ANTOINE GRIEZMANN’S TRANSITION FROM LA LIGA LEGEND TO ORLANDO CITY’S NEW DESIGNATED PLAYER
Antoine Griezmann signs with Orlando City as a Designated Player, joining MLS from Atletico Madrid this July 2026.
Antoine Griezmann, who won the World Cup with France, is heading to Orlando City this summer after finishing the season with Atletico Madrid. He’s the latest big name to make the jump to MLS, joining a growing roster of stars.
Griezmann flew to Orlando this week and sealed the deal, signing on as a designated player. His contract officially kicks off in July, once the league’s secondary transfer window opens, and he’s set to be among MLS’s top earners. The exact numbers haven’t come out yet. At 35, Griezmann’s contract takes him through the 2027-28 season, with the club holding an option for one more year. He’ll wear his signature No. 7 jersey, the same number he’s sported for both Atleti and France.
All this became official on Tuesday, after weeks of rumours about his move to Florida. Griezmann’s been open about wanting to play in the States late in his career. Now, he joins a list of global stars in MLS: Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, LAFC’s Son Heung-min, the Whitecaps’ Thomas Müller, and Minnesota’s James Rodríguez. Even his 2018 France teammate Hugo Lloris now plays in LA.
Leaving Atletico won’t be easy for Griezmann. He made his name there between 2014 and 2019, returned in 2021, and became a club legend. Over his two spells, he’s racked up 298 goals and 132 appearances in 792 games, tallying 14 goals and four assists just this season. He was Atleti’s top scorer during their run to the 2016 Champions League final, where they lost to Real Madrid on penalties. Two years later, he scored twice in the Europa League final to help Atletico clinch the trophy.
There’s still a shot for one last title with Atleti in the Copa del Rey final on April 18, where they face Real Sociedad. Plus, Atleti remain alive in the Champions League, with a big quarterfinal matchup against Barcelona coming up.
So, what’s Griezmann walking into with Orlando? Honestly, the club needs help. They’ve managed just one win in five matches to start the 2026 season, bleeding a league-high 17 goals and firing coach Oscar Pareja after a painful 5-0 defeat at NYCFC.
Interim coach Martin Perelman has his hands full trying to fix the defence, but Griezmann should provide a real boost up front. Orlando’s attack has stalled, producing only five goals and just under seven expected goals so far. Griezmann’s own scoring touch has faded a bit this season at Atletico; he’s beaten his expected goals average in only seven of his last 31 games, but MLS tends to favour attack-minded stars, so that could turn around.
What really stands out about Griezmann right now isn’t just his finishing. His passing has been excellent among the best in La Liga this year. He’s got an 84.2% passing accuracy in the league, averages over five progressive passes and nearly five passes into the final third per game, putting him in the 98th percentile for both. Plus, he’s averaging almost a quarter of an expected assist per match, also among Spain’s best this season.
For Orlando, the question is, who's going to help Griezmann carry the attack? The team might be heading toward a rebuild after dumping Pareja. Martin Ojeda is one bright spot; he scored 16 goals off nearly 12 expected goals last year. Duncan McGuire, a former U.S. youth international, is a regular, but his goal production has dropped off to just five league goals since his breakout 2024 season.
Griezmann’s signing brings global attention, but Orlando’s got a lot to figure out if they want to turn things around. Still, his arrival gives fans a reason to hope for something better.
THE HIDDEN MATH BEHIND FIFA’S $33,000 WORLD CUP FINAL TICKET PRICE SURGE
Gianni Infantino defends $32,970 ticket prices at the Milken Institute, citing the US market as the world's most developed.
FIFA just tripled the price of its top tickets for the World Cup final, now charging $32,970 for the best seats at the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Thursday, those front-row “category 1” seats popped up for sale, right as members of Congress started pushing FIFA for answers about high prices and demanding more transparency on how tickets are being priced.
Before, the highest category 1 ticket for the final topped out at $10,990. Now, the only way to snag that price is if you need a wheelchair or special-access seat; otherwise, you’re looking at the new, much steeper cost.
Prices don’t stop there. For the July 14 semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Texas, seats are $11,130, $4,330, $3,710, and $2,705. The next day’s semifinal in Atlanta? $10,635, $3,545, and $2,725. U.S. group stage matches aren’t cheap either; opening night in California runs $2,735, $1,940, or $1,120 a seat. The June 19 clash against Australia in Seattle sits at $2,715. And for the finale against Türkiye back in LA, tickets range from $2,970 down to $840.
Representatives Nellie Pou and Frank Pallone Jr, both Democrats from New Jersey, fired off a letter to FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, calling FIFA’s use of “dynamic pricing” too secretive and criticising practices that make it tough for regular fans to get seats. Their letter didn’t mince words: “We’re deeply concerned about FIFA’s opaque pricing and shifting rules. Fans are getting frustrated and feel misled. We want to know how FIFA ensures everyone can actually afford to attend and what’s being done to address these concerns.”
Gianni Infantino hasn’t backed down. On Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, he defended his price tags. “We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “This is the most developed entertainment market anywhere, so we charge market rates. Tickets here can legally be resold, so if you price them low, people just flip them for more. In fact, even with what some call high prices, tickets end up reselling for twice as much or more.”
He also pointed out, “You can’t go to a college game in the U.S., never mind a pro one, without spending at least $300 for a decent ticket.”
Sure, tickets for huge events like the Super Bowl or the College Football Championship can hit these levels, but scores of seats at U.S. college and pro sporting events, even the NBA playoffs, still go for under $300.
When it comes to resale, FIFA doesn’t set those prices. On its official ticket exchange, final match seats were listed Thursday from $8,970 all the way up to a wild $11,499,998.85, the latter for a spot four rows from the top in the upper deck. FIFA takes 15% of each sale from both buyer and seller. Last month, somebody listed a final ticket for $2,299,998.85.
Infantino joked about those prices: “If people list final tickets for $2 million, number one, that’s not the actual price. Number two, who’s paying that? If someone does, I’ll personally deliver them a hot dog and a Coke.”
Ticket prices aren’t the only pain point for fans. Getting to the game, especially at MetLife Stadium, has its own sticker shock. NJ Transit originally set a $150 round-trip fare from anywhere to the stadium, way up from the normal $13-ish round trip from Manhattan’s Penn Station. After plenty of backlash, they cut it down to $105, but that’s still steep.
Governor Mikie Sherrill, via her spokesperson Steve Sigmund, said she’s pushing for more corporate contributions to lower fares for fans. “The governor is grateful for the companies helping reduce costs and will keep working to make the World Cup a win for both fans and New Jersey.”
FIFA, for its part, warned that these high transit prices could dampen turnout in New Jersey, while other host cities, LA, Dallas, and Houston, aren’t hiking fares for the games.
MetLife Stadium, usually home to the Giants and Jets, will host eight World Cup matches, including the final. Group stage games for powerhouse teams like Brazil, France, Germany, and England all kick off starting June 13.
FIFA EXTENDS PRESTIANNI BAN WORLDWIDE; WINGER SET TO MISS WORLD CUP OPENERS
Gianluca Prestianni will miss games against Algeria and Austria if selected by Scaloni. Get the full disciplinary breakdown.
FIFA has extended Gianluca Prestianni’s suspension for homophobic conduct to apply globally, which could sideline him for Argentina’s first two matches at the 2026 World Cup. The winger from Benfica, initially punished after a well-publicised incident with Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, will now have his ban affect not just club matches but international competitive games as well.
The disciplinary move by FIFA follows a request from UEFA, and the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has confirmed the six-match ban will take effect worldwide. According to a FIFA spokesperson, the committee agreed to broaden the suspension’s scope, impacting all levels of competitive play.
This decision carries serious implications for both Benfica and Argentina. What was once a suspension limited to UEFA competitions now bars the 20-year-old from participating in any FIFA competitive events, including the upcoming World Cup in North America.
If Prestianni makes Lionel Scaloni’s final Argentina roster for 2026, he will be forced to sit out the opening group stage games against Algeria and Austria. Despite this setback, he remains eligible for friendlies; he was actually called up earlier this year for matches against Mauritania and Zambia following his November 2025 senior debut.
While the ban totals six matches, half of those come with a two-year probationary clause. After missing a Champions League match against Real Madrid under a provisional suspension, Prestianni still has two active games left to serve. Notably, domestic games with Benfica this season are unaffected, since the worldwide ban targets only competitive international fixtures.
The incident that triggered this whole saga happened on February 17 during a Champions League knockout match at Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior accused Prestianni of racial abuse, prompting referee Francois Letexier to pause the game for eight minutes and activate FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol.
Prestianni has denied these accusations and issued a statement saying he never directed racist insults at Vinicius Junior, suggesting the player misunderstood what was said. He also condemned the threats he received from Real Madrid players in the aftermath.
Despite his denials, UEFA’s investigation concluded that Prestianni engaged in discriminatory, specifically homophobic, conduct, leading to his suspension.
Questions remain about the length of the ban, as UEFA’s rules generally mandate a minimum 10-match suspension for offences against human dignity based on factors like race or sexual orientation. UEFA has not explained why the disciplinary body settled on a shorter six-match penalty.
Looking ahead, Prestianni faces a challenging path to regain standing under scrutiny. Should he violate conduct rules again within the probationary period, the remaining three matches of his ban could be enforced immediately, potentially harming his prospects with both Benfica and the Argentina national team.
