Norway's Football Federation president Lise Klaveness called on August 7 for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign immediately, citing a complete loss of trust in his leadership after several European associations withdrew their support; Mexico and Argentina publicly backed Infantino, deepening a North-South divide inside world football
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund deploys capital in global sport as a pillar of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 soft-power and diversification programme.
full dossier ›The fourth Esports World Cup began July 6 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles with a record US$75 million prize pool across 25 tournaments; the event was relocated from Riyadh to Paris in May 2026 after Iran-aligned forces attacked Saudi infrastructure, marking the first time the event has been held outside Saudi Arabia
The commercial contracts between brands and sports rights holders, worth US$70 billion-plus annually, split between retreating corporate sponsors and advancing Gulf sovereign funds led by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Qatar, and the UAE are spending tens of billions of US dollars on global sport to reshape their governments' reputations abroad.
The Public Investment Fund confirmed on April 30 it will end its US$5.3bn investment in LIV Golf after the current season, citing strategic incompatibility, and the league has formed a new independent board while hunting commercial partners