December 5 – On the eve of the draw for the Club World Cup, FIFA at last found a broadcast partner, announcing streaming platform DAZN as the exclusive rights holder for the 32-team tournament in a deal reportedly worth $1 billion.
December 5 – With precision timing, Human Rights Watch has renewed its offensive against FIFA for awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
December 5 – Human rights groups in Guinea say they believe the death toll from the stadium crush last Sunday that killed more than 135 spectators, most of them children, is far higher than the official 56 figure announced by the military-led government.
December 5 – Clubs from across the English football pyramid are “alarmed” by the lack of consultation on legislation which could “fundamentally affect the future” of the game, West Ham United vice-chairwoman Karren Brady has warned.
December 5 – Saudi Arabia’s network and influence in global sports and football keeps growing. With the Arab kingdom’s coronation as host of the 2034 World Cup just days away, a new report details a web of Saudi sponsorship deals, but cautions that good governance could suffer as a result.
December 5 – US-based private equity investor Bruin Capital, backed by one of its main investors TCJ, has bought three player agencies, merging them into a group reportedly valued at €310 million.
December 5 – England international and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi will face no formal action from the English Football Association despite defying its rules for a second time by writing a religious message on his kit during a Premier League game celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion.
December 5 – Masar Omeragic (pictured), a former player and member of the FFM Board of Directors, is the sole candidate for the Football Federation of Macedonia’s presidential elections, to be held on December 22.
December 5 – Mexico’s LigaMX clubs are set to vote on a $1.25 billion proposal to sell a stake in their commercial rights to private equity giant Apollo Global Management with deal also including participation from the NFL.
December 5 – In a sign that enthusiasm is starting to build with American sponsors ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot has announced that they have become an official tournament sponsor.
December 5 – The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled a potential Achilles heel for Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, which have fielded one of the oldest average line-ups of any team in the world across the past 12 months.
December 5 – The ‘Don’ of Major League Soccer (MLS), commissioner Don Garber, has had his contract extended to the end of the 2027 MLS season by the board of governors.
December 5 – Football and the LGBTQ+ community have worked together tirelessly over the last few years to bring more initiatives to the public forum. As one of the world’s biggest clubs, how Manchester United approaches this subject always makes news.
December 5 – The Northern Super League, Canada’s first professional women’s football league, has unveiled Canadian Tire Corporation as a Founding Partner in a landmark multi-year, multi-million-dollar agreement.
December 5 – Juventus have signed a new two-year deal with Italian telecoms giant TIM, which will see the mobile provider become a premium partner of the club until 2026.