The U.S.-hosted 1994 World Cup helped lay the groundwork for Major League Soccer to launch two years later. The 2026 World Cup could take the sport and league to even greater heights.

“By 2026, soccer or football will be the No. 1 sport in this part of the world,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at FIFA’s event announcing the 2026 North American host cities.

While that’s a heavy lift, there are signs that “the beautiful game” is on the rise in the U.S.

• Apple is paying MLS $2.5 billion for 10 years of exclusive streaming rights.
• A November survey of U.S. sports fans by Ampere Analysis found that 49% like soccer behind only football (70%), basketball (61%), and baseball (57%).

Ted Segal, who bought the Houston Dynamo and Dash for an estimated $400 million, told Front Office Sports last year that the World Cup will bring a “step change in enthusiasm [for U.S. soccer] that accrues to the benefit of MLS and NWSL.”

Segal contributed to Houston’s successful bid to be a host city.

American Dollars Hop the Pond

Once Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and Sparks co-owner Todd Boehly completes his acquisition of Chelsea FC, American backers will have significant stakes in over half the Premier League’s 20 clubs. 

And it’s not just billionaires who are bullish on the league. Comcast secured U.S. broadcasting rights to the Premier League for $2.7 billion over six years, more than double the previous $1.1 billion deal.

Legislation to improve Los Angeles’ transportation infrastructure was introduced on Wednesday, a plan that would help the city’s traffic during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and three representatives introduced the Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act with guidance from LA28, the event’s organizing committee. 

Padilla’s office says the bill would allow the U.S. Department of Transportation to give the city priority access to federal transportation grants for Olympic-related projects and allow the DOT to help fund temporary facilities, equipment, and more. 

The bill could also help fund additional buses and a $1.4 billion automated “people mover” that Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. pitched to legislators, as well as a metro task force to help support the Games.

• Planners estimate that the 1.8-mile people-mover line could see 29,000 passengers on SoFi Stadium game days or other events.
• Inglewood has secured $350 million for the project.

“We may be leveraging the Olympic Games,” Padilla said. “But this is all infrastructure investment. That will benefit the region for years and years and years to come.”

The task force identified more than 200 other projects that would help prepare for the event, including an extension of the C Line, a rail line, new bike lanes, and more bike-sharing programs. 

Project Price

The request for funding might be necessary — LA28 claims the Games will cost $6.9 billion without infrastructure improvements. Similar legislation was passed for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

A deal to purchase land around the Anaheim Angels’ stadium collapsed under regulatory scrutiny and an FBI investigation — and now the saga may end up changing California law.

State Sen. Tom Umberg introduced legislation that would allow California’s Department of Housing and Community Development to block projects that violate the state’s Surplus Land Act, instead of only being able to levy fines.

• In 2020, the city of Anaheim agreed to sell Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lots to team owner Arte Moreno in a $320 million deal. Moreno agreed to develop housing and commerce in the area and keep the team in Anaheim through 2050.
• In December, California Attorney General Rob Bonta deemed that the sale illegally circumvented a law that required the city to open the land for bidding, prioritizing affordable housing.
• The city, faced with a choice to pay a $96 million fine or reopen the bidding, chose to end the sale.

The Anaheim Cabal

An FBI probe into the moneyed interests influencing city politics is ongoing.

“The FBI learned that the City of Anaheim was tightly controlled by a small cadre of individuals, including a member of the city’s Chamber of Commerce and mayor Harry Sidhu, FBI special agent Brian Adkins wrote in a May affidavit supporting a search warrant on Sidhu.

Sidhu resigned shortly thereafter on May 23.

The Arizona Coyotes plan to privately finance a new $1.9 billion entertainment district around a new 16,000-seat arena. 

“We’re going to pay for all of this,” Coyotes team president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez told ESPN. “We have [been met with] some skepticism about that, but that truly is what we’re proposing.”

The willingness to privately finance a new entertainment district and stadium comes after the Tempe city council voted 5-2 to continue negotiations with the team about the project earlier this month. No deal is imminent, but the vote allows both sides to progress in negotiations. 

• The 46-acre project includes retail stores, restaurants, a hotel, and 1,680 housing units.
• It will also house the team’s headquarters and practice rink. 
• A previous financial plan called for $200 million from taxpayers to help fund the project. 

In December 2021, it was revealed that the team had $1.3 million in unpaid taxes and arena charges related to its lease at Gila River Arena, which expires June 30. As a result, the team will be playing its home games for the next three seasons in a 5,000-seat venue at Arizona State. 

The Coyotes were valued at $400 million in December 2021, ranking last in the NHL. 

Making Things Right

The Coyotes have until Dec. 20 to settle their outstanding debt, which includes $250,000 owed to the city of Glendale.