News
The stories around the World Cup, from a Kenyan point of view.
Latest‘Not for sale’: UEFA’s 55 nations vote to boycott FIFA over a $20bn sell-off
UEFA’s 55 member nations have voted unanimously to boycott all future FIFA competitions, the World Cup included, in protest at Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in a new $20bn commercial arm to private investors led by Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal. Europe says the game “is not for sale”; Infantino has offered every federation $20 million to approve the deal by September 19. KFF on football’s civil war, and the impossible choice now facing Africa.
Fri, 31 Jul ·3 min read
The $15 billion World Cup: FIFA's record haul, and who really pays for it
FIFA has banked a record 15 billion dollars from the 2026 World Cup, the expanded 48-team tournament and the vast American market driving unprecedented broadcast, sponsorship and ticketing revenue, roughly double the last cycle. It has reopened the oldest question in the game: where does all that money go, and who foots the bill? KFF on the business of the beautiful game, from a Kenyan point of view.
Sun, 26 Jul ·3 min read
Spain are champions of the world: La Roja conquer as Messi's fairytale ends
Spain are world champions, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the 2026 World Cup. Ferran Torres's extra-time winner sealed a masterclass in which Argentina failed to register a shot on target; Spain become the first nation to hold the men's and women's World Cups at once. Lionel Messi's last World Cup ends without the crown, and Kylian Mbappé takes the Golden Boot. KFF on a tournament we will never forget.
Sun, 19 Jul ·2 min read
In memoriam: Jayden Adams, South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, dies at 25
South African football is in mourning after the death of Jayden Adams, the Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder, at the age of 25, only weeks after he represented his country at the 2026 World Cup. KFF joins the football family in sending its condolences to his family, his club and his nation. Rest in peace.
Sun, 12 Jul ·2 min read
The final four: France-Spain and England-Argentina set up a World Cup for the ages
The World Cup has its last four, and it is a heavyweight: France v Spain and England v Argentina. The African dream is over; what remains is a collision of giants, from the Maradona-shadowed grudge of England-Argentina and Messi's possible last dance against the old enemy, to the pure-football feast of France-Spain and the Messi-Mbappé Golden Boot duel. KFF previews the semis.
Sun, 12 Jul ·2 min read
The referee row that fizzled: France were too good, and Africa's World Cup is over
The all-Argentine crew was meant to be the story of Morocco vs France. Instead France won 2-0 so comprehensively — xG 3.04 to 0.14, Mbappé and Dembélé scoring — that the officials were a footnote: no red cards, no penalties, no VAR drama. Morocco were beaten, not robbed, and with them Africa's World Cup is over. KFF on the anticlimax that settled the argument.
Fri, 10 Jul ·2 min read
Beaten or robbed? Egypt exit in a VAR firestorm that has Africa up in arms
Argentina came from 0-2 down to beat Egypt 3-2, but the story is the VAR controversy that engulfed it: a disallowed Egypt goal rewound 20 seconds, an ignored late penalty appeal, a coach's anti-racism gesture, and an official FIFA complaint alleging "blatant errors". Africa's last hope alongside Morocco is out, and the continent, Kenya included, is furious. KFF on the storm.
Wed, 8 Jul ·3 min read
All noise, no reprieve: Balogun cleared to play, but Belgium dump the USA out
Folarin Balogun's red-card ban was overturned after Donald Trump lobbied FIFA, and it made no difference: Belgium routed the United States 4-1 in Seattle to knock the co-hosts out of their own World Cup. The week-long circus over his eligibility ended in an emphatic anticlimax as the Red Devils marched into a quarter-final with Spain.
Tue, 7 Jul ·2 min read
The people's keeper: how Vozinha, 40 and unsigned, became the World Cup's most-loved man
Cape Verde are the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup, and their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, a free agent who once worked as an electrician, has become its most-loved figure. He held Spain to a 0-0 draw, denied Messi repeatedly as Cape Verde pushed Argentina to extra time, and saw his Instagram following explode past six million. KFF on the granny-keeper fairytale.
Mon, 6 Jul ·3 min read
The giants fall: Haaland's Norway dump Brazil out and blow the World Cup wide open
Norway have knocked five-time champions Brazil out of the World Cup, an Erling Haaland double sealing a seismic 2-1 win in the Round of 16 and a first-ever quarter-final for the Scandinavians. It is Brazil's earliest exit since 1990, it makes Haaland part of a three-way Golden Boot race with Messi and Mbappé, and it blows the tournament wide open. KFF on the shock that reshaped the World Cup.
Mon, 6 Jul ·3 min read
The knockouts are here, and South Africa are the first to go home
The group stage is done and the World Cup's brutal new math has begun: 32 teams, win or fly home. South Africa learned it the hard way, beaten by a stoppage-time Canada goal to become the first nation eliminated from the Round of 32. KFF on what the knockouts hold, and the eight African sides still standing.
Mon, 29 Jun ·3 min read
The soul and the sensor: inside the most high-tech World Cup ever played
The 2026 World Cup runs on a ball that sends 500 readings a second, offside measured to a toenail and an AI tactician for all 48 teams. Football’s technology-versus-tradition debate, and what the most engineered World Cup ever means for a Kenyan game where none of it exists.
Wed, 24 Jun ·5 min read