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Afternoon Edition

December 5, 2025

Amid plenty of glitz and glam in Washington, D.C., on Friday, the 2026 World Cup draw is now set. Among the notables at the Kennedy Center event were President Donald Trump, FIFA head Gianni Infantino, and Tom Brady. The U.S. men’s national team is set to play Paraguay on June 12.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Ben Horney [[link removed]], and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

World Cup Draw Is Set, With U.S. to Play Paraguay First [[link removed]]

Jia Haocheng-Reuters via Imagn Images

The 2026 World Cup draw is now set after a lavish ceremony in Washington, D.C., raising expectations further for the competing teams and media-rights holders.

FIFA has settled the 12 groups [[link removed]] for the men’s tournament, to be held next year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Far from a simple process, the event was an over-the-top affair [[link removed]] held at the Kennedy Center running for more than two hours and involving the heads of state from the three countries, as well as a bevy of celebrities in attendance, both performing and not.

The U.S. national team will be in Group D, competing with Australia, Paraguay, and the winner of a European playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo.

With the groups now set, a full match schedule, with placements in host cities, will be issued Saturday. It is already set, however, that the U.S. team will open June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in California.

As expected, FIFA also used the ceremony to award a peace prize to U.S. President Donald Trump. The award is something of a consolation prize after he did not receive a Nobel Peace Prize, which he has openly coveted. Trump returned the obsequiousness toward FIFA, saying onstage that “this is football. … We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff.”

Viewership Matters

Fox Sports, which holds the English-language media rights in the U.S., sees the upcoming event as a seminal moment for soccer in the U.S.—not unlike the optimism conveyed [[link removed]] Thursday night by Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber.

“This is the most television territory in the world, the world’s leading economy, and the third-biggest population. The U.S. is the most important country for the success of this event worldwide,” Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill tells Front Office Sports. “And just think about how much the culture of soccer has changed since the 1994 World Cup [also held in the U.S.], how much more soccer is available to viewers, and so on.

“Everything is really in place now for this tournament to be a real catalyst.”

Mulvihill said the World Cup will have many parallels to an NFL season on Fox.

“It’s as many games as we do in an NFL season, compressed into five weeks,” he said.

To that end, Mulvihill predicted that the World Cup will have a similar level of total viewership reach as during an NFL season. Average match viewership, however, will certainly be lower than a typical NFL game, in part due to the presence of some weekday broadcast windows during the soccer tournament. The World Cup final, however, is expected to be the most-watched soccer match of any type in U.S. history.

Additionally, Nielsen’s expansion of its out-of-home measurement methodology, introduced early this year [[link removed]], is expected to be particularly impactful given the group viewing inherent to the World Cup.

“ Big Data + Panel [[link removed]] and out-of-home get conflated a little bit, because they rolled out at the same time, but for this event, out-of-home is going to make a huge difference,” Mulvihill said.

How TNT Sports Fits Into the Netflix-WBD Deal [[link removed]]

The Indianapolis Star

Sports content is not at the heart of the blockbuster $82.7 billion deal [[link removed]] Netflix struck Friday for the studio and streaming assets of TNT Sports parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. That fact adds to an already uncertain path for TNT Sports, but optimism remains within that entity.

Before the Netflix deal, WBD detailed a plan to split itself into two separate companies [[link removed]]: one with the studio and streaming assets, and a Discovery Global that will house linear channels such as TNT, TBS, and CNN, as well as most of the sports portfolio. The Netflix agreement folds directly into that, with the WBD split scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026, before the acquisition closes.

TNT Sports has actively been in the midst of recalibrating its sports rights, particularly after the loss of NBA live rights, adding or sublicensing a wide range of content including tennis’s French Open [[link removed]] and a large battery of college sports content. Discovery Global is also developing a new sports-centric streaming service [[link removed]], as TNT Sports content will not be shown on HBO Max as it is now but has not been deemed a big subscription driver [[link removed]] there. Until the split is complete, though, sports will continue to be shown on HBO Max.

The key question, however, is what will be the appeal and long-term viability of a slimmed-down company composed mainly of linear television assets, in an era of sharply declining prospects for that part of the media business?

The situation with Comcast and Versant provides a meaningful parallel. The NBC Sports parent company spun off most of its cable TV assets [[link removed]] 13 months ago in a separate company called Versant [[link removed]], and that move will be officially complete as of Jan. 2, 2026. Comcast did that in no small part to get lower-performing assets off its balance sheet amid accelerating cord-cutting, and though sports is a clear focus for Versant, that company’s long-term prospects are also a work in progress.

Along very similar lines, Comcast bid for just the WBD studio and streaming assets, and had no interest in what is becoming Discovery Global—the same bidding stance as Netflix. Going forward, both Versant and Discovery Global will be competing in a media marketplace against much larger entities such as ESPN parent company Disney, as well as streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.

Nothing will likely happen with Discovery Global regarding a potential merger or acquisition until late 2026 or 2027, if at all, as the split and the Netflix deal would need to finish first.

What Happens Next

For the Netflix deal, there is the obvious regulatory process forthcoming—something that could run well into next year. Even before that, it’s also possible that Paramount or Comcast could attempt a hostile bid or another maneuver to break up the definitive agreement with Netflix.

Discovery Global, meanwhile, is also readying itself for the corporate split, with sports as a clear focus. Company sources said there is relief with the Netflix news, as it does not disrupt what’s already in development.

Expect to hear fewer public attacks on sports, as has been the case with WBD CEO David Zaslav. In addition to saying he didn’t “have to have the NBA,” [[link removed]] foretelling the eventual loss of live rights with the league, Zaslav last year derisively termed sports rights “a rental business.” [[link removed]]

“You’re never going to hear Gunnar call sports a rental business,” an industry source said, referring to WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will run Discovery Global.

Stephen A. Smith Drops Embattled Solitaire App Maker Papaya [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Stephen A. Smith has cut ties with Papaya Gaming, the company behind the solitaire game he and other ESPN talents had promoted, Front Office Sports has learned.

Smith confirmed his exit to FOS, saying, “Papaya and I have mutually agreed to end our partnership.”

The ESPN superstar’s departure comes after the network recently ordered several other on-air talents to sever marketing ties [[link removed]] with Papaya.

Smith isn’t the only loss recently suffered by Papaya. The company lost ground in its legal challenge from rival Skillz when a federal judge threw out Papaya’s counterclaims on Nov. 21. Both companies offer mobile games including solitaire.

Skillz Platform Inc. sued Papaya Gaming Ltd. last March, alleging it had unlawfully promoted its mobile games as “totally fair and skill-based” when they were instead “rigged.” The complaint alleged that between 2019 and “at least November 2023,” Papaya used bots “masquerading as human players” in games where human players had money on the line, making it unfairly difficult for users to succeed.

Skillz v. Papaya

Papaya lodged counterclaims for false advertising and deceptive practices—claiming Skillz inaccurately described its own games in ways that caused harm to Papaya. Specifically, Papaya alleged that statements posted on the Skillz website about matching players of equal skill, a total absence of bots, and the speed of cash withdrawals, created the false impression that its games are more fair and reliable than those of competitors, including Papaya.

But a federal judge dismissed the counterclaims Nov. 21 [[link removed]], writing in an opinion that “Papaya has not proffered sufficient evidence to support a claim that it suffered a loss of sales or was otherwise injured as a result of Skillz’s statements about Skillz’s own games.”

A Papaya spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company “strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling.”

“Papaya will continue to vigorously defend itself and contest Skillz’s false and unjustified accusations,” the statement said. “In the meantime, Papaya will continue to lead the industry through innovation while remaining focused on our mission to provide players with fair, skill‑based competition.”

The case remains ongoing, and the judge has ordered the parties to try mediating their dispute either this month or next. No mediation date has been set yet, according to a spokesperson for Skillz.

“We are pleased that the Court has granted Skillz’s Motion for Summary Judgment and rejected Papaya’s counterclaims,” the Skillz spokesperson said in a statement to FOS.

“This case has always been about getting the deceptive use of bots out of the real-money, skill-based gaming space, and we look forward to presenting our claims against Papaya to a jury,” the statement said.

‘Deceptive’ Practices

Papaya contends that Skillz also uses bots, despite presenting itself as the only trustworthy player in the industry. The spokesperson’s statement said “the ruling turned a blind eye to the well‑documented evidence of Skillz’s deceitful practices, and focused solely on finding insufficient evidence of damages to Papaya.”

“A whistleblower (a former senior Skillz employee) confirms Skillz’s own deceptive matchmaking practices—Skillz has deceived, and continues to deceive, its players and investors by using bots, manipulating matchmaking, and delaying withdrawals,” it said.

The suit drew attention after Smith signed on with Papaya [[link removed]] to promote its solitaire game, a partnership that poked fun at the broadcaster’s viral moment five months earlier, when he was spotted playing solitaire [[link removed]] on his phone at Game 4 of the NBA Finals. As part of the endorsement deal, Smith was named “official ambassador” to Papaya’s World Solitaire Championship in Miami in February.

This fall, Smith began touting Papaya’s solitaire game on his social media feed. Taking their cue from Smith, ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge, and Kendrick Perkins also promoted the #BeatStephenChallenge online. But once negative headlines [[link removed]] started coming out about the lawsuit, Kimes had a change of heart [[link removed]], publicly apologizing for her involvement.

“The truth is: I didn’t spend any time looking into the whole thing, and that’s 100% on me,” wrote Kimes on X/Twitter. “Thought it was just typical marketing work, and I’m deeply embarrassed I didn’t vet it. A colossal fuck-up on my part.”

Kimes’s public disavowal opened the floodgates. ESPN brass in Bristol, Conn., had not been briefed on, or approved, the marketing campaign, sources tell FOS.

ESPN ordered Kimes, Orlovsky, Rutledge, and Perkins to cut ties with Papaya [[link removed]] while letting Smith, its biggest star, make his own decision on his own time.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Tom Brady’s Backup Brian Hoyer Explains Patriots’ Secret Sauce

FOS illustration

The Patriots are the best team in the NFL this year with an 11–2 record, returning to familiar territory at the top of the league. Former Pats quarterback and Tom Brady backup Brian Hoyer joins Baker Machado to put this new success into context and explain the mentality behind New England’s magic on the field. He also discusses the Pat Fitzgerald era for his alma mater, Michigan State.

Plus, with college football conference championships kicking off Saturday, FOS college sports reporter Amanda Christovich explains the biggest implications for this weekend on the College Football Playoff picture.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Push

Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Michigan State athletics ⬆ The Big Ten school received a $401 million donation from Greg and Dawn Williams, representing the largest such gift in its history, and one of the biggest in college sports history. The donation includes $290 million earmarked for the athletic department. Greg Williams is cofounder, chairman, and CEO of insurance company Acrisure.

A’s ⬆ As was the case earlier this year [[link removed]], the MLB club said its new stadium in Las Vegas remains on track for a 2028 opening. The team has met its goals of beginning concrete installation by the end of the calendar year.

Ex-Yankees ⬆⬇ After newly acquired Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray criticized his former team, reliever Devin Williams has also levied a parting shot at the Yankees after his signing with the crosstown Mets. “For a bunch of people that didn’t want me back on your team, y’all sure are mad in the DMs,” Williams wrote on Instagram.

MLB salary cap ⬆⬇ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who lashed out [[link removed]] at criticism of the club’s record-level spending this season, said he would be “all right” with MLB implementing a salary cap. “I think the NBA has done a nice job of revenue-sharing with the players and the owners,” Roberts said [[link removed]] during an appearance on Amazon Prime Video’s Good Sports. But if you’re going to kind of suppress spending at the top, I think that you got to raise the floor to make those bottom-feeders spend money, too.” The MLB Players Association has long resisted any suggestion of a cap.

Conversation Starters After 28 years, KCRA sports director Del Rodgers signed off for the last time. In his emotional farewell [[link removed]], the 49ers Super Bowl champion talked about the importance of high school sports in communities across the U.S. Flames goalie Devin Cooley uses a VR headset [[link removed]] and NHL Sense Arena to take off-ice warmup reps and sharpen his skills and reaction time before games. On National Signing Day, Ava Harrison was signing to cheer for Charleston Southern. Her bosses at her high school job, Chick-fil-A, surprised her with flowers [[link removed]] and came onstage to congratulate her. Editors’ Picks Grand Slam Track Seeking Settlement With Vendors to Avoid Bankruptcy [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]If vendors don’t accept the settlement offer, athletes might lose money. Cavs Resting Players Keeps Costing Them [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Cavaliers paid a $100,000 fine a month ago. New NFL Surface Standards Will Apply to International Stadiums [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The NFL played a record seven international regular-season games this year. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you rank the top 5 WNBA players by points scored in their rookie season?

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