20 h. ago Football fans DENIED entry into the United States for the Club World Cup

Two Benfica supporters have been left furious and out of pocket after being denied entry to the USA - as visa rejections spike amid president Donald Trump's revived hardline stance on immigration.

Sport

53 h. ago Football Daily | ‘Suited and booted’? Club World Cup lands in a furnace of political tension

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!After years of existing only as a fever dream inside the shiny, spacious cranium of Fifa’s greatest showman, Gianni Infantino, the first edition of an expanded, summertime Club World Cup that nobody asked for is finally here. Infantino’s most ambitious vanity project to date is about to collide with reality, and as students of the Swiss school of football farce, we’re excited. It’s not so much a question of what will go wrong over the next 30 sun-baked days in an increasingly dystopian USA USA USA, but what might actually go right. Saturday’s opener pitches Egyptian giants Al-Ahly (who qualified by winning the 2021 African Big Cup) against MLS middleweights Inter Miami (who qualified by having Lionel Messi in their team) at the 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium. Fifa has denied reports that fewer than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the game in Miami, but the tournament’s dynamic pricing model is trending in one direction: from $3...

Politics

56 h. ago Gianni Infantino arrives at his moment but football’s response is coming

As the ‘King of Soccer’ launches his Club World Cup alongside Donald Trump, opponents to the Fifa president are wondering whether he has pushed his power too far, writes Miguel Delaney

Sport

3 d. ago UK’s FTSE 100 share index hits record closing high despite economy shrinking in April – business live

UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April, biggest fall since October 2023, as trade with the US slumped.. but FTSE 100 ends at new record closeFull story: UK economy shrinks by 0.3% as as exports hit by Trump trade warNicholas Hyett, Investment Manager at Wealth Club, blames “a cocktail of headwinds to growth” for the 0.3% fall in UK GDP in April.Hyett says:In the very short term the change to Stamp Duty rules have put the legal and property services on ice - with legal activities down 10.2% month-on-month.New barriers to trade with the US and changes to employment costs, from a higher living wage and increased national insurance contributions, are a longer term challenge.“The 0.3% m/m fall in real GDP in April supports our view that the strength in Q1 was unsustainable. This won’t prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates next Thursday. But it is one more piece of news pointing to another cut in August.”We still expect the Bank Rate to be maintained at 4.25% in the June meeting, t...

Economics

3 d. ago Largest ever plunge in UK exports to US as Trump tariffs hurt growth; dollar hits three

UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April, biggest fall since October 2023, as trade with the US slumpedFull story: UK economy shrinks by 0.3% as as exports hit by Trump trade warNicholas Hyett, Investment Manager at Wealth Club, blames “a cocktail of headwinds to growth” for the 0.3% fall in UK GDP in April.Hyett says:In the very short term the change to Stamp Duty rules have put the legal and property services on ice - with legal activities down 10.2% month-on-month.New barriers to trade with the US and changes to employment costs, from a higher living wage and increased national insurance contributions, are a longer term challenge.“The 0.3% m/m fall in real GDP in April supports our view that the strength in Q1 was unsustainable. This won’t prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates next Thursday. But it is one more piece of news pointing to another cut in August.”We still expect the Bank Rate to be maintained at 4.25% in the June meeting, to allow still troubling earnings growth ...

Politics

4 d. ago How Infantino used Trump and the Club World Cup to open up football’s next cash cow

Fifa’s new tournament has been divisive and Miguel Delaney outlines how it could reshape football’s future and where the power ultimately lies

Politics

4 d. ago How Infantino embraced Trump and the Club World Cup as a political football

Fifa’s new tournament has been divisive and Miguel Delaney outlines how it could reshape football’s future and where the power ultimately lies

Politics

5 d. ago David Squires on Infantino’s Club World Cup buildup in the land of Trump

Our cartoonist looks ahead to Fifa’s $1bn bonanza hosted amid unrest in the United StatesBuy a copy of a cartoon in our Print ShopDavid’s new book, Chaos in the Box: buy it now Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Football transfer rumours: Gittens to Chelsea before first deadline closes?

This stuff is just looking for somethingThe summer’s first transfer window will close on Tuesday night at 7pm UK time ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup so watch out for some last-minute jobs to fill up squads for Gianni Infantino’s folly. Will Manchester City get Rayan Cherki signed in time? Chelsea are after a keeper in Milan’s Mike Maignan and want to add Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund to their winger collection. Both deals may go to the wire.When Bournemouth were flying high in mid-winter there was a fun game to play. Less fun if you were a Cherries fan, of course, but the game was to fit their unearthed gems with the clubs they would end up at. Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid was unexpected but then again Illia Zabarnyi to PSG, actual European champions, may well trump that. The club are prepared to sell, at the right price, but have demanded a £59m fee for the Ukrainian. Continue reading...

Sport

5 d. ago 2026 World Cup host city CEOs admit to ‘uncertainty’ amid rocky political landscape

Host city heads in charge of welcoming visitors Ice raids, visas, and travel bans could impact fansExecutives from the US host city committees for next year’s World Cup said on Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) raids have created “uncertainty” as they prepare to host an influx of foreign visitors.The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, will take place in 11 cities across the US, and is predcited to draw more than five million visitors over the course of the 40-day tournament. However, visa processing times have been slow for several countries, travel bans have been instituted (including for recently qualified Iran), and raids ostensibly aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants have seen the government arrest and deport visa holders, permanent residents and even citizens. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster responds after receiving devastating health department grade

Trump’s NJ golf club scored lowest in Somerset County’s health inspection on May 6, which the general manager says is a “politically motivated attack.”

Politics

9 d. ago The Trump broken hearts club: All the president's jilted bromances in full as bitter Elon Musk fight escalates

President Donald Trump has a long track record of turning his allies and aides against him. Elon Musk is now the latest MAGA ally to join Trump's ever-growing list of foes.

Politics

1 week ago Trump travel ban includes exemption for World Cup and Olympic athletes

Fifa declined to comment on recently signed banUnclear whether exception includes Club World CupDonald Trump’s newly signed travel ban contains an exemption that could apply to players, staff or associated families with clubs participating in the 2025 Club World Cup, 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Olympics.The US president has signed a sweeping order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, reviving and expanding the travel bans from his first term. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration orders Michigan coal plant to stay open

The U.S. Energy Department has ordered a Michigan coal-fired power plant to remain open, at least until late August

Politics

2 w. ago All the people banned from Don Jr.'s exclusive DC club Executive Branch

Donald Trump Jr.'s exclusive new club for supporters of his father's administration will ban many of Washington DC 's elites.

Events

2 w. ago Who you will and who you won’t see at Donald Trump Jr’s DC private members’ club

Executive Branch will have no media, likely no Bush-era Republicans, and not just ‘any Saudi businessman,’ report says

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Roadmap for corruption’: Trump dive into cryptocurrency raises ethics alarm

The president’s hawking of $Trump memecoin has sparked a firestorm of criticism over potential influence buyingDonald Trump’s push to sharply ease oversight of the cryptocurrency industry, while he and his sons have fast expanded crypto ventures that have reaped billions of dollars from investors including foreign ones, is raising alarm about ethical and legal issues.Watchdog groups, congressional Democrats and some Republicans have levelled a firestorm of criticism at Trump for hawking his own memecoin $Trump, a novelty crypto token with no inherent value, by personally hosting a 22 May dinner at his Virginia golf club for the 220 largest buyers of $Trump and a private “reception” for the 25 biggest buyers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump to host dinner for top holders of his crypto token – although many lost money with it

Meme coin buyers may have gotten dinner with president, but they lost millions, Guardian analysis revealsDonald Trump will host the top holders of his cryptocurrency at a gala tonight at his private golf club near Washington DC. Though the president has called the $Trump token “The Greatest of them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, nearly half the gala’s guests suffered losses from purchasing it, according to a Guardian analysis of their public cryptocurrency wallets.The attendees are winners of the US president’s meme coin competition. Last month, Trump announced that the 220 crypto wallets with the largest holdings of $Trump between 23 April and 12 May would win a ticket to a private dinner at the Trump National golf club. The top 25 holders would also be invited to a “Private VIP Reception” with the president beforehand. The news caused the coin to spike more than 50%. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Nearly half of Trump’s crypto sweepstakes winners lost money

Meme coin buyers may have gotten dinner with president, but they lost millions, Guardian analysis revealsDonald Trump will host the top holders of his cryptocurrency at a gala tonight at his private golf club near Washington DC. Though the president has called the $TRUMP token “The Greatest of them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, nearly half the gala’s guests suffered losses from purchasing it, according to a Guardian analysis of their public cryptocurrency wallets.The attendees are winners of the US president’s meme coin competition. Last month, Trump announced that the 220 crypto wallets with the largest holdings of $TRUMP between 23 April and 12 May would win a ticket to a private dinner at the Trump National golf club. The top 25 holders would also be invited to a “Private VIP Reception” with the president beforehand. The news caused the coin to spike more than 50%. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Voices: I never thought I’d want to join the Cyril Ramaphosa fan club – until I saw him take on Trump

There were two heads of state in the Oval Office, writes Simon Walters – but only one statesman

Politics