Five factors that explain why culture is football’s new competitive advantage
For decades, the equation of success in the football industry was simple: more wins on the pitch, greater brand value. That equation has changed. As Pablo Alzaga, founder of Matinal, noted at World Football Summit Madrid 2025: “The real turning point is that brand value used to depend exclusively on what happened on the pitch. […]
WFS Mexico City 2026 will be a part of the programme of Sports Weeks MX
The countdown to WFS Mexico City kicked off with the presentation press conference at Cinépolis Mitikah.
Fan Intimacy and the Power of a Nickname: Two Approaches to Fan Data From Mexican Football
Club Tigres has 41,000 season ticket holders and a waiting list for when one becomes available. Their stadium has been sold out for years. By any conventional measure, their fan relationship is not a problem to solve. And yet Miguel Hernández, Brand Director at Tigres, keeps coming back to a number that bothers him: 12 […]
WFS Mexico 2026 Tickets Now Live: Super Early Bird Until March 13
WFS Mexico is returning on June 3-4, 2026 at the World Trade Center in Mexico City—days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at Estadio Azteca. Every major decision-maker in football will be in the city for the tournament. WFS Mexico aims to get them in the same room first. This timing doesn’t happen […]
10 Years of World Football Summit: Expanding the Business, Honouring the Essence
This year marks a milestone for us: World Football Summit turns 10. A decade connecting the football industry. Here’s how we got here, and where we’re heading. Why did WFS start in 2016? Football was changing fast. New markets, new technologies, new players entering the business with fresh ideas. Traditional stakeholders and disruptors were all […]
The 2026 WFS StartCup is officially underway: get your applications ready !
The WFS StartCup 2026 is officially underway! Hosted in partnership with EBAN Sports, this is the reference startup competition for the football industry, designed to identify and showcase projects, founders and ventures developing solutions with clear relevance for the game. The WFS StartCup aims to turn innovation into value by connecting emerging projects with decision-makers […]
From Raw Data to Narrative: How Bundesliga and AWS Use Storytelling to Drive Engagement
Personalisation in football is no longer a new concept. Different fans consume the game in different ways, across multiple devices, formats and moments. The industry has broadly accepted that reality. What remains far less common is seeing how a league translates that understanding into live, scalable products that operate at the core of the competition […]
Every Seat Counts: How Arsenal and Brentford Digitalised Passion Without Losing Their Soul
In today’s football industry, “Sold Out” is no longer the final goal. It is actually the beginning of a complex social and logistical challenge. The real test for modern stadium managers is ensuring every sold ticket translates into a person in the stands, whilst transitioning to a 100% digital model in venues built on decades […]
The Access Gap: How Rio Ferdinand Built a Media Business on Trust Broadcasters Can’t Buy
Rio Ferdinand Presents is built on trust-based access that broadcasters can’t buy. At WFS Hong Kong, he explains the “access gap” and how he monetises it through YouTube interviews and brand partnerships.
A Look Into the Commercial Playbook Behind World Sevens Football’s Rapid Success
World Sevens Football (W7F) is scaling fast with 3–4-day 7v7 “Grand Slam” events. Using WFS Madrid insights from Adrian Jacob and Anita Asante, this article breaks down the product and investment playbook behind its growth.