The 2026 FIFA World Cup produced memorable individual performances alongside dramatic knockout matches. While Spain lifted the trophy after defeating Argentina in the final, the tournament also highlighted established superstars and introduced a new generation capable of shaping international football for years to come. Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, Rodri, Lautaro Martínez, and Mikel Oyarzabal each left a distinct mark on the competition through goals, creativity, leadership, or tactical influence.
Even at 39 years old, Lionel Messi remained the heartbeat of Argentina's campaign. Although he did not finish the tournament as champion, he demonstrated once again why he remains one of football's defining players.
Messi contributed both goals and **** ists throughout the knockout rounds, combining composure with outstanding decision-making under pressure. Rather than constantly looking to finish attacks himself, he increasingly orchestrated Argentina's play, creating opportunities for teammates and controlling the tempo during crucial moments.
His performances against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, and England illustrated how experience can become just as valuable as physical explosiveness. Even without lifting the trophy, Messi's tournament reinforced his remarkable World Cup legacy.
If one player elevated his global reputation more than anyone else, it was Lamine Yamal.

#tournament #lionel #even #knockout

Every Florida baseball player and signee taken in the 2026 MLB Draft has officially signed.
The Gators had six players chosen in this year's draft, along with one of their high school signees. UF has now produced 21 first-round picks in program history and has had at least four picks in 17 of the last 18 years.
The program has also produced at least five draft picks in each of the past four years.
Here's a breakdown of every UF player that has signed a deal this offseason.
The Gators' top pick in the draft was the final player to agree to a deal on Friday, July 24. Peterson was taken No. 19 overall by the Cleveland Guardians. The right-hander received the full slot value of his pick of $4,530,500.

#picks #gators

INDIANAPOLIS — Ex-Indiana Pacers point guard Ty Lawson, who came to the team in 2016 with court-ordered supervision for multiple drunk driving charges, was arrested again last week — this time for stealing a $34 bottle of **** o's vodka from a liquor store in Colorado, court records allege.
During the arrest July 16 in Douglas County, Col., while being booked into jail, Lawson allegedly verbally **** aulted police, screaming and repeatedly calling an officer (expletive) and “white (expletive),” according to the New York Post, which obtained the probable cause affidavit.
"At times, according to the report, he kicked his cell’s glass wall and yelled 'stop' over and over again," the Post reported. "He also allegedly spit on the floor."
Court records say Lawson eventually “calmed down” and apologized for his actions.
Lawson, 38, played almost his entire NBA career with the Denver Nuggets from 2009 to 2015. In July 2015, he was traded to the Houston Rockets.

#lawson #records #allegedly #according

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is the biggest name in the rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline, and he has been connected with the Yankees, but the two-time Cy Young winner has made it clear he does not want to be dealt.
Speaking with the media Thursday afternoon, including The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen, Skubal said that his desire is to stay in Detroit for the remainder of the 2026 season.
"I think we have a chance to win a World Series," Skubal said. "I've said that since spring training. That's never changed. That belief in this team has never changed throughout the season. … Going into spring training, the whole offseason, I've never been more motivated to try to win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me in 2018 and helped develop me. That's always been the goal, and that will never change unless I'm told I'm on a different team."
Skubal is an impending free agent and many in the industry believe that his price tag will be too much for the Tigers in the offseason. However, what complicates matters is Detroit's recent string of wins. Following Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Royals, Detroit is 27-16 since June 1 and sits 6.0 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead and 4.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot.
In a weak AL, the Tigers are certainly not out of the playoff hunt.

#skubal #tigers #detroit

This time last year the young and talented Motherwell youngster Lennon Miller was a reported Celtic target, only for the highly regarded midfielder to go and crush any hopes the Celtic supporters had of seeing him in the hoops when he signed for Serie A side Udinese in a £4.5 million plus deal.
Miller who just missed out on a place in the Scotland World Cup squad has impressed at the Italian side, making 26 appearances, and scoring one goal in all competitions in his debut campaign.
In my opinion, he's a player Celtic should still be interested in, as we look to bolster our midfield, an area which will be ever so weaker come the start of the new Scottish Premiership campaign, due to the impending departures of Arne Engels, and Reo Hatate.
Mika Baur of Germany in action during the UEFA Under21 EURO Qualifier between Germany U21 and Northern Ireland U21 at Eintracht Stadion on March 27, 2026 in Braunschweig, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Mika Baur is on the cusp of signing to plug the gap that will be created in the aforementioned players inevitable departures, but we still need a couple of more new faces to bulk up that area, even more so if our skipper Callum McGregor decides to move on.

#mika

Spurs have announced the squad for their pre-season trip to Australia.
Tottenham will face Auckland, Sydney and Chelsea on their pre-season tour, but several players will not play a part, however.
Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence will all not make the trip.
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“Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert will remain at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation, while Guglielmo Vicario has sustained a minor knock in training and will undergo treatment at our Training Centre,” Spurs said in a statement.

#SPURS #mohamed #kudus #simons

Tom Brady has had quite an eventful offseason.
Fox Sports’ $375 million man has leaned all the way into a supposed feud with YouTuber turned WWE superstar Logan Paul, which bled over into Fanatics Fest and the World Cup final this past weekend. All the while, he has maintained a strong presence across the content creator world with personalities young enough to be his children, and partnered with far too many companies to count — including a handful that are ethically questionable.
While Brady clearly is bursting out of the cocoon he lived in while **** embling perhaps the greatest NFL career ever, he also appears to be saying yes to everything, a choice that has landed him in what seems to be a mid-life crisis of sorts. Yet the precise beginning of this odd phase of Brady’s public life is hard to pinpoint.
In the latest episode of The Sports Gossip Show, however, host and former Fox Sports digital talent Charlotte Wilder offered a detailed theory for how Fox and its management team helped to unlock the strange figure Brady has become.
“Having worked at Fox Sports, they gas their talent up more than any network that has ever existed. They also surround their talent with yes-men. They don’t say no to the people … they deem important,” Wilder said. “They create an environment where everything is enabled, and no one says, ‘Should we think about this for a second?’ And they make you feel … as if you are invincible.”

#brady

Ivor Pandur cannot wait to get started at Rangers and the Croatian goalkeeper believes he has arrived at the "perfect time" in his quest for silverware.
The 26-year-old was signed from Hull City at the end of June but has just arrived in Glasgow this week after representing his country at the World Cup.
Pandur, who has yet to earn a full international cap, agreed a four-year contract, having helped Hull win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
"I have worked all my career for this moment to be here and I'm really excited and ready to go," he told RangersTV.
"All of my career I have wanted to be part of a club that fights for trophies and I feel like this is the perfect time to do it.

#year #Career #rangers

Clearly just as United need active sellers to buy from, they need buyers so they can offload those players they do not want.
In Marcus Rashford's case, there are a limited number of clubs globally who could match his current salary. And where a club are interested, the player has to want to join them.
Judging by his recent social media post, he would not do anything to jeopardise his England place.
BBC Sport has also been told of some Premier League clubs he would not be keen to move to.
So where will Rashford be when the transfer window closes on 1 September? Currently, the likeliest answer, by some distance, is Manchester United.

#clearly

Florida Gators legend Tim Tebow has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN and will continue as a college football ****** yst on SEC Network's traveling pre-game show SEC Nation, according to a press release from the network.
The Gator Great, who won two national championships and a Heisman Trophy with the Orange and Blue, will also remain as a mainstay in ESPN's College Football Playoff programming, providing his ****** ysis and insight across ESPN networks.
"I love this game and getting to talk about it every Saturday with the crews on SEC Network and ESPN is a gift I don't take lightly," said Tebow. "SEC fans bring a passion that never gets old, and I'm grateful I get to keep doing this alongside people who feel like family."
Additionally, Tebow will continue to bring his expert commentary on various high-profile ESPN shows throughout the year, including College Football Live, SportsCenter and more.
"Tim is one of the legendary players in the history of college football and he will continue to be a fixture in our coverage on SEC Network and across ESPN," said Burke Magnus, President of Content. "Tim's unrivaled experience in the SEC combined with his knowledge and genuine passion for the game make him one of the sport's most credible voices, particularly among the SEC Nation fanbase."

#game #nation

SOUTH BEND – This coming season should be it for two Notre Dame basketball players.
In any other year, this coming season would be it for two Notre Dame basketball players. Thanks to the NCAA, this coming season might not be it for two Notre Dame basketball players.
Starting spot: How last season ended cannot ever happen again to Notre Dame basketball
Noie: This is a big swing for Notre Dame basketball ******* istant coach Tony Rack
No matter how 2026-27 unfolds for Notre Dame basketball, guards Logan Imes and Braeden Shrewsberry, the only traditional seniors on the roster, will have something they never planned to have after four full seasons of college basketball.

30’ — Injury substitution for France. William Saliba down with apparent non-contact injury. Maxence Lacroix on in in his stead.
23’ — GOOOOOAL! Spain strike! Mikel Oyarzabal makes no mistake from the spot. France in an early hole.
20’ — Penalty Spain! Lucas Digne receives in the box by heading it to himself, then turning around to whip it. Unfortunately he only catches Lamine Yamal and conceded an early penalty for Spain!
Lineups are out!
France: Maignan; Koundé – Upamecano – Saliba – Digne; Tchouaméni – Rabiot; Dembélé – Olise – Barcola; Mbappé

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Juventus are interested in USMNT striker Folarin Balogun and are preparing the first offer to sign Franck Kessié as a free agent.
Juventus have made just one summer signing so far, welcoming Italian winger Jeff Ekhator from Genoa, but new directors Giovanni Carnevali and Frederic Massara are working to give coach Luciano Spalletti more reinforcements.
According to Gazzetta, the Serie A giants are ready to send an offer to sign ex-Milan and Atalanta star Franck Kessié as a free agent.
The 29-year-old refused to sign a contract extension with Al-Ahli and is open to returning to Serie A, but his agent has demanded over €5m in signing bonus, Gazzetta claims.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – JUNE 20: Franck Kessie #8 of Cote d’Ivoire celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D’Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

MLB announced the starting lineups for tomorrow night's All-Star Game, and as planned two Yankees will feature. Cody Bellinger starts in right and bats sixth, while Ben Rice starts at first and bats seventh:
The pair of Bombers come after a star-studded top five in the AL lineup, starting with Mike Trout in center, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Shea Langliers at catcher, Junior Caminero at third, and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. Riley Greene in left and Ernie Clement at second round out the lineup. Rice is somewhat hard-done-by with his slot in the lineup, his 166 wRC+ second in the AL behind only Alvarez, and Langliers is a curious choice from manager John Schneider (to bat third, the catcher having a great season but lacking the offensive skillset and pedigree of most of the other starters.
Otherwise, the lineup seems fair enough on paper, and it's very cool to see Trout, the once-and-forever legend who's been derailed by injuries, slot in at the top, in the midst of a resurgent (and yet still injury-ridden) campaign. He and Alvarez form an awesome one-two, and though I would personally have slotted Rice right in there at the three spot, it's hard to argue with Caminero and Witt's positions, the pair each among the game's brightest young stars.
You can also check out the National League's lineup here:
The NL's starting lineup for the #AllStarGame (Tuesday, 8 pm ET on MLBONFOX):

Kyle Schwarber, DH
Juan Soto, LF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
CJ Abrams, SS
Max Muncy, 3B
Ozzie Albies, 2B
Brandon Marsh, RF
Andy Pages, CF
Drake Baldwin, C
Cristopher Sánchez, P

It looks like end for Joe Joyce in the boxing ring.
On Saturday in Moscow, Joyce turned away, waved his right hand in surrender and was stopped with about fifty seconds left in round eleven.
Ten summers ago, in a different fighting world, Joyce should have won the gold medal in the final at the Rio Olympics.
Joyce is now 40, he was once avoided, respected, feared and held the WBO interim heavyweight ****** le, but the unforgiving business he chose started to take a heavy toll.
The awful end to Saturday’s fight was a reminded that boxing is not an easy game to play; Joyce was helpless in the ring for about five seconds as the referee hesitated, Joyce dropped his hands in total defeat and his opponent, Artem Suslenkov, had about six free shots.

Glamorgan captain Lauren Parfitt said she is "incredibly proud" of her team after they defeated Gloucestershire by 32 runs to win their first piece of silverware.
Despite a nervy ending, they held on to bowl out Gloucestershire for 122 runs to win the Vitality Blast Women's League 2 ***** le in the Cardiff sunshine.
After disappointment in last years T20 Blast semi-final, Parfitt is proud that her team-mates were rewarded for their hard work.
"I'm incredibly proud of a group of girls who work incredibly hard behind the scenes on their skillsets," said Parfitt.
"Winning is what everyone wants to do so we were glad to get ourselves over the line in what was a really competitive final.

Jude Bellingham has been making headlines for all the right reasons at the FIFA World Cup, but it's not just his dazzling performances on the pitch that have captured fans' hearts.
After firing England into the quarter-finals with two goals in just 98 seconds against Mexico, the Real Madrid midfielder has become one of the tournament's standout stars. Yet a resurfaced video from an earlier international appearance is reminding supporters that his greatest qualities may lie away from football.
The touching clip shows Jude taking extra time to answer questions from a disabled reporter in the journalist's first language, a simple act that has been widely praised for its kindness and inclusivity.
The footage has gone viral across social media, with many fans saying the interaction perfectly reflects the 22-year-old's grounded personality.
Rather than rushing through post-match media duties, Jude patiently engaged with the reporter, choosing to respond in Spanish to make the conversation more accessible.

Use 'Watch & listen' tab for BBC TV coverage and radio commentary - watch all courts on BBC iPlayer
16:00: Jannik Sinner plays Alexander Zverev in men's singles final
World number one Sinner aiming to retain Wimbledon ******* le, while French Open champion Zverev is appearing in his first final at SW19
Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic win women's doubles ******* le
GB's Alfie Hewett loses 6-1 6-1 to top seed Tokito Oda in men's wheelchair singles final on Court One

With their second round pick this afternoon, the A’s took USC left-handed pitcher Mason Edwards, the 47th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft:
The organization is adding a second college prospect this afternoon, another that looks like he could move through the system rather quickly. The lefty (who turns 21 on Tuesday) has quality control of his three-pitch ***** nal, which features a low-90’s fastball, a “bender” than acts in a slurvy motion, and a quality third off-speed pitch that has plenty of fade on it. None of them alone are a truly elite pitch but he does a great job in combining them to change batter’s eye level and has deception in his delivery. In his final year at USC he posted a 2.07 ERA in 17 starts, with 169 strikeouts in just 95 2/3 innings.
Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about the newest Athletics prospect:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Edwards is a Los Angeles area native who attended Palisades High School, earning back-to-back league pitcher of the year honors as well as consecutive first-team all-city nods in 2022 and 2023. After heading just a stone’s throw away to Southern Cal for college, the left-hander served as a swingman type for the Trojans, amassing just over 70 innings combined. A strong fall showing has been followed up by a solid spring leading the weekend rotation, which has kept the scouting industry’s interest piqued.

This post is brought to you by FanDuel, proud partner of SBNation.
Apologies, as we were limited to one question this week; otherwise, we would have asked about the Mountain West and Pac-12 separately. That being said, about half of the voters believe that the Broncos are the best bet to get to nine wins or more in 2026. That's how many they got last year, for the record. About a quarter of fans gave the Lobos a chance to get to 9 wins as well, with the Rebels, Aztecs, and Bulldogs also getting votes, It's likely a few teams will reach that mark and we will see who gets there this year.

Chivu can't wait, it will be a different Inter
Sinner in the Wimbledon Final
The King is back
Always Merino, Spain ahead
The midfielder is introduced and scores again. La Roja in the semis against France on Tuesday.

The Texas A&M Aggies have made another addition through the transfer portal, landing former UConn Huskies All-American Tyler Minick. The designated hitter and infielder announced the news Friday on social media.
Minick is a career .310 hitter with 32 home runs, 22 doubles, and 107 RBI in 113 career games. The 6-foot, 196-pounder started 104 games during his three seasons at UConn, with his best season coming as a sophomore in 2025.
He hit .362 with 18 home runs, nine doubles, 62 RBI, and scored 55 runs. He walked 25 times and struck out 36 times, finishing with a .747 slugging percentage and a .444 on-base percentage. Minick was named a Second Team All-American by the NCBWA and a member of the Second Team All-Big East.
Minick's numbers regressed in 2026, with him playing in just 27 games. The righty hit .283 with five home runs, six doubles, and 17 RBI. He slugged .469 and posted a .336 on-base percentage.
He is from Reading, Pennsylvania, and will have two seasons of eligibility at Texas A&M, which will try to get him back to his 2025 form. He is one of two transfers the Aggies added on Friday, with former Dallas Baptist outfielder Dylan Schlaegel also committing.

Portsmouth defender Regan Poole is not thinking about going into the new Championship season in the final year of his contract.
The 28-year-old has made 82 league appearances for Pompey, scoring four goals after joining in July 2023.
"I'm in the last year of my contract, but I play every game like it's my last anyway, and I don't think I'll be changing," Poole told BBC Radio Solent.
"I was delighted to sign my new contract when I did the season before last, and I'll be hoping to do that again, and I need to show I'm capable of performing at this level.
"I hope I've shown that, but every season is different, and hopefully I can be at this football club for a little bit longer."

AJ Dybantsa vs. Darryn Peterson: Who won in their first NBA matchup? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It was a moment NBA and college hoops fans alike were waiting for ever since the NBA draft wrapped up. The No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards going up against the No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz.
Of course, the NBA kicked off its Summer Series with this matchup. It makes a statement to kick off the Summer Series with the most talked-about players.
Plus, adding to the drama at the Thomas & Mack Center was the reality that Dybantsa wasn't a shoo-in for No. 1. The Wizards could have easily gone with Peterson or even eventual No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer for that top slot, because all three players are so close in talent. So, did the Wizards make the right decision? That's the question they were hoping to answer.
So, who won? Frankly, they both did. Both players looked confident on the court and got buckets. ***** ody buckled under the pressure of the big lights and their first Summer League game. So, both franchises, and players, should feel good about their picks.

France’s revenge tour continues, as Les Bleus are heading back to the World Cup semifinals. A resounding 2-0 win over Morocco, behind outstanding goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, was enough to keep France’s chances at a third straight finals appearance alive.
France turned up the pressure early in the game, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou continued his excellent campaign with three first-half saves — including a save on a penalty kick awarded to France. Mbappé, who had drawn the foul, took the kick after an oddly long VAR check, but Bono got an easy save.
Les Bleus’ offensive frustration continued to start the second half, as Morocco finally started to get some shots of their own. But in the 60th minute, Mbappé finally broke through, taking advantage of a turnover for an excellent shot from the edge of the box.
Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé added another, nailing a shot to double France’s lead and boost his own Golden Boot stock. Mbappé was also a notable part of the goal, pulling the Moroccan defense out of Dembélé’s way before the forward took his shot.
Bono ended the game with six total saves, continuing to hold off France in the final minutes of the game, but the damage of that six-minute span was already done. Morocco fell to France, 2-0, eliminated by Les Bleus for the second World Cup in a row.

The knockout stages of World Cup 2026 are in full swing, meaning teams will be praying not to suffer any untimely injury setbacks in their quest for global glory.
Some of the big injury sagas heading into the tournament have come to happy endings, with Lamine Yamal now a regular fixture for Spain after returning to full fitness, while injury-ridden Neymar was able to get some minutes in what will likely be his final World Cup, before Brazil's elimination at the hands of Norway.
However, many nations are still sweating over major concerns to top players. England have been without Reece James for their last three matches, with this blow turning into a full-blown injury crisis at right-back after Djed Spence and Jarell Quansah also reporting issues.
Spain have also been dealing with a double injury blow after wingers Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino suffered setbacks during their third group outing against Uruguay, while Belgium's Amadou Onana has been ruled out for the tournament after suffering an ACL injury.
See below for a full list of key injuries at this year's World Cup.

Leadoff batter Anthony Seigler and cleanup hitter Willson Contreras both had to exit the Boston Red Sox's game against the Chicago White Sox before Wednesday night's game was even three innings old.
Seigler was hurt in the top of the third inning due to a collision with White Sox catcher Kyle Teel. Seigler scored on a wild pitch, but remained down after colliding with Teel and appeared to be in considerable pain.
He was replaced at second base by Andruw Monasterio.
Contreras fouled a ball off his foot in the same at-bat in which Seigler was hurt.
He flied out to center to end the inning and eventually exited in the bottom of the third when the Red Sox returned to the field. He was limping heavily when he exited.

I rooted for Belgium to beat the U.S. in their FIFA World Cup match on Monday.
There, I said it. No waffling around.
If this makes anyone think I’m unpatriotic, so be it. I prefer to look at it as being a fan of the story: the underdog, the team that had to overcome the unexpected, far from home in front of a loud, packed house.
If this was the U.S. playing Great Britain in London, with England having its red-carded best player restored at the last minute at the king’s suggestion, of course I’d cheer for America’s team … even if the U.S. coach were from Argentina and its best player a citizen of three countries, including the opponent.
No, I didn’t have a bet on it, even though I knew that the line might be skewed because more action would be on the team that represents the country with a population of 342 million against that of less than 12 million. Indeed, 80% of the money at Caesars Sportsbook was on the U.S., and that was before the reinstatement of star striker Folarin Balogun.

UEFA Champions League (Playoffs)
12:00 PM – Kairat Almaty vs Sutjeska – GOL BR Channel
Brazilian U-20 Championship
3:00 PM – Corinthians vs Palmeiras – UOL Channel and YouTube/UOL Esporte

The St. Louis Cardinals will play game 2 of their day/night doubleheader Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers with Hunter Dobbins getting the start for the birds. The Brew Crew will ******* ign night pitching duties to Robert Gasser who’s 1-3 with a 4.54 ERA. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm central time with the game broadcast available again on Cardinals.tv.
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