Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ Today:
- World Cup: A tale of 16 cities
- Introducing the 27th SBJ Forty Under 40 class
- Illinois House adjourns without Bears stadium plan
- Plus: USMNT gets warmup win ahead of World Cup; World Cup finds broadcast partner for India; works starts in Australia for 2032 Olympics and more
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: No answers for Bears in Illinois; reorganization at the NHL; Big 12 signs participation agreement with CSC; and an honor for longtime NFL exec. Listen >>
THE BIG STORY
World Cup: A tale of 16 cities
As one of the 16 host markets for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the San Francisco Bay Area will host more than 30 watch parties and fan zones during the six-week tournament. Seattle will stage four celebrations within its metro area, with 10 more local events spread across Washington state. Fans visiting FIFA’s website, however, won’t find information about any of them.
That’s because neither region is staging an official FIFA Fan Festival. The lack of official Fan Festivals in those markets is a departure from FIFA’s initial vision.
A newly expanded World Cup being held across three countries for the first time was naturally going to feel different — and more unwieldy — than prior editions, particularly compared with the World Cup 2022 in Doha, Qatar. But the level of variation from market to market in 2026 is also a downstream effect of a new operating model spearheaded by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as SBJ’s Alex Silverman writes in this week’s magazine.
5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. Introducing the 27th SBJ Forty Under 40 class: Sports Business Journal, along with presenting partners Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, Polymarket, TurnkeyZRG and Verizon, recognizes 40 executives for their achievement and innovation before turning 40.
2. Illinois House adjourns without Bears stadium plan: The Illinois House concluded their session early Monday without passing legislation to keep the Bears in their home state.
3. USMNT delivers win in pre-World Cup match in Charlotte: The USMNT beat Senegal 3-2 behind a goal and an assist from F Christian Pulisic on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, the Americans’ next-to-last World Cup warmup before their June 12 opener.
4. Zee Entertainment lands FIFA World Cup rights in India: Zee Entertainment Enterprises secured Indian broadcast and streaming rights to 39 FIFA soccer events spanning 2026 to 2034, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2030 World Cup and 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
5. Work at Victoria Park site begins for Olympic stadium in Brisbane: Work is beginning at the Victoria Park site for the 2032 Brisbane Games stadium as the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took control of the land.
ON THE MOVE
- The NHL hired Sean Eggert (a 2018 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree) as its new SEVP and CMO and Julie Yufe as EVP and managing director/international amid a major reorganization of its business staff. Previous CMO Heidi Browning is now chief digital officer (Alex Silverman, SBJ).
- NCAA Research Chief Tom Paskus retired from his role after more than 20 years with association. Paskus’ official departure was in April, but he began a medical leave in early 2025, about four years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (NCAA).
- Adopt named former EVP and GM of Robot and Fulwell Entertainment Chelsea Carr as president and former Nike VP/Global Brand Creative Dave Frank as chief creative officer. Publicis Sports named Optimum Sports SVP and managing director/client solutions Kristen Gray as EVP/brand consulting (Publicis Sports).
- Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-Gyu said that he will “step down” after the World Cup following a 13-year stint in the role (YONHAP NEWS AGENCY, 5/29).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Former Premier League club exec Daniel Levy joined a bid for NBA Europe’s proposed London team. (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/30).
- The family of retired NHL player Claude Lemieux is donating his brain to Boston University’s CTE Center to research the long-term consequences of repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury. Lemieux died Thursday by suicide (Montreal GAZETTE, 5/31).
- Larry King, who was part of the early growth of women’s professional tennis and the former husband of tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, died at 81. King prepared the legal paperwork that laid the foundation for the creation of the WTA in 1973.
- Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield’s hometown of St. Paul honored him with a life-size bronze statue at Toni Stone Field at the Dunning Sports Complex (St. Paul PIONEER PRESS, 5/30).
HOT READS
USA TODAY went with the header, “Caitlin Clark can be electric and exhausting — sometimes in the same quarter.” The Fever guard’s “honeymoon” was “never going to last.” Clark’s actions — “flopping,” disputing calls and showing “disrespect toward the refs” and the “indignation over reasonable questions” about her health — are “accelerating” her comeuppance. Clark won over the country with the way she played. Now she is “at risk of turning people off for the very same reason.”
Also:
- SEC heavyweights weigh in on this spiraling, rudderless NCAA ship.
- That logo on Aaron Rai’s apparel? Here’s the story (and coaches) behind it.
Correction: An earlier version of this post misrepresented some of Larry King’s professional accolades. SBJ regrets the error.