The 2026 FIFA World Cup—the largest in the tournament’s history—officially kicked off on June 11 in Mexico City. The colorful and vibrant ceremony took place at the legendary Azteca Stadium, which became the first stadium in the world to host the opening matches of three World Cups. Mexico previously hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986.
Even without hosting the tournament, Portugal stands to gain nearly one billion euros in economic benefits from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to a study by the Portuguese Institute of Marketing (IPAM), the tournament’s total contribution to the country’s economy is estimated to range from €378 million to €945 million—and will depend directly on the national team’s performance.
As the World Cup approaches, the topic of artificial intelligence and modern technology in sports is increasingly coming to the fore among a host of other issues. The global sports industry is entering a new phase of digital transformation. And not everyone is happy with the innovations being introduced, even if they are driven by a desire to keep up with the times.
With less than 24 hours to go before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, analysts continue to release their predictions for the tournament’s outcome. According to Opta’s supercomputer, the national teams of Spain and France have the best chances of reaching the final.
In soccer, it’s the players who win, not the money. This has been proven time and again on the soccer field, when teams that were, on paper, weaker and had “cheaper” players have defeated star-studded opponents.
The Ministry of Education and Research has proposed changes to sports financial regulations that would exclude athletes and coaches from non-Olympic disciplines from bonuses from public money.
The right wing forward of the Spanish national team and Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, along with the center forward of Norway and Manchester City Erling Holann topped the ranking of the most expensive players of the World Cup-2026.
Alexander Zverev of Germany won the men’s final of the French Open Roland Garros and won a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.
The winner of the French Open tennis championship was 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva from Russia. In the women’s singles final, she defeated Poland’s Maja Chvalinska 6:3, 6:2.
Italian Ferrari became the first team in the history of Formula 1, whose spending on pilot salaries exceeded 100 million euros a year.
