tell all these guys how much you think they suck and we'll just keep going."All Ill see is 40 pictures of Caleb Williams and not a single thing about any of our players. Liam Coen had a hilarious way of describing why he loves coaching the Jaguars on The Drill with Dan Hicken and Jeff Prosser. WATCH NOW: https://t.co/E5etiiSE3n#DUUUVAL | pic.twitter.com/idQZCvDMkK 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) July 30, 2026Earlier this offseason,Coen mentionedthe importance of Year 1 for setting the tone and establishing a strong foundation.But Year 2 is the most important season, with there being a lot of one-hit wonders out there, as Coen put it.To ensure that doesn't happen, the Jaguars will continue searching for their edge, andCoen's messageheading into the new season has a simple yet very important theme -- it's all about earning respect. And that is accomplished by winning.This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Liam Coen uses lack of recognition for Jaguars to his advantage

"  According to the latest report published by Data Bridge Market Research, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Market As per Data Bridge Market Research Analysis the global artificial intelligence (AI) governance market size was valued at USD 3.82 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 174.98 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of...

Global label adhesives market size was valued at USD 11,000 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 17,400 million by 2034, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. Label adhesives are specialized bonding agents formulated to attach pressure-sensitive or shrink-sleeve labels to substrates such as paper, plastic, metal, and glass, delivering strong adhesion, durability, and...

" According to the latest report published by Data Bridge Market Research, the Employee Monitoring Solution Monitoring Market Global employee monitoring solution monitoring market was valued at USD 1119.86 million in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 4175.27 million by 2029, registering a CAGR of 17.88% during the forecast period of 2022-2029.  The data, information,...

The younger generation has transformed the fashion industry by changing what they expect from the brands they support. Instead of purchasing clothing based solely on trends or recognizable logos, many young consumers look for apparel that reflects their identity, values, and personal beliefs. They want fashion that feels authentic and tells a story rather than simply following seasonal styles....

According to a new report from Intel Market Research, the global Low and Medium Voltage Electrical Insulated Gloves market was valued at USD 1.42 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.75 billion by 2034, growing at a robust CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. The market is driven by growing emphasis on worker safety regulations, infrastructure modernization initiatives, and...