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According to Liga MX President Mikel Arriola, Mexican soccer experienced a 30% economic growth this year, highlighting impressive attendance and viewership numbers for matches. Liga MX is celebrating significant achievements. Based on the general balance sheet for the current year, the value of Mexican soccer’s top league rose from $2.115 billion in 2020 to $2.745 billion at the conclusion of the Apertura 2024. According to the report presented by Mikel Arriola, Liga MX president and acting commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation, the country’s premier soccer league achieved a 30% growth during what can be considered the “post-pandemic” period. Attendance and Viewership in Liga MX Arriola also shared data on audience levels, both in stadiums and through television and digital platforms. He noted that during the Clausura and Apertura 2024 tournaments, a total of 7.79 million fans attended Liga MX matches. This achievement came despite some attendance challenges faced during the Apertura 2024, resulting in an average of 22,893 fans per game. For television, 42.9 million viewers were reported across Mexico and the United States, with 6.38 million of those viewers coming from the U.S. This solidified Liga MX as one of the most-watched soccer leagues globally. In the digital space, Arriola highlighted 47.8 million views on YouTube and a following of 16.8 million across Liga MX’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. Liga MX, the Best in Concacaf Finally, Mikel Arriola emphasized that Liga MX remains the top league in Concacaf, outperforming MLS, with which it is often compared as a major league in North America.

The FIFA Council announced the official dates for the next Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027. The tournament will be held from June 24 to July 25, 2027. The tournament will feature 32 teams, six of them from the AFC, four from the CAF, four from CONCACAF, three from CONMEBOL, remembering that Brazil has already qualified as the host, one from the OFC and 11 teams from UEFA, giving a total of 29 places, the remaining three will be played in a playoff among the six confederations of the five continents. You may be interested in: Teams Set for the Next Round of the Women’s Champions League Cover image: inside.fifa.com

Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Lyon, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Wolfsburg have secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League has concluded, and the eight teams advancing to the quarterfinal draw are Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Lyon, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Wolfsburg. Lyon Dominates Group A The most successful team in Champions League history, Olympique Lyonnais, reaffirmed their dominance in women’s football by finishing atop their group with a perfect record—winning all six of their matches to earn 18 points. Behind them, Wolfsburg took second place with half as many victories, earning 9 points. Roma and Galatasaray were eliminated from this group. Chelsea Make Their Case as Title Contenders In Group B, the other team to finish unbeaten and with a perfect record was Chelsea. The English side claimed first place, six points ahead of second-place Real Madrid. Twente ended in third with 6 points, while Celtic failed to earn any points and were eliminated alongside Twente. Arsenal Edge Bayern in Group C The Gunners topped their group, suffering only one loss in their six matches, finishing with 15 points. Bayern Munich came in second with 13 points, having recorded one draw and one loss. Juventus and Vålerenga were eliminated from Group C. Barcelona Reclaim Group D Leadership Finally, the reigning champions continued their quest for a third consecutive title. After defeating Manchester City 3-0 in their final group match—a team that had beaten them earlier in the tournament—Barcelona tied with City at 15 points. However, the Catalan club’s astonishing goal difference of +23 compared to City’s +5 secured their position as group leaders. Hammarby and St. Pölten were eliminated from Group D. You may be interested in: The Best of the Best! FIFA Presents The Best Awards Awaiting Quarterfinal Opponents The quarterfinal draw will soon determine the matchups. For now, teams from the same country cannot face each other in this round, meaning Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City (England), Barcelona and Real Madrid (Spain), and Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg (Germany) cannot meet yet. The quarterfinals are scheduled for March 18–19 (first leg) and March 26–27 (second leg).

Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool Advance to the Carabao Cup Semifinals, Manchester United or Tottenham will battle for the final spot as the fourth qualifier. Football action in England continues non-stop, and yesterday, three of the four Carabao Cup quarterfinal matches took place. Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool emerged victorious, securing their places in the semifinals of the historic competition. Gabriel Jesus: Arsenal’s Hero The Gunners booked their spot in the semifinals with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace. Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus stole the show with a hat-trick, scoring at the 54th, 73rd, and 81st minutes to overturn an early deficit. Crystal Palace had taken the lead in the 4th minute through Jean-Philippe Mateta, and although Eddie Nketiah added a second goal for Palace in the 85th minute, it wasn’t enough to prevent Arsenal from claiming the win. A Comfortable Match for Newcastle Newcastle had no trouble in their clash against Brentford, dominating the match from start to finish with a 3-1 victory. Sandro Tonali netted a brace with goals in the 9th and 43rd minutes, while Fabian Schär added another in the 69th minute to secure their semifinal berth. Brentford’s only goal came from Yoane Wissa in stoppage time (90+1’). The League Leaders March On Premier League leaders Liverpool maintained their excellent form, ensuring they’ll fight for both the league title and the Carabao Cup. They defeated Southampton 2-1 in their quarterfinal match. Darwin Núñez opened the scoring in the 24th minute, followed by a second goal from Harvey Elliott in the 32nd. Southampton managed a consolation goal through Cameron Archer in the 59th minute. These three teams now await the fourth and final semifinalist, which will be determined in the match between Manchester United and Tottenham Spurs.

FIFA has announced the winners of the 2024 The Best Awards, celebrating the year’s finest achievements in football. Among the highlights were the victories of Vinícius Jr., Aitana Bonmatí, Carlo Ancelotti, Emma Hayes, and the goals scored by Marta and Alejandro Garnacho, which were recognized as the best of the year. Vinícius Jr. and Real Madrid Shine The Brazilian star finally earned individual recognition, winning his first The Best award for his performance as a footballer. This accolade adds to his successes with Real Madrid. Notably, Vinícius surpassed Rodri, the recent Ballon d’Or winner, who took second place in The Best voting. In addition to Vinícius, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was honored as the third-best player of the year. These two, along with teammates Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger, were also named to The Best XI for 2024.   Bonmatí Dominates Women’s Football On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona secured her place as the year’s best female player. This marks her second consecutive The Best award, joining the elite ranks of players like Alexia Putellas, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski, who have achieved this feat. Bonmatí’s stellar year included winning a historic quadruple with Barcelona and claiming the Nations League title with Spain. She also received the Ballon d’Or just weeks before this award ceremony. Ancelotti and Hayes: The Best Strategists In the managerial category, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid was named The Best Coach of 2024 in men’s football, while Emma Hayes, who coached Chelsea and the U.S. national team this year, earned the honor in women’s football. Dibu and Naeher: The Walls of 2024 In goalkeeping, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was named the Best Men’s Goalkeeper of the year, while Alyssa Naeher, the U.S. national team’s standout, took the women’s honor, adding to her Olympic medal from Paris 2024. Marta and Garnacho: Authors of Masterpieces The Best Goal awards showcased breathtaking artistry. Brazilian legend Marta received the inaugural Best Women’s Goal award for a stunning strike against Jamaica on June 1, 2024. After collecting a deflection, she dribbled past a defender with a mesmerizing step-over, cut to her left, and unleashed a perfectly placed shot into the top corner. On the men’s side, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho claimed the honor for his acrobatic bicycle kick against Everton on November 26, 2023. Calculating the trajectory of a cross from the right, Garnacho launched himself into the air just outside the penalty arc, connecting with precision. The ball soared gracefully into the opposite corner, etching his goal as a true masterpiece.

Chelsea’s great season has just been stained by a doping test that showed positive in one of its players. It is the Ukrainian star Mykhailo Mudryk, as reported by the English team, which, in turn, was notified of this irregularity by the English Federation (FA). The FA reported that an irregularity was detected in a urine test they had, before this, Mudryk stated that he has no idea how a banned substance could enter his body, and assured that he has done nothing wrong and hopes to return to the field soon. Chelsea reported that both they, and their player, will respect the FA’s decision when further tests are conducted and a final conclusion is reached, but for the time being, Mudryk is banned from the team and, should the final tests corroborate doping, he could receive up to 4 years out of professional soccer as punishment. Cover image: X (@ChleseaFC)