Potential corruption and match-fixing at the World Cup is aided by corrupt national football association officials, says Declan Hill in this 2018 FIFA World Cup curtain raiser. FIFA’s ‘often odd’ attitude towards these officials protects the fixers, he says and points to three factors that characterise matches vulnerable to match-fixing.

USA, Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup. That was the result after the vote at today’s FIFA Congress that secured the ‘United bid’ 67% of the votes against Morocco.

US lawmakers have proposed a bill to criminalise doping in global competitions. The bill is called the ‘Rodchenko Act’, named after the Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory.

The 2018 World Cup has been labelled the most expensive World Cup ever, but the exact costs are hard to determine. It is, however, not that hard to find a line of people who benefit from it.

The FIFA Council has designated the United bid and Morocco as the two possible candidates to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A decision regarding the bids will be taken this Wednesday by the 68th FIFA Congress.

54 percent of residents in the Swiss canton of Valais rejected the bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics in a referendum held this Sunday.

WADA’s first Global Athlete Forum was held in Canada this week; 104 athletes from 54 different countries gathered to discuss crucial developments in anti-doping.

A new Danish documentary looks into Russia and England's use of national intelligence services in the battle to win the World Cup hosting rights. But, according to England's former World Cup consultant Peter Hargitay, who was present at the film premiere in Copenhagen, other football nations have also turned to professional spies for allies.