Are money and soft power draining World Cup football of its magic? | Richard Partington

Fifa’s orchestration of incompatible or frankly absurd corporate sponsorship suggests the balance may have tipped too far It’s almost all over. No more hydration breaks, no more obligatory pans of the TV cameras to Hollywood A-listers, or dread of the crushing inevitability of English disappointment. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is at an end, after another month of planet-straddling drama laced with significance and symbolism, both on and off the pitch. Before the kick-off between Spain and Argentina on Sunday evening, the result is already clear: football’s greatest prize is more than a sporting e

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