VANCOUVER — On the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics, protesters marched to BC Place, the culmination of a decade-long tug-of-war over whether Vancouver had room for a global sports mega-event. Activists first tried to block the Olympics from coming to town, then tried to use it to extract social commitments from organizers, and…
LOS ANGELES — Moments after Iran and Belgium battled to a scoreless draw at SoFi Stadium, the Belgian players beat a hasty retreat to the locker room. Not the Iranian World Cup team. The players on Team Melli lingered on the field, doing a slow lap to cheers from supporters who’d dominated the stands with…
The French minister for sports, Marina Ferrari, was in New York City to support her national team, which will play its second match tomorrow against Iraq. On Monday, she dropped by the French consulate across from Central Park for an event organized by Business France to discuss the opportunities this year’s three-country World Cup represents…
LOS ANGELES — The political tensions surrounding Iran’s national soccer team were on full display Sunday at SoFi Stadium, where Iranian American fans loudly booed during the playing of Iran’s national anthem before the team’s World Cup match against Belgium. Among the crowd were several supporters displaying Iran’s pre-revolution Lion and Sun flag, a symbol…
ATLANTA — Spain’s soccer chief told POLITICO he is confident that either Madrid or Barcelona will host the World Cup final in 2030, as Morocco joins the race to stage the biggest sporting event in the world. On a sun-baked afternoon in Atlanta outside La Casa de España, Rafael Louzán — who has been in…
Americans have shown little hesitancy about betting on the World Cup, the weather in Dallas and the next James Bond through the prediction markets. Yet, for many, politics is a step too far. Results from The POLITICO Poll show that a large group of U.S. adults doesn’t believe wagering on political events like what President…
The Netherlands has had a week in Texas, between matches in Dallas and Houston, and one of the leading members of its government delegation has been using the time to conduct old-school diplomacy. In Houston, Mirjam Sterk — who has an expansive portfolio of a minister for long-term care, youth and sport — has visited…
Australia, Japan and Germany: all countries whose national football teams wear colors that do not appear on their national flags. Australia’s team plays in green and gold, a nod to the country’s natural landscape and the golden wattle, Australia’s national floral emblem. Germany’s traditional white kit traces its origins to Prussia, whose flag featured black…
U.S. fans are making travel plans to the Bay Area after their team clinched first place in Group D following a victory over Australia and Turkey’s defeat to Paraguay. Ready to welcome them will be San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who has personally attended five World Cups. He is also an investor in 49ers Enterprises,…
Climate activists are planning protests Sunday against FIFA’s sponsorship deal with Saudi state-owned oil and gas giant Aramco at World Cup sites and fan zones across the country. Organizer Zan Dubin told POLITICO the protests are aimed at pressuring FIFA to drop Aramco while calling attention to the way oil company advertising becomes part of…
