FIFA has selected a retail partner ahead of the world’s largest sporting event next year. Sports merchandise brand Fanatics will serve as the official on-site retail licensee of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will feature 104 matches across 39 days next summer in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In addition to in-stadium retail operations at 16 venues across North America, including in Los Angeles, New York & New Jersey, Atlanta, Miami and more, Fanatics will also open retail experiences at official FIFA Fan Festival locations within host cities, creating more opportunities for fans to shop their favorite country and player apparel. Fanatics says it will work with a variety of brands and official FIFA merchandise partners to curate a “robust fan gear assortment” for all 48 competing nations. The company will utilize its on-demand manufacturing capabilities and global supply chain to produce “quick-strike products” that celebrate the unpredictable moments of the World Cup.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the 66th Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey. The report provides detailed data on U.S. paper industry capacity and production compiled by the AF&PA statistics team. Though U.S. paper and paperboard production declined 3.7% in 2025, to 66.3 million tons, several sectors showed continued resilience. Containerboard operating rates held firm at 91.9%, while printing-writing operating rates improved to 82.8%, reflecting continued capacity adaptation to demand changes. Packaging paper production increased 1.7%, boxboard production was essentially flat at 12.4 million tons Printing-writing capacity fell 13.9% in 2025 to 7.7 million tons. Capacity has fallen from nearly 18 million tons in 2015, reflecting a long-term adjustment in this segment. However, operating rates for Printing-Writing increased from 76.8% in 2024 to 82.8% in 2025. Containerboard production fell 4.4% to 36.1 million tons, and containerboard capacity declined 5.1% in 2025. Despite that reduction, containerboard continued to account for more than half of total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity, and mills maintained a 91.9% operating rate.

In brief: Losses deepened at the U.S. Postal Service in the first quarter of FY 2026. Severe winter storms have tightened freight capacity across multiple U.S. states, and a threat to delay the opening of an important new bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, is injecting additional uncertainty into the logistics industry. Paper companies continue to raise prices amid production declines, while paper availability is also being affected by winter storms. Tariffs under the Trump administration continue to evolve following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the administration’s emergency tariffs.