The Tennessee Titans are one step closer to getting a new home after Nashville mayor John Cooper agreed to a deal with the NFL team for a domed stadium.

The Titans’ new home will cost up to $2.2 billion and would be able to host events that aren’t possible at Nissan Stadium — like the Super Bowl, NFL combine, and the College Football Playoff National Championship.

• The project will receive $500 million from the state, a 1% tax on hotel rooms in the county, and sales taxes at the facility and on its 130-acre campus.
• The Titans, the NFL, and personal seat license sales will contribute $840 million.
• Metro Sports Authority-issued revenue bonds will supply the remaining $760 million, which are to be repaid.

The financing plan won’t need to be approved by voters — unlike Nissan Stadium 23 years ago — but the project needs to be approved by the Nashville Metro Council.

The Titans commissioned a study earlier this year that found its current lease would cost Nashville $1.8 billion in the next 17 years, but city council members are waiting on another consultant’s $200,000 report.

Forbes last valued the Titans at $3.5 billion.

Buffalo’s Bid

Tennessee isn’t the only NFL team working toward a new stadium.

The deadline for the Buffalo Bills to complete negotiations for a new $1.4 billion stadium has been pushed back for the second time — until at least December.

The move will give New York time to finish an environmental impact study.

Qatar will have little respite from hosting major soccer tournaments after next month’s World Cup. 

The nation has been selected to host the 2023 Asian Cup, the Asian Football Confederation executive committee announced Sunday. 

China was initially selected in 2019 but chose to cancel that commitment to contain the spread of COVID-19. Indonesia and South Korea had applied to step in for China.

• While the 24-team Asian Cup traditionally takes place in the summer months, it will likely follow the lead of this year’s World Cup and reschedule to early 2024 to avoid scorching temperatures.
• Qatar also hosted the Asian Cup in 1988 and 2011. It won the most recent tournament, hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2019.

Qatar has built seven new stadiums and upgraded another in and around capital city Doha in preparation for the World Cup. 

Those investments, plus roads, trains, hotels, and other infrastructure, cost around $220 billion in total. The country expects the World Cup to add $17 billion to its economy.

Two Finalists for 2027

The AFC also announced that Saudi Arabia and India are the finalists for the 2027 Asian Cup. The executive committee will select one of the two nations at a meeting in February.

Qatar had also sought to host in 2027 but withdrew after being awarded the 2023 iteration. Iran, Uzbekistan, and Australia were also interested.

Bayern Munich remains the only Bundesliga team to make a profit in all three pandemic-affected seasons.

Germany’s biggest club reported pre-tax profit of $16.8 million — up from $4.91 million last year — and revenue of $654.1 million for the 2021-22 year. Net profit increased to $12.5 million.

Bayern and La Liga’s Real Madrid were reportedly Europe’s only top clubs to make a profit throughout the pandemic.

“It’s amazing that despite the competitive disadvantage in terms of TV money, we put a powerful team on the pitch every year that the whole of Europe respects,” CFO Jean-Christian Dreesen said at the annual general meeting. “We have set new records in each of the past three years.”

• In 2020, the German Football League signed a four-year, $4.95 billion domestic media rights deal.
• In comparison, the Premier League’s domestic deals from 2022-25 reportedly bring in around $6.9 billion.

Dreesen noted that the club would likely achieve a record turnover of at least $755.8 million in 2022-23.

Bayern Munich’s membership club now has 295,000 fans — reportedly the biggest in the world.

Bayern Breakdown

The club reported $156.9 million in matchday income, $220.6 million in sponsorship and marketing income, and $98.3 million in media marketing income. Income from transfers reached $11.9 million, merchandise brought in $92.2 million, and the club posted $49.3 million in miscellaneous income.

Forbes last valued the club at $4.275 billion.