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Saudi Games Begin in November in Riyadh Under King Salman’s Patronage

Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 2nd edition of Saudi Games is scheduled to be held this year between November 25 and December 10 in Riyadh.
Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 2nd edition of Saudi Games is scheduled to be held this year between November 25 and December 10 in Riyadh.
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Saudi Games Begin in November in Riyadh Under King Salman’s Patronage

Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 2nd edition of Saudi Games is scheduled to be held this year between November 25 and December 10 in Riyadh.
Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 2nd edition of Saudi Games is scheduled to be held this year between November 25 and December 10 in Riyadh.

Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 2nd edition of Saudi Games is scheduled to be held this year between November 25 and December 10 in Riyadh, SPA said on Tuesday.
Athletes will compete in 53 individual and group games, including six Paralympic games, four show games and 12 youth games.
On the occasion, Minister of Sports, President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and President of the Higher Organizing Committee of the Saudi Games 2023 Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal extended gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his patronage, noting that it reflects the wise leadership’s support for sports and great interest in athletes.
The prince said: “The generous support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the interest of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have greatly contributed to improving the sport sector.
“Holding the Saudi Games for the second consecutive year reflects the extent to which the Saudi Vision 2030 supports Saudis and builds a generation that can realize international achievements for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
The Saudi Games is the largest national sporting event in the Kingdom's history. Participating athletes compete for awards totaling more than SAR200 million. Winners of gold medals will receive SAR1 million, winners of silver medals SAR300,000, and bronze-medal winners will receive SAR100,000. Winners of gold medals in the youth category will receive SAR100,000, silver medalists will receive SAR50,000, and winners of bronze medals will receive SAR25,000.

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Sports

Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
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Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File
Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File

Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer this weekend as the rapidly growing US domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in interest from the upcoming World Cup.

Messi -- MLS's undisputed flagship star -- will lace up his boots for a fourth year with Inter Miami, who take on South Korean ace Son Heung-min's Los Angeles FC in Saturday's opener at the 70,000-capacity Memorial Coliseum.

It is a suitably splashy start for a season that will be split in two by the 2026 World Cup, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

World Cup host countries typically see boosts in attendance and interest for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep US eyeballs on the planet's biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.

"This is a massive year for Major League Soccer," said league commissioner Don Garber, describing the season as "a seminal moment for our sport."

The MLS season will this year have a seven-week interruption for the World Cup in June and July.

Five MLS stadiums will host World Cup matches, while many more will be used as training facilities and fan zones.

An increased number of MLS players are expected to play in the World Cup, including Son -- and potentially Messi, though the Argentina great has not yet confirmed he will participate in a record sixth World Cup.

The league plans to use the season's bifurcation to its advantage in order to draw in new fans.

A rumored $15-30 million marketing spend throughout the international tournament will encourage viewers to embrace their local teams, and elevate the US domestic league's increasingly star-studded profile.

The MLS season resumes for its second half in the rest days between the World Cup semi-finals and final. An All-Star Game will quickly follow.

"MLS will be at the center of the soccer universe during the world's largest sporting event, and that creates an extraordinary opportunity for our league, our clubs, and our players," said Garber.

New stars

The decision to start the new MLS season with a game featuring the league's two biggest global stars, at a giant former Olympic stadium in the heart of Los Angeles, is no accident.

Garber is predicting "the largest opening weekend crowd in league history."

While MLS has been heavily dependent on eight-time Ballon d'Or-winner Messi's allure in recent years, the arrival of Son midway through 2025 has been transformative.

Signed by Los Angeles FC for $26.5 million -- reportedly the largest transfer in MLS history -- the 33-year-old's arrival has brought with it the support of thousands of South Koreans living in the United States.

Other marquee names to join MLS sides this year include Minnesota United's James Rodriguez, who penned an extendable six-month contract in a bid to find form before Colombia's World Cup campaign, after a difficult few domestic seasons.

Argentina-born Mexico striker German Berterame has joined Messi at reigning MLS champions Inter Miami, who are co-owned by David Beckham.

And Timo Werner, joining San Jose Earthquakes, becomes the latest German star to ply his trade in a league that already features Thomas Muller at the Vancouver Whitecaps and Marco Reus for Los Angeles Galaxy.

'Best leagues'

MLS is planning another major change that it hopes will entice even more big names.

Beginning July 2027, MLS will change from its current spring-to-fall schedule, to a summer-through-spring rota.

The switch will align MLS with the big European leagues like England's Premier League and Spain's La Liga.

The hope is this will allow US clubs to buy and sell global talent during simultaneous transfer windows, particularly during the summer break.

It would also avoid future clashes with international fixtures and major tournaments.

Garber said the move "reflects exactly where we see MLS going, not just aligning with the best leagues in the world but competing with them."

Critics say it is a gamble, as MLS will soon be directly competing for viewers with the similarly scheduled NFL, NBA and NHL leagues.

Sports

Perfect Start for Pereira as Forest Enjoy Record Win at Fenerbahce

Nottingham Forest's Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira (CR) gestures from the techincal area during the UEFA Europa League - knockout round play-off first leg - football match between Fenerbahce SK and Nottingham Forest FC at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Nottingham Forest's Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira (CR) gestures from the techincal area during the UEFA Europa League - knockout round play-off first leg - football match between Fenerbahce SK and Nottingham Forest FC at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Perfect Start for Pereira as Forest Enjoy Record Win at Fenerbahce

Nottingham Forest's Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira (CR) gestures from the techincal area during the UEFA Europa League - knockout round play-off first leg - football match between Fenerbahce SK and Nottingham Forest FC at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Nottingham Forest's Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira (CR) gestures from the techincal area during the UEFA Europa League - knockout round play-off first leg - football match between Fenerbahce SK and Nottingham Forest FC at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Nottingham Forest's new head ‌coach Vitor Pereira said he had encouraged his players to express themselves at Fenerbahce on Thursday and they responded in style with a 3-0 victory that marked their biggest away win in European competition.

The comfortable win in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff tie in Turkey was the perfect start for Pereira, who took the ‌helm last ‌weekend following the departure of ‌Sean ⁠Dyche.

Goals from Murillo, ⁠Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White secured the win but the scoreline could have been even more emphatic.

"We had chance to score two more goals. It was a very good result," Portuguese Pereira told TNT Sports, according to Reuters. "It is only ⁠halftime, we need to be consistent, ‌the schedule is ‌tight and difficult."

Pereira is Forest's fourth managerial appointment this ‌season after Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou ‌and Dyche, and the 57-year-old arrives with the side just three points above the Premier League relegation zone.

"Everyone must be ready to help the ‌team. This is what I ask them," said Pereira. "I realized before I ⁠came that ⁠the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game.

"If they enjoy the way they are playing they can have a high level. They need organization and confidence. I asked them to express themselves on the pitch. They did it."

Forest host Liverpool in the league on Sunday before Fenerbahce arrive for the second leg of their Europa League tie on February 26.

Sports

FIFA President: All 104 World Cup Matches Will be 'Sold Out'

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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FIFA President: All 104 World Cup Matches Will be 'Sold Out'

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said all 104 matches of ‌the 2026 World Cup will be "sold out" despite tickets available for the tournament running from June 11 to July 19.

"The demand is there. Every match is sold out," Infantino told CNBC in an interview Wednesday from US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

Infantino said there had been 508 million ticket requests in four weeks from more than 200 countries for about seven million available tickets.

"(We've) never see anything like that -- incredible," he said.

The 48-team World Cup is taking place across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., as the site ‌of the ‌World Cup final.

The head of the sport's governing ‌body ⁠said that tournament ⁠locations contribute to what soccer supporters' associations have complained are exorbitant ticket prices.

"I think it is because it's in America, Canada and Mexico," he said. "Everybody wants to be part of something special."

Also affecting prices are resale websites, which take the official ticket that has a fixed price and use "dynamic pricing" leading to the cost to fluctuate.

"You are able as well to resell your tickets ⁠on official platforms, secondary markets, so the prices as ‌well will go up," Reuters quoted Infantino as saying. "That's part ‌of the market we are in."

A report in the Straits Times said that a ‌Category 3 seat -- the highest section in the stadium -- for Mexico's match ‌against South Africa in the tournament opener on June 11 in Mexico City was listed at $5,324 in the secondary market. The original price was $895.

The same seat category for the World Cup final on July 19, originally priced at $3,450, was advertised for $143,750 on ‌Feb. 11, per the report.

In December, FIFA designated "supporter entry tier" tickets with a $60 price to be allocated to ⁠the national federations ⁠whose teams are playing. Those federations are expected to make those tickets available "to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams," FIFA said in a press release.

The last time the US served as a World Cup host in 1994, tickets ranged from $25 to $475. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, prices ranged from $70 to $1,600 after the matches were announced.

Infantino in his comments this week estimated that the 2026 World Cup will raise $11 billion in revenue for FIFA, with "every dollar" to be reinvested in the sport in the 211 member countries.

He said the economic impact for the United States would be around $30 billion "in terms of tourism, catering, security investments and so on." Infantino also estimated the tournament will attract 20 million to 30 million tourists and