AMD targets image quality parity with FSR 4.1 on RDNA 3 GPUs At Computex 2026, AMD’s Chief Software Officer, Andrej Zdravkovic, and Senior Director of Software, Terry Makedon, reportedly confirmed that FSR 4.1 will look just as good on RDNA 3 GPUs as on RDNA 4 GPUs. According to TechPowerUp, FSR 4.1 will use a […]

The post AMD is targeting FSR 4.1 quality parity on RDNA 3 GPUs appeared first on OC3D.

Mueller argues LLM systems can't use llms.txt to differentiate between websites for discovery. He sees a narrow role once an agent is on a site.

The post Google’s Mueller Says llms.txt Can’t Help LLMs Differentiate Sites appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

At Cannes China Night, Honor revealed that its Robot Phone will launch in Q3 (July-September). The phone attended another cinematic event, the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), to show off its photo and video skills. Elle Men, SIFF’s official fashion and lifestyle partner magazine, used the Honor Robot Phone to film cinematic video portraits of the SIFF jury members. The Honor Robot Phone at the Shanghai International Film Festival The phone was chosen for its unique gimbal system, which provides better stability during handheld shots. This reduces the need for...

Files is an open-source File Explorer replacement for Windows. It supports tabbed browsing, dual-pane layouts, file tagging and preview, cloud integration, and deep customization. The latest version adds on-demand folder size calculation to avoid unnecessary background scans, and preserves file selections when changing layouts.

Apple is gearing up to seriously up the ante on the iPhone 18 Pro duo's camera-related bragging rights, as per the latest tidbits from a legendary Apple-focused leaker. Apple is reportedly preparing three key innovations for the cameras of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, including variable-aperture and wider-aperture lenses, and professional-grade software features Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is out with yet another scoop, detailing the camera-related innovations within the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which include: We already know that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will come equipped with Samsung's M16 LTPO+ OLED tech, which is a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-iphone-18-pro-duo-to-enhance-low-light-photography-with-a-wider-aperture-telephoto-and-on-the-fly-depth-and-focus-control/

Intel's Serpent Lake SoCs featuring NVIDIA's RTX GPU tiles as integrated graphics are expected to roll out by Q1 2028. Intel & NVIDIA's Co-Developed Serpent Lake SoCs Featuring Next-Gen CPU & GPU Architectures Rumored For Q1 2028 Last year, Intel announced that it was working with NVIDIA on a custom SoC that would incorporate NVIDIA's RTX GPU tiles. Intel stated that these SoCs will power a wide range of PCs that require the integration of these levels of CPUs & GPUs together into a single package. It looks like we have our first timeline of when these SoCs will be […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/intel-serpent-lake-socs-with-nvidia-rtx-gpu-tiles-reportedly-arrive-in-q1-2028/

AMD has announced the acquisition of MEXT, a pioneer in AI-driven memory optimization technologies to help lower TCO. AMD & MEXT To Accelerate Memory Deployment Through Optimizations & Lower TCO For AI Data Centers As memory requirements continue to jump with Agentic AI adoption, major firms are looking towards key technological innovations that can not only optimize the usage of memory but also lower TCO in huge AI deployments. Today, AMD announced that it has acquired MEXT, and this marks a major step for them to accelerate memory deployments while addressing one major challenge: memory access. With MEXT, AMD aims […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-bets-on-mext-predictive-memory-tech-to-slash-data-center-tco/

The continuous rise in DDR5 memory will make it more difficult for users to upgrade or build new PCs from scratch. Germany Witnesses Another Small Hike in DDR5 RAM Prices as a Result of 2x 32 GB DDR5 Kits Becoming More Expensive There have been some ups and downs in DDR5 memory prices in the past few months. Thanks to the absurd AI boom, DDR5 memory kits are not seeing any relief in prices and have continued to spiral upwards. In most regions, DDR5 memory modules continue to sell for 4X-5X higher prices, and the same goes for Germany. However, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ddr5-memory-prices-continue-to-spiral-upwards-in-germany-now-419-higher-than-in-july-2025/

Samsung is trying to cut corners wherever possible to eke out cost savings in the face of a historic surge in memory chip prices. Now, the latest tidbit sees the base Galaxy S27 variant adopting OLED screens from China's BOE, potentially unleashing quality control issues. Samsung's risky bet on China's BOE for the Galaxy S27's display panels might boomerang on its reputation According to a Korean publication, Samsung's CEO of its TV and smartphone business plans to visit China's BOE within the ongoing month to explore commercial opportunities. This visit is quite significant, especially given the rumor that Samsung might […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-eyes-boe-display-panels-for-the-base-galaxy-s27-to-dodge-memory-chip-inflation-but-risks-green-display-lines/

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As one of the most fascinating international soccer teams 2026 will showcase, Belgium enters the summer having successfully navigated a massive roster transition.

Currently ranked ninth globally, the Red Devils have moved past their aging core to embrace a faster, more dynamic identity. Following a frustrating group-stage exit at the previous World Cup, the squad has integrated vibrant young attackers alongside established veterans.

Expectations are more grounded now than during the peak years of their previous generation. While an outright title run might be a stretch, this rebuilt roster possesses the firepower to challenge top contenders in the knockout rounds.

This World Cup 2026 team preview breaks down their tactical approach, the coaching shift that sparked their revival, and the roster depth heading into North America.

Team profile

How Belgium play

Our Belgium tactical analysis reveals that under Rudi Garcia, the team utilizes a fluid 4-2-3-1 system designed for high-tempo, attacking soccer.

The preferred Belgium formation prioritizes a high-pressing game while creating space for central playmakers to dictate the tempo. During qualification, the squad averaged 61.6% possession and an 88.5% passing accuracy, reflecting their ability to control the midfield.

Their primary tactical strength lies in direct attacking transitions. With rapid wingers providing width, the team excels at breaking down low defensive blocks. They generated the fourth-most big chances in European qualifying, leaning heavily on rapid ball movement in the final third.

However, their defensive structure remains a notable vulnerability. The backline often struggles against capable attacking units, conceding five times across two matches against Wales during the qualification cycle.

This aggressive tactical approach ensures Belgium will be incredibly dangerous going forward, but their defensive gaps could dictate their ceiling in the 2026 tournament.

Rudi Garcia: The coach behind Belgium

The Belgium coach took charge of the national team in January 2025, tasked with restoring stability after a turbulent period.

Garcia quickly unified a fractured locker room and guided the squad through an unbeaten qualification campaign. He built his reputation in high-pressure European club environments, famously leading Lille to a domestic double in 2011 and guiding Marseille to a continental final.

Despite managing over 900 matches at the club level, the 2026 World Cup will be his first major international competition on the touchline.

Known as a pragmatic leader, Garcia favors high-tempo soccer while successfully blending emerging talent with established veterans. His ability to manage locker-room dynamics and implement a cohesive attacking system will be crucial to their success this summer.

Key player: Kevin De Bruyne

When discussing Belgium key players, Kevin De Bruyne remains the undisputed heartbeat of the national side.

Operating primarily as an advanced playmaker, the Napoli midfielder bridges the gap between the veteran core and the new generation of attackers. With over 117 international appearances, his elite vision and passing range are essential to the team’s tactical setup.

He finished the qualification cycle as the team’s top scorer with six goals, proving he remains highly effective in the final third. His set-piece delivery also provides a reliable scoring avenue in tight international fixtures.

A recent thigh injury sidelined him for months in late 2025, making his physical recovery a major storyline. If De Bruyne enters the tournament fully fit, his world-class distribution will make every forward on the roster significantly more dangerous.

Belgium’s road to the 2026 World Cup

The Red Devils cruised through UEFA Group J, finishing at the top of the table with an unbeaten record of five wins and three draws.

Statistically, they were one of the most dangerous attacking units in Europe. The team netted 29 goals across eight matches, averaging 3.63 goals per game. De Bruyne led the charge with six goals, while rapid winger Jérémy Doku added five.

Their campaign concluded with a dominant 7-0 victory over Liechtenstein on November 18, 2025. This dominant qualification run proved that their rebuilt attacking line is fully prepared to compete on the global stage.

Belgium’s 2026 World Cup group stage outlook

As one of the standout FIFA World Cup 2026 teams, Belgium enters Group G as the heavy favorite to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.

They are projected to face Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, presenting a highly favorable pathway through the opening stage of the competition. The most challenging matchup will likely come against Egypt, a squad capable of defending deep and striking on the counter.

Conversely, New Zealand represents the most favorable fixture, where the Red Devils’ attacking firepower should easily overwhelm the opposition. Qualification will ultimately depend on their ability to break down compact defensive blocks without leaving themselves exposed in transition.

Readers looking to follow every match involving Belgium can also check our complete Belgium TV schedule for the latest broadcast and streaming information.

Belgium squad for 2026 World Cup

The complete Belgium 2026 World Cup squad features a compelling mix of established stars and emerging domestic talent.

Final word on Belgium

Belgium heads to North America as a highly dangerous dark horse rather than an overwhelming tournament favorite.

Their primary strength lies in an explosive, youthful attacking line guided by elite veteran playmakers. However, their ultimate success will hinge on a fragile defensive unit that has shown vulnerability against capable opposition.

If the backline can hold up under pressure, the Red Devils possess enough offensive firepower to make a deep run into the latter stages of the competition.

Egypt returns to the global stage searching for their first tournament victory. As seven-time African champions, the national team has historically dominated continental play but struggled to replicate that success internationally.

This summer represents a defining moment, serving as the likely final opportunity for legendary forward Mohamed Salah to cement his legacy on the biggest stage. Led by former striker Hossam Hassan, the roster blends elite European talent like Omar Marmoush with a hardened domestic core from Al Ahly and Zamalek.

Currently ranked 28th globally, the team enters the 2026 World Cup with realistic ambitions of advancing past the group stage. The following breakdown covers their tactical setup, coaching leadership, and overall tournament outlook.

Team profile

How Egypt play

Hossam Hassan deploys a disciplined tactical system designed to exploit transition spaces. The team typically sets up in a compact 4-2-3-1 formation, though the coaching staff will shift to a 3-4-1-2 shape when matchups require additional defensive solidity.

Defensively, the side is remarkably tough to break down. During their recent qualifying campaign, they conceded just 0.2 goals per game, establishing one of the tightest defensive records in African soccer. This compact shape forces opponents wide and protects the central areas effectively.

In possession, the strategy relies heavily on quick transitions and getting the ball to their elite attackers in isolated situations. Salah operates with freedom to drift centrally from the right flank, occupying half-spaces and making runs behind the defensive line.

Meanwhile, the midfield double pivot focuses on ball recovery and rapid distribution rather than sustained possession. This organized, counter-attacking approach makes them a dangerous opponent capable of frustrating top-tier teams in North America.

Hossam Hassan: The coach behind Egypt

Appointed in February 2024, Hossam Hassan is a revered figure in Egyptian soccer. Before stepping onto the touchline, he established himself as one of the greatest strikers in African history, remaining the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals across 177 caps.

Hassan is known as a fiercely passionate leader who demands strict discipline and intense focus from his roster. He brings a wealth of domestic coaching experience, having managed prominent clubs like Zamalek and Pyramids FC.

This summer marks his managerial debut on the global stage. He will make history as the first person to represent the nation at this tournament as both a player—having played every minute of their 1990 campaign—and a head coach.

Key player: Mohamed Salah

Approaching his 15th year in the national setup, Mohamed Salah remains the undisputed heartbeat of the squad. The 34-year-old forward serves as the captain, primary playmaker, and main attacking threat.

Operating primarily as an inverted right-winger, Salah is given the tactical freedom to roam centrally and dictate the offensive tempo. He sits second on the nation’s all-time scoring list with 67 goals, just two behind his current head coach.

While his pace has naturally declined, his elite finishing and vision remain world-class. The team’s tactical success relies heavily on his ability to unlock compact defenses and convert transition opportunities.

Egypt’s road to the 2026 World Cup

Competing in CAF Group A, the team delivered a near-flawless qualification campaign. They finished the round completely unbeaten, securing 26 points from a possible 30 with eight wins and two draws.

The squad displayed a dominant +18 goal difference, scoring 20 times while conceding only twice across 10 matches. Salah led the attacking charge, finishing as the second-highest scorer in the qualifiers with nine goals, including a spectacular four-goal performance against Djibouti.

They officially secured their spot with a game to spare following a 3-0 victory over Djibouti in October 2025. This commanding run through qualification has generated significant optimism that the current generation is ready to compete at the highest level.

Egypt’s 2026 World Cup group stage outlook

Drawn into Group G alongside Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand, the path to the knockout rounds is highly navigable. Belgium enters as the clear favorite to win the group, presenting the most challenging tactical matchup for Hossam Hassan’s squad when they meet on June 15, 2026.

However, the remaining games offer a realistic route to progression. The team will be heavily favored against New Zealand and should match up well against Iran in what will likely be the decisive match for second place. Securing a top-two finish guarantees advancement to the Round of 32.

Readers looking to follow every match involving the squad can also check our complete Egypt TV schedule for the latest broadcast and streaming information.

Egypt squad for 2026 World Cup

Final word on Egypt

The national team enters the tournament with their most balanced roster in recent memory. Their resilient defensive structure and elite attacking talent provide a solid foundation for success in North America.

While an over-reliance on individual brilliance remains a potential vulnerability, the favorable group draw presents a clear path forward. Advancing past the group stage is the minimum expectation, and with a disciplined approach, this squad possesses the quality to finally secure a historic knockout round victory.

Match Overview

Belgium enters the 2026 tournament in North America as the heavy favorite in Group G, looking to make an immediate statement against Egypt. Riding an impressive 13-game unbeaten streak, the Red Devils aim to impose their will from the opening whistle and prove that their new generation of talent has what it takes to dominate on the global stage. An early victory is crucial to set the tone for their campaign and avoid the pitfalls of past tournaments.

For Egypt, this opening clash is a massive opportunity to disrupt the group hierarchy. While considered underdogs, the Pharaohs possess a potent counter-attacking threat led by superstar Mohamed Salah. Securing a point, or even a shocking win, would be a monumental boost to their ambitions of advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time. The stakes are immense, as this match could define the trajectory for both nations in the competition.

Tactical Analysis & Match Context

Belgium’s path to the tournament was flawless, navigating their UEFA qualifying group unbeaten under manager Rudi Garcia. Their attack was formidable, scoring 29 goals across eight matches. This offensive firepower, combined with a new wave of dynamic players like Jeremy Doku, signals a team ready to play on the front foot. In contrast, Egypt’s journey was built on defensive solidity, conceding just two goals in ten qualifying games, a record that will be severely tested against elite European opposition.

The tactical battle will likely pit Belgium‘s possession-based, creative midfield against Egypt‘s disciplined, low-block defense. Expect Belgium to control the tempo, using Kevin De Bruyne and Leandro Trossard to unlock a compact Egyptian backline. Egypt will aim to absorb pressure and launch swift counter-attacks, channeling play through the pace and finishing ability of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. The game could be decided by whether Belgium’s creative forces can breach the Pharaohs’ organized defensive structure.

Motivation is high on both sides. Belgium needs to justify its status as a top contender and get three points on the board ahead of what should be two easier group fixtures. For Egypt, this is a chance to make history. Having never won a match at the finals, a positive result against the group favorite would be a landmark achievement and a massive step toward their goal of reaching the latter stages of the competition.

Head-to-Head Record & Historic Trends

While this is the first-ever competitive meeting between Belgium and Egypt, their history in international friendlies offers a surprising narrative. In four previous encounters, Egypt has claimed victory three times, proving they know how to challenge the European powerhouse. This historical edge, though not in a tournament setting, gives the African side a psychological boost.

The most recent clash was in November 2022, just before the last tournament, where Egypt secured a 2-1 victory. However, the last time Belgium won this fixture was a decisive 3-0 result in June 2018. These contrasting results show that the outcome can swing dramatically depending on form and circumstance. There has never been a draw between the two sides.

From a data perspective, Belgium has struggled in its most recent tournament match against African opposition, losing 2-0 to Morocco in 2022. Conversely, Egypt has never won a match against a European team at the finals, recording two draws and three losses. The historical average of 2.75 goals per game in their head-to-head friendlies suggests that an open, attacking contest is possible.

Squad News & Projected Lineups

Both teams approach this crucial opening match with relatively healthy squads, though Belgium is monitoring a minor injury concern in their defense.

Belgium’s coach Rudi Garcia may have a decision to make in central defense, as Zeno Debast is a slight doubt with a leg injury. While he is expected to be fit enough for the bench, Brandon Mechele is on standby to start. Otherwise, the Red Devils are at full strength, with Romelu Lukaku expected to lead the line, supported by the dynamic wing play of Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard.

Egypt arrives with no reported injuries or suspensions, allowing manager Hossam Hassan to field his strongest possible eleven. Veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy is expected to start, with a disciplined midfield anchored by Emam Ashour tasked with protecting the backline. The attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, and Trezeguet will carry the nation’s hopes of finding a breakthrough.

Belgium Projected XI (4-3-3):
Courtois; Meunier, Theate, Debast, De Cuyper; Onana, Tielemans, De Bruyne; Doku, Lukaku, Trossard.

This lineup is built for offensive dominance, with Kevin De Bruyne orchestrating the attack from midfield. The pace of Doku and Trossard on the wings will be crucial in stretching Egypt‘s defense, creating space for Romelu Lukaku to operate in the box.

Egypt Projected XI (4-3-3):
El-Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Fathy, Fatouh; Lasheen, Attia, Ashour; Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet.

Egypt‘s setup is designed for defensive stability and rapid transitions. The focus will be on maintaining a compact shape and using the speed of Salah and Marmoush on the break. Emam Ashour’s performance in midfield will be key to disrupting Belgium‘s rhythm.

More details on how to watch

You can watch the Belgium vs Egypt match live on Fubo. The service is compatible with a wide range of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles, as well as web browsers on your computer and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

A subscription to Fubo not only gives you access to every game of the 2026 tournament but also includes coverage of other top soccer competitions. You can enjoy leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, ensuring you have year-round soccer action.

The service is available for a monthly fee of $14.99/month, offering a comprehensive package for sports fans. This plan provides access to all live games, on-demand replays, and expert analysis.

For a complete schedule of all tournament matches, see our World Cup TV schedule page.

How to watch anywhere with VPN

If you’re abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as Nord VPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming.

Trabzonspor, Adil Demirbağ için Konyaspor'un kapısını dev bir takas paketiyle yeniden çaldı! İşte bordo-mavililerin masaya koyduğu 2 futbolcu artı para teklifi ve Konyaspor'un dudak uçuklatan karşı talebi...

Yeni sezon öncesi transfer çalışmalarını sürdüren Trabzonspor, Konyaspor'un 28 yaşındaki başarılı stoperi Adil Demirbağ için ısrarını sürdürüyor. Bordo-mavili yönetim, deneyimli savunmacıyı kadrosuna katmak adına yeşil-beyazlı kulübe yeni ve kapsamlı bir teklif sundu.

Pazarlık masasında iki kulübün sunduğu şartlar ve transferin detayları ise şu şekilde şekillendi:

- Trabzonspor'un Yenilenen Teklifi: Serdar Saatçı + Göktan Gürpüz + 2 milyon Euro nakit borç.

- Konyaspor'un Karşı Talebi: Batista Mendy + 4 milyon Euro bonservis bedeli.

Taraflar arasında oyuncu takası ve nakit miktarı üzerindeki görüşmeler devam ederken, Konyaspor yönetiminin savunmanın bel kemiği olan Adil Demirbağ'ı kolay kolay bırakmaya niyeti olmadığı görülüyor. İki kulüp arasındaki orta yol arayışı transfer döneminin en hareketli fırtınalarından biri olmaya aday.

Fransa'da mali krizle boğuşan Marsilya'nın sıkışık durumunu fırsata çevirmek isteyen Beşiktaş için Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg iddiaları haberleştirilirken ortaya Mason Greenwood'la ilgili gizli gerçekler çıktı.

Marsilya, Fransız futbolunun mali denetleme kurumu DNCG ile sorun yaşamamak için bu yaz acilen oyuncu satmak zorunda. Ancak kulübün bu sıkışık durumunu fırsat bilen kulüpler, kapıyı oldukça düşük tekliflerle çalıyor. Bu durumun son örneği Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg transferinde yaşandı.

Fransız gazeteci Thibaut Andrieu, "Hojbjerg için saçma teklif" başlığı ile verdiği haberinin içinde Beşiktaş'ın, Mason Greenwood'un yanı sıra Danimarkalı orta saha oyuncusu Hojbjerg'i de radarına alığını iddia etti. Transfermarkt verilerine göre 15 milyon euro değer biçilen ve Marsilya ile 2 yıllık sözleşmesi bulunan Hojbjerg için Beşiktaş’ın 10 milyon euro teklif ettiğini yazdı. Bu rakam için "saçma" yorumu yaptı.

Marsilya'nın acil nakit ihtiyacını fırsata çevirmek isteyen Türk kulübü, fiyatı düşük tutmak için süreci ağırdan alıyor ve acele etmiyor.

Yeni sportif direktör Gregory Lorenzi hem bütçe yaratmak hem de iddialı bir kadro kurmak gibi zor bir rolle karşı karşıya. Marsilya yönetiminin bu "gülünç" teklifi kabul etmesi beklenmezken, Beşiktaş'ın transferi bitirmek için teklifini ciddi oranda artırması gerekecek.

Gelecek sezon için kadro yapılanmasını sürdüren Bursaspor, aradığı kanadı Fransa'da buldu! Ligue 2 ekiplerinden SC Bastia forması giyen Amine Boutrah, yeşil-beyazlı ekiple kalıcı transfer için el sıkıştı.

Yeni sezonda iddialı bir kadro kurarak şampiyonluk hedefleyen ve Trendyol 1. Lig'e yükselen Bursaspor, Fransa'dan önemli bir takviye gerçekleştirdi. Fransa Ligue 2 ekiplerinden SC Bastia forması giyen 25 yaşındaki başarılı sol kanat oyuncusu Amine Boutrah, yeşil-beyazlı kulübe kalıcı olarak transfer oldu.

Kulüpten yapılan resmi açıklamada, Fransız oyuncu ile anlaşma sağlandığı belirtilerek kendisine "Hoş geldin" mesajı yayınlandı. Hücum hattının solunda görev yapan, ancak on numara ve forvet bölgelerinde de oynayabilen Boutrah bu sezonu 28 maçta 2 gol, 3 asistle tamamladı.

Çocukluk kulübü Bastia ile toplamda 82 maça çıkan yetenekli oyuncu; kariyeri boyunca GC Lucciana, Concarneau ve Hollanda ekibi Vitesse formalarını da terletti.

Dünya Kupası H Grubu'nda İspanya ve Yeşil Burun Adaları karşı karşıya geliyor. Karşılaşma saat 19.00'da başladı.

Dünya Kupası maçları H Grubu ile devam ediyor. Grubun favorisi İspanya ilk maçta Yeşil Burun Adaları ile karşılaşıyor.

Atlanta'daki Mercedes-Benz Stadyumu'nda 19.00'da başlayan mücadele TRT 1'den yayınlanıyor.

İLK 11'LER

İspanya: Unai Simon, Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodrigo, Fabian, Pedri, Ferran, Gavi, Oyarzabal

Yeşil Burun Adaları: Vozinha, Moreira, Borges, Lopes, Cabral, Pina, Jovane Cabral, Monteiro, Duarte, Mendes, Livramento

Voleybol Sultanlar Ligi ekiplerinden Zerenspor, 4 isimle sözleşme imzaladı.

Kulübün açıklamasına göre, başkent temsilcisi smaçörler Merve Nezir, Sarah Franklin ve Ekaterina Pipunyrova ile orta oyuncu Seher Aksoy'u kadroya kattı.

Zerenspor, pasör Hilal Kocakara ile Aslıhan Kılıç, orta oyuncular Ayçin Akyol, Anna Dodson ile Dicle Nur Baba, pasör çaprazları Adhuoljok Malual ile Anna Nicoletti ve smaçör Fatma Şekerci ile anlaşmıştı.

Yeni sezon hazırlıklarına 7 günden az bir süre kala, Fenerbahçe taraftarının kilitlendiği yönetim kurulu toplantısından hoca ya da transfer müjdesi yerine sadece görev dağılımı çıktı.

Fenerbahçe taraftarının gözü kulağı bugündeydi... 15 Haziran geride kaldı, 22 Haziran'da başlayacak yeni sezon hazırlıklarına 7 günden az bir süre var.

Sarı-lacivertli camia, bugünkü kritik yönetim kurulu toplantısından yeni teknik direktörün (Aykut Kocaman ya da sürpriz bir isim) açıklanmasını, en azından taraftarı heyecanlandıracak bir Vedat Muriqi müjdesinin gelmesini bekliyordu.

Ancak yönetimden taraftarı şoke eden, tamamen bürokratik bir açıklama geldi. Ne hoca var ne transfer!

İşte Fenerbahçe yönetiminin gerçekleştirdiği toplantı sonrası yaptığı o resmi açıklama:

- Sayın Aziz Yıldırım’ın başkanlığında; Sayın Barış Göktürk Başkan Vekili ve Sayın Mahmut Uslu Genel Sekreter olarak görevlendirilmiştir. Futbol şubelerinden sorumlu yöneticilerin Sayın Feridun Geçgel (Futbol A.Ş.) ve Sayın Cihan Kamer olarak görev almasına ve diğer branşlar ile detaylı görev dağılımının internet sitesi üzerinden yayımlanmasına karar verilmiştir.

AI Overviews and Google AI Mode now dominate conversations across the SEO community. One trend already stands out: Search is evolving from an information retrieval tool to a recommendation tool.

For travel brands, this changes the rules of online discovery. The challenge is no longer just helping search engines understand your website. It’s helping AI systems understand when your business should be recommended.

How AI search has changed travel planning 

Many users now spend substantial time every week interacting with large language models (LLMs). With LLMs, they can organize conversations by project and create folders for upcoming trips. They can also build on previous chats that already recognize their interests, travel preferences, and demographic profiles.

This marks a departure from the traditional search process. Historically, travel planning started with Google searches for topics like:

• “Hotels in Porto”
• “Things to do in Rome”
• “Best restaurants in Barcelona”

Today, this process is far more conversational.

Rather than typing a series of disconnected searches, a traveler might create a new folder called “Summer 2026” in ChatGPT and start with a broad question that gradually evolves into a complete itinerary. For example: 

• “Where should I stay in Porto for a quiet weekend within walking distance of the historic center?” 
• “Which area of Rome is best for families traveling with young children?”

What follows is an ongoing conversation that might expand into restaurant recommendations, attractions, accommodation options, transportation advice, and day-by-day planning.

When travelers ask AI assistants these questions, they aren’t looking for a list of websites. Instead, they’re looking for a recommendation.

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How AI Overviews impact the travel search experience

AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple sources and present users with curated recommendations rather than a collection of links. As a result, trust, consistency, and contextual understanding become critical visibility factors.

A hotel may influence a traveler’s decision through an AI-generated response without leading to an immediate website visit. The traveler’s next action may be a branded search, a visit to a travel review site, or a booking through an online travel agency (OTA).

To earn recommendations from AI models, your brand first needs to be clearly defined. AI must have confidence in who you are, what you offer, who you serve, and when your brand is relevant.

To do this, choose one primary category and one clear position for your brand. Invest in digital PR and earn mentions beyond your own website. Aim to be included in travel articles that cover topics relevant to your category.

Most importantly, ensure your business information is accurate, consistent, and easy to interpret across your website, Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor, OTA listings, and social media platforms.

Zero click doesn’t mean zero impact

The way we measure search performance is changing. Traditional SEO metrics still matter. However, travel marketers should start expanding how they measure visibility.

One of the biggest mistakes is assuming that fewer clicks mean less visibility.

A traveler may discover your property through an AI-generated response, search for it later, visit a TripAdvisor profile, or book through another channel.

This is why branded search growth is becoming a valuable signal of AI visibility. Travel marketers should also monitor AI mentions, citations, and assisted conversions.

Assisted conversions reveal the channels and touchpoints that influence a booking, even if they aren’t the final source of the conversion. You can monitor these conversions in Google Analytics 4 by navigating to Advertising > Attribution > Conversion Paths and Attribution Reports.

Why TripAdvisor and OTA listings provide semantic context for AI recommendations

TripAdvisor has become much more than a review platform. OTAs have become more than booking platforms.

When a user asks for recommendations, AI systems rarely rely on a single source. Instead, they build understanding by combining information from multiple platforms.

Your website is only one part of the ecosystem.

AI systems build confidence in recommendations by validating information across sources. What others say about your brand in reviews, travel guides, media mentions, OTA listings, or local citations increasingly matters. In many ways, this is simply online reputation at scale.

This additional context helps AI models determine when a property is relevant for specific traveler needs, such as:

• Family-friendly.
• Popular with business travelers.
• Located in a walkable area.
• Known for exceptional dining.
• Better suited to luxury or budget travelers.

How to differentiate your travel brand

A family-friendly hotel should consistently highlight family rooms, kids’ activities, children’s pools, and family-focused reviews. A romantic hotel should reinforce signals like couples’ stays, intimate atmospheres, spa experiences, and special-occasion packages.

Likewise, a business hotel should emphasize meeting rooms, workspaces, fast Wi-Fi, and proximity to business districts. A restaurant known for exceptional dining should earn reviews, media mentions, and third-party recommendations that consistently reference its food, chef, or culinary experience.

Many businesses naturally fit into more than one category. However, the clearer your primary positioning is, the easier it becomes for generative search engines to identify when your brand is relevant and should earn a recommendation.

The same principle applies to destinations. Generative search engines rely on signals across review platforms, travel guides, local listings, and publisher content when recommending where travelers should stay, visit, or explore.

3 practical ways to strengthen entity signals across platforms

As AI systems become more reliant on entities rather than individual webpages, travel businesses need to focus on creating a clear and consistent digital footprint.

1. Use structured data to clarify business attributes

Structured data helps search engines and AI models interpret key business information. For travel brands, this type of data includes accommodation types, amenities, locations, and other business details.

Highlight the attributes that differentiate your property. That might include family-friendly facilities, wellness experiences, exceptional dining, pet-friendly accommodation, or proximity to major attractions.

The clearer and more structured your information is, the easier it becomes for AI-powered experiences to surface your business in relevant recommendations.

2. Eliminate entity ambiguity across platforms

Review what third-party sources say about your brand across the web. Look for conflicting information. AI search experiences pull information from multiple sources, and inconsistencies can reduce confidence in your brand.

Imagine a hotel with different phone numbers, outdated descriptions, inconsistent categories, or conflicting amenity information across various platforms. This is exactly the kind of ambiguity AI systems struggle with.

Maintain consistent information across your website, Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor listings, and OTA profiles to reduce ambiguity and strengthen confidence in your business data.

3. Prioritize operational business information

Start by auditing your existing customer reviews.

• What did they enjoy most about their stay?
• What made their experience memorable?
• What would they improve?

Constructive feedback is a fast and easy way to identify what truly differentiates your brand from competitors. Details like amenities, accessibility features, opening hours, parking, and pet policies help AI systems answer specific travel queries.

Google Business Profile is another critical source of operational information. The categories, attributes, amenities, and opening hours listed on your profile help AI models answer travel queries with greater confidence.

If you need to provide additional context, Google Business Profile allows you to publish posts linking back to relevant content on your website. Regularly publishing Google Business Profile posts can help drive engagement, profile visits, and customer interactions while keeping your listing updated with fresh content about your products, services, events, and offers.

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Build the signals AI systems trust

Generative search is more democratic than traditional search. AI models recommend businesses, not websites. Visibility is no longer shaped exclusively by what happens on your website. It’s shaped by the broader digital footprint your brand has built across the web.

For travel brands, that means thinking beyond rankings and clicks. Reviews, OTA listings, travel guides, media mentions, and business profiles all contribute to how AI systems understand your brand and when they recommend it.

It’s time to be creative, experiment, and build partnerships with complementary businesses. Most importantly, it’s time to build the signals AI systems trust.

One topic that’s come up frequently in SEO circles is the difference between creating content for information retrieval and creating content that earns citations from large language models (LLMs) such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Google AI Overviews.

As AI search evolves, that distinction is reshaping content strategy. Content that delivers the best user experience and meets people where they are is more likely to earn citations and be recognized as a trusted source.

More importantly, we need to think beyond our own websites and consider third-party platforms as well. As algorithmic marketers, our goal is to keep our brand and messaging consistent so machines clearly understand what we do, who we serve, and when to surface our company and information.

The change from SEO to experience-based GEO

For LLMs in particular, it’s important to stop thinking about interactive search as SEO. Instead, focus on the users you want to attract through citations, or those for whom you want information about your brand to surface.

Some SEO fundamentals apply, but LLMs and AI Overviews are looking to provide customized experiences based on users’ preferences. Your content marketing, both on your website and externally, should keep this in mind rather than focusing on creating content for citations and retrieval.

I’ll start with an example of this customization to show the difference between SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) or AI Overview approaches, then jump into actionable items you can take.

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LLMs know consumers better than you think

On a team call this week, I pointed out that the client’s CEO and I are very similar. We’re both around the same age, in the same geographic region, have executive job titles, are very similar demographically, and both like to drink red wine.

However, if we both asked an LLM to make recommendations for a new wine to try, and both said we were looking for a wine with dark fruit notes that was dry and had a big, bold mouth splash, it’s almost certain that we wouldn’t get the same recommendation, even if we were using the same LLM. Why? Because he likes Italian wines, and I prefer Napa Valley wineries.

Google, functioning as a search engine, may know what a big red wine is, but LLM systems know more about our buyer personas because of how we engage with them. They remember who we are, while Google does not. From LLMs, I’ll likely get a recommendation for a Cabernet from California, while he may get an Amarone from Italy.

The LLM and Google AI Overview may both source products to recommend from retailers like Total Wine & More or Binny’s, and use publications like Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, and Vivino for knowledge, but that’s where the similarities end.

LLMs know what we like in a result and what we engage with, so they show us different varietals that better match our preferences when we ask more in-depth questions. Google and traditional search engines, meanwhile, will show more general options for big, bold, red wines.

Google search seems to be changing

That said, Google appears to be moving toward more personalized results, so expect a more LLM-style approach in the future. Apply this approach to content on your own platforms and anywhere you can influence the narrative on third-party sites.

Shifting your content from retrieval-based to citation-based starts with understanding how LLM and AI Overview results are generated, how personalized those results are becoming, and how retrieval methods combine with trust signals from traditional SEO results.

Extending your content strategy beyond your website

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) information sourcing requires trusted websites and resources to compile a reasonably factual result. When combined with a personal preference, it may favor one source over another while still using both.

An example of talking points in action

If the wine suggestions above were to apply here and two retailers (say, one big-box store and one niche winery) were trying to get featured in the output, they’d need to approach the same publications differently.

Let’s look at an example of getting wines placed in listicle-style articles. The big-box retailer that carries both Italian and Napa wines will want to be featured under Italian reds with talking points that address the things that interest my colleague, my client’s CEO, while the Napa winery wouldn’t need to worry about making that list since it doesn’t produce Italian wines. However, both will want to be featured under Napa Cabernets since they both sell them, and both will want talking points that matter to my buyer persona.

Tip: Listicle placements are easiest to get through a media buy or advertorial, an affiliate program, or good old PR work for an earned placement.

For articles about varietals, the big-box retailer would want to focus on multiple articles and use talking points that matter to the CEO. For example, mentioning that the wine is produced on old vines, as these are more common in Europe than in the U.S. For the Napa wines I prefer, the winery would want to talk about how its wines feature a strong mouthfeel, have legs, and feature softer tannins.

Big-brand stores will want mass coverage and to have their products featured under many or most wine descriptions and types to help build relevance and be seen as experts on the topic of wine across the website since they carry wines from all countries and varietals.

The Napa Valley winery, on the other hand, wouldn’t need to worry about being cited across the entire site. Instead, it would want to focus on being featured in the Napa and California wine sections, in articles about grapes that are more common in California wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and anything else directly related to the products and services it offers, like California wine tours and tastings.

Another strategy for citation-ready content

If you’re an individual brand or a small business that sells women’s clothing, for example, you could use a similar, yet modified, version of the strategy above.

You’d also want to focus on getting featured in listicles, and when they mention you as one of the best retailers for women’s T-shirts, ensure your brand is present with some of the reasons why, then look for other lists about women’s fashion and clothing to be added to.

Whenever possible, especially once you’ve developed a relationship with the editor or contributor, have your differentiators present, whether it’s moisture-wicking materials, a patent you own, plus-size or petite sizing, signature colors, or being on trend. This builds the topical relevance of your brand mention and feature.

Most importantly, don’t stress over being included in every article across each media company. Focus on having your brand featured as a place to shop within the specific content that addresses the common issues your brand solves. After all, this is why your customers shop with you and how LLMs may learn who to show your brand and products to.

Non-shopping content that’s on topic, like a guide to materials or seasonal fashion trends that feature your brand and someone from it as a thought leader, may help as these systems become more advanced.

Where LLMs are sourcing their materials

Right now, LLMs are using shopping lists as sources, but they’re looking for expertise as well. Being cited as an expert in niche themes and selling points across the sources LLMs already trust, and as a place where someone can purchase X, Y, and Z products, can help LLMs make the connection and build their knowledge bases about you. You’re not just a name anymore, but a trusted brand that sells X, Y, and Z to A, B, and C demographics.

When you keep getting mentioned more often in new content and are cited by a trusted resource, it may add credibility to your company as a retailer, service provider, or publication. That’s what we’re focusing on now with many of our content optimizations.

The goal here is to let LLMs and SEO algorithms know what you do and sell, and who the specific buyer persona is that shops your brand. Once they have a clear understanding of this, and if they trust your brand and your website or app enough, you may be able to show up in citations and recommendations more frequently and for the long run. And that bleeds into your website experience.

Helping users and AI find the right fit

You’ll find out pretty fast that practices that have been considered bad in SEO for years still don’t work for GEO and AI Overviews. By this, I mean things like creating satellite pages, pages just for AI to index and find, hidden copy, content in schema, and similar tactics. They don’t work, and in the long run, they’re likely to tank your SEO, too.

The silver bullets and “strategies” we’re seeing now, and consider my tongue firmly in my cheek here, are the same things sold as SEO marketing years ago. The LLMs will catch up, your domain and brand will get penalized, and you’ll need to recover the losses while spending money you may not have on consultants and new team members.

Instead, focus your website experience on the actual customers and buyers who shop with you. This will naturally communicate what your products and services are to search engines and LLMs, your website visitors will know they’re in the right place, and you should see conversions increase if you’re better at meeting your visitors’ needs. How do you do this?

• Survey your customers to find out what’s important to them about what you do and why they chose your products or brand.
• Read through customer returns and chat histories in your customer support database to find out why consumers are returning products or what questions they have.
• Add these talking points to product and category pages (where appropriate) so users know:
  • If this is the right product for their needs.
  • Which product is the best match for them from a collection.
  • If there’s a better option, via a keyword-rich internal link, for a product that’s a better fit.

Each of the items above helps users on your website know what to buy, how to engage, and what meets their needs. This also helps define for LLMs what’s the best fit for your customer and the solutions your products and services naturally provide. That’s information search engines and AI can use to know when to surface your products and who to show your brand to.

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The standard SEO elements to keep in your content

That’s not to say SEO is going away. Traditional SEO practices still help LLMs understand what your website, products, services, content, and company offer and who they’re for. For example:

• Properly applied schema can help define your products, the theme of your content, your services, and the areas where they’re provided, helping paint a clearer picture of who your brand is.
• Content that doesn’t require JavaScript to view and is visible is one of the best ways to be featured in chatbots and AI-powered search engines. Try server-side rendering for your content.
• LLMs.txt can be one option, but there’s no guarantee it’ll take off or be adopted.
• Use proper structure on your pages with H1s, H2s, H3s, article, header, and related tags.
• Create direct, easy-to-understand content that answers users’ questions, provides correct information, and solves users’ problems without fluff or over-the-top adjective usage.
• Ensure the talking points that matter to your ideal customers are mixed throughout your site’s pages, both on your website and on external websites, as this signals who your products, services, or content are for.

Creating content for citations and information retrieval isn’t just about technical optimization or the content on your page. It’s also about how third parties experience your brand and talk about it, which helps LLMs determine which users are the best fit for your company and content.

Focus on maintaining a consistent voice across every channel you control, make sure your pages are crawlable and easy to understand, and keep testing. LLMs are still new, and we all have an opportunity to learn and adapt as the technology evolves.

Trust in AI search is declining, consumers are validating information across more platforms, and AI visibility is increasingly tied to brand authority rather than traditional SEO metrics.

Those are among the key findings from new research by Fractl and Search Engine Land, presented by Fractl cofounder Kelsey Libert at SMX Advanced. The study offers a detailed look at how consumers evaluate AI-generated answers, which signals influence AI recommendations, and where brands are falling short on governance and disclosure.

After the conference, I spoke with Libert to dig deeper into the data. Our conversation covered the growing trust gap in AI search, the role of earned media and entity authority in AI visibility, and why many organizations are still unprepared for the operational challenges AI introduces.

The honeymoon is over

The headline finding from Libert’s research is hard to ignore. In 2025, 82% of consumers found AI search more helpful than traditional search results. By 2026, that figure had dropped to 54%, a decline of 28 percentage points in a single year. The skeptic camp grew sixfold over the same period.

I asked Libert what she thinks is driving that erosion.

• “Hallucinations. Initially, AI was a frictionless instant-answer machine that felt superior to Google’s crowded SERPs. As people lost trust in AI answers and had to put in more effort to validate them, that instant gratification disappeared, and the helpfulness score dropped dramatically,” Libert said.

She isn’t entirely pessimistic about where things are headed, though.

• “AI is on an exponential improvement scale, so I expect this number to restabilize over the next year as people learn how to refine their prompts and engineers improve the technology,” Libert said.

That restabilization may come sooner than expected. Libert pointed to a June 5 CNN report covering Anthropic’s warnings that AI may soon be capable of improving itself without human intervention. Whether that accelerates the recovery of consumer trust or deepens concern about AI reliability remains to be seen.

In the meantime, consumers are hedging. The research found that buyers now check an average of 2.4 platforms before validating a purchase, a pattern consistent across Gen Z, millennials, and boomers.

Google still leads AI tools three to one for trusted product recommendations, commanding 39% of consumer trust versus 14% for AI tools. Reddit, at 15%, sits between them.

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Organic visibility is diversifying

For SEOs worried about the erosion of organic traffic, Libert’s framing offers a more nuanced picture than the typical doom narrative. About 50% of marketers report traffic declines since AI Overviews launched, and 61% directly blame AI tools.

At the same time, 57% see traffic growth from social platforms, including TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube, and 40% see growth from AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.

The channel map Libert presented at SMX is worth understanding. 

• Google remains dominant at 84.8 billion visits, serving primarily as an intent-capture engine. 
• YouTube and Instagram/TikTok together handle brand discovery. 
• ChatGPT and Gemini are used primarily for research and learning. 
• Facebook and Reddit serve human-validation functions. 

Search isn’t disappearing. It’s fragmenting, and brands that optimize for only one of these channels are leaving significant visibility on the table.

The GEO hierarchy: Table stakes, high risk, and the moat

Libert’s research categorized generative engine optimization tactics into three tiers, and the distinctions matter for how marketers should allocate effort.

The most commonly used tactic is FAQ optimization, employed by 49% of marketers. Libert calls this high risk, and the reason is straightforward. 

• “The high-risk category is based on how easily AI can replicate that content, and general industry FAQs are typically pretty easy for AI and your competitors to produce.”

FAQ strategies can be strengthened by layering in proprietary data, subject matter expertise, and unique insights, but on their own, they offer little defensibility.

Table-stakes tactics include building brand mentions (43%), establishing topical authority (36%), and implementing structured data (30%). These are necessary but not sufficient.

The moat, as Libert describes it, consists of original data and proprietary studies (35%) and digital PR (24%). These are harder for AI to replicate, which is precisely what makes them valuable. 

• “LLMs and Google need fresh content to pull into timely and common RAG queries. Beyond that, data journalism and digital PR efforts help increase your brand’s entity authority by helping you earn brand mentions across influential sources across the web,” Libert explained.

The signal strength behind this approach is backed by Ahrefs research analyzing roughly 75,000 brands across ChatGPT, AI Mode, and AI Overviews. 

Branded web mentions and YouTube impressions showed the strongest correlations with AI visibility, ranging from 0.50 to 0.74 on the Spearman scale. 

Backlink count and ad spend fell in the weakest tier, below 0.30. The practical implication, as Libert put it, is that “AI systems reward brand presence and mentions more than traditional SEO scale metrics.”

I asked Libert what she would do first if building brand mentions from scratch. Her answer was tactical and specific:

• Use Semrush or Ahrefs to identify high-authority, niche-relevant publishers that have covered competitors, build relationships with those journalists, and pitch concepts that fill gaps in their coverage using proprietary data or subject matter expertise.
• Use SparkToro to identify the publishers, YouTube channels, and podcasts a target audience actually consumes, then prioritize earned placements in those venues.
• Use Reddit to study what performs well in relevant subreddits and contribute substantive commentary or content, not promotional noise.

• “Earned media always comes back to one principle. Focus on creating fresh, educational, actionable, valuable, and newsworthy industry insights, and repurpose that content across the channels of influence for your target market,” LIbert said.

The trust gap brands are ignoring

One of the most striking data points in Libert’s presentation involves the gap between what consumers expect and what brands actually do. 

Between 84% and 91% of consumers say they want AI labeling across all content formats, including text, video, audio, and images. Only 20% of organizations say they always disclose their AI use. One-third never disclose at all.

Libert doesn’t think consumers are simply opposed to AI in marketing. The concern is more specific. 

• “Consumers aren’t wary about AI use in marketing. They’re concerned when brands use it for their entire marketing workflow with zero checks and balances.” 

She cited the research finding that nearly half of marketers admit to not fact-checking their AI-produced content and that 48% say AI makes their work faster but more average.

Dove came up as one of the few brands actively positioning against what Libert calls “AI-dominant marketing slop,” though she acknowledges the field is still mostly treating disclosure as a compliance checkbox rather than a brand signal.

There is also a deeper question about where AI assistance ends and human creativity begins, one the industry hasn’t settled. 

• “There’s some debate on when it needs to be disclosed, since plenty of people use it more as an assistant in the creative process vs. having it do everything end-to-end,” Libert said. “In that case, who truly owns the creativity, and what level of disclosure is required? That’s still up for debate.”

The inverted pyramid problem

The slide that drew the most reaction in the SMX room showed how marketers are allocating their human review time for AI-generated content. Editorial review claimed 72% of attention. Voice and tone review claimed 62%. Fact-checking fell to 54%, plagiarism and legal review to 42% each, and bias evaluation to just 27%.

Libert called this an “all of the above” problem, spanning training gaps, workflow fragmentation, and leadership priorities. 

• “When employees can’t keep up with the basic learning process to execute their workflow effectively with AI, how can you expect them to also focus on the checks and balances of AI’s output without the proper support from leadership to take time to develop and refine entirely new workflows?” she said. 
• “We’re focusing on the surface-level review of AI’s output because that’s all people have the capacity and proper support for. That data point is a huge leadership SOS.”

Her core argument here aligns with the most pointed line in her presentation: fix the infrastructure before you scale the output. AI won’t kill credibility. Untrained oversight will.

What smaller brands can actually do

The closing argument of Libert’s SMX talk, that AI rewards brand equity rather than creating it, raises a fair concern for newer entrants who lack years of accumulated authority. I pushed her on this.

Her answer was more optimistic than the headline suggests. AI Overviews aren’t simply surfacing the top search results. They are surfacing brands that have built genuine authority around niche topics. 

• “Younger brands can still compete by focusing on building out their entity authority around the long tail, where most conversions actually live,” she said.

She also sees an opening created by the same corporate inertia that slows large-brand adaptation. 

• “Plenty of larger brands are stuck in more corporate bureaucracy and are slower to adapt to the changes and opportunities of using AI to scale insightful data analysis and thought leadership content. There’s actually plenty of room for smaller brands to compete, now more than ever.” 

The caveat?

• “It’s a matter of slowing down and learning how to use AI effectively, not scaling AI slop.”

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The playbook for AI visibility

The 2026 AI search playbook that Libert presented at SMX distills to four imperatives: 

• Monitor brand representation across all influential platforms.
• Build entity authority through original research and subject matter expertise.
• Triangulate visibility across search, video, social proof, and trusted media.
• Govern AI use with formal disclosure and review processes rather than ad hoc workarounds.

None of this is particularly complicated in concept. The difficulty is organizational. 

The brands that treat credibility as infrastructure rather than aesthetics are most likely to be cited, recommended, and trusted as AI search continues to mature.

A lower cost per lead and higher lead volume don’t necessarily translate into more signed cases. That’s because leads and signed cases are not the same thing.

Between the ad click and the signed retainer sit intake qualification, follow-up speed, and conversion. If you’re measuring PPC success based only on cost per lead, you’re making budget decisions with incomplete data.

I’ve managed more than 1,000 ad accounts across plaintiff-side law firms, and I see the same pattern repeatedly. The ads generate activity, but the system that turns leads into clients leaks at multiple points.

The firms that consistently grow signed cases connect their advertising data to intake performance, lead qualification, and retained clients. That requires a different approach to keywords, budget allocation, landing pages, and attribution.

Start with the right keywords (hint: they’re not Google’s suggestions!)

Most law firms build a campaign backward. They start with broad-match keywords like injury attorney, best lawyer, and legal advice. Those terms bring in volume, but also noise. You end up getting tons of unqualified, early-stage prospects, and this equates to low-intent traffic that burns through your budget.

We protect our budget and improve conversions by reverse-engineering a keyword strategy from actual signed-case data. Instead of relying on Google’s keyword suggestions as a starting point, we mine call transcripts, intake notes, and CRM records to identify the real language that precedes retained clients.

With practice, you can pinpoint the exact phrase-match terms that people may be using to find attorneys like you. Phrases like “truck accident lawyer near me,” “motorcycle injury attorney Houston,” or “wrongful death law firm Tampa.”

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Search intent matters

The core principle is to segment every keyword by funnel stage and intent. High-intent exact- and phrase-match terms get the budget. Low-intent terms get tested and throttled, or excluded.

The single most important ritual for effective law firm PPC management is integrating the search terms report into your workflow. This report shows you exactly what someone typed before clicking your ad and whether that click generated a quality lead or was a waste of money. Most law firms, or the advertising agencies they work with, either skip this entirely or check it once a quarter.

Keep your spend efficient by reviewing the report every week to identify and add negative keywords to your campaign. This weekly hygiene compounds over the long term.

Allocate budget by funnel stage, not by channel

Most law firms treat Google Ads like a monolith. You’ll get a better ROI if you separate campaigns by funnel stage, intent, budget allocation, and conversion goals.

My PPC strategy is based completely on the Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 rule): About 80% of your spend goes to bottom-of-funnel direct response, and 20% goes to mid-funnel and retargeting. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Bottom of funnel

This is where most of your signed cases will come from. These are high-intent search campaigns and Local Services Ads.

LSAs are the best-converting channel for personal injury firms, Pareto Legal’s “The State of Law Firm PPC” report found. They are pay-per-lead, review-driven, and require no landing page infrastructure from you. (Disclosure: I’m the CEO and co-founder of Pareto Legal.)

One of the fastest lead-quality wins we consistently see with new clients is correcting their LSA category selections from broad practice areas to specific case types, such as personal injury or motor vehicle accidents. 

Mid-funnel

This includes non-brand search, Dynamic Search Ads, and segmented Performance Max. Evaluate these on qualified lead rate, not raw volume. If a campaign generates 200 leads but only 10 are qualified, it’s a budget drain, even with a good-looking CPL.

Top of funnel

Meta and YouTube retargeting can target people who have already visited your website. Expand these campaigns to cold prospecting only after attribution proves incremental lift.

This framework is simple, but it can dramatically improve your PPC results. For one injury firm, we generated 273 signed cases from $765,000 in ad spend (3.57x ROI) without increasing the budget. All it required was a restructuring of the firm’s Google Ads.

Dig deeper: Why your law firm’s best leads don’t convert after research

Build landing pages that match intent, not just keywords

Sending paid traffic to your homepage or a generic practice area page that doesn’t match the ad you ran is a conversion-rate killer. This is common knowledge, yet effective landing pages are probably the most overlooked part of PPC management. 

Many great PPC marketers know bidding strategy, campaign structure, and audience targeting inside and out. But when it comes to building a high-quality, compelling user experience, many marketers fall short.

What kind of landing pages work? 

Your goal should be to match the intent of what your prospect was searching for. Here are the important components:

• An intent-matched H1 headline.
• Settlement amounts.
• Client reviews as social proof.
• Click-to-call and live chat options.

Your landing pages should also load quickly and be mobile-first.

You need one page per practice area, per intent. For example, a “car accident lawyer” landing page and a “truck accident attorney” landing page should be different. Each practice area and intent level deserves its own experience and unique design.

What kind of results will you see?

I split one client’s generic personal injury page into intent-segmented pages, added a stack of recent reviews and results, and reduced form fields from nine to four. Our team also optimized load time from 5.1 seconds to 2.1 seconds.

The page conversion rate went from 3.8% to 17.4%. The cost per signed case dropped by 42% with the same ad spend.

Dig deeper: The future of law firm SEO depends on authority, not volume

Fix the intake bottleneck before you scale ads

Most agencies won’t tell you the primary reason law firm advertising fails. It’s not the marketing process itself.

Surface-level numbers like cost per click (CPC) are often fine. What fails is the intake process. You need to focus on what happens after the form fill or phone call.

Here are the key intake KPIs to track alongside your ad metrics:

• Answer rate: Target 90% or higher.
• Speed to lead: Target under 60 seconds.
• Signed rate (the percentage of qualified leads that become retained clients): A healthy benchmark is 25% to 40% of qualified leads.

The math is simple: If you’re spending $20,000 on Google Ads every month and your average cost per lead is $250, that’s 80 leads. If your intake team only contacts 70% of them and signs 30% of those contacts, you get about 17 cases.

If your team responds to 95% and converts 40%, that’s 30 cases from the same $20,000. You’ve essentially doubled your return on Google Ads, and it had nothing to do with your ad spend.

The key is for your marketing and intake teams to share KPIs. You can’t have the media buyer optimizing for lead volume while the intake team cherry-picks easy calls.

Connect the full attribution chain: Ad click to signed retainer

Most law firm reporting isn’t detailed enough to serve as a decision-making tool. It stops at platform metrics such as impressions, clicks, and cost per lead. These reports rarely reach the CRM, where signed cases actually live and where the most valuable intelligence resides.

Your attribution infrastructure needs these components:

• UTMs and click IDs from ad platforms to capture the traffic source.
• Call tracking through a tool like CallRail to handle phone leads.
• Google Analytics 4 for tracking post-click behavior on the site.
• A CRM, such as Lawmatics or Clio, that tracks post-conversion activity all the way through to the signed case.

The metric that ties everything together is marketing efficiency ratio (MER): total revenue divided by total marketing spend.

MER forces you to evaluate marketing as an ecosystem instead of looking at each channel through last-click attribution. For example, knowing you have a healthy MER can help you spot the hidden work a single channel is doing, even if it looks expensive on a last-click basis. MER can help you maintain confidence in your budget allocation.

Your ideal dashboard setup

Every law firm should build a one-page dashboard with these metrics: spend, leads, qualified leads, signed cases, cost per lead (CPL), and cost per acquisition (CPA), all broken down by channel and practice area.

If your reports can’t drill down to this level of granularity, they’re probably just a slideshow. Building this tracking infrastructure makes it easy to identify winning campaigns and reallocate budget intelligently. This is how you increase ROI without additional funding.

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Treating PPC like a system leads to success

The firms that succeed with PPC treat it like a system. They:

• Use precise keyword targeting tied to their prospects’ real behavior.
• Allocate budget by funnel stage and intent.
• Review search terms weekly.
• Know their numbers: cost per case, not just cost per click.
• Connect the ad click to the signed retainer, so every budget decision is based on what actually matters.

Don’t trust Google to figure this out for you.

Google is rolling out a series of Smart Bidding and budgeting updates designed to help advertisers uncover new demand, capitalize on seasonal opportunities and maintain more predictable campaign performance.

What’s new. The updates include an expansion of Smart Bidding Exploration, a new Promotion Mode beta and changes to bidding target optimization for budget-constrained campaigns.

Driving discovery. Smart Bidding Exploration now allows advertisers to set a return on ad spend (ROAS) tolerance that enables campaigns to pursue additional conversion opportunities from search queries they may not currently be capturing.

Google says campaigns using the feature see, on average, an 18% increase in unique converting search query categories and a 19% increase in conversions.

The company is expanding the capability to Performance Max campaigns without product feeds and opening a beta for Shopping ads across both Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.

Peak period bidding. Promotion Mode allows advertisers to temporarily adjust ROAS targets and allocate additional daily budget during high-demand periods such as seasonal events, product launches and flash sales.

What else is changing. Beginning Aug. 17, Google will update bidding target optimization for campaigns limited by budget, with the goal of delivering more consistent performance that better aligns with advertisers’ CPA and ROAS targets.

Starting July 6, advertisers will begin receiving notifications in Google Ads if campaign adjustments may be needed.

Why we care. These updates give Google’s AI bidding systems more freedom to find incremental conversions beyond existing keyword and audience patterns, potentially unlocking new demand that campaigns might otherwise miss.

The new Promotion Mode is particularly relevant for retailers and seasonal advertisers, as it allows temporary adjustments to ROAS targets and budgets during peak demand periods without requiring major campaign restructuring. Meanwhile, the bidding optimization changes aim to make performance more predictable for campaigns that are constrained by budget.

The bottom line. Google’s latest bidding updates are designed to help advertisers find new conversion opportunities, respond more aggressively during peak demand periods and maintain steadier performance as campaigns scale.

The sporty wagon features 19-inch forged wheels, 4-piston callipers and active suspension. Pricing could start at 165,000 yuan (24,400 USD).

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Türkiyənin “Vanspor” klubu Azərbaycan millisinin iki futbolçusu ilə maraqlanır.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Türkiyə mətbuatı məlumat yayıb. I Liqa klubu “Turan Tovuz”dan Ayxan Hüseynov, “Partizani”dən isə Vüsal Isgəndərlini transfer etmək istəyir.

Vüsal daha əvvəl Türkiyədə “Boluspor”, “Keçiörengücü” klublarında oynayıb.

“Vanspor” Türkiyə I Liqasında mübarizə aparacaq.

İngiltərənin “Kristal Pelas” klubunun yeni baş məşqçisi məlum olub.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, komandanın “sükanı” Pyerre Sajeyə tapşırılacaq. Bu barədə “Sky Sports” məlumat yayıb. Mütəxəssislə 3 illik müqavilə imzalanacaq.

Saje Fransada “Lans”a rəhbərlik edir. Klub yaxın zamanda vidanı açıqlayacaq.

“Kristal Pelas” ayın əvvəlində Oliver Qlasnerlə yollarını ayırıb.

İtaliyanın “Atalanta” klubunun yeni baş məşqçisi açıqlanıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, komandanın “sükanı” Mauritsio Sarriyə tapşırılıb. Bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.

Sarrinin son iş yeri “Latsio” olub.

Mütəxəssis “Atalanta” Rafaelle Palladinonu əvəzləyib.

Çinin Quyyan şəhərində boks üzrə Dünya kubokuna start verilib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, reytinq xarakterli yarışın ilk günündə Azərbaycan millisinin 2 idmançısı rinqə çıxıb.

50 kq-da Sübhan Mamedov 1/8 final çərçivəsində hindistanlı Rişi Singlə üz-üzə gəlib. Hər 3 raundu xeyrinə bitirən dünya çempionumuz yekunda 5:0 (30:27, 29:28, 30:27, 29:28, 30:27) hesabı ilə qələbə qazanıb. Mamedov ikinci döyüşündə ilk mərhələdən azad olan Asilbek Jalilovla (Özbəkistan) münasibətinə aydınlıq gətirəcək. Döyüş iyunun 19-da olacaq.

Məhəmmədəli Aşırəliyev (60 kq) də debütdə qələbə qazanıb. Yakub Krzpeiti (Polşa) 3:2 (29:28, 28:29, 27:30, 27:30, 29:28) hesabı ilə məğlub edən boksçumuz 1/8 finalda Luis Qabrieli (Braziliya) sınağa çəkəcək. Görüş iyunun 17-də olacaq.

Qeyd edək ki, Azərbaycan millisi Dünya kubokuna 8 boksçusu ilə yollanıb.

Source

Source

Bournemouth face a deadline today to decide whether to trigger their €17 million purchase option on Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas, with the Greek international’s future set to be resolved imminently in a decision that carries significant financial implications for the Roman club.

According to Il Tempo, via Radiosei, confirmation of the purchase would represent a major step towards Lazio meeting their economic targets for the summer, potentially sparing them from more painful player sales elsewhere in the squad.

Provedel’s expected Inter exit could convince Lazio to hold firm on Mandas valuation

The decision is complicated by circumstances at both clubs.

Bournemouth, despite their Europa League qualification under Marco Rose, saw Mandas fail to make a single Premier League appearance last season due to the outstanding form of Djordje Petrovic.

The English side are understood to be hoping to negotiate a reduced fee rather than pay the full option price.

For Lazio, however, selling Mandas becomes less attractive if Ivan Provedel departs, with Inter expected to complete a move for the Italian.

Should Provedel leave, Mandas would have a genuine opportunity to fight for the number one shirt at the Olimpico, giving Lazio every reason to drive a hard bargain.

Roma are casting their net widely in the search for right-sided reinforcements ahead of their Champions League return, with Nicolò Savona emerging as a potential target as Gian Piero Gasperini looks to strengthen the squad that finished third in Serie A last season.

According to Il Messaggero, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Savona could leave Nottingham Forest during this summer’s window, making him an attainable option for a Roma side that must also balance their financial obligations under UEFA’s settlement agreement before the end of June.

The former Juventus defender joined Forest last summer in a deal worth €13 million and has experience of playing in both Italy and England.

Zappacosta joins Savona on Roma radar but Atalanta move considered more complicated

Davide Zappacosta is another name Roma have considered for the right flank, but a move for the Atalanta wing-back is considered significantly more difficult to engineer.

Gasperini knows Zappacosta well from his time in Bergamo, which gives the pursuit a personal dimension, but Atalanta’s asking price and the player’s own situation make it a harder deal to structure than the Savona alternative.

Spain open their World Cup Group H campaign against Cape Verde in Atlanta, with former Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz lining up in midfield for the reigning European champions.

For Cape Verde, former Lazio and Salernitana winger Jovane Cabral starts, giving the Blue Sharks a familiar face for Serie A followers as they look to cause an upset against one of the tournament favourites.

Spain vs Cape Verde – 2026 World Cup Official Lineups

Spain: Simon; Llorente, Laporte, Cubarsi, Cucurella; Rodri, Ruiz, Gavi, Pedri; Torres, Oyarzabal
Cape Verde: Vozinha; Borges, Lopes, Cabral, Moreira; Pina, Monteiro, Duarte; Cabral, Livramento, Mendes

Maurizio Sarri has been officially appointed as Atalanta head coach, bringing one of Italian football’s most distinctive tactical minds to Bergamo as the club prepare for their first Conference League campaign.

The club welcomed the Italian with a statement published on their official website.

The 67-year-old arrives with a storied CV: over 800 professional matches managed, a UEFA Europa League title with Chelsea, a Serie A Scudetto with Juventus and three consecutive seasons of breaking Napoli’s points record under his belt.

Most recently he led Lazio to the Coppa Italia final, having previously guided the Biancocelesti to the Champions League Round of 16 in 2023/24, described in the statement as the second-best European result in the Roman club’s history.

Sarri reunites with Giuntoli at Atalanta after transformative Napoli partnership

The appointment also represents a reunion with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, with whom Sarri worked closely during his transformative years at Napoli between 2015 and 2018.

That partnership produced some of the most thrilling football Italian football has seen in the modern era, and Atalanta will be hoping lightning strikes twice.

Born in Naples but raised in Tuscany, with a childhood spell in the Bergamo area, Sarri’s connection to the region adds a personal dimension to one of the most intriguing coaching appointments of the summer.

Monday’s reports claim that Markus Krösche has ‘said yes’ to the idea of taking over as the new technical director of Milan, but who is the 45-year-old executive and who are his most notable signings to date? 

Krösche is a former holding midfielder who came through the youth and reserve ranks at Werder Bremen before joining SC Padderborn in 2001, where he would go on to spend the rest of his playing career. His 356 league outings for the German outfit makes him the club’s all-time record appearance holder.   

Upon his retirement in 2014, Krösche has a brief stint in charge of SC Padderborn II, the club’s reserve side before going on to serve as an assistant coach to Roger Schmidt at Bayer Leverkusen between 2015 and 2017. 

Krösche left Leverkusen when Schmidt was sacked towards the end of the 2016-17 season and decided to return to Padderborn in the role of managing director. 

While in charge of Padderborn, Krösche oversaw back-to-back promotions from the third tier of German football to the top flight, which was only the second time in the club’s history that the club had featured in the Bundesliga. 

This success earned Krösche a move to RB Leipzig to take over as sporting director, where he would serve for two seasons between 2019 and 2021. 

Since 2021, he has been with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he remains under contract until 2028, and is currently a member of the club’s board under the title ‘board member for sport’. 

Krösche has overseen the transfers of a number of high-profile players across his time with Leipzig and Frankfurt, including the likes of Dani Olmo, Josko Gvardiol, Randal Kolo Muani and Hugo Ekitike. 

Below is a list of his most prominent and most profitable signings to date. 

Krösche’s most prominent signings with RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt

Ademola Lookman: Everton → RB Leipzig (€18m)

Christopher Nkunku: PSG → RB Leipzig (€19.5m, later sold to Chelsea for €60m)

Dani Olmo: Dinamo Zagreb → RB Leipzig (€34m, later sold to Barcelona for €61m)

Josko Gvardiol: Dinamo Zagreb → RB Leipzig (€36m, later sold to Manchester City for €90m)

Lazar Samardzic: Hertha BSC → RB Leipzig (€500,000)

Josep Martinez: Las Palmas → RB Leipzig (€2.5m)

Randal Kolo Muani: FC Nantes → Eintracht Frankfurt (free, later sold to PSG for €95m)

Mario Götze: PSV → Eintracht Frankfurt (€4.5m)

Omar Marmoush: Wolfsbury → Eintracht Frankfurt (free, later sold to Manchester City for €75m)

Willian Pacho: Royal Antwerp → Eintracht Frankfurt (€13.5m, later sold to PSG for €40m)

Nathaniel Brown: 1.FC Nuremberg → Eintracht Frankfurt (€5.5m)

Hugo Ekitike: PSG → Eintracht Frankfurt (€31.5m, later sold to Liverpool for €95m)

Elliot Anderson is one of England’s most in demand players, and his move could have serious ripple effects.

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Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph is today reporting that Premier League teams are worried that Elliot Anderson’s impending move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for more than £100m is going to inflate prices in this window, particularly for central midfielders.

Crop of English midfield stars could blow market open

Any Premier League team who wants to sign a central midfielder – and that likely includes Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U – would therefore like to get a deal done before Anderson’s incoming mega-fee resets the market.

The likes of Adam Wharton and Alex Scott are being heavily linked with moves in the months to come, and the fees commanded by Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are likely to rise significantly if Anderson makes his big money move as expected later this summer.

As it stands, Chelsea’s signings of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez for more than £100m each are the benchmarks for elite players with top level experience moving at a young age. When it finally happens, Anderson’s move is expected to match that – and potentially even beat it.

In other news…

PSG and Arsenal are the two teams most strongly linked with breakout star of the World Cup, Ayyoud Bouaddi. They will have to break records to sign him, however.

Ismael Saibari is closing in on a move to join Bayern Munich, with a medical set to take place in the USA in the coming days.

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The post Premier League teams fear Anderson deal could blow up summer midfielder market appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Lille are set to demand a record fee for their teenage central midfielder, with Arsenal and PSG the most likely to pay it as it stands.

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The World Cup always brings big moves and plenty of rumours, and before even the first round of games has been completed one of the breakout stars of the tournament already looks to have emerged.

Morocco’s hugely impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil was the most high profile match of the competition so far, and the star of the show was sensational teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

He ran the show against the Selecao, and it’s no surprise that transfer interest in the Lille starlet has ramped up since.

Teenage talent fee could smash records

TeamTalk are reporting that Arsenal and PSG are the front runners to sign him, but it won’t come cheap.

A £60m fee would be the highest ever for a teenage central midfielder, breaking the record set by Chelsea’s disastrous signing of Romeo Lavia.

Given Bouaddi’s age and potential, it would still seem like a pretty good deal. If he keeps playing well at the World Cup and Morocco go far in the tournament, the number could climb even higher.

In other news…

Ismael Saibari is closing in on a move to join Bayern Munich, with a medical set to take place in the USA in the coming days.

Chelsea are going to make a number of signings this summer – but Alex Scott won’t be one of them if you listen to quotes from sources close to the club.

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Clippers 4, Indians 3

Milan Tolentino had a home run and CJ Kayfus had a double. Kolby Allard had 7 strikeouts in 5 innings and Franco Aleman struck out the side in a scoreless inning.

Warbirds 11, Howlers 6

Two star hitters for the Howlers continued their strong starts as Juneiker Caceres went 2 for 3 with a homer and a walk, and Anthony Martinez went 2 for 4 with a homer and a walk. Both players have OASIS over .900. Caceres also had a steal and Dauri Fernandez had 2 steals. Looking for Fernandez to have a big second half. The less said about Howler pitching in this game, the better but reliever Javy Torres looks good.

All other games were rained out yesterday as a strong front moved through the middle of the United States.

Wings' Azzi Fudd is back on track since Lynx's viral trolling originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Azzi Fudd has come out on the losing end of both head-to-head duels with Olivia Miles in the WNBA.

The second loss, a 100-76 defeat last Tuesday, was particularly brutal.

Fudd had a bad night from the floor and scored six points on 2-of-12 shooting. Making matters worse, the Minnesota Lynx's official X account trolled her with a side-by-side comparison of her stats with Miles'.

MORE: Wings make roster decision on Paige Bueckers' teammate that thins out guard depth

However, Fudd has responded nicely to that setback -- and entering Monday night's Commissioner's Cup tilt against the Las Vegas Aces, Fudd and the Dallas Wings will feel fairly good about where they are.

The Wings are 8-5 after splitting their two games since the Lynx loss. And Fudd has scored a combined 35 points while playing superb defense agains the Phoenix Mercury and the Portland Fire. 

Azzi Fudd this week:

17 PTS | 3 RBS | 4 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK
18 PTS | 4 RBS | 3 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK

🪽✨ pic.twitter.com/9hA68Bd6zY

— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) June 14, 2026

It is possible -- if not probable -- that Miles already has done enough to win the Rookie of the Year award. 

Miles even has been mentioned as a potential MVP candidate for her enormous impact on a Lynx team that has played all season without Napheesa Collier.

But after a slow start, Fudd is starting to put together an impressive rookie year of her own.

Fudd is averaging 12.4 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, 38 percent from 3-point land and nearly 86 percent from the free-throw line.

That she is in contention for a 50-40-90 season as a rookie who began her season on the bench says a whole lot about her skillset and offensive potential.

More than likely, Fudd is going to be just fine, and the top two picks of the 2026 draft will be dueling for years to come.

More WNBA news:

• Angel Reese interaction shows why Rhyne Howard is Dream's quiet leader

• How Caitlin Clark narrowly avoided her first career ejection in Fever's latest win

• Paige Bueckers had a hilarious reaction to a referee call during Wings game

• Brittney Griner passed a WNBA legend and keeps climbing the all-time rankings

Kylian Mbappé has outlined his determination to become a more complete player as France prepares for the upcoming World Cup, admitting in an interview with Le Parisien that he must improve his defensive contribution to help Les Bleus achieve their ultimate goal.

The Real Madrid star acknowledged that his game still has room for growth despite an already glittering résumé that includes a World Cup title, multiple domestic trophies, and a World Cup Golden Boot.

“I have to take another step forward defensively. I’ve always been demanding of myself, and I think I need to improve in that area. It’s important for the team, and I’m going to do it,” Mbappé said.

The French captain made it clear that his commitment to improving defensively is tied directly to France’s ambitions on the biggest stage.

“It has to start at this World Cup because we want to win it. I’m ready to do things right because I want it at all costs,” he added.

“I’d sign up to not score a single goal in exchange for winning the World Cup. I’d do it quickly,” Mbappé stated.

The forward is still carrying the pain of France’s dramatic defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. Although Mbappé produced one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup history, scoring a hat-trick in the final, France ultimately fell short in a penalty shootout.

Reflecting on that heartbreak, he admitted that the loss remains difficult to accept.

“It’s very difficult to lose a World Cup final. We did everything we could only end up losing on penalties. I don’t believe in luck; penalties are a technical skill, but they are still the cruellest way to lose a final,” Mbappé said.

One of the biggest favorites begins its World Championship campaign today. Against Cape Verde, the roles are very clearly defined. For many fans today, the only question is the margin of the opening win. Accordingly, the anticipation is already huge. Hours before kickoff, scenes like this were already unfolding in Atlanta. 

La Furio Roja will do everything it can to go after the second star in its history. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

It is a pretty wild time to be a Villanova basketball fan right now. Jalen Brunson just carried the Nova New York Knicks to an NBA Championship, coming away with the Finals MVP trophy after dropping 45 points(!) in Game 5. On top of that, head coach Kevin Willard just landed a massive commitment from 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo.

The program is all over the map in the best way, and Brunson’s title run is already changing how the basketball world views the next generation of players.

Top draft prospects are openly trying to copy the blueprint Brunson created. Projected top-10 draft pick Darius Acuff Jr. talked to ESPN about how the 6-foot-2 guard inspires smaller players who face doubts about their size.

“We [smaller guards] feel like we can go out there and play against anybody,” Acuff said. “I feel like I can hopefully do the same thing one day and it’s definitely inspiring to see.”

For the Villanova community, seeing top prospects quote Brunson feels incredibly rewarding. It was crazy how overlooked the Wildcat legend was coming out of college. Scouts saw him as a limited athlete with a “low ceiling,” with his size — or lack thereof — as one of the biggest hurdles.

But Acuff’s praise shows that Brunson’s impact stretches way past the Main Line, the Big East or even Madison Square Garden. He brought the under-sized lead guard back in a big way.

It’s hard not to see similar Brunson-style traits in Acuff. NBA scouts describe him as a powerful guard who plays much bigger than his height. Front offices used to obsess over finding long, tall point guards…. but length and size doesn’t always translate.

For every Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton there’s a Michael Carter-Williams and Dante Exum.

Brunson proved that footwork, high-basketball IQ, and unrivaled drive matter way more than what the tape measure reads. The 29-year-old (finally) won a ring for New York, and he simultaneously created the master plan for the next wave of “small” guards coming into the league.

After Manchester United, Wilf McGuinness’ next job was Aris, followed by Panachaiki, also in Greece. His only other permanent managerial post was at York City. After leaving Old Trafford, Frank O’Farrell went to Cardiff and then on an eclectic journey to Iran, Torquay, Al Shaab and Torquay again.

All of which has an added pertinence now, more than half a century after their reigns ended. For Ruben Amorim, the next destination on the footballing map feels altogether more glamorous: AC Milan, making him a successor to Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, Nereo Rocco and Carlo Ancelotti. At Old Trafford, however, Amorim was not so much the new Matt Busby or Sir Alex Ferguson as arguably the worst United manager since World War Two, an unwanted tag that may otherwise have rested with McGuinness or O’Farrell. They were tarnished by disappointments as Busby’s successors. Their careers never recovered.

Amorim’s overall win percentage with United was 38.1; but that was inflated by a Europa League run. In the league, it was a mere 31.9 per cent. Only McGuinness, at 29.2 per cent, has fared worse in the last eight decades. The historic markers, whether of United’s lowest league finish in half a century or the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby, may be sufficiently fresh in Mancunian memories that they do not require raking over.

And yet, they may not have been a deterrent to the Rossoneri. This, admittedly, is not the Milan of the seven European Cups; not when they limped in fifth in Serie A. But there are elements of the task that feel familiar, to revive a fallen giant, to take them back into the Champions League, to lend modernity.

So one interpretation of Amorim’s move to San Siro is to say that Milan blamed the Portuguese’s failure at Old Trafford on United. He is not alone in floundering there; indeed their shortlist seemed to comprise Old Trafford alumni with Ralf Rangnick, an unsuccessful interim in Manchester but with admirers in Lombardy, instead opting to extend his contract with Austria.

The argument in Amorim’s defence was that United was too dysfunctional for anyone to succeed, however, has been rather rebuffed by Michael Carrick (current win percentage: 70) who has prospered in part by being the antithesis of Amorim. Some of the failings can be traced directly to Amorim. Whatever difficulties Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal or David Moyes had, they never took United to such depths.

Part of United’s essential error in appointing Amorim was that, while they deemed him the best young coach in Europe, he got out-coached with great regularity in a division featuring many of the world’s top 50 managers. It was a regular occurrence to watch a match, see one expertly-drilled side and another that looked less well configured. United were the latter.

Which adds intrigue to his arrival in Italy. Many a footballing cliche can contain an element of truth. It is a generalisation that Italian managers have a tactical expertise, but many do. Can Amorim outmanoeuvre them?

The slower pace of play in Serie A may suit him; his United could be rattled by some of the Premier League’s quicker sides. It may help, too, that he is coming to an outlier of a division, where playing three at the back is fashionable. Cristian Chivu, Simone Inzaghi and Antonio Conte have all won Serie A with back-three formations. Amorim’s system looks more a case of evolution than revolution for Milan: the sacked Massimiliano Allegri played 3-5-2 last season, which is at least closer to Amorim’s 3-4-3.

But the Portuguese’s inflexibility and stubborn obsession with his shape showed some of his limitations. Others came in the sort of matches United – and Milan – need to win. Some of Amorim’s better results in England occurred when an underdog: Amorim’s record against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City was respectable, considering his struggles against many a mid-table team. One, intriguingly, was Bournemouth; Andoni Iraola was one of the managers of smaller clubs to prosper against him and then, until hired by Liverpool, seemed to rank above him in Milan’s thinking.

Iraola is at the forefront of the pressing revolution in a way Amorim is not. If Allegri, despite his six Scudetti, came to look outdated last year, is Amorim a more contemporary choice? Or is history just repeating itself at San Siro? Because 2024-25 was a season of Portuguese managers, but Milan sacked both Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao.

One of the unresolved questions about Amorim is whether he can manage in a more even league. It is why it is a surprise he has reemerged in a division as competitive as Serie A. His reputation was forged in Portugal where the gulf in resources between the big three and the rest created mismatches. Terrific as his record with Sporting Lisbon was, perhaps it stemmed less than it seemed from tactical or training-ground excellence.

But they will be required in Italy. United will watch on from afar with interest. There will be some relief in the accounts department that he is returning to employment. United will make a substantial financial saving: they had factored in a £16m cost of paying Amorim and his backroom staff for the remainder of their contracts.

There may be the potential for some embarrassment at Old Trafford if Amorim proves the man to revive Milan. But if not, he could always head to York or Torquay.

Arsenal are set-piece masters, and no club supplied more players for England's World Cup squad than the Gunners - so it is understandable that Thomas Tuchel will look to play to the Premier League champions' strengths.

Here in the United States, Mikel Arteta's dedication to perfecting Arsenal's routines is an approach England head coach Tuchel is looking to replicate.

In a tournament environment, when the margins can be so small, Tuchel is keen to take a leaf out of the Arsenal playbook that he admires, and has impressed on his players the importance of exploiting dead-ball situations.

Arsenal landed their first Premier League title in 22 years in May and were within a penalty shootout of winning their first Champions League.

With that level of success in mind, it is entirely understandable that set-pieces have emerged as a key focus in training sessions since England's arrival in the USA.

There are certainly experts in the field among Tuchel's likely starters.

Declan Rice is one of the most adept ball strikers in European football – his corners have proved a major threat for Arsenal, certainly in the previous two seasons.

You can expect Rice, who is guaranteed to start at the World Cup, to be one of England's designated specialists.

Chelsea's Reece James, who is expected to start the tournament as England's first-choice right-back, is another likely to be high on the list of Tuchel's takers.

The England boss knows all about James' abilities, having coached the defender during his time in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Bukayo Saka's dead-ball prowess is also viewed as a major asset by Tuchel, even if there is concern inside the England camp about having to manage the Arsenal forward through the start of the tournament with his ongoing tendonitis complaint.

The physical make-up of England's squad adds to the set-piece threat.

From the 10 outfield players that started against Costa Rica on Wednesday, just two - James and Elliot Anderson - are under 6ft tall.

Cubs acquire former Reds reliever in trade with Mariners originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Cubs acquired a right-handed reliever from the Seattle Mariners on Monday. 

This is not a flashy move but adds to Chicago's bullpen depth. 

According to Francys Romero, Yosver Zuleta was dealt from the Mariners to the Cubs in exchange for a minor leaguer and cash. 

Zuleta, 28, was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week. He did not make a Major League appearance with the AL West club. 

"Chicago becomes the latest club to see if a fix can be found for Zulueta’s control issues," Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors wrote Monday. "There’s no real risk for the Cubs in using a 40-man spot as a flier on Zulueta, and he bring a live arm and some big league experience to a bullpen depth chart that has been stretched by injuries this season." 

Limiting walks will be key for Zuleta

Zuleta walked 16.3% of the batters he faced in 20.1 innings this year at Triple-A Tacoma. Limiting free passes will be key for him if he wants to see action in the Majors with the Cubs. 

MORE: Mets projected to still sell at trade deadline by ex-MLB GM

He made his MLB debut in 2024 with the Cincinnati Reds and pitched for parts of two seasons with the NL Central club. 

In 23.2 innings with the Reds, Zuleta allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits while recording 25 strikeouts. 

More MLB news:

• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
• Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency
• Cubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM
• Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution
• Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

Bournemouth face a deadline today to decide whether to trigger their €17 million purchase option on Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas, with the Greek international’s future set to be resolved imminently in a decision that carries significant financial implications for the Roman club.

According to Il Tempo, via Radiosei, confirmation of the purchase would represent a major step towards Lazio meeting their economic targets for the summer, potentially sparing them from more painful player sales elsewhere in the squad.

ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 26: Ivan Provedel of Lazio gestures during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Juventus FC at Stadio Olimpico on October 26, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Provedel’s expected Inter exit could convince Lazio to hold firm on Mandas valuation

The decision is complicated by circumstances at both clubs.

Bournemouth, despite their Europa League qualification under Marco Rose, saw Mandas fail to make a single Premier League appearance last season due to the outstanding form of Djordje Petrovic.

The English side are understood to be hoping to negotiate a reduced fee rather than pay the full option price.

For Lazio, however, selling Mandas becomes less attractive if Ivan Provedel departs, with Inter expected to complete a move for the Italian.

Should Provedel leave, Mandas would have a genuine opportunity to fight for the number one shirt at the Olimpico, giving Lazio every reason to drive a hard bargain.

Major League Baseball has revealed its Fourth of July uniforms for 2026, and the league is fully embracing America’s 250th birthday.

Subtlety is not the aim this year.

The kits are bold in red, white and blue, fitting for a summer when sport has become one of the loudest stages for the USA 250 celebration.

MLB USA 250 jerseys give first patriotic look

Early images of the collection show off the special Independence Day design that every MLB club is expected to wear on July 4.

“Here is a first look at the brand new uniforms being worn on the 4th of July.”

According to MLB’s official release, all teams will wear newly designed Nike jerseys with stars-and-stripes-themed numbers, along with red, white, and blue New Era caps and Stance socks. A USA 250 patch will be featured on jersey sleeves and on the side of caps.

Retail images on MLB Shop and Sports Illustrated’s breakdown showcased examples like Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers jersey, Aaron Judge’s Yankees jersey, Bryce Harper’s Phillies jersey, and Juan Soto’s Mets jersey. I could not verify a Mike Trout Dodgers mock-up, and official retail listings still have Trout with the Angels, so Ohtani remains the safest Dodgers example.

The same patriotic style will carry over into All-Star Week in Philadelphia, with Home Run Derby participants wearing stars-and-stripes numbers and the All-Star Game itself featuring the USA 250 sleeve patch.

Trump’s sports push makes the USA 250 a bigger stage

MLB’s uniforms are just one part of a wider sporting push around the semiquincentennial. Donald Trump has been a visible force behind much of it, from UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn to his appearance at Knicks-Spurs Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

UFC Freedom 250 was the clearest example. Held on Trump’s 80th birthday, the event brought the USA 250 celebration directly to the White House grounds, turning the South Lawn into a temporary fight venue.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has also become part of the broader anniversary calendar, with USA 250 events happening alongside the tournament.

That is why MLB’s jerseys feel bigger than the typical holiday alternate. Baseball already brands itself as America’s national pastime, and now it is joining the same patriotic lane as UFC, FIFA, and the NBA spotlight that followed Trump to Madison Square Garden.

Not every institution frames its plans around Trump personally, but the direction is clear. Major US sports are recognizing the national moment he has pushed publicly, and MLB’s July 4 jerseys may become the most visible uniform symbol of it.

Read more:

Wolves hired Cesar Peixoto as their new manager on Monday after sacking Rob Edwards following their relegation from the Premier League.

Peixoto arrives from Portuguese club Gil Vicente on a two-year contract, with the deal subject to work permit regulations.

The 46-year-old has coached several clubs in his native Portugal and caught the eye of Wolves' owners after leading Gil Vicente to a sixth place finish in the Primeira Liga last season.

"I'm proud to be here at this big, historic club in England. It's a big opportunity for me and I'm prepared to do everything to put Wolves where it belongs in the Premier League," Peixoto said.

"We have great players, but I think the team can improve a lot with me and I can improve as a technical head coach."

Edwards was sacked last week after just seven months in charge at Molineux, with Wolves claiming the decision would provide them with a better chance of returning to the Premier League.

Wolves, who last played in the second tier in 2018, finished bottom of the Premier League with just three wins from their 38 league games.

"We wanted clear identity, strong leadership qualities and a real hunger to succeed. Cesar demonstrated all of those characteristics, but what impressed me most was his mentality, his work ethic and his willingness to embrace the challenge in front of him," Wolves executive chairman Nathan Shi said.

"We believe he will be an excellent fit for the culture and vision we are building at Wolves."

smg/iwd

Spain vs. Cape Verde free live stream: How to watch World Cup game online without cable originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The wait is officially over — the 2026 FIFA World Cup is here. Spain and Cape Verde will go head-to-head on June 15 in Group H's first matchup.

Amongst all the global soccer giants, Spain is the country to watch this summer. As the reigning European champions, Luis de la Fuente's men are expected to make a deep run into the tournament, and potentially even hoist the trophy for the first time since 2010.

Lining up on the other side of the pitch will be Cape Verde, making history with its debut at the World Cup. It's been a long time coming for the island nation, but the team's grit and resilience were on full display during an impressive campaign in the African (CAF) qualifiers. 

Who will secure a win in the group's first matchup?

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of Spain vs. Cape Verde, including how to watch the match and kickoff times.

Spain vs. Cape Verde free live stream

This game is available to stream for FREE on fubo. 

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Spain vs. Cape Verde live stream, TV channel

• TV channel: Fox
• Live stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/website

This match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.

The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up a for a FREE trial.

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

What time does Spain vs. Cape Verde start?

This World Cup clash kicks off Monday, June 15, at Noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here's how that time translates across the United States timezones:

World Cup schedule today and tomorrow

All times Eastern.

Monday, June 15

• Spain vs. Cape Verde (Noon)
• Belgium vs. Egypt (3 p.m.)
• Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (6 p.m.)
• Iran vs. New Zealand (9 p.m.)

Tuesday, June 16

• France vs. Senegal (3 p.m.)
• Iraq vs. Norway (6 p.m.)
• Argentina vs. Algeria (9 p.m.)

MORE:Complete World Cup schedule and fixtures

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2026 FIFA World Cup FAQs

When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 through July 19, 2026. It will be the first World Cup hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup being played?

The 2026 World Cup will be played across 16 host cities in North America, with matches taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first men’s World Cup hosted by three countries.

The 16 host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle in the United States; Toronto and Vancouver in Canada; and Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.

How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team format used in previous tournaments. The larger field also means more matches, more knockout-round games and more countries involved than ever before.

The 48 teams are Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Czechia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

How many games are in the 2026 World Cup?

There will be 104 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That includes the group stage, knockout rounds and the final.

Can I stream the 2026 World Cup?

Yes. Streaming options will depend on the match, language and broadcast partner. In the U.S., Fox Sports lists FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for English-language coverage, while Telemundo will stream every match live on Peacock and the Telemundo App for Spanish-language coverage.

What channel is the 2026 World Cup on?

In the U.S., English-language matches are expected across FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for those without cable, while Spanish-language coverage will air on Telemundo and Universo, which you can stream on DIRECTV and Peacock. Check the schedule for the specific match you want to watch.

When is the 2026 World Cup final?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026. The match will be played at New York-New Jersey Stadium, FIFA’s tournament name for MetLife Stadium.

What time do World Cup games start?

Kickoff times vary by date, host city and round. Because the tournament is being played across multiple time zones in the United States, Canada and Mexico, fans should check the official match schedule for start times in their local time zone.

Is the United States playing in the 2026 World Cup?

Yes. The United States automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of the three host nations, along with Canada and Mexico. 

The Chicago Sky's newest social media sensation has barely played this season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Sky have no shortage of recognizable names on their roster. Kamilla Cardoso continues to establish herself as one of the league's rising stars. Veterans and young contributors alike are helping shape the franchise's future. As the Sky prepare for a Wednesday showdown against the defending champion New York Liberty, most of the attention remains focused on what happens between the lines.

Yet one of the team's most talked-about players over the past week hasn't been a regular part of the rotation. Instead, it has been rookie guard Saylor Poffenbarger, who has become an unexpected social media sensation despite barely seeing the floor this season.

The former Maryland standout has appeared in just four games for Chicago and is averaging approximately five minutes per contest. Nevertheless, a recent viral tunnel photo has helped introduce her to a much wider audience.

Saylor Poffenbarger! 📸🪄 pic.twitter.com/iipCVTZG5c

— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) June 11, 2026

Poffenbarger is gaining attention far beyond the box score

The buzz started after images of Poffenbarger arriving at a Sky game began circulating online. One photo in particular quickly took off on social media, generating thousands of reactions and comments from basketball fans across multiple platforms.

As often happens with WNBA tunnel fashion, the conversation quickly expanded beyond basketball. Some fans admitted they weren't familiar with Poffenbarger's game before seeing the photos. Others joked that they might need to start paying closer attention to Chicago's games.

The reactions weren't all focused on basketball, either. Many comments centered on her growing popularity and appearance, creating the type of viral moment that can significantly increase a player's profile almost overnight.

While tunnel fashion has become a major part of WNBA culture, it is still relatively rare for a player with such a limited on-court role to generate this much attention. That is what makes Poffenbarger's rise particularly interesting.

MORE: Paige Bueckers had a hilarious reaction to a referee call during Wings game

The undrafted rookie is still waiting for her opportunity

Behind the viral moment is a player still trying to establish herself in the league. Poffenbarger went undrafted in the 2026 WNBA Draft before eventually signing a hardship contract with Chicago. The 6-foot-2 guard arrived with a strong basketball pedigree after spending her college career at Maryland.

Making a WNBA roster is difficult enough. Breaking into a consistent rotation can be even tougher.

Chicago's roster features several established players competing for minutes, making opportunities scarce for newcomers. Through four appearances, Poffenbarger has averaged just five minutes per game as she continues to learn and develop at the professional level.Still, every practice and every game presents another chance to prove she belongs.

Players throughout WNBA history have turned limited opportunities into larger roles, and organizations are constantly evaluating talent behind the scenes.

Wednesday could bring another opportunity

The Sky face one of their biggest challenges of the season on Wednesday when they take on the New York Liberty. Whether Poffenbarger sees meaningful action remains to be seen, but her recent surge in popularity means more fans will likely be paying attention if she does.

For now, she remains a player known more for a viral moment than a statistical breakthrough. But that's also part of what makes her story compelling. Most rookies struggle to gain recognition when they aren't playing major minutes. Poffenbarger has managed to do exactly that.

As Chicago prepares for a nationally watched matchup against New York, the rookie enters the spotlight in an unexpected way. She may be averaging only five minutes per game, but few players on the Sky have generated as much social media conversation recently.

Now the question becomes whether that attention eventually translates into a larger role on the court.

More WNBA news:

• Dream basically unbeatable when Angel Reese does one particular thing
• Brittney Griner passed a WNBA legend and keeps climbing the all-time rankings
• Caitlin Clark joins Tamika Catchings in exclusive Fever history after monster night
• Aaliyah Edwards set to get hit with a WNBA penalty, but that's not the whole story
• Cheryl Reeve's latest Coach of the Year buzz comes down to one surprising factor
• WNBA coach needed police escort after heated Angel Reese moment spiraled out of control

Are the Boston Celtics trying to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? And is Jaylen Brown involved? These two questions have been floating around in the NBA media sphere in the last week as rumors have connected the Milwaukee Bucks big man to the star Celtics forward as Boston has supposedly emerged as a competitor for the Greek Freak's services via trade.

But even the most trusted sources appear to be heavily couching their language regarding the actual level of Boston's involvement, and fewer still have any strong words regarding the potential inclusion of Brown as the primary attraction for the Bucks. And while we are on such a topic, would Milwaukee even want Brown on their team right now given where they are in their contention arc?

The folks behind the "WEEI Boston Sports Original" YouTube channel put together a clip from their "Greg Hill Show" taking a closer look. Check it out below!

Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:

Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp

iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47

YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Are the Celtics trying to trade for Giannis? And is Jaylen Brown involved?

Phillies linked to .748 OPS Cardinals outfielder who doesn't make sense as a trade target originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies, with the injury to Adolis Garcia that's very likely to be season-ending, make the team's outfield need that much greater this summer.

Dave Dombrowski and company have a little under two months to make a trade for outfield help, with the August 3 deadline steadily approaching. There are plenty of names worth considering for the Phillies this summer in a trade.

CBS Sports' Dayn Perry linked the Phillies to .748 OPS St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar. But while the Phillies need outfield help badly, Nootbaar would not make sense as someone to target in a trade.

Phillies' link to Lars Nootbaar trade doesn't make sense

"3. Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals. Nootbaar's off to a scorching start after his return from bilateral heel surgery," Perry writes. "That condition almost certainly dragged down his numbers last season, and he's been in peak form and then some since coming back. Will the Cardinals part with the popular fly-catcher?"

Even though Nootbaar might be an outfielder who is also under club control through the 2027 season, he doesn't make much sense for the Phillies to trade for.

The issue is very simple: Nootbaar is a left-handed hitter. That's not something the Phillies need to add with their three best hitters in Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh all being left-handed hitters.

They lost Garcia, a right-handed hitter, just as he was picking up the pace offensively. Even before his injury, they had a dire need for right-handed-hitting outfielders.

MORE: Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Byron Buxton, or Mike Trout would make a lot more sense, even if the cost is greater than Nootbaar, as they're the right-handed hitters this team needs.

Sure, Nootbaar would help this team, with his .748 OPS in his career and .793 OPS this season being fairly solid numbers offensively. But, he's a lefty hitter, not a righty.

Trading for Nootbaar, especially since the price for the Cardinals outfielder won't be cheap, would be a mistake for the Phillies.

Instead, they need to explore right-handed hitting outfielders, or if they go after a left-handed hitter, it needs to be someone better than Nootbaar against left-handed pitching, as his .696 OPS vs. lefties isn't good enough.

More MLB news:

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
• Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency
• Cubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM
• Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution

World Cup fever is taking over again, and David Beckham and his mum have now become part of the fun through McDonald’s latest football promotion.

McDonald’s are leaning into the tournament with a collector’s item offer tied to McDelivery and pickup orders. Beckham is one of the football names involved, which made it even funnier when his own mum Sandra opened her cup.

She did not give the reaction most people would expect. Instead of being delighted to pull a cup with her son on it, she made it very clear there was another legendary player she had been hoping for.

David Beckham’s mum jokes she wanted Thierry Henry instead of her son

The promotion gives customers the chance to get one of nine collectible cups with their meal. The cups feature Lamine Yamal, Son Heung-min, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Alphonso Davies, Christian Pulisic, Santiago Gimenez or Grimace.

In the clip posted to Instagram, Beckham’s mum opens the cup to find her son’s face staring back at her.

Most parents would probably see that as the ideal outcome, but she had other ideas.

“Oh no, I wanted Thierry,” she said.

In fairness, Henry is not a bad choice.

The former Arsenal and France forward won the World Cup in 1998 and was part of the squad that reached the final again in 2006.

Beckham, meanwhile, played at three World Cups for England and produced plenty of iconic moments, but never managed to lift the trophy.

Sebastian Priaulx said he learned a lot from his first Le Mans 24-hour race with Ford.

The Guernsey driver, 25, and teammates Eric Powell and Ben Tuck were forced to retire from the race after just over 17-and-a-half hours with a gearbox issue.

Their Ford Mustang finished 21st in the LMGT3 class and 57th overall at the historic day-long race in France.

Priaulx is part of the Ford project hoping to race the top-tier hypercar category at Le Mans in 2027 and go for the overall title.

"To be able to get this experience this year is priceless - even though we didn't win it was still good for me to learn that track and just compete in that race," he told BBC Radio Guernsey

"It's a 'pinch me' moment really because it's one of those races that not many people get to do - you can't go there any day of the week and drive around it so it's one of those races [where] you take every bit you can from it.

"I still loved the whole week, we had a good time and I learned a lot."

• Priaulx targeting Le Mans win with Ford in 2027

Priaulx was at the wheel when his team opted to retire the car during the race.

While he was frustrated at not being able to finish he felt he and his teammates did all they could around the historic French track.

"We had a good pace at the start of the race, that was quiet promising, and then in the night when it cooled down a bit for some reason our car just didn't work so well, we lost a bit of overall grip and other people just came alive," he added.

"We didn't ultimately have the pace to win, it wouldn't have been a winning race just due to some circumstances that were out of our hands, but we did what we could.

"I was in the car with about seven hours to go and the team told me to pit because the engine gearbox temperature was rising too high, and unfortunately that was due to a leak in the gearbox.

"A mechanical failure is annoying, but it ultimately didn't affect our position too much really, but it would have been nice to have finished the race because it is a very historic and privileged event."

WASHINGTON (AP) — By the time Justin Gaethje pummeled his bloodied foe to a pulp and celebrated a championship win with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shook hands with President Donald Trump — and even fist-bumped Melania — this much about his company's future was clear to the ultimate boss of UFC.

Just say no to the White House.

“It was an amazing, experience, this was a one-of one,” UFC CEO Dana White said.

“It will never happen again.”

Oh, not because the show dubbed Freedom 250 and ostensibly held to celebrate Trump's 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing wasn't by White's accounts a smashing success. He crowed about merchandise sales and streaming service subscriptions and how UFC surpassed its goals in every metric he could list at a press conference that stretched well into dawn's early light.

And the setting?

Forget it, almost impossible to top on a night where fighters essentially treated their walk-outs like they were kids on a class trip. The all-male lineup toured the West Wing, the Oval Office, past presidential portraits, through the Roosevelt Room, the Cabinet Room — and the winners even got a meet-and-greet with Trump.

Gaethje skimmed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Oval Office and said a prayer before he made the unusually long walk to the cage. Gaethje battered Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria in the main event and won the UFC lightweight title.

“Usually, I kind of blank out when it comes to getting ready to walk to the cage,” Gaethje said. “It was pretty crazy, looking at the Declaration of Independence. The original one. Their language was different. I'm not smart enough to read that.”

Gaethje also banked a whopping $825,000 in bonus money for winning “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors.

Trump stayed until the end of the seven-card show and generally seemed engaged with the fights — at one point he put on a white “USA” baseball cap — and certainly was all smiles each time a fighter who had a hand raised in victory then used it on a handshake with the president.

Trump boasted on Truth Social the night was “PERFECT!”

“Most people have never seen anything like that kind of human speed and power before,” Trump posted. “The White House has never looked more beautiful. The setting was unsurpassed!”

There were few blips on the big night and the blemishes that did happen were at the expense of UFC's two more problematic fighters.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse watch party attended by thousands more fans by a group of police officers. Heavyweight Josh Hokit took it further with an extraordinary and unfounded attack based on a right-wing conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama.

For all the handwringing ahead of the card, the show delivered on the star-spangled smackdown that featured pulsating patriotism from the Marine Band, tributes to first-responders, active military, and other White House designated heroes. Gaethje and Ciryl Gane were crowned champions inside a blood-splattered eight-sided cage plopped in the open air right in the people's house backyard on the South Lawn.

Blood-and-guts were a mandate before an American fighter wrapped himself in the flag.

“Hopefully tonight created some unity,” White said as he put on his hyperbolic promoter's hat. “Even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn't. This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday. For people who tuned in for the first time, because it was at the White House, hopefully they liked the sport. They liked some of the guy's stories.”

So maybe some new fans stick around.

After all, International Fight Week is right around the corner with UFC 329 set to mark the return after a five-year break of the company's biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor.

That fight will be held in a more traditional arena back on UFC's home turf in Las Vegas, just as they will for years and years to come.

But despite all the pomp and pageantry, the eyerolls and angst, White stands by his claim that UFC is one-and-done in D.C.

The constant headaches over weather concerns in the rare outdoors show, the logistics of construction of the cage and staging events at federal landmarks and the soaring cost — UFC said it was footing the $60 million tab — made the Freedom 250 a one-off for a company once dubbed “human cockfighting."

“I can’t afford it," White said. "I’ll never do the Sphere again and we’ll never do this again.”

___

AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

Star running back Kenneth Walker III has a great chance to rush for 1,000 yards during his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Walker steps into Andy Reid's offense after winning Super Bowl MVP honors with the Seattle Seahawks at the end of last season. The Memphis native rushed for 1,000 yards for the second time in his career in 2025 and appears poised to do so again next season.

The Chiefs have an offensive line that will aid Walker in accumulating volume yardage on the ground next season. Kansas City has three-time All-Pro center Creed Humphrey in the middle of their offensive line to free up holes for Walker in the A-gaps in 2026.

The Chiefs also have star right guard Trey Smith, who will help free up the right side of the field for his new star running back in 2026.

Kansas City ran the ball 450 times last season, good for No. 13 overall in the NFL. However, Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads a strong passing attack that will allow Kansas City to change pace well next season.

ESPN’s Mike Clay projects Walker to rush for 1,233 yards in 2026 on 276 carries, making him a prime candidate to achieve the 1,000-yard feat again next season.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Can Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker rush for 1,000 yards in 2026?

Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss the fallout from UFC Freedom 250.

The event at the White House on Sunday provided some unexpected results, a little controversy, and laid the groundwork for the next potentially couple years in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions. In the headliner, Justin Gaehtje pulled off a stunner with a finish of 6-1 favorite Ilia Topuria to become the unified lightweight champion — and now arguably one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. In the co-feature, Alex Pereira fell short of potential GOAT glory when he was destroyed by Ciryl Gane, who became the interim heavyweight champion a second time.

We'll break down all the insanity around the highly political event, despite what its supporters said, and all the results, and we'll squeeze in some tertiary discussions of the UFC's next show and the rest of the combat sports world, to boot.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: What's next after UFC White House stunners?

Bill Simmons Reveals Unexpected Take On Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Many Boston Celtics fans are excited about the idea of their team potentially trading for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but not Bill Simmons.

Simmons, who recently revealed on his podcast that the Celtics have made a trade offer for Antetokounmpo, was surprisingly lukewarm about the possibility of the two-time NBA MVP joining his favorite basketball team if it involves giving up Jaylen Brown.

"I don’t know if [Boston trading for Giannis is] a great idea. I wish I was more excited about it," Simmons said on his podcast. "Part of me hopes Miami just gets him and they try to figure out how to make the Tatum/Brown thing work. These guys played together nine years. That would be my preference."

“I don’t know if [Boston trading for Giannis is] a great idea. I wish I was more excited about it. Part of me hopes Miami just gets him & they try to figure out how to make the Tatum/Brown thing work. These guys played together 9 years—That would be my preference.” - @BillSimmonspic.twitter.com/3VSVX5oBCU

— Dru (@dru_star) June 14, 2026

Simmons' co-host, Zach Lowe, agreed with him, saying trading Brown for Antetokounmpo could be "a lateral move."

To Simmons' point, Brown is two years younger than Antetokounmpo and more durable. He's also a better 3-point shooter, has proven he can handle playing in Boston and has already won a championship alongside Jayson Tatum.

Brown is a safer bet with a slightly lower ceiling, while Antetokounmpo would bring more risk and potentially more reward at this stage of his career.

The Miami Heat are in the mix for Antetokounmpo as well, so perhaps Simmons will get his wish and Brown will stick around.

More NBA: There's Only One Player Celtics Aren't Willing To Trade For Giannis Antetokounmpo

Dana White had a message for Josh Hokit after UFC Freedom 250.

After knocking out Derrick Lewis in the fourth fight of the evening on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night, Hokit seized his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan to credit President Trump for “having the balls” to stage the event, deliver a crude remark about the mother of Alex Pereira, and land on “Michele Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

Josh Hokit just called Michelle Obama a man in front of Donald Trump at the White House pic.twitter.com/NiOqsxp2Fm

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 15, 2026

Rogan, who responded to Hokit’s transphobic remarks about Brittney Griner at UFC 324 in January by laughing and framing Griner as merely “catching strays,” declined to challenge any of it.

White did.

“I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White told TIME’s Sean Gregory in a text message. “Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

It’s a more substantive response than what White offered after the Griner remarks, when “I didn’t love it” was the full extent of his public position that stopped well short of doing anything about it. Hokit went on to beat Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in Miami in April, and that performance was compelling enough that White overrode his own misgivings and added Hokit to the White House card as a last-minute opponent for Lewis, after Trump personally asked why Lewis had been left off the lineup.

That sequence of decisions put Hokit on the South Lawn with a microphone, and he used it the same way he has used every microphone the UFC has handed him.

What Hokit did on Sunday night was not the unhinged improvisation of a fighter drunk on adrenaline. Instead, it was a calculated, premeditated act of bigotry executed on the most symbolically resonant piece of real estate in the country, before a national television audience, with the implicit blessing of everyone who put him there. There is no free speech principle capacious enough to launder what it actually was: a man using the White House lawn as a stage to traffic in transphobic slurs against a Black woman, to the delight of a crowd that had been primed for exactly this kind of performance.

White knew exactly who he was booking. He booked him anyway, at the explicit request of the President of the United States, for an event that was billed as a celebration all Americans could enjoy. Hokit made sure that wasn’t true.

The post Dana White denounces Josh Hokit’s ‘nasty’ Michelle Obama slur appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Hawks, Bulls named top landing spots for unplayable $16 million Lakers center originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers have more disappointing assets on their roster than they’d likely be willing to admit. 

It certainly isn’t ideal, but the good news is the Los Angeles Lakers are actively looking to move on from two contributors that frankly have no business competing with the Lakers in 2026-27 and beyond: Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt (via a report from NBA insider Evan Sidery).

Additionally, there’s a chance the Lakers’ unplayable 7-foot center, Deandre Ayton, could opt out of his $8.1 million player option and enter free agency, which could allow Los Angeles to move on from him after one year.

If that scenario materializes, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus believes that the Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bullscould take Ayton off the Lakers’ hands this summer.

“Staying with size, Ayton could be one of the best available centers on the market, should he choose to forgo his $8.1 million option for 2026-27 with the Los Angeles Lakers.” Pincus wrote Saturday. “Similar to Andrew Wiggins, Ayton should be able to quietly gauge interest before making the decision.”

“If there's no offer above $8.1 million coming, he can safely opt in to another year in L.A., though the team could choose to trade him. Another possibility is opting out and re-signing with the Lakers for up to $9.7 million via his rights, or at a higher figure with cap room or an available exception, depending on how the team approaches the summer.”

“Still, several teams need a starting center. The Atlanta Hawks like Onyeka Okongwu, but may prefer him in a bench role. The Chicago Bulls have significant cap room and no centers under contract.”

The Lakers probably couldn't care less about which team snags Ayton in the offseason, as long as he departs Los Angeles and ends the nightmare that no one saw coming. It’s hard to take it easy on a player who regularly exhibits half-hearted effort and doesn't impose his will on either end of the floor despite being immensely talented.

The fact that it got to a point where JJ Redick could be seen uttering ‘I can’t play him’ against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals makes Ayton’s impact on the hardwood crystal clear (and it isn’t positive).

Ayton, who averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game with the Lakers this season, shouldn't be back with Los Angeles for another season.

More NBA news:

• Spurs predicted to outbid Warriors for $101 million Lakers star, four-time NBA champion

• Lakers rumor is good news for Luka Doncic, bad news for LeBron James

• Lakers predicted to cut ties with Dalton Knecht, acquire $175 million two-time MVP

Monday, June 15, 11:15 a.m.

Cabo Verde faces Spain, and Fan Fest energy

A plane full of Cabo Verde fans touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this weekend to cheer on their underdog team as they face off against Spain today at noon.

The match will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For those without tickets, Centennial Olympic Park offers a free public watch party at FIFA Fan Festival, or you can watch on Fox.

At the FIFA Fan Festival on Sunday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens joined local residents and fans from around the world to celebrate the start of the games.

“Families were out, kids were playing soccer, fans from around the world were exploring Downtown, and the energy was exactly what we’ve been preparing for,” Dickens posted on Instagram. “If this opening weekend is any sign of what’s ahead, we’re going to have an incredible summer.”

Dickens has said the city expects between 300,000-500,000 visitors during the 34-day tournament.

You can watch all matches at Centennial Park while also enjoying live events, games, and guest appearances. Fans can also hit the Decatur MARTA station for another free watch party featuring three screens.

Today’s opening match is the first of eight games to be played in the city. Check out our listing of other events!

The post 2026 World Cup Updates: What’s Happening in Atlanta appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.

Bud Cauley has officially removed his name from one of the most unwanted lists in golf after winning the RBC Canadian Open.

With a 17-under 263, Cauley claimed a two-shot victory at TPC Toronto for his first career win on the PGA Tour.

The American won on his 239th career start, before which he was ranked fifth among active players with the most starts without a win.

Cauley has now finally emerged victorious and removed his name from that unwanted PGA Tour list, which is topped by Patrick Rodgers.

Patrick Rodgers has zero wins from 330 PGA Tour starts

From his 330 starts on the PGA Tour, 33-year-old American Rodgers has yet to claim a win.

The figure places him comfortably ahead of Mark Hubbard in second with 277, followed by Beau Hossler in third with 245.

Sam Ryder is fourth in the unwanted list with 240, with Cauley now no longer in fifth place thanks to his success in Toronto.

It’s an unfortunate position to be in for Rodgers, who has finished as runner-up four times throughout his career.

Patrick Rodgers’ PGA Tour history

Rodgers has indeed come agonizingly close to winning on the PGA Tour over the years, having lost twice in playoffs.

He was beaten by Charles Howell III at The RSM Classic in 2019, and suffered the same fate against Akshay Bhatia at the 2023 Barracuda Championship.

Rodgers has also finished third five times, and has 15 top fives, 31 top 10s and 81 top 25s to his name.

He has made 208 of 330 cuts, earning $20,714,284 on the PGA Tour since joining in 2015.

Rodgers has certainly been busy in 2026, where he has made 18 starts and claimed his best result by finishing third at the Sony Open at the very start of the season.

The US Open immediately follows the RBC Canadian Open in the PGA Tour schedule, with Shinnecock Hills playing host to the major championship.

Read more:

Emotional Bud Cauley speaks after winning the RBC Canadian Open as Justin Thomas reacts

Bud Cauley comments on the fans on the 14th hole at TPC Toronto after winning the Canadian Open

Justin Thomas’ tweet should send clear message to Brian Rolapp for the PGA Tour’s future

It’s only been some weeks since the end of the 2025-26 season, and Real Madrid have already made several moves to reinforce their team for their next project, which is set to be headed by Jose Mourinho. The Merengues have completed several signings, including Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, and Bernardo Silva, even though officially, they have only announced the signings of Mourinho himself and Marc Cucurella.

The remaining, and other new signings that the club might make in the meantime, announcements are set to be made after the end of the World Cup. In addition to these new additions, another official announcement that the Vikings fans would be waiting eagerly for would be that for the renewal of Antonio Rudiger.

Meanwhile, most of the work in this operation seems to have already been done. An indication of this was given by the defender himself as he talked to the media after Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao in the World Cup, a match in which the center-back came in only as a substitute.

As MARCA has reported, the German veteran expressed his keenness about playing for the new Real Madrid coach, Mourinho, in this media talk. His comments about the Portuguese manager went as follows:

“I’m really excited. For me, having a coach like Mourinho is a dream… I want to work with him, and I’m ready.”

With his current contract expiring on 30^th June, these comments are quite a clear indication that Rudiger has already agreed on a renewal with Real Madrid. Some reports on the matter suggest that he has got a one-year extension on his contract, which means he would get to stay at the white club till 2027.

It remains to be seen when the Merengues would officially announce this renewal, but there is no doubt that Mourinho would be keen to have a player with Antonio Rudiger’s mentality, skills, and experience available at his disposal as he returns to Real Madrid.

For a variety of reasons – and not necessarily good ones – the 2025–26 season will go down as one that Real Madrid will be keen to forget. And that goes for both on and off the pitch. The altercation between Aurélien Tchouaméni (26) and his teammate Federico Valverde (27) is one such example.

Just days before El Clásico against FC Barcelona, a violent brawl reportedly broke out between the two men. Things got so heated that Valverde had to go to hospital after sustaining facial injuries during the scuffle. An account contradicted by Tchouaméni a few weeks later, who at the time expressed regret that the media had blown the incident out of proportion. A point the midfielder revisited in an interview with L’Équipe, on the sidelines of France’s World Cup opener against Senegal on Tuesday.

“What bothered me were the false stories that came out about what actually happened. There’s nothing I can do about that,” added the former AS Monaco player. “The most important thing is that in the dressing room, we stay calm and relaxed. A lesson? It’s that no matter what happens in your life, the problem is never as big as you think it is. Like everything else, today we’re talking about this, tomorrow we’ll be talking about something else.”

“People really need to understand: there’s no problem,” continued Tchouaméni, when asked about the particular nature of a hypothetical future match between France and Uruguay. “There’s all sorts of things that happen in a dressing room. We shook hands when he came back and we’re continuing to work together.”

GFFN | Léo Aschi

Holding the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, there is a lot of buzz around hockey right now regarding what the San Jose Sharks will do with their top pick. In the latest NHL mock draft by The Athletic, one new avenue has been proposed.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic has San Jose is selecting winger Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick. While the Sharks taking the consensus second-best prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft is not a surprise, it is the rationale and follow-up move that makes the decision unique.

Related: San Jose Sharks named Potential Trading Landing Spot for Vet Defenseman

Stephen notes that in The Athletic’s NHL staff mock draft, no compelling trade offers were made to him as the de facto Sharks general manager for the second overall pick. Instead, he took Stenberg and then flipped winger William Eklund to the New York Rangers in exchange for Braden Schneider and a third-round pick.

“Going with the super-skilled Stenberg allowed me to deal William Eklund to the Rangers for right-shooting Braden Schneider and the best of New York’s four third-round picks to replace one San Jose doesn’t have. Schneider, 24, is young enough to grow with the Sharks’ young core.”

The Athletic’s Eric Stephen on drafting Ivan Stenberg for the San Jose Sharks, trading William Eklund

Schneider, who turns 25 years old in September, would certainly fit the Sharks’ timeline with their young core. Selected 19th overall by the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Draft, the right-handed defenseman is coming off another productive season.

• Braden Schneider stats (2025-26): 18 points (16 assists and 2 goals), 20:27 average time on ice per game, 141 blocks, 163 hits, 22 takeaways in 82 games

Neither The Athletic‘s Chris Johnston nor ESPN‘s Greg Wyshynski listed Schneider among the top NHL trade candidates in 2026. However, his name has been circulated in NHL trade rumors, and Jim Cerny of ForeverBlueShirts.com made the case for why the Rangers could make a deal with San Jose.

Related: Expert Predicts New Sharks’ Pick in 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Schneider is a restricted free agent, so the Sharks would need to figure out a long-term deal with him if acquired. Early projections from Spotrac have him slated to make in the ballpark of $6 million per season.

It is certainly not out of the question that San Jose could trade from its surplus of forwards to find a right-handed defenseman who could solve the team’s biggest issues. Another possibility, as suggested by Cerny, would be a package deal with Schneider and the fifth overall pick going to San Jose in exchange for the second overall pick.

Related: Scouts, Execs Predict Who Sharks Will Draft with No. 2 Pick

After weeks of reports and NHL mock drafts all pointing to the Sharks taking a defenseman with the second overall pick, there now seem to be more signs that Stenberg could be the selection. A definitive answer is still a few weeks away, but the expectation remains that the Sharks will be very active this summer with the focus on building a playoff-caliber supporting cast around Macklin Celebrini.

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The game’s longest-running debate — how far is too far? — has found itself back at center stage, and once again, some of the most influential voices are deeply divided on the rollback of the golf ball.

About the only thing anyone can agree on is that there are a lot of differing opinions on the issue. So, we’ve assembled some of them that we think are worth revisiting.

More: The golf ball rollback is being hotly debated on multiple stages

Jack Nicklaus: Won’t make any difference

Jack Nicklaus has been arguing for a rollback for the better part of 50 years. He’s not impressed with the current proposal.

“I keep saying, it’s like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic,” Nicklaus said on Tuesday at his Memorial Tournament press conference. “It’s not very much.”

He added: “It won’t make any difference, about a yard to (an amateur), maybe two at the absolute most, and you’ll never know that. To the pro, maybe, Rory [McIlroy], who is maybe as long as there is, might have maybe 12 to 14 yards it might pull him back. It might be a benefit. Might keep him out of trouble. I don’t know. But you know, I mean, it’s insignificant.

“The only thing that’s good about it is that it’s actually reined in the game back a little bit and pulled it back to where it shouldn’t get any further than that; let’s hope not. I mean, we run out of real estate. We run out of time to play. We run out of money. We run out of water. You run out of all kinds of things. You know, (Muirfield Village GC) is not all like Augusta where we can go buy another golf course if we need to lengthen the tee. I say that facetiously … but we’re limited by what we’ve got. So you can keep making it to where the game can’t be played.”

Gary Player: It's very sad

"Where are we going with this ball? I’m very perturbed.

"There’s no such thing as a par 5 in the world. They’re hitting 8-irons. They’re driving at least one par 4. It’s a par 67. We haven’t scratched the surface. I was at the White House (recently) and I met the (pitcher) Noah (Syndergaard), 6 foot 8, and those guys are coming. I said years back you’d have guys hitting it 400 yards; you’re talking trash, Gary. I said you’d see a guy of 50 win a major; you’re talking trash. Now, they’re saying again that I’m talking trash. We’ve never had a big man playing golf. When I say cut the ball back 60 yards, they say that’s ridiculous. It’s three clubs. Instead of an 8-iron to the green they hit a 5-iron. Still not a par 5. They’ve got to cut it back 100 yards.

"The incentive to succeed is so great that you are getting people from China to India to Africa and around the world, realizing what they can achieve. I mean, the money is beyond one's comprehension. And so these guys are all in the gym, building a body. The tour will average 400 yards in X amount of years. I don't know how long. Now what's going to happen? This is the tragedy of golf. If there's anything that frustrates me in golf, it's this: We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars on changing all the golf courses everywhere in the world. I just went back all the way to South Africa for five days to change a golf course and it's so wrong; we should be putting that amount of money into the betterment of golf. 

"So why not just for the pros – leave the game, the amateurs are the heart of the game, not the pros, leave the game as it is – cut the ball back 60 yards on pro golf, and it's all set. So simple as that. But it's such a litigious society. Can that be done? Does the USGA, does the R&A, do the PGA, do they want to have lawsuits that last a year and wasting their money on all that? It's actually, it's very sad."

Deane Beman: Totally ridiculous

"I think the governing bodies have been wrong for years and they're still wrong. I think it's a crime about to be committed. You're going to take the modest hitters and you're going to eliminate them from the competition. If you take 15-20 yards away from someone like Brian Harman, he's going to be finished. The big hitters who hit it 330 are going to have to hit an 8-iron instead of a 9-iron in. What's that going to do? I think it is totally ridiculous.

"The damage has been done. You're not going to mitigate it. I think they can solve the problem by making the ball spin and therefore curve. The players of today would have to do what the players of yesteryear used to have to do, which is control themselves. When I was 15, I played guys that were hitting it 50 yards past me. But guess what, when they swung that hard three or four times a round, they were going to lose the ball and I was going to beat them."

Brandel Chamblee: Players will recoup that distance

"I don't think the rollback will have the effect they want on the professional side. And it'll have more of an effect on the recreational side in terms of leading to golf balls costing more money, and the recreational side will get shorter. I don't know that the professional side's going to get any shorter. They're going to recoup the distance they lost. They'll recoup it before the rollback. They'll be so far ahead that the rollback, it'll push them back maybe a year or two, but they'll recoup that distance so quickly. 

"Look, the average club head speed on the PGA Tour is 115 miles an hour. And there are people that can swing a golf club 155 miles an hour, right? That's a 40-mile-per-hour difference. That difference doesn't exist anywhere else in sport. Wherever the fastest people are moving, they're moving at the highest level in sport. Nobody's throwing a baseball in the majors at 140 mph. The fastest anybody can throw a baseball is 105, and that's how fast they throw it in the MLB. So, golf is so far behind. You know, they're so far behind athletically between where they are and where they could be that if they close that gap even 20 percent – people think golf courses are quote-unquote obsolete now? Well, the game won't even look anything like it does now. It'll still, in my view, be about who hits the longest and straightest, strategy and nerves and all that. But guys are going to be driving it 400 yards, guys are going to come out of college swinging 130, 135. They're gonna get to 140, you know, and if you think what's going on in golf now is bad – I don't – but if you're in that group that does, well, you're going to be sorely disappointed at what's about to happen.

"The kids that come out are going to hit it farther than Rory. The only way they could have any sort of impact on the professional game is to bifurcate and make the driver less of a weapon. Because you've had this convergence of better equipment but also better athletes and a better understanding of where power comes from. So, if in fact the governing bodies really want to make a difference, they would have to bifurcate, but to do that, they've got to get the PGA Tour to buy in and I don't think the PGA Tour is going to buy in because the game has never been better from a ratings standpoint. And the game has never been better recreationally, bursting at the seams. I can understand and respect that the USGA and the R&A are trying to make the game more interesting in their view. But I just don't buy their presupposition, and I don't think the PGA Tour does either. The PGA of America is on the recreational side and the PGA Tour is on the professional side and neither of them are buying what the USGA and the R&A are selling."

Fred Ridley: Effort to preserve golf's essence

From his press conference at the Masters in April:

"Recognizing that the implementation of the Overall Distance Standard test for golf balls may be delayed to 2030, I want to reemphasize that support and affirm our position as the USGA and R&A represent their collective obligation as custodians of the game,” Ridley said in his opening remarks. “I also want to be clear that our position is grounded on much more than protecting the Augusta National golf course. We will continue to make modifications as are necessary to react to driving distances that in some cases exceed 350 yards.

"Unfortunately, many courses, including some iconic venues, do not have that option. Until recent years, golf has been a game of imagination, creativity, and variety. The game has become much more one-dimensional. As players drive the ball prodigious distances and routinely hit short irons into par-4s and even some par-5s, this issue goes beyond competitive impacts. Increased course lengths results in more time, more cost, and more environmental concerns.

"The data that has been shared with all stakeholders makes one thing clear: The impact to the recreational game will be immaterial. All of us in this room and millions of weekend golfers around the world will be hard-pressed to notice the effects of this change, and I do not believe our enjoyment of the game will be affected.

"The greats of the game are defined not merely by how far they hit the ball, but their extraordinary skill in all aspects of the game. Their ability to shape shots, to take on risk, and to execute under pressure is at the heart of championship golf and is best displayed through a full spectrum of shot-making opportunities. Regulation of the golf ball is not an attempt to turn back time or stifle progress. It is an effort to preserve the essence of what makes golf the great game that it is."

Rory McIlroy: Bifurcation was the logical answer

From a social media post on X on Dec. 23, 2023: “I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball rollback. It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past two decades. 

"The people who are upset about this decision shouldn’t be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at elite pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn’t want bifurcation. The governing bodies presented us with that option. Elite pros and ball manufacturers think bifurcation would negatively affect their bottom lines, when in reality, the game already is bifurcated. You think we play the same stuff you do? They put pressure on the governing bodies to roll it back to a lesser degree for everyone. Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone, but yet again in this game, money talks.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golf legends debate the controversial ball rollback

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to maintain their lead in the NL Central as they’ll play host to the Cleveland Guardians this week, a team right in the mix in the AL Central. The Brewers, at 43-26, sit five games ahead of the second-place Cardinals in the division and currently hold the No. 3 seed in the league, behind only the Braves (46-25) and Dodgers (45-27). The Guardians, at 39-33, are tied with the White Sox atop the AL Central, though they lost their best player in José Ramírez to a hamate bone fracture (the same injury that shelved Andrew Vaughn earlier this year) over the weekend.

The Brewers are currently without pitchers DL Hall (late July), Brandon Woodruff (mid- to late June), Coleman Crow (late June), Quinn Priester (TBD), Carlos Rodriguez (TBD), Brian Fitzpatrick (likely out for season), Rob Zastryzny (late June/early July), Logan Henderson (early July), Jared Koenig (close to returning), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). The lone position player currently on the IL is outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who is slated for a late June return, though he’s had several injury flare-ups in his knee in recent weeks.

The Guardians are without the aforementioned Ramírez, who will be out until after the All-Star break after undergoing surgery. Outfielders Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez are both currently listed as day to day, as DeLauter is awaiting MRI and CT scans after a crash into the right-field wall, and Martínez took a foul ball off his left foot, though the hope is he’ll return for this series. The lone pitcher on the IL is lefty Erik Sabrowski, who began a rehab assignment over the weekend.

Jake Bauers sits atop the Brewer home run leaderboard with 13 this season, though Jackson Chourio is quickly closing on him with nine homers in just 35 games. Speaking of Chourio, after a big week, he’s now slashing .322/.370/.572 for the year. Brice Turang has cooled off considerably but still has a .261/.378/.457 line with 10 homers and 12 steals, while Gary Sánchez and William Contreras have also flashed their power this year. Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Andrew Vaughn, Joey Ortiz, and David Hamilton round out the regulars, with Blake Perkins and Luis Rengifo serving as depth, though if speculation is to be believed, Rengifo will be replaced one way or another by shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt on Tuesday, as Pratt has already been confirmed to be headed to the majors. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .255/.340/.394 (.734 OPS ranks eighth), with 63 homers (27th), 370 runs (third), and 70 steals (tied for third).

Angel Martínez leads the Guards with 11 homers this season, adding 11 doubles, nine steals, and 33 RBIs. DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo both have seven homers, while former Brewer Rhys Hoskins has six homers, though he’s hitting just .185 (with a much more solid .330 OBP thanks to 34 walks). Brayan Rocchio, Steven Kwan, Daniel Schneemann, and former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana are also in the mix. Austin Hedges and Patrick Bailey share time behind the plate, while David Fry, Gabriel Arias, and Stuart Fairchild provide depth. As a team, the Guardians are hitting .232/.317/.372 (.689 OPS ranks 27th), with 66 homers (24th), 289 runs (23rd), and 69 steals (fifth).

The Brewer bullpen is led by Aaron Ashby, who sports a 2.72 ERA with 59 strikeouts over 43 innings. Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Grant Anderson have also been reliable pieces, while Chad Patrick has been mostly good but struggled mightily against the A’s and Phillies in the last week. Drew Rom and Joel Kuhnel fill the back of the bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.45 team ERA (fourth), including a 3.40 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.51 bullpen ERA (ninth). They’ve struck out 675 batters (first) over 618 1/3 innings.

Tim Herrin and closer Cade Smith lead the Cleveland bullpen, as Herrin has a 2.92 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings, and Smith, who is 23-for-25 in save opportunities, has a 2.48 ERA with 49 strikeouts over 32 2/3 innings. Matt Festa ranks third on the team with 30 appearances, though he has a 4.30 ERA. Hunter Gaddis (3.86 ERA over 18 2/3 IP), Shawn Armstrong (3.32 ERA over 19 IP), Colin Holderman (1.73 ERA over 26 IP), Daniel Espino (no MLB appearances), and Will Dion (4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 IP) round out the bullpen. As a staff, the Guardians have a 3.75 team ERA (sixth), including a 3.80 starter ERA (sixth) and a 3.68 bullpen ERA (11th). They’ve struck out 658 batters (third) over 638 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday, June 16 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (0-3, 6.38 ERA, 7.25 FIP) vs. RHP Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.83 ERA, 4.29 FIP)

Gasser has had a rough go of it in his return to the majors, with a 6.38 ERA, 7.25 FIP, and 19 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings in four starts. He’s taken the loss in each of his last three starts, though his last start came in Las Vegas, meaning it comes with the caveat of a lot of homers — six runs allowed on eight hits (four homers) and two walks, striking out seven over five innings. This marks Gasser’s first career appearance against Cleveland.

Cecconi, 27 next week, is in his fourth MLB season and second with the Guardians after beginning his career in Arizona. He’s been a serviceable albeit not great arm for them, with a 4.83 ERA, 4.29 FIP, and 61 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings this year. He went five innings in a no-decision his last time out, allowing two runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven against the Yankees. This marks Cecconi’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Wednesday, June 17 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (1-4, 5.70 ERA, 5.56 FIP) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.32 ERA, 3.81 FIP)

Sproat has still not quite been able to put things together with a 5.70 ERA, 5.56 FIP, and 57 strikeouts over 60 innings, though he’s coming off arguably the best start of his young career in Vegas. Over six innings, he allowed just one run (a solo homer) on four hits and one walk, striking out three on just 68 pitches. Unfortunately, the bullpen let him down, as they immediately allowed three runs in the seventh en route to a 4-3 A’s win. Like Gasser, this marks Sproat’s first career appearance against Cleveland.

Williams, 26, has quickly turned into a top-of-the-rotation type starter, as he turned in a 3.06 ERA season last year and has been nearly as good this season, with a 3.32 ERA, 3.81 FIP, and 99 strikeouts over 86 2/3 innings. After rattling off four consecutive wins from mid-May through early June, he took a no-decision his last time around, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks, striking out five over five innings as the Guardians would go on to lose to the Yankees in extras. Williams has started against Milwaukee in each of the last two seasons, totaling nine innings with seven runs allowed on 10 hits and three walks, striking out 11 as he took a loss and a no-decision.

Thursday, June 18 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (3-2, 3.59 ERA, 2.73 FIP) vs. LHP Parker Messick (6-3, 2.68 ERA, 3.33 FIP)

Drohan, who has now made three consecutive appearances from the rotation, hasn’t been quite as sharp as a starter, though he’s still keeping the Brewers in games. With a 3.59 ERA, 2.73 FIP, and 44 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings, there’s clear potential for the young lefty. He’s coming off a loss, in which he allowed four runs on eight hits and no walks, striking out seven over five innings in a 9-8 loss to the Phillies. As is the case with Gasser and Sproat, this marks Drohan’s first career appearance against Cleveland.

Messick, 25, is in his second season and is off to a great start to his young career, with a career 2.69 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 120 strikeouts over 120 1/3 innings through 21 starts. He’s coming off back-to-back losses against the Rangers and Yankees, though, as those two outings spanned 11 1/3 innings with eight runs allowed (seven earned) on 10 hits and four walks, striking out eight. This marks Messick’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

How to Watch & Listen

Tuesday, June 16: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, June 17: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, June 18: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This series features a trio of young pitching matchups, with the oldest starter among the six being Drohan at a whopping 27 years of age (Gasser is also 27, though slightly younger). Give me the Crew to win two of three.

Newport County have completed the signing of midfielder Harrison Biggins on a permanent deal.

The 30-year-old impressed during his loan stint with the Exiles in the latter half of the 2025-26 season having featured 21 times, scoring three goals.

The former Fleetwood Town, Doncaster Rovers and Shrewsbury Town man was released by parent club Shrewsbury Town following the conclusion of the previous campaign.

He will once again link up with Christian Fuchs' side as the Exiles bid to improve on their 20th place finish in League Two last time out.

• Latest Newport County news, analysis and fan views
• Newport County

Zac Taylor has been the Cincinnati Bengals head coach since the 2019 NFL season. Over the last three seasons, Cincinnati has missed the playoffs. Many fans were surprised that the Bengals kept Taylor as head coach for the 2026 NFL season. They thought that Taylor was going to be fired after they missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

Well, with him being retained, there is no question that the Bengals are under pressure to win right away in 2026. Cincinnati’s 2026 NFL season relies on the health of quarterback Joe Burrow. He was injured for a good majority of the 2025 NFL season. Even with him sidelined, the Bengals offense was not the problem.

The defense was horrendous last season. They made several moves on defense this offseason. Cincinnati decided to trade away the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. If the defense and offense don’t perform well, all of the problems are going to fall on the head coach.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor on Hot Seat as 2026 NFL season approaches

Profootballfocus.com writer Bradley Locker wrote about six different head coaches who will be on the hot seat as the 2026 NFL season approaches. He thinks that Taylor is no doubt one of the six NFL head coaches on the hot seat. Locker said, “Taylor’s career in Cincinnati has continued to vacillate, going from a horrid start to a Super Bowl appearance to back on the downward swing. Recent history hasn’t been on the head coach’s side, as the Bengals have missed the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns despite fielding tremendous offensive star power. In particular, the 2025 season was very poor with a 6-11 mark and the 20^th overall ranking in team PFF grade.

Cincinnati’s defense has remained among the league’s worst since 2024 — placing 28^th in EPA per play, 29^th in success rate and 29^th in touchdown drive rate given up in that span. The Bengals made legitimate upgrades to the unit in Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook for incumbent defensive coordinator Al Golden, but the bottom line is that the unit simply needs to play far better.

It was a bit of a surprise that Taylor was retained to begin with going into 2026, but he can’t afford another slip-up season. As pressure continues to mount surrounding Joe Burrow’s future in Cincinnati, the Bengals’ front office shouldn’t be passive in keeping its star quarterback happy — and the broader team oriented well.”

This defense needs to show major improvement this season for the Bengals. It has been the downfall of this football team over the last three seasons.

Bengals Schedule

The Bengals have an easier schedule this season. With that being said, the first three games for Cincinnati will be against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. These are winnable games, but they are also games that they could lose. If they are off to a 0-3 start in 2026, there is a good chance that Taylor could get fired. They also face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth week of the season. A 0-4 start would no doubt be the end for Taylor with a game against the weak Miami Dolphins looming the following week.

If Cincinnati decided to fire Taylor in-season, it would be interesting to see who the Bengals would promote as the interim head coach. Would offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher be the new interim coach for the Bengals if that was the case? The Cleveland Browns interviewed him for a head coaching job this offseason. This could be his perfect audition to the Bengals head coach long term here.

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After players departures in January, and further trimming of the squad last week, could the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Shea Charles depart Southampton to fund a rebuild at the Championship club?

Could the Saints be tempted to sell Flynn Downes, Caspar Jander or Leo Scienza? Is the priority to sign a new striker to replace Ross Stewart and a new, younger keeper to deputise for Daniel Peretz if Gavin Bazunu goes?

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore offers his insights on the state of Southampton's squad and the need to have Tonda Eckert's future resolved as soon as possible.

Listen to the full update on BBC Sounds

Listen to more Southampton content on BBC Sounds

• Latest Southampton news and analysis

Multiple outlets report that the IBF has ordered former bantamweight champion Ryosuke Nishida to meet Sam Goodman for their interim super bantamweight title, giving the pair the customary 30 days to negotiate.

Nishida (11-1, 2 KO) enjoyed an extremely strong run at 118, racking up wins over the likes of Shohei Omori, Daigo Higa, and future titlist Christian Medina before toppling Emmanuel Rodriguez for the IBF belt in 2024. After a throwaway title defense against Anuchai Donsua, he jumped into a unification with Junto Nakatani, which saw him put in a spirited effort before succumbing to some nasty facial swelling.

He last saw action in February, cruising past Bryan Mercado in his 122-pound debut.

Goodman (22-1, 8 KO) had a shot at Naoya Inoue on the table in 2024, only to take a tune-up bout, get cut in training afterwards, then get cut a second time after salvaging the matchup. Soon after, he’d join the parade of super bantamweights called up by featherweight champ Nick Ball, admittedly doing better than most of the others en route to a competitive defeat.

He’s coming off a decision over Rodrigo Ruiz in an April eliminator

Some good matchmaking here, more than making up for Goodman’s fight with Ramon Cardenas falling through. We’ll let you know who gets control of the broadcast.

I knew fans of the New York Knicks had been waiting a long time to see another championship. I was aware of all the numbers associated with that wait: 53 years... 1973... and why they didn't simply want this to happen, they needed it to.

What I couldn't quite comprehend until the Knicks ended that drought Saturday was how it must've felt being a fan on that ride, seeing your team do something you've literally never seen it do before.

One thing that helped contextualize this for me was my colleague Charles Curtis writing his thoughts as a Knicks fan in the immediate aftermath: "I don't know what to do with myself."

"After the screaming, jumping around, hugging a few strangers and trying to capture it all on phones, there was this glassy-eyed confusion. For me, it was a floating feeling that carried me through the streets."

The second thing was trying to imagine that feeling for myself, something I stopped doing a long time ago as a journalist... but also because I root for the Washington Wizards. The last time they won the NBA Finals was in 1978, when they were still the Washington Bullets. You get used to not competing for anything more than hopefully a second-round playoff appearance.

And that's when it hit me. Wow. For as long as it's been since my team last won a title, and for as long as it feels I've been waiting to see them get back (my whole life), Washington had actually won more recently than the Knicks.

IRONY:Jalen Brunson proving Becky Hammon wrong in San Antonio

Of course, a lot of work and luck went into building the Knicks back into a contender. We can't dismiss that. But they just showed the basketball world it can be done. Suddenly, I started seeing it for myself (it helps that the Wizards' rebuild is over). They gave every starved fanbase a renewed since of hope.

Especially in this current era, where eight different franchises have won titles in the last eight years. Including two first-time champions (Raptors, Nuggets) and three that hadn't won since the 70s (Bucks, Thunder/SuperSonics, Knicks), it's easier than ever to believe.

If they can do it, why can't we? That's the attitude every fanbase should have after this Knicks championship.

World Cup predictions for Monday

With the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup both coming to a close over the weekend, the sports world can turn its attention fully to the World Cup, which began group play last Thursday.

Today, we have four matches, starting with a favorite to win the whole tournament, Spain, taking on Cape Verde at noon. Here's a quick preview from FTW's Jeff Smith, as part of his predictions for the full slate of games:

"When the powerhouse favorites begin their 2026 World Cup, they’ll do so against an opponent making their World Cup debut. Spain boasts the No. 1 ranking in the world and enters the tournament as the reigning European champions after lifting Euro 2024. They also won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Luis de la Fuente's side cruised through UEFA Group E qualifying with five wins and a draw across six games, scoring 21 goals and conceding just two. Captained by Rodri and built around the brilliance of teenage phenom Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal, this is arguably the most complete squad at the tournament."

Gallery of the Day

More: ‘Storm Surge’ celebration returns for Hurricanes title

Quick hits: Rogan's tiny tie ... Wemby's next step ... and more

• I'm not sure why Joe Rogan wore such a tiny tie to the UFC 250 event Sunday night, but fans absolutely roasted him for it.
• Victor Wembanyama's abilities on a basketball court are undeniable, but he has to grow up before he'll reach his full potential, writes Robert Zeglinski.
• Karl-Anthony Towns just joined Andrew Wiggins as a champion, giving the ex-Timberwolves teammates the last laugh over Jimmy Butler.
• Speaking of the way the cookies crumble, Cookie Monster threw a little shade at Elmo after the Knicks' championship.

This was For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Knicks championship gives other NBA fans a reason to keep hoping

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA, with the accolades to prove it. Yet over the last couple of years, he’s watched his surrounding cast change and dwindle in terms of talent.

The Bucks finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, and Antetokounmpo is 31 years old. Milwaukee is reportedly fielding offers for Antetokounmpo, who apparently has the Miami Heat atop his wish list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Focused’ On Joining Miami Heat

Antetokounmpo remains far and away the best player on the Bucks with no real second option, and the team isn’t close to contending for a title. Over the past couple of seasons, rumors have swirled that Antetokounmpo may ultimately request a trade.

As a result, multiple teams are trying to pry him away from Milwaukee. However, the Miami Heat are reportedly the preferred destination for Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst.

“The league believes this is finally going to happen… Talks have intensified over the last 7-10 days,” Windhorst said. “He has focused on wanting to be a member of the Miami Heat. Because he has only one year left on his contract, he has some control over [his future].”

Windhorst noted that the Heat and Bucks have been talking for months, but they have not agreed to a deal since Milwaukee doesn’t love Miami’s offers, which are expected to include Tyler Herro, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, among other assets.

MORE:NBA Rumors: $103,608,840 Forward ‘Drawing Strong Trade Interest’ Amid Giannis Antetokounmpo Saga

However, Windhorst notes that the Boston Celtics have emerged as a potential suitor for Antetokounmpo as well, so it remains to be seen which team can put together a better offer after involving other teams.

Dallas Hoops Journal writer Grant Afseth notes that the Los Angeles Clippers are a team to watch that could help facilitate a three- or four-team trade.

“A potential multi-team trade framework making the rounds in league circles would bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Boston Celtics and send Jaylen Brown to the Los Angeles Clippers, with the Clippers’ No. 5 overall pick going to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the return, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal,” he wrote.

It remains to be seen whether Antetokounmpo will get traded, but it certainly seems like the sweepstakes is heating up.

Derek Chisora was meant to walk off into the sunset in his 50th pro fight in front of his home fans in London this past April. While the turnout was great, Chisora didn’t get the result he would’ve liked, losing a split decision to Deontay Wilder. With that lingering dissatisfaction and a whole boatload of money still there to be made, Chisora admits he’s likely to return for another fight with Wilder.

“The rematch is in the cards,” Chisora said. “I think the rematch will be in the cards. So right now Turki Alalshikh said he wants to put it on and he wants to do something big for the rematch. So I said ‘you know what, it’s about time you started giving me some of that money.’

“Listen, you know retirement is hard. There’s certain things we don’t speak about in life called retirement. People think when you retire you go home. No, it’s hard…Retirement is coming soon, we don’t know what day it is going to be.”

With neither Wilder nor Chisora really having anything demonstrably better to do at the moment, it seems highly probable that this rematch does in fact come together, particularly if Alalshikh is willing to finance it.

Alex Pereira’s attempt to become the first fighter to hold UFC titles in three divisions came up short.

The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion stepped into the octagon against Ciryl Gane at UFC 250: Freedom.

They fought for the interim heavyweight belt at the White House on Sunday night, with both men hoping to make a statement in a packed division.

Ciryl Gane knocks out Alex Pereira

In the opening round, Alex Pereira came out aggressively, looking to make an early impression with a series of head kick attempts.

But it was Ciryl Gane who likely edged the round on the cards after landing some solid shots. Pereira did manage to land a big punch just before the horn sounded, though he couldn’t keep that momentum going into the next frame.

Gane floored him with a crisp jab and then followed him to the mat to close things out. Pereira got back up again and showed his heart, but never really recovered from the knockdown.

This defeat ended Pereira’s six-fight win streak, which included two victories over Jiri Prochazka and a knockout of Jamahal Hill earlier in 2024. He now stands at 10-3 in MMA overall (7-2 UFC).

Ciryl Gane improved his record to 14-2 (11-2 UFC) and set himself up for another shot at undisputed heavyweight gold down the line.

What’s coming up next?

Ciryl Gane is lined up for a title shot against Tom Aspinall, though that might not happen until next year.

The heavyweight champion hasn’t fought since last October, when he suffered an eye injury during his first title defence.

Their UFC 321 fight was ruled a no-contest after Aspinall was poked in both eyes by Ciryl Gane. Although he hasn’t been cleared for full sparring yet, the hope is that Aspinall will be back soon.

Gane has already called for their rematch to be held in Paris later this year.

Read more:

NEED TO KNOW

• Jalen Brunson has a message
• The New York Knicks star pleaded with Swifties to cut Monica McNutt some slack
• McNutt, the 880 ESPN New York Knicks lead radio analyst, criticized Taylor Swift for going to Game 4 of the NBA Finals

The newly crowned NBA Finals MVP wants to clear up one thing regarding the pushback Monica McNutt received after criticizing Taylor Swift for attending Game 4 of the series.

In an interview with the New York Knicks' lead radio analyst following the team’s 94-90 title win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Saturday, June 13, Jalen Brunson jokingly bumped into McNutt before clearing the air about the 880 ESPN radio personality.

“I just want to say something to the Swifties,” the Knicks star, 29, said. “She’s a really good one, cut her some slack. It’s all good, I promise.”

Last week, the sportscaster was caught on a hot mic offering her opinion about the “Fortnight” singer pulling up to Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.

"Please celebrate responsibly" - A PSA to Knicks Fans from your NBA Finals MVP 😂@NYKnicks | @McNuttMonica | #AlwaysKnickspic.twitter.com/hHzSZycCKX

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) June 14, 2026

“Is that Taylor Swift down there?” McNutt, 36, asked her partner, radio voice of the Knicks Tyler Murray, just before tip.

As both strained to see from the seats, McNutt then joked: “She's not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl.”

The comment drew widespread criticism from Swifties, who went after the ESPN veteran, and spurred McNutt to add context to her comments.

"Swifties, I appreciate your passion,” McNutt said in an interview with TMZ last week. "I misspoke.” 

“I did not know, but here's the deal. I literally just did a piece on celebrity row, I know these folks," she added, noting that she's seen celebrities like Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet supporting the Knicks all season long.

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!

Elsewhere in his exchange with McNutt, Brunson also took the time to encourage fans to “celebrate responsibly.”

“Can you guys please be safe and not ruin it for the next person?” he pleaded.

Read the original article on People

Longtime Boston Sportswriter Says Red Sox's Willson Contreras 'Having A Manny Ramirez Season' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox during the first half of the 2026 MLB season.

The Red Sox are threatening to have one of their worst campaigns in decades, but there have still been some bright spots.

All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman is having another stellar year, despite swirling trade rumors.

Boston's offense has been led by offseason trade acquisition Willson Contreras, and the first baseman hit two more home runs in Sunday night's loss vs. the Texas Rangers to give him 16 for the season.

Contreras leads the Red Sox in home runs, RBIs (43) walks (25), batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.396), slugging percentage (.570), OPS (.965) and total bases (135), while tying outfielder Jarren Duran for the team lead with 34 runs scored.

Longtime Boston sportswriter Chad Finn of The Boston Globe said Monday morning that Contreras' first half reminds him of some of the damage that 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez used to bring to Beantown.

"Seems crazy to say, but in the middle of this Quadruple A Red Sox lineup, Willson Contreras is having a Manny Ramírez season," Finn posted on Bluesky. "Contreras is at .304/.396/.570, with a 171 adjusted OPS. On pace for 37 homers. Manny’s averages, 2001-08: .312/.411/.588, 155 OPS+, 37 homers."

Contreras has not only been the Red Sox's best hitter in 2026 but is on pace to shatter many of his previous career highs across his decade in MLB, which has included three All-Star campaigns.

The 34-year-old posted his best marks in runs scored (70), hits (126), doubles (31), RBI (80) and total bases (219) in 2025 with the St. Louis Cardinals, while his career-high 24 home runs came in 2019.

Contreras' .304/.396/.570 slash line would also be the best of his career, and he's been especially impactful hitting in front of the Fenway Faithful this spring with eight home runs and a .342/.435/.624 triple slash at home.

The former Cardinals and Chicago Cubs slugger has a long way to go reach Man-Ram status, but Red Sox fans couldn't have asked for a better start with their star first baseman.

More MLB: Aroldis Chapman Chasing History: Tracking Red Sox Pitcher's Pursuit of Strikeout Record

Five-star wide receiver Easton Royal spoke positively about his time on campus after returning to Gainesville for an official visit. The top-10 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle remained committed to Texas but continues to engage with Jon Sumrall and staff, allowing Florida to add the No. 1 pass-catcher in the class.

Alongside fellow five-star prospect Jalen Brewster, Royal was the marquee name in Florida's third rush of official visits. A high priority for receiver coach Marcus Davis and the Gators' offensive staff, the Texas commit had good feedback on the program.

"Florida's probably the only school that I know with five receiver coaches, and some people may think that's a bad thing, but I think that's a really good thing. The best thing about it, there's no egos. So everybody just genuinely wants to see everybody be the best they can be," he told Swamp247.

"Just the attention to detail with everything, it's very rare."

He also noted a family atmosphere within the program. "I feel like everybody, all of the coaches, I feel like they're uncles to me."

On the topic of family, Royal's mother will play a large part in his decision-making process.

"Me and my mom, we definitely have things to talk about," Royal went on to say. "She'll be the person helping me make decisions, and we've been talking through things, and now that this visit's coming to a close, we're ready to be open-minded."

Royal is a 5-foot-11-inch, 200-pound pass catcher out of Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He went on to tell Swamp247 that he loved Buster Faulkner's offense and that his skill set would thrive in the system that features speed. The blue-chip talent suggested he could see himself in Florida's wide receiver room, spending time with both Dallas Wilson and Eric Singleton Jr. during his visit.

"That's why they always tell me, if I do decide to come here, I'm in an important receiver," Royal said. "I'll be the guy, day one, plug and play, to be able to replace Eric Singleton."

Royal and Brewster recruitment have become measuring sticks for the Gators and their ability to win recruiting battles in rival SEC territory in this new era. Florida has long been viewed as the top threat to flip him from the Longhorns throughout the offseason.

Royal will make an official visit with Texas from June 19-21.

Easton Royal recruiting summary

Royal is ranked No. 9 overall and No. 2 at his position nationally according to both the 247Sports composite and the On3 industry ranking. Royal has offers from 12 SEC programs, including Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and Auburn.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: 5-star WR Easton Royal has positive feedback on Florida football OV

The post Strategy Adds 1,587 BTC, Total Holdings Reach 846,842 Bitcoin appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Strategy purchased 1,587 BTC for approximately $100 million between June 8 and June 14, at an average price of $63,024 per Bitcoin. The company now holds 846,842 BTC acquired for a total of $64.07 billion, with an average purchase price of $75,656 per BTC. Strategy also increased its U.S. dollar reserves by $100 million, bringing …

The post BitMine Expands Ethereum Holdings to 5.62 Million ETH appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

BitMine acquired 76,881 ETH over the past week, increasing its total holdings to 5.62 million ETH. The company now controls about 4.66% of Ethereum’s total supply, making it one of the largest corporate holders of the asset. BitMine said its combined crypto and cash holdings have reached $10.4 billion, including roughly $285 million in cash. …

The post US-Iran Peace Deal Revealed: Here’s What’s Inside the Agreement appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

After 116 days of conflict, airstrikes, and blockade over blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S and Iran have finally agreed to end the ongoing war on all fronts. Both have reached a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict that began on February 28, 2026.Here are the key terms reportedly included in the …

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Cardano has joined the broader crypto market rally, gaining nearly 10% over the past week. The price jumped over 7.46% in the past 24 hours, driven by improved risk sentiment and renewed buying interest. The token has climbed back above the $0.18 level after a sharp correction below $0.15 earlier this month, signaling that bulls …

The post Why XRP Is Back on the Summer Watchlist appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

XRP is finding its way back onto summer watchlists as several market signals begin pointing toward a possible altcoin recovery. According to analyst Moon Lambo, the current setup looks much more bullish than most investors realize, even as market sentiment remains cautious. One factor helping risk assets is easing geopolitical tension. Reports of a peace …

The post Hyperliquid Price Jumps 10%: Is HYPE Quietly Becoming Crypto’s Next Big Trade? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Hyperliquid’s price surged over 10% today, but traders are paying attention to more than price action as institutional inflows, rising ecosystem activity, and fresh buying pressure begin stacking up behind the token. With crypto markets hunting for the next dominant growth story, Hyperliquid is increasingly entering the conversation-and the latest rally may be signaling something …

The post Exclusive: Bloomberg’s Mike McGlone Says Bitcoin Will Hit $10,000 Before It Sees $100,000 Again appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bitcoin has put investors through one of its most dramatic stretches in years. After trading near $120,000 in late 2025, the token has lost nearly half its value and now trades around $65,000. A brief bounce followed Trump’s announcement of a US-Iran peace deal, but contentious claims from both sides have kept uncertainty elevated. Whether …

The post After Breaking a Key Resistance, Bitcoin (BTC) Price Could Be Entering a Short Squeeze—Can It Rally Above $70,000? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bitcoin extended its recovery to $65,596 with a rise of 1.5% after reclaiming the $64,400 local resistance, following the announcement of a US-Iran peace deal. The easing of geopolitical tensions triggered fresh liquidity across risk assets, allowing the Bitcoin price to climb above $65,500 and shifting the short-term market structure back in favor of the …

The post Where Did Cardano’s 1,096 Bitcoin Go? Hoskinson Finally Responds appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

A Bitcoin transaction from Cardano’s early days has raised new questions within the community. The payment involved 1,096 BTC, worth about $454,000 in 2016 but nearly $70 million today.As questions grew over how the funds were used, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson responded, saying the Bitcoin was spent on a crowdsale audit and payments to independent …

The post Top 4 Altcoins To Buy Now That Could Outrun Stock Market appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

A crypto analyst says Cardano (ADA), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP are among the top 4 altcoins best positioned to outperform the stock market, provided Bitcoin can maintain its recent support levels.  Crypto sentiment is looking much better today after reports of a U.S.-Iran deal helped calm markets. Over $250 million in short positions …

Google Ads expands Smart Bidding Exploration, launches Promotion mode beta, and updates optimization for budget-limited campaigns beginning August 17.

The post Google Ads Bidding Changes: What PPC Managers Need To Know About The 3 Updates appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

MSI lists its new Intel ARC G3-powered Claw 8 EX AI+ handheld, and it’s expensive How much will the Intel ARC G3 Extreme-powered MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ cost? MSI has officially listed its newest PC gaming handheld on its website, and it’s much more expensive than many gamers expected. With an asking price of […]

The post Extreme pricing – The MSI Claw 8 EX+ will cost $1,799.99 appeared first on OC3D.

Samsung wants you to buy a Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in its limited-period sale in the US. The bundle of two premium products is currently $475 off the original price, marking one of the craziest deals in recent weeks.

Galaxy S26 Ultra gets a $200 off, and adding the Buds 4 Pro in the same cart slashes its price by $125. On top of those discounts, you can use promo code PAYPAL150 at checkout to have an additional $150 discount.

• Deal bundle – Galaxy S26 Ultra plus Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
• Promo code: PAYPAL150

After the promo code, the S26 Ultra and Buds 4 Pro bundle would cost $1075, $1275, and $1575 for the phone’s 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage tiers, respectively.

9to5Toys reports that the PAYPAL150 promo code is working with traditional checkout as well. However, we advise you to double-check the final price at the checkout page after selecting your preferred payment option.

One of June 2026’s trending deals:

Galaxy S25 Ultra 1TB is at the best buying window with $560 discount

The post Samsung adds Buds 4 Pro to Galaxy S26 Ultra deal with $475 savings appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Samsung UK has announced its Summer Cashback promo campaign – you get up to £300 cashback when buying select Galaxy devices. The promo will run until June 23 – here’s how it works. The promo applies to select phones (SIM-free), tablets, smartwatches and TWS buds. You can see the full list below along with the cashback amount for each device – the Galaxy Z Fold7 gets the maximum £300, all the other devices get less. After completing the purchase, you will have 30 days to claim your cashback – then you should receive a notification as to whether your claim has been approved within 5...

The Oppo Find X10 family is expected to be launching in September, and one of the members arriving at that point will be the Find X10 Pro. According to a new rumor, this device will be powered by the upcoming MediaTek Dimensity 9600 SoC, which will be built using an advanced 2nm process. The phone will have a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED screen made by Tianma with "1.5K" resolution, narrow symmetrical bezels, and large rounded corners. On the rear will be a 200MP main camera using the 1/1.3" type Samsung ISOCELL HPC sensor, a 200MP telephoto camera, and a 3MP multispectral sensor. Of course, an...

Asha Sharma's "reset" of the Xbox division continues today with the departure of two key roles at Xbox Game Studios: head Craig Duncan and chief of staff Louise O'Connor. Both were previously Rare employees: Duncan was Studio Head there between February 2011 and November 2024, when he replaced Alan Hartman at the head of Xbox Game Studios; O'Connor was at Rare for even longer, from May 1999 to August 2025, when she became Chief of Staff at XGS after the cancellation of Rare's Everwild. The Game Business shared an email message that Duncan sent to fellow staff members: When I […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-game-studios-head-chief-of-staff-depart/

EA Advertising is a new ad platform through which the EA Sports FC, Star Wars Jedi, and Skate publisher/developer will start putting ads in their games through "dynamic, real-time placements." These are ads that EA says will "enhance, not disrupt, the player experience." Ads in video games are not something we haven't seen before. One of the most notable cases in recent years was 2K adding un-skippable ads in NBA 2K21, which was the third year in a row 2K had experimented with putting ads in an NBA 2K title. But it's a practice we've seen appear mostly in annualized […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ea-launches-ea-advertising-ads-that-will-enhance-not-disrupt-player-experience-in-game-ads/

AMD's latest AGESA 1.3.0.1b BIOS firmware offers much better DDR5 memory support and even lower voltages than past versions. Using The Latest AMD AGESA BIOS On Your AM5 Motherboards Leads To Better DDR5 Memory Support & Lower Voltages Leading motherboard vendors are rolling out the latest AGESA 1.3.0.1b BIOS firmware for their respective products based on the 600-series and 800-series chipsets. The main feature of this BIOS is support for the AMD EXPO ULL (Ultra-Low-Latency) technology, which was unveiled at Computex 2026. ASUS, Gigabyte & MSI are among the first to ship the latest BIOS, and it comes with several […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-agesa-1-3-0-1b-bios-better-ddr5-memory-support-lower-voltages-higher-fclk/

More and more vendors are releasing Wildcat Lake-based systems, and MINIX is the latest vendor to launch a Wildcat Lake-based mini PC. MINIX Debuts N304-AI Mini Host, Powered by Core 3 304 Processor, Providing up to 15 TOPS of AI Power Chinese hardware maker MINIX has released its latest mini host, featuring the Intel Wildcat Lake platform. The mini host is called the N304-AI mini, which is powered by the Intel Core 3 304 processor. The Core 3 304 processor is the weakest in the Core Ultra Series 3 lineup, featuring a 1+4-core configuration. It's based on the same Cougar […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/minix-introduces-wildcat-lake-n304-ai-mini-host-featuring-dual-lan-ports/