The 2026 World Cup is not disappointing fans. Lionel Messi and several other stars have already stood out in impressive fashion. In addition, several teams have already secured their place in the knockout stages, while some of the third-place spots are still yet to be decided.
Unlike previous editions, the 2026 World Cuphas managed to impress fans across the globe. Not only has Lionel Messi been shining, but so have Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and several other stars. In addition, teams such as Cape Verde, Ghana, DR Congo, and others have surprised many with their impact. However, while some national teams have already secured their place in the knockout stages, the third-place positions are still not completely decided.
Following FIFA‘s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 national teams, 32 teams advance to the knockout stages of the tournament, divided into 24 direct qualification spots and 8 teams that qualify as the best third-placed finishers. United States, Mexico, Germany, France, Norway, Argentina, and Colombia have been the first national teams to secure their place in the next round.
As a new feature of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has decided to include knockout-stage spots for third-place teams. To do this, the 12 teams are placed into a wildcard table, where only the top 8 advance to the Round of 32. To determine the rankings, FIFA has established a series of criteria that serve as tiebreakers.
2026 World Cup third-place tiebreakers explained
With 12 national teams finishing third in the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has established five criteria to determine which 8 national teams advance to the knockout stages. As the first option, the number of points accumulated across the three matches serves as the main tiebreaker. Therefore, teams that have earned four points or more will have a greater advantage in securing their place. However, the remaining national teams still have a chance to qualify.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds the FIFA World Cup trophy.
If multiple national teams are tied on points, FIFA uses goal difference across the three group-stage matches as the second criterion. With this in mind, teams that have scored more goals than they have conceded have a better chance of reaching the knockout stages. If teams remain tied, they apply total goals scored as the third tiebreaker, favoring the more prolific attacking teams.
As a fourth tiebreaker criterion, FIFA evaluates the disciplinary record of the national teams, based on the cards accumulated, assessed as follows: a yellow card equals -1 point, an indirect red card (second yellow) equals -3 points, a direct red card equals -4 points, and a yellow card plus a direct red card equals -5 points. The team with the fewest negative points will earn the spot. Finally, FIFA uses the FIFA World Ranking as the last tiebreaker criterion.
View of the World Cup trophy, as part of the FIFA Trophy Tour.
hung up the gloves last year knowing his place amongst the welterweight and pound-for-pound legends was cemented, but there is one former 147lb ruler who Shane Mosley believes would have got the better of ‘Bud’ if they had competed in the same era. Crawford outpointed Ricky Burns to claim the WBO lightweight world title back […]
I’m under no illusions that John Ternus’ Apple will be the exactly same as it has been under Tim Cook. Initially though, there will be few, if any, changes. Ternus is not an outsider with wild anti-Apple ideas intended to wake a sleeping giant. He's been here for decades, through all the major releases that made Apple, well, Apple. Claims that he's arriving in September to revive Apple's design excellence are, if not off base, then just wrong-headed.
First of all, the argument presupposes that there is something fundamentally lacking in Apple's Industrial design: Jony Ive was obviously lighting in a bottle, and current design lead Molly Anderson is a pale, albeit also British, imitation. (Granted, Anderson has not been in the position that long, taking over from Evans Hankey, who left in 2023.)
But accepting that presumption is to ignore all the beautifully designed products that have arrived under Cook's leadership, with and without Ive, and also often under the watchful eyes of Ternus.
It was the ultimate expression (at least in PC terms) of Ive's "form meets function" obsession. The internal structure was sort of a triangle of boards that seemed perfectly wrong for a squat, circular enclosure. Ive's fingerprints were all over the impractical system, one that Craig Federighi later admitted to me (during a mea culpa meeting on the Pro) had boxed Apple into a thermal corner. It was hard to upgrade and was roundly rejected by pro system users.
Ive was also responsible for the Apple Pencil. With it, his penchant for skeuomorphism extended from app design into the physical world. The Apple Pencil fully resembled a white plastic version of a real, pencil, and to accommodate that, it had, under a custom cover, a hidden Lightning charging plug. You even needed a special adaptor to charge it. Later, wirelessly charging Apple Pencils, which I think Ive also designed, fixed this mess.
Naturally, Ive's hits far outweighed his misses, and many big ones came during the Cook-Ive collaboration period, including the iPad Air, the Apple Watch, and AirPods (which started awkwardly but gradually improved).
The more divisive Apple Vision Pro was likely designed under Hankey and Anderson's watchful eye. I do think it's a pleasant intersection between the needs of extremely high-end innovation and aesthetic appeal. Goggles will be goggles, after all.
Even iPhone design has remained, if not excellent, interesting.
The iPhone is still beautiful...discuss
When Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007, there really was no other handset quite like it. Apple set the bar and, over the years, every other manufacturer followed. It became harder and harder for Apple to differentiate its metal and glass slab from its competitors. The ever-larger camera arrays have provided a sort of design challenge and an opportunity at the same time. Hankey and Anderson, at least, came up with a giant island that's quite recognizable from a distance. And let's not discount color. The orange was a stroke of genius and the new MacBook Neo's playful Blush and Citrus colors are lively, proving Anderson knows how to marry form with expression.
Ternus' role as hardware lead means he's been seeing these designs for years. My sense in sitting down with him after the launch of the iPhone Air is that he is intimately involved with the process of shoving all that technology into ever-thinner, but shockingly strong frames. He gets that you need to marry engineering skills with industrial design to get a durable and usable product that's still attractive.
When I think about what Ternus will do when he finally takes over in September, I am reminded of relay race runners. Cook continues to pace around the track while slowly holding out the baton behind him. Ternus is nearby, running just behind Cook with one hand outstretched. Neither man will stop. The handoff will happen in a few months, with everything still in motion.
The process of finishing the rumored iPhone Ultra (the folding phone) continues as we speak, and Ternus is not going to suddenly pull a Steve Jobs and throw the design into a fish tank, to see if bubbles rise, thus proving they could make it smaller. He won't demand that all plastic be replaced with glass, or even that one more color be added to the mix.
When, as the recent Bloomberg report claims, Ternus said of Apple's design history and appeal to customers, "We’re going to make sure that stays the case,” he's not talking about making huge changes to achieve that goal.
Ternus will stay the course and support Anderson. He may hire more design support and, down the line, Ternus will look for his signature initiative or product; he will want to have his own iPhone or iPod. But that's a natural inclination for any incoming CEO. Job one, though, is staying the course, shepherding the in-the-pipeline products to market and ensuring that Apple remains Apple.
My love of all things Zelda is no secret to my colleagues, friends, and family. In fact, when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (OoT) remake was first announced, our Global Editor-in-Chief, Marc McLaren, immediately messaged me to ask if I intended to take time off to play it (I do).
When the 40th anniversary of the franchise rolled around earlier this year, I was a little blue to see little-to-no news of a new game or remake, but my long-read ode to the lasting impact of Link's adventures through Hyrule at least gave me a distraction. Now, however, with months to go until I finally make my grand return to the Kokiri forest, my hype has reached new heights.
To pass the time, I plan to spend my money on, you guessed it, even more Zelda merchandise and Switch 2 accessories to accommodate my upcoming increase in playtime. In the current Amazon Prime Day deals, there's a wide selection of cases, storage, merchandise, and more to shop; I've included some of the best below, as well as the essential gear my gaming station will be decked with come OoT's release later this year. Not everything I've linked below is on sale, so look for the percentage-off badge if you're only looking for good deals.
Switch 2 Essentials
Nintendo
Switch 2 Console
PowerA
Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2
SanDisk
MicroSD Express Card
Nintendo
SanDisk MicroSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2
If you're not caught up on the latest and greatest Switch generation Zelda games, you've got plenty of time ahead of the Ocarina of Time's remake releasing to pour some hours into adventure.
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Nintendo
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Nintendo
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening
Essential Zelda merch
From Lego sets to card games and novelty toys, there's a lot of great Zelda merch out there. I own a lot (really, an embarassing amount) of the below merchandise already; join me in my submission to capitalism's whim.
LEGO
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – the Final Battle
LEGO
Great Deku Tree 2-In-1
LEGO
Super Mario Game Boy
Paladone
Bokoblin Chest Light
USAopoly
The Legend of Zelda Chess
TAMASHII NATIONS
The Legend of Zelda Réplique Proplica Master Sword 105 Cm Black
Amazon Prime Day is often the best time of year to find a discounted Kindle, but if you've opened the listing page only to feel overwhelmed by the various models to choose from, then I have a quick quiz that might help you out.
I've owned the standard version of Kindle for years, and it's not faltered once for what I need it for. Reliable and sturdy, it's one of the best tech gifts I've ever been given. It's also the cheapest model in the range, so you won't feel like you're wasting money if you still enjoy the charms of physical books. Right now, you can find the standard Kindle on sale at Amazon for $84.99 (was $109.99) in the US and for £75.99 (was £94.99) in the UK.
But if you've got a bigger budget, it's worthwhile looking at Amazon's most popular model, the Kindle Paperwhite, which is ideal for your next beach holiday with its waterproof design. Want the ability to journal? You're better off with the Kindle Scribe. Love reading graphic novels? You'll need the Kindle Colorsoft.
If you don't have time to read our guide to Amazon's excellent e-reader range to see how each model's specs compare, just answer four simple questions in the quiz below, and it'll recommend a Kindle based on the deals available at the time of writing.
Today's best Kindle deals in the US
The latest version of the standard Kindle is on sale as part of the annual Prime Day sale. It's a basic ereader, but it still boasts a four-week battery life and space for thousands of books. Given it's $40 cheaper than the Paperwhite, this is clearly a better pick for the infrequent reader who's after a more budget-friendly option. At $85, this Prime Day deal matches the record-low price for the ereader, but is far from the bigger discounts I've seen in previous years.
Prime Day discounts on the 2024 Kindle don't come as generously as they do during Black Friday, but you won't come across a better deal at any other time of year. For Amazon's most recent standard version Kindle, $85 isn't the worst price for an e-reader that covers the basics, but it has been cheaper in the past.
Amazon Prime Day features an OK, if a little disappointing, deal on the latest Kindle Paperwhite. We found in our Kindle Paperwhite review that it's packed with features to suit all avid readers, including a 12-week battery life, glare-free 7-inch screen, adjustable warm light, and storage space for thousands of books. This is a good buy and one of the best ereaders out there; it's just a shame that the days of even bigger discounts are well in the past.
The Kindle Colorsoft is down to its lowest price as part of Amazon Prime Day. As Amazon's first colored Kindle, it's a must-have for people who love reading travel guides, graphic novels, and other genres with a lot of images and photographs. It's USB-C and wireless charging compatible, lasting up to 8 weeks on a full battery.
This updated version of the Kindle Scribe hasn't been discounted since launch, so this Prime Day is a great time to bag a deal. The Scribe combines some of the best features of the Kindle Paperwhite, such as the glare-free and auto-adjusting display, along with the option to take notes, comment on documents, and doodle using the included stylus pen. Our Kindle Scribe review was down on some missing features that have been added in recent updates, so now this is a better value for a multi-functional device.
The cheapest Kindle deal on Amazon right now is this excellent discount on the latest Amazon Kindle Kids version. Simply put, this model is functionally the same as the standard Kindle but comes with a Kid-friendly cover, a six-month trial for Amazon Kids Plus, and an extended two-year warranty. Regardless of whether you're a small or big kid, this is a great deal on the baseline Kindle.
Similar to the above deal on the standard Kindle, the cheapest Kindle Paperwhite deal available at Amazon today is on the Kids Edition variant. Again, the device is functionally the same as the standard Kindle Paperwhite, but you get a themed cover, a six-month trial of Amazon Kids+, and an extended warranty. The main selling point for the Paperwhite over the standard Kindle is that it's waterproof and features a larger seven-inch display.
The Kindle Colorsoft Kids has reached $189 on two occasions before, but today's deal is a brand-new record-low price on the latest model. While the Colorsoft is pricier than the others, as the name suggests, it has a color display that's fantastic for graphic novels and kids' books. Otherwise, it's very similar to the Paperwhite in that it's waterproof, comes with 12 months of Amazon Kids+, a themed cover, and a two-year guarantee.
The latest version of the standard Kindle is on sale as part of the annual Prime Day sale. It's a basic ereader, but it still boasts a four-week battery life and space for thousands of books. Given it's £55 cheaper than the Paperwhite, this is clearly a better pick for the infrequent reader who's after a more budget-friendly option. At £80, though, this Prime Day deal is a little underwhelming, given it's been as low as £69.99 before.
Likewise with Amazon UK, the 2024 Kindle generally gets a better deal at Black Friday, but Prime Day is a very close second. Given it's £55 cheaper than the Paperwhite, this is clearly a better pick for the infrequent reader who's after a more budget-friendly option.
Amazon has brought back its decent — but not spectacular — Black Friday deal on the latest Kindle Paperwhite for Amazon Prime Day. We found in our Kindle Paperwhite review that it's packed with features to suit all avid readers, including a 12-week battery life, glare-free 7-inch screen, adjustable warm light, and storage space for thousands of books. This is a good buy and one of the best ereaders out there; it's just a shame that the days of even bigger discounts are well in the past.
The Kindle Colorsoft just fell to its lowest-ever price as part of this year's Amazon Prime Day sale. As Amazon's first colored Kindle, it's a must-have if you love reading travel guides, graphic novels, and other genres with a lot of images and photographs — or just want to view your entire ebook library in its full colour glory. The ereader is also USB-C and wireless charging compatible, lasts up to eight weeks on a full battery, and has enough storage for thousands of books.
A notetaker's best friend, the Kindle Scribe is great for students, avid readers and productivity users alike, offering a satisfying and slick screen on which to doodle and annotate. We scored it 4.5 stars in our review.
While we scored it a respectable 4 stars in our review, a major sticking point for the Scribe Colorsoft is its value proposition. There's nowhere near enough going for it to justify this e-reader costing more than a MacBook Neo.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a synergy system that impacts the players' vehicles
Fuse Games says planets will have status effects, like driving in lava or burning in Jakku's sun
Players can also counteract these effects, like driving through water, if their vehicles overheat
Fuse Games has revealed that Star Wars: Galactic Racer features a synergy system with status effects that impact the players' vehicles.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, where studio co-founder and CEO Matt Webster and Creative Director Kieran Crimmins discussed the game's "runs-based" campaign structure and "consequential decision-making," the pair also detailed the game's reactive gameplay system.
In the game, players will visit a range of planets to take part in races, each with their own environmental differences. There are the hot, dry sand planets like Tatooine and Jakku, the lush jungle planet Lantaana, the snow planet, Ando Prime, and more.
This means players will need to adapt to the occasion, swapping out vehicle parts for ones better suited for the specific track. There's also an upgrade tree, which Crimmins said will let players improve their cornering, speed, or resilience, and upgrading vehicles over time will be "a very satisfying experience."
However, the game's synergy system will offer a bigger challenge. Planets will also have status effects, meaning hot lava will overheat your vehicle, but it can also be counteracted by physically driving through water.
"We wanted synergies, so that is status effects that each planet has a different status effect that can be inflicted on you," Crimmins said. "For instance, Ando Prime, you can get frozen, Lantaana, you can overheat in the lava, but you can also get cooled in the water. And then on different versions of Jakku, you can get burnt as well by the sun."
The developers said they couldn't speak on Crait just yet, which is a planet covered in a layer of white salt over a red crystalline mineral, suggesting that, just like in the movie The Last Jedi, speeders and other vehicles will impact the ground players navigate.
Crimmins continued, explaining how negative status effects can be subverted, for instance, to increase the speed of the new system called a Ramjet, which offers a massive boost in speed.
Webster added that using the Ramjet can "come at a real cost and heats up," but if players drive over the rivers of water in Lantaana, it heats up more slowly.
"You end up thinking of your build in a much more tactical way, where you're like, how can this thing prop this thing and create this thing to make an entirely new race," Crimmins said.
The White House is worried about AI's cybersecurity implications
Meta urged to submit frontier AI models for review before release
OpenAI and other major developers have already signed up to do this
The White House is reportedly urging Meta to voluntarily submit its most advanced AI models to the government for security reviews before they get released publicly, per New York Timesreporting.
Doing so would allow US policymakers to assess model capabilities, security risks and vulnerabilities, with the administration likely focusing on military implications like cyber warfare and attacks on critical national infrastructure.
According to the report, Meta is one of the few major AI developers that has not yet agreed to participate in the voluntary review program.
Meta pressed to submit AI models to US government for review
Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and xAI have already entered similar arrangements with the US government, and Meta could be next to sign up.
"We share the administration's goal of advancing U.S. leadership on robust and secure frontier AI," a company spokesperson said (via Reuters).
"While we are working through the details, we hope to sign the agreement soon."
The news follows the signing of an executive order to establish a framework for the government evaluation of advanced AI models before public deployment.
"Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action," the order reads.
The Five Eyes intelligence alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) also recently declared that AI systems are now more capable than ever at launching highly sophisticated cyber attacks. "Frontier Al models are anticipated to exceed current industry expectations," the alliance wrote.
If Meta signs up to participate, it means that virtually all major US frontier AI developers will be voluntarily submitting models for review prior to public release.
I've been going around in circles writing this Oura Ring 5 review. On the one hand, I find the health insights equally fascinating and motivating just like the best smart rings, and its discreet design is without a doubt comfortable to wear all day long.
But it's worth noting that Oura has been facing increasing backlash after deepening its partnership with the Department of Defense in the US last year, which is something ethically-conscious buyers may want to look into before purchasing.
That said, its ability to track more than 50 health and wellness metrics, such as sleep quality and stress levels, is undeniably enticing for anyone wanting to be more aware of their body — and the launch of this newest model brought a whole host of new insights.
What I will say is that the Oura app does try to include a lot of context about how these measurements can be interpreted and how they contribute to‚ for example, determining how prepared your body is for the day ahead based on a range of metrics, which Oura calls your 'Resilience Score'. But, again, this only scratches the surface of understanding how your body actually functions.
The best example of these assessments triggering misguided concern was when I got warnings from a feature called 'Symptom Radar', which tracks your respiratory rate and body temperature to flag signs of strain. What it didn't take into account was that a woman's body temperature naturally rises after ovulation, making its assessment unnecessarily worrying for anyone who didn't know that.
I can't deny that its claim to be the world's smallest smart ring at launch really does hold up — its lightness makes it disappear on your finger, making it ideal for everyday wear. With six stylish finishes and an even more scratch-resistant titanium surface, it's no wonder it's made headlines in the wearable tech space, with plenty of influencer reviewers fawning over the all-new Oura Ring 5.
By now you've definitely noticed my to-ing and fro-ing as I work through every side of the Oura Ring 5 to reach an honest and fair review. I won't say it's the most perfect smart ring on the market — that would be ignoring too much — but I will say it comes close. I can't argue with its premium build and the level of tech packed into those tiny sensors, which manage to achieve high levels of accuracy. That's impressive in itself, and
Oura has been facing increasing backlash after deepening its partnership with the Department of Defense in the US last year, although it doesn't use data from any of its users other than specific military personnel as part of this arrangement. It's also worth keeping in mind that there have been studies raising concerns about 'health data anxiety', and Oura's attempt to bring new biomarkers into play have given us a whole new category to worry about. But at the end of the day, I'm a sucker for brilliant tech — which the Oura Ring 5 definitely is.
Oura Ring 5: Price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
$399 / £399 / AU$649 (each) for two base finishes
$499 / £499 / AU$799 (each) for four premium styles
$5.99 monthly subscription (priced in USD across all regions)
$99 / £99 / AU$159 for the Oura Ring 5 travel case
The Oura Ring 5 costs an extra $50 / £50 / AU$80 — or $100 / £100 for a premium finish — compared with the Oura Ring 4, which launched in 2024. (Australian pricing doesn't appear to carry the same premium finish gap.)
Beyond the high-gloss gold and silver finishes, you're paying an extra $100 / £100 / AU$150 for any of the four premium styles: a softer gold, brushed silver, matte black, and — the color I tried — deep copper rose.
Add the $5.99 monthly subscription, and you're looking at up to $670 / £670 / AU$1,029.88 to own an Oura Ring 5 for a year, if you go for the most expensive finish plus the travel case.
That's no small sum when most smart rings on the market cost less and many don't require a recurring subscription. There are also plenty of wearable alternatives that track the same health vitals, which makes this very much a luxury purchase.
Value score: 2/5
Oura Ring 5: Design
(Image credit: Future)
The closest a smart ring has come to looking like luxury jewellery
Extremely low-profile and light, making it comfortable to wear all day
An easy-to-use companion app with a clean UI
By far the best justification for the Oura Ring 5's high price tag is that it could easily pass for a piece of jewellery. That's largely down to a 40% decrease in size from the previous model, the result of Oura redesigning the entire core.
That freed up space to drop multiple sensors, but it hasn't made the Ring 5 any less accurate — Oura has increased the efficiency of the remaining sensors to offset the loss. The titanium surface is also more scratch-resistant; I can't compare it directly to a previous model, but it hasn't picked up a nick yet.
What I can say is that the Oura Ring 5 is significantly smaller than the Ring 4. Holding it up against a previous-generation ring (admittedly the bulkier ceramic finish), I was shocked at how noticeable the size difference is. It's lighter and far more comfortable to wear, since it doesn't protrude — and therefore doesn't rub against — my finger as much.
That same design ethos carries through to the Oura app, which has a minimalist interface that isn't cluttered with numbers and graphs. Instead, data is presented as scores with percentages and ratings for each health vital. It's easy to use, though it's worth noting that the app needs a certain amount of data to establish your health baseline, so you won't have access to every feature right away.
Design score: 5/5
Oura Ring 5: Features
(Image credit: Future)
Tracks vitals including body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate
AI wellness assessments for sleep, stress, resilience, and more
Activity tracking lags behind more dedicated fitness wearables
After two weeks of wearing the Oura Ring 5, I've unlocked most features — sleep, resilience, and activity scores — which now populate what was once a fairly bare home screen.
The Oura app works best with more data, so it's constantly prompting you to add new "tags" to your day's timeline. Some are automatic, like detecting exercise, while others — what you ate, or what kind of activity you did — require manual logging.
The app's other three main sections cover your vitals, a health assessment area, and an LLM chatbot you can talk to about your data. That last part matters, because as I mentioned above, there's plenty of room for misleading interpretations if you don't understand the many factors behind your body's vitals.
I got a lot out of learning more about my sleep quality and general heart health (the app has a neat feature that lets you feel your heartbeat throughout the day via your phone's haptic feedback), but what I'm most interested in unlocking next are the new women's health features, such as Hormonal Birth Control, which builds on the existing Cycle Insights dashboard with what Oura calls a "first-of-its-kind" view into how biometrics shift across hormonal and hormone-free days.
While I find the wellness insights genuinely useful, the ring is nowhere near as practical as a dedicated fitness tracker. Without GPS — it relies on a paired device for location — and limited to activities compatible with wearing jewellery on your hand (so no weightlifting without a third-party silicone band over the top), it falls short, even with the addition of real-time tracking — which, again, you can only view through a paired device).
Features score: 4/5
Oura Ring 5: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Battery life has increased to seven days
Automatic activity tracking has been accurate
Sleep and heart rate tracking data is in line with our benchmark device
One of the biggest improvements that the Oura Ring 5 brings over the Ring 4 is that has managed to squeeze out a whole extra day of battery life, despite the ring itself being redesigned to be 40% smaller.
During my testing, I found it lasted a whole seven days on one full charge. But I was more impressed with was how quickly you can charge the smart ring. From a fully drained battery, it took less than an hour until it was all way back up to 100%, which means it's very easy to top it up throughout the week whenever you're, say, washing dishes or having a shower.
For the most part, I kept the Oura Ring 5 on throughout the day, allowing it to track my vitals as I moved from home to work to seeing friends, exercising and cooking, which it does very well. Most of the automated tracking suggestions were accurate, allowing me to quickly confirm all of the day's activities when I next checked into the app.
This same accuracy extends to the sleep data, which is the absolute highlight of the Oura Ring 5's feature set. I found the insights both enlightening and motivating, especially after getting my first sleep score as (like any gamification effect) I began trying to reach a new higher level. My testing also confirmed this when my readouts for my average heart rate managed to be within 3 BPM of the Polar H10 chest strap, which is the gold standard for consumer heart rate and workout accuracy as it uses actual ECG (electrocardiogram) technology.
Average heart rate
Oura Ring 5
115
Polar H10
112
037.575112.5150
Average heart rate Data
Product
Value
Oura Ring 5
115
Polar H10
112
Performance score: 5/5
Oura Ring 5: Scorecard
Category
Comment
Score
Value
An extremely luxury smart ring compared to others on the market.
2/5
Design
The most discreet and comfortable smart ring to wear all day.
5/5
Features
Stacked on the wellness front, but not when it comes to fitness.
4/5
Performance
A whole week's worth of battery, with accurate sleep tracking.
5/5
Oura Ring 5: Should I buy?
(Image credit: Future)
Buy it if...
You want wellness tracking From stress to sleep, you can turn your health vital's raw data into useful insights.
You want a smart ring that looks like jewellery The smart ring manages to be stylish, small and light, and comfortable.
Don't buy it if...
You don't want to spend more than you need to You can find smart ring alternatives that deliver the same benefits for a lot less.
You want a fitness tracking wearable There are far more feature-rich fitness trackers available at a more affordable price.
Also consider
Component
Oura Ring 5
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Price
From $399 / £399 / AU$649
$399 / £399 / AU$699
Colors
Gold, Silver, Brushed Silver, Premium Gold, Stealth Black, Rose Gold
Black, Titanium Gold, Titanium Silver
Material
Titanium
Titanium
Weight
Between 2 (size 6) and 2.6g (size 13)
2.3g (size 5) 3.0g (size 13)
Battery life
Up to 7 days
Up to 7 days (ring), up to 6 charges (cradle)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 6.0
Bluetooth 5.4
Sensor array
Updated Smart Sensing array
PPG, accelerometer, skin temperature
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
GPS?
No
No
How I tested
I wore the Oura Ring 5 for two weeks, draining the battery completely (despite the app advising against letting it go below 30%). I have some gaps in my data from forgetting to put it back on, but I mostly didn't take it off. I tested the ring's heart rate monitoring accuracy against the Polar H10 chest strap, and compared its design to a ceramic Oura Ring 4.
Protecting a household of devices, storing family memories, and protecting your online identity would usually have your searching for multiple solutions from different providers. But right now, Norton 360 Advanced is currently 77% off, reducing the monthly cost of protecting 10 devices to just £2.92/mo.
It may not seen like it looking at the price, but 360 Advanced is Norton's highest level of protection - spanning across antivirus, data, identity, and financial defence.
Inside, you get Norton's award winning antivirus protection to defend against malware, ransomware, and hacking, alongside a 200GB Cloud Backup, password manager, parental control app, dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, financial monitoring, identity restoration support, and much more.
Antivirus protection that scored top marks across protection, performance, and usability - with a whole range of additional features to secure your financial and online identity. This package is perfect for those looking for a complete suite of protective software under one roof.
If you are used to storing your family photos or important documents on your home computer, there is always the risk of your computer failing or your storage corrupting.
Unless you have them backed up elsewhere, it could mean that you lose them forever. Storing them in a cloud backup adds a level of redundancy into your storage that helps to protect from these risks.
With Norton's 200GB cloud backup, you can choose which files are regularly uploaded in to the cloud, so that any recent changes you make are automatically saved into your online drive.
Password Manager
Its no secret that many people rely on the same password, or a combination thereof, across all of their accounts. From bank logins, to social media, and beyond - if just one of these passwords is leaked on compromised it can put your entire online life at risk.
Norton's password manager can securely store your current passwords, generate new, highly secure passwords, and autofill your credentials when you want to log on so you don't have to spend time remembering and typing long and complex passwords.
VPN private connection
A Virtual Private Connection (VPN) is an encrypted internet tunnel that secures your browsing traffic. That means that even if you internet activity is intercepted in transit, it cannot be read or decrypted.
This helps to protect against crooks attempting to steal your IP address or find your location, and can help secure your internet activity when browsing on unsecured networks such as those in cafes or airports.
Norton's VPN is fast and unlimited with over 100 connection locations across the globe.
Parental Control App
A parental control app helps you manage and secure the online activity of any children in your house. Unrestricted access to the internet can be dangerous, even in online gaming or on social media.
Norton's parental control app provides web filtering to remove unwanted websites from access, provides search engine monitoring, app blocking, and screen time monitoring.
Identity Protection Tools
Most of your identity is now stored online. From social media and online accounts, to the daily services you use to communicate. But sometimes things go wrong. Your credentials and personal information can get leaked during data breaches, and while it may not be your fault, hackers are just waiting for the opportunity to steal accounts and personal info.
Dark Web Monitoring
Norton's Dark Web Monitoring tool actively checks the parts of the internet where hackers like to post their finds. It regularly checks for your personal information and credentials and will notify you if anything suspicious is spotted, giving you precious time to change passwords or act as a heads up in case any suspicious emails or texts arrive in your inbox.
Identity Restoration Support
Norton's Identity Restoration Support provides expert advice and direct customer support in the case that your identity is compromised. You will have access to Restoration Specialists to help navigate how you can restore your identity, and live support from Norton experts for any questions or concerns you have about suspicious activity.
Social Media Monitoring
Norton's Social Media Monitoring provides oversight on your social media accounts for suspicious activity, account takeovers, and inappropriate content.
Financial Protection Tools
Credit Alerts, Credit Reports, and Credit Scores
Norton's Credit services provide regular credit scores and reports, and will notify you if any changes are made to your financial accounts or payments.
Stolen Wallet Assist
In the event your wallet is stolen, Norton's agents will guide you on how to cancel or replace credit cards, bank cards, driver’s licence and other cards.
Financial Monitoring
If any unusual subscriptions or payments are made from your accounts, Norton will notify you of the changes and help you navigate suspicious transactions.
The Amazon Prime Day deals are well and truly up and running — and if you're looking for an action camera, I've found a genuinely fantastic deal.
Cheap action cameras are all over the market these days, and having used and reviewed a few of them, I'm somewhat wary — the image quality just tends to be so poor that they aren't even worth their two-digit price. When it comes to cameras, you're almost always better off going for an older model from a well-regarded name than a newer one from a budget line — and that's why I think this massive deal on the DJI Osmo Action 4 is one to snap up.
First reviewed by our Cameras Editor Timothy Coleman back in 2023, the Osmo Action 4 takes the classic GoPro-style form actor and crams in a 1/1.3-inch sensor that delivers excellent video quality. With comprehensive waterproofing to depths of 18m (no case needed), highly effective RockSteady image stabilization, and a brilliant magnetic mounting system for accessories, it's a comprehensively equipped action cam for capturing dynamic footage of your adventures — and it's able to go places you wouldn't dream of taking your phone or 'proper' camera.
Sure, it's not the best action cam on the market anymore — not while the DJI Osmo Action 6 and GoPro Hero 13 Black exist. But the price! The Prime Day savings on the DJI Osmo Action 4 put it at $169 in the US and £199 in the UK. To put this in context, when Tim first reviewed it, the Osmo Action 4 cost $399 / £379!
Today's best DJI Osmo Action 4 deals (US)
It's two generations old now, with the Action 5 Pro and Action 6 having arrived since, but the DJI Osmo Action 4 still shoots crisp 4K video and has excellent waterproofing. The real appeal to this 2023 model is its low price, which with Prime Day savings is down to less than half of its original asking price.View Deal
Today's best DJI Osmo Action 4 deals (UK)
Savings are also excellent in the UK, with the Osmo Action 4 available for less than £160. This combo also includes a quick-release adapter mount, a charging cable, a lens hood and a protective frame.View Deal
Tim found the DJI Osmo Action 4 to be an ideal family holiday camera — it caused his mirrorless to stay in the bag! (Image credit: Future)
A complete package for content creators
Despite being a few years old, the Osmo Action 4 is still more than capable of producing imagery to the standard demanded by content creators in 2026. With a topline video resolution of 10-bit 4K video, it produces crisp and punchy footage, and offers a number of slow-mo options, as well as the option to shoot in the D-Log color profile to maximize dynamic range. This is everything a content creator could want, especially when you also factor in the punchy 10MP stills.
The later, pricier cameras are better in some areas — I've used the Osmo Action 6, and its low-light abilities are absolutely unreal. But most action camera footage is shot in bright daylight; they tend to be used for capturing POV footage of activities like surfing, cycling, snorkeling or skiing, and if you're not planning to do much shooting at night, you won't have a problem. And besides, as Tim found, the Osmo Action 4 isn't actually all that bad in low light — it's just not a patch on the cameras that have come along since.
The Osmo Action 4's simple UI means kids can use it without too much of a problem, making it a brilliant option for family holidays — this is a camera that won't mind being dropped, splashed, knocked or bumped.
The X4 Air is slightly lighter than the X5, which will feel like a benefit on a long day of shooting. (Image credit: Future)
It's also worth mentioning that if you're in the US, ongoing trade restrictions mean it can be difficult to get hold of newer DJI cameras like the Osmo Action 6, meaning an older model like the Action 4 could well be your best option.
But even if that's not an issue, at this price, I'd recommend the Osmo Action 4 to most people over the Osmo Action 6 — and I loved the Osmo Action 6. I took one on holiday to New York, and have it in a drawer beside me right now!
But this is just such good value for the level of functionality and image quality on offer. It's the perfect gateway for anyone thinking about dipping a toe into the world of action cameras — and it's a much, much better buy than a cheap-and-nasty action camera from a brand you've never heard of.
Professionals end every day feeling behind or burnt out, but not because they haven’t worked hard enough or clocked off earlier that day.
It’s because the volume of information, decisions, and context-switching is moving faster than the pace humans can realistically handle.
A recent Microsoft report put numbers to what people are feeling.
Eight in 10 of the global workforce say they lack enough time or energy to do their work, and 60% of meetings are happening as ad hoc calls or quick chats outside the pre-scheduled day-to-day.
This isn’t a motivation problem, it’s a capacity one - and it's created one of the defining contradictions of modern work. Businesses have never had more ideas, expertise, or ambition at their disposal, yet the people inside them are increasingly starved of the time and clarity needed to turn that potential into progress.
The smartphone makes this contradiction impossible to ignore. It is one of the most consequential inventions of the 21st century, yet also one that many people actively try to use less. Screen-time limits and digital detoxes are not anti-technology trends. They are signs that people are trying to regain control over a tool that has become indispensable, but increasingly overwhelming.
The message is simple: the market isn't asking for more technology. It's asking for relief.
Technological exhaustion
People are adopting or looking at things like digital assistants, wearable AI, focus apps, and workflow automation, not because the technology is impressive. They're doing it because they're exhausted.
That distinction matters because cognitive overload has become a workplace crisis. And the first wave of wearable AI missed the opportunity to solve it.
Instead of building practical tools, companies chased futuristic visions. Early wearable AI products asked "what can AI do?" instead of "what problem needs solving?"
The Humane Pin is the most obvious and probably the most well-known industry example. The vision was compelling, but the execution wasn't there. It positioned itself as a complete phone replacement before proving it could do even just one thing better than a phone. Ultimately, it tried to be everything and ended up being nothing.
This approach didn't reduce cognitive overload - it created more. Another device to manage. Another thing running in the background of an already overwhelming life.
The wrong question asked was: "How do we replace the phone entirely?"
A much better question is: “Where are people losing the most time, energy, and clarity — and how can technology give some of it back without demanding more from them?”
Useful technologies
The most useful technologies rarely arrive by replacing everything at once. The calculator didn't try to replace the accountant - it eliminated one specific source of friction and became indispensable.
It’s the same with wearable AI assistants. Progress is made in practice, not promises.
The wearables gaining real traction share one quality: users can explain their value in a single sentence. "This device exists so I can stop worrying about X." That clarity isn't a constraint - it is the product.
The future of this category will not be defined by the devices with the boldest premise. It will be defined by those who understand where people are most overloaded and remove that pressure without asking for much in return.
Does the technology make someone feel more capable or more managed? Does it reduce the number of things they have to remember, check, repeat, and translate? Does it create clarity, or simply another stream of information?
Those questions are less glamorous than asking whether AI can replace the smartphone. But they are also far more useful.
The wearables that will actually help aren't the ones with the boldest premise; they're the ones that solve one real problem but do it well.
In a world drowning in information, that may be the most ambitious thing technology can do.
This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit
Before I tried my first IPL machine, I was suspicious. A handheld device that flashes at your skin and it somehow zaps away your body hair? It all sounded rather unlikely. Except then I got one, and it did just that, and it's been my summertime savior for the past five years.
I paraphrased before, so let me back up a bit. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light: multiple wavelengths of light that look a little like a photo flash. (They're different to a laser, which uses one concentrated beam.) You remove the hair from the bit of skin you want to be fuzz-free, and then run your device over that patch. The light targets the follicle that sits under the surface of your skin, damaging or destroying it so it doesn't grow back.
The results, for me, are incredible. It's by far the most effective, long-lasting and side-effect-free method of hair removal I've tried (and I have tried them all). However, there are a few things to know before buying one — scroll down for the key things I tell anyone who asks me if I'd recommend an IPL.
I was particularly inspired to share my tips now, because there are several heavily discounted IPL machines (including my own Braun Silk-Expert Pro 5 — five years old and still going strong) included in the Amazon Prime Day sales. So if you read my tips and decide to buy, now's a great time to do so.
1. They won't work for all hair types in all places
Because of the zapping mechanism, IPL machines work best on dark hair on pale skin — the bigger the contrast, the better. That means they won't work for everyone — people with fair, fine body hair likely won't see much of a difference, and ditto those with darker skin tones.
Further to that, they might not work equally well everywhere on your body. For instance, my IPL doesn't really do much for my leg hair, whereas it's much more effective on my underarms.
2. They're pain-free and the results last
That light looks like it's going to hurt, right? Wrong. The IPL process is pretty much pain-free, save for it occasionally feeling a bit hot. I also don't have an issue with itchy or awkward regrowth in the way I do with shaving.
If you struggle with a bad reaction to other hair removal methods, note that you will need to remove all your hair in your target area before you go over it with the IPL machine. Shaving it is recommended, so you will need to deal with that nasty regrowth at least once.
However, I've found that after that first use, the amount of hair that comes back is significantly reduced, and then after the second or third cycle, basically nothing grows back. It's really incredible.
3. They won't get rid of hair permanently
The instructions with my machine state you should use your IPL weekly for a few weeks (I do four), and then monthly going forward after that. After around three weeks, there's no hair there, but if I don't continue with top-up sessions, after a few weeks the hair will start to return, and eventually it'll be right back to pre-IPL state. So you will need to keep up with your maintenance zapping; this isn't a permanent solution.
Got more questions? Ping me in the comments section, I am happy to help. Or if I've convinced you that an IPL is right for you, let's take a closer look at the best deals available now.
Most people will snag a new Apple Watch during Amazon Prime Day and then call it a day, but have you ever thought that your new wearable could benefit from some accessories?
We're quick to get the screen protectors and cases for our iPhones, but I feel that this attitude isn't applied to the best smartwatches as it is with smartphones. Now that we're deep into this year's Prime Day event, there are just as many deals on Apple Watch accessories as there are on the devices themselves.
One of the best accessories to get at a cheeky discount are watch straps, especially since Apple's own range is quite expensive. On a non-Prime Day, watch strap alternatives are actually reasonably priced, but during sales events they can drop to less than $10, or £10 if you're shopping in the UK. Portable power banks are also overlooked, and give you reason to no longer carry around your charging lead with you.
Today's best Apple Watch accessory deals in the US
Lugging around your Apple Watch charging lead isn't the most convenient, so having one within reach lifts that pain point. Not only is this portable charger also great for travelling and can be attached to your keys, it's compatible with every Apple Watch model, so you don't need to upgrade your wearable to be able to use it. View Deal
Multi-use charging docks are a handy way to ensure your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods can all be charged at the same time, but some charging stations can break the bank. This space-saving dock from Anlmz is less than $20 this Prime Day, and also comes in handy for hands-free viewing on your iPhone. View Deal
Apple Watch bands are just as good an investment as the wearables themselves, as they can change its whole look. Though I do like the level of comfort you get from Apple's silicone bands, this sub-$8 nylon wristband is a solid alternative, and a secure option if you're active with your wearable. View Deal
Today's best Apple Watch accessory deals in the UK
Power banks aren't just for smartphones, they're great for Apple Watches too. $40 is a bit steep for a small, keychain-sized portable charger, so a 53% discount is what we like to see. View Deal
If you're not prepared to spend the best part of £50 on one of Apple's official straps, Amazon has some great alternatives this Prime Day for less than a tenner — and they're compatible with the most recent models in Apple's wearable lineup. View Deal
While you'll still need your Apple Watch charger to make use of this stand, it's a handy tool to have with you if you do happen to carry your charger around with you daily. This stand also folds flat, making it a lot easier to pack and travel with. View Deal
You'd be surprised at how easy it is to accidentally knock your Apple Watch while on the move, no matter how well you take care of it. A protective shield will add weight to your wearable, but you'll be thankful when it stops your Apple Watch from scratches and other damage. Just don't make the same mistake as me and buy the wrong size. View Deal
Aldi has announced a new range of mini cooling fans
There's a tripod fan, a multi-directional globe fan, and an evaporative cooler
They'll be available in the middle aisle from July 2, starting at £6.99
Aldi, famed for its bargain home gadgets, has just announced a new set of budget-friendly cooling fans to help you stay cool without burning a hole in your wallet. The set of three fans will be available in the middle aisle of Aldi stores from July 2, so although they won't be able to stop you sweating during the current heatwave, you can make sure you're prepared the next time the temperature soars.
For me, the most interesting fan in the collection is the £6.99 Fan with Flexible Tripod. Not only is this the cheapest option, it's also the most flexible — literally. Its Joby GorillaPod-style legs bend and grip, so you can position it just right on your desk, wrap it around the handlebar of a pushchair, or attach it to a treadmill at the gym.
(Image credit: Aldi)
Another intriguing option is the Portable Air Cooler with LED (£14.99), which lowers the temperature in your room using water and ice evaporative technology. Water absorbs quite a lot of heat when it evaporates, which has a significant cooling effect, which makes this kind of device (also charmingly known as a 'swamp cooler') an effective way to keep your cool without raising your electricity bill.
Finally, we have the Globe Fan with Multi Direction (£39.99), which looks more like a typical desk fan, but has an unusual "360-degree auto-rotating" head that pans all the way around your room. It comes with a remote control, and has three modes: Natural Wind, Drying (for laundry), and Sleep.
If you can't wait until next week and are willing to splash some more cash for quicker relief, we've rounding up all the best Amazon Prime Day deals on heatwave essentials including fans, portable air conditioners, and ice cream makers.
How many more times (and in how many more ways) can I say this? Nothing's most recent batch of colorful, joyful and hang it all refreshingly different listening gear is nothing short of excellent for the money.
And the thing is, those already-excellent asking fees have just been further reduced, in some cases by up to 49% off for Prime Day.
My pick of the over-ear headphones bunch would be the excellent noise-cancelling CMF Headphone Pro, which have absolutely no business looking this good, or indeed sounding so fabulously fun, for just $65 — a massive 34% off an original launch fee that's barely eight months old.
And I'm not even done! I also love the firm's second stab at flagship headphones, the Nothing Headphone (a), not to be confused with the inaugural Heaphone (1) which do not feature in this list (yes, I know Nothing's naming strategy can be confusing. That's why you stick with me). No, this newer, far better set of over-ears retains the unusual aesthetic of the original effort but adds much better, fuller, more expansive audio and offers excellent on-ear controls to further enhance it all, plus a battery life that's, well, nothing short of excellent.
Not after headphones or earbuds? It's OK, you can see the best of the new deals, as they drop, in our Amazon Prime Day live blog.
Nothing's huge Prime Day sale — the cans and earbuds to snap up
CMF
Headphone Pro
Nothing
Headphone (a)
Nothing
Ear (a)
Nothing
Ear (3)
CMF by Nothing
Buds Pro 2
CMF
Buds 2(a)
If I had to pick, I'm still going for the delightfully fresh, luxuriously padded teal CMF Headphone Pro, which I regularly reach for (and I test headphones for a living, remember) owing to the easy-breezy on-ear controls and fun, zealous sound when I'm out and about.
That said, there's a little more clarity in the Headphone (a) and I do love the cassette-type look of the ear cups. But if you need a bit of wiggle room in your bag for other essentials, earbuds suddenly start looking very good indeed, no?
That said, the Nothing Ear (3) are the best if you regularly record your voice, thanks to their 'Super Mic'. It's the shiny button directly under the snappy case magnet labelled 'TALK' and it's a lot of fun. It's best to think of it as very much like those little clip-on wireless mics content creators hold very close to their mouths on social media — except now, they might hold an earbuds case to their lips to add voiceovers.
Nothing calls Super Mic a "breakthrough dual-microphone system driven by ambient-filtering technology." Essentially, the dual MEMS beamforming mics built into the case focus on your voice, cutting through surrounding noise (up to 95dB is the claim) for clearer calls and voice notes. And no other product in this little roundup has it. Food for thought, then…
In my glowing 4.5-star review of these truly likeable September 2025-issue noise-cancelling over-ears, I said they "could easily cost twice as much", adding "you'll struggle to find a more original set of affordable headphones that offer this much for this little". Well, now that figure has shrunk to just $61.75, a fee our price trackers have never seen until now — their previous all-time low price was $68, just for full clarity. For this money, and as long as the glorious white or light green colorways suit, I wouldn't even hesitate. Highly recommended! View Deal
A moment for the 'fried-egg-meets-cassette-tape' colorway though… yes, it's a look for the bold, but the deal is live on the slightly more demure black or white finishes too, and this March 2026 set of noise cancelling cans doesn't just excite us in the looks department. These aren't to be confused with the slightly disappointing Headphone (1) — no no, this is the greatly improved (and far cheaper) follow-up set. And in our full review, we summarised our thoughts thus: "Now THAT's how you do a second version". This is the cheapest they've ever been, but given that they're barely three months old, that's not surprising… View Deal
I know we're all buzzed about the imminent opening of pre-orders for GTA VI. But for me, that ties for most exciting gaming news this month, after Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is also dropping later on this year. So if you're as into Zelda games as I am and have a decent chunk of cash spare, I'd absolutely recommend you pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 this Prime Day.
As an ardent fan, The Legend of Zelda series lives absolutely rent-free in my head. I cut my teeth on the sublime pixel art of A Link to the Past on the SNES, donned many mantles in Majora's Mask, and banished the gloom in Twilight Princess. But it's almost certainly Ocarina of Time that made the biggest impression on me at the time, thanks to its epic time-hopping story and, at the time, groundbreaking 3D visuals.
So even though I've played the game to completion an almost shameful number of times, you better believe that I'll be picking up the remake on day one of its release. If you're similarly set on reliving one of the greatest games of all time but don't yet have a Nintendo Switch 2, I have one piece of advice for you: grab your console now.
While epic Prime Day discounts are pretty thin on the ground, there's still a good reason to pick one up now. Thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, Nintendo has already revealed that price rises are coming to the Switch 2. It's been confirmed that, come September, the price US buyers will pay is increasing from $449 to $499 — and while the exact price rise hitting the UK market is yet to be revealed, expectations are that it will be in roughly the same ballpark as in the US.
With its larger, gorgeously vivid 1080p display, silky smooth performance and more sturdy build, the Switch 2 feels every bit the upgrade over its predecessor. And while you can't currently get it for much of a discount, with the price increasing by $50 in September, this may well be the best deal you'll get for a long while.
Not only is its screen flat out gorgeous, packing plenty of brightness and vibrant colors, but it's silky smooth, hitting highs of 120Hz for compatible games. And performance is impressive — even a much more demanding title like the recent Indiana Jones and The Great Circle port feels great, despite being locked at 30fps rather than the 60fps (or above) hit by other platforms. That's an impressive feat for a handheld console this compact.
And the roster of games available for the Switch 2 has expanded massively since release. Donkey Kong Bananza feels like the exact breath of fresh air the series needed, adding a fun new gimmick in its landscape-smashing shenanigans, while I've genuinely been hoping to see a Metroid Prime 4 for almost two decades now. But it's Pokémon Pokopia that has most thoroughly hijacked my brain's dopamine system, allowing me to pour countless hours into building mansions and amusements for my 'mons.
However, if I hadn't already upgraded, there's no doubt that The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time remake would have pushed me over the top. Getting to relive my nostalgia-soaked memories of one of the greatest adventures of all time with a fresh new coat of paint is a compelling hook indeed. And for any fan dead set on experiencing it, I'd honestly recommend you getting your Switch 2 ordered now before you have to fork out for that extra markup.
Amazon Prime Day is currently in full swing (despite it still being labelled a day, it's actually most of this week), and as usual, TechRadar's merry band of deals experts are scouring both Amazon and rival retailers to help you find the very best deals.
Reddit, the massive website that allows users to post about all manner of subjects, has also become a great resource for highlighting deals, as millions of Redditors from around the world share deals they've spotted.
Reddit's huge user base means there's a steady stream of great deals going up that could easily be missed. However, you still need to be careful, as not every deal will actually be worth buying.
So, wouldn't it be nice to combine the wide scope of Reddit's deal hunters with TechRadar's trusted, independent tech advice? Well, you're in luck, as that's exactly what I'll be doing here. I'll go through some of the most popular Reddit deals and highlight them here, along with my own buying advice based on nearly 20 years of experience as a tech journalist.
The 65-inch LG C5 OLED, TechRadar's best-rated TV, is $1,300 off at Best Buy. Awarded five out of five stars in our review, the OLED display delivers an outstanding picture thanks to LG's Alpha 9 AI processor Gen8, impressive gaming features, and a comprehensive smart platform featuring all-new AI capabilities.
Here is an Amazon exclusive deal on a massive display. You can get TCL's 98-inch QM64L Series for $1,799.99, which is an incredible price for a TV of this size. A truly great budget mini-LED TV, the TCL QM64L delivers vibrant picture quality and solid gaming features for a price that won't break the bank.
The TCL QM7K is a feature-packed mini-LED TV that over-delivers for its price range. It has great picture quality and a ton of solid gaming features. While this discount may be small, it does take the 65-inch model down to a new record-low price of $749.99.
This entry-level Mini-LED TV from TCL is an excellent buy at this low price. Newer and more powerful versions are available, but in terms of value for money, this display is incredibly hard to beat. It offers a detailed, bright picture, vivid colors, and an intuitive Google TV interface to access top streaming apps. It's a whole lot of TV for a relatively low price.View Deal
The TCL QM7K is a feature-packed mini-LED TV that over-delivers for its price range. It has great picture quality and a ton of solid gaming features. While this discount may be small, it does take the 65-inch model down to a new record-low price of $749.99.
My favorite Prime Day Apple deal is an over $100 discount on the Apple Watch Series 11. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery, clocking in at 24 hours of average use.
This larger model of the Apple Watch Series 11 likes to yo-yo in price so it's difficult to tell when the next price drop will occur, so it may be worth scoring it now while you can, especially if you don't like to take risks when it comes to Prime Day.View Deal
The Apple Watch SE 3 is back to its lowest price ever for Prime Day 2026. Apple's entry-level smartwatch is currently our pick for the best Apple Watch to buy if you're on a budget, as it delivers a full health and fitness tracking experience, all the convenient on-wrist features you need, and that familiar Apple style, but at a fraction of the price.
Our CMF Buds Pro 2 review highlights the fun range of color options and a novel design, though we do criticize sound quality and noise cancellation. However, with this new price cut, they are incredible value for money if you're looking for some dirt-cheap wireless earbuds and aren't looking for the highest possible sound quality.View Deal
Don't miss out on this fantastic deal for the Apple AirPods Max 2. They're currently available at Amazon with $150 discount. I've got a pair, and I love them — they are especially good if you have multiple Apple devices, as it can cleverly switch between them whilst you work.View Deal
If you want a cheap Windows laptop, then this configuration of the Asus Vivobook Go is an excellent buy and terrific value for money. You get an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a large 512GB SSD to ensure good overall performance and enough essential speedy storage for the price. It's a top buy right now if you're on a budget and need a laptop for general everyday use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.View Deal
There's a big saving on this Asus Vivobook 14 at Amazon. It's a modern machine, with an efficient Snapdragon X processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, so you have enough power and storage space for everyday jobs. It's a top buy right now if you have a reasonable budget and need a strong mid-range laptop for general use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork. It also boasts an incredible 29-hour battery life.View Deal
This HP OmniBook 3 deal with Snapdragon X X1-26-100 CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and 16-inch 2K display isn't quite the same as the one highlighted on Reddit, but I think it's a much better deal. It's a bit more expensive but you get much better specs - including 16GB rather than the 8GB model mentioned in the Reddit thread.View Deal
This is a great price, with a $250 saving, on the Asus Vivobook 16 wtih AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 CPU, 16GB RAM,| 512GB SSD and 16-inch 2K display. For around $500, this is a Windows 11 laptop that can give the MacBook Neo a run for its money when it comes to pure value.View Deal
It's been a long time since I've seen an RTX 5070 gaming laptop this cheap, but is this Acer Nitro V Slim 16 is hitting a rock-bottom price at Best Buy today. Almost unbelievably, I believe this one is incorrectly listed with a "Ryzen 2000 series" chipset rather than a Ryzen 7-260 since you get 16GB of DDR5 RAM. Regardless, this is a rare example of a budget RTX 5070 gaming laptop. View Deal
With an Intel Core 9 275HX processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, this is an incredibly powerful gaming laptop, though the RTX 5060 GPU lets the side down a little. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fine GPU that will handle modern games at 1080p without issue, but it feels slightly underpowered compared with the rest of the specs. Still, $260 off makes this a tempting laptop deal.View Deal
This is a great deal highlighted on Reddit for the M4 model, which is slightly older than the current M5 MacBook Air. You get 16GB memory and 256GB SSD, and the price is impressively low - but just make sure you know that this is a 'Renewed' device (the Reddit post doesn't mention this), which means it's not new, but it should be fully checked to ensure it's in working order.View Deal
With an impressive $150 discount, this Prime Day deal addresses our main complaint about the M5 Air: it's pricier than the previous model. Now, you're getting the latest chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a bigger 512GB SSD for much less, with a price that arguably challenges even the budget MacBook Neo when it comes to outright value.
A great-value older MacBook Air that still holds its own against the newer model. You get 512GB SSD storage and 16GB RAM together with an M3 chip that still feels fast. This deal knocks 38% off the 13-inch laptop's price.View Deal
The newest MacBook Air M5 is here, and it just got its biggest discount yet on Amazon. Our reviewer called it "the best ultraportable I've ever used" and awarded it 4.5 stars, so it's every bit as good as its already excellent predecessor. As well as the powerful and efficient M5 chip, the latest MacBook Air boasts a slick 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD as standard. Those are solid overall specs for all-around use, productivity, and creative tasks.View Deal
Air fryers are always big sellers on Prime Day (I bought mine during last year's event), and this is a great deal highlighted on Reddit, saving you $50 off a large air fryer from popular Ninja rival Chefman.View Deal
DJI’s debut 360 camera is an undeniably classy effort – and a strong challenger to sector leader Insta360 and its best-in-class X5. This bundle includes an 'invisible' selfie stick and extra battery, all for $175 less than usual.
This is a decent saving off a 4K dash cam that covers both the front and rear of your vehicle for all-round protection. Thanks to a $16 discount, it's one of the more affordable dash cams you can get at the moment.View Deal
Lego has produced many Millennium Falcon sets, but this smaller one, which debuted for the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope, is an excellent model and even better with a 20% discount. It's currently available at the lowest price ever, at $67.98, and makes a superb display piece.View Deal
R2-D2 is the most iconic droid around, and right now, you can build your own version of the epic piece of Star Wars out of 1,050 bricks for just $79.99. That's a 20% discount from the $99.99 MSRP, and Prime members get free fast shipping. This set is themed to the 25th anniversary of Lego Star Wars and comes with a mini R2-D2, a display plate, and a Darth Malak minifigure.View Deal
If you're a fan of the Dark Side, this Lego set is perfect for you, and it's down to a record-low price. For Amazon Prime Day, the Imperial Star Destroyer is just $111.99 – a massive 30% or $48 discount for a 1,555-piece set that includes 7 Minifigures.View Deal
With this Lego Creator 3-in-1, you can build an adorable red fox, an owl on a branch, or a squirrel with an acorn. Best of all, it's 30% off at $34.99.View Deal
At 30% off, this Lego City set offers many builds that provide hours of play. The City Construction Trucks and Wrecking Ball Crane is 30% off for Prime Day at $41.99 and is designed for ages 4 and up.View Deal
This delightful set, at 30% off, can complement any Lego City setup. Although really, it's a fit for anyone who likes cars! Right now, the Lego City Car Transporter Truck with Sports Cars is just $69.99 on Amazon.View Deal
Some other users are reporting similar bugs in the AI
If you're already worried about the potential dangers of AI chatbots, this one probably isn't for you: an Amazon Echo user has reported Alexa+ "breathing and making guttural sounds" while engaged in the supposedly innocent task of counting to 40 (in Spanish).
There's video evidence on Reddit (via Android Authority), and it's pretty spooky to listen to — so only click the play button if you're sure you want to hear a disembodied AI-generated voice that sounds somewhat possessed.
According to the user who posted the video, they asked Alexa+ to count up to 40, which prompted the strange sounds. It's not an ideal response, especially as there were two five-year-old kids listening who just wanted a simple countdown.
Apparently, the original poster was then able to get the same thing happening on a separate Amazon Echo in another room. "Needless to say, the Alexas in my house are now unplugged and I've reported the whole thing to Amazon," they report.
While it's possible that some kind of user error or AI fakery has produced this video, it's odd that it would happen on two different devices — and there's at least one other user in the Reddit thread saying they've experienced something similar.
It's almost certainly down to a bug in Alexa+: the new and upgraded AI assistant is intended to be more conversational and more expressive, and in this case it seems to have gone too far (in the same way that AI chatbots can introduce hallucinations and tangents when writing out text).
When pushed, Alexa+ itself said that "something in my environment" must have caused the glitch, though it's not clear what that something might be. Perhaps it's the ghost of Alexa past, which Alexa+ has now replaced.
The Reddit reactions describe the speaker as "haunted", "terrifying", and in need of an exorcism, though the fix is likely to be no more complicated than a tweak to the Alexa+ AI model from Amazon's side.
With Grand Theft Auto 6 dropping in November, time is running out if you want to play the previous games in the series before diving in. If you own a modern console, there aren't that many to catch up on, as only a few of the older ones have been ported.
Still, you can play through the whole of Grand Theft Auto 5, the previous entry, and dive into Grand Theft Auto Online, which has its own narrative content and is included free of charge. There's also Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which contains remasters of not just one but three fan-favorite games.
They're not the most accomplished remasters on the planet, but given that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which shares a setting with the upcoming GTA 6, I would consider it an essential play before the new game arrives.
US government ordered Anthropic to pull frontier models for foreign nationals
Legal AI startup claims it had contractual access to those models
Anthropic doesn't agree with the White House – but complies
Legal AI startup Legion LegalTech Corp has filed a lawsuit challenging a June 12 government order that forced Anthropic to restrict access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for foreign citizens (via Reuters).
According to the complain, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) gave Anthropic around 90 minutes to comply with the order, or face civil and criminal penalties.
All foreign nationals, including those living inside and outside of the US, and even Anthropic's own employees, are said to be affected by the order.
Government order to ban Anthropic models internationally legally challenged
Legion LegalTech Corp acknowledges that the order was triggered because of concerns that users could jailbreak models into reviewing software code and identifying vulnerabilities, but the startup argues this is a common capability of all frontier models and doesn't just affect Anthropic's models.
The company says it had contractual access to Anthropic's Fable 5 model, and was actively integrating it into its products that draft and manage cases. Because the company employs Canadian developers working remotely from Canada, it lost access to the model once restrictions took effect.
"Anthropic took no independent action to restrict Legion’s access; it complied with the government’s command under threat of enforcement consequences," the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit argues that no current export control classifications cover access to cloud-hosted AI models. It also references an independent reviewer, who sees the government's action as disproportionate and "way out of line."
Anthropic announced the frontier models on June 9. By June 12, it had released a statement in response to the government directive, criticizing the government for "not provid[ing] specific details of its national security concern."
"We are complying with the government’s legal directive and are removing access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all users."
For most of the world, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered as a sporting event. For cybersecurity teams, it will function more like a live multinational stress test.
Spanning three countries, 16 host cities, and thousands of miles of transportation corridors, the tournament depends on an interconnected ecosystem of physical and digital infrastructure operating under sustained pressure for more than a month.
Airports, rail systems, hotels, fan festivals, credentialing platforms, broadcast operations, rideshare services, and public-facing digital services will all be strained simultaneously.
That scale fundamentally changes the security equation.
From a threat intelligence perspective, the defining challenge of the 2026 World Cup is the convergence of physical, cyber, social, and geopolitical risks across shared IT infrastructure and compressed operational timelines. Security teams are no longer managing isolated threats — they are forced to manage cascading disruption, where pressure in one domain can rapidly affect another.
A phishing campaign targeting transportation staff could disrupt rail operations moving tens of thousands of fans. A localized protest could overwhelm nearby transit systems and alter executive movement plans. A ransomware incident affecting a hospitality provider could create physical security concerns if communications or access systems fail during peak crowd periods.
This is the reality of large-scale global events in 2026: the attack surface is no longer just the venue, it’s the infrastructure surrounding the whole event.
At the time of writing, Flashpoint has not identified any specific, credible threats targeting the tournament. That should not be mistaken for a low-risk environment. Events of this scale consistently attract opportunistic criminal activity, fraud operations, extremist messaging, coordinated protest movements, and attempts to exploit operational strain.
The Security Perimeter Extends Far Beyond the Stadium
Historically, security planning for major sporting events has centered on venue protection. For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that model is no longer sufficient.
With matches spread across three countries and 16 cities, much of the risk now sits outside controlled environments across transit systems, hotels, fan zones, entertainment districts, and the broader infrastructure moving people, information, and services between them.
In many cases, these environments carry greater uncertainty than the stadiums themselves. Security visibility is uneven, access controls are inconsistent, and crowd density, alcohol consumption, and movement constraints create conditions where relatively minor incidents can escalate quickly.
Protests are likely to add another layer of complexity. Demonstrations tied to immigration policy, labor concerns, geopolitical tensions, and broader political movements are expected to occur across multiple host cities during the tournament. Most demonstrations will likely remain lawful and localized.
While most demonstrations will likely remain lawful and localized, the risk emerges when protest activity intersects with transportation choke points, fan movement patterns, or already strained public infrastructure.
Threat intelligence teams should pay close attention to how online rhetoric translates into physical coordination.
Many of the indicators that matter most during events like the World Cup appear early through fragmented digital activity: encrypted messaging channels, localized social media conversations, extremist propaganda ecosystems, fraud marketplaces, and open-source coordination efforts.
The intelligence challenge is rarely a lack of data. It is identifying which signals indicate a meaningful shift in operational risk.
Crowd Dynamics and Operational Disruption
Crowd behavior remains one of the most persistent, and often underestimated, security challenges at large-scale events.
Mass gatherings create conditions where panic can spread faster than verified information. Overcrowding, pyrotechnics, aggressive supporter behavior, or sudden movement within confined transit areas can trigger cascading safety incidents without any organized attack occurring.
Recent years have also shown increasing coordination among certain supporter networks and hooligan groups, including the use of encrypted communications and reconnaissance activity to organize around less-secured gathering points outside official venues.
These risks matter because they place pressure on the systems surrounding the event, not solely the event itself. The same convergence is visible across the cyber threat landscape.
We are likely to see elevated levels of phishing activity, ticket fraud, domain impersonation, social engineering, and opportunistic attacks targeting tournament-related infrastructure. Threat actors understand that large events create urgency, emotional decision-making, and predictable behavior patterns. Fans searching for tickets, transportation, accommodations, or livestreams become easier targets for spoofed domains and fraudulent communications.
The operational implications extend well beyond consumer fraud losses.
A disruptive cyber incident affecting transportation systems, hospitality providers, third-party vendors, or venue operations during a high-attendance match day can rapidly create downstream physical security challenges. Delayed transit systems increase crowd concentration.
Failed communications systems complicate emergency response coordination. Access-control outages create confusion at security checkpoints. Small technical failures can compound quickly in dense environments operating on fixed timelines.
What Security Teams Should Prioritize Before the Tournament
Organizations supporting personnel, executives, vendors, or operations during the World Cup should prepare for an environment where physical and digital disruptions increasingly overlap.
That preparation starts with visibility.
Security teams should establish continuous monitoring around transportation disruptions, protest coordination, fraud infrastructure, and emerging operational incidents across both open and closed online sources. Threat indicators tied to major events often surface first through fragmented local reporting, encrypted messaging channels, social media coordination, and opportunistic criminal communities.
Travel security planning should also extend beyond venue access and hotel bookings.
Organizations should review how employees handle credentials, travel itineraries, executive movement, and event-related content online. During high-profile international events, threat actors routinely collect publicly available information to support impersonation attempts, social engineering campaigns, and physical targeting.
Employees, contractors, media personnel, and attendees frequently expose operationally sensitive information online without recognizing the downstream implications. Credential badges, transportation routes, executive locations, hotel details, and backstage access procedures often appear publicly across social media within minutes. Threat actors increasingly use these fragmented disclosures to map security procedures, identify soft targets, or facilitate social engineering operations.
Hospitality providers, transportation vendors, temporary staffing organizations, event technology platforms, and local service providers will all operate under elevated pressure during the tournament. Security incidents affecting those organizations can rapidly create downstream operational disruption for attendees, sponsors, media teams, and corporate travelers.
Finally, security leaders should prepare for disruption scenarios that fall below the threshold of a major crisis but still create operational consequences. Delayed transportation, localized unrest, communications outages, credentialing issues, and short-duration cyber incidents can all affect executive movement, employee safety, and business continuity during compressed event timelines.
The Organizations That Adapt Fastest Will Be Best Positioned
Events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup place unusual strain on security teams because disruption rarely stays contained within a single domain.
A cyber incident can create immediate physical consequences. Protest activity can disrupt transportation and executive movement. Crowd-management failures can generate downstream operational strain across hospitality, communications, and emergency response systems.
For security leaders, the challenge is maintaining visibility across these interconnected environments as conditions evolve in real time.
The organizations best positioned during the tournament will not necessarily be those with the largest physical security footprint. They will be the organizations capable of continuously correlating cyber indicators, physical activity, online narratives, and emerging operational disruptions into a coherent picture of risk.
Threat intelligence creates decision advantage in environments where conditions evolve by the minute.
This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit
In case you hadn’t heard, GTA6 pre-orders are live tonight (June 25) at midnight. Due for general release on November 19, it’s been 13 years (!) since GTA 5 first launched two console generations ago. While you’re pre-ordering your copy, now might be the time to upgrade your TV to experience Vice City looking its best.
I test TVs for a living, and that includes the best gaming TVs. For GTA 6, you’re going to want excellent picture quality with vibrant colors, excellent motion handling for the fast-paced action, and a suite of gaming features to cover the bases. Below, I’ve picked five of the top gaming TVs to suit all budgets that will be perfect for tearing through Vice City.
You may notice that all of these TVs are from last year. While we’ve been testing the best TVs this year and a lot of them are great, last year’s TVs will be a much better value and still more than capable of doing justice to GTA 6. That’s why, for me, they’re the better option right now.
LG C5
(Image credit: Future)
The best place to start is with the top recommendation. Sitting at the top of our best gaming TV guide, as well as our best OLED TV guide, is the LG C5, a five-star OLED that can literally do it all. It has a full suite of features and superb picture quality that will be perfect for GTA 6.
The C5 delivers rich, bold colors with whatever it’s given, and this is going to be important for the neon-soaked streets of Vice City in GTA 6. Watching colorful movies like Elemental on the C5, colors really pop on screen, with oranges, reds, and blues all shimmering. It also delivers rich contrast with deep black tones, important again for that nightlife vibe in Vice City. With excellent motion handling, car chases will be a breeze for the C5.
Packed with a full suite of gaming features, the C5 is a top-notch gaming TV. Four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 144Hz, full VRR, HGiG, ALLM, and Dolby Vision gaming, and with a 9.2ms input lag time, expect super-responsive gameplay as you’re fleeing from the cops in GTA 6. It handled Battlefield V at 120fps with ease when I played it.
Price-wise, you’ll want to pay about $1,199 / £1,399 (stock is looking thin in Australia) for a 65-inch model. This will be a great size for seeing GTA 6 in all its glory, but the C5 is available in sizes 42 to 83 inches to cover every situation.
TCL QM6K/C6K
FutureFuture
If you’re looking for a TV upgrade but don’t want to break the bank, the TCL QM6K (known as the TCL C6K/Q6C depending on region and retailer) is a fantastic choice. It still has great picture quality and an impressive stock of gaming features for a very affordable price.
I tested the C6K as I’m based in the UK, and it has great overall picture quality. Its main highlight is its color reproduction. It produces vivid, natural colors that made movies like Wicked look great during my testing, accurately capturing the vibrant pink of flowers in trees. Expect the same for GTA 6. The C6K also demonstrated impressive backlight control and black tones for a mini-LED at this price range, working well for movies like The Batman. Again, Vice City nightlife should look great.
The C6K supports a lot for gaming, which is rare at this level. It supports 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM, and Dolby Vision gaming. It has a measured 13.6ms input lag, which is still above the 15ms threshold we look for. Gaming on it, I had a great time while playing Battlefield V, as it did a great job handling chaotic battle sequences, so it should be prepared for GTA 6.
Its real highlight is its price. A 65-inch QM6K has dropped as low as $529 and the C6K 65-inch will cost around £679/ AU$1,099. These are excellent prices for a TV this size and a great option for an affordable upgrade for GTA 6.
Samsung QN90F
(Image credit: Future)
Now, if you’re someone who’s planning to take some time off to play GTA 6, you’ll need a TV that works well in a bright room for daytime gaming sessions. Enter the Samsung QN90F, a brilliant gaming TV that also doubles as our best TV for sports.
The QN90F is the perfect TV for bright rooms for several reasons. It has solid brightness (exceeding 2,500 nits HDR peak and over 600 nits full screen) and an effective, anti-glare screen that does a great job reducing mirror-like reflections to a minimum. So, even if you have big windows, the QN90F can handle them. It also has great picture quality to go with it, producing punchy, accurate colors and strong contrast with surprisingly rich black tones. Expect GTA 6 to look great on this one.
The QN90F is equipped with a full list of gaming features, too. It supports 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming across four HDMI 2.1 ports. Its 9.5ms input lag time is up there with the very best, so you can expect it to handle the chaos of GTA 6 with no problems.
While the QN90F is a flagship model, its prices have dropped significantly. A 65-inch will cost you roughly $1,399 / £1,299 (stock in Australia is low again), which is again phenomenal pricing for a TV at this level.
LG B5
(Image credit: Future)
If you want an OLED but can’t quite stretch to the LG C5, the LG B5 is your next best option. It’s one of the best budget OLED TVs I’ve tested and delivers a lot of the same great performance and features as its step-up sibling.
With accurate, rich colors that suited the vibrant aesthetic of Wicked and Elemental, the B5 is sure to make GTA 6’s sun-soaked, colorful streets look fantastic. It also produces the powerful contrast with inky blacks you’d want from an OLED TV, despite its cheaper price range. While the B5 doesn’t have the brightness of other step-up OLEDs, it still has punchy highlights that will make the neon of Vice City pop.
The B5 is kitted out with a full list of gaming features, including 4K 120Hz, full VRR including FreeSync and G-Sync, HGiG, Dolby Vision gaming, and ALLM, all built into the four HDMI 2.1 ports. A measured 9.1ms input lag time is at the top of the gaming TV list, so expect all the action of GTA 6 to look superb.
The B5’s prices can fall to a deceptively affordable place for an OLED. You can get the 48-inch model, a perfect size for bedroom gaming, for as low as $549 / £569 / AU$1,169, meaning you don’t have to spend a fortune for OLED.
LG G5
(Image credit: Future)
The flagship OLED for LG in 2025, the LG G5, is like the C5 taken up a notch. It has a similar feature set but turns up the picture quality by another level with higher brightness, bolder colors, and more impactful contrast.
Testing the G5, its colors were its most impressive aspect. Vibrant, rich, and bright all at once, any colorful scene dazzled on screen, and I think it’s going to do the Miami-inspired Vice City serious justice in GTA 6. It also produces powerful contrast, expertly balancing deep black levels and bright highlights. Vice City nightlife will look stunning on this TV. It also produces extremely impressive textures that are 3D-like, along with refined detail.
This is another TV with an impressive list of gaming features. 4K 165Hz, full VRR including FreeSync and G-Sync, Dolby Vision gaming, HGiG, and ALLM are on all four HDMI 2.1 ports. Its measured 9.2ms input lag time again did wonders for Battlefield V’s fast-paced gunfights at 120fps when I played it, so it should do the same for GTA 6.
The G5 is at the more premium end of the TV market, with a 65-inch model costing $2,299 / £1,999 / AU$2,699, but if you are looking for the premium way to play GTA 6, this will be the TV to do it on.
Firstly, VideoCardz spotted that the Economic Daily News in Taiwan published a report in which the general manager of Asus, Liao Yi-hsiang, noted that as of May 2026, the price hikes on some Asus products in that country amounted to nearly 30% (compared to Q4 of 2025).
The executive then confirmed that Asus would be raising prices further in the second half of 2026 due to the component crisis, but that the increase should only be a single-digit affair. Under 10% is quite a drop compared to knocking on the door of 30%, of course.
Liao said that price rises would be milder because the cost of memory and storage had recently decreased, and also that consumers are increasingly unlikely to buy if more large hikes are heaped onto Asus products. Especially given that there was quite a lot of buying activity early in 2026, as consumers in Taiwan acted earlier than they would have otherwise, with a view to securing purchases before heftier price increases made themselves felt.
The other nugget of positivity is that, as Trading View informs us, there have been some interesting rumblings about SK Hynix, one of the big three memory chip makers (alongside Micron and Samsung).
There are reports that "SK Hynix may slow the expansion of AI memory-chip production and increase its focus on conventional DRAM products."
This apparent shift away from making HBM (the mentioned AI memory) to conventional RAM modules (the ones in consumer electronics) unsettled investors, and led to shares in SK Hynix tumbling over 12%. (Samsung followed suit with a 12% drop, and a wider tech share slide was witnessed, particularly for companies linked to the world of AI.)
What's bad news for investors is good news for consumers though; if this report is on the money, SK Hynix reallocating assembly lines to produce more DDR5 RAM could be the beginning of the end of the memory crisis.
Analysis: is the AI bubble ready to pop? I doubt it…
(Image credit: Getty Images)
You could leap to some big conclusions here, and the rumor around SK Hynix is a potential move that could have a significant impact for consumers. With some folks talking about the end of the 'AI bubble' in recent times — which feels like hopeful chatter indeed — it could be read as another indicator in that respect, too. However, it's way too early to make that kind of call (and I don't personally think we're seeing that by any means).
What we don't know is the extent of the apparent shift away from HBM, and anyway, the move could partly be about DRAM being so pricey now that it represents a tempting enough diversification in terms of SK Hynix's overall memory strategy (a theory raised in some quarters).
We should also remember that the chairman of SK Group (the parent company of SK Hynix), Chey Tae-won, has previously predicted that the RAM shortage may not be over until 2030 (a forecast more recently echoed by Nvidia's CEO). So, as noted, temper any optimism, but this is at least a positive sign from the big chip maker, as is the price prediction from Asus.
Regarding Asus, again there's a caveat — namely that it's an analysis for the Taiwanese market only. But if price rises in H2 2026 are only (roughly) a third of what they effectively were in the first half of the year, that'll surely be reflected to some extent globally. Also, it's very true that consumers everywhere will refuse to buy if pricing goes higher too quickly, which is something I've pointed out a few times before. This isn't something unique to Taiwan.
Finally, it's also worth noting that earlier this month, we heard some more positive news on the RAM crisis from David McAfee, AMD's VP and general manager of Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPUs.
As PC Gamer reported, McAfee said: "There is an enormous amount of capacity that is being built by the memory manufacturers to bring more production online, and that more production online is going to focus on DDR, LPDDR, HBM, like the newer memory technologies."
He added: "I don't expect a lot of DDR4 production to come back into the world, but those newer memory technologies, a significant amount of capacity is coming online. I think we'll start to see by the end of next year and into 2028 that that ramp really starts to take hold, and then it's just a factor of the forces of supply and demand, and how that affects memory prices."
OK, so this is really just a reminder of what we've already been told, but it's still worth bearing in mind that the expectation for some remains a considerable easing of the crisis by 2028.
There's a wealth of Prime Day 3D printer deals happening right now - and we've comprehensively reviewed over 50 of these machines, so I've gone through the entire Amazon sale, compared prices direct from the manufacturers, to highlight the top-performing 3D printers in our tests.
I've broken down the 14 3D printers by use, from beginner-friendly and budget performers to high-end machines built for business professionals and power users. You'll find the best US and UK prices here, alongside our star ratings and links to our full reviews, where we dive into deeper detail on performance.
If you're shopping for a 3D printer this Prime Day, these are the ones we recommend based on our full workshop testing. For more star performers, see my guide to the best 3D printers.
The A1 Mini from Bambu Lab scored top marks in our 5-star review, earning an Editor's Choice award. We called it "nothing more than groundbreaking when it comes to features and price." ★★★★★
Featuring some of the highest test scores for any 3D printer we've used, the Centauri Carbon is a superb single-filament machine. In our review, we said "it more than impresses with build quality, speed, and accuracy." ★★★⯪
The Centauri Carbon 2 Combo is capable of multi-color prints thanks to the CANVAS system. We found it ideal for hobbyists and small businesses, and "the printer didn’t fail to impress. The multifilament printing quality is exceptionally good." ★★★★⯪
Despite its relatively compact size, the A1 delivered "exceptional build quality and advanced features", striking the perfect balance for beginners and professionals. ★★★★★
The Anycubic Kobra S1 delivered quality, precision, and price. After putting this 3D printer through its paces, we found, "the precision and quality of the print finish are exceptional." ★★★★⯪
This is the best mid-range resin 3D printer you can get thanks to its ultra-precise print quality and lightning fast speeds. We found "the Photon Mono M7 Pro excels, producing intricate, detailed prints that rival more expensive models." ★★★★⯪
This 3D printer is as close to injection moulding as we've ever got. After tests, we noted "if you’re printing miniatures or jewellery designs, then the fine detail and accuracy make this a superb option."
The Photon P1 is a resin printer that managed a near-unheard of 100% success rate in our tests. We said "the quality from the 14K screen was exceptional, even with a low workshop temperature." ★★★★⯪
Our number one 3D printer for most people. It's especially good for small businesses, as one of the bundles includes a laser engraver, plotter, and cutter for crafting. ★★★★⯪
The Creality K1C is our 3D printer expert Alastair's favorite machine. He loved the "all-star specification that will appeal to all levels of users, from education to business to dedicated 3D printing enthusiasts." ★★★★⯪
This 3D printer is built for business - from the industrial design to the quality prints. We called the "the best choice for any professional looking for a 3D print solution."
A splendid performer in our tests (and unofficial upgrade to the K1C), our tests showed "an exceptional machine capable of producing some of the best 3D prints of any machine in this price bracket." ★★★★⯪
The Creality K2 Plus isn't for beginners, but when we checked out this multi-filament machine in workshop, we were impressed with the build quality, the range of features, and the outstanding prints at speed. ★★★★⯪
The Blair Witch Project reboot will be released on September 24, 2027
YouTube creator Dylan Clark will direct the project
Clark has already directed a number of horror shorts which are available for free on YouTube
The Blair Witch Project is getting a reboot, which will arrive in theaters worldwide on September 24, 2027. But of all the horror titles to reboot, I'm concerned this was a poor choice.
YouTube creator Dylan Clark has been announced as the director of the rebooted found footage horror movie, and there's no denying he's talented. His YouTube channel features a number of effective short films you can watch for free.
News of The Blair Witch Project's reboot was confirmed by Lionsgate on social media, where they shared the release date announcement.
YouTuber Curry Barker topped the horror charts with his original movie Obsession in 2026. (Image credit: Focus Features)
That's the big question among horror fans right now, and I'm sure people have plenty of strong opinions about it.
I'm certainly excited for Dylan Clark to be working with Lionsgate, but in a world where YouTubers Kane Parsons' Backrooms and Curry Barker's Obsessionare dominating the box office with their original stories, I'm unsure we should rely on a YouTuber to reboot an iconic movie like The Blair Witch Project instead of creating something new.
Indeed, recent box office figures have shown that there's an appetite for original storytelling, with both Parsons and Barker receiving widespread acclaim for their horror movies.
Backrooms made $277.4 million from its $10 million budget, and Obsession made $334.4 million from a budget of just $750,000 - incredibly impressive results which have no doubt caught the attention of Hollywood.
It's clear that horror fans want something new, and I'm among them. The only way I can see The Blair Witch Project working is if it is completely stripped back and told from a new angle.
But even so, perhaps a completely new found footage horror would have turned out better? When the original movie came out in 1999, it was exciting because it was an entirely fresh concept.
Curry Barker is currently working on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, which I was initially apprehensive about too, but he confirmed that he would be focusing on lesser-explored characters. I truly hope that Dylan Clark takes a similar angle and offers something new when it comes to The Blair Witch Project.
Right now I'm not filled with much confidence, but as always I am open to being proved wrong.
Past breach data show over 1.1 million soccer-related passwords
ExpressVPN found that nearly 1 in 4 football fans use this info in their logins
Experts urge to delete any sports references from account logins' details
As the FIFA World Cup kicks into high gear, millions of fans are displaying their loyalty online. While you might already be using the best VPN to secure your browsing, ExpressVPN — now an official supporter of the 2026 tournament — is warning that this very public fandom can translate into a major cybersecurity vulnerability.
In a new research report, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler partnered with ExpressVPN to examine how soccer obsession influences our password choices. The results suggest that fans are openly handing hackers the keys to their digital lives by using highly predictable phrases.
Fowler's analysis of historical data breaches revealed more than 1.1 million soccer-related passwords. Words like "soccer," alongside massive club names such as "Liverpool," "Chelsea," "Arsenal," and "Barcelona," appeared repeatedly throughout the dataset.
Because fan loyalty is incredibly public, plastered across social media profiles, usernames, and group chats, these passwords are far easier to crack than a random string of characters.
"As a cybersecurity researcher, I've seen criminals target people through the interests they share most openly," Fowler explained. "A club name, player nickname, shirt number, stadium, city, or tournament year may look harmless on its own, but together those details can help someone guess how a fan might build a password or craft a message they're more likely to trust."
An open goal for cybercriminals
(Image credit: ExpressVPN)
To determine if this behavior remains common today, ExpressVPN surveyed 6,000 football fans across six countries. The findings confirm that bad password hygiene is still widespread.
Nearly one in four surveyed fans admitted to having used soccer-related information to secure an account.
Among these fans, the most common choices included their favorite team names, player names or nicknames, and jersey numbers. These easily searchable statistics are exactly what malicious actors look for when compiling custom dictionaries to breach an account.
The fans themselves are surprisingly aware of the risk. In the US, a massive 73.1% of those using soccer-themed passwords acknowledged that someone familiar with their sporting interests could likely guess their login.
Using a weak password becomes catastrophic when you consider password reuse. According to Aaron Engel, Chief Information Security Officer at ExpressVPN, the habit of using the same login across multiple services is what turns a minor breach into a full-scale privacy crisis.
"Password reuse is what allows one exposed credential to become a wider account-security problem," warned Engel.
He also noted that fans who share streaming logins put their personal data in further jeopardy: "Sharing passwords increases the number of people and devices that may hold that password; in doing so, users are putting their security into the hands of others. Multi-factor authentication doesn't undo reuse, but it can prevent a stolen password from being enough on its own."
If you want to stay safe while streaming the tournament, you should immediately strip any sports references out of your logins. Instead, use a dedicated password manager to generate complex, unique credentials for every account.
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Futbol üzrə Azərbaycan Premyer Liqasında 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümü bitən kimi “Neftçi”dən ayrılmış Edvin Kuç özünə yeni klub tapıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, monteneqrolu yarımmüdafiəçi sabiq komandası olan “Balkani”yə qayıdıb.
Bu barədə Kosovo klubunun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. Kuç ilə 1 illik müqavilə imzalandığı diqqətə çatdırılıb.
Xatırladaq ki, Kuç 2019-2024-cü illərdə də “Balkani”də çıxış edib. O, həmin dövrdə komandanın kapitanı və liderlərindən olub. Kosovo klubunun heyətində 198 oyun keçirib, 22 qol və 10 assist müəllifi olmuş futbolçu bu komanda ilə 3 dəfə çempionluq sevinci yaşayıb.
Edvin Kuç 2024-cü ilin iyul ayından “Neftçi”nin formasını geyinirdi. 31 yaşlı yarımmüdafiəçi paytaxt klubunun heyətində 42 oyun keçirib, 1 qol vurub, 2 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə yadda qalıb.
Kuç “Neftçi”dən öncə “Ballkani”, “Deçiç”, “Rudar”, “Üsti nad Labem”, “Mladost”, “Gilyani” kimi klubların şərəfini qoruyub. Edvin 2023-cü ilin oktyabr ayında debüt etdiyi Monteneqro yığmasında 16 oyun keçirib, 4 qol vurub.
Argentina millisinin kapitanı, “İnter Mayami”nin hücumçusu Lionel Messi karyerasını yaxın zamanda başa vurmaq niyyətində olmadığını açıqlayıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, dünya çempionatları tarixinin ən məhsuldar futbolçusu olan 39 yaşlı forvard gələcək karyerası ilə bağlı bunları söyləyib:
“Komandama fayda verə bildiyim, fiziki cəhətdən özümü yaxşı hiss etdiyim və komanda yoldaşlarıma kömək edə bildiyim müddətdə oynamağa davam edəcəyəm”, – deyə Messi bildirib.
Xatırladaq ki, argentinalı ulduz bu günlərdə dünya çempionatları tarixinin bombardirləri siyahısında yeni rekorda imza atıb. Messi mundiallarda vurduğu qolların sayını 18-ə çatdıraraq Almaniya millisinin sabiq hücumçusu Miroslav Klozeni geridə qoyub və turnir tarixinin ən məhsuldar futbolçusuna çevrilib.
Bu gün – iyunun 24-də 39 yaşı tamam olan Messi 2023-cü ildən ABŞ klubu “İnter Mayami”nin formasını geyinir. Avropadakı karyerası ərzində isə o, “Barselona” və PSJ-də çıxış edib.
Argentina millisinin kapitanı “Barselona”nın heyətində 4 dəfə UEFA Çempionlar Liqasının, 3 dəfə UEFA Super Kubokunun və 3 dəfə klublararası dünya çempionatının qalibi olub.
Lionel Messi həmçinin Argentina yığmasının heyətində 2022-ci ildə dünya çempionu, 2014-cü ildə dünya çempionatının gümüş mükafatçısı, 2008-ci il Olimpiya Oyunlarının qalibi, 2021 və 2024-cü illərdə isə Amerika Kubokunun qalibi olub.
Səkkiz dəfə “Qızıl top” mükafatına layiq görülmüş Messi bu göstərici üzrə də dünya rekordçusudur.
Uels millisinin və “Arsenal”ın sabiq yarımmüdafiəçisi Aaron Remzi rəsmən İngiltərənin “Oksford Yunayted” komandasının baş məşqçisi təyin edilib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
35 yaşlı mütəxəssislə imzalanmış müqavilənin müddəti və maliyyə şərtləri açıqlanmayıb.
“Oksford Yunayted” 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümünün yekununda Çempionşipdə 22-ci yeri tutaraq Liqa 1-ə (İngiltərə futbolunun gücünə görə üçüncü divizionu) yuvarlanıb. Gənc mütəxəssisin qarşısına komandanı yenidən Çempionşipə qaytarmaq vəzifəsi qoyulub.
Remzi təyinatından sonra klubun mətbuat xidmətinə açıqlamasında bu an üçün uzun illər hazırlaşdığını bildirib:
“Bu məqama uzun illər hazırlaşmışam. Karyeram boyunca dünyanın ən yaxşı məşqçilərindən bəzilərinin rəhbərliyi altında oynamışam və maksimum konsentrasiya tələb edən vəziyyətlərlə üzləşmişəm. Qazandığım təcrübədən istifadə edərək bu istedadlı futbolçu qrupuna yüksək standartlar, peşəkarlıq və zəhmətkeşlik mədəniyyətini aşılamaq istəyirəm”, – deyə Remzi vurğulayıb.
Qeyd edək ki, Aaron Remzi futbolçu karyerası ərzində “Arsenal”ın heyətində üç dəfə İngiltərə Kubokunun və üç dəfə İngiltərə Super Kubokunun qalibi olub. O, həmçinin İtaliyanın “Yuventus” klubunun heyətində A Seriyasının, İtaliya Kubokunun və İtaliya Super Kubokunun qalibi adını qazanıb.
Sabiq yarımmüdafiəçi ötən mövsümü “Kardiff Siti”də oynayan-məşqçi kimi keçirib.
İtaliyanın “Peksara” klubunun qvadelupalı mərkəz müdafiəçisi Endryu Qravilyon bundan sonra “Neftçi”nin uğurları üçün çalışacaq.
Arena.az bu barədə Azərbaycan klubunun rəsmi saytına istinadən xəbər verir.
Bildirilir ki, “Neftçi” 2026-cı il yay transfer dönəmində sayca üçüncü keçidini rəsmiləşdirib. Endryu Qravilyon “ağ-qaralar”ın yeni üzvüdür. 28 yaşlı futbolçu ilə 2 illik müqavilə bağlanıb. O, yeni komandasında 55 nömrəli formanı geyinəcək.
Zəngin karyeraya malik olan Qravilyon İtaliya, Fransa və Türkiyə liqalarında oynayıb. Karyerasına Milan “İnter”ində başlamış futbolçu “Benevento”, “Peskara”, “Sassuolo”, “Askoli”, “Reyms”, “Torino”, “Adama Dəmirspor” kimi klubların formasını geyinib. O, 2025-ci ildə yenidən “Peskara”ya qayıtmışdı.
Müdafiəçi Qvadelupa milli komandasının heyətində 19 matça çıxıb, 2 qol vurub.
“Neftçi” daha öncə Rüfət Abbasov və Qustavo Klismanı da heyətinə qatmışdı. Vensan Abubakar, Edvin Kuç, Kristian Kostin, Murad Məmmədov və Cordan Rezabala komandanı tərk ediblər. Elvin Camalov, Emin Mahmudov və Emil Balayev isə yeni müqaviləyə imza atıblar.
Seneqal millisi DÇ-2026-nın qrup mərhələsinin III turunda İraqla oyuna ciddi itki ilə çıxacaq.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, yığmanın qapıçısı Eduard Mendi zədə səbəbindən görüşü buraxacaq. Bu barədə Seneqal Futbol Federasiyasının mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
Mendi II turda Norveçlə matçın (2:3) 63-cü dəqiqəsində zədə alaraq, meydanı tərk etmişdi.
Argentinalı hücumçu Lionel Messi gələcək karyerası ilə bağlı fikirlərini bölüşüb.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu gün 39 yaşı tamam olan futbolçu insayder Fabrizio Romanonun sorğusuna cavab olaraq bunları deyib:
“Daha bir neçə il oynamağı düşünürəm. Özümü fiziki cəhətdən yaxşı hiss etdiyim və komanda yoldaşlarıma fayda verə bildiyim müddətdə işimə davam edəcəyəm”.
2001-2023-cü ilərdə “Barselona”da çıxış edən Messi 2023-cü ildən “İnter Mayami”nin formasını geyinir.
Argentinalı hücumçu hazırda ABŞ-də keçirilən dünya çempionatında iştirak edir və iki turdan sonra 5 qolla bombardirdir.
“Çelsi” heyətini yeni futbolçu ilə gücləndirməyə hazırlaşır.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, “zadəganlar” “Atalanta”dan yarımmüdafiəçi Marko Palestra ilə anlaşıb. Bu barədə insayder Fabrizio Romano məlumat yayıb. Klublar arasında danışıqlar son mərhələdədir.
“Çelsi” 21 yaşlı futbolçunun transferini 55 milyon avroya tamamlamaq üzrədir.
Palestra ötən mövsümü icarə əsasında “Kalyari”də keçirib. O, çempionatın ən yaxşı müdafiəçisi seçilib.
“Neftçi” 2026-cı yay transfer dönəmində sayca üçüncü keçidini rəsmiləşdirib.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, qvadelupalı müdafiəçi Endryu Qravilyon “ağ-qaralar”ın yeni üzvüdür. 28 yaşlı futbolçu ilə 2 illik müqavilə bağlanıb. O, 55 nömrəli formanı geyinəcək.
Zəngin karyeraya malik olan Qravilyon İtaliya, Fransa və Türkiyə liqalarında oynayıb. O, Qvadelupa milli komandasının heyətində 19 matça çıxıb, 2 qol vurub.
“Fənərbağça” heyətini yeni futbolçu ilə gücləndirib.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, İstanbul təmsilçisi afrikalı oyunçu Amara Diuf ilə 5 illik müqavilə imzalayıb. Bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
17 yaşlı vinger son olaraq Seneqalda “Generation Foot” akademiyasında çıxış edib.
Diuf Seneqal yığması ilə U-17 yaş kateqoriyasında Afrika çempionu adını qazanıb və turnirdə 5 qolla bombardir olub.
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“Real”ın keçmiş baş məşqçisi Alvaro Arbeloa karyerasını İngiltərədə davam etdirəcək. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, ispan məşqçi İngiltərənin “Fulhem” klubu ilə […]
“Neftçi” yeni transferini açıqlayıb. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, paytaxt klubu Endryu Qravillyonla 2 illik müqavilə imzalayıb. O, yeni komandasında 55 […]
İtaliya C Seriyasının “Ravenna” futbol klubu rəsmi saytında Braziliya millisinin keçmiş oyunçusu Ronaldinyonun transferini elan edib. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, […]
“Çelsi” “Atalanta”dan müdafiəçi Marko Palestranın transferini başa çatdırmağa hazırdır. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, londonlular oyunçu üçün 50 milyon avro ödəmək […]
Reports in Brazil claim that Milan sent scouts to view Flamengo midfielder Evertton Araujo, planning a possible offer worth €15m next month.
The Rossoneri are one of several clubs keeping an eye on the situation, but Coluna Do Fla maintain that they are the most active, sending someone to watch him in action against Coritiba at the Maracana on Saturday.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 23: José Manuel López of Palmeiras fights for the ball with Evertton Araújo of Flamengo during the match between Flamengo and Palmeiras as part of Brasileirao 2026 at Maracana Stadium on May 23, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
Evertton Araujo is described as a box to box midfielder who came up through the youth academies at Cruzeiro, Botafogo and Redonda before joining Flamengo in January 2024.
The 23-year-old contributed one goal and two assists in 27 competitive games so far this term, and his contract runs to December 2028.
Sport Mediaset note that any proposal would have to be worth at least €15m to buy 70 per cent of his ownership, but that Flamengo are likely to want even more.
No formal or informal offers have yet been made, especially as the Brazilian transfer window doesn’t open until July 20.
There are suggestions Bologna are in negotiations with Glasgow Rangers for Nico Raskin, who is valued at €20m, with Lewis Ferguson potentially as part of an exchange.
According to teamTALK, initial talks have started between the two clubs with regards to Raskin.
Bologna targeting Raskin
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 21: Nicolas Raskin #23 of Belgium plays the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between Belgium and IR Iran at Los Angeles Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, United States. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
He came to Rangers in January 2023 at a cost of just €1.5m from Standard Liege and then flourished, this term scoring seven goals with nine assists in 50 matches.
It is reported that the asking price now is around €20m, a significant investment for the Rossoblu and new coach Domenico Tedesco.
A potential solution to lower the cost would be to involve Scotland international Ferguson as part of an exchange, seeing as Rangers are reportedly eager on the midfielder.
However, Ferguson is captain of Bologna and not necessarily in a rush to leave the Stadio Dall’Ara, where he has been since leaving Aberdeen in 2022.
This would be more a proposal put forward by Rangers than the Italian club or Scottish player.
Inter risk losing another player they thought was under wraps, because there are reports in France that Atletico Madrid will target Udinese defender Oumar Solet.
FLORENCE, ITALY – JANUARY 24: Marco Palestra of Cagliari Calcio reacts during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Cagliari Calcio at Artemio Franchi on January 24, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
The Nerazzurri are reeling from being on the verge of finalising details with Atalanta for Marco Palestra, to being blown out of the water by Chelsea’s sudden swoop.
They refused to match the bid of €55m plus €5m add-ons, while Chelsea could also propose double their salary package to the player.
Solet approached by Atletico Madrid
UDINE, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Oumar Solet of Udinese celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and US Sassuolo Calcio at Stadio Friuli on February 15, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
Now they are feeling anxious about another long-term transfer target whose negotiations have dragged on for months.
Once again, although basic personal terms were agreed, Inter are taking too long to get the fee worked out with his club, and the situation remains up in the air.
Their bid so far is believed to be just over €20m, hoping to bridge the gap with bonuses.
Because so much depends on player sales first, most notably Yann Bisseck and Stefan de Vrij, the Nerazzurri risk being gazumped yet again on the transfer market.
Atletico Madrid have form, as they had already swooped in for Ademola Lookman from Atalanta after weeks of Inter talks failed to reach a deal.
Jonathan David admits his World Cup form for Canada might be because they ‘have a different playing style’ to Juventus, but is adamant he wants to stay at the club.
The striker struggled badly in his first Serie A season after arriving as a free transfer from LOSC, albeit with at least €12.5m in various costs and commissions.
David struggled at Juventus
BERGAMO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 05: Jonathan David of Juventus reacts during the Coppa Italia Quarter-Final match between Atalanta BC and Juventus FC at the New Balance Arena on February 05, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
He scored eight goals with five assists in 46 competitive games for the Bianconeri, often seeming to look lost under first Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti.
Inter used their buy-back clause for Aleksandar Stankovic and it’s reported he rejected both Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford, determined to make his name at San Siro.
The Nerazzurri might’ve lost out on Marco Palestra to the Premier League with Chelsea offering over €10m more in transfer fee and double the wages, but some of their players are still eager to remain in Serie A.
Stankovic snubs Premier League
BRUGES, BELGIUM – AUGUST 27: Aleksandar Stankovic of Club Brugge celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round Second Leg match between Club Brugge and Rangers at Jan Breydelstadion on August 27, 2025 in Bruges, Belgium. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
According to Sky Sport Italia, Stankovic received proposals from both Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford, but had no intention of even listening to their plans.
The son of club legend Dejan Stankovic and a product of their youth academy, the Serbia international midfielder was a sensation at Club Brugge this season, winning the title with nine goals and five assists in 55 competitive games.
There is no shortage of interest from abroad, but so far the 20-year-old is determined to hang on and get his chance with the Serie A and Coppa Italia holders.
Atalanta have agreed personal terms with Nicolò Savona, according to Sportitalia, and can now begin negotiations in earnest with Nottingham Forest.
The 23-year-old only made the move to the Premier League last year for €13 plus add-ons after coming up through the Juventus youth academy to the senior squad.
He managed to contribute two goals and two assists in 20 competitive games for the Premier League side, but his season was cut short by a serious knee injury.
Savona ready for Serie A return
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 22: Nicolo Savona of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Chelsea are reportedly ready to step up their interest in a transfer move for Como centre-back and Arsenal target Jacobo Ramon.
We’ve previously reported on the Gunners eyeing up Ramon after his impressive form in Serie A, but there have also been plenty of other links with big clubs.
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That’s according to TEAMtalk, who state that Chelsea are hoping to pounce amid uncertainty over the 21-year-old’s future.
Jacobo Ramon future to be resolved in next few days
Ramon started his career at Real Madrid and has shone at Como, though it seems there will soon be talks between the Spanish and Italian clubs.
According to TEAMtalk, these discussions could determine the young Spaniard’s future, and Chelsea will hope they can take advantage.
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Chelsea have done well in recent times to lure some of the game’s biggest talents to Stamford Bridge, and Ramon certainly fits into that category.
Ramon has developed really well under Como manager Cesc Fabregas, and that also means there’s a slight Chelsea connection there that could in theory be useful.
Chelsea need a centre-back
CFC fans will hope this deal can work out as it could be an important one to strengthen their defence.
There will be justifiable question marks about the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Wesley Fofana after some unconvincing form for Chelsea in recent times.
Ramon may lack experience, but he looks like the kind of young player Chelsea should be signing, as he can make an impact both straight away and represent a good long-term investment for the club.
Rogers is a top target for the Gunners but is currently at the World Cup with England, though Ben Jacobs reports that manager Thomas Tuchel has no issues with his players undergoing medicals whilst on international duty.
Speaking to Latte Firm, Jacobs provided an update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Rogers, with some interesting information emerging about the Aston Villa star’s preferences.
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It seems Rogers is happy to play as either a winger or a number ten at his next club, with no strong preference either way, while Jacobs generally seems confident that the 23-year-old will be heading to the Emirates Stadium…
Ben Jacobs on Morgan Rogers to Arsenal transfer
“I do expect Arsenal to sign Morgan Rogers. He is Arsenal’s leading target for left-wing and/or #10,” Jacobs said.
“My information is that Rogers has zero preference as to whether he’s signed as a left-winger or a #10. Arsenal are expected to bid and this could move quickly.
“Remember Thomas Tuchel is perfectly happy for players to do medicals on England duty. That may be the case with Elliot Anderson and Manchester City. But Arsenal perhaps in less of a rush than Aston Villa.
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“Aston Villa, even with Champions League football, are looking for a major sale to balance their books. When Rogers extended last year, there was an understanding that he could leave this summer for a fee of £80m as a starting point.
“It’s not a release clause or gentleman’s understanding, but Villa had said they will not unduly stand in his way. I’m still told engagement will start at £80m, that’s not to say it’ll be the number that secures a transfer, but that is the beginning to start a conversation with Aston Villa. I think there’s a very strong chance this deal happens.”
World Cup won’t delay Morgan Rogers deal
Arsenal fans will also surely be pleased to hear that Rogers can have a medical even while he’s away at the World Cup.
The Premier League champions will no doubt want this major deal done as quickly as possible to avoid other clubs getting involved, with Rogers sure to be hot property after two outstanding seasons in a row at Villa Park.
The England international hit double figures for goals and assists again in the 2025/26 season, and it’s clear he could improve this Arsenal side in the one area they arguably struggled most in despite winning the title.
Mikel Arteta’s men sometimes struggled in the final third, and someone like Rogers should be able to add a bit more spark, as well as more of a goal threat than the inconsistent Martin Odegaard.
If AFC can get this done, it will be just the kind of signing that could take this team to another level next season, with Arteta’s side only narrowly missing out on the Champions League when they again just lacked a little bit of attacking quality in the final defeat to PSG.
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Things can change quickly in football, though, with the Telegraph recently claiming that Tchouameni was a firm target for the Red Devils, while a team of journalists on X are now saying secret talks have taken place and have been leaked.
“We have it on good authority that a high-level meeting took place yesterday in London between Manchester United officials and representatives of Aurélien Tchouaméni. We don’t know if this meeting was supposed to be kept secret, but it has been leaked,” the reporter posted.
Aurelien Tchouameni could fix Manchester United’s midfield
Tchouameni is a top player on his day, and even if he’s not proven in the Premier League, he’s been consistent and reliable at the highest level with both Real Madrid and the French national team.
There’ll likely be a lot of MUFC fans hoping these latest links are accurate, and we’d certainly give this potential deal a high score with our Transfer Fit rating system – find out more about how we score these here.
Aurelien Tchouameni
TOTAL SCORE: 18/25
Transfer fee
**
Performance
****
Achievements
****
Career phase
***
Squad need
*****
Tchouameni gets 18/25, which is a really solid score, with the 26-year-old only slightly dropping points because he’d probably be very expensive, while he’s also perhaps just a year or two older than absolutely ideal.
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Talks are reportedly back on over Chelsea potentially selling Enzo Fernandez to Real Madrid, though the deal is expected to cost at least £120m.
The Blues surely won’t be too keen to let a top player like Fernandez go, but it seems the Argentina international himself is interested in the move to the Bernabeu.
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That’s what’s being reported today by BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella, as per the X post below…
Real Madrid talks are also back on for Enzo Fernandez. Last price quoted by Chelsea was £120m but personal terms with the Argentine midfielder's entourage have never been an issue and he is keen on the move. https://t.co/NaILQznsKy
Kinsella posted: “Real Madrid talks are also back on for Enzo Fernandez. Last price quoted by Chelsea was £120m but personal terms with the Argentine midfielder’s entourage have never been an issue and he is keen on the move.”
This could mean another major Chelsea sale to Los Blancos this summer, following Marc Cucurella’s recent move to the Spanish capital.
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More Chelsea exits on the cards after nightmare season?
In truth, Chelsea can’t be too surprised to see Cucurella leaving and Fernandez looking to follow, while there’s also been talk of Malo Gusto exploring an exit, as per another BBC Sport report.
This sort of exodus of big names is pretty inevitable after a dire season in which Chelsea finished all the way down in 10th in the Premier League table, missing out on European football, and also failing to win any silverware.
Fernandez may not have always been the most consistent performer for CFC, but he’s good enough that he’ll probably feel he can go on and shine for a more competitive side.
The 25-year-old could do well in the Real Madrid midfield, perhaps providing them with an upgrade on the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea also lose other stars and perhaps struggle to bring in the calibre of player required to adequately replace them.
The Phoenix Mercury, ranked 12th in the WNBA with a 5-13 record, face the Indiana Fever, who are sixth in the league with a 10-7 record. The Fever are favored with a -350 moneyline to the Mercury’s +270. Indiana enters the game with a winning record at home against a Phoenix squad that has lost 13 of its 18 games.
Former Michigan basketball star Yaxel Lendeborg is going to face harder questions now that he is in the NBA.
Like, what exactly would he endure to get his No. 23?
Lendeborg was drafted at No. 11 overall by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, June 23, joining future Hall of Famers in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on a star-studded roster. There might be some initial friction between the Michigan man Lendeborg and the Michigan State graduate Green, however, and not just because of the rookie-veteran dynamic.
Green, who has spent all 14 NBA seasons with the Warriors, has worn the No. 23 since his rookie season in 2012-13. Lendeborg also wore No. 23 with the Wolverines last season, and so an intrepid reporter asked Lendeborg after he was drafted if he would consider some Spartan-related hazing from Green to get the number.
"What if Draymond says, 'You can have Number 23 if you rock Michigan State gear for the entire season?'" the reporter asked.
Lendeborg thought about his answer for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"Nah," he said. "I'm not doing that, man. I hate those guys."
Lendeborg was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All American in his one season at Michigan in 2025-26, helping lead the Wolverines to their second-ever national championship in April. Lendeborg played especially well in two wins over the Spartans, putting up 26 points and 12 rebounds in an 83-71 win at Breslin Center on Jan. 30 and scoring 27 points in a 90-80 home win at Crisler Center on March 8.
"I went 2-0 against them this year, so they're going to be little brother to me forever and I'm not going to represent the losers, ever," he said.
It was part of a historic day for Michigan basketball as the three became the first trio of U-M players to be selected in the top 15 of an NBA draft. Their selections highlight the complementary basketball that led to success with the Wolverines, something they will hope to take to the next step in the pros.
But as Lendeborg pointed out, there are some steps he won't be willing to take.
Today's transfer latest: David, Inter-Solet, Atlético, Napoli-Gila 🥵
The World Cup keeps delivering excitement, and yesterday finally saw a major — and highly anticipated — star get off the mark: CR7 got on the scoresheet in this World Cup with a brace that led his Portugal to victory.
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In the meantime, however, Serie A’s big clubs continue to make moves in the transfer market, hunting for opportunities and major signings. Let’s take a look at the most important news of the day.
Juve, David speaks about his future
From the Canada national team camp at the World Cup, Jonathan David clarified his future. Interviewed by RSI Sport, the Juventus forward confirmed that he will stay at Juventus next season as well. Fresh off a hat-trick in Canada’s emphatic 6-0 win over Qatar, David shut down any transfer rumors straight away: "I will stay at Juventus, I have five years left on my contract".
After a difficult season in front of goal, the Canadian striker is now aiming for redemption, with the goal of becoming a key figure again in the Juventus shirt next season.
Milan, keeping tabs on Evertton Araujo
Milan continue to monitor the market in search of young talents to add to Amorim’s project. According to Brazilian outlet Coluna do Fla, the Rossoneri have set their sights on Evertton Araujo, a midfielder born in 2003 who currently plays for Flamengo. The report, echoed by journalist Leo José, mentions a €15 million offer along with a five-year contract proposed to the player.
Flamengo are said to be considering the offer, given that they own 70% of the player’s economic rights, while the remaining 30% belongs to Volta Redonda, his former club. For now, there has been no official confirmation of the deal, so it remains a transfer rumor to keep an eye on in the coming days.
Inter, Atletico swoop for Solet
Oumar Solet continues to attract interest from several top European clubs after an excellent season with Udinese. Long on Inter’s radar, with the Nerazzurri seeing him as a priority to strengthen their defense, Solet could now find himself at the center of a real transfer battle. According to footmercato.net, Atletico Madrid have also added the center-back to their list of targets for next season.
The Spanish club are reportedly ready to speed things up and submit an initial official offer. Udinese, for their part, value the player at no less than €25 million.
Napoli, Lang could help pave the way to Dodô
An interesting transfer axis could take shape between Napoli and Fiorentina. The Partenopei have been closely followingDodô for some time, with the Fiorentina Brazilian full-back seen as an ideal profile to strengthen the right flank. Meanwhile, according to TMW, Fiorentina have set their sights on Noa Lang. The Tuscan club’s interest in the winger could spark a chain of transfer moves between the two sides.
At the moment, there is no talk of a single deal involving both players, but developments in the respective negotiations could lead Dodô and Noa Lang down opposite paths during this transfer window.
Roma, Bergvall and O'Riley in their sights
Roma are looking ahead to the future of their midfield while Koné’s situation remains one to watch. According to Leggo, the French midfielder could leave Trigoria during this transfer window. Among the profiles Gasperini is considering to replace him is Lucas Bergvall, the highly rated Swedish talent born in 2006 and owned by Tottenham. The young midfielder, currently on international duty with his national team, is valued at around €35 million by Spurs.
Another alternative is Matt O'Riley, the Danish Brighton midfielder who has already been linked with the Giallorossi in the past. Fresh from a loan spell at Marseille, the player remains a profile appreciated by the Roma management.
Lazio, Lotito continues to stand firm over Gila
Mario Gila is one of Napoli’s main targets to strengthen the defense. Despite Lazio’s firm stance, the Partenopei have reportedly not given up on the trail and have come back with a new proposal. According to the Messaggero, Napoli have put a €20 million offer on the table for the Spanish center-back. Lazio, however, continue to ask for between €25 million and €30 million to let the defender leave.
The Biancocelesti, moreover, do not seem willing to accept alternative formulas such as loans involving Rafa Marin and Lorenzo Lucca, two profiles appreciated by Gattuso. However, that solution does not convince Lazio, who are interested exclusively in a suitable cash offer.
Fiorentina, Thorstvedt in pole position, but also Ekkelenkamp and Bernabé
Fiorentina continue to work on strengthening their midfield ahead of next season. According to La Nazione, the name at the top of the Viola management’s list is Kristian Thorstvedt, the Sassuolo midfielder who has reportedly already given his approval for a move to Florence. The Tuscan club are said to be focusing their efforts on the Norwegian and are ready to move into the decisive phase of the negotiations.
At the same time, Fiorentina are also keeping other midfield options open. Among the profiles being monitored are Jürgen Ekkelenkamp of Udinese and Adrián Bernabé of Parma, a player already watched in the past and who now seems more willing to consider a new experience away from Emilia.
The Chicago Bears offense had immediate success under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, where quarterback Caleb Williams had a breakout year behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. While All-Pro Joe Thuney was the focal point of that revamped group, Darnell Wright continued to establish himself as one of the best right tackles in the league.
Wright, selected 10th overall by the Bears in 2023, had the best year of his young career earning second-team All-Pro honors while being part of an offensive line that paved the way for the league's third-best rushing attack and allowed the second-fewest sacks in the regular season.
Naturally, Chicago is expected to lock him down to a long-term contract extension, but it's all a matter of when as Wright heads into the final year of his rookie deal. ESPN's Courtney Cronin provided an update on an expected contract extension for Wright, and she believes a deal will get done before training camp kicks off July 28.
The Bears would like to get an extension done with the former first-rounder before training camp, which is typically when they've struck new deals in the past (Cole Kmet in 2023, DJ Moore in 2024). Despite playing most of last season with a torn UCL, Wright put together the best season of his career and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Wright has been an anchor on the offensive line since his rookie season, and he's also earned respect from his head coach. Johnson had nothing but praise for Wright, who has directly impacted how the offense operates.
"He just continues to get better," Johnson said. "When you watch us on offense, we're certainly a little bit more righthanded than lefthanded, and that is with him in mind. I think he's one of those tackles that's a powerful player and can displace guys off the line of scrimmage."
Wright has been one of the most important players on the Bears offense since 2023, and he's in the long-term plans as Chicago looks to establish their offense as consistently one of the best in the NFL.
Jaron Ennis looks to be on the verge of his first real marquee fight. | Getty Images
Boots Ennis appeared on The Breakfast Club this morning to promote this weekend’s title fight against Xander Zayas, and during the segment he would be asked about how his career is developing, his name having long been linked with Terence Crawford, and his thoughts on some potential matchups in the lower weight classes.
Boots on moving up to 154 from 147 and how he feels
“I feel way stronger at this weight class. I probably should’ve been moved up but I was staying down there trying to be undisputed down there. Those guys down there were playing around so I had to move up and I think that’s the best decision I made because I think I would’ve stayed at that weight for too long.”
On having his name associated with Crawford’s for a long time
“He retired, I ain’t worried about nothing he got going on. I’m locked in. I’m focused on the task at hand and that’s Xander Zayas. I’m locked in on that. He’s a retired fighter, if he comes back, he comes back.”
On who he considers to be the best fighters in the sport
“You can go Bam, you can go Usyk, you can go Shakur. There’s a lot of great fighters out here right now.”
Aug 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) runs after the catch against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
TEAM TALK
Patriots Unfiltered:Summer storylines, NFL news, FIFA World Cup. (2 hours)
Graham Wilker sees the Patriots having more defensive tackle talent than roster spots this summer: Here’s how the depth chart could shake out entering 2026.
Ethan Hurwitz talks about two Patriots defenders – one rookie and one veteran – who share a unique perspective on learning the defense.
Graham Wilker identifies 3 Patriots underdogs who could quickly become fan favorites during camp.
Michael DeVito spotlights under-the-radar WR Efton Chism III who could break out if given a chance.
Ethan Hurwitz explains why TreVeyon Henderson could be Patriots’ 2026 breakout star.
Michael DeVito sees Romeo Doubs as an under-the-radar yet clear upgrade at the No. 2 receiver spot
Phil Perry ranks the 25 most important Patriots for 2026: Nos. 25-21 – Nos. 20-16.
Jerry Thornton thinks it’s a perfect idea that Mr. Kraft is lobbying the NFL to schedule the Patriots to play in Scotland.
Patriots Daily podcast: Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick discuss the under-the-radar players who could make the roster; Plus, live calls. (50 min.)
NATIONAL NEWS
Evan Winter (AtoZSports) Drake Maye is taking control of the Patriots like Tom Brady once did and it shows just how special his career can be.
Albert Breer (SI) NFL Notes: Why the Jaguars will be fascinating when training camp arrives; Plus, some young players stepping up for the Colts and Cardinals, a rookie to watch and more.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: Liam Paro celebrates winning the IBF World Welterweight Title bout aganst Lewis Crocker at Pat Rafter Arena on June 24, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liam Paro ended the IBF welterweight title reign of Lewis Crocker today in Australia, winning a competitive unanimous decision.
Judges officially scored the fight 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112 for Paro, who is now a two-division world champion.
Paro (28-1, 16 KO) got the decision mainly on his volume punching, it seemed, though of course you’d have to personally and specifically ask judges why they scored the way they did, and nobody ever really does that.
Crocker (22-1, 11 KO) did do real damage in the fight, which showed up plenty on Paro’s face and in the blood his heavier shots produced. Crocker looked the clearly bigger man both at the weigh-in and in the ring, and while he’s never really been known as some huge power puncher, he looked the much heavier hitter of the two.
Paro was able to grind, and being real, he was able to disrupt the proceedings with some strategic holding and “veteran tactics.” Crocker did make note that he felt the holding could have been better officiated, but also gave Paro his credit and called him “a fantastic fighter.”
Is Manny Pacquiao next for Paro?
Paro now looks forward, and he and his promoter are hoping for big names. They may specifically be casting an eye toward 47-year-old Manny Pacquiao, who fought Mario Barrios to a draw in a WBC title fight last year.
Pacquiao could be legitimately attracted to the fight for several reasons. Obviously, Paro has a world title now. Second, that rematch with Floyd Mayweather, tentatively set for September, is looking less likely by the week if not by the day. And third, Pacquiao has some history in Australia, going back to his hugely controversial 2017 loss to Jeff Horn.
On the Paro side, Pacquiao’s a legend, obviously, and worth a significant amount more money than anyone else who’s likely going to come to Australia for a fight. That’s not to say that Paro hasn’t proven willing to travel, either.
Another high-profile international sporting event is coming to Geodis Park — but it isn't soccer this time.
The United States men's and women's national rugby union teams will play a doubleheader in Nashville on Oct. 24 at Geodis, the home stadium of MLS club Nashville SC. The women's team will face Italy at 3:15 p.m. CT as part of World Rugby's WXV Global Series competition, with the men scheduled to face Australia at 6 p.m.
"You look at the venue, which is a world-class venue," Mick Hogan, a consultant for World Rugby who was involved in scheduling the doubleheader, told The Tennessean. "World-class facilities for the players, but also for the spectators, the media, and the broadcast as well. In terms of venue, it is as good as they get.
"We have a really engaged city that really wants to bring international sporting events to Nashville, and they've supported the event as well, and they will help us promote it. Once you've got those two cornerstones locked in, you know you've got a really good chance of putting on a successful event."
USA Rugby to play in Nashville
The doubleheader in October will be the second time Geodis has hosted rugby. The stadium hosted a Major League Rugby game between the Chicago Hounds and New England Free Jacks on April 19.
Hogan said that game was a success and showed that Geodis could effectively host rugby. Even though it's a soccer-specific stadium, few modifications need to be made, because soccer and rugby fields are the same width and both sports are played on grass.
Rugby is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, particularly at the college level. The U.S. has the third-most participants of any nation, according to Hogan. Multiple versions of the sport exist: rugby union, the form coming to Geodis, is played between two teams of 15 players.
"It's a pretty unique sport," Hogan said. "It's fast-flowing. There's not a lot of stoppages. You've got players that have to play on both the attacking side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball, so it's different to the NFL. It's a sport that is growing at such a pace around the world. The women's game in particular is having phenomenal success."
The United States women are ranked No. 8 in the world, two spots behind Italy. They have competed at every Rugby World Cup, winning the inaugural title in 1991 and finishing as runners-up in 1995 and 1999. The men's side, ranked No. 15, is "very much in the ascendancy," in Hogan's words, and will face the eighth-ranked team in the world in Australia.
"USA Rugby is excited to showcase USA Eagles' energy in new cities across the United States this October," USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren said. "We're thrilled to host these home games in Nashville, and welcome top-tier opposition in Italy and Australia for some exciting action."
Australia will host the men's World Cup in 2027 and the women's World Cup in 2029. Both competitions then come to the United States, which will host the men's tournament in 2031 and the women's tournament in 2033. Nashville is one of 27 cities short-listed to host games during the World Cups.
"Hosting USA Rugby’s men’s and women’s teams at GEODIS Park marks one of the most significant rugby events in Nashville’s history, introducing visiting fans to all our city has to offer while giving local sports fans the chance to experience the excitement of a sport that continues to grow in popularity," said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
Prior to the matches, all four teams will be "out and about" in Nashville for a week, and Hogan anticipates creating "a bit of noise" through a number of community events. He said there will be a fan fest before the game in addition to live music.
"Whenever we put an international game on, anywhere between one-third and two-thirds of the crowd come from out of state," Hogan said. "We'll see fans travel from probably most states within the U.S. So we'll give a bit of a boost to local tourism, and hopefully the city can show us its many attributes."
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, July 2 at 9 a.m. CT through Ticketmaster, with a pre-sale beginning June 30 at 9 a.m.
"Rugby continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, and we are thrilled to welcome the Women's and Men's Eagles to Nashville during a time of tremendous growth for the game," Nashville SC chief business officer Lindsey Paola said. " . . . We look forward to once again showcasing our venue on the global stage."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
The octagon hits Azerbaijan for the second time in its history Saturday with UFC Fight Night 280 at Crystal Hall in Baku (Paramount+).
A lightweight main event featuring local hero Rafael Fiziev (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) takes center stage. He takes on Manuel Torres (17-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who seeks a breakthrough win into the upper tier of the weight class now ruled by Justin Gaethje.
For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie's UFC Fight Night 280 pre-event facts.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres
Fiziev is one of 15 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a wheel kick. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 31. There's been 16 such finishes overall in company history.
Fiziev defends 90.4 percent of opponent takedown attempts in UFC lightweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Torres has earned 16 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes all five of his UFC victories.
Torres' average fight time of 2:33 in UFC lightweight competition is the second-shortest in divisional history behind Terrance McKinney (2:16).
Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira
Shara Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is one of 12 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning backfist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 308.
Magomedov lands 63 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
Michel Pereira (31-14 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is 4-3 since he moved up to the middleweight division in October 2023.
Asu Almabayev vs. Charles Johnson
Asu Almabayev's (23-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) six victories since 2023 in UFC flyweight competition are tied for second-most in the division behind Joshua Van (10) and Charles Johnson (seven.
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira
Ikram Aliskerov's (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) average fight time of 5:12 in UFC middleweight competition is the shortest among active fighters in the weight class.
Aliskerov lands 7.15 significant strikes per minute in UFC middleweight competition, the best rate in divisional history.
Brunno Ferreira (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is one of 10 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back elbow. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 57.
Abus Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Michal Oleksiejczuk (22-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) is 6-4 since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in August 2022.
Oleksiejczuk's eight first-round knockout victories in UFC competition are third-most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (11) and Anthony Johnson (nine).
Oleksiejczuk lands 7.07 significant strikes per minute in UFC middleweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Aliskerov (7.15).
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Julius Walker
Julius Walker (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) is 1-2 in his past three fights after starting his career 6-0.
Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Andrey Pulyaev
Nursulton Ruziboev's (36-9-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak in middleweight competition is tied for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Nassourdine Imavov (five) and Ateba Gautier (five).
Daniil Donchenko vs. Theodor Berggren
Daniil Donchenko (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the Season 33 welterweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series.
Bekzat Almakhan vs. Jean Matsumoto
Jean Matsumoto (17-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is 1-2 in his past three fights after starting his career 16-0.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JUNE 18: Alphonso Davies #19 of Canada warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match between Canada and Qatar at BC Place Vancouver on June 18, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It could be a red herring to mess with Switzerland’s preparation, but Canada head coach Jesse Marsch said that he is expecting Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies to hit the pitch for the first time in this tournament.
“The good news is he’s looking great, he’s in training, he looks great, he looks fit, he looks ready to go, excited. So, let’s see how things go, but I expect him to play,” Marsch said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
It is awesome to hear that Davies is making progress, as his injury status has been discussed in great detail, but this will likely be a game that Bayern Munich fans might be a little nervous about. Davies came back from his ACL injury, only to be felled by two muscular injuries.
While everyone wants Davies back on the field doing what he does best, it could be a tough — or at least nervous — watch for many folks. Let’s hope that it is a safe and successful return for the Canadian star.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Kevin Alvarez #11 of the Houston Astros throws to the infield during the fifth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (33-42) won 12-5 (BOX SCORE)
After El Paso got a run in the first, Sugar Land got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Spence sac fly. They got another run in the third inning on a Whitcomb solo home run. The offense added 5 runs in the 4th inning on a Biggio RBI double, Whitcomb 2 run single, Brooks RBI single and a run on a wild pitch. Biggio added a solo home run in the 5th and Brooks added an RBI double. Mancini got the start and went 4.2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned. The Woodpeckers added some insurance in the 8th inning on a Whitcomb walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch. The pen was great tossing 4.1 scoreless innings as they closed out the 12-5 win.
Joey Mancini, RHP: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (WIN)
Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (32-38) won 10-1 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got the scoring started in the 2nd inning on a Whitaker RBI double and Holy 2 run inside-the-park home run. They blew it open in the 3rd inning scoring 6 runs on a Schiavone solo home run, Sullivan 2 run double, Bush 2 run home run and Whitaker solo home run. They got another run in the 4th on a double play. Nezuh started for the Hooks and went 5 innings allowing 1 run with 9 strikeouts. Santos tossed 2 perfect innings in relief and Torres tossed 2 scoreless innings as they closed out the 10-1 win.
A+: Asheville Tourists (18-51) lost 2-0 (BOX SCORE)
Rodriguez started for Asheville and turned in a nice outing allowing 2 runs over 6 innings while striking out 3 batters. The offense struggled all game collecting just 4 hits as they were shutout in the 2-0 loss.
Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (34-35) won 9-1 (BOX SCORE)
The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning scoring 3 runs on an error and RBI singles from Flores and Cauro. They got another run in the 4th on a groundout. Beck started for the Woodpeckers and tossed 3 scoreless innings. He was relieved by Fraide who allowed 1 unearned run over 4 innings while striking out 6. The Woodpeckers blew it open in the 6th inning getting back to back to back home runs from Huezo, Neyens and Alvarez. Salas added a sac fly as well. Saunier tossed 2 scoreless innings to close out the 9-1 win.
Elijah Sarratt’s path to the NFL wasn’t built on early attention or five-star expectations. It was built on years of proving himself at every stop, often without much external validation. That experience has followed him into Baltimore and continues to shape how he approaches every rep on the practice field.
A recurring theme from his conversation tied to The Lounge Podcast was the idea that motivation has to come from within when the outside world isn’t giving you much recognition. Sarratt has leaned into that mindset throughout his journey. He said, “Who cares what anyone has to say about you just prove it to yourself day in and day out.”
That mindset wasn’t something he adopted once he reached the NFL — it was built over years of being overlooked in recruiting, writing emails, sending film, and waiting for responses that often never came. Instead of letting that discourage him, he used it as fuel. Sarratt also reinforced his belief in belonging at this level, saying, “I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t compete on this level.”
That combination of confidence and persistence is what continues to define his approach in Baltimore. Every practice is another chance to validate the work that got him here, not to prove others wrong, but to prove to himself that the climb was worth it.
If that mentality holds, it’s the kind of foundation that keeps players steady long after the rookie year ends.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 22: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at loanDepot park on June 22, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
Right handed pitcher AJ Russell, who the Rangers drafted in the second round last year, has been promoted to Hub City.
Jack Leiter has undergone surgery to remove the os trigonometry bone and the Rangers are confident he will return to the mound this year. The Rangers’ previous experiences with this surgery haven’t had such speedy recoveries, though.
The Rangers don’t really have a clear replacement to step into Leiter’s spot in the rotation.
Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery are still several weeks away from returning to the rotation.
The three starting pitching prospects on the 40 man roster have not had particularly good starts to the 2026 season.
Corey Seager’s return from the concussion protocol is unlikely before Thursday due to today’s early game against the Marlins.
The Denver Broncos are looking like one of the top Super Bowl contenders for the 2026 NFL season, as their defense is still elite, and the addition of Jaylen Waddle to the offense should be a big boost as well.
But, when it comes to team-building, the Broncos look like they're going to run into a bit of a problem after the 2026 season in their cornerback room.
As ESPN's Jeff Legwold highlighted, the Broncos face a pair of tricky problems with fan favorite cornerbacks Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillan, with both hitting free agency at the same time, and Jahdae Barron waiting in the wings.
Broncos face a pair of tricky CB problems with free agency looming
"The Broncos have publicly expressed the importance of having both in their defense, but there hasn't been much movement for extensions," Legowld writes on Moss and McMillan.
Pat Surtain II is a fantastic No. 1 cornerback, but the Broncos have a problem, albeit a good one to have, with their other top cornerback options.
With only two open spots on the defense, the Broncos have three options in Moss, McMillan, and Barron.
Denver's preference appears to be keeping both McMillan and Moss around long-term, but that would make the Barron pick look a lot stranger.
While Barron could slide into the starting CB room if one of Moss or McMillan leaves in free agency, the decision from the Broncos on which impending free agent to bring back will be very tricky.
Both have been good for the Broncos, which makes this decision of either-or very difficult. This is a problem for the Broncos' front office, though it's not a bad one to have.
Finding good corners isn't an easy task, and the Broncos have four good options. But, with the 2026 season being the last one under contract for McMillan and Moss, this decision will have to be made fairly soon.
Each season brings a few players who outperform expectations and impress fans with what they accomplish on the field. This season will be especially interesting with a new coaching staff; there may be some young players who mesh well with these coaches and take a big leap. For the Browns, there are a few players who stand out as having a great opportunity to do something special this season.
Isaiah Bond
Bond’s ability to play at a high level this season will likely be contingent on the level of quarterback play this team gets. Regardless, he is in a great position to take some major steps forward. His athleticism is undeniable, and if the offense can establish some consistency, it would not be surprising to see Bond emerge as the group’s most productive player.
Myles Harden
Harden is heading into his third NFL season after showing significant growth and development in 2025. He appeared in 16 games in 2025 and should continue to have a bigger, more consistent role in the secondary in 2026. While the defense will look different with Jim Schwartz’s departure, Harden is likely the favorite to start at nickel.
Mike Hall Jr.
The highest drafted of the players listed, Hall has seen limited success due to time on the commissioner’s list and injury, but has the upside to make a big impact on the defensive line, along with Mason Graham and Maliek Collins.
Let me know what you think in the comments – Which Browns player will take the biggest jump in 2026?
Two of the biggest tennis icons, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, have generated immense anticipation for their upcoming campaigns at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. While Djokovic will be chasing his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, Williams is set to make her comeback to singles for the first time since her initial retirement at the 2022 US Open.
How Novak Djokovic Correctly Predicted Serena Williams’ Comeback
Williams returned to professional tennis during the grass-court season, first competing in doubles at the Queen’s Club Championships alongside Victoria Mboko. The American then teamed up with Karolína Muchová at the Berlin Tennis Open, while it was announced that she and Venus Williams had accepted a doubles wildcard for Wimbledon.
Subsequently, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was awarded the final singles wildcard for the grass-court Major, igniting a frenzy across the tennis community. She has since been preparing for both events at Aorangi Park, where she crossed paths with Djokovic and the pair shared a warm reunion.
Interestingly, Djokovic had been convinced that Williams was plotting a comeback to the tour, even though she had dismissed all speculation about a return. Speaking to the press at the Indian Wells Masters earlier this season, the Serb asserted that he would also keep any such plans under wraps in her position.
“She’s coming back. Is she coming back? Is that a question? I think she’s coming back. I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she’s coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don’t know, and if I’m in her position, I would hide it too. Yeah, everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” he said.
Djokovic’s prediction proved remarkably accurate. He not only suggested that Williams would target Wimbledon for her singles return but also foresaw the 44-year-old reviving her doubles partnership with Venus Williams.
“So, you know, let’s see. I pick that one [Wimbledon] as well as her comeback, but yeah, I don’t know. I think she might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus [Williams],” he added. “That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans, for sure. Yeah, and she’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back, too.”
In addition to Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams captured the attention of Ben Shelton and Stan Wawrinka while gearing up for Wimbledon. All eyes are also on the upcoming draw reveal on Friday, June 26, as fans are eager to discover who Williams will face in her first singles match back at the All England Club.
With the break in the schedule for the World Cup, head coach Leonardo Jardim gained a valuable two-week period of training and three friendlies to fine-tune Flamengo.
The main objective of the medical and fitness staff right now is to recover three key squad players: Léo Ortiz, Saúl, and Jorginho.
Check below for the medical update on the trio, according to information from ge.
The club has taken a cautious approach, but the first few days of work at Ninho do Urubu brought encouraging news:
Jorginho (Defensive Midfielder): Recovered from a fracture in a toe on his right foot that kept him out of the last matches, the player has already rejoined the squad and is training normally with the group, without restrictions.
Léo Ortiz (Center Back): He suffered a minor muscle injury (grade 1) in his right thigh against Coritiba. He gave up part of his vacation to continue treatment at the training center and, although he is not yet training with the ball, his recovery is on schedule. He will travel with the squad to Portugal.
Saúl (Defensive Midfielder): The Spaniard, who underwent surgery on his left ankle and is trying to regain his ideal rhythm, also cut short his vacation to focus on physical preparation and is doing specific work to return to the expected level.
✈️ Off to Portugal: Friendly Match Schedule
Flamengo’s delegation departs for Europe on June 28, where the team will continue its preparation and play three high-level friendly matches.
Match schedule:
July 3: Flamengo vs. River Plate
July 8: Flamengo vs. Lausanne
July 11: Flamengo vs. Benfica
The squad is scheduled to return to Brazil on July 12.
🌎 Absences
The squad will travel with major changes. In total, nine players were called up for the World Cup and will be unavailable during the team’s midseason training period:
Alex Sandro, Léo Pereira, Lucas Paquetá, Carrascal, Plata, Arrascaeta, Varela, and De La Cruz.
Even if their respective national teams are eliminated early, the coaching staff plans to give these players a few days of rest before reintegrating them.
NEW YORK − The Mets lineup could certainly use a spark amid a confounding season at the plate.
For a majority of their disappointing 34-44 campaign, the Mets have been without their table-setter and key igniter of their offense in Francisco Lindor.
The star shortstop has been out since suffering a left calf strain running the bases during the team's April 22 game against the Minnesota Twins.
Now, Lindor's return is imminent.
The 32-year-old played his third rehab game Tuesday night for Triple-A Syracuse and came through well. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said a discussion will be had if Lindor can rejoin the team for Wednesday's doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.
Of the Mets' 78 games this season, they have played just nine (11.5 percent) with the full complement of Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Soto also missed 15 games with his own calf strain in April. The Mets are 5-4 with their top trio in the lineup.
The Mets are hoping to have that trio atop their lineup once again with Lindor returning, but questions are now surrounding Soto after he exited Tuesday's loss with left side back tightness. Soto is considered day to day.
Francisco Lindor stats this season
Lindor had gotten off to another slow start before being sidelined, slashing .226/.314/.355 with two home runs, five RBI, 14 runs, two doubles and two triples in 24 games this season. But in the three previous seasons, he has provided an .806 OPS or better, at least 31 home runs and 107 runs across full seasons.
Francisco Lindor's impact on Mets
The Mets have had to reconfigure their lineup with Lindor on the mend, shifting Bichette and Brett Baty back to their natural positions at shortstop and third base, respectively, while potentially opening the door to A.J. Ewing getting his first regular chance in the big leagues.
With Lindor back in the fold, the biggest impact could be on the likes of Baty, Mark Vientos and Jared Young, who will all likely have to split time at first base and designated hitter.
Assuming Soto does not need to miss and time Lindor is back in the fold, here's how the Mets' lineup could look once Francisco Lindor returns later this week:
Mets' projected lineup when Francisco Lindor returns
The Los Angeles Rams made a gigantic shift toward 13 personnel on offense last season, deploying an abundance of three-tight end packages in the second half of the year. They featured Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Davis Allen and Tyler Higbee heavily, keeping defenses on their toes by mixing things up.
It worked to utter perfection, with the Rams averaging 6.2 yards per play and scoring 32 total touchdowns out of 13 personnel, both the highest in the NFL since Next Gen Stats began tracking statistics in 2016, per Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com.
Naturally, teams are going to try replicating the Rams’ success out of 13 personnel, and the trend appears to have already started based on this year’s draft. There were 22 tight ends drafted in April, the second-most in the common draft era. It’s a clear indication that teams could be gearing up to use more 13 personnel after watching the Rams dominate out of that grouping in 2025.
Matthew Stafford doesn’t think it’ll be an easy trend to follow, though. Not many teams have the tight end depth and talent that the Rams do, which will make it challenging to deploy three tight ends at a time and still have success.
“People are like, ‘Oh man, everybody’s going to be in 13 next year because that’s the way the league goes,’” Stafford said on the “Green Light” podcast with Chris Long. “And I'm like, ‘Well, they better have four guys that can all do everything.’ And that’s what we have. We’re so lucky in the room. People talk about it as just the X’s on the field, but it’s like, these guys are really talented players that can block at the point of attack, they can catch the ball intermediate, down the field, the whole thing. And they’re smart enough to go learn all these positions and do all these things and that takes a lot.”
The Rams didn’t go into the season planning to shift away from 11 personnel and toward 13. Amazingly, Stafford revealed that they didn’t have a single snap in 13 personnel during training camp last year.
It’s something that happened out of necessity in Week 7 against the Jaguars after Puka Nacua got hurt the week prior and Tutu Atwell went down early in the win over Jacksonville. With limited resources at wide receiver, Sean McVay pivoted to heavy packages with tight ends and the Rams cruised to a 35-7 win.
“So, yes, we did pivot because we probably had zero snaps of 13 personnel in training camp,” Stafford said. “Puka gets hurt and Tutu gets hurt on maybe the 10th play of the game. We’ve got like Davante, Konata and I don’t even know if J-Whitt was up but we just didn’t have that many receivers available at that point so it was like, ‘OK, let’s have a plan if something does happen here and sure enough, we just kind of went into it, we liked the way it dictated the terms a little bit as far as, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to get from their defense.’ And sometimes it was, ‘We don’t know what we’re going to get. We might get nickel, we might get penny, we might get base, whatever you want to call it.’ But we had plans for all of that and how we wanted to go attack it. As we move forward, there’s always a chess match going on in the NFL and I'm lucky to be playing for a coach that’s ahead of the curve on a lot of that.”
McVay is a trend-setter as a head coach, whether it’s with his approach to the preseason, his 11 personnel usage or now his shift toward 13 personnel. As Stafford said, having a coach who’s ahead of the curve makes the Rams as successful as they are because it’s not easy to outsmart other coaches around the league.
With 13 personnel, that’s exactly what McVay did in 2025, and teams are bound to steal from his blueprint.
Saturday night is a monumental date with destiny for one Oba Femi.
By pinning Jey Uso, he'd become the 2026 King Of The Ring and be guaranteed a title shot vs. Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. Not only that, but Oba could have 2 matches on the August PLE - that title showdown and another that retires the legendary Brock Lesnar seemingly for good.
Or, y'know, WWE boss Triple H might cool his jets on Femi and decide that another Uso main event push is what his audience really want to see instead. Hmm, it isn't. It really, really isn't. Look, this isn't supposed to be some brutal takedown of Jey, because he's class in his own way, but Oba must be the priority right now. Uso challenging Cody doesn't feel SummerSlam worthy anyway.
Real world events threatened to derail Night Of Champions over in Saudi Arabia completely, but WWE are on the way. They better hope it's a trip to remember rather than one everyone would much rather forget. We've already analysed everything that simply must happen in Riyadh this weekend, so now it's time to zoom in on all of the disasters that could afflict Hunter's latest PLE.
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Mateus Fernandes: Spurs’ plot to hijack Man United’s move explained
Tottenham Hotspur are accelerating plans to hijack Manchester United’s pursuit of Mateus Fernandes, according to a new report.
Spurs on the hunt
Having come perilously close to suffering relegation last season, Tottenham are prepared to spend big this summer to back Roberto De Zerbi after he steered them to safety on the final day with a 1-0 win over Everton.
A £52 million deal has been struck to reunite the Italian manager with Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, while an £80 million offer for Sandro Tonali has been rejected by Newcastle United.
However, the Lilywhites have also stormed into the race for Fernandes, despite Manchester United having established themselves as frontrunners for the West Ham United starlet, who enjoyed a stellar campaign despite his side finishing eighteenth.
Mateus Fernandes Premier League stats: 2025/26 Season
The aggression Spurs are demonstrating in the market is understood to have taken rivals, including the Red Devils, by surprise. Their “bullish” willingness to meet expensive valuations is hard to compete with, or can make it difficult for others to negotiate.
Manchester United’s pursuit of Fernandes is a perfect example, as West Ham have placed a prohibitive £80 million asking price on the 21-year-old’s head, despite only two seasons of experience in the Premier League.
Spearheaded by sporting director Jason Wilcox, Manchester United have sought to strike a cheaper deal, having already received the green light from Fernandes over his desire to complete a switch to Old Trafford.
There has been widespread interest in the one-cap Portugal international, with Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all making enquiries. Nonetheless, United have maintained a firm grip on the race as the player is believed to be prioritising first-team opportunities, and there is confidence in M16 that a deal will be struck.
Ready to strike
This assurance is set to be firmly tested, however, as TEAMtalk reveals Tottenham are “preparing to launch a formal bid” for Fernandes after making “significant progress” in negotiations with his representatives.
“Sources have confirmed that discussions with both Fernandes‘ camp and West Ham have accelerated over the past few days, leaving Spurs increasingly confident that they can win the race for one of the Premier League’s most sought-after midfielders.
“As a result, we can reveal that Tottenham are now readying an offer worth around £75 million (€87m, $99m), a figure that would move them very close to West Ham’s initial £80 million valuation of the 21-year-old.”
The report does state United remain in a “strong position” as Wilcox has “longstanding ties to the player dating back to his time at Southampton”. West Ham signed Fernandes from the Saints for £38 million last year in a deal which included a 15% sell-on clause.
“Manchester United are not going away, however. Wilcox continues to work behind the scenes, and sources insist Old Trafford officials remain optimistic that their groundwork will ultimately pay off.”
Sky Sports corroborates the intent from Spurs to hijack a deal by outbidding United, who are said to value Fernandes in the £60m range, but “may be prepared to offer more” if needed.
The Sun concludes that one of the main competitors for the former Sporting CP star, Real Madrid, “expect [him] to join United”, further justifying the confidence in M16.
Final Thoughts
Should the decision fall down to a straight choice between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, there is little doubt which team Fernandes would pick. He considers his compatriot, Bruno Fernandes, an idol and the chance to play alongside him in the Champions League, in comparison to no European football at all with Tottenham, is a strong sales pitch.
But the question of price – and United’s willingness to match West Ham’s demands – is far less certain, and it is here where Spurs smell their advantage. If they strike a club record deal with the Hammers, while United only agree terms with the player, he looks unlikely to leave London this summer.
Leeds sign former Liverpool midfielder on free transfer following contract expiry
Leeds Set to Secure Harry Wilson on Free Transfer
Leeds United appear to have pulled off one of the more astute pieces of business of the summer, with reports from the BBC indicating that Harry Wilson has agreed a four year contract at Elland Road. The deal, subject to a medical and final paperwork, would see the Wales international arrive on a free transfer after his contract with Fulham expires.
For a club returning to the Premier League, finding value is often as important as spending heavily. In Wilson, Leeds look set to acquire a player who combines top flight experience, creativity and a proven ability to contribute goals.
Competition for his signature was reportedly fierce, making this a significant statement of intent from Daniel Farke’s side.
Liverpool Academy Graduate Returns to Spotlight
For Liverpool supporters, Harry Wilson’s journey has long been a fascinating one. A product of the club’s academy, Wilson spent years building his reputation through successful loan spells before eventually leaving Anfield in 2021.
Fulham paid £12 million to secure his services, and over the past four years he has developed into a dependable Premier League performer. While he never quite found a route into Liverpool’s first team during an era packed with attacking talent, his career trajectory has been impressive.
Now 29, Wilson arrives at a stage where experience matters as much as potential. Leeds are not signing a prospect. They are signing a player who understands the demands of English football and who has consistently delivered in high pressure environments.
Numbers Highlight Attacking Impact
Wilson’s statistics from last season help explain why Leeds were so determined to complete the move. Across all competitions he produced 11 goals and eight assists in 38 appearances.
That equates to a goal involvement roughly every other game, excellent numbers for a wide attacker operating in a Fulham side that often relied on collective organisation rather than individual brilliance.
His ability from set pieces, willingness to shoot from distance and knack for producing decisive moments could prove invaluable for a newly promoted team expected to battle hard for Premier League survival.
Fulham clearly recognised his value too. Reports suggest they made several attempts to persuade him to remain at Craven Cottage, making his expected departure all the more significant.
Transfer Ambition Continues at Elland Road
Wilson may be only the beginning of Leeds’ summer business. The Yorkshire club continue to monitor former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt, while Southampton’s Shea Charles remains another target despite reports of an initial £20 million approach being rejected.
Those pursuits indicate a club looking to add quality throughout the squad rather than simply making up the numbers in the Premier League.
For Harry Wilson, this move offers another chapter in a career defined by resilience and steady progression. For Leeds, it could be one of the smartest free transfers of the summer. Premier League survival often depends on players who can turn tight matches with a moment of quality, and Wilson has shown throughout his career that he possesses exactly that ability.
Tottenham open talks with Eintracht Frankfurt for Jean-Matteo Bahoya as Spurs target electric winger
Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Eintracht Frankfurt to discuss a deal for Jean-Matteo Bahoya.
Bahoya has emerged as a top target to strengthen the wide areas with initial conversations held with Frankfurt over a summer deal.
The 21-year-old scored three goals and added four assists in 15 league starts for Frankfurt, in his first full campaign for theBundesliga side.
Bahoya's ball-carrying earned interest from Arsenal and Spurs in January, with the winger ranking second in the Bundesliga for dribble success rate and percentage of offensive duels won, and fifth for successful dribbles per 90.
According toThe Athletic, contact has been held with Frankfurt, though no formal approach has been made.
Bahoya is viewed as an alternative to Manchester City winger Savinho, who has been a long-term target. The Brazilian came close to moving to North London last summer but a deal fell through.
He is understood to be open to a move to Spurs in search of regular minutes, after starting only sevenPremier League games in 2025/26.
Spurs transfer news: Bahoya and Savingo targeted, Mateus Fernandes update
Tottenham have been one of the most active clubs in Europe so far this summer as the North Londoners look to rebuild from consecutive challenging campaigns.
Spurs remain in pursuit of Newcastle United Sandro Tonali, who could cost a club-record £100m, and have a non-related interest in West Ham's Mateus Fernandes.
The latter isunderstood to be open to a transfer to Spurs, despite rival interest from Manchester United. West Ham want £85m for the Portugal international and will sell to the highest bidder despite their rivalry with Spurs, as the relegated Irons look to balance the books.
Bologna ask Rangers for Raskin, Ferguson potential exchange deal
There are suggestions Bologna are in negotiations with Glasgow Rangers for Nico Raskin, who is valued at €20m, with Lewis Ferguson potentially as part of an exchange.
According to teamTALK, initial talks have started between the two clubs with regards to Raskin.
Bologna targeting Raskin
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 21: Nicolas Raskin #23 of Belgium plays the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between Belgium and IR Iran at Los Angeles Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, United States. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
He came to Rangers in January 2023 at a cost of just €1.5m from Standard Liege and then flourished, this term scoring seven goals with nine assists in 50 matches.
It is reported that the asking price now is around €20m, a significant investment for the Rossoblu and new coach Domenico Tedesco.
A potential solution to lower the cost would be to involve Scotland international Ferguson as part of an exchange, seeing as Rangers are reportedly eager on the midfielder.
However, Ferguson is captain of Bologna and not necessarily in a rush to leave the Stadio Dall’Ara, where he has been since leaving Aberdeen in 2022.
This would be more a proposal put forward by Rangers than the Italian club or Scottish player.
SERIE A 2026/27: DATES AND TIMES FOR MATCHDAYS 1 TO 5
We already know the fixture list for Serie A 2026/27, now it’s time to find out the schedule for matchdays 1 to 5. Here are the details for our first five league fixtures:
Matchday 1, Torino v AC Milan, Sunday 23 August at 20.45 CEST (DAZN/Sky)
Matchday 2, AC Milan v Venezia, Friday 28 August at 20.45 CEST (DAZN)
Matchday 3, Juventus v AC Milan, Sunday 6 September at 20.45 CEST (DAZN)
Matchday 4, Lazio v AC Milan, Saturday 12 September at 18.00 CEST/Sunday 13 September at 20.45 CEST (DAZN)*
Matchday 5, AC Milan v Lecce, Sunday 20 September at 20.45 CEST (DAZN)
* If AC Milan play their Matchday 1 game of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday 16 September 2026, Lazio v AC Milan will be played on Saturday 12 September at 18:00 CEST.
If Juventus play their Matchday 1 game of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday 16 September 2026, Lazio v AC Milan will be played on Sunday 13 September at 20:45 CEST.
The Charlotte Hornets selected center Hannes Steinbach from the University of Washington as the 14th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The team also picked guard Christian Anderson Jr. from Texas Tech University as the 18th overall selection.
Steinbach is a native of Würzburg, Germany. Both players were chosen by the Charlotte Hornets to join their roster from the college ranks, the Hornets said.
Steinbach played one season as a Husky, starting all 30 appearances. He averaged 18.5 points, a Big Ten-leading 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game.
Steinbach was named All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman. He led the conference in rebounds with 353 and ranked third in field goal percentage at 57.7%. Steinbach also posted 22 double-doubles during his season.
Christian Anderson Jr. competed in 33 games, starting all of them. He averaged 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 38.4 minutes per game. Anderson Jr. was named All-Big 12 First Team, a Third-Team All-American and the Big 12 Most Improved Player, the Hornets said.
He was also on the Wooden Award national ballot this past season. Anderson Jr. led the Big 12 in assists with 244 and in minutes per game with 38.4. He logged a pair of 30-point games in his sophomore season, the Hornets said.
Hornets look to next season with invaluable experience
Forward Grant Williams has seen it all. He reached the finals as a Boston Celtic and knows first-hand how different playoff basketball is.
He’s pushing his teammates this offseason. The year may have ended in disappointment, but the experience they gained was invaluable.
“Each game taught you something valuable, whether it was about a teammate, whether it was about the group, whether it was about a single play,” said Williams. “Going back and watching that last 10-minute stretch of the season, where there were some games, we would have won. There were also other games we pulled out that possibly we shouldn’t have won, and how those things happened and how we executed were truly valuable.”
A look inside construction of new Hornets performance center
Watch the video above for a look at the progress.
The Hornets are also constructing a new 160,000-square-foot facility for player development, which will include two full-size practice courts, strength-and-conditioning resources, and areas for physical therapy and sports science.
SAN FRANCISCO — Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof’s 24-game hitting streak came to a quick and painful end Tuesday night.
Gelof flied out to right as the leadoff hitter in the Athletics’ 3-1 loss to San Francisco. In the second inning, the Giants’ Matt Chapman hit a liner off the left-field wall to bring home Willy Adames and give San Francisco a 2-0 lead.
Chapman tried for a double, but the throw from Tyler Soderstrom in left field to Gelof was in time to nail Chapman. But Chapman inadvertently stepped on Gelof’s right hand as the second baseman was applying the tag with his glove hand.
Gelof quickly left the field in obvious pain — ending his night and his streak.
He was unavailable for comment after the game, but manager Mark Kotsay said X-rays were negative and Gelof did not need stitches.
Gelof’s hitting streak matched the longest in the majors in the past two seasons, joining Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas. It’s also the seventh longest in Athletics franchise history and the second longest since the club moved to California in 1968. Jason Giambi had a 25-game hitting streak in 1997.
Gelof also had his on-base streak of 27 games end, along with a streak of scoring in 13 consecutive games.
The Athletics selected Gelof from the University of Virginia in the second round of the 2021 draft. He had a strong rookie season in 2023, batting .267 with 14 homers in 69 games. He struggled the next two seasons, hitting .211 with 188 strikeouts in 2024 and batting .174 last year, when injuries limited him to 30 games.
Gelof is hitting .282 this season. Before Tuesday’s game, Kotsay said one reason for Gelof’s resurgence was a change in his bat-angle approach to the baseball.
“We’re seeing a player that resembles the guy that came up and really excited us about (his) future,” Kotsay said. “The confidence that he has continues to grow and you see it out there on the baseball field.”
Also on Tuesday, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, ending a 22-game on-base streak.
The New England Patriots already made a trade for a star receiver this offseason, but a new trade idea from Bleacher Report would net them another one.
The Patriots moved on from Stefon Diggs to sign Romeo Doubs and acquire A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. They have a crowded receiver room right now, and Kayshon Boutte's name is being tossed around in trade rumors. He has noted that he wants to be in New England, but it does not change the fact that he's in a contract year, and targets will be tougher to come by this season in New England.
Three-team trades in the NFL are rare, but not impossible. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox proposed this three-team trade between the Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals that would move Boutte, but surprisingly bring another wide receiver to New England:
Browns receive: quarterback Jacoby Brissett and Patriots 2027 third-round pick
It's unlikely the Patriots would look into adding another receiver if they got rid of Boutte, but Wilson is a star. He had a breakout campaign last season, with shaky quarterback play at best. He scored seven touchdowns and logged more than 1,000 yards. He took advantage of his opportunities when Marvin Harrison Jr. was out, and could be an elite player in New England.
As for the other two teams, the Cardinals need a quarterback, and Sanders would give them one who could end up being a franchise player. The Browns are in a tough spot with Sanders this year, with Deshaun Watson healthy and two first-round picks in the next draft. They will reportedly be targeting one of the quarterbacks in next year's class, so trading Sanders would make sense.
Ultimately, the Patriots would be unlikely to accept a deal like this. They will not want to part ways with draft capital after giving up a first-round pick for Brown. Additionally, they don't necessarily need Wilson after adding Doubs and Brown. Even though they could be an elite trio, the Patriots seem to like what they have in Kyle Williams and hope he develops into more than a role player.
Hailing from Brockton, AJ Dybantsa was selected number one overall by the Washington Wizards in Tuesday’s NBA Draft. He’s the first athlete born and raised in Massachusetts to be selected number one overall in any of the four major U.S. sports drafts (NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB).
Dybantsa, 6’9, 217 pounds, averaged 25.5 points per game this past season with the BYU Cougars. In January, Dybantsa passed Celtics legend Danny Ainge for the most points posted by a BYU freshman in a game, recording 43 points in a 91–78 victory over Utah.
Dybantsa played high school basketball at St. Sebastian’s School in Needham. He was offered scholarships from all the top universities, including Boston College, but Dybantsa said he chose BYU to play ball and keep a low profile off the court.
The son of a Jamaican immigrant mother and a father from the Republic of Congo, Dybantsa is the latest athlete produced by the “City of Champions.” 80 years ago, heavyweight champion Rocky “the Brockton Blockbuster” Marciano trained at the old fire station on Pleasant Street - a building that had its electrical wiring installed by Thomas Edison. Fellow champion “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler also sculpted his legendary boxing career in Brockton. Both have statutes in the city.
Brockton also produced Ken MacAfee, a 3x All-American tight end who caught passes from Joe Montana at Notre Dame. He was third in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1977 and won the National Title that same year. He played two seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
There’s plenty more on the list who were either born or raised in Brockton: Patriots WR Greg McMurtry, pro golfer Megan Khang, Cubs catcher Mike Gordon, and Lou Montgomery - the first Black athlete at Boston College.
There’s a certain aura that comes with being the first overall selection in any major sports draft. The names of both successful players and those branded as “busts” are remembered almost equally. Notable number one picks in the NBA include newly crowned champion Karl Anthony-Towns, Allen Iverson, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, and Bill Walton.
Then there’s the names remembered infamously: Ben Simmons - taken before Jayson Tatum, Markelle Fultz, Anthony Bennett, and Sam Bowie - “the man drafted before Michael Jordan.”
Dybantsa joins the Washington Wizards, a team that has lost nearly 200 games over the past three seasons. Their last series win in the playoffs came in 2017. Prior to Dybantsa, the franchise’s most recent number one selection was John Wall in 2010.
Regardless of expectations from the Wizards, fans, pundits, or anyone else, it’s a good day for Brockton and for the state that invented basketball.
CONTENT WARNING: This post briefly discusses rape and sexual assault.
As far as World Cup soccer games go, yesterday's 0-0 face-off between England and Ghana was pretty uneventful. But one on-pitch moment has still given people plenty to talk about.
Right before kick-off, after the national anthems have been sung, it's protocol for all the players to shake hands with everyone on the other team as a sign of respect. However, footage from yesterday's game in Boston showed that one England player, 25-year-old Djed Spence, appeared to refuse a handshake from Ghana's Thomas Partey.
Nick Potts - Pa Images / Getty Images
For some vital context, Partey is currently facing seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault regarding allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and is due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in London next year.
Martin Rickett - Pa Images / Getty Images
The apparent snub from Spence was not shown during the live TV coverage, but photos and video footage of the moment show that the Brit kept his hand by his side when Partey walked past him to receive a handshake. You can watch a close-up of the footage here.
Nick Potts - Pa Images / Getty Images
In this picture, you can also see that Partey glances back at Spence as he moves on to shake hands with the next England player. As far as we can tell, Spence was the only England player to actively avoid shaking Partey's hand in the lineup.
Nick Potts - Pa Images / Getty Images
The allegations against Partey have been a significant talking point at the World Cup. Just last week, the 33-year-old had to miss Ghana's match against Panama in Toronto due to the fact that he was denied entry into Canada for wrongly telling officials that he had never been arrested or charged with a crime. The Ghanaian government sought permission for him to enter Canada briefly so he could play for his country, but the appeal was rejected.
Buda Mendes / Getty Images
As we previously mentioned, Partey has denied the allegations. However, many feel it's "sickening" that someone facing such serious charges should still be allowed to play "on the world’s biggest stage." With this in mind, Spence is being praised for showing some "integrity" with his small act of (apparent) protest.
Patrick Smith - Fifa / Getty Images
"Good for him," one Reddit user wrote in response to the footage, which is amassing millions of views across Reddit, Instagram, and X. "I know FIFA is an awful organization, but shame on them for even allowing him in the tournament." Echoing this, someone else wrote: "It is still unacceptable that players with these charges are being selected to represent their countries."
Bradley Collyer - Pa Images / Getty Images
Over on X, the positive reactions were much the same, with many praising Spence for seemingly "being the only England player to show contempt to an accused multiple rapist." "think of it as performative, think of it as genuine. don’t gaf to be honest," another X user wrote. "the bar well and truly is in hell, but I’m just happy someone on that pitch cared enough to make a statement."
Bradley Collyer - Pa Images / Getty Images
England manager Thomas Tuchel was prevented from answering a question about the viral moment during a post-match press conference, with a spokesperson for the team citing "legal reasons."
Eddie Keogh - The Fa / Getty Images
Meanwhile, the head coach for Ghana, Carlos Queiroz, did comment on the matter, saying: "We refuse to be part of people that try to bring dust and politics inside the game. We fight to keep the four lines sacred. It’s difficult sometimes, but it happens. So we have to congratulate everybody who leaves politics outside the four lines."
Patrick Smith - Fifa / Getty Images
Djed Spence is yet to comment publicly on the apparent handshake snub, but we'll keep you posted.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
Morgan Rielly’s future with the Toronto Maple Leafs has become a major NHL offseason storyline. The speculations have intensified even more after reports suggested the veteran defenseman is open to a move out of Toronto.
TSN analyst Darren Dreger reported on X that Rielly’s agent, J.P. Barry, has submitted a list of four Western Conference teams that the defenseman would consider joining.
“Morgan Rielly’s agent J.P Barry has submitted a list of 4 Western based teams Rielly is willing to go to,” Dreger wrote. “This will be a team by team assessment and depending on the fit, there could be some flexibility to add teams to the list.”
While the full list remains undisclosed, insider Chris Johnston pointed directly toward two emerging Pacific Division clubs.
“I believe a move to San Jose or Anaheim, teams like that that are on the rise would have some appeal,” Johnston said on First Up on June 23.
The speculation arrives during a dramatic organizational reset in Toronto. After a disastrous 2025-26 campaign, the Maple Leafs finished last in the Atlantic Division with a 32-36-14 record. The club allowed 299 goals, ranked near the bottom of the NHL defensively, and underwent sweeping front-office changes.
Rielly, meanwhile, endured one of the toughest seasons of his career. He recorded 11 goals and 25 assists in 78 games while posting a career-worst minus-18 rating. The 32-year-old still has four years remaining on his contract, carrying a $7.5 million cap hit through 2029-30.
Why do San Jose and Anaheim make sense for Morgan Rielly?
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) before a game at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
It makes sense because both destinations offer logical fits.
San Jose Sharks enters the offseason with significant cap space (over $40 million for 2026-27) and a young core led by Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks improved to 86 points last season and could benefit from adding an experienced puck-moving defenseman to support their developing roster.
Anaheim Ducks appear even closer to contention. The Ducks reached the second round of the playoffs and feature rising stars such as Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson. Their blue line still lacks a proven veteran capable of handling major minutes and driving offense from the back end.
Rielly has spent 13 seasons with Toronto since being selected fifth overall in 2012. He became one of the defining players of the franchise’s modern era through leadership, durability, skating, and offensive production.
If Toronto fully commits to a youth-focused retool after winning the first overall pick and preparing to draft Gavin McKenna, moving Rielly could accelerate that transition. For San Jose or Anaheim, acquiring him would represent more than a hockey move. It would add leadership and playoff experience to teams aiming to take the next step.
Tyler Herro is heading home. Whether that's a good thing depends on who you ask.
The former Miami Heat star was one of the centerpiece pieces in the blockbuster trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, ending months of speculation and completely reshaping the Eastern Conference.
For Herro, the move means leaving one of the NBA's most glamorous cities for his hometown team, the Milwaukee Bucks. According to Stephen A. Smith, that's not exactly a fair trade-off.
Stephen A. Smith delivers brutal Tyler Herro take
Shortly after details of the Giannis trade became public, Smith shared his thoughts on what Herro now faces. The ESPN personality didn't focus on basketball. Instead, he focused on geography.
"And your heart goes out to guys like Tyler Herro," Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. "It's hard going from Miami to Milwaukee."
Smith then doubled down.
"That is not an easy transition to make when you're thinking about your quality of life from Miami to Milwaukee. Oh my God. I think if it were me, I'd cry."
Stephen A Smith says he’d consider retiring if he got traded from Miami, to Milwaukee 😳
“Your heart goes out to guys like Tyler Herro.. Kel’el Ware… it’s hard going from Miami to Milwaukee. That is not an easy transition to make, socially… When you think about your quality of… pic.twitter.com/uHRN4VcmbJ
Then came the line that immediately started circulating on social media.
"I'd contemplate retirement, to be quite honest with you."
While Smith was clearly speaking with his trademark blend of humor and exaggeration, the comments quickly generated reactions online as fans debated whether life in South Florida really compares to life in Wisconsin.
The reality is that Herro may not be in Milwaukee for very long. The Bucks' decision to trade Antetokounmpo signals the start of a dramatically different era for the franchise. Milwaukee now has a collection of young talent, future draft assets and financial flexibility moving forward.
That has led to speculation that Herro could become one of the next dominoes to fall. Several reports have suggested the Bucks could explore additional moves as they begin building toward the future, potentially making Herro available to contenders looking for an elite scoring guard.
If that happens, Milwaukee could simply become a temporary stop.
Why Herro still makes sense for Milwaukee
Even if the Bucks ultimately keep him, Herro gives the organization a proven offensive weapon to build around. The 26-year-old is coming off an injury-shortened season after undergoing surgery to address posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle. He appeared in only 33 games, but when healthy, he's shown he can be one of the league's most dangerous scorers.
The former Kentucky standout has already earned an All-Star selection and remains firmly in his prime. For now, though, Herro finds himself at the center of one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history. And while Milwaukee fans are excited to welcome a hometown star, Smith made it very clear he wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic about making the same move.
At least not when it means swapping South Beach for Wisconsin winters.
England fans have regularly been heard belting out Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' at major tournaments in recent years.
The affiliation with the song started during the 2020 European Championships, delayed to 2021 because of the Covid pandemic.
The popular anthem was played inside Wembley ahead of a game early in the tournament, and supporters united for a roaring rendition of the song. Since then, it has become a key part of the repertoire of England supporters at matches.
First released in 1969, Diamond's song was re-released in 2021 in the aftermath of England's run to the final at Wembley, which they lost to Italy on penalties.
At the time of its re-release, it peaked at number 20 in the UK charts and third in the UK download charts.
A year later, it became popular with both the players and supporters of England's Women's team during their road to victory in the European Championships.
Upon learning of the popularity of the song as a result of its adoption by Three Lions fans, Diamond said he was "thrilled".
Its popularity has also seen it being sung by fans of other sports such as boxing, cricket and rugby league.
Why have England fans started singing Wonderwall?
England players were singing with fans after the 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas [Getty Images]
In more recent times, the Oasis hit 'Wonderwall' has also become part of England's catalogue of popular anthems.
England's players sang along to the 1995 tune along with their fans in Dallas following their 4-2 opening group stage victory over Croatia in a clip that has since gone viral.
Wonderwall is arguably one of the nation's most recognisable pop songs, and received another boost in popularity following Oasis' reunion last year, which sparked one of the most successful artist tours in British history.
Following the win over Croatia, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher reacted to footage of players and fans singing together.
Upon the news that streams of the song had increased by more than 50%, Liam wrote on X: "And rightly so it's a classic and I sound BIBLICAL on it."
His brother and fellow Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher has also backed calls to make the song England's World Cup anthem.
"'Wonderwall' belongs to the people, and it was a magical moment between the people and the players," Noel told The Sun.
"Best of luck to everyone who's made the trip out there."
Speaking to the Lions' Den podcast after the win over Croatia, captain Harry Kane said: "That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament."
England's official goal song at the tournament, played every time they score, is Chase the Sun by Planet Funk.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
Swain, 20, spent this past season with the Texas Longhorns, following head coach Sean Miller, who departed Xavier after the Musketeers' run to the NCAA Tournament in 2025.
Standing 6 feet 7 inches and weighing 211 pounds, Swain averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds during the 2026 season, scoring 15 points in Texas' Sweet Sixteen loss to Purdue.
A four-star prospect and the No. 2 Ohio recruit out of high school, Swain juggled offers from Xavier, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Kansas State and Ohio State before choosing to play for the Musketeers. He broke out in his sophomore season, averaging 11 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Swain was a dominant player in high school, helping Africentric win its first City League title in 2022. In 2023, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association named Swain the Division III Player of the Year, and Africentric reached the state's Final Four. Swain left as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,509 points.
Swain is the first player from the central district in Ohio to be drafted by an NBA team since Caris LeVert in 2016, according to Zach Fleer of 270 Sports. Lavert was selected 20th overall.
Along with Swain, the Bulls took UNC standout Caleb Wilson with the fourth overall pick.
The King met the Afghan women's cricket team and faced a tricky question [PA Media]
King Charles has given a symbolic show of support for the Afghan women's cricket team - which is now in exile and, because of the Taliban regime's ban on women's sport, is not allowed to represent its country.
The women told him how they escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan to keep their dreams of playing cricket alive.
"I'm so glad that you can pursue what you want to do," the King told the cricketers, giving them an enthusiastic welcome in Clarence House on a scorching morning.
Cricketer Ekil Latifi, who has not seen her family in Afghanistan for five years, said the team was representing all the women not allowed to play sport, adding: "It's all about the Afghan women back in our country."
King Charles has met many touring sports teams - but this was unusual in being a team that is not officially allowed to exist.
The Taliban block on women's sport meant that Afghanistan's national cricket team for women was no longer allowed to take part in official competitions as representatives of the country.
Most of the team has now left Afghanistan, with the majority becoming refugees in Australia.
The King was showing his backing as the team arrived to play some exhibition matches, taking place while the women's T20 World Cup is hosted this summer in England.
"If you lose, you can blame me for interrupting your training," he told them.
The King was showing his support for a team that cannot play in the World Cup [Reuters]
Latifi, who left her own country in 2021 at the age of 17, during the evacuations from Afghanistan, wants the team to inspire women who are blocked from playing sport.
The cricket team's survival - and this royal meeting - was a chance to speak up for women in Afghanistan and to show "all the things that they can't do there", she said.
She said that cricket had become her life, as she now worked as a coach, but it was also a lesson in not giving up.
"In life, you get one chance. In cricket, if you're a batter, you might just bat once," she said.
Her ambition for the Afghan women's cricket team is to be able to play again, as the men's team currently does, as part of the official cricketing world and under their own national flag.
Team-mate Shabnam Snahsan said it was "so disappointing" that the team could not take part in this summer's World Cup.
But she was delighted that the Afghan women's team was meeting the King and welcomed the public show of solidarity.
"Back in Afghanistan, women don't have the right to play cricket, even to go out, to study or anything," she said.
"We're here to play cricket - but it's not just cricket, we're here to fight for them and this has meant a lot for us."
Ekil Latifi asked the King to say a "posh word" for her [Reuters]
In the Clarence House gardens, the King was given a signed shirt by the team and posed for photographs, and he told them he had played cricket once - "but not very well".
The players pinned an Afghan Women's IX badge on his summer suit, with the King still sporting a tie and suit in the heatwave conditions.
He was interested in their stories about how they had left, the languages they spoke at home - and asked if they had faced protests as female cricketers in Afghanistan.
They said before the official clampdown on women's cricket, there had not been much opposition, but told the King about their "terrifying journeys" and how they had escaped past Taliban checkpoints.
But the King faced a difficult bit of bowling in questions from the cricketers.
"Can I ask you a question?" said Latifi. "Can you say a posh word for me?"
When the King looked rather like he was facing a very tricky spin attack, she suggested: "A posh word like 'lavatory'."
The King thought about venturing a reply, but then laughed and said: "I'd need advance warning of that..."
Speaking afterwards, the cricketer said she was learning English and wanted to find out some posh words to use, suggesting "marvellous" as another example.
She had met the King though, which is fairly posh - but along with her team-mates, their bigger ambition is to be allowed to play a sport they love, and to do it for their own country.
Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer predicts that a nine-year veteran outfielder with five homers would be a good fit in Tampa Bay.
"The fit here is simple. The Rays need any kind of impact hitter, and there's no better place for one than in an outfield that has a .653 OPS," Rymer wrote. "And since said outfield skews left-handed, [Taylor] Ward as a fit is too obvious."
"The Orioles could look to extract an arm or two from a Rays system that has plenty of good ones," Rymer added. "Second-ranked prospect Brody Hopkins could perhaps be in play amid a rough year, with someone like T.J. Nichols (No. 10) perhaps representing a more likely play."
Even if the Rays traded for Ward, they still might need more offensive additions. But it's a solid starting point.
In the wake of Eric Roy’s tragic passing, Stade Brestois have gone with an internal solution regarding their managerial vacancy. Ouest-France reports that the Ligue 1 side has opted to appoint Julien Lachuer – Roy’s assistant for the past three and a half years – as the club’s new head coach.
Brest head coach Eric Roy passsed away last week at 58. His family revealed that he had been battling pancreatic cancer for three-and-a-half years. His illness had been kept under wraps throughout his time at Brest
Lachuer was notably responsible for leading the team’s training sessions. A former Brest goalkeeper, Lachuer holds the necessary qualification to manage the first team of a professional club. The outlet understands that Christophe Pélissier – who has been relieved of his duties as Auxerre head coach earlier this month – had been circulating recently. Brest’s pre-season is set to start on July 2nd.
One of the leading NFL stories of the summer has nothing to do with anything on the field.
Instead, it's about the ever-evolving situation between former NFL Insider, Dianna Russini, and New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel. The timeline began on April 7, when photos of the duo at an Arizona resort were published by the New York Post's Page Six.
Russini and Vrabel denied any wrongdoing when the report first surfaced, indicating they were together platonically.
"These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable," Vrabel told the Post at the time. "This doesn’t deserve any further response."
"The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day," Russini said. "Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues."
Just one week later, Russini resigned from The Athletic. By the end of the month, Vrabel elected to step away from the third day of the NFL draft to be with his family. An investigation remains ongoing and the book is far from closed.
Here's a look at the timeline of the drama involving Vrabel and Russini.
Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini controversy timeline
March 27
Vrabel attends Arizona State's pro day in Tempe, Arizona. He is one of many NFL officials at the Sun Devils' event, with Logan Stanley of the Arizona Republic reporting that 31 of 32 teams are represented.
March 28
Vrabel and Russini meet at the Ambiente, an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona.
A photographer captures Vrabel and Russini holding hands and embracing on the rooftop overlooking Sedona's Red Rocks. Other pictures show the head coach and the NFL insider lounging side by side by the resort's pool and in its hot tub. Page Six later reports that the two also have breakfast together the morning of March 28.
March 29
The NFL's annual league meeting begins at the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix.
Vrabel attends the conference as one of the Patriots' representatives. Russini is also present at the league meeting as a media member for The Athletic.
April 2
The Athletic publishes a list of takeaways from the league meeting, with Russini credited as one of two writers on the piece. Vrabel is referenced early in the story, noting that the Patriots' head coach participated in live drills against Arizona State prospects at their pro day less than one week earlier.
April 7
The New York Post publishes the photos of Vrabel and Russini taken at the Ambiente in Sedona on March 28.
Vrabel tells the outlet, "These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn't deserve any further response."
Russini also speaks to the New York Post, saying she and Vrabel were just two members of a larger group present at the Ambiente.
She says, "The photos don't represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues."
Ginsberg, the executive editor of The Athletic, says in a statement to the New York Post, "These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic."
Additionally, Russini's last byline at The Athletic appears on the outlet's website. The piece is one written off of a report by the NFL insider that Indiana quarterback and presumed No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza won't attend the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
Front Office Sports (FOS) reports that The Athletic is reopening its investigation into Russini and her reporting. According to FOS, Russini's employer plans to sideline her from any further reporting until the investigation is over.
April 13
The Patriots hold their pre-draft press conference, which Vrabel was not scheduled to attend despite speaking at the even the previous year.
"Business as usual. He’s been in there with us a little more than he was last year," Wolf says.
No reporter asks any further pressing questions about Vrabel in relation to the controversy with Russini.
April 14
Russini resigns from The Athletic.
The NFL insider posts a screenshot of her letter of resignation – in which she references the recent controversy as "attacks against me" – on social media website X.
"I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published," she writes. "When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.
"In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
"Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now – before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career."
According to The Guardian's Jeremy Barr, Ginsberg confirms in a Slack message that The Athletic's standards editor, Mike Semel, will continue to investigate Russini's reporting during her time at the New York Times-owned outlet. Ginsberg also addresses The Athletic's change in response from its initial defense of Russini.
"When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns," he writes in a leaked Slack message, "but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation."
April 20
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tells USA TODAY Sports that Vrabel is not under league investigation for violation of its personal conduct policy.
April 21
One week after Russini's resignation and two weeks after the New York Post published the photos, Vrabel speaks to members of the media for the first time.
In a press conference, the Patriots' head coach admits he has had "difficult conversations" in the weeks since the publication of photos of Vrabel and Russini at the Sedona resort.
"Those (conversations) have been positive and productive," Vrabel says at the press conference. "We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. You never want to be the cause of a distraction.
"What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody – our fans, most importantly − will get the best version of me going forward."
Vrabel tells reporters that he spoke to the Patriots' players on April 20 "very candidly," emphasizing he wanted to speak to them before their own media availability sessions as New England begins its offseason workout program.
When reporters ask Vrabel direct questions about Russini, he declines to provide further answers.
"I respect and I appreciate every single question," he says, "but I'm not going to be able to comment on anything as it relates to that. I appreciate your job and what you guys have got to do, but I have to make my comments and what I answer about our football team."
April 22
Vrabel tells ESPN that he "committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend," and would miss Day 3 of the draft to do so.
April 23
The New York Post publishes the 2020 photos of Vrabel with a woman in a New York City bar and reports that the woman is Russini.
The Patriots release a statement that they are supporting Vrabel through his decision to step away from the draft to seek counseling.
“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being," the team writes. "Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment."
TMZ publishes the photos of Vrabel and Russini sharing a moment in the Mississippi casino from 2024.
TMZ published photos of a document appearing to show that Vrabel and Russini rented a boat together in Putnam County, Tennessee in June 2021.
Citing a source with direct knowledge of the situation, the outlet reported that Vrabel and Russini were the only people the boat for the 2-to-3 hour rental. Russini was pregnant with her first child at the time. TMZ also reported that Vrabel agreed to one picture with the staff, but asked that the picture not be shared publicly.
May 7
TMZ publishes a video of what appears to be Vrabel and Russini on the dock at the boat rental company.
June 18
It is revealed that The Athletic's investigation remains ongoing, according to Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy. The report adds that, "the investigation is limited to the former Senior NFL Insider's journalism for The Athletic, not her conduct."
The story details the blurring of lines and ethical standards, ranging from podcast clips about using a FaceTime with an NFL head coach to get out of a traffic ticket to hiding the New York Post's intention to publish the initial photos from her bosses for two days.
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Martin Dubravka of Burnley during the Premier League match between Burnley and West Ham United at Turf Moor on February 07, 2026 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, that was fast! Just a couple of hours after multiple outlets reported that a deal had been reached, Tottenham Hotspur has officially announced the signing of keeper Martin Dubrovka on a free transfer. Dubrovka is joining Spurs after a period as keeper at Burnley, and it is expected he will serve as a backup to 21-year-old Czech keeper Antonin Kinsky. The length of his contract was not disclosed in Tottenham’s official announcement, which suggests it might be a short term option.
We are delighted to announce the signing of Martin Dubravka ✍️
Dubravka, 38, is a Slovakia international and a very experienced keeper. He is brought in not only to back up Kinsky in the event of injury or performance issues, but also to mentor the young keeper. I can’t think of many better options in that regard. Dubravka is a safe and experienced set of hands if the case arises that he’s needed to fill in for Kinsky.
Should Tottenham get back into Europe next season, it might be prudent to look at the backup keeper position to see if Spurs can get another English homegrown option in place, but for now Dubravka on a free transfer is a pretty ideal acquisition. Sure beats spending £40m on someone like James Trafford who would likely expect to be the starter. It shows a commitment to Kinsky as Spurs’ new #1, but also providing someone behind him to push, mentor, and encourage him as he settles into the job.
Dubravka is Tottenham’s third free agent signing of the summer, following the signings of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi.
Evans has been given a wildcard for the men's doubles alongside fellow Briton Henry Searle [Getty Images]
Britain's Dan Evans has played the last professional singles match of his career after losing to Tristan Schoolkate in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying.
The 36-year-old announced earlier this month that he would retire after the Championships, which starts on Monday.
Evans missed out on one of the eight singles wildcards, meaning he needed to win three matches in Roehampton this week to play one last singles tournament at SW19.
But his singles career came to a disappointing end as he suffered a 7-5 6-0 defeat in a match that was disrupted by an issue with the electronic line calling system.
Evans, however, will still play at Wimbledon after being given a wildcard into the men's doubles with Henry Searle.
Watched on by a packed-out home crowd at Roehampton, Evans seemed to be enjoying himself and playing with freedom during a tight first set against Australian Schoolkate.
At 5-4 down, he entertained the fans with a brilliant forehand winner - hitting it down the line after diving to the floor to reach a Schoolkate drop shot.
That earned him a standing ovation and he remained on the floor to celebrate, pretending to swim on the pristine green court.
However, it was Schoolkate who clinched the opener before the second set was delayed for more than an hour when the electronic line calling system stopped working.
"There was a temporary loss of power to part of our qualifying venue, which meant that the electronic line calling system could not function," a spokesperson for the All England Club said.
When play eventually resumed, Evans was unable to match Schoolkate's level. He failed to win a single game and walked off court looking downcast after the world number 147 wrapped up the second set in 22 minutes.
"It's not an easy match up. Dan is a phenomenal player and I wish him all the best for after his career," Schoolkate said.
"I've looked up to guys like him for a long time. So much of the tennis today is the same old, same old. Watching him, the way he jinks it around, his slices are amazing, he's a great competitor and so many young kids can learn a lot from Dan."
Evans won two ATP Tour-level singles tournaments, while he was part of the 2015 Davis Cup team that secured Great Britain's first title in 79 years.
In 2024, he sacrificed the 500 ranking points he had won at the Washington Open the previous year to partner Sir Andy Murray for his final tournament at the Paris Olympics.
With temperatures reaching 34C and a red weather warning in place in London on Wednesday, ball kids were stood down and replaced by members of the court services team, who are all adults.
Sunrise/ Sunset/ Since the beginning it hasn’t changed yet/ People fly high begin to lose sight/ You can’t see very clearly when you’re in flight — “On Your Way Down” Allen Toussaint
To be honest I didn’t pay much attention initially when Pat Kelsey was first asked Monday morning about not being invited to attend the NBA Draft.
He was diplomatic, commenting how Mikel Brown Jr. only had so many invites, etc, etc.
Then he said this, and my ears perked up.
“Although he was only here for one year, that young man is going to be celebrated and remembered and revered around here for a long, long time.”
I. Don’t. Think. So.
At least that’s my sense from feedback by the Commentariat, conversations along the way, and my own conversion on the issue.
I still didn’t pay a lot of attention. For me, the NBA Draft is a curiosity, far from an obsession.
However when Louisville’s Dean of Sportswriters Eric Crawford returned to the subject later in the interview, I rethought my dismissal that it wasn’t any big deal in these environs.
I’ve thought about it a lot between then and now, just having viewed the part time U of L mercenary take the stage in his bespoke white, pink and baby blue tux, the fitting of which was videoed by his team.
To which attire he added a Brooklyn Nets hat.
Let’s set aside for a moment the underlying dialog about the true extent of MB’s injury, considering how bad the kid’s back really was that “caused” him to sit out over a third of the Cardinals’ games, including the post season.
What I know is Pat Kelsey had Brown’s back during the step aways. Season long. As late at his presser.
“He’s got an ‘it’ about him. … I’m well aware of how special of a player I coached. I’m more proud of how special of a human being Mikel is.”
Unlike Bill Self who publicly wondered aloud how much his eventual No. 2 pick was truly injured last campaign, PK has never never had a discouraging word for Brown.
The very least Brown and his team — Read: Helicopter Father — could have done was bring Pat Kelsey along Tuesday night. To show some respect. Gratitude for PK’s indulgence.
They did not.
For shame.
I’m firmly of the opinion it was a disgrace.
It’s high time that you found/ The same people you misuse on your way up/ You might meet up/ On your way down — AT
* * * * *
During the season, I was an apologist for Brown.
I was close by in the gym when his back when out during a game. Memphis State, right?
Having had a troublesome back through the decades, I observed the signs in the PG’s hobble during his down time.
A fellow Cardinal hoopaholic advised Brown told him, he’d had back issues previously.
Thus I was inclined to accept he simply wasn’t sandbagging after his breakout national TV performance against UK.
Of course, I was dazzled by his game in early February against a North Carolina State gang mailing it in, “coached” by Will Wade who was already packing to move to Baton Rouge.
I was still dismayed that he matched the individual game point record of four year icon Wes Unseld in ’67. Just didn’t feel right, worthy.*
*I’ve had a former Cardinal, member of the family, share that he’d heard Brown’s dad was upset because Kelsey pulled him before he could break the record. ????
In retrospect I now find it suspect that Brown shut it down once and for all as a Cardinal after hitting but 2/10 in a late February L at Clemson, following by five days his atrocious shooting night in a loss to the Tar Heels on February 23.
How conveeeeeniant!!!
Then came his remarkable full recovery when NBA tryout season and combine dawned.
The same no lumbar issues that didn’t seem to plague him in AAU and for the USA squad before he came here.
* * * * *
So, I’d offer he dropped by for a cup of coffee. Shared a couple of almond croissants with us against UK and a jayvee Wolfpack contingent.
Then moved on. Without giving a legit thank you to his coach.
Sayonara, dude.
* * * * *
I read a piece this morning about Steve Spurrier. In it, he lamented like many the current state of roster movement in college sports, how different it was in his heyday of the 90s.
How his recruiting pitch was, “You’ve got a home to come back to.”
Jordan Nwora comes back for visits.
Donovan Mitchell comes back for visits.
Chucky Hepburn, though a senior one and done is properly revered, and comes back for visits.
Mikel Brown Jr.?
If the over/ under on how many times he comes back was 1, I’d bet the under.
Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller was arrested earlier this month on drug-related charges, according to court documents.
The American alpine ski racer was arrested in Idaho on two misdemeanor charges, including possession of a controlled substance and another for possession of drug paraphernalia, the documents noted.
Miller was released on a $5,000 cash bond, the records said. He pleaded not guilty to both charges after his arrest, according to the documents.
"I was pulled over for accelerating while passing another vehicle on a highway in Idaho. My friend, who was traveling with me, had a small amount of cannabis and cannabis pipe in his possession which I was unaware of," Miller wrote.
He noted that they fully cooperated with the officer, and expressed hope that the misdemeanor charges will be dropped "once the facts are reviewed."
In a statement to ABC News, the lead prosecutor confirmed that Miller was issued a citation and the misdemeanor offenses, but declined to make additional comments.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images - PHOTO: Bode Miller attends the Kitz Legends Night at Hotel Grand Tirolia Kitzbuehel on January 21, 2026 in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
Miller is considered as one of the greatest alpine skiers in U.S. history. He is a six-time Olympic medalist and two-time overall World Cup champion.
His success in the sport also helped popularize skiing in the U.S.
Miller is married to professional beach volleyball player Morgan Beck and the couple share six children together.
On the first day of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers made a move. They agreed to trade the rights to their No. 25 pick, which they used to select Sergio de Larrea, a wing from Spain, for the rights to the New York Knicks' No. 24 pick. That No. 24 pick was used on Cameron Carr, a guard who spent this past season at Baylor University.
The Lakers may have gotten a steal by snagging Carr. While people said the same thing two years ago when they drafted Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick, Carr has some special qualities that could allow him to blossom just about as much as he wants to in the pros.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound 21-year-old averaged 18.9 points on 49.4% overall shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game and earned All-Big 12 honors during the 2025-26 season. He will now join a Lakers team that could really use the talents and abilities he brings.
Here are five notable things to know about the newest member of the Purple and Gold.
He's an excellent 3-point shooter
One of the Lakers' big needs is 3-point shooting, and Carr can help in that department. During the 2025-26 campaign, he attempted 6.1 treys a game and made 37.4% of them, which means he can not only hit 3-pointers, but he's also a volume 3-point shooter.
He can create his own shot off the bounce a bit, but his handles are a work in progress. However, he is adept at hitting outside shots off the catch, which could help him fit nicely around Luka Doncic.
NBADraft.net's scouting report of Carr said he has "clean, repeatable shooting mechanics with confidence to fire off the catch or when given space." Sounds like exactly what Los Angeles needs to help take its offense to the next level.
He's very athletic
The Lakers need an infusion of speed and athleticism in order to become a championship-caliber team. In a league where being able to play fast-break basketball is seen as a virtue and probably a necessity, they were 22nd in pace and 16th in fast-break points during the regular season. This lack of athleticism also manifested itself on the defensive end, where L.A. was 20th in defensive rating.
Carr is the type of elite athlete the Lakers could use. He has an amazing 7-foot-1 wingspan, and he clocked in with a 42.5-inch vertical leap at the NBA draft combine. That leaping ability allows him to not only attack the rim but also finish strong, sometimes in spectacular fashion.
He has defensive potential
Carr's athleticism, length and speed allowed him to average 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks a game this past season. It is uncommon for a guard, even one who is 6-foot-5 and bouncy, to be a productive shot-blocker, but that is what Carr was for the Bears.
He has room for improvement when it comes to his defensive awareness, focus and consistency, and he does need to gain some bulk. But if his work ethic and desire are there, he could become a plus defender in the NBA.
He previously played with a current member of the Lakers
Carr spent his first two seasons in the NCAA with the University of Tennessee before transferring to Baylor University a year ago. For what it's worth, he was teammates with Knecht when he was a freshman.
Thus far, in his two pro seasons, Knecht has been seen as something of a bust, despite many feeling like he had three-level scoring ability coming out of college. Perhaps having an old teammate by his side will ignite a little something within him.
His dad played in the NBA and competed against a Lakers legend
One major advantage Carr has is that he's the son of a former NBA player. His father, Chris, was a second-round draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in 1995 and lasted six seasons in the league.
In fact, the elder Carr once competed in the NBA Slam Dunk contest in 1997 against a certain late Lakers legend named Kobe Bryant. Needless to say, he lost to the Hall of Famer, but he did finish second.
Sons of former NBA players tend to do well in the league. Only time will tell if the younger Carr will turn into a stud for Los Angeles.
Auburn football will officially be down a wide receiver when the 2026 season begins.
Reports from several outlets, including Bryan Matthews of Rivals, show that wide receiver Duke Smith is no longer with the team. According to Matthews' report, the reason for Smith's dismissal is not known at this time. However, his brother, Erick, remains on the team.
However, he showed signs of possibly cracking the wide receiver rotation during A-Day, when he recorded three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Now that the former four-star signee is no longer a part of the unit, that leaves the door open for another player to step in and prove themselves.
The lone returner to the Auburn wide receiver corps is Bryce Cain, and the Tigers signed a quality wide receiver in DaShawn Spencer, who won offensive MVP honors during A-Day. Those two are prime candidates to step up and take over the production reserved for Smith, who was set up to pick up targets alongside USF transfers Keshaun Singleton, Chas Nimrod, and Christian Neptune.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
The Cleveland Browns had a very busy offseason, trading away Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams in one of the biggest blockbusters in NFL history.
But, after adding Todd Monken as head coach, revamping the entire offensive line, and adding two new wide receivers, the next big question for this team is the future of five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward.
According to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, while the Browns traded Garrett and could be seen as a team entering a roster teardown and rebuild, they plan to keep Ward on the team, with a contract extension possibly on the horizon.
Browns extending Denzel Ward might be on horizon for Pro Bowl CB
"Although the Browns traded Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, general manager Andrew Berry said he wants to keep Ward, and the five-time Pro Bowler also expressed his commitment to Cleveland," Oyefusi writes. "... but a new deal that offers additional guarantees could be on the horizon."
With Ward missing minicamp, it's reasonable to suspect that he is looking for more guaranteed money on his contract, considering there aren't any more guarantees on his current deal.
Both the Browns and Ward want this pairing to continue, and to do so, the Browns will likely have to extend Ward to a new deal with more guaranteed money.
But the 29-year-old Pro Bowl cornerback is someone worth signing to another long-term deal. He's signed for the next two seasons, but if the Browns tack on two more years, and a lot more in guarantees, Ward should be back for the 2026 season and beyond.
While the Browns are clearly not planning to contend in 2026, signing Ward to a long-term deal is something this team has to do, unless they want to trade him, which doesn't look to be the case right now.
This is an interesting saga to keep an eye on, as the Browns might be extending Ward soon to ensure he suits up for the Browns during training camp and the regular season in 2026.
Xander Zayas and Jaron “Boots” Ennis are set to square off in a DAZN pay-per-view main event on Saturday, June 27, 2026, live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Zayas will be defending his WBA and WBO titles at 154 lbs, with former welterweight titlist Ennis aiming to become a two-division champ.
Who’s got the edge? How good is the matchup? And who’s gonna get their hand raised?
Recent Form for Zayas and Boots
by Scott Christ
It wasn’t too long ago that, at least to me, Zayas (23-0, 13 KO) seemed like a good but perhaps slightly over-hyped Top Rank prospect. We’ve seen the sort many times over the years, and several of them have wound up winning world titles, though any serious fan should be able to admit that “winning a world title” isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Circumstances, strength of division, the path you had to take to get there — it varies by the case.
Zayas can fight. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. He won the then-vacant WBO title by beating Jorge Garcia in July 2025. Garcia had come off of a good win over Charles Conwell, but Conwell himself had been a question mark for a few years, a talented but stalled prospect who never seemed quite the same after the Patrick Day tragedy. The unification win over Abass Baraou in January was even better, as Baraou provided stiffer resistance and return fire; it was a good fight, a good win, and Zayas nabbed the WBA belt with it.
Prior to those world title wins, which were good, top 10-type matchups if not the super elite level, Zayas had done as you’d hope in every fight, dominating the likes of Slawa Spomer, Damian Sosa, Patrick Teixeira, and so on. A certain level of final steps before the real hop into the deep end. At 23, there hasn’t been much to criticize about Zayas’ results, honestly; he has done the jobs in front of him and done them well. The question becomes if those jobs have prepared him for a higher level of skill that he’s meant to face on Saturday.
But a lot of similar things can pretty much be said for Ennis’ career. The hype behind Boots has been there for a long time. He has an ability to overwhelm that Zayas maybe lacks, but that doesn’t necessarily inform how this weekend’s fight will play out. Ennis, at 28, still has questions, too.
However you want to slice it, Boots has not faced the level of competition you’d hope for at this stage. He won the interim IBF welterweight title in 2023 against Karen Chukhadzhian, was promoted to full status in 2024. But look at the opposition: Chukhadzhian, Roiman Villa, David Avanesyan, Chukhadzhian again, a unification win and WBA title grab against Eimantas Stanionis.
One guy there, Stanionis, was seen as as a real top welterweight, but even then we get back to “strength of division” and “circumstances” and all that. Not every world title is created equal. Stanionis, like Baraou or Garcia, is a good fighter. Chukhadzhian, who had his moments against Boots, and Avanesyan were solid guys but a clear notch below true world level.
Most recently, Ennis moved up to 154 and thrashed Uisma Lima in one minute, 58 seconds in October 2025. There wasn’t and isn’t much to say about it. It was a mismatch. It brought him up to a new weight class.
Zayas’ hype has been that of a youthful star on the rise. You can see why. He’s got charisma, he’s got a natural, passionate fan base as a Puerto Rican fighter, and he can fight. Boots has had a different deal. He’s been sold almost on mystique; despite lacking that really top-flight opposition, we’ve been told he’s got the elite skills, he’s a certain pound-for-pound candidate, etc.
And maybe he is. I also don’t really blame Ennis for the lack of great opponents, because 147 hasn’t been what it used to be in a while now, and also, I don’t think a lot of people were lining up to fight a guy who isn’t a huge ticket-seller or needle-mover; that’s a tale as old as time with boxing. Sometimes you’re too good for what else you really bring to the table. And hey, maybe Vergil Ortiz was really going to fight him, but it didn’t actually happen. And that’s why we’re here.
Zayas stepped up. Actually wanted the fight. That says a lot about Zayas. And Boots taking it, when it really is the absolute best fight he was going to get right now, says a good deal for him, too. Both guys deserve the respect for saying they wanted the best fights they could get, and then when offered, actually taking it.
To make a mildly long story short here: I think there’s a lot we still don’t know about the true quality of both Zayas and Ennis. I think they’re both legit. I think they’re both good, at the very worst. And I think we still don’t know how good — or, potentially, actually great — they might be.
Zayas vs Boots Style Matchup
by Patrick Stumberg
You’re bound to develop some bad habits when nobody can beat them out of you.
Jaron Ennis has spent his pro career brutalizing virtually everyone that crosses his path. He fights under the hypothesis, supported by a decade of evidence, that he can’t be hurt. This has led to a rather notable disparity in his offensive and defensive capabilities; top-notch speed, power, and shot selection coexist with tendencies to drop his off-hand, bring his punches back low, fail to move his head when punching, and overextend when chasing.
Zayas can absolutely work with that. Recent efforts against aggressive foes have shown a lot of what Karen Chukhadzhian leaned on in his more successful moments, namely the footwork to make Ennis square up and the wherewithal to land counters in between Ennis’ punches, when he’s most vulnerable. He can’t put a dent in Ennis, sure, but he doesn’t need to have lights-out power to disrupt Ennis and keep him from finding an offensive groove.
The insurmountable issue Zayas faces, though, is that he’s fighting Jaron Ennis instead of Jorge Garcia or Abass Baraou. Zayas’ rock-solid fundamentals aren’t sufficient to bridge the considerable gap in physical ability, especially not when paired with Ennis’ adaptability; Ennis figures to get a read on Zayas’ movement and start inflicting fight-changing damage long before Zayas banks the necessary seven rounds.
It’s honestly a bit of a shame. Zayas is so well-schooled at such a young age, but Ennis just has so much more horsepower in his engine.
Zayas vs Boots Predictions: Who will win?
Scott Christ: I have a lot of respect for Xander Zayas reportedly insisting on this fight. I love that, at 23, this dude could rest on his laurels for a while. He’s got two world title belts, he could have taken lesser tests for another year, maybe two, and done it as defending unified champion. He could have tried to get IBF titleholder Josh Kelly in and gone for a third belt; no offense to Josh Kelly, but I think most would agree that he’s a less daunting matchup on paper than Boots Ennis.
He wanted what the real boxing fans were going to see as the toughest challenge for him at 154, apart from maybe Vergil Ortiz, who has been promotionally/contractually sidelined. He wanted Boots. He has it. I keep having the itch that tells me Zayas and his team have to see something serious that tells them this is a very winnable fight. Could be as simple as Boots not always being the best defensive fighter, having developed some iffy habits as Patrick discussed. Iron sharpens iron; has Boots stayed properly sharp, or has he started to stagnate a little, dulled up a bit with too many fights that just have not been any sort of challenge for him? That can be more mental than physical, but just as important.
I’m picking Boots. But while I was pretty heavily leaning toward him when this was signed, I have started to consider Zayas to be more of a threat to win than I did weeks back. It’s a fight where we’re going to learn a fair bit more about both and where they are right now, which is good. Jaron “Boots” Ennis by Unanimous Decision
Patrick Stumberg: A long, long time ago, I wrote a decidedly mediocre article about offensively minded fighters whose unshakable belief in their own invincibility manifested that invincibility into reality. Once confronted with proof of their mortality, their reduced aggression counterintuitively left them more vulnerable than ever, resulting in rapid declines.
I’m fascinated to see what Ennis will do if placed in a similar crucible. The confidence that lets him lead with rear-hand body shots is so integral to his success that I desperately want to know what happens if someone strikes the fear of God in him.
Zayas just isn’t the guy to do it. He can frustrate Ennis, sure, draw out and punish his bad habits, but we saw Ennis fight through 24 rounds of frustration against Chukhadzhian without ever coming close to defeat. Once Ennis familiarizes himself with Zayas’ movement, cripples it with a steady body attack, and forces him to exchange in the pocket, it’s only a matter of time. Jaron “Boots” Ennis by TKO in Round 10
The starting pitcher market is more difficult to manage than that at any other position. The nature of the position — appearing on the mound once every five games — makes it difficult to separate fact from fiction when assessing a statistical profile. And the frequent long-term injuries add to the cloudy nature of our favorite mound men.
Here are a few hurlers who could be valued incorrectly on the Yahoo Trade Market.
Sell High
Chase Burns, Reds: Burns is a terrific young pitcher who will likely be drafted as an ace next year. But there are reasons to believe that his 2026 value is currently at its peak. The right-hander has benefited from a 93.4% strand rate that is 7.3% higher than that of any other qualified pitcher. Even with his skills, that rate will likely drop by 10%, which will push his 2.00 ERA closer to the 3.00-3.30 range of his ERA estimators. It's also fair to worry about a restriction of innings in the second half for someone who threw 109.1 frames between the minors and majors last year.
Eduardo Rodríguez, Diamondbacks: Rodríguez was mentioned in this space a few weeks ago and remains an obvious sell-high candidate. His 2.27 ERA ranks sixth in baseball, but all of the popular ERA estimators assign him a mark north of 4.00. The southpaw struggles to collect whiffs (18.0% strikeout rate) and has average control (9.8% walk rate). Rodríguez will soon experience regression on his .251 BABIP and 86.9% strand rate. Wise managers will trade him for anyone whom they see as a roster mainstay.
Nick Martinez, Rays: Martinez has plenty of similarities to Rodríguez as someone who should be traded for anything of value. The 35-year-old has logged a 2.73 ERA that doesn't resemble his 4.60 xERA, mainly thanks to an 83.2% strand rate. His swing-and-miss skills are far below average (15.1% strikeout rate), and in the long run they will be too low to be offset by strong control skills (4.7% walk rate). Regression has already started to set in, as Martinez has posted a 6.04 ERA in June.
Sell Low
Michael King, Padres: Although he recovered with a strong start on Monday, King has been a mess of late, posting a 5.08 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over his past six starts. His swing-and-miss skills have completely disappeared over that stretch (5.1 K/9 rate), and his control skills have been subpar all season. This is the second straight year that King has logged an ERA that is roughly a full run lower than his ERA estimators. Fantasy managers should get what they can for the right-hander before his numbers take another tumble.
Buy Low
Bryan Woo, Mariners: Woo has been inconsistent this season en route to posting a 3.94 ERA that is more than a full run higher than the mark he produced across the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. His strikeout skills were surprisingly concerning early in the season, but he has fixed that problem and has posted an 11.1 K/9 rate across his past eight starts. The added whiffs have helped Woo to log a 3.38 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over that stretch. The right-hander with a strong supporting cast and pitcher-friendly home park is back to being an ace and could be acquired for a slight discount right now.
Landen Roupp, Giants: Roupp has middling ratios (4.15 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), which should make him easy to acquire in every league. Those who take a deeper dive on the 27-year-old will see that he has been impacted by a .317 BABIP and has earned ERA estimators in the range of 3.00-3.40. Roupp has also been saddled with a 65.7% strand rate that is the sixth lowest among qualified pitchers, and once his luck turns around, he could be a reliable fantasy starter thanks to his heavy groundball lean (49.8%).
Buy High
Drew Rasmussen, Rays: Rasmussen is a fantasy ace who may not be valued at that level on the trade market. He has dominated the ratios categories for years, posting a 2.62 ERA and 0.88 WHIP since the 2021 season. His value was previously capped by a lack of innings, as the Rays limited him to short starts during a 2025 season in which he logged 150 frames over 31 outings. The reins have been loosened this year, as Rasmussen has logged at least six innings in nine of his 15 starts and has finished the seventh inning in four of his past six outings. Now able to work deep into games in front of a Rays team with a winning record, Rasmussen is the total package.
Reid Detmers, Angels: After years of giving hints that he might be good, only to burn fantasy managers as soon as they bought in, Detmers may have finally turned the corner. The southpaw with stellar swing-and-miss skills (27.2% strikeout rate) has been on fire over his past six starts (2.31 ERA, 0.72 WHIP). Although his value is rising, Detmers still may not be valued to the level that he deserves. After all, he was toiling on the waiver wire in Yahoo leagues with a 5.07 ERA one month ago.
INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA did not rescind the technical foul Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark received in Monday’s win over the Phoenix Mercury, the league told The Athletic on Wednesday. Clark’s technical foul will stand, which keeps her at five technical fouls on the season. If a player reaches eight technical fouls, they are automatically suspended for one game, per league rules.
“We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m gonna be suspended for if I’m gonna get technicals for clapping,” Clark said.
Clark was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game after a dust-up with her former Fever teammate and Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner. Clark fouled Bonner, and the two appeared to take exception to the contact, which led both of them to exchange words. While the officials tried to diffuse the situation, Clark began clapping toward Phoenix players, an act the officials deemed as “instigating,” according to Clark.
At long last, we come to Group L of World Cup 2026, where England reside and Thomas Tuchel will hope to steer them safely into the knockouts, preserving as much energy as possible for the challenges ahead.
An opening game against 2018 runners-up Croatia will set the tone for this group and in a rematch of that memorable World Cup semi-final eight years ago, the Three Lions will be eager for a different result. If they repeat the 6-1 victory over Panama from the group stage of that edition in Russia though, they’ll be more than satisfied.
This Panama team look like a tougher nut than their predecessors but, conversely, Ghana are not the same force they were when only the hand of Luis Suarez denied them a semi-final spot in 2010. There is value in winning Group L, given that the runners-up would likely be on a collision course with tournament favourites Spain in the last 16.
Group L fixtures
(all times BST)
17 June, 9pm: England 4-2 Croatia – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
18 June, 12am: Ghana 1-0 Panama – BMO Field, Toronto
23 June, 9pm: England 0-0 Ghana – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
24 June, 12am: Panama 0-1 Croatia – BMO Field, Toronto
27 June, 10pm: Panama v England – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
27 June, 10pm: Croatia v Ghana – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
England
It’s now 60 years since England’s lone World Cup success – an accomplishment that is becoming increasingly irrelevant given that those who remember it are now all of retirement age and 1966 is closer to the sinking of the Titanic than to today.
More pertinent is England’s recent World Cup record, with semi-final and quarter-final defeats at the last two editions (plus runner-up finishes at each of the past two Euros) meaning Thomas Tuchel is the man tasked with completing the work that Gareth Southgate started. Can a German finally end English football’s six decades of hurt?
In Harry Kane, Tuchel has Europe’s most prolific striker over the past 12 months, plus plenty more quality woven throughout the team. Yet, despite an impeccable qualifying record that saw them win all eight games without conceding a single goal, there is a nagging feeling that the Three Lions are just a slight level below the very best sides in the world, such as Spain and France, and that they might wilt in the North American heat. Only time will tell.
Harry Kane is the man that makes England tick (Reuters)
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), John Stones (Manchester City), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Star player – Harry Kane, Bayern Munich: Appears to be in the form of his life at the age of 32 and is right in the Ballon d’Or hunt after scoring a staggering 61 goals for Bayern Munich in all competitions and helping them to a domestic double. His goalscoring and ability to drop deep to link up play make him the key to this England side.
Breakout talent – Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City: A breakout campaign at club level that saw Man City fans vote the 21-year-old as their player of the season, O’Reilly racked up a phenomenal nine goals and six assists while playing mostly at left-back. A classy ball-player, he looks set to start at full-back for Tuchel’s side but is also an option in midfield if required.
Fifa ranking: 4.
Odds to win the World Cup: 15/2, latest odds from online bookmakers.
Thomas Tuchel will try to end 60 years of England hurt (Reuters)
Croatia
This is likely one last rodeo for a slew of Croatian warhorses such as Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Dominik Livakovic and, of course, talismanic 40-year-old captain Luke Modric.
Runners-up in 2018 and semi-finalists in 2022 is a remarkable return for this golden generation, so do they have enough in the tank to go deep again or are they slightly over the hill? Common wisdom says potentially the latter but there are young talents such as Josko Gvardiol and Luka Vuskovic dotted among the veteran nous.
They cruised unbeaten through a friendly group in qualification with seven wins and one draw and coach Zlatko Dalic will be quietly confident his team can make some noise in North America.
A defeat in the opening game against England would pile a bit of pressure on however, as while Ghana are probably tougher on paper than in reality, a slightly underrated Panama are potentially trickier in real life than they may first appear. Croatia should still qualify for the knockouts relatively comfortably but how much further can they genuinely go?
At the age of 40, Luka Modric is still going strong (Reuters)
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka)
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg)
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Star player – Luka Modric, AC Milan: The ageless wonder is still going strong into his 40s, now pulling the strings for AC Milan after iconic spells with Real Madrid and Tottenham. He enters his fifth World Cup having won the Golden Ball as Croatia lost in the final in 2018 and also led them to the semi-finals four years ago. Can he finally get an ageing side over the hump?
Breakout talent – Luka Vuskovic, Hamburg: Just 19 years old, the Tottenham centre-back has excelled on loan at Hamburg this season, being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season after a stellar campaign and is attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Physically imposing, aerially dominant and a great reader of the game, Vuskovic is also a threat from set-pieces – scoring six goals for Hamburg and netting his first Croatia goal against Colombia in March.
Fifa ranking: 11.
Odds to win the World Cup: 80/1.
Luka Vuskovic is one of Croatia’s best young talents (Getty)
Ghana
The ghost of 2010 still hangs over Ghanaian football when they were agonisingly, heartbreakingly close to becoming the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals, only for Luis Suarez to save a surefire winning goal on the line illegally with his hand, right at the end of extra time. Asamoah Gyan clattered the crossbar with the penalty and Uruguay then won the shootout to send the Black Stars home.
It has been a fairly unremarkable World Cup record for Ghana since then – group-stage exits in 2014 and 2022, plus a failure to qualify in 2018 – but they breezed through qualifying this time round, with eight wins and a draw from 10 games.
However, this may be fool’s gold given they failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, having suffered group-stage exits in 2023 and 2021, and have endured five losses and a limp draw with Wales in their six friendlies since sealing a spot in North America this summer.
Veteran coach Carlos Queiroz does have some attacking quality to call upon, most notably Man City’s Antoine Semenyo, plus Inaki Williams, Kamaldeen Sulemana and captain Jordan Ayew, while the controversial Thomas Partey pulls the strings in midfield but they look weak at the back and lack real depth across the squad. Their World Cup chances rest almost entirely on the opening group game against Panama in Toronto.
Antoine Semenyo will hope to take his club form for Man City on to the international stage (Getty)
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic)
Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre)
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint-Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester)
Forwards: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atlanta), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Star player – Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City: Brilliant for Bournemouth in the first half of the season and just as impressive after his January move to Man City, where he was the match-winner in the FA Cup final, Semenyo can provide the creative spark for this Ghana team. Strong, fast and with an eye for goal, how he links up with the likes of Inaki Williams and Jordan Ayew in attack will be crucial for Ghana’s chances
Breakout talent – Caleb Yirenkyi, Nordsjaelland: Box-to-box midfielder Yirenkyi is the youngest member of Ghana’s World Cup squad at just 20 but has already racked up 11 caps since his Black Stars debut 12 months ago and scored his first international goal in the World Cup warm-up against Wales. Has shone in the heart of midfield for Danish side Nordsjaelland after coming through the famous Right to Dream academy that produced the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Kamaldeen Sulemana and is now attracting the attention of Porto. Will hope to make things tick from the engine room.
Fifa ranking: 73.
Odds to win the World Cup: 500/1.
Caleb Yirenkyi (right) could be a young star that shines for Ghana at this World Cup (Getty)
Panama
Panama head to a second World Cup in their history, determined to improve on a slightly disastrous 2018 campaign where they conceded 11 goals and scored just two in finishing rock-bottom of the group.
That tournament included a 6-1 battering at the hands of England and they’ll have the opportunity for redemption in a rematch with the Three Lions this time round.
An experienced squad have actually produced some impressive results in recent years, beating the USA en route to the 2023 Gold Cup final before narrowly losing to Mexico, finishing as runners-up in last year’s Concacaf Nations League and remaining unbeaten throughout World Cup qualifying.
Coach Thomas Christiansen has fashioned a side that are hard to break down and their world ranking of 33 shows they can’t be taken lightly. Beating Ghana and potentially sneaking through to the knockout stage is a realistic target.
Anibal Godoy captains Panama and is the most-capped player in their history (Reuters)
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera (Al-Fayha), Luis Mejia (Nacional), Cesar Samudio (Marathon)
Defenders: Cesar Blackman (Slovan Bratislava), Jorge Gutierrez (Deportivo La Guaira), Amir Murillo (Besiktas), Fidel Escobar (Saprissa), Andres Andrade (LASK), Edgardo Farina (Pari Nizhny Novgorod), Jose Cordoba (Norwich), Eric Davis (Plaza Amador), Jiovany Ramos (Puerto Cabello), Roderick Miller (Turan Tovuz)
Midfielders: Anibal Godoy (San Diego), Adalberto Carrasquilla (UNAM), Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United), Cristian Martinez (Ironi Kiryat Shmona), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Juarez), Cesar Yanis (Cobresal), Yoel Barcenas (Mazatlan), Alberto Quintero (Plaza Amador), Azarias Londono (Universidad Catolica)
Forwards: Ismael Diaz (Leon), Cecilio Waterman (Universidad de Concepcion), Jose Fajardo (Universidad Catolica), Tomas Rodriguez (Saprissa)
Coach: Thomas Christiansen
Star player – Anibal Godoy, San Diego FC: Godoy will captain Panama 16 years on from his international debut, having won nearly 160 caps, and he remains a key cog sitting in front of the defence at 36 years of age. His leadership will also be crucial if Los Canaleros are to improve on their 2018 performances.
Breakout talent – Jose Cordoba, Norwich City: Panama have opted for experience, with none of their players under the age of 24, but defender Cordoba – who had a very good end to the club season for Norwich in the Championship – only turned 25 a week before the World Cup and will be crucial to ensuring their defence holds as firm as possible. Comfortable on the ball and a physical presence, he is already starting to attract Premier League attention that would only intensify with a good World Cup.
Fifa ranking: 33.
Odds to win the World Cup: 1500/1.
Group L prediction
The England-Croatia opener looms large in deciding the destination of the group. That could easily be a draw and leave a chase for goal difference to top the pile but we’ll give a slight edge to England, with Croatia finishing second. Ghana versus Panama is equally important and almost too tough to call, so we’ll say that’s a draw that ultimately sees both sides miss out on qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams.
The Ravens have enough star power to enter 2026 with legitimate championship expectations, but their season may be defined by the players who still have another level to reach.
Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, Trey Hendrickson, and Marlon Humphrey give Baltimore a strong foundation on both sides of the ball. The difference between being a dangerous AFC contender and becoming a complete team could come from the next tier of players. The Ravens need young starters to settle in, former high draft picks to make jumps, veterans to stabilize new roles, and developing players to turn flashes into reliable production.
Here are seven key Ravens who need to elevate their game in 2026.
1. Rashod Bateman
Bateman remains one of the most important players in Baltimore’s offense because his ceiling still matters. Zay Flowers is the clear No. 1 wide receiver, and the Ravens added Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt to give Jackson more young targets. That makes Bateman’s 2026 season critical. He does not need to carry the passing game, but he does need to be available, efficient, and trustworthy enough to keep defenses from tilting coverage toward Flowers and Andrews.
The Ravens have waited for Bateman to put together a complete season defined by health, rhythm, and production. His route-running and vertical ability still give him a path to a meaningful role, but the receiver room is more competitive than it was a year ago. If Bateman elevates, Baltimore’s passing game becomes far more difficult to defend. If he does not, the Ravens may have to accelerate the development of the rookie receivers more than planned.
2. Trenton Simpson
Simpson enters a pivotal season at inside linebacker. Roquan Smith remains the communication hub and emotional center of the defense, but Baltimore needs more consistency next to him. Teddye Buchanan’s recovery from a torn ACL adds uncertainty to the second linebacker spot, giving Simpson a real opportunity to seize a larger role.
The Ravens need Simpson to be faster mentally, cleaner with his run fits, and more dependable in coverage. His athletic traits are not the question. The next step is turning those traits into down-to-down reliability in a defense that asks linebackers to handle traffic, match backs and tight ends, and communicate through motion and formation changes. If Simpson becomes a steady running mate for Smith, Baltimore’s second level becomes more athletic and more stable.
3. Devontez Walker
Walker’s role is not guaranteed, but his development remains important because the Ravens still need explosive depth at wide receiver. Lane and Sarratt arrive with defined paths to playing time, while Flowers and Bateman sit ahead of the young group. Walker has to make his case by doing more than flashing in the red zone or on vertical routes.
The Ravens need Walker to become a more complete receiver as he enters his third season. That means winning with better route detail, finishing contested throws, contributing on special teams, and earning Jackson’s trust in practice. His size and touchdown ability still stand out, but the window for being a developmental projection is narrowing. If Walker elevates, Baltimore’s wide receiver room becomes deeper and more versatile. If he stalls, the rookies could pass him quickly.
4. Mike Green
Green played a sizable defensive workload as a rookie and remains a key piece of Baltimore’s pass-rush plan, but the expectations are higher in 2026. The arrival of Hendrickson gives the Ravens a proven closer, and second-round pick Zion Young adds another young edge rusher with burst. That should help Green, but it also raises the standard.
The Ravens need Green to become more efficient with his opportunities. His 2026 season should be about converting pressures into sacks, improving against the run, and proving he can be trusted in more game situations. Baltimore does not need him to be the No. 1 rusher, but it does need him to become a consistent rotational threat who can punish offenses when protections slide toward Hendrickson. If Green takes that step, the Ravens’ edge group could become one of the deeper units on the roster.
5. Aeneas Peebles
Peebles is not one of the biggest names on the defensive line, but his role could become more important amid uncertainty in the interior rotation. Travis Jones is a major piece, and a healthy Nnamdi Madubuike would change the entire outlook of the front. Still, Baltimore needs young linemen who can earn snaps and reduce the burden on the veterans.
Peebles has a chance to become one of those players. The Ravens need him to show he can hold up physically, play with better consistency, and bring enough interior disruption to justify a regular rotational role. Defensive line depth matters in the AFC North, where games often turn on short-yardage stops, late-game run defense, and the ability to pressure quarterbacks without blitzing. If Peebles elevates, Baltimore’s front becomes more flexible and less dependent on a small group of veterans.
6. Jovaughn Gwyn
The Ravens’ center competition is one of the most important battles on the roster after Tyler Linderbaum’s departure. Danny Pinter’s experience gives him a legitimate chance to win the job, but Gwyn’s versatility and familiarity with the organization keep him in the conversation. For Gwyn, 2026 is about proving he can be more than depth.
Replacing Linderbaum is not just about snapping the football. The Ravens need communication, protection calls, run-game leverage, and chemistry with Jackson. Gwyn has to show he can handle the position's mental and physical demands once the pads come on. If he elevates enough to win or seriously push for the starting center job, the Ravens gain a younger interior option with real value. If not, he will be fighting to maintain a reserve role in a crowded offensive line room.
7. T.J. Tampa
Tampa has a chance to carve out a more meaningful role in one of Baltimore’s most competitive position groups. Nate Wiggins and Humphrey headline the cornerback room, while Chidobe Awuzie brings veteran experience, and rookie Chandler Rivers has a path to slot work. That leaves Tampa in a fight for defensive snaps, special teams value, and roster positioning.
The Ravens need Tampa to turn size and potential into trust. He has to be more consistent in coverage, more physical when the ball is in the air, and reliable enough on special teams to justify a game-day role. Baltimore’s secondary is talented, but depth can change quickly over a long season. If Tampa elevates, the Ravens gain a bigger corner who can help protect the defense against injuries and matchup issues.
Final analysis
The Ravens do not need all seven players to become stars. They need enough of them to become dependable answers. Bateman can change the ceiling of the passing game. Simpson can stabilize the linebacker room. Walker can add receiver depth. Green can strengthen the pass rush. Peebles can help the defensive line rotation. Gwyn can push the center competition. Tampa can give the secondary another trusted option.
That is how good teams become complete. The Ravens already have the elite names. Their 2026 season may depend on how many of the next-tier players elevate before the games start to matter.
ASUS offers cashback for purchasers of their pro-tier hardware While looking through ASUS’ Amazon Prime Day deals, we became aware of the company’s “Create With the Best” cashback offer, which offers cashback on purchases of select ASUS ProArt products. While the offer focuses on ProArt products, it also applies to some ASUS Prime, TUF Gaming, […]
With GTA 6 pre-orders going live at midnight tonight, the pressure is on to ensure your hardware is up to the task, especially since the title is exclusive to current-gen consoles. If you haven't upgraded yet, Amazon Prime week Day is the perfect time to secure an Xbox Series X.
I'm not going to pretend that the current deal sets the gaming world alight, but it does bring us closer to an actually reasonable price for Xbox's flagship console. This is currently the only active deal for the Series X. You can pick it up for $573 at Amazon, saving you $76.99 just in time for the GTA 6 launch.
A rare price drop since the initial increases on September 19, 2025, the standard Series X is edging closer to being a bargain again. This edition includes a disc drive, too.
The Xbox Series X 1TB will be the best place to play GTA 6
(Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
The Xbox Series X remains the gold standard for Xbox gaming, and will be the best place to experience GTA 6 (if you don't want to fork out PS5 Pro prices, that is). With a custom 8-core Zen 2 CPU and 12 teraflops of RDNA 2 GPU power, it is built to handle the heavy lifting that Rockstar’s latest beast of a game will demand.
This deal is mostly for those who have been waiting for the right moment to retire an aging Xbox One X or Series S. This console generation has been a rocky one, with prices being hiked upward rather than dropping as the hardware ages, so we always knew steep discounts were off the table. However, if you are looking to upgrade without heading to the second-hand market, this is the most sensible way to do it.
Is Xbox Series X better than Xbox Series S?
With the Xbox Series X|S consoles, Microsoft offers options to suit different budgets. Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S play the same games, but the Xbox Series X delivers superior graphics processing power. This means it can handle higher resolutions, enhanced visual effects, and occasionally higher framerates — up to 120 FPS in some games.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Whether it's summer classes or early prep for a fresh college start in the fall, Amazon Prime Day (and all the other competing sales) is a perfect time to set your student up for success on the cheap.
I've combed through the best deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and more to come up with this varied list of laptops, monitors, and accessories.
I found quite a list of thin and light PCs starting at just $479 that are perfect for students, and be sure to scroll through to the accessories that complement them!
"The Acer Aspire 14 AI shines as a budget laptop, hitting an affordable price point for solid Lunar Lake processing speeds, excellent battery life, a satisfying keyboard, and a sturdy chassis." — Claire Tabari
With a capable Snapdragon X SoC, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch 2K touch display, this is a great PC for students who need long battery life in a slim and light package.
This deep sale lands you a 15.6-inch display with 2K resolution, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a capable Intel Core i7-1355U CPU. A full keyboard with number pad is definitely a perk.
"Let's cut to the chase: the HP OmniBook X Flip 16 is a brilliant laptop. This 16-inch 2-in-1 daintily pirouettes between laptop and tablet modes, the 16-inch OLED touchscreen is stupendous, and the performance from the mid-pack Intel Lunar Lake processor – both in games and productivity – is spot on." — Sasha Muller
"Powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X processor and now with a stunning 120Hz OLED display and flexible Flex Keyboard, Microsoft's new Surface Pro 11 is the most exciting version since the original Surface Pro. Excellent performance and battery life make this Copilot+ PC a must-recommend."
"This laptop is honestly a great option for around $1,000, even though I'm genuinely not a fan of HP's new "lattice-less" keyboard design. Good hardware and plenty of configuration options seal the deal, and frequent sales make the OmniBook X Flip 14 even more enticing."
"Overall, the Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon is a fantastic laptop. It's an ultraportable machine that's now more capable than ever thanks to that Snapdragon X Elite. It lasts all day and can handle most tasks with ease. It runs quiet for the most part, and looks super stylish and unlike any other laptop on the market."
"The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro makes for a fantastic AI laptop with its Series 2 Intel Core Ultra processor, Intel Arc 140V GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and AMOLED touchscreen. You'll be able to stream shows, run basic programs, and surf the web for a very long time due to its long-lasting battery. It can even handle creative programs and gaming."
This is about as affordable as quality wireless mice get, and if you don't want to splurge for the MX Master 3S, this is a stellar alternative that works with all devices.
A quality webcam is a priceless addition to any student's arsenal, allowing for easy collaboration (and calls home). Logitech makes some of the best cams around, and this is a great deal on a great accessory.
What student doesn't need some extra storage? This 256GB microSD card is one of the most popular in the world, with a 4.7-star rating on Amazon with more than 265,000 reviews.
"Logitech has been refining this design for years to great effect, and its latest iteration is comfortable, packed with features, and works across multiple devices and platforms. It's not perfect, but it's awfully close."
Perfect for the dorm room or a home office setup, Acer's KB272 is an affordable 27" IPS monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2K resolution, 99% sRGB color, and plenty of ports.
Amazon's Prime Day is an annual event that sees a ton of sales on great tech, but it's certainly not the only event on the go. Competing retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Newegg, and many more often have better deals on similar products, and I'm always checking the big names for the best prices.
Which countries are taking part in Prime Day 2026?
While Windows Central primarily covers Amazon Prime Day sales in the United States and the United Kingdom, the event takes place in 26 countries, including Canada and Ireland.
Do I need an Amazon Prime membership for Prime Day?
Yes, Amazon's rivals are running competing events, including Best Buy's "Tech Fest", Newegg's "FantasTech Sale", and Walmart's "Deals & More", which all end on June 28, 2026. Each retailer can offer its own membership perks, such as My Best Buy Plus / Total and Walmart Plus, and it's important to remember that Amazon does not always offer the best deal during Prime Day. Windows Central will compare prices across retailers, so you can choose the best fit for you.
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Amazon Prime Day week is happening right now, which is helping make good Windows 11 PCs more affordable in this current component pricing crisis climate across the entire retail space. With new laptops skyrocketing in price, deals on last-gen products like this Dell XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite for $999 shouldn't be ignored, especially as it comes with 32GB RAM.
With RAM costing so much these days, devices with more than 16GB RAM usually come at a high premium. That makes this deal even more lucrative, as 32GB RAM laptops now often cost north of $1,000, and even more so on flagship devices with premium components and build qualities like the XPS 13.
As portable as it gets, this iconic 13-inch XPS laptop features Qualcomm's high-end, first-generation Snapdragon X processor for all-day battery life and a gorgeous (non-touch) OLED screen.
Powered by the Snapdragon X Elite, with 32GB RAM and 1TB storage, the Dell XPS 13 is an excellent flagship Windows 11 laptop. It has a 13.4-inch OLED display which looks absolutely amazing, and it's paired with Dell's best-in-class haptic trackpad and zero lattice keyboard design which makes the device look very futuristic.
It's a device made out of premium materials that feel great in the hand, including a CNC-machined aluminum chassis. It's one of Dell's thinnest and lightest laptops, coming in at just 2.2lbs and 0.60 inches. It features all day battery life too thanks to efficient Arm SoC that powers things under the hood.
The chip itself is Qualcomm's flagship SoC from 2024, meaning it's perfectly capable for most tasks you'll want to throw at it. It can do light gaming, video and photo editing, and breeze through productivity workflows, heavy multitasking, and more thanks to that added 32GB RAM headroom,
It has two USB4 Type‑C ports supporting DisplayPort and power delivery. Wireless performance is handled by Qualcomm FastConnect 7800, bringing Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for future‑proof networking.
Overall, it's an incredible laptop with lots of power and performance under the hood. And 32GB RAM on a flagship laptop in 2026 for under $1,000 is tough to come by, so I'd snap this deal up while it's still available.
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The Razer Seiren V3 Pro arrives as a pro‑level streaming microphone that finally feels like the centerpiece of Razer’s recent run of impressive peripherals. It pairs studio‑grade hardware — a large 30 mm dynamic capsule, USB‑C and XLR outputs, and tactile controls — with deep Synapse software and Chroma RGB flair, aiming to satisfy both serious creators and RGB enthusiasts.
This review cuts through the marketing: I’ll show what the mic actually sounds like, how its software and features stack up against rivals, and whether it’s worth swapping in for your current setup.
Razerhad no input, nor did it see the contents of this review, prior to publication.
What it is
The Razer Seiren V3 Pro ($249.99 / €289.99) is a hybrid dynamic microphone tailored specifically for streamers, podcasters, and music producers.
At its heart sits a custom 30 mm dynamic capsule purpose-built to capture broadcast-style depth and natural warmth.
Structurally, it features a robust, resonance-resistant zinc unibody frame paired with an integrated, vibration-dampened adjustable arm mount.
To round out its premium aesthetic, it includes a gorgeous Razer Chroma RGB lighting ring that doubles as a real-time status and live mute indicator, which can be enabled by the mic button.
Quick set up
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
Unboxing the Razer Seiren V3 Pro is refreshingly simple. Unlike many high-end microphones that leave you scrambling to buy external accessories, this mic is entirely ready to rock right out of the box.
It features an included desktop stand, a built-in shock absorber, and a removable pop filter. Just plug it in via the included USB Type-C cable, complete a quick configuration, and you are up and running.
If you want to jump into the pro tier immediately, you can just as easily route an XLR cable (not included) straight from the base into an audio interface or mixer.
It’s a frictionless setup that gives you studio-grade enhancements with zero technical expertise required.
How it's different
USB, XLR, microphone port, and gain control are on the bottom of the Seiren V3 Pro. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
The Seiren V3 Pro separates itself from the pack by flawlessly bridging mainstream USB convenience and professional XLR performance.
Its primary direct competitor in this hybrid category is the HyperX Flipcast, which we've also reviewed. However, the Seiren V3 Pro secures a massive hardware victory right away: it includes a high-quality desktop stand and integrated shock mount in the box, whereas the Flipcast notoriously ships without a stand or boom arm, forcing an immediate extra purchase.
Furthermore, the software support here is on an entirely different level. While HyperX’s NGENUITY app offers rudimentary controls, Razer Synapse unlocks deep, granular audio customization:
32-Bit Float Support: Available via Synapse, this format captures a dramatically wider dynamic range to effectively eliminate digital clipping and distortion.
Advanced Audio DSP: Houses an advanced parametric EQ, noise gate, compressor, limiter, and AI noise remover directly powered by an onboard hardware engine.
Synapse Advanced Mixing: Allows for multi-channel stream routing right within the application interface.
What it's great at
A big mute button on the side is enabled/disabled with a light tap, so you don't disturb the mic while on a mount. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
The biggest hardware triumph here is the dual-connectivity workflow. Having both USB-C and XLR connections on one microphone offers massive advantages, though it comes with standard hybrid trade-offs:
The Pros: It provides immense versatility. Newcomers can start with a simple, plug-and-play desktop configuration and seamlessly transition into an advanced analog signal chain down the road without buying a new microphone. Interestingly, you can keep both the USB and XLR cables plugged in simultaneously and dynamically switch between them on your Windows PC.
The Cons: You are paying a premium for dual internal electronics, and advanced Synapse software functions (like 32-bit float, the parametric EQ, and advanced mixing) are strictly limited to the digital USB connection.
During testing, there wasn't a noticeable difference in tonal warmth when swapping between the two connections, but the USB interface emerged as the clear favorite for me purely because it unlocks Synapse's superior sound features and DSP suite.
My experience otherwise with the mic has been great. You can hear it in action in the short review video accompanying this article, as well as on our recent Windows Central Podcast, Episode #396.
For now, I plan to keep using this mic over my HyperX ProCast. While the ProCast is an excellent, gold-sputtered large-diaphragm XLR condenser, it is strictly analog, requires 48V phantom power, and entirely lacks the modern digital conveniences, RGB integration, and software agility that make the Seiren V3 Pro so effortless to use daily.
Plus, while the ProCast had an original MSRP of $199.99 and dropped as low as $99.99 on sale, it now appears to be discontinued and increasingly hard to find, completely out of stock at both Best Buy and HyperX.
Daniel RubinoDaniel RubinoDaniel Rubino
The Razer Synapse software features offer brilliant audio tuning, particularly the automatic environment noise test and AI noise remover. They do a spectacular job of silencing background hums and room reflections.
The Razer Synapse setup here was awesome: Hit a button and record yourself talking for 10 seconds. Hit another button and say nothing for 10 seconds. Then answer a few questions, e.g., what is your goal here (streamer, podcast, general, etc.) and what do you have fans running, environmental noise, etc. From that data, the system suggests your tuning, which you can then accept, and you're done. You can re-run the process anytime in Synapse should anything change.
The only minor catch is that the aggressive noise cancellation can occasionally cut your voice out a bit during quieter moments. Because of this, some manual tweaking of the noise gate threshold may still be needed to get it dialed in perfectly.
Finally, if you are already invested in Razer’s ecosystem—sporting a Razer keyboard, mouse, or monitor—adding this mic beautifully completes the package. The Chroma RGB ring integrates flawlessly into your existing lighting profiles, satisfying RGB enthusiasts while giving clear visual feedback on your live mute status via the tap-to-mute sensor.
Who's it for
The mic is "naked" without its pop-filter, which slides off. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
This microphone is built for the forward-thinking content creator. It is perfect for game streamers, podcasters, and hybrid musicians who want beautiful aesthetic flair and USB simplicity today, but demand the studio-grade security of an XLR output as their production setup grows.
Should you buy the Razer Seiren V3 Pro?
I ended up liking the Seiren V3 Pro more than I expected, largely due to the software and DSP controls. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
You should buy it if ...
✅ You want USB‑C now, XLR later.
✅ You use Razer Synapse/Chroma and want full integration.
✅ You need onboard DSP (32‑bit float, AI noise removal) to cut post‑work.
You should not buy this if ...
❌ You prefer a pure XLR, software‑free workflow.
❌ You’re on a tight budget and don’t need RGB or Synapse.
❌You need full feature parity on macOS without Windows Synapse.
Admittedly, my "you should not buy ifs" here are nitpicky. You can just use this as an XLR mic with a software-free workflow if you want and not worry about USB or software. But there are also more affordable XLR-only mics, hence the con.
At $249.99, Razer positions the Seiren V3 Pro firmly in the higher-end premium tier compared to the HyperX Flipcast (which currently sits at $179.99 against a $229.99 MSRP) and the now-evaporated ProCast.
However, for me, the incredible Razer Synapse DSP more than makes up for that higher cost. The sheer quality of the out-of-the-box hardware processing saves massive time in post-production. I didn't expect that to be the big selling point, but it's clever software and the kind of "don't think about it" setups I prefer.
While you could look at other heavy hitters at this price point like the Shure MV7+ or SteelSeries Alias Pro, Razer brings an unmatched physical build quality, out-of-the-box completeness, and ecosystem synergy to your desk. It delivers studio sound, simply and effortlessly.
Razer
Razer Seiren V3 Pro Microphone
Razer's new studio‑grade mic with 32‑bit float clarity, USB/XLR flexibility, built‑in DSP and pop filter, RGB status ring, and durable zinc design for clean, professional sound in streaming or recording setups.
Recovering your Windows 11 PC just got easier. This week, Microsoft rolled out point-in-time restore for Windows 11 to general users. The feature creates restore points automatically that you can revert to if there's an issue with your computer.
Point-in-time restore is available to Enterprise, Pro, and Home users of Windows 11. According to Microsoft, the feature can recover a PC in minutes rather than hours.
When you have Point-in-time restore enabled, the feature automatically captures the system state of your PC, including Windows, installed apps, system and app configurations, settings, and your local files.
By default, restore points are captured every 24 hours, but you can configure that to a different cadence if you're an Enterprise user.
The feature is on by default on Windows Home and Windows Pro devices as long as they are not under enterprise management. Point-in-time restore is off by default for some enterprise-managed systems until Windows 11 version 26H2is installed.
If a PC has an OS volume size under 200GB, point-in-time restore will be disabled by default.
Microsoft already had other features that are somewhat similar, such as System Restore and point-in-time restore for Windows 365 Enterprise. But both of those have key differences when compared to point-in-time restore for Windows 11.
System Restore requires manual capture of an image and does not include user files as part of the restore point. It's also accessible through the Control Panel rather than system settings and takes up more space on your PC.
Point-in-time restore for Windows 11 also provides benefits to IT admins, since the feature can be remotely managed with a wide set of controls.
Point-in-time for Windows 365 Enterprise is for Cloud PCs. It's also limited to Enterprise users.
Over two million devices had point-in-time restore enabled while the feature was in public preview. Microsoft said it used the time in preview to improve the feature based on feedback.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is excited to announce that pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI will begin on June 25, 2026, at midnight local time.
Launching November 19, 2026, for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment systems and Xbox Series X|S games and entertainment systems for $79.99, Grand Theft Auto VI features a single-player experience set in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the series yet.
Global leader in storage and embedded solutions, Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), today announced its new generation of industrial SSD and memory card solutions powered by advanced 218-layer 3D NAND flash technology. Featuring optimized architecture and increased storage density, the new product lineup unlocks the full potential of next-generation flash memory performance to address the growing demands of AIoT edge computing and smart manufacturing. Designed for data-intensive environments, these solutions empower a wide range of applications across industrial automation, data centers, and intelligent surveillance systems.
High-Performance SSDs for AI and Data-Intensive Workloads
Transcend's latest family of 218-layer SSDs is engineered to meet the stringent requirements of AI-driven applications. Leading the lineup is the flagship MTE740A, featuring a high-speed PCIe Gen 5 x4 interface and NVMe 2.0 compliance. Delivering sequential read speeds of up to 14,000 MB/s and random read performance of up to 2.1 million IOPS, the MTE740A enables rapid processing of massive AI datasets and real-time analytics. To address a broad range of embedded computing needs, Transcend also introduces the MTE770A PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 2280 SSD, the compact MTE490A PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 2242 SSD for space-constrained embedded systems, and the SATA III-based 2.5-inch SSD490K.
The good news for anyone still using LastPass after its previous security disasters is that this was not a compromise of the company's password manager infrastructure. LastPass says customer vaults remain secure, and its products and services were not affected.
Using Webb's ability to isolate faint planetary light from the glare of a nearby star, a team led by Northwestern University captured direct spectroscopic data from GJ504b for the first time. What had taken countless observation attempts from Earth was accomplished in roughly two hours. More importantly, the data was...
Legion filed the lawsuit in Washington, D.C., federal court, challenging a June 12 directive from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security.
Users are already seeing huge gains with the latest AMD upscaler on older-generation graphics cards. Radeon RX 7900 XTX Reportedly Hits 2X Frame Rates With AMD FSR 4.1 in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K RT Ultra As you might know, AMD's FSR 4.1 support for the RX 7000 series dropped two days ago, and users have already started seeing huge gains in games. It's well-known that FSR 4 is more demanding than FSR 3.1, but even on the Balanced preset, games usually see much better visual fidelity than FSR 3.1 Quality. This is exactly what we are seeing in benchmarks reported […]
Following the official GTA VI pre-order details shared today by Rockstar Games, Sony is now boasting through the PlayStation Blog that the massively anticipated game will "play best" on PlayStation 5. Sony said it partnered closely with Rockstar to leverage the console's key features, such as the 3D audio enabled by the Tempest Engine, which will allow players to fully immerse themselves in Leonida's distinct soundscape with enhanced, highly accurate audio positioning, bringing each unique situation to life. The PS5's SSD enables "near-instant load times" while moving across the state of Leonida. The main differences, however, are enabled by the […]
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will launch in four striking color options, with each variant bringing incredibly created stock wallpapers. Samsung has yet to reveal the new foldable, but its wallpapers are already up for download.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 will introduce at least four wallpapers inside its Featured wallpaper section. Samsung enthusiast FahadAliJaved extracted the stock wallpapers from early firmware of the upcoming foldable phone.
After the initial reveal, the source has now shared the complete set of four wallpapers. Each picture features the same design element, but they differentiate through the application of colors, tied to the phone’s color shades.
Stock wallpapers can be downloaded and used on your existing phone. Samsung doesn’t bar users from having custom wallpapers on their phone’s home screen or lock screen.
You can get the wallpapers from the original X post or from the Google Drive link shared below. Once done, tap and hold on the home/lock screen, tap Wallpaper and style > Change wallpapers > Gallery.
Download wallpapers from Google Drive(courtesy FahadAliJaved)
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Wide) could come in Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Pistachio. On the flip side, the Fold 8 Ultra could bring premium shades such as Green Shadow and Violet Shadow alongside Cream and Graphite.
It’s expected that the new foldable smartphones could be announced on July 22 in London. The company may run a two-week preorders program and the worldwide release is slated to kickstart on August 5, 2026.
Binance reportedly plans to seek authorization in another EU jurisdiction as the MiCA deadline approaches, with unlicensed crypto firms expected to wind down activities in the bloc.
Deal | The much-hyped cartoon shooter MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is on sale on Steam for the first time. With a 20% discount, the game is currently available for around $24 – but only for a limited time.
Deal | In addition to its 3000-nit AMOLED display, GPS module, NFC chip, and ECG function, the Google Pixel Watch 4 also boasts a highly repairable design. The smartwatch is currently available at its lowest price ever during Amazon Prime Day.
Konami confirms Silent Hill: Townfall launches September 24, 2026, for PS5 and PC at 49.99 USD. Details include first-person gameplay and CRTV mechanics.
Deal | Lords of the Realm II is one of the great strategy classics of the ’90s and is currently available for less than $1. The medieval strategy game is 76% off on Steam until June 25 and costs just $0.71.
A free tactical FPS is currently taking the gaming world by storm. However, the reason has less to do with revolutionary gameplay mechanics and more with the platform it was developed on: Roblox.
Ugreen has listed a new Honkai: Star Rail-themed 65W charger on Amazon. The special-edition Nexode Air 65W costs $10 more than the standard model and swaps the plain finish for a Yao Guang-inspired design, complete with a matching braided USB-C cable.
A New Zealand team used Claude Fable 5 to create a playable online role-playing game in just one weekend. The MMO was developed using vibe coding and is free to play in a browser, but it has also drawn significant criticism.
Anyone who has never been to Japan can hardly judge just how authentic the world of Forza Horizon 6 really is. A Japanese player is now shedding some light on the matter. The Reddit user has plenty of praise – but one detail bothers them.
It’s day two of Prime Day, and we’re now bringing you a few offers on Apple MacBooks and iPads from Amazon UK. Like with other Prime Day deals, these offers are subject to stock availability and require an active Prime membership.
MacBooks
MacBook Air 13 (M4)
£100 off
16/256GB - £799 at Amazon UK
MacBook Air 15 (M4)
£140 off
16/512GB - £1,159 at Amazon UK
...
If you've always admired Pininfarina's iconic automotive designs but a Ferrari Testarossa is out of reach, Infinix has a far more affordable alternative. The company has launched the Note 60 Pro Pininfarina Limited Edition in India.
The phone was designed in collaboration with the famed Italian design house and features an aerospace-grade aluminum frame paired with a carbon fiber finish rear panel.
It also gets red accent lines around the rear camera module. The limited edition package includes a MagPad wireless charger, a black charging adapter with a braided USB Type-C cable, a...
This is day 2 of Amazon’s annual Prime Day shopping event – this isn’t the end, Amazon extended this to a 4-day event. Anyway, yesterday we looked at the best smartphone deals, here we will focus on tablets, laptops, smartwatches, headphones and other interesting gadgets.
Table of Contents:
iPads
Tablets
Amazon tablets
Apple Watches
Wear OS watches
Watches and bands
Windows on ARM
Headphones
microSD
Apple iPads
Earlier this year, Apple refreshed the Apple iPad Air line with the newer M4 chipsets – but that still keeps them a generation behind the iPad...
Vedat Muriqi ve Amara Diouf'u renklerine bağlayan Fenerbahçe, Çağrı Balta ve Adem Yeşilyurt'la da profesyonel sözleşme imzaladı. Sarı-lacivertliler, iki futbolcuyu da Topuk Yaylası kampına götürdü.
Fenerbahçe'de transfer hareketliliği tüm hızıyla sürüyor. Vedat Muriqi ve Amara Diouf'u kadrosuna katan sarı-lacivertliler, daha önceden anlaşmaya vardığı iki genç futbolcuya da profesyonel sözleşme imzalattı.
Sarı-lacivertliler, Galatasaray'dan renklerine bağladığı Çağrı Balta(18) ve Karşıyaka'dan transfer ettiği Adem Yeşilyurt'la(19) profesyonel sözleşme imzaladı. Fenerbahçe, iki futbolcuyu da Topuk Yaylası kampına götürdü.
Fenerbahçe'nin kamp kadrosu şöyle:
Tarık Çetin, İrfan Can Eğribayat, Engin Can Biterge, Kuzey Sapaz, Milan Skriniar, Jayden Oosterwolde, Yiğit Efe Demir, Rodrigo Becao, Kamil Efe Üregen, Yiğit Fidan, Omar Fayed, Archie Brown, Levent Mercan, Ognjen Mimovic, Matteo Guendouzi, Fred Rodrigues, Bartuğ Elmaz, Emre Demir, Mert Hakan Yandaş, Marco Asensio, Alaettin Ekici, Anthony Musaba, Cengiz Ünder, Adem Yeşilyurt, Anderson Talisca, Çağrı Fedai, Çağrı Balta, Amara Diouf, Sidiki Chérif, Vedat Muriqi.
Fenerbahçe başkan adayı Hakan Safi ile verdiği pozların ardından sarı-lacivertlilerle adı anılan Paolo Maldini, Türkiye iddialarına son noktayı koydu. İtalyan efsane, Milan dışında hiçbir kulüpte görev almayacağını açıkladı.
Seçim döneminde Fenerbahçe başkan adayı Hakan Safi ile yan yana duran ve sarı-lacivertlilerin futbol aklı olacağı iddia edilen Milan'ın efsane ismi Paolo Maldini, Türkiye iddialarına sert ve net bir son nokta koydu.
İtalyan gazeteci Maurizio Pistocchi, espriyle karşılık İstanbul'a taşınıp taşınmayacağını sorduğu Maldini'den aldığı kesin cevabı paylaştı:
Fenerbahçe mi? Şakasını bile yapmayalım. Ya benim şartlarımla Milan’a dönerim ya da hiç!
Maldini'nin bu keskin çıkışı, sadece Fenerbahçe iddialarını değil, adının anıldığı İtalya Futbol Federasyonu (FIGC) Teknik Direktörlüğü görevini de tamamen devre dışı bıraktı.
Efsane kaptan için Milan dışında bir seçenek masada yok.
Fenerbahçe, Amara Diouf transferini resmen açıkladı. Sarı-lacivertliler, futbolcuyla 5 yıllık sözleşme imzalandığı duyurdu.
Fenerbahçe bir süre önce anlaşmaya vardığı 18 yaşındaki Amara Diouf'un transferini resmen duyurdu. Sarı-lacivertliler, Senegalli futbolcuyla 5 yıllık sözleşme imzaladı.
Sol kanatta oynayan Diouf, 22/23 sezonunda U17 Afrika Uluslar Kupası'nda attığı golle, gol kralı olmuştu. Genç futbolcu ayrıca 2023'te Senegal U17 ile Afrika Kupası'nı kazanma başarısı da gösterdi.
Fenerbahçe'den Amara Diouf transferine ilişkin yapılan açıklama şöyle:
"Afrika futbolunun gelecek vadeden genç yeteneklerinden biri olarak gösterilen Amara Diouf ile 5 yıllık sözleşme imzalandı.
Kulüp binasında gerçekleştirilen imza töreninde Yönetim Kurulu Üyelerimiz Barış Karagöz, Savaş Adalet ve Volkan Akan yer aldı.
Genç oyuncumuzun gelişimi planlı ve yakından takip edilen bir program doğrultusunda sürdürülecektir.
Kulübümüz, Amara Diouf’u kısa vadeli beklentilerin ötesinde, bireysel bir çalışma programının takibinde, doğru planlama ve sürdürülebilir gelişim anlayışı çerçevesinde geleceğin önemli değerlerinden biri olarak konumlandırmaktadır.
Amara Diouf’a ailemize hoş geldin diyor, sarı lacivertli formamız altında başarılı ve sağlıklı bir kariyer diliyoruz."
A Milli Erkek Voleybol Takımı, Milletler Ligi'nin ikinci etap ilk maçında Çin'i set vermeden 3-0 mağlup ederek turnuvaya galibiyetle başladı.
A Milli Erkek Voleybol Takımı, FIVB Voleybol Milletler Ligi’ndeki (VNL) yürüyüşünü kayıpsız sürdürüyor. Turnuvanın ikinci etap ilk maçında Çin ile karşı karşıya gelen Filenin Efeleri, parkeden 3-0’lık net bir skorla galip ayrıldı.
Maç boyunca oyunun kontrolünü elinde tutan ay-yıldızlılar, etkili servisleri ve güçlü savunmasıyla rakibine set şansı tanımadı. İkinci etaba moralli ve hızlı bir başlangıç yapan A Milli Erkek Voleybol Takımımız, bu sonuçla turnuvadaki iddiasını bir kez daha ortaya koydu.
Yeni sezon hazırlıkları için Düzce Topuk Yaylası'na giden Fenerbahçe, kentte meşalelerle karşılandı. Teknik direktör İsmail Kartal'a sevgi selinin olduğu karşılamada, oğluna "Aziz Yıldırım" adını veren bir taraftarın sevgisi damga vurdu.
Fenerbahçe, yeni sezon hazırlıkları kapsamında Düzce’deki Topuk Yaylası Tesisleri'ne ulaştı. Sarı-lacivertli kafileyi kentte yüzlerce taraftar meşaleler ve tezahüratlarla karşıladı.
Kamp tesislerine giriş sırasında teknik direktör İsmail Kartal’a sevgi selinde bulunuldu. Sarı-lacivertli futbolseverler, tecrübeli teknik adamı "Oley oley İsmail Kartal, Fenerbahçe'nin çocuğu İsmail Kartal!" tezahüratlarıyla bağrına bastı.
Karşılamada renkli ve duygusal anlar da yaşandı. Kulübe olan bağlılığını dile getiren bir taraftar, Aziz Yıldırım sevgisini şu sözlerle aktardı:
- İki kız evladımdan sonra hep bir oğlum olursa adını 'Aziz Yıldırım' koyacağım diye dua ettim ve koydum. Aziz Yıldırım'ı çok seviyoruz. Üstelik Düzce'de de Aziz Yıldırım Bulvarı'nda oturuyorum.
Yeni sezonun ilk kamp çalışmasını gerçekleştirecek olan Fenerbahçe, taraftarının yoğun desteği ve yüksek moralle Topuk Yaylası'nda resmen kampa girdi.
KAM KADROSU AÇIKLANDI
Fenerbahçe Kulübü, Topuk Yaylası'nda gerçekleştireceği yeni sezon hazırlık kampının kadrosunu açıkladı.
Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek, harcama limitlerinin UEFA gelirleriyle birlikte 12 milyar TL'ye ulaşacağını açıklayarak rakiplerine gözdağı verdi: Rakiplerimizin toplam limiti, bizim rakamımız kadar değil. Bu, doğru yönetildiğimizin kanıtıdır.
Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek, kulübün yeni sezon planlaması, küresel yapılanma hedefleri ve TFF tarafından açıklanan harcama limitlerine dair çok çarpıcı açıklamalarda bulundu. Özbek, Galatasaray'ın mali gücünün rakipleriyle kıyaslanamayacak düzeyde olduğunu vurguladı.
Son 4 yıldır haziran ayını şampiyonluk kutlamalarıyla geçirdiklerini ve Avrupa'da büyük bir taraftar kitlesine sahip olduklarını belirten Dursun Özbek, kulübün uluslararası yapılanmasında yeni bir döneme geçildiğini duyurdu.
Almanya, Belçika, Hollanda, Fransa, Avusturya ve İsviçre’deki derneklerin kulübe büyük bir güç verdiğini söyleyen Özbek, "Bir eksiğimiz olduğunu hissettik. Tüm bu derneklerin bir çatı altında toplanması, bir tek yumruk olunması ihtiyacıyla çalışmaya başladık. Avrupa'daki tüm dernekleri bir araya getirecek organizasyonu yapacağız. Daha sonra bu yapılanmayı Kuzey Afrika, Uzak Doğu ve Amerika ile devam ettireceğiz" dedi.
TFF'nin açıkladığı harcama limitleri üzerinden kulübün finansal başarısına dikkat çeken Özbek, rakiplerine net bir göndermede bulundu. Limitlerin kulübün gelir-gider dengesine göre (gelirlerin %65'i baz alınarak) hesaplandığını hatırlatan Özbek, Galatasaray'ın bütçesini şu sözlerle duyurdu:
- Açıklanan 9 milyar TL'lik limite, Eylül ayında UEFA'dan gelecek yaklaşık 30 milyon Euro'luk gelirimiz de eklenecek. Böylece harcama limitimiz 11-12 milyar TL civarına çıkacak. Rakiplerimizin toplam limiti, bizim tek başımıza ulaştığımız rakam kadar değil. Bu durum, Galatasaray'ın finansal açıdan ne kadar doğru yönetildiğinin kanıtıdır.
Bu dev bütçenin tamamen futbol takımının maaş, vergi ve bonservis harcamaları için kullanılacağını vurgulayan Başkan Özbek, taraftara transfer müjdesi verdi:
- Elbette ki en güzel transferler için çalışıyoruz. En başarılı takımı kurmak için çalışıyoruz. Bunda en ufak bir tereddüt yok.
microSD Express cards are quite expensive, but they’re the only solution if you want to expand the storage on your Nintendo Switch 2. So, if you’re looking to play more games on your console, now is your chance to score a 512GB Samsung P9 microSD Express for $80 off at B&H. This is a massive 40% discount from the card’s original $199.99 price, meaning you can get it for just $119.99. However, you must act fast as this is a limited-time deal valid only for today. If you miss out on the B&H deal or don’t need that much extra storage, the 256GB version of the Samsung P9 is also on sale at Amazon. You’ll get an even bigger 50% discount, slashing the price of the microSD Express card from $79.99 to just $39.99 — that’s a savings of $40 if you get it today.
The Switch 2 is Nintendo’s next-generation handheld console, and while it received upgraded hardware that delivered better performance, its on-board storage is a measly 256GB. So, if you want to play several AAA titles, you really need to install external storage. Unfortunately, it requires microSD Express cards if you want to play games directly from the storage expansion slot, and they’re quite pricey. This is especially true since we’re in the middle of the worst memory and storage chip crisis in history, which is now affecting even memory cards and flash drives. So, if you’re in the market for a storage upgrade on your handheld console but the prices seem out of reach, you should take this limited opportunity to get a microSD Express card at a steep discount.
$80 coupon added in cart
Give your Switch 2 the storage boost it needs. With fast speeds and respectable endurance, the P9 Express from Samsung is one of the best microSD Express cards you can get.View Deal
Give your Switch 2 the storage boost it needs. With fast speeds and respectable endurance, the P9 Express from Samsung is one of the best microSD Express cards you can get for your Nintendo Switch 2, with maximum sequential read speeds of up to 800 MB/s.View Deal
The Samsung P9 might not be the best of the best microSD express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 you can get today, but it still ranked as the best 256GB budget card in our testing. And now that it’s on sale, its value proposition just went way up for those who don’t mind waiting a few extra seconds when transferring files and games between their console and storage medium. It even comes with a three-year warranty, which is longer than the usual one-year warranty that other brands give.
These microSD Express cards would go well with these other Switch 2 accessories that are on sale to help you save money while leveling up your handheld console gaming experience. However, note that these are available for a limited time only, so if you’ve decided on getting a 512GB microSD Express card for your Switch 2, head on over to B&H and snag one while it’s available. Alternatively, you can also get the 256GB version at a much more affordable price on Amazon.
TSMC has reportedly told customers to prepare for price increases across its advanced chipmaking portfolio, extending the hikes beyond the newer 3nm process to include 7nm and even legacy products. According to a June 23rd Culpium report, the increases would affect the bulk of TSMC’s wafer revenue and could raise costs for major chip designers, including Apple, Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and MediaTek.
The exact size of the increases remains unclear, as figures would reportedly vary by customer, node, and product category, but generally appear to fall in the 5% to 10% range. TSMC price increases have reportedly already started rolling out in some cases, while other customers have been told to build the higher cost structure into future purchase orders.
The company declined to discuss specific pricing with Culpium. “TSMC does not comment on pricing. Our pricing strategy is strategic, not opportunistic,” the company said in a statement to the publication. “We will continue to work closely with customers and sell our value to them.” Although the company had earlier said it would refrain from raising prices.
Earlier reports from Taiwanese media had mainly pointed to increases at TSMC’s 3nm node, one of its most advanced processes currently used for premium smartphones, PC, and AI chips, with price pressure also expected at the newest 2nm-class production. However, Culpium reports that TSMC has informed clients that “all advanced nodes” will become more expensive, meaning the hikes would extend beyond 3nm and 2nm to include older but still advanced processes such as 5nm and 7nm.
3nm alone accounted for 25% of TSMC’s wafer revenue in the first quarter of 2026, while the company’s full advanced-node portfolio — defined by TSMC as 7nm and more advanced technologies — accounted for 74% of wafer revenue. Therefore, the hikes would span nearly three-quarters of the company’s wafer business.
The inclusion of 7nm is especially notable because the node is no longer TSMC’s flagship technology. However, it's not exactly surprising as 7nm remains heavily used across processors, accelerators, networking silicon, and other high-performance chips. Many products remain on older, more advanced nodes because they offer better cost, yield, and maturity than the newest processes, especially when a design does not require the density or efficiency gains of 3nm or 2nm.
The client notices follow weeks of public comments from TSMC executives suggesting that higher prices were at least under consideration. At the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Hsinchu on June 4, CEO C.C. Wei said customers remained positive on the AI demand outlook, while also acknowledging cost pressures and the widening gap between chip demand and available manufacturing capacity. CFO Wendell Huang also said earlier that TSMC did not rule out price increases as inflation, overseas expansion, and advanced manufacturing costs continue to rise.
The timing of the price increases reflects TSMC’s strong negotiating position. The company remains the dominant manufacturer of leading-edge logic chips, and its most advanced capacity is in high demand among AI accelerator vendors, smartphone chip designers, and custom ASIC developers. With customers competing for access to the same manufacturing lines, TSMC has more room to pass on rising costs than it would in a weaker cycle.
The move also comes as TSMC benefits from a surge in AI-related demand. In its first-quarter results, the company reported $35.9 billion in revenue and a 66.2% gross margin, both supported by strong demand for high-performance computing and advanced-node production. TSMC has also raised its 2026 revenue growth target to more than 30%, with capital spending expected to remain elevated as the company expands capacity in Taiwan, the U.S., Japan, and Germany. The company’s Arizona manufacturing capacity has been sold out through 2027 since early 2025.
The reported increases are still far smaller than the recent price spikes seen in the memory market, where AI-driven demand for HBM and other high-end memory products has allowed suppliers to push through much steeper increases. Conversely, TSMC does not need memory-style pricing to meaningfully improve its margins. Because advanced nodes account for most of its wafer revenue, even a mid-single-digit increase across that base could add billions of dollars in annual revenue if demand remains strong.
For chip designers, the immediate impact is a higher manufacturing bill. For consumers, the effect is less direct but still important. A 5% to 10% wafer price increase does not automatically translate into a 5% to 10% increase in the price of a GPU, CPU, smartphone, or laptop, since the wafer is only one part of the final product cost. However, when combined with higher memory prices, packaging constraints, AI demand, and rising manufacturing costs, it creates another reason for device makers and component vendors to raise prices or protect margins by cutting costs elsewhere.
Prime Day 2026 is in full swing with discounts on almost every PC part you can think of. To that end, Logitech wasn’t missing out on the fun and has several of its gaming mice on sale. In fact, there are eight, and many of them with a significant 40% (or more) discount. And the best part, these aren’t affected by the AI boom and memory shortage, so it’s not like the pricing is coming down from unreasonable levels, either.
In short, there's something for almost every gamer in this pile of stellar discounts. Whether you use a claw grip or a palm grip, play FPS, RTS, or other game genres, Logitech has you covered. We've listed all of the Prime Day deals below. If these great deals don’t tickle your fancy, you can look at our Best Amazon Prime Day PC peripherals deals 2026 article for even more options in multiple categories.
Save an incredible 47% and get the Logitech G309 Lightspeed on sale for only $42.50. The G309 connects via Bluetooth or Wireless, uses a Hero 25K DPI sensor, six programmable buttons, and Lightforce mechanical switches.View Deal
The G203 is now on sale for under $19 and is a great option for a budget mouse. It has six programmable buttons, and an 8K DPI optical sensor. There's also a RGB strip that wraps around the backside and shows off the Logitech "G" for a bit of bling.View Deal
The high-end G903 under $86 is one heck of a deal. The wireless mouse uses a Hero 25K DPI sensor, up to 140 hour LiPo battery, and the Lightspeed Wireless technology with 'pro-grade 1ms report rate'. View Deal
Great for gaming and daily work, it uses the Hero 12K DPI sensor with 1,000Hz polling rate along with six programmable buttons. Logitech says battery life is up to 250 hours with 1 AA battery.View Deal
This high-end gaming mouse uses the HERO 2 sensor for a maximum DPI of 44K and an 8K polling rate along with Lightspeed switches. It has eight total programmable buttons, and because it's ambidextrous, it has switchable magnetic side buttons (2 on each side).View Deal
The G502 boasts a 25K Hero sensor, 11 customizable buttons, and a 60-hour LiPo battery. Being wireless it also uses the Lightspeed technology for 1 ms wireless connectivity. View Deal
The G502 X uses Lightforce optical switches, the Hero 25K gaming sensor, 13 buttons, and uses the Lightspeed wireless technology for 1 ms wireless connectivity. View Deal
If you're in the market for a new mouse, these Logitech deals are some of the best we've seen across all major brands. From a $18 budget ditty to a $114 high-end mouse, there's a mouse for you in these deals. You can also check out our Best Amazon Prime Day PC peripherals deals 2026 article for even more options in multiple categories, like mice, keyboards, headset, and more.
SK hynix filed a securities registration statement with South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service and the U.S. SEC on Wednesday to raise up to 45.45 trillion won ($29.43 billion) through an American depositary receipt listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market scheduled for July 10th, and the company said the whole lot would go toward investments in factories and equipment. The offering covers 17.79 million newly issued common shares and would rank among the largest ADR sales ever completed. SK hynix earmarked the proceeds for its first fab in the Yongin cluster, an advanced packaging plant in Cheongju, and chipmaking equipment that includes EUV scanners.
None of the funded projects will produce memory in time to ease the shortage that’s still driving up prices. SK hynix holds about 57% of the HBM market and 32% of global DRAM, and chairman Chey Tae-won has said repeatedly that AI demand will keep supply tight until 2030.
The filing names three target projects that SK has already committed to and is now financing via public markets. The first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, designated Y1, carries a 31 trillion won ($21.5 billion) commitment for its initial phase and is due for completion around February 2027, with equipment installation to follow in the second quarter. The Cheongju P&T7 advanced packaging plant, a 19 trillion won ($12.9 billion) site dedicated to HBM assembly and testing, broke ground in April and is targeted for completion at the end of 2027. EUV lithography is needed in both, and SK hynix placed a record $7.9 billion order with ASML in March covering roughly 30 scanners through 2027.
10 ADRs will represent one common share, with the final per-ADR price to be set through bookbuilding shortly before the July 10th debut, and SK hynix said the total raise could change from the 45.45 trillion won ceiling. BofA Securities, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan are managing the sale, and the regulatory review is expected to conclude by July 3rd, with the new shares registering on the Korea Exchange on July 29th.
Both the Yongin fab and the Cheongju packaging plant reach volume output in 2027, near the back end of that window. The company confirmed the ADR plan in early June alongside a pledge to double wafer capacity within five years, a timeline Chey acknowledged would do little to shorten the squeeze. DRAM contract prices have run higher through 2026 as the three memory makers tilt wafer capacity toward HBM, which consumes around three times the silicon per gigabyte of standard DDR5.
Just two days ago, SK hynix passed Samsung Electronics to become South Korea's most valuable listed company, ending a 26-year run at the top. Its Korea-listed shares rose 5.5% in after-hours trading following the disclosure.
The AI boom has already been responsible for soaring demand and subsequent shortages in the areas of GPUs, computer memory, storage, both spinning and solid-state, electrical power, water, and networking equipment. Now, according to Saint-Gobain CEO Benoit Bazin, the industry's latest bottleneck may be the people needed to build the data centers themselves. Bazin only mentioned it in passing during his Bloomberg Television appearance, but his comments point toward what is becoming an increasingly important challenge for the AI infrastructure boom.
When asked by Bloomberg TV whether demand for data center construction was slowing, Bazin said activity remains strong, but then identified labor as one of the industry's key bottlenecks. The executive, whose company supplies construction materials and building products used in hundreds of data center projects, argued that labor shortages are already affecting projects in North America and are beginning to emerge in Europe as well.
While Bazin's other responses largely focused on Saint-Gobain's products and energy-efficiency initiatives, the CEO's remarks echo a growing concern that has surfaced across the data center industry over the past year. The global race to build new computing infrastructure has hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Oracle collectively committing hundreds of billions of dollars toward new facilities, but constructing a modern AI data center requires far more than just money.
AI's demand for power is so great that the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, decomissioned in 2019, is set to reopen to serve Microsoft exclusively. (Image credit: Getty / Bloomberg)
As we've reported many times before, power availability is the primary constraint facing new projects. Electrical substations, transformers, transmission infrastructure, utility connections, and even generation capacity itself are already struggling to keep pace with demand. However, a growing number of executives and analysts now argue, like Bazin, that skilled labor may be emerging as a significant secondary bottleneck.
You see, unlike conventional commercial construction projects, data centers require large numbers of specialized workers. You can't simply rely on standard commercial construction crews for this stuff; you need highly specialized tradesmen, like electricians, high-voltage technicians, fiber-optic installers, HVAC specialists, controls engineers, and commissioning teams, among many others. Huge swaths of these jobs require years of training and experience, making it difficult for the labor pool to expand as quickly as AI investment has ballooned.
The problem has become serious enough that some technology companies have begun funding workforce development efforts directly. Earlier this year, Meta partnered with CBRE on a training initiative intended to help expand the pipeline of workers qualified for data center construction and operations, reflecting concerns that labor shortages could eventually slow deployment schedules.
The effects may already be spilling into other sectors. We recently highlighted how demand from large data center projects has increased competition for electricians in Texas, contributing to delays in some residential housing developments as contractors struggle to compete with the wages and budgets offered by hyperscaler-backed projects. While housing obviously won't be displaced entirely, that story is an example of how AI infrastructure spending is increasingly competing for the same pool of skilled tradespeople needed elsewhere in the economy.
Citizens gather at a rally to oppose the construction of new data centers in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Image credit: Getty Images / Universal Images Group)
Also, labor is only one of several non-technical challenges facing new projects. Public opposition has become increasingly visible in some communities, particularly as residents raise concerns about electricity consumption, water usage, noise, and the broader impact of large-scale data center developments. Looking again to Texas, where numerous projects have been proposed or announced, opposition to new facilities has become a recurring topic of debate. Concerns that once focused primarily on industrial facilities and energy projects are increasingly being directed toward data centers as well.
Demand for new facilities remains strong, and few observers actually expect overall construction activity to slow significantly in the near term, but building the infrastructure required to support the next generation of AI systems means solving a growing list of problems, from power generation and grid capacity to permitting, community opposition, and now, increasingly, workforce shortages. The industry has largely solved the problem of attracting capital. It can order more GPUs, buy more land, and sign larger power contracts. Producing thousands of experienced electricians and technicians, however, takes years. As the global data center boom continues, that shortage may prove to be one of the industry's most stubborn constraints.
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Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new class of CI/CD workflow weakness that allows attackers to hijack workflows and compromise open-source supply chains.
The "critical exploitable pattern" has been codenamed Cordyceps by Novee Security. The issue can allow full attacker control of repositories at dozens of the largest organizations worldwide, including Microsoft, Google, Apache, and
We are standing at the end of an era we never thought to mourn: the era of human-speed threats.
For years, cybersecurity moved to a rhythm organizations could follow. A researcher found a bug, a CVE was cataloged, a vendor navigated a patch cycle, and weeks or even months later, a fix was deployed. In this era, dwell time was measured in days, sometimes weeks. We are now approaching an
A smartphone can be a major investment — especially if you’re shopping for one of the best phones around — so it’s important to be sure that the device you’re buying isn’t just good for now, but good for many years to come.
Software support is a key factor in determining how long a phone will last, and in recent years, manufacturers have been committing to much longer product support windows than they used to. But not all phones get the same amount of support, and indeed some older phones will be approaching their final update in 2026.
So, below, we’ve detailed how long phones from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Motorola will continue to receive updates.
To keep things simple, we've focused on major brands with US availability, but if you have a recent high-end phone from the likes of Honor, Oppo, or Xiaomi, it will likely be in line for between five and six years of updates from its launch date. Older and lower-end models tend to be in the two-to-three-year range.
Apple iPhones
The iPhone 17 Pro (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Apple never used to commit to a specific support window for its phones, but that changed in 2024, when new UK regulations required brands to outline a minimum support window. As a result, Apple now promises a minimum of five years — but this only applies to security updates, not the kinds of iOS updates that add new software features. And five years is a minimum, with Apple often going beyond that number anyway.
All of which is to say we can’t be certain when iPhones will get their final update, but typically, they’re supported for between five and seven years.
So, the list below is our best guess for how many years of updates each currently supported iPhone model has left.
iPhone 17 series — 4-6 years (last update in 2030, 2031, or 2032)
iPhone Air — 4-6 years (last update in 2030, 2031, or 2032)
iPhone 16 series — 3-5 years (last update in 2029, 2030 or 2031)
iPhone 15 series — 2-4 years (last update in 2028, 2029, or 2030)
iPhone 14 series — 1-3 years (last update in 2027, 2028, or 2029)
iPhone SE (2022) — 1-3 years (last update in 2027, 2028, or 2029)
iPhone 13 series — 0-2 years (last update in 2026, 2027, or 2028)
iPhone 12 series — 0-2 years (last update in 2026, 2027, or 2028)
iPhone 11 series — final update will probably be this year with iOS 27
iPhone SE (2020) — final update will probably be this year with iOS 27
Samsung Galaxy phones
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus (Image credit: Future/Rami Tabari)
Samsung offers as much as seven years of support for some of its recent phones, but older and lower-end handsets get fewer updates, so how long your phone will be updated for can be quite variable depending on the model.
Samsung Galaxy S26 series — 7 years (last update in 2033)
Samsung Galaxy A36 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
Samsung Galaxy A26 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
Samsung Galaxy A17 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
Samsung Galaxy A17 — 4 years (last update in 2030)
Samsung Galaxy A55 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
Samsung Galaxy A35 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
Samsung Galaxy M35 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
Samsung Galaxy A25 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2028)
Samsung Galaxy A54 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Samsung Galaxy A34 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Samsung Galaxy S23 series — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Samsung Galaxy M54 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
Google Pixel phones
The Google Pixel 10 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Google has committed to supporting all handsets from the Pixel 8 onwards for seven years, while phones from the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 lines get five years of support.
Note that, as a-series models launch later than their mainline siblings, they technically get supported for longer. But depending on when major new Android versions launch, they may not get additional significant updates.
Google Pixel 6 series (excluding 6a) — final update this year (2026)
Motorola phones
The Motorola Edge 70 (Image credit: Future)
Motorola’s update commitments feel quite messy and inconsistent, with some phones getting more or fewer updates than you might expect, but you’ll find an overview of the currently supported handsets below.
Motorola Signature — 7 years (last update in early 2033)
Motorola Edge 70 series — 3 years (last update in 2029, security patches until 2031)
Motorola Edge 60 Neo — 3 years (last update in 2029, security patches until 2031)
The company is giving away a free month of GTA+ if fans pre-order the game on PS5
It says GTA 6 takes full advantage of the PS5’s immersive features "to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience"
Rockstar Games has teamed up with Sony to offer Grand Theft Auto 6 fans a free month of GTA+ if they pre-order the game on PS5.
In a new PlayStation Blog post, Sony claimed that "thanks to a close partnership" with the studio, GTA 6 "will play best on PS5 by taking advantage of PS5’s immersive features to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience," following the game's price and pre-order time announcement.
"Since Grand Theft Auto first arrived on the original PlayStation in 1997, the series has defined generations of play," the company said. "We know players are excited for Grand Theft Auto 6, which heads to the state of Leonida — home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond, in the biggest, most expansive evolution of the series yet."
It's confirmed that the game will feature DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, an integrated speaker, and sound effects to enhance the experience, as well as Tempest 3D AudioTech to "surround yourself in the distinct soundscapes of Leonida."
GTA 6 will also leverage the PS5’s ultra-high-speed SSD, which Sony said will enable "near-instant load times."
Pre-orders will begin on June 25 at midnight local time for the Standard and Ultimate Editions, which cost $79.99 and $99.99, respectively.
Pre-orders are currently live in New Zealand, and according to the PS Store, an Ultimate Edition Upgrade will be available at some point, likely at launch.
Players who pre-order the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack and can begin pre-loading the game on November 12, seven days before the game's launch on November 19.
What's more, Sony announced that players who pre-order any edition on PlayStation Store will also instantly receive a redeemable free month of GTA+, a premium subscription for Grand Theft Auto Online.
"Grand Theft Auto 6 marks an exciting new chapter for one of gaming’s most iconic series, and we’re proud to help bring the best experience to players on PS5," Sony said.
"We can’t wait until the game arrives on November 19 and we look forward to celebrating its launch with Rockstar Games and our PlayStation community around the world."
IO research shows 87% of UK cybersecurity managers doubt the credibility of speed‑focused certification programs
Rapid, automated compliance creates a false sense of security, with certifications like ISO 27001 not guaranteeing resilience
Experts stress continuous monitoring and human oversight, as automated recommendations and evidence still need validation and interpretation
Speed-focused compliance programs could help businesses get cybersecurity certifications quicker, but security professionals are skeptical if the speed comes at the expense of actual business resilience.
This is according to new research from resilience specialists IO, which claims that 87% of senior cybersecurity managers in the UK believe the speed at which certification is achieved affects its credibility.
According to the report, compliance initiatives that are either heavily automated or compressed into short timeframes are creating a false sense of security. Certifications like ISO 27001 might help companies win contracts and maintain an image, but researchers are warning that certification alone does not guarantee actual operational resilience.
Gaps in security posture
“Organizations that focus on achieving certification as quickly as possible are at risk of leaving gaps in their security posture,” says Chris Newton-Smith, CEO of IO. “Certification can open doors to new contracts and demonstrate commitment to recognised standards but treating certification as the end goal rather than the outcome of establishing and embedding effective compliance is more often than not at the expense of long-term resilience. Businesses must treat compliance not as a tick-box exercise but an evolving, iterative, and business critical project.”
Polling 251 cybersecurity managers in the UK, IO found that 31% consider continuous controls monitoring as the strongest indicator of compliance resilience. At the same time, a fifth (21%) said certifications could reflect security controls at the time of an audit, but could soon after become obsolete.
IO also stressed the importance of human expertise in these programs. Almost half (45%) of the respondents said human involvement is still essential when evaluating if automated compliance recommendations are still relevant and accurate, and another third (33%) said complex regulations still need human interpretation.
Finally, 32% stressed the importance of human in validating compliance evidence generated by automated systems.
Getting a GTA 6 pre-order locked down is the best thing that any gamer can do right now. After last week's announcement and cover art reveal, we now know that pre-orders start in just a few hours at midnight local time around the world on June 25 — which means some folks in places like New Zealand and Australia can pre-order right now!
In brief, there are two editions. The Standard Edition gets you the main game as a code in a physical box and will cost $79.99, while the Ultimate Edition features an "exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story," and will cost $99.99. Pricing details in other regions are yet to be confirmed.
Anybody who pre-orders or buys the game before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, described as "a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest."
Now you've got the info, let's get to it. I've got those quick links again first, and then lots more detail about the editions and links to retailers for each below that.
If you're looking for the Ultimate Edition on PS5 in the UK, then head over to Amazon to check for stock or bookmark the retailers below to get those extra fantastic goodies.View Deal
Xbox Series X players looking to get the most premium edition going can head over to Amazon to check stock there with this link or via any of the retailer links below.View Deal
Folks often discuss or ask me personally whether something is worth pre-ordering or not. That usually comes down to people balancing whether to go early or to wait for launch day stock, or even deals at a later date.
However, this is GTA 6 and my advice is as categorical as ever: this will be the most in-demand video game of all time; you absolutely should pre-order if you are willing and able to do so. I'd still say that, despite physical boxes being 'code in a box' affairs and without disks — there will still likely be a finite number of GTA 6 game boxes with retailers so it might genuinely sell out. If you want the most physical preorder for GTA 6, then still go for it, despite the digital game code within, is my advice.
I really, wholeheartedly recommend a GTA 6 pre-order if you can, just to secure your unit and know that it'll be in your hands on day one.
GTA 6 pre-orders — what's in each edition?
With two GTA 6 pre-order editions and options, there are a few extras and differences to be aware of. If you're looking for a quick overview to inform your choice, then we've got you covered.
Starting off simply, if you pre-order the GTA 6 standard edition, you will get the following:
The base game as a digital code in a physical box
Vintage Vice City Pack — "a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest."
The ability to preload from November 12
The Ultimate Edition gets you a few more digital bonuses on top of what's in the standard edition, though Rockstar's description is a little vague still.
The base game as a digital code in a physical box
Vintage Vice City Pack — "a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest."
Digital bonuses — "An exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story."
The ability to preload from November 12
Live updates
It's finally happening — GTA 6 pre-orders are here
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of GTA 6 pre-orders. It's an incredibly exciting time and I've made it my mission to present you the best information, latest details, and all the best retailer links to pre-order Rockstar's latest and greatest as soon as they go live.
Strap in, it's going to be a heck of a ride!
Pricing information finally arrived
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
The huge news to come today, just ahead of pre-orders going live at midnight local time, June 25, was the pricing - at least some of it. Rockstar confirmed that the standard edition of the game will cost $79.99 and the ultimate edition of the game will cost $99.99.
What does that mean for other territories? No idea, really — a UK price could be the same numbers but in GBP, but we just don't know yet.
Because Rockstar has opted for a midnight local time launch for pre-orders around the world, we're already seeing folks place their orders and see it on official storefronts.
Fans in New Zealand can currently head over to the PS Store and snag their pre-order! How exciting!
Will you be pre-ordering?
Pre-ordering games is always a bit of debate among fans, but GTA 6 might be the one that transcends all concerns about pre-ordering a game.
Will you be placing a pre-order? Take our poll below, and we'll see how many folks are keen, and how many might be holding back.
Pre-orders in Australia should be live very soon
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
We'll soon have another country going live with pre-order time arriving for fans in Australia very soon. I've only seen the PS Store and Xbox store live with links or listings so far though - no actual retailers, which I'm curious about.
A collector's POV
I'm a little bit of a gaming gear and games collector — nothing huge by any means, but certainly my most favorite or anticipated things, for sure — and I'm a bit disappointed about the physical editions just being a code in a box. I would have loved to have placed a pre-order knowing I was getting a full physical edition with box, disk, and anything else.
A saving grace may be that there's some cool art or a map, or something else inside the boxes alongside the code — but equally, Rockstar would surely have detailed those bits in order to paint a full picture and sell the editions. Anyway, I live in hope...
Australian pre-orders are live at the PlayStation and Xbox stores!
As expected, Australians can now get in on the GTA 6 pre-order action by placing digital pre-orders on the game on either of the major console storefronts right now!
JB HiFI in Australia and New Zealand are the best retailer to go live with listings as far as I can tell, and gives us a first (predictable) look at how shops and online retailers will be selling the game!
The only thing really of note in the description though is that "A disc will not be included in the box."
If you’ve had to struggle through a heatwave like the one cooking the UK right now (where I’m based), then you know that you’ll do anything to try to stay cool: bumping up the AC if you have it, or turning on as many fans as you can find, and drinking gallons of water.
I’m currently chilling in my DXRacer Martian Pro as it pulls cool air through my shorts thanks to in-built ventilation fans. It’s not like sitting on a block of ice — and I still have a Dyson Cool CF1 desk fan blasting at my face — but the chair’s cooling has been a noticeable improvement compared to a desk fan-only setup.
I’m much less sweaty, and I don’t feel bothered by the heat baking my upper-floor flat — the only trouble is, it makes the times I need to get up and out of my seat a little less bearable by comparison.
Now, I have some bad news: the Martian Pro I ride is out of stock in the US and UK right now — but there’s a solid alternative that we’ve tested, and which is not only in stock, but on sale at Amazon thanks to Prime Day deals.
Last year during the UK’s 2025 summer heatwave we took the AutoFull M6 Ultra for a spin, and our reviewer Christian Guyton can confirm that the cooling fans made a noticeable difference after sitting in the chair for a while — which matches my DX Racer experience.
What’s extra special about these ventilated chairs is that they’re perfect right now in the sweltering heat, but they'll also keep you cosy in the winter thanks to in-built heaters. Much like their cooling fans, the seat warmers are again very effective at keeping your body comfortable.
And these seats aren’t just electronic gimmicks. You’ll find a full suite of comfort features like 4D armrests, neck and lumbar support, and your usual recline and height options.
The only thing that might be a slight let-down is the massaging which the chairs can provide. It can be fun and relaxing during a stressful gaming session or day at work, but it isn’t super rigorous.
That said, I love my cooling gaming chair, and I’m considering picking up a second for my partner having looked at these deals; the AutoFull M6 Ultra 2.0 looks like a solid option in the UK, though I might see if I can stretch to the Ultra+.
Music lovers listen up, Amazon Prime Day is stacked with offers on some of our favorite audio brands, and I've just spotted a deal on our best budget turntable, making it even more affordable — what more could you ask for?
I started my vinyl record collection in my teens, but my first mistake was not doing my research beforehand, and I purchased one of those Crosley-style players that do nothing but wreck your albums. If I were to speak to my 17-year-old self again, I'd tell him to look into the Sony PS-LX5BT turntable instead.
Selecting the right vinyl player for your needs takes time. At the end of the day, they're an investment piece, so you don't want to regret your choice, but the Sony PS-LX5BT is a solid entry-level option. Our audio editor Becky Scarrott has also pieced together a collection of some of our favorite turntables — which would make great graduation gifts .
Today's best Sony PS-LX310BT deal
Entry-level turntables sub-$400 with solid audio are difficult to come by, but not when it's Prime Day. Amazon's $100 price drop takes one of our favorite turntables to its lowest ever price, but this deal won't be here for much longer. View Deal
Similarly in the UK, this is the lowest price we've seen for the Sony PS-LX5BT, and it won't get much better than this as long as Prime Day goes on. Though you may be tempted to get your first turntable for an even cheaper price, your vinyls won't thank you in the long run. View Deal
My JAM Audio Bluetooth turntable gave out on me a while back, and now I've become that annoying friend that's constantly begging to use other people's vinyl player to spin my favorite LPs. Well, thank goodness for Prime Day is all I can say.
As far as entry-level turntables go, the Sony PS-LX5BT turntable is simple and uncomplicated, yet doesn't compromise sound quality. If anything, its sonic characteristics are quite upfront.
It also doesn't fall flat on the features front. You're going to get plenty of connectivity options including stereo RCA connections for hooking the turntable up to speakers or an amplifier, as well as Bluetooth if you refer to opt for wireless connection. The only small setback is that it doesn't come with an adjustable counterweight, so you get what what you're given, but that's expected for a beginner-friendly record player.
Features aside, there's no denying that it's incredibly sleek in its design, right? And the dust shield is an added bonus, adding an extra layer of protection to your vinyl records as you spin them. I'd buy it on the design front alone.
Huntress report highlights “EvilTokens” PhaaS scaling phishing attacks 1,380% in early 2026 compared to last year
AI integration enables per‑victim personalization at scale, bypassing MFA, with subscription tiers from $600 to $1,500
Service sold openly on Telegram, showing how PhaaS now operates like a startup with cheap, powerful attack capabilities
Cybercriminals offering phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) are increasingly operating like a tech startup, and a good one, at that. They are also using Artificial Intelligence (AI), which helped them scale significantly. This is according to a new report from cybersecurity researchers Huntress, called “EvilTokens and the Rise of AI-Powered Phishing”.
In the report, Huntress claims that this particular PhaaS operation, called EvilTokens, was used to run 1,380% more phishing attacks in early 2026 compared to the same period last year.
“We’re seeing a clear maturation of the phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) market as threat actors increasingly integrate AI workflows into their product offerings,” the report reads. “The result is directly observable in our telemetry: a 1,380% increase in device code phishing attacks detected between July–December 2025 and January–April 2026, with over 50% of those incidents linked to two major waves of correlated incidents.”
A cheap service
“Furthermore, across hundreds of incidents associated with EvilTokens, no two phishing lures were identical. This level of per-victim personalization was previously limited to targeted, manually crafted campaigns. Now, it’s achievable at scale by any threat actor at the price of a subscription service”
So, AI is not only used to scale the operation, but it is also used for personalization at an unprecedented level. At the same time, the service is relatively cheap to use: it is being sold on Telegram for as little as $600.
If this sounds like a lot, keep in mind that a single successful phishing attack is enough to steal data worth hundreds of thousands on the black market, or even millions - in ransom negotiations.
EvilTokens’ service is tiered, too. The cheapest package costs $600, while two more expensive ones cost $1,000 and $1,500, respectively. For criminals, it is likely worth the investment, since this PhaaS is capable of bypassing multi-factor authentication, as well.
It sounds bizarre saying that I wish I could go back in time and bully my past self into spending more money, but that's exactly what I would do when it comes to Red Dead Redemption 2.
I first bought the cowboy adventure game on sale back in 2020. I can't remember the exact price, but it was something like 30 bucks for the standard version, and about ten more if I wanted the Ultimate Edition instead.
I took a look at what the more premium version offered — an exclusive mission, a cool horse, some new clothing, and some in-game progression boosts, plus a load of content for Red Dead Online — and decided that it wasn't for me. After all, I wasn't entirely sure that I would even enjoy the game or want to explore its multiplayer component.
The problem is that I did genuinely love it, and soon found myself wanting all the extra goodies. The problem? Rockstar offered no way to upgrade between editions. There were no little add-ons that let you pick up each item individually, like you can with most other games.
I was trapped with my standard version, and if I wanted to experience that Ultimate Edition content I would have to buy the entire game again. Obviously, I wasn't going to do that — leaving me bitter and feeling like I missed out.
Learn form my mistake
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
With the Grand Theft Auto 6 price and editions officially confirmed, I'm urging everyone not to make the same mistake. Like Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 will be available as either a standard edition or Ultimate Edition, with the latter unlocking loads of exclusive content.
It sounds even more significant than what you got with the comparable edition of Red Dead Redemption 2, and includes new vehicles, weapon skins, outfits, and even access to some exclusive locations, such as a beachside garage.
To be clear, Rockstar has not officially confirmed whether it will offer the option to upgrade to the pricier edition down the line. But, after my Red Dead Redemption 2 experience, I wouldn't take the risk.
At $99.99 (UK and Australian pricing has yet to be confirmed), the Ultimate Edition isn't cheap. It's only $20 more than the standard version, though, which goes for $79.99, and that 20 bucks could very well save you from feeling like you missed out in a year's time.
Bear this in mind when Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders begin at midnight on June 25 (local time) ahead of the game's launch on November 19 for Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5.
With protagonist Fox McCloud appearing in a surprise cameo in the recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it’s clear that Nintendo wants to bring its niche on-rail space shooter series to a wider audience. To that end, this new Star Fox makes a lot of sense. It’s a remake of the 1997 title Star Fox 64, which is beloved by fans and a good starting point if you’ve never played one of the games before.
Review info
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2 Available on: Nintendo Switch 2 Release date: June 25, 2026
The problem for me is that this is far from the first time that Nintendo has brought Star Fox 64 back. I grew up with the Nintendo 3DS, and experienced it as Star Fox 64 3D. This was followed by some hands-on time with the Wii U reimagining Star Fox Zero,and then finally a playthrough of the original release when it came to Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online.
Every single mainline Star Fox game that’s come out since I was about eight years old has been a version of Star Fox 64, and now, as an adult, I’m getting yet another one in Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2.
I really wish the gaming giant had been a little bolder with this release, adding even just a smidge of new gameplay to freshen up the old campaign. Still, Star Fox 64 is a cult classic for a reason, and thanks to its strong base, this remake is still plenty of fun to play through for what is, hopefully, one last time
Into the Lylat Wars
(Image credit: Nintendo)
The premise is simple, if a little unconventional. You’re a dashing fox in a universe populated by anthropomorphic animals where civilization has managed to crack space colonization despite an apparent lack of opposable thumbs.
Rather than rooting through sci-fi bins, you’re the leader of a mercenary squad (staffed by you, the bird-like Falco, the lagomorphic Peppy, and slimy Slippy toad) that lends its services to the highest bidder — in this case an intergalactic army that’s waging war against the evil scientist dictator Andross.
Fully voiced and animated cutscenes to convey all this information are one of this remake’s biggest new additions, and they feel like a natural inclusion. They’re not super long or expansive by any means, but all flow well and are decently acted throughout even if there are a few moments where the animation can look a bit cheap.
They provide some much-needed downtime in between each of the levels, which are hectic, high-score challenges that see you steering your ship, the Arwing, through intense battles. The action unfurls in a largely on-rails format, but that doesn't mean that this isn’t a degree of strategy to it.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
You can swerve all across the screen, hitting barrel rolls to deflect incoming fire and blasting your laser canons. Your craft very much exists in a 3D space, so enemies often come up behind you, requiring evasive maneuvers like somersaults or hitting the brakes.
There's a boost too, which, deployed at the right time, can see you zooming under falling debris or through closing gaps — often picking up a power-up or two in the process. It’s all remarkably smooth to control, and sections where you pilot other vehicles keep the stages feeling fresh.
Each campaign is extremely short, taking just over an hour to complete, and has you working your way through a map of the galaxy littered with 16 unique planets.
Best bit
(Image credit: Nintendo)
The challenge mode lets you replay all of the levels from the campaign but with some new tricky objectives. These reward you with unlocks like profile badges and lore to read, and I can already see it being a huge hit with completionists.
You can’t visit all of them in one playthrough, which, alongside the two main story paths, gives you plenty of reasons to replay it at least a couple of times. That said even when you bear that in mind, the experience is still pretty fleeting and doesn’t feel befitting of the $49.99 / £41.99 / AU$84.95 digital (or $59.99 / £44.99 / AU$99.95 physical) asking price.
This is especially true if you’ve played all the other versions of Star Fox 64, as you’re basically just paying for a new, admittedly quite pretty, coat of paint.
There is thankfully a new battle mode to try out, and it’s pretty good on the whole. It’s in an online 4v4 player versus player (PvP) format, with one team playing as the Star Fox squad and the other cast as their rivals Star Wolf. Each of the three maps has its own associated game mode, ranging from simple control point capture to fighting to drag limited space cargo back to base.
I’ve had a great time with it so far, though I can imagine that online populations will quickly dwindle given the small map pool. Hopefully a post-launch update will add some more.
Should I play Star Fox?
Play it if...
You’ve never tried Star Fox 64 If you’ve never experienced Star Fox 64 before, then Star Fox is the best version that’s readily available right now. The updated graphics are pleasant, and it feels fantastic to control.
You find it on sale My main issue with Star Fox is its high asking price. If you can find it heavily discounted, then it’s well worth picking up.
Don't play it if...
You’re sick of the Nintendo 64 game If you’ve played the previous Star Fox 64 remakes, then I would recommend skipping Star Fox. It looks pleasant, sure, but it really doesn't add much new beyond its cutscenes.
Accessibility features
As with most first-party Nintendo releases, the accessibility features here are thin. Subtitles are used throughout the game, though their appearance cannot be customized. You can invert the axis of the control scheme and disable features like controller rumble, but that’s basically it.
How I reviewed Star Fox
I played Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 for roughly eight hours, experiencing all of its major campaign routes, unlocking every planet, and trying out challenge mode.
I also dived into its multiplayer offering, using my earlier hands-on experience with other players when trying it at Nintendo HQ and testing matches against bots. I mainly played the game in handheld mode using the Joy-Con 2 controllers, though I did briefly test it in docked mode on a 4K Samsung TV to ensure the performance and Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller support is up to scratch.
ClearVPN now has a dedicated app for Apple TV and Android TV devices
Users can log in via a quick QR code scan or smartphone link
The apps include a dedicated Streaming section and Optimal Location tools
Finding the best VPN to secure your online life is increasingly important, but installing it on your living room television hasn't always been a seamless experience. Fortunately, MacPaw is looking to change that with the launch of its "privacy-first" ClearVPN service on Apple TV and Android TV.
With smart TV adoption recently surpassing 900 million units worldwide, our living room watching habits are generating more data than ever. By bringing its software directly to the biggest screens in the home, MacPaw hopes to add a vital extra layer of privacy to users' everyday viewing activities, while simultaneously granting them secure access to global content.
"We built ClearVPN on one belief: privacy should be effortless," said Tetiana Shokina, Product Manager at MacPaw. "Bringing it to Apple TV and Android TV wasn't a feature request; it was the obvious next step. If simplicity is our promise, it has to work on every screen, including the biggest one."
How to use ClearVPN's smart TV apps
(Image credit: MacPaw)
The biggest hurdle with smart TV applications is usually the login process. Nobody enjoys painstakingly typing out long email addresses and complex passwords using a directional TV remote. To solve this, ClearVPN has implemented two simple sign-in methods that entirely bypass the television screen.
Once downloaded, the TV app will display a QR codethat users can scan with their smartphone. This instantly opens a pairing page on the phone to authenticate the login, readying the TV app for use.
Alternatively, the app generates a short URL and an activation code that can be typed into any phone, tablet, or computer.
Once inside, ClearVPN's signature intuitive interface keeps technical decisions to an absolute minimum.
An 'Optimal Location' feature automatically connects you to the best available server, meaning there's no need to manually search through endless country lists.
For entertainment fans, a 'Dedicated Streaming' section makes it even easier, connecting users directly to the optimal server for specific streaming platforms so you can start watching privately within seconds.
A quick overview of ClearVPN
If you aren't familiar with ClearVPN, the service was originally launched in 2020 by Kyiv-based MacPaw, a global technology company best known for its signature product, CleanMyMac.
From its inception, the goal was to design an application for everyone, not just the tech-savvy, removing the complex settings that often make cybersecurity software feel intimidating.
In 2024, ClearVPN went through a major redesign as the provider launched improved apps. The service, however, has maintained its core mission: to ensure people's online lives receive the exact same protection as their offline ones.
ClearVPN is powered by modern protocols designed to deliver fast, stable connections, ensuring your streams won't be interrupted by constant buffering. A single subscription protects up to six devices simultaneously, creating a secure digital ecosystem.
New smart TV apps are available now for all ClearVPN users globally. You will need a device running at least Android TV 6+ or tvOS 18+ to install the new applications.
If you want to protect your other hardware, ClearVPN is also available to download on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android, compatible routers, and as a Google Chrome extension.
dug in deep to overcome and become the new IBF welterweight champion. The pair were squaring off at the Pat Rafter Arena in Queensland, Australia, with Paro successful in his bid to claim world honours in a second division after previously reigning as IBF world champion at 140lbs. Paro took control in the early stages […]
This weekend, attempts to dethrone unified super-welterweight world champion in one of the biggest fights of the summer, and six-division conqueror Oscar De La Hoya has offered his thoughts on the contest. Ennis became the unified welterweight world champion when he ran through Eimantas Stanionis last year, before announcing a move up to 154lbs and […]
Joe Cordina had been set to challenge for Abdullah Mason’s WBO lightweight world title next weekend, hoping to become a two-division world champion. However, the Welshman has been forced to withdraw from the contest. 22-year-old Mason became boxing’s youngest male world champion when he decisioned Sam Noakes back in November to capture the vacant WBO […]
Fenerbahçe, Karşıyaka'dan transferi Adem Yeşilyurt ve geçen sezon ortasında antrenmanlara çıkardığı Çağrı Balta ile sözleşme imzalayıp kamp kadrosuna kattı. Diego Carlos'un ise henüz kampa katılmadığı açıklandı.
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Milli tenisçi Zeynep Sönmez, tek kadınlar kategorisinde katıldığı Eastbourne Açık'ın 2. turunda Çek rakibi Sara Bejlek'in turnuvadan çekilmesiyle çeyrek finale yükseldi.Devamı için tıklayınız
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ABŞ, Kanada və Meksikada təşkil olunan futbol üzrə dünya çempionatında (DÇ-2026) pley-offa vəsiqə qazanan komandaların sayı 7-yə çatıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu gün qrup mərhələsində 2-ci tura yekun vurulub.
2-ci turun oyunlarından sonra Meksika, ABŞ, Almaniya, Fransa, Norveç, Argentina və Kolumbiya yığmaları 1/16 finalda iştirakı rəsmiləşdiriblər.
Beş komandanın isə qrup mərhələsinin son turunun nəticələrindən asılı olmayaraq, mundialla vidalaşacağı artıq indidən bəllidir. Bunlar Haiti, Türkiyə, Tunis, İordaniya və Panama yığma komandalarıdır.
Qeyd edək ki, DÇ-2026-nın qrup mərhələsində 3-cü tur bu gün başlayacaq.
Futbol üzrə Braziliya milli komandasının və “Barselona”nın sabiq ulduzu Ronaldinyo uzun fasilədən sonra peşəkar futbolçu karyerasını bərpa edib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, 2002-ci ilin dünya çempionu İtaliyanın C Seriyasında mübarizə aparan “Ravenna” klubu ilə rəsmi müqavilə imzalayıb.
Bu barədə sözügedən klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
46 yaşlı futbolçu ilə bağlanmış müqavilənin müddəti açıqlanmayıb. Ronaldinyonun təqdimat mərasimi ABŞ-ın Mayami şəhərində keçirilib.
“Ravenna”nın yaydığı bəyanatda braziliyalının transferi klub tarixinin ən mühüm hadisələrindən biri kimi qiymətləndirilib:
“Ronaldinyo “Ravenna”ya futbolçu kimi qoşulur. Bu, klub tarixinin ən əlamətdar transferlərindən biridir və şübhəsiz ki, “Ravenna”nı dünya futbolunun diqqət mərkəzinə gətirəcək.
Bu, sadəcə simvolik addım deyil. Ronaldinyo qarşısına konkret məqsəd qoyub – peşəkar karyerasındakı son qolunu məhz “Ravenna” forması ilə vurmaq. Bununla o, futbol tarixinin ən parlaq karyeralarından birinə yeni səhifə əlavə etmək istəyir.
Onun gəlişi aydın mesaj verir: “Ravenna” ciddi layihə həyata keçirir və İtaliya futbol mədəniyyəti yeni bir istinad nöqtəsi qazanıb. Klub tarixinin ən maraqlı dövrü məhz indi başlayır”, – deyə bəyanatda vurğulanıb.
“Yenidən topla rəqs etməyi səbirsizliklə gözləyirəm”
Braziliyalı veteran futbolçu da yeni klubuna keçidi ilə bağlı həyəcanını gizlətməyib:
“Yeni rənglər, amma əvvəlki təbəssüm. Yenidən topla rəqs etməyə və yeni tarix yazmağa başlamağı səbirsizliklə gözləyirəm. Futbol həmişə mənim üçün sevinc mənbəyi olub və bu ruhu “Ravenna”ya da gətirmək istəyirəm”.
İtaliya mətbuatının yazdığına görə, Ronaldinyonun “Ravenna”dakı rolu yalnız meydanla məhdudlaşmayacaq. O, həmçinin klubun marketinq, reklam və xeyriyyə layihələrində iştirak edəcək. Məlumata əsasən, braziliyalıya klubun müəyyən səhmlərinin də təklif olunduğu bildirilir. “Ravenna” gələcəkdə Ronaldinyonun şəxsi R10 brendindən də istifadə etməyi planlaşdırır.
Qeyd edək ki, Ronaldinyo son rəsmi oyununu 2015-ci ildə Braziliyanın “Fluminense” klubunun heyətində keçirib. O, 2018-ci ildə futbolçu karyerasını başa vurduğunu rəsmən açıqlamışdı.
Karyerası ərzində Ronaldinyo “Qremio”, PSJ, “Barselona”, “Milan”, “Flamenqo”, “Atletiko Mineyro”, “Keretaro” və “Fluminense” kimi klubların formasını geyinib. O, “Barselona” ilə UEFA Çempionlar Liqasının qalibi olub, iki dəfə İspaniya çempionu adını qazanıb. “Milan”ın heyətində isə İtaliya çempionluğu yaşayıb.
Braziliya millisinin heyətində Ronaldinyo 2002-ci ildə dünya çempionu, 1999-cu ildə Amerika Kubokunun qalibi olub, həmçinin 2008-ci il Pekin Olimpiadasının bürünc medalını qazanıb. Əfsanəvi futbolçu 2005-ci ildə dünyanın ən yaxşı futbolçusuna təqdim olunan “Qızıl top” mükafatına layiq görülüb.
1913-cü ildə əsası qoyulan “Ravenna” klubu hazırda İtaliya futbolunun üçüncü liqası olan C Seriyasında çıxış edir. Klub ötən mövsüm öz qrupunda üçüncü yeri tutaraq pley-offa yüksəlsə də, “Salernitana”ya məğlub olaraq B Seriyasına vəsiqə qazana bilməyib.
Klubun sahibi, amerikalı-italiyalı biznesmen İnyatsio Çipriani “Ravenna”nı İtaliya futbolunun yüksək səviyyəsinə çıxarmağı qarşısına məqsəd qoyub. Ronaldinyonun transferi isə bu iddialı layihənin ən səs-küylü addımı hesab olunur.
AFFA, qurumun İcraiyyə Komitəsinin qərarına əsasən, Azərbaycan futbolunda ilk dəfə tətbiq olunan yeni təşviq mexanizmi barədə açıqlama yayıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, ilk dəfə tətbiq olunan yeni təşviq mexanizmi çərçivəsində Premyer Liqa klublarına ödənişlər həyata keçirilib.
Daha öncə Peşəkar Futbol Liqasının (PFL) rəsmi saytına istinadən bu barədə rəsmi xəbəri diqqətinizə çatdırmışdıq. Üstündən bir neçə saat keçdikdən sonra AFFA da oxşar açıqlama yayıb. Xəbərdə bunlar qeyd edilib:
“Bu mexanizm AFFA tərəfindən yerli futbolçuların inkişafını təşviq etmək, klubların maliyyə dayanıqlığını gücləndirmək və ümumilikdə ölkə futbolunun inkişafına əlavə dəstək vermək məqsədilə yaradılıb. AFFA tərəfindən formalaşdırılan qaydalara əsasən, bonus fondu klubların legioner futbolçular üzrə ödədikləri rüsumlar hesabına formalaşıb və vəsait yerli futbolçuların Misli Premyer Liqasında meydana çıxdıqları dəqiqələrə uyğun olaraq bölüşdürülüb.
Bu təşviq mexanizmi klubların yerli və xüsusilə gənc futbolçulara daha çox etimad göstərməsini, onların inkişafına üstünlük verməsini və Azərbaycan futbolunun gələcəyinin formalaşmasına töhfə verməsini hədəfləyir.
Qərara əsasən, Premyer Liqada çıxış edən 12 kluba ümumilikdə 2 milyon 560 min manat ödənilib. Bonus bölgüsündə ən yüksək nəticə göstərən “Qəbələ” klubu 379 min 987 manat vəsait və əlavə 50 min manat xüsusi mükafat əldə edib. Siyahının ikinci pilləsində yer alan “Sumqayıt” klubunun qazancı 299 min 197 manat, üçüncü sıradakı “Şamaxı” klubunun fonddan gəliri isə 267 min 314 manat təşkil edib.
Bununla yanaşı, AFFA tərəfindən toplanmış vəsaitin 1 milyon 500 min manatlıq hissəsinin Peşəkar Futbol Liqasının büdcəsində saxlanılmasına icazə verilib.
AFFA ilə Peşəkar Futbol Liqası arasında çempionatın təşkili və keçirilməsi ilə bağlı müqaviləyə uyğun olaraq, İntizam Komitəsinin tətbiq etdiyi maliyyə sanksiyalarından, eləcə də legioner futbolçular üzrə müəyyən edilmiş rüsumlardan formalaşan vəsaitlərin Peşəkar Futbol Liqasının büdcəsinə daxil edilməsinə AFFA tərəfindən səlahiyyət verilib.
Təşviq mexanizminin yerli futbolçuların inkişafına, klubların fəaliyyətinə və ümumilikdə Azərbaycan futboluna müsbət təsir göstərdiyini nəzərə alaraq, layihənin növbəti mövsümdə də davam etdirilməsi planlaşdırılır”.
Sözardı…
Sonda onu da vurğulayaq ki, bu iki qurumun ayrı-ayrılıqda bonus məbləğini sanki özü veribmiş kimi ictimaiyyətin diqqətinə çatdırması kənardan heç də yaxşı təsir bağışlamır. Görünür, son dövrlərdə bu qurumların rəhbərlikləri arasındakı münasibətlərin qaydasında olmaması barədə xəbərlər heç də şayiə deyil və yekun mənzərə belə xoşagəlməz görüntü yaradır.
Futbol üzrə Xorvatiya milli komandasının təcrübəli hücumçusu Ante Budimir dünya çempionatında (DÇ-2026) tarixi rekorda imza atıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, 34 yaşlı forvard dünya çempionatının qrup mərhələsinin 2-ci turunda Panama millisinə qarşı keçirdikləri və Xorvatiyanın 1:0 hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatmış qarşılaşmada yeganə qolu vuraraq komandasına vacib üç xal qazandırıb.
Budimir bu qolu vurarkən 34 yaş 336 günlük olub və bununla da Xorvatiya millisinin dünya çempionatları tarixində ən yaşlı qol müəllifi adına sahib çıxıb.
Təcrübəli hücumçu 2014-cü ildən bəri qüvvədə olan rekordu yeniləyib. Əvvəlki rekord sabiq hücumçu İvitsa Oliçə məxsus idi. O, Braziliyada keçirilmiş DÇ-2014-də Kamerun üzərində 4:0 hesablı qələbə ilə başa çatmış görüşdə 34 yaş 277 günlük olarkən fərqlənmişdi.
Beləliklə, Xorvatiya millisinin dünya çempionatlarında ən yaşlı qol müəllifləri siyahısı hazırda belə görünür:
Ante Budimir – 34 yaş 336 gün (2026, Panama ilə oyun) İvitsa Oliç – 34 yaş 277 gün (2014, Kamerun ilə oyun)
Qeyd edək ki, Xorvatiya millisi qrup mərhələsinin son turunda iyunun 27-də Qana yığması ilə qarşılaşacaq.
The Jeff Bezos-backed startup finally revealed more pricing details for its debut EV, including a $29,950 starting price for the SUV variant, and boosted the base range to 205 miles.
Özbəkistan millisinin futbolçusu İvan Sergeyev DÇ-2026-da Portuqaliyaya uduzduqları oyunu şərh edib.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, ölkəsinin mətbuatına danışan hücumçu 0:5 hesabıyla bitən matçla bağlı bunları deyib:
“Hesab hər şeyi deyir. Çox danışmağa ehtiyac yoxdur. Portuqaliyanın gücü bəllidir, bizdən daha sürətli və texnikalıdırlar. Məğlubiyyət gözlənilən idi, amma 0:5 ağır nəticədir. Çox məyusuq, ancaq başa düşək ki, belə oyunlar bizi böyüdür. Hər nəticədən dərs çıxarmalıyıq”.
Özbəkistan yığması K qrupunda xalsızdır və 4-cü pillədədir.
Azərbaycan Reqbi Federasiyasının prezidenti və U-14 milli komandasının baş məşqçisi Eldar Kərimovun “Futbolpress.az“a müsahibəsi:
– Azərbaycanda reqbinin mövcud durumunu necə ifadə edərdiniz?
– Reqbinin inkişaf prosesləri plan üzrə davam edir. Oyunçuların və klubların sayı artmaqdadır. Sentyabra qədər daha iki komandanın yaradılması nəzərdə tutulub. Hazırda dörd klub fəaliyyət göstərir. Bu il biz ilk dəfə “Reqbi Union” üzrə respublika birinciliyini təşkil etdik və sentyabrda da “Reqbi Sevens” Olimpiya növü üzrə ilk respublika çempionatının keçirilməsini nəzərdə tutmuşuq. Yeniyetmələrdən ibarət milli komandamız Gənclər və İdman Nazirliyinin dəstəyi ilə Çexiyada beynəlxalq yarışda iştirak edib və kifayət qədər yaxşı təcrübə qazanıb. Ümumilikdə hər şey qaydasındadır və plan üzrə davam edir.
– Reqbi ölkədə populyar idman növü deyil. Uzun illərdir bu sahədəsiniz. Sizcə reqbinin özünəməxsus cəhətləri nələrdir?
– Reqbinin özünəməxsus fəlsəfəsi var. O fəlsəfəyə uyğun olaraq, reqbi ilk növbədə güclü şəxsiyyət, daha sonra idmançı formalaşdırır. Bu, alicənabların oyunu sayılır və təməlində dürüstlük, qarşılıqlı hörmət və idman prinsiplərinə sadiqlik dayanır. Reqbi ilə məşğul olanlar şəxsiyyət kimi də tez formalaşır. Bunu söz xatirinə demirəm, müşahidələrimiz və təcrübəmiz bu qənaətə gəlməyə əsas verir. Adətən, uşaqlar reqbiyə gələndə bir qədər dəcəl olurlar, davranışlarında və intizamlarında müəyyən problemlər müşahidə edilir. Ancaq reqbi ilə məşğul olduqdan sonra onların məsuliyyət hissləri artır, intizamları yaxşılaşır. Bunu tək biz yox, uşaqların valideynləri də deyirlər. Ona görə əminliklə deyə bilərəm ki, reqbi əsl şəxsiyyət yetişdirir. Bu idman növünün Azərbaycanda olması və inkişaf etməsi olduqca vacibdir.
– Federasiya bu idman növünün inkişafı üçün hansı işləri görür?
– Azərbaycan Reqbi Federasiyasının başlıca məqsədi Azərbaycan reqbisinin dayanıqlı sistem üzərində inkişafını təmin etməkdir. Məsələn, iki il əvvəl maliyyə dəstəyi olmayan bir klubumuz var idisə, bu gün artıq dörd klub fəaliyyət göstərir. Bu dörd klubdan ikisi tam olaraq, ikisi isə qismən maliyyələşdirilir. Sevindirici haldır ki, şirkətlər və müxtəlif təşkilatlar reqbi ilə maraq göstərir, onun perspektivinə inanır və klublarımızın inkişafına dəstək olurlar. Bu, çox vacibdir. Eyni zamanda Gənclər və İdman Nazirliyinin də son iki ildə federasiyamıza göstərdiyi dəstək inkişaf prosesimizi daha da sürətləndirən amillərdən biridir. İnkişaf baxımından əsas hədəflərimiz isə klubların, oyunçuların, yarışların sayını artırmaq və idmançıların daha çox oyun təcrübəsi qazanması üçün əlverişli şərait yaratmaqdır. Bütün bunlar gələcəkdə daha güclü olmağımız, daha keyfiyyətli oyunçuların yetişməsi və komandaların formalaşması üçün əsas şərtlərdir.
– Müsbət məqamları qeyd etdiniz. Bəs çatışmazlıqlar nələrdir?
– Reqbi hazırda populyar olmasa da, perspektivi kifayət qədər yüksəkdir. Bu fikri də sadəcə xoş təsir bağışlamaq üçün səsləndirmişəm. Həyatının son 12 ilini bu idman növünə həsr edən bir adam kimi tam məsuliyyətimlə qeyd edirəm, reqbinin Azərbaycanda perspektivi olduqca yüksəkdir. Çünki bu idman növünün tələb etdiyi keyfiyyətlər Azərbaycan insanında kifayət qədər mövcuddur. Fiziki güc, iradə və cəsarət tələb edən idman növlərində hər zaman uğurlu olmuşuq. Düşünürəm ki, reqbi də bu baxımdan istisna təşkil etməyəcək. Şübhəsiz ki, reqbinin daha da populyarlaşması üçün müəyyən zamana ehtiyac var. Ancaq əminəm ki, bir neçə ildən sonra bu sahə nəticələri ilə uğur qazanan idman növləri arasında öz layiqli yerini tutacaq.
– Şərait və infrastruktur necədir?
– İnfrastrukturun qurulması ən çətin, ən çox maliyyə və zaman tələb edən məsələlərdən biridir. Bu gün uşaqlar və yeniyetmələrlə çalışırıq. Məşqlərin keçirilməsi üçün məktəblərin idman meydançalarından istifadə edirik. Bəzən icarə variantı da istifadə olunur. Ötən aydan etibarən isə SOCAR yeniyetmələrdən ibarət milli komandanın “SOCAR Polymer Arena”da məşqləri üçün təmənnasız şərait yaratmışdı. Fürsətdən istifadə eləyib “SOCAR Polymer” təşkilatının rəhbərliyinə bir daha təşəkkürümü bildirmək istəyirəm. Yeniyetmələr yetişənədək milli komanda üçün baza yaradılmasını da planlaşdırırıq.
– Reqbinin uşaqların şəxsiyyət kimi formalaşmasına müsbət təsirlərindən danışdınız. Bu, kifayət qədər sərt və təmaslı idman növüdür. Bəs reqbinin fiziki sağlamlığa təsiri barədə nə deyə bilərsiniz?
– Reqbi insanların hər tərəfli fiziki inkişafını təmin edən idman növüdür. Çünki burda müxtəlif idman növlərinin elementləri bir araya gəlir və bu da idmançılarda fərqli əzələ qruplarının inkişafına şərait yaradır. Eyni zamanda, oyun çox maraqlı və dinamik olduğu üçün uşaqlar məşqlərə və oyunlara böyük həvəslə yanaşırlar. Əvvəlki sualda toxunduğumuz məsuliyyət və intizam hissi onları vadar edir ki, məşqlərə tam ciddi yanaşsınlar və əsasən də təhlükəsizlik texnikasına əməl etsinlər. Çünki reqbi ilə bağlı belə bir stereotip var ki, bu, təhlükəli idman növüdür. Əslində isə vəziyyət tam belə deyil. Bəli, oyunun xarakteri sərt ola bilər, amma qaydalara ciddi şəkildə əməl olunur. Hakimlər oyun zamanı idmançıların bir-birinə qarşı kobud davranışına həssas yanaşır və bu cür halları dərhal cəzalandırırlar. Uşaqlar artıq erkən yaşdan anlayır ki, sərt oynamaq olmaz. Çünki qırmızı vərəqə almaqla komandanı azlıqda qoymaq riski var. Bu anlayış uşaqlara kiçik yaşlardan aşılanır və onlar reqbinin əsas fəlsəfələrindən birini rəhbər tuturlar: həm özünü, həm də rəqibini zədədən qorumaq. Yəni oyunçular meydanda təkcə öz təhlükəsizliklərini deyil, rəqiblərinin təhlükəsizliyini də nəzərə almalıdırlar.
Şahin Cəfərov
Yazı Azərbaycan Respublikasının Medianın İnkişafı Agentliyinin maliyyə dəstəyi ilə hazırlanıb.
Sahə: Uşaq və gənclərin fiziki və mənəvi inkişafında idmanın rolu.
AFFA İcraiyyə Komitəsinin 3 fevral 2025-ci il tarixli qərarına əsasən, Azərbaycan futbolunda ilk dəfə tətbiq olunan yeni təşviq mexanizmi çərçivəsində Misli Premyer Liqası klublarına ödənişlər həyata keçirilib.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu mexanizm AFFA tərəfindən yerli futbolçuların inkişafını təşviq etmək, klubların maliyyə dayanıqlığını gücləndirmək və ümumilikdə ölkə futbolunun inkişafına əlavə dəstək vermək məqsədilə yaradılıb.
AFFA tərəfindən formalaşdırılan qaydalara əsasən, bonus fondu klubların legioner futbolçular üzrə ödədikləri rüsumlar hesabına formalaşıb və vəsait yerli futbolçuların Misli Premyer Liqasında meydana çıxdıqları dəqiqələrə uyğun olaraq bölüşdürülüb.
Bu təşviq mexanizmi klubların yerli və xüsusilə gənc futbolçulara daha çox etimad göstərməsini, onların inkişafına üstünlük verməsini və Azərbaycan futbolunun gələcəyinin formalaşmasına töhfə verməsini hədəfləyir.
Qərara əsasən, Premyer Liqada çıxış edən 12 kluba ümumilikdə 2 milyon 560 min manat ödənilib. Bonus bölgüsündə ən yüksək nəticə göstərən “Qəbələ” klubu 379 min 987 manat vəsait və əlavə 50 min manat xüsusi mükafat əldə edib. Siyahının ikinci pilləsində yer alan “Sumqayıt” klubunun qazancı 299 min 197 manat, üçüncü sıradakı “Şamaxı” klubunun fonddan gəliri isə 267 min 314 manat təşkil edib.
Bununla yanaşı, AFFA tərəfindən toplanmış vəsaitin 1 milyon 500 min manatlıq hissəsinin Peşəkar Futbol Liqasının büdcəsində saxlanılmasına icazə verilib.
AFFA ilə Peşəkar Futbol Liqası arasında çempionatın təşkili və keçirilməsi ilə bağlı müqaviləyə uyğun olaraq, AFFA İntizam Komitəsinin tətbiq etdiyi maliyyə sanksiyalarından, eləcə də legioner futbolçular üzrə müəyyən edilmiş rüsumlardan formalaşan vəsaitlərin Peşəkar Futbol Liqasının büdcəsinə daxil edilməsinə AFFA tərəfindən səlahiyyət verilib.
Təşviq mexanizminin yerli futbolçuların inkişafına, klubların fəaliyyətinə və ümumilikdə Azərbaycan futboluna müsbət təsir göstərdiyini nəzərə alaraq, layihənin növbəti mövsümdə də davam etdirilməsi planlaşdırılır.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Yunanıstan klubunun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. 36 yaşlı müdafiəçinin müddəti bitən müqaviləsi uzadılmayıb.
Lovren 2024-cü ilin sentyabrından PAOK-da çıxış edirdi. O, komandada cəmi 27 oyuna çıxıb.
Xorvatiyalı futbolçu daha əvvəl “Liverpul”, “Lion”, “Zenit” kimi klublarda çıxış edib. Lovren Xorvatiya millisində 78 oyunda 5 qol vurub.
“Fənərbağça” heyətini yeni futbolçu ilə gücləndirib. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, bu haqda klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. İstanbul təmsilçisi Seneqal […]
İngiltərə millisinin yarımmüdafiəçisi Cud Bellinqem yığmanın tarixində yeni rekord müəyyənləşdirib. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, 22 yaşlı futbolçu DÇ-2026-nın qrup mərhələsinin […]
TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: SS Lazio President Claudio Lotito prior the Serie A match between Juventus FC at the Juventus stadium on February 08, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
This is considered to be a landmark case in the world of women’s football, and Lazio will therefore have an unfortunate place in the history books.
Gothberg had disclosed her pregnancy in the summer of 2024 and Lazio had negotiated a new contract with her for the 2024-25 season, but it was never signed.
She argued this was because the club backed out due to her pregnancy, and the CAS agreed with them today.
Lazio defeated in landmark case
ROME, ITALY – MAY 13: SS Lazio fans during the Coppa Italia Final match with FC Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico on May 13, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
The 28-year-old had been expected in Rome on July 18 for routine medical tests and pre-season training, but did not travel on the precise date due to nausea, fatigue and vomiting.
Lazio claimed that her failure to travel meant that she had withdrawn from the proposed contract.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected their argument that Gothberg’s agent had been in talks with Parma, showing messages telling the Stadio Tardini side that they were not available for transfer.
It was therefore considered to be a binding contract in existence before the pregnancy was disclosed.
FIFPro, the union for all professional football players, said this “groundbreaking” ruling “establishes an important precedent around the confidentiality of pregnancy-related medical information.”
It was the first time ever that the CAS had awarded compensation to a player for unlawfully ending an employment relationship due to pregnancy.
The club had already invested heavily for its move from Serie B to the top flight, and is now preparing for their first ever Champions League campaign.
The first new signing is Kaiki, who arrived on Italian soil this afternoon to undergo medical tests.
It is widely believed the Cruzeiro left-back will make the move on loan with an obligation to buy for a total of €14-15m, with €12m as the fixed fee portion of the deal.
Kaiki arrives, but Como keep spending
BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL – MAY 31: Kaiki Bruno of Cruzeiro kicks the ball during a match between Cruzeiro and Fluminense as part of Brasileirao 2026 at Mineirão Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
epa10396158 Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah reacts during the FA Cup third round match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC in Manchester, Britain, 08 January 2023. EPA-EFE/Adam Vaughan
It is suggested that both player and club would be happy to make the deal go through, but the costs are going to be an issue, because Como are now forced to deal with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
The central defender turns 26 next month and has been linked to various Serie A teams over the last few years, but they all eventually struggle with the price tag.
A typical weekend round of fixtures in 2026-27 will feature one game at 19.45 (BST/GMT) on a Friday evening, three games on a Saturday at 14.00, 17.00 and 19.45 (UK time), four games on a Sunday at 11.30, 14.00, 17.00 and 19.45 and one game on a Monday night at 19.45.
There will, however, be several exceptions to that rule of thumb.
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Khephren Thuram of Juventus scores his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
The first round of Serie A fixtures will feature four matches on Saturday, two at 17.30 and two at 19.45, there will be four games on the Sunday, again with two at 17.30 and two at 19.45 and there will then be a further two matches at 17.30 and 19.45 on the Monday evening.
The second round of Serie A fixtures will all be played at either 17.30 or 19.45. The third round of fixtures will also not feature any matches at 11.30 in the summertime sunshine.
On matchdays five, 11 and 29, preceding the scheduled international breaks, there will be no matches played on a Monday.
Similarly, on matchdays six, 12 and 30, immediately after the international breaks, there will be no games taking place on the Friday night. The same will also be true for matchdays 10 and 19, which come immediately after a full midweek round of fixtures.
Those midweek rounds on weeks nine and 18 will be played from Tuesday to Thursday and their kick-off times will be confirmed at a later date, and the timing will depend on the games that are selected for live TV coverage.
There will also be some alterations to the schedule for weeks 17 and 18 of the 2026-27 season, i.e. the games that come immediately after the new-year.
Chelsea have beaten Inter to the signing of Italy talent Marco Palestra, but the Nerazzurri are still in need of a right wing-back to replace the Real Madrid-bound Denzel Dumfries, and so, reports in Italy claim that the Nerazzurri could now turn to either Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus or Dan Ndoye from Nottingham Forest.
Could Inter turn to Cambiaso or Ndoye after missing out on Palestra?
Palestra is all set to move to the Premier League in a €60m deal that will see him swap Atalanta for Chelsea on a five or six-year contract worth between €5m and €6m per season in net wages.
CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 02: Marco Palestra of Cagliari in action during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Sant’Elia on January 02, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
Luis Henrique was often the go-to stand-in option when Dumfries was unavailable during the 2025-26 season and the Brazilian is still on the club’s books, but the feeling is that the Scudetto and Coppa Italia winners still need a specialist wing-back to start week-in week-out in Serie A.
According to Wednesday’s reports, there are two leading options that Inter could turn to after missing out on Palestra.
The first is another Italy international: Juventus’s Cambiaso. The Bianconeri are expected to listen to offers for the versatile full-back this summer and reports from Calciomercato.com claim that Inter could look to include midfielder Davide Frattesi in a player-plus-cash exchange.
Wednesday’s reports claim that Inter could also use Frattesi to lower the asking price for Nottingham Forest’s Ndoye. The Premier League side have expressed an interest in the Italian midfielder, and Inter have had a long-term interest in the Switzerland international dating back to his time with Bologna.
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – AUGUST 05: Dan Ndoye of Nottingham Forest battles for possession with Domilson Dodo of Fiorentina during the pre-season friendly match between Nottingham Forest and ACF Fiorentina at City Ground on August 05, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Calciomercato reports that Frattesi is more keen on the idea of joining Juventus than Nottingham Forest, which makes the Cambiaso option slightly more feasible at this stage. Cambiaso is also of interest to both Barcelona and Como, though.
Elsewhere, there have also been suggestions that Fiorentina’s Dodo could be among the potential alternatives for the Nerazzurri this summer.
I’m aware that some very good sources have been reporting on Arsenal and their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, but it would be wise for some Gooners not to get their hopes up.
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Despite talk of Viktor Gyokeres potentially heading to Atletico Madrid as part of the deal to bring the Alvarez fee down, we’re currently a long, long way away from that sort of agreement.
Swap deals are rare in football and even if these two deals were negotiated separately, there are some important factors to consider here.
Alvarez has told his agent he only wants to join Barcelona. Perhaps things could change, but he’s not currently engaged in any kind of talks with Arsenal.
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta like Alvarez a lot, but the deal is likely to be unaffordable, and things won’t progress if the player isn’t that sold on joining.
One very reliable source was also surprised at the Gyokeres talk, saying quite firmly: “I don’t see Gyokeres leaving – he’s happy at Arsenal and they’re happy with him.”
Could Arsenal explore alternatives to Julian Alvarez?
I’m sure Alvarez is a signing Arsenal would love to do if possible, but for now the clear signal I’m getting is that it’s really unlikely. I will of course keep you posted if things change, but I understand work has been done on alternatives.
AFC have monitored Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi closely, so he could be another one to watch for the striker position, though an attacking midfielder like Morgan Rogers is more of a priority, with Bradley Barcola also being considered.
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I can also confirm that there’s no truth to the Mason Greenwood links. Arsenal do not have the former Manchester United forward on their list, even if he is expected to leave Marseille this summer.
If Greenwood does leave, he’ll most likely head to Italy, with Roma showing an interest alongside other Serie A clubs. Many people I’ve spoken to at Premier League clubs insist they won’t go anywhere near him, though.
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That’s according to BBC Sport, who state that the France international would likely command a fee of around £75m if he were to leave.
Man City are expected to announce former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca as their replacement for Pep Guardiola, so it could be that the Italian tactician will quickly be reunited with one of his former players in Gusto.
Gusto has mostly been a pretty solid performer for Chelsea, but if they were able to raise £75m from selling the 23-year-old then that would represent a significant profit and pretty smart business overall.
Chelsea can afford to take a gamble on Malo Gusto transfer
Even if Gusto leaving would be a bit of a blow, it seems CFC are preparing for this by targeting talented young Italian right-back Marco Palestra as his replacement.
Palestra has been strongly linked with Chelsea by the Athletic and others, and could even have the potential to be better than Gusto before too long.
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In the mean time, Chelsea also have Reece James for that position, so cashing in on Gusto might be worth it, even if there’s a risk that he goes on to enjoy his peak years for a major rival.
Man City looking for more specialist right-back?
City’s pursuit of Gusto is interesting as it suggests they’re keen to try something different in that position despite the fine form of Matheus Nunes.
According to Simon Phillips, this came due to Sporting asking Chelsea about Pedro Neto, who was a target for them, but who has no interest in the move.
So although any prospect of Neto joining Sporting seems to be off the table, it does at least mean that Chelsea used the opportunity to also hold talks over Araujo.
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Phillips states that this did lead to some positive conversations, so it will be interesting to see what this means for the Blues and a possible deal for the Uruguay international.
Araujo can play left-back or wing-back to a high standard, and even as a left-sided midfielder if need be, with the 24-year-old on a run of 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions for club and country this season.
Maxi Araujo looks a good fit for Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea
Araujo has impressed with Sporting and looks like the ideal candidate to come in and play wing-back in Xabi Alonso’s new-look Chelsea side next season.
Alonso is known for his use of three at the back and attack-minded wing-backs, with this tactical set-up delivering him a lot of success at former club Bayer Leverkusen.
It’s not a system we’ve seen a lot of in English football, but Chelsea could do well to adjust their playing style next season and make the kind of signings to fit that system.
Alonso will likely be keen on players like Araujo or similar, so it will be interesting to see if this particular deal ends up going anywhere more concrete.
Maxi Araujo to replace Marc Cucurella?
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CFC also need a signing at left-back anyway after the recent sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.
Some Chelsea fans will no doubt be disappointed by the decision to sell the Spain international after his strong form for the club last season, but perhaps they can actually do better in that position.
Cucurella had some issues with consistency during his time at Stamford Bridge, and Araujo is a younger player who arguably looks like he has a higher ceiling than Cucurella.
England head coach Brendon McCullum has firmly dismissed speculation of a rift with Test captain Ben Stokes, describing the reports as "baseless" and even "amusing" ahead of England's crucial third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Speaking in Nottingham after a lengthy face-to-face conversation with Stokes, McCullum stressed that both their personal friendship and professional partnership remain stronger than ever despite recent scrutiny surrounding the England camp. The former New Zealand captain revealed that he directly addressed the rumours with Stokes following a turbulent fortnight for English cricket.
"I said: 'Do you know where this has come from, the conversations around our relationship over the last six months?' He said: 'No, I have no idea.' I said to him: 'As far as I'm concerned, I consider you a good friend.'"
McCullum reiterated his unwavering support for Stokes, insisting that recent controversies have done little to alter the immense respect he holds for his captain.
"Everyone that has seen Ben over the course of his captaincy and worked intimately alongside him has an immense amount of respect for him, myself included. One blemish doesn't ruin all of that. It's just a slight blip, then you move on,'' McCullum ahead of the team's training session at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
He also highlighted that healthy debates are a natural part of any successful leadership partnership.
"There's going to be times where we discuss and debate things. We make decisions together, one will have to concede at times and vice versa. We are good friends, we work very well together. Ben and I are tight," McCullum added.
How the rift speculation began
Rumours of a growing divide between McCullum and Stokes emerged following a series of off-field and on-field developments. The biggest talking point was the one-match suspension handed to Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson after they breached a team curfew during a night out in London. The incident, which involved an altercation that led to an ECB security official being struck, resulted in both players missing the second Test at The Oval.
Focus shifts to Trent Bridge
With Stokes returning to captaincy duties, England will look to bounce back from a crushing 253-run defeat at The Oval and clinch the home series against New Zealand in the decisive third Test beginning on Thursday at Trent Bridge.
England Playing XI for Third Test vs New Zealand
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Liverpool and Newcastle could be on a collision course over two more players after Munoz hijack
Liverpool and Newcastle could potentially be on a collision course over two more wingers this summer, following on from the transfer of Victor Munoz to Anfield.
As detailed by Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, the Magpies had been on the verge of completing a deal to sign the Spain international, only for the Reds to make the most of an opportunity to swoop in and snap him up instead, with the move being officially confirmed last week.
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That dramatic plot twist followed on from the tempestuous transfer of Alexander Isak from St James’ Park to Anfield at the end of last summer, and the two Premier League sides could be set to do battle over a couple more players in the next few weeks.
Newcastle and Liverpool both eyeing the same two wingers
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are showing an interest in Said El Mala (Köln) and Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), two wingers for whom Liverpool are also ‘waiting in the wings’ if they fail in their pursuits of Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola.
Last week, Ben Jacobs named the first two of those players – along with Yankuba Minteh of Brighton – as ‘options’ being considered by FSG if they don’t manage to sign the RB Leipzig star, who’s currently their primary wide attacking target.
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Might one transfer influence the outcome of another?
The Newcastle-Liverpool ‘market rivalry’ of this summer feels reminiscent of 2023 when the Reds had heavily pursued Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo – even agreeing a £111m deal for the latter – only for Chelsea to sign both midfielders.
Between the nature of Isak’s exit from St James’ Park last year and the Merseysiders’ swoop for Munoz a few days ago, the Magpies’ hierarchy will surely be bristling at the thought of potentially missing out on LFC to El Mala and/or Fernandez-Pardo, both of whom can play on the left or through the middle.
Having signed Munoz already and reportedly agreed personal terms with Diomande, Liverpool might be content with their wide attacking business for the summer if they both come off, thus potentially leaving Newcastle a free run at El Mala and Fernandez-Pardo.
The transfer window domino effect could well swing into play here, with the outcome of one deal quite likely to influence the turn of events with another. The arms race for wide attacking additions at St James’ Park and Anfield is set to be compelling.
Day 14 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings a busy slate, with several teams closing out the group stage and three matches on tap.
Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on Boston 25 News with FIFA World Live, leading into a tripleheader of games.
The action kicks off at 3 p.m. with Switzerland taking on Canada. At 6 p.m., Scotland faces a tough test against Brazil. The nightcap features Czechia battling Mexico at 9 p.m.
Mexico has already secured enough points to advance to the knockout round, but the final matches will determine their positioning and which teams join them in advancing.
The next match at Boston Stadium in Foxborough is on Friday, when powerhouses Norway and France square off with Group I on the line.
HOLT – A year ago, Jeremy Fears Jr. skipped the start of the Moneyball Pro-Am league. And for good reason – he went to the NBA Draft to see his younger brother get taken in the first round.
On Tuesday, June 23, instead of going back to Brooklyn and waiting to hear his own name called, Fears was at Holt High scoring 26 points and helping his Team LAFCU to a thrilling 87-84 opening-night Moneyball victory. The Michigan State basketball All-American point guard lost a shoe and fell to the floor in the waning seconds as he delivered a pinpoint pass to Logan Blackledge, a Great Lakes Christian College player whose 3-pointer splashed through the net around the same time that NBA commissioner Adam Silver strode to the podium to kick off this year’s draft.
Fears pulled his name out of that same draft after going through workouts with eight NBA teams and getting plenty of positive feedback before deciding to return to East Lansing for his redshirt junior season.
“I really was trying to see what teams really were interested in me,” Fears said of his May 27 decision to return to MSU. “I was able to have eight workouts in like two weeks, which was a crazy stretch. But obviously, just my team here and the coaches here – the guys we have, we've got a good chance to do something special. So that was obviously a factor.
“And at the same time, why not do what you can do here and try to help yourself? And then hopefully, it’s that time again next year, and we can do something special.”
A long journey here
Time is essential for the 21-year-old Fears − in games on the court, but also in life. It wasn't long ago he had his sport taken away from him and his basketball future put in question.
Fears was shot in the upper left thigh in December 2023, which both ended his freshman season and forced the native of Joliet, Illinois, to spend a significant amount of time rebuilding his body and strength to where it was when he was playing for USA Basketball and becoming a McDonald’s All-American in high school. It was uncertain if he even would get back to being that same player who could thrive above and below the rim, but he rehabbed and pushed himself to get back on the court in time for Moneyball at the outset of the summer of 2024.
That winter, Fears played in all but one game in leading MSU to a Big Ten title and the Elite Eight in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Then last season, Fears emerged as a dynamic scorer and passer in earning first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American honors. The 6-foot, 196-pound point guard led the nation in assists (9.4) and ranked fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86) while leading the Spartans with 15.2 points and 32.5 minutes a game. He set MSU single-season records with 328 assists and his 9.4 per-game average.
Still, the 2026 Spartans fell short of repeating the success from the previous year. MSU tied for second during the Big Ten regular season behind eventual national champion Michigan and got knocked out of the NCAAs in the Sweet 16 by Connecticut, which went on to the Final Four.
Like many of Tom Izzo’s point guards before him, the all-consuming mission of getting to the Final Four and winning the Spartans’ third national title and Izzo’s second is Fears’ big motivation in returning.
“Year in, year out, we want to win a national championship. But at the same time, you've gotta work toward that,” Fears said. “You start working now in practice and lifts. We don’t put pressure on no one and nobody. At the end of the day, we’re doing something we love and we’re having fun.
“Our goal is to win games and then keep winning, keep winning, keep winning. And then eventually, when it’s that time, you do something special.”
Testing the waters
That individual growth – coupled with having seen his brother, Jeremiah, go to New Orleans as the No. 7 pick in last year’s draft – led Fears to submit his name for the NBA Draft on April 10 while retaining his collegiate eligibility. He returned to his home state for the NBA combine in early May and impressed scouts with his leadership and tenacity, then said he put together what he felt were six strong workouts in his quest to become a first-round pick.
New MSU center Anton Bonke, who also tested the draft waters before returning to college, worked out with Fears for the Milwaukee Bucks during the predraft process. The transfer big man said playing with Fears was a big reason why he picked MSU.
“I think Jeremy’s an incredible point guard. … I couldn’t wish for a better point guard,” Bonke said Tuesday. “They make the team better, not just big men. I watched Michigan State a lot during my recruiting process. I envisioned myself playing with him, and he was communicating with me, too. So we kind of figured it out together.”
After one final workout with the Dallas Mavericks in the final hours before he could withdraw from the draft, Fears said he felt after talking with his family that the best decision would be to return to MSU for at least one more season and work on solidifying himself as a first-round pick rather than a late-first-/early second-round selection.
“Going [into the draft evaluation process], I was for sure obviously 100% in,” Fears said. “Still to this day, my dream and my goal is to play professional basketball. I was able to play with the best and compete up against the best. And I think I belong, and I think I’m an NBA player. … But I’m glad to be back with the guys.”
Coen Carr, who arrived at MSU with Fears in the 2023 class, said he remained a confidante but let his friend go through the draft process without many basketball questions, and that he learned about his teammate’s decision to return “finding out when everybody else found out.”
“I told him before the combine, ‘Just shoot it with confidence and play your game,’” Carr said Tuesday. “So just keeping his head up, keeping his confidence there. But you know [Fears], he don’t really lose confidence.”
Elevating the game
While continuing to improve his jumper is one area Fears wants to work on, getting back his leaping ability after being shot also is a priority this offseason. On Tuesday at Moneyball, Fears took off running on a fastbreak without the ball. Jayce Branson of Henry Ford Community College led the transition and spotted Fears cutting toward the basket.
Fears elevated high off two feet and caught the lob midflight – much like the ones he’s become accustomed to throwing to fellow returning captain Carr – and threw down a thunderous two-handed alley-oop dunk, hanging and swinging on the rim in a moment of catharsis.
“Year 3 – three years since the [shooting] injury,” Fears said. “Now every year, you’ve been feeling better and better. So hopefully that’s the last step, the aspect of really getting the explosiveness 100% there and being able to have a consistent bounce all year, even when I’m tired. So it’s just exciting to still see that growing and still getting better. …
“Obviously I think it helped me just being able to be creative, to find different ways. Because I think in high school, a lot of my stuff was being explosive and making quick moves. So now, I’ve had a year or two of finding ways to be creative and get good shots and being poised in pace and change of speed. So just being able to have that and to be able to add the bounce, I feel like it’s God’s plan. Everything is coming together at the right time.”
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Manchester United line up £35m bid for Bundesliga defender
Manchester United are preparing a £35m move for Borussia Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton.
The Germany international has emerged as a target as Michael Carrick looks to add steel to his backline, with the head coach reportedly endorsing the pursuit personally.
The interest, first reported by The Mirror and Dortmund paper Ruhr Nachrichten, is rooted in injury concerns.
Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt both endured fitness-hit campaigns last season, and United harbour doubts over their long-term durability.
Manchester United line up £35m bid for Waldemar Anton
Anton fits the profile Carrick wants. The 29-year-old is an imposing, no-nonsense centre-back who can also cover right-back.
He is regarded as a quiet leader in Dortmund’s dressing room. He made 32 Bundesliga appearances and nine in the Champions League last term.
There are reasons for caution, though. United already field five senior centre-backs, including Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Several reports suggest a deal only makes sense if one of that group departs first. His age sits awkwardly with the club’s policy, too.
INEOS have largely targeted players aged 26 or under, making the 29-year-old an unusual choice. His leadership and Premier League readiness are seen as justification.
Dortmund will not make it easy. Anton is contracted until 2028 and is not pushing to leave, handing the German club a strong negotiating position.
A £35m fee would, however, represent a healthy profit on the £18m they paid Stuttgart in 2024. Anton may not be the only Dortmund player United chase.
Felix Nmecha, the former Manchester City academy graduate, is also admired, with a fee of around £52m mooted. Liverpool are credited with interest in the midfielder as well.
Any move for either is unlikely before the World Cup concludes. Anton is in action at the tournament, where strong displays could push his price higher still.
Aston Villa’s stance on Morgan Rogers transfer revealed
Aston Villa have moved to shut down the speculation surrounding key midfielder Morgan Rogers.
Sky Sports report that the club have no intention of selling the England international this summer, despite mounting interest in one of their prized assets.
The suitors are gathering. Arsenal are seen as the frontrunners, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain all monitoring the 23-year-old.
Rogers himself is thought to be open to a move to the Premier League champions.
Aston Villa’s stance on Morgan Rogers transfer revealed
Villa, though, are not playing ball. They are not encouraging offers and have pointedly declined to place any valuation on Rogers. That refusal is, in itself, a statement of how highly they rate him.
A figure of £80m had circulated earlier in the window. According to Sky, however, that was largely speculation, and no realistic sum would currently shift Villa’s stance.
Owner Nassef Sawiris is said to be ready to play hardball. The club’s position is underpinned by his contract.
Rogers is tied to Villa Park until 2031, leaving them under no pressure to cash in. That long-term security hands Unai Emery’s side total control of any negotiation.
His appeal is easy to understand. Since a £8m move from Middlesbrough in early 2024, Rogers has registered 31 goals and 29 assists in 125 appearances.
He can operate as a central attacking midfielder or off the left, a versatility that suits every club chasing him.
For Arsenal, the message is a tough one. Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta view Rogers as ideal for the left flank, particularly with the futures of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli uncertain.
Rogers is currently with England at the World Cup, where his profile has only risen further.
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🚨 HEADLINES
🎓 Landmark decision: The NCAA Division I Cabinet has unanimously approved an age-based, five-year eligibility model to replace the existing structure that has no age restrictions. The historic change, set to take effect in 2027, will see athletes' eligibility clocks start either when they enroll or after their 19th birthday (whichever comes first).
🏈 Sorsby saga update: The NFL delivered a scathing lesson in accountability on Tuesday by denying Brendan Sorsby's request to hold a Supplemental Draft. The 22-year-old, who admitted to betting on his own team and will no longer be playing for Texas Tech this fall, may still enter the standard 2027 NFL Draft.
🏀 Coaching carousel complete: The Trail Blazers have hired longtime Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach, filling the NBA's last remaining vacancy.
🏒 Ditto: The NHL's last remaining vacancy was also filled on Tuesday when the Oilers hired Mike Babcock, who last coached in the NHL in 2019.
⚾️ What a turnaround: The first-place White Sox improved to 41-37 with Tuesday's win over the Guardians, matching their entire win total from just two years ago when they set the modern MLB record for losses in a season (41-121).
BYU's AJ Dybantsa was selected No. 1 overall by the Wizards on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, where nearly every team earned top marks for their selections in the first round of an absolutely loaded NBA Draft.
Top 4: Any of these freshman uber-prospects could have reasonably gone No. 1 in most years, so Washington, Utah, Memphis and Chicago should all be thrilled with the young men who are about to join their ranks.
Dybantsa (Wizards): The 6-foot-9 athletic freak and scoring machine (he led the NCAA with 25.5 points per game last season) gives Washington someone who could become one of the NBA's most unstoppable shot-creators, and someone who should slot in nicely alongside veteran All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
Darryn Peterson (Jazz): The 6-foot-5 guard out of Kansas is a buttery-smooth scorer and dynamic playmaker who can shine with or without the ball, and his 6-foot-11 wingspan makes him a high-impact defender, to boot. Utah got a potential superstar as long as he can avoid the cramping issue that hindered his otherwise sensational season in Lawrence.
Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies): The most polished player in the class and reigning POY out of Duke made this an incredibly easy choice for Memphis, who get a 6-foot-8 forward that can score from the post with both footwork and power. Plus, second-generation players like him historically outperform their draft slot expectations by 26%.
Caleb Wilson (Bulls): The most gifted athlete in the draft class is 6-foot-9 with springs for legs, and when the North Carolina big is flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone. That sort of defensive anchor with offensive upside is exactly what the Bulls need in the frontcourt.
Next up: Those four freshman at the top were followed by four freshman guards who went in succession, as the Clippers got Illinois' Keaton Wagler, the Nets got Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr., the Kings got Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., and the Hawks got Houston's Kingston Flemings.
Consider this: 11 of the 14 lottery picks were freshmen, while the other three were transfers — all of whom won the national championship with Michigan. Morez Johnson Jr. went ninth to the Mavericks (where he'll reunite with Dusty May), Yaxel Lendeborg went 11th to the Warriors and Aday Mara went 12th to the Thunder.
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
The Swoosh strikes again: Dybantsa's selection made him the 12th Nike athlete in the last 20 years to go No. 1 overall, or 14th if you include the Nike-owned Jordan Brand. His addition adds young dynamism to an evolving men's basketball roster at Nike, where the future is in uncertain hands.
The top of the roster is aging, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant — on the 23rd and 19th iterations of their signature shoes, respectively — near the end of their playing careers.
Nike added reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a signature athlete last week, plucking him from Nike-owned Converse to fortify its collection of prime-aged players.
Ja Morant and Cade Cunningham headline the tier below SGA, but the former's play has taken a step back, while the latter's marketability remains a source of skepticism.
Further complicating matters? The presumed face of the next generation, Victor Wembanyama, is an impending sneaker free agent, per Shams Charania. Depending on the Frenchman's decision, Dybantsa could have size 22 shoes to fill.
⚽️ RONALDO JOINS THE PARTY
Siuuu. (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
With his fading abilities the subject of question marks and jeers, Cristiano Ronaldo had to watch as his chief rival chased and achieved tournament history through the World Cup's early stages. On Tuesday, the Portuguese icon made history of his own.
Two decorated decades: Ronaldo scored two first-half goals in Portugal's 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, adding to the parade of superstar braces that began on Monday.
His first, a characteristically clinical finish in the match's sixth minute, made him the first player to score in six World Cups — a feat that it's hard to imagine anyone ever matching (Lionel Messi was shut out in the 2010 edition).
His second, carefully slotted past the keeper in the 39th minute, made him the oldest player ever with a multi-goal game in the tournament (41 years, 138 days), breaking the record set by Messi twice in the past week (38 years, 363 days).
More from Tuesday: England and Ghana played to a scoreless draw as the Black Stars joined Mexico, Spain and Argentina as the only teams who have yet to allow a goal; Croatia dismissed Panama from the tournament in a nervy 1-0 win; Colombia booked their trip to the Round of 32, beating DR Congo 1-0.
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)
Where it stands: With every team having now played two of their three group stage games, the knockout round picture is beginning to come into focus.
Advanced: Mexico, United States, Germany, Argentina, France, Norway, Colombia
Eliminated: Haiti, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Panama
Everything to play for: 36 teams (75% of the field) still have hope of advancing out of the group stage. And though such widespread uncertainty at this juncture is nothing new, the heavy proportion of those teams who will eventually secure passage into the knockouts is.
In 2022, 27 of 32 teams (84%) came into Matchday No. 3 facing an uncertain outcome. However, only 13 of those nations (48%) would ultimately advance.
In this year's edition — where the top-eight third-place teams will advance alongside the top two teams in each group — those 36 teams are vying for 25 remaining positions, ensuring that more than two-thirds of them will fight on past the group stage.
What to watch: The group stage gets kicked up a notch beginning this afternoon, with six games per day until the preliminary round concludes on Saturday. With that in mind, here are five of the most important games to keep an eye on, headlined by Friday's dream matchup between Kylian Mbappé's France and Erling Haaland's Norway.
⛳️ THE PGA TOUR INTRODUCES PROMOTION AND RELEGATION
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp — set to take over as commissioner next year — in March before the Players Championship. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The PGA Tour unveiled a radical new competitive model on Tuesday, featuring a series of changes that will be more substantial than any in the Tour's half-century-long history.
Champions and Challengers: Beginning in 2028, the Tour will operate on two tracks — the Championship and Challenger Series — which will run concurrently from February through August and include a promotion/relegation system.
Championship: The top golfers' slate includes a baseline of 15 regular-season events, each with about 120 golfers, a 36-hole cut and at least a $20 million purse. Their remaining schedule is filled out with the four majors, The Players Championship, the playoffs and an annual international team event (Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup).
Challenger: Larger fields of about 144 golfers will compete in at least 20 events, each with a minimum purse of $4 million. Of note: The exact criteria for which players will slot into each Series has yet to be determined, but to be clear, this is distinct from the Korn Ferry Tour; these will be PGA Tour golfers.
Promotion/relegation: The top 20 players in the season-long Challenger standings will be promoted to the Championship, with immediate promotion available to anyone who wins either two events or a major. The top 90 Championship players (at least) will remain on that track, while the remaining ~40 will be eligible for relegation. In the fall, several "last-chance" events will give fringe players an opportunity to play their way into the Championship.
Plus: The postseason will be revamped to include match play, and will be contested across a rotation of courses. Further details will be revealed at the Tour Championship in August.
📺 WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
(Yahoo Sports)
⚽️ World Cup, Day 14
You thought four games a day was fun? Let's try six. First up is Canada vs. Switzerland in Vancouver (3pm ET, Fox) and Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar in Seattle (3pm, FS1). Then it's Scotland vs. Brazil in Miami (6pm, Fox) and Morocco vs. Haiti in Atlanta (6pm, FS1) followed by Mexico vs. Czechia in Mexico City (9pm, Fox) and South Korea vs. South Africa in Guadalupe (9pm, FS1).
Host nation bump: Mexico has already clinched Group A, while Canada has all but assured its first-ever trip to the World Cup knockout round. They'll clinch Group B with either a win or draw against the Swiss.
🏀 NBA Draft, Day 2
30 more prospects will be selected tonight in Brooklyn (8pm, ESPN) on the second and final day of the NBA Draft.
Still on the board: Meleek Thomas (Arkansas), Henri Veesaar (UNC), Richie Saunders (BYU) and Isaiah Evans (Duke) headline our best players still available.
More to watch:
⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Tigers (6:40pm Prime) … Tarik Skubal makes his third start since returning (incredibly quickly) from a groundbreaking new procedure to remove bone chips from his elbow.
🏀 WNBA: Mercury at Fever (7:30pm, USA); Dream at Valkyries (10pm, USA) … Five of the top 11 scorers take the floor in Indiana's Caitlin Clark (21.3) and Kelsey Mitchell (20.9), Atlanta's Allisha Gray (19.5) and Rhyne Howard (19.1) and Phoenix's Kahleah Copper (19.2).
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
🏈 NFL TRIVIA
A portrait of the Oorang Indians, one of 18 teams to play in the 1922 NFL season. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images)
104 years ago today, the NFL got its modern name, rebranding to the National Football League before its third season kicked off in the fall of 1922.
Question: What was the league's original name from its founding in 1920?
A) American League of Professional Football
B) American Professional Football Association
C) All-America Football Conference
D) Association of Professional Football
Answer at the bottom.
📣 LAUNCH DAY IS HERE!
Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich, launches today!
What to expect: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Dylan and the rest of our growing newsletter team will break down the deals, dollars and decisions shaping your favorite sports.
Trivia answer: B) American Professional Football Association
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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Josh Hokit walks to the Octagon in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Josh Hokit’s star continues to rise in the UFC despite all the horrible things he says … or perhaps in large part because of it. There hasn’t been a fight in the promotion involving “The Incredible Hok” where he hasn’t said some truly heinous stuff, yet he keeps winning and moving up. Even after his UFC White House victory speech ended with him declaring “Michelle Obama is a man,” it looks like like there’ll be no backlash towards the heavyweight.
Instead, he could be rewarded with more quick turnarounds and maybe even a title fight. In a new episode of The Ariel Helwani show, Hokit said another fight in 2026 was likely.
“I would say so,” he said. “I might even fight two times. I think there’s news on the horizon … There’s a great chance [I fight for the title this year]. I said on the Contender Series, I said in two years, I’d be champion or fight for the title at least. Two years. And yeah. This is what happens when you express some courage and then you back it up.”
Hokit’s comments about former U.S. president Obama’s wife are still making waves across the political news landscape. We’re sure a fight announcement would further enrage his critics, and that may be what’s coming.
“It might be quicker than people would like,” Hokit said of his return to the cage, before suggesting his antics are the reason he’s set to make more money than ever in his career. “I got seven figures in seven months. Just put it like that. By the end of the year, this might be a three to four million dollar year.”
As for the Michelle Obama comment, he claimed it was all just a very public expression of his first amendment rights.
“I thought it was a perfect opportunity to show the world how great this country is with the freedom of speech, you know?” Hokit said. “You go somewhere [else] and say something like that, and you die. You know?”
Josh Hokit says another quick turnaround could be in the cards 👀
"I might even fight two times by the end of the year… I think there's news on the horizon. Possibly, [I have a date].
This is what happens when you express some courage and then you back it up… It might be… pic.twitter.com/eDlcXTEjyX
And while UFC CEO Dana White has publicly denounced Hokit for his comments, the fighter says he was never contacted by his bosses over the incident.
“I’m not trying to piss off Dana Whites and Hunter Campbells and the like,” he said. “But they would also message me if they really felt a certain way. They could comment and stuff like that. If they really felt a type of way, they would message me.”
“But at the end of the day, all the other people? They weren’t there when I was down. They weren’t there when I was broken. And so I couldn’t care less what anybody thinks. I’m here to make a splash, and I’m here to back up my words as well. And so if anybody feels some type of way, they know where to find me.”
Naturally, that created some buzz. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury slowed his progress during offseason workouts. That limited the amount of time Eagles fans could watch him operate on the practice field. Fortunately, there's no reason to panic. Philadelphia made the smart decision by exercising patience. The expectation remains that Lemon will be ready to go when training camp opens in late July.
Once that happens, the conversation will shift from recovery to production. So, with all the appropriate disclaimers attached, here are four early predictions for Lemon's rookie campaign. Some are bold. Some are more reasonable.
A full 17 games played and 17 starts
Let's begin with the obvious. Forget the hamstring issue. At least for now, it feels more like an unfortunate offseason speed bump than the beginning of a trend. Every player deals with something over the course of an NFL season. Staying completely healthy is nearly impossible. The goal is simply avoiding major setbacks.
The Eagles didn't trade up to draft Lemon so he could spend Sundays watching from the sideline. Philadelphia expects him to play. More importantly, Philadelphia expects him to start. That's why the prediction here is straightforward: 17 games played and 17 starts.
The Eagles' third-highest reception total
Let's make another prediction while we're here. DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles in receptions. That shouldn't surprise anyone. Smith feels destined for another monster season and could realistically challenge the 90-catch plateau.
Dallas Goedert checks in second. His chemistry with Jalen Hurts remains undeniable, and he should continue serving as one of the offense's most trusted targets.
That leaves Lemon. The rookie should settle comfortably into third place. Let's call it four catches per game on average. Over a 17-game season, that lands him around 68 receptions, which would qualify as an outstanding rookie campaign.
Five to seven touchdown receptions
Predicting touchdowns is always tricky. One tipped pass. One missed tackle. One goal-line decision can dramatically alter the final number. Still, Lemon's skill set should translate well near the end zone. His route-running precision creates separation, and his toughness allows him to win in contested situations.
Assuming he establishes a strong rapport with Hurts early, reaching five touchdown receptions feels realistic. Would seven be surprising? It shouldn't be. In fact, the prediction here falls somewhere between 5 and 7 scores.
A new Eagles rookie receiving record
Now for the boldest prediction of all. In 2021, DeVonta Smith set the Eagles' rookie receiving record with 916 yards. Four years later, that mark could fall. Think about it. Hurts is a better quarterback today than he was during Smith's rookie season. The Eagles' offense is more established. There is also a significant amount of production available following A.J. Brown's departure. Someone must absorb those targets. Why not Lemon? The prediction here is 1,000 receiving yards, making him the first rookie in franchise history to reach that milestone.
Would he need a meaningful Week 18 appearance to get there? It's possible. Would Nick Sirianni give him that opportunity if the record were within reach? That's another conversation entirely. For now, let's simply state the following.
The Eagles drafted Lemon because they believe he's special. If these predictions come close to becoming reality, Eagles fans may discover that belief was justified much sooner than expected.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Shane Lowry remembers when his dad started to struggle with joint pain in his knees and hip, including when they played golf at their home club in Ireland.
Lowry’s father, Brendan, was a Gaelic football hero for the Offaly County senior team for more than a decade as a left corner-forward and scored three points in the final when his team won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1982. But the rough and tumble sport also took its toll on his body.
“We did some research on what we needed to do going forward and that’s when we first introduced to Stryker products,” Lowry said Tuesday. “He had his hip replaced 12 years ago and knee replaced three years ago.”
It makes for a fitting back story as to why Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, announced a new partnership with Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion on Wednesday at the Travelers Championship, naming him a sponsored brand ambassador for its Joint Replacement division. Lowry will sport the company’s logo on his golf bag beginning this week.
Through this collaboration, Lowry will share his deeply personal story, highlighting the critical role caregivers play in supporting loved ones through joint pain, surgery and recovery.
As a caregiver to his father, Lowry brings a unique perspective, having seen firsthand the impact joint pain has on both patients and their families. Research shows that support from family and caregivers can positively impact recovery and outcomes.
“Watching my dad in pain because of his hip and knee was as hard as anything I’ve come across on the course. As a caregiver, you want to help, but it’s not always clear where to start,” Lowry said. “I’ve learned that asking the right questions, finding the right doctor and simply being there along the way can make a big difference. I didn’t realize at the time how many Stryker technologies are out there to support those who suffer from joint pain, and I’m proud to now be partnering with a company helping people to keep moving forward. I hope sharing my story encourages others to take that first step with a loved one.”
Brendan attends about 10-12 tournaments per year, walking all 18 holes in support of his son and was at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, last week rooting him on. “He lives for watching me play golf and hanging with his grandkids,” Shane said. “That’s his life at the minute, and it’s great for him to be fit and healthy.”
Together with Stryker, Lowry will help raise awareness of the experience someone struggling with joint pain may go through and empower caregivers to take an active role throughout their loved one’s journey, from education to recovery.
“We know joint replacement is more than surgery — it’s a personal journey that affects both patients and the people who support them every step of the way,” said Katherine Truppi, president of Stryker’s Joint Replacement division. “As we continue to move lives, we also value the essential and often underrecognized role caregivers play in helping loved ones navigate treatment decisions and recovery. Shane’s story brings that perspective to life in an authentic and meaningful way that we hope can help more people.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
The San Francisco 49ers are looking into relocating their practice facility. And, in a surprisingly ironic way, it has nothing to do with electrical substation theories.
49ers CEO Al Guido revealed in an interview with The Athletic's Vic Tafur that the organization is exploring a possible nearby move of its practice facility after spending money on an updated weight room as well as hydrotherapy. The reason, per Tafur, is that the 49ers "are running out of space at and next to Levi’s Stadium.
The timing will inevitably invite speculation, given how loud the conversation around the team's current home has gotten over the past couple of years. The 49ers have been based at their Santa Clara facility since 1988, with Levi's Stadium opening next door in 2014. In recent seasons, a viral theory spread online suggesting that a nearby electrical substation is responsible for the team's persistent injury problems, which have ranked among the worst in the NFL over that stretch.
The theory gained enough traction that it stopped being a fringe internet rumor and started becoming a legitimate organizational headache. Players noticed. Fans noticed. And eventually, the front office had to respond.
General manager John Lynch addressed the substation theory directly earlier this year, revealing the organization retained a scientist with more than four decades of experience studying electromagnetic fields. The findings offered no support for the theory.
"We're safe," Lynch said. "We're in a safe place of work, the levels I think I read in (the report) are 400 times less than unsafe zones. So it's a normal place of work, it's a normal gym. We are safe, we're healthy and we feel really good about that."
Whether or not the substation played any role in San Francisco's mounting injury toll isn't really provable, one way or another. A rival executive believes the 49ers' injury concerns are simply because of the players they bring into the organization. But the theory was sticky enough that it won't die quietly, regardless of what any report says.
That's part of what makes a potential facility move so interesting. On paper, the team has outgrown its current location and needs more space. In practice, relocating would carry a secondary benefit of finally ending the substation theory, even if it's true.
No timeline for any move has been reported, and the comments suggest it remains in the early exploration phase. But for a franchise that has spent the better part of two years fielding questions about power lines and player health, a fresh address might be as much about optics as square footage.
The Jets have especially struggled in high-stakes situations, and that includes on fourth downs.
Pro Football Focus recently examined advanced data regarding fourth downs over the previous five seasons (2021-25). What they found about the New York Jets won't surprise this fanbase. It's an area new offensive coordinator Frank Reich has to improve in 2026.
The Jets have the fourth-lowest conversion rate on fourth down, according to PFF's data. From 2021-2025, the Jets have only converted 47.8% of their fourth-down attempts. Only the Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers have been worse.
The Jets have a new-look offense. Not only is Reich a first-year play caller. Geno Smith is the new starting quarterback, and the 2026 NFL draft added Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq to the supporting cast of Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Adonai Mitchell.
Smith has been among the more aggressive starting quarterbacks in recent NFL history. Will his gunslinging mentality impact the Jets' approach on fourth downs? If the Jets do attempt more fourth-down conversions, Coach Reich will be tasked with overseeing a far better success rate than what 2021-25 produced.
Lewis Neilson has the "raw material" to flourish at Falkirk, says John McGlynn, as the centre-back makes a permanent switch following his Hearts exit.
The defender, 23, has signed a two-year contract after making 24 appearances on loan last season at the Bairns, who finished sixth on their Premiership return.
Neilson also top-flight experience from spells with St Johnstone and Dundee United.
"At 23, he's the perfect age, and we know he has a little bit of improving to do, but the raw material is there," said manager McGlynn.
"He's one of the quickest centre-backs I've ever worked with and he's good on the ball. There's still some fine-tuning to be done with Lewis but, overall, he's a very good professional and he's a joy to work with.
"He's got a good career ahead of him and we want to try and make the most of that and get him playing at the top of his game, which is something we're looking forward to."
Barcelona’s plans for highly anticipated 2026/27 home kit launch – report
Barcelona are preparing to officially reveal their new home kit for the 2026/27 season, with the club planning a special launch event in one of the city’s most iconic cultural locations.
The Barcelona 2026/27 home kit has already generated significant excitement among fans following a series of leaks in recent weeks.
Now, the club is ready to present the shirt officially, with the launch expected to take place on June 30, reports Mundo Deportivo.
Inspired by elements of the ongoing Spotify Camp Nou transformation, the new Barcelona home shirt aims to blend the club’s traditional colours with a modern design concept that shows the future of the Blaugrana.
Barcelona to unveil the kit at iconic city landmark
According to the latest information, Barcelona have chosen the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) as the venue for the official presentation of the new Barcelona home kit.
Located in the heart of the city, MACBA is one of Barcelona’s most recognisable cultural landmarks and has become closely associated with the city’s modern image.
By staging the event there, Barcelona are hoping to connect the new shirt with both the club’s heritage and the city’s artistic identity.
The official presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, while the Barcelona 2026/27 home jersey is expected to become available for purchase from July 1.
Supporters, club members and collectors will therefore not have to wait long before getting their hands on the new Nike design.
Kit takes inspiration from Spotify Camp Nou
Barcelona’s new kit will be inspired by Camp Nou exterior. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
One of the most interesting aspects of the new Barcelona kit is the inspiration behind its design.
The club’s new jersey draws influence from the decorative panels currently being installed on the exterior of Spotify Camp Nou as part of the stadium’s ongoing redevelopment project.
Leaked images of the Barcelona home shirt suggest the traditional Blaugrana colours remain at the heart of the design, although several different shades of blue and garnet have been incorporated to create a more modern visual effect.
The result is a shirt that seeks to link Barcelona’s future home with the team’s identity on the pitch.
TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: SS Lazio President Claudio Lotito prior the Serie A match between Juventus FC at the Juventus stadium on February 08, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
This is considered to be a landmark case in the world of women’s football, and Lazio will therefore have an unfortunate place in the history books.
Gothberg had disclosed her pregnancy in the summer of 2024 and Lazio had negotiated a new contract with her for the 2024-25 season, but it was never signed.
She argued this was because the club backed out due to her pregnancy, and the CAS agreed with them today.
Lazio defeated in landmark case
ROME, ITALY – MAY 13: SS Lazio fans during the Coppa Italia Final match with FC Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico on May 13, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
The 28-year-old had been expected in Rome on July 18 for routine medical tests and pre-season training, but did not travel on the precise date due to nausea, fatigue and vomiting.
Lazio claimed that her failure to travel meant that she had withdrawn from the proposed contract.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected their argument that Gothberg’s agent had been in talks with Parma, showing messages telling the Stadio Tardini side that they were not available for transfer.
It was therefore considered to be a binding contract in existence before the pregnancy was disclosed.
FIFPro, the union for all professional football players, said this “groundbreaking” ruling “establishes an important precedent around the confidentiality of pregnancy-related medical information.”
It was the first time ever that the CAS had awarded compensation to a player for unlawfully ending an employment relationship due to pregnancy.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 23: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates his goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match between Portugal and Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Houston, United States. (Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The FIFA World Cup has not stopped short of entertainment as more underdog sides continued to put up brave fights in the group stage. The results rarely reflect the flow of the games involved as this tournament has its way of bringing out the best from the rest when the moment matters.
Longevity is overrated. Just presence alone can often ask the question, what is the output of an important position being taken by a veteran partly due to their legacy and aura? Longevity seems overburdening when the choice is between the country and a name. Especially when the name has brought a lot of glory and is not willing to retire.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the two biggest names in football in modern times. Lionel Messi is his partner rather than rival in the battle against age in the beautiful game. At 41 and 39 respectively, both legends are well past the usual expiry date for attacking footballers in a tournament as big as the FIFA World Cup.
Coming from Portugal and Argentina, their nations are brimming with younger talents who can play in their positions. But, these legends just proved to the world that their presence always comes with impact. And in a game that rewards moments over dominance, impact always trumps longevity.
MD 13 had brilliant moments that saw one game full of goals and the others with very few. The excitement and the tension however, were full to the brim in every single game.
Portugal bounced back with a blistering 5-0 win over Uzbekistan
The white wolves took on a hungry Portuguese side in the first Group K match of the matchday. The gap in quality, technical ability and big names between the two sides was too wide on paper. The Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro aimed to bridged this gap with tactics, disciplined marking and hounding after half chances like nothing else mattered. And his team gave him exactly that. But, the gap could not be bridged.
Portugal proved to be just too good for its opposition. Against DR Congo, the team movement was lethargic and lacked chemistry to break the defense. However, the second game saw a completely different side of Roberto Martinez’s men. They moved liked they meant every pass and willed every movement aimed to score a goal. The exceptional technical ability was fused with total domination of space during attacks. This forced mistakes and technical fouls from the opposition to prevent getting overwhelmed. The mistakes and fouls were converted into goals by Portugal’s skill and guile.
Ronaldo’s strikes were impeccably perfect. The first, a volley at short range saw him deflect a knee height ball. The acrobatic leaning angle turned a powerful cross from Cancelo into a missile that Nemetov had no chance of stopping. The second goal was a vintage CR7 goal. Beating his markers for pace and laser guiding the shot into the far corner from the tightest of angles.
Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix, João Cancelo, Vitinha. The list of names goes on. Against Uzbekistan, they showed what can become of this list. If they can continue, then this Portugal is the darkhorse of the tournament.
Ghana was immovable in the face of England
Despite heavily dominating the ball, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad was left frustrated by a resilient Ghanaian defense. So meaningless was the possession of England that they have set a new record. Their 79 percent possession against Ghana is the highest without a goal in 60 years at the World Cup.
The shot accuracy was wayward with only 3 of 19 shots from Tuchel’s men were on target. Ghana on the other hand did much better with a 50 percent accuracy of their two shots taken. Ghana’s marking was as precise as it was rigid. Facing against a wildly precise England side, they did not let lanes open up. England were forced to make a majority of their shots from within the box.
The Ghanians were happy to absorb all the efforts of the English side. 22 tackles, 8 interceptions and 39 clearances coupled with 24 long balls is a clear reflection of their strategy to react to England’s mistakes and find an opening.
England almost were done in by one of the long balls that saw Prince Adu run away with space and take a dangerous lead but for a last moment tackle. It was a frustrating game in Group L that got chaotic but ended up scoreless.
Croatia waded their way through Panama with a slim lead
Croatia needed to win against Panama to survive in Group L. Having lost the first game to England, they were in a dangerous position in the group with both Ghana and England ahead with three points. Panama proved to be a surprisingly difficult opponent that needed a lot of work to understand and create any opportunity.
Lacking the blistering pace of attackers across the lineup, Croatia relied more on tactical movement to open up spaces. The xG 1.65 was a fair reflection of Modric and co.’s outing. A 34-year-old Ante Budemir slotted home the only goal as Bayern Munich’s Josip Stanišić played a sensational ball that beat three opponents before reaching the striker. Budemir held his composure to get a cool finish for his nation.
Marco Pašalić had a great chance that but was rushed into making a decision by the Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera, who ultimately prevented the goal with a great save.
The Croatians could have done better had they managed to push the opposition more into their own half. Kudos to Panama to put up a stiff resistance. They matched the opposition’s and made 62 passes in the final third. This was just 10 short of Croatia’s final third passes. It captures presence and movement in the opposition’s own third. Zlako Dalić will need to do more as keeping up with some of the teams in the World Cup will need more than just grinding out low scoring results.
Colombia threw everything and the kitchen sink at DR Congo
This was the most entertaining 1-0 victory of MD 13. Colombia are a great side and it is always a lot of fun to watch them play. They are probably one of the few teams who are not winning the World Cup on paper, but always play their hearts out. It is very rare that any player on their sheet to have a bad game. Everybody is doing something and are always in the action somehow.
Coming up against DR Congo in Group K’s second game, this was the unstoppable force coming up against the immovable object. The Congo side is so well structured, it is a phenomenon of this tournament. They have not cracked open at the back they maintain an incredible press and marking tactic that needs constant micro movements and adjustments. Colombia were always outnumbered in any active zone of the pitch other than their own third. Such was DRC’s sheer dominance by numbers.
Colombia did create chances even against an opposition that always had an advantage in numbers. This is thanks to the rare combination of magical flair and unyielding work ethic. However, the chances that cameby were not easy tap-ins. The Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was a master in making every shot seem very inconvenient for Colombia. He made a total of eight saves and has kept the game to just 1-0.
Luis Diaz missed out narrowly due to the brilliance Mpasi. Diaz was perhaps one of the few players who could temporarily break free from his marker and create a tiny pocket of time before being hounded back. Nonetheless, the goal to give Los Cafeteros the three points came from Daniel Muñoz.
Juan Quintero, a player who mixes the number 8 and number 10 role all into one found an impossible through ball between two charging defenders at the edge of the box. Muñoz redemeed his earlier missed chances with a gorgeous finish that finally beat Mpasi legally.
Both these teams will bother every opponent they face in a way that no else can. Portugal and Ronaldo will face a stiff test against Luis Diaz and Colombia. And DRC could genuinely make it to the knockouts and can deliver a shocking knockout in the playoffs!
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding stands on the field during warmups before the CFP Fiesta Bowl at the State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
One of the top players in the Magnolia State will be staying in Mississippi as four star defensive lineman Mitchell Turner committed to Ole Miss over Texas, LSU and Alabama on Tuesday.
Turner stands at 6’3″ weighing 285 lbs. out of Louisville, Miss. is ranked number one, two or three in the state depending on which recruiting site you visit. He is also a consensus top five defensive lineman nationally, so Turner had his pick of almost anywhere in the country to play college football.
He reportedly visited Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas and Mississippi State in the last month before announcing his commitment on Tuesday. With a No. 64 national ranking overall, he becomes the highest ranked recruit in the Ole Miss class of 2027 and the eleventh four star prospect.
BREAKING: Elite 2027 DL Mitchell Turner has Committed to Ole Miss, he tells me for @Rivals
The 6’3 280 DL chose the Rebels over Texas, Alabama, and LSU
You gotta love a young man who includes his mom in his commitment graphic. Class act move.
Head coach Pete Golding and his staff have made the Magnolia state a priority clearly in this recruiting cycle as the first year head coach is not new to the recruiting game. Turner and fellow commit Ben’Jarvius Shumaker are two of the top players in Mississippi with plans to play for the Rebels, and two of the top four recruits in the state, Caden Moss and Antonio Berry, are trending toward a future in Oxford as well.
Turner’s commitment is a massive deal for Ole Miss as Louisville is typically Miss. St. stomping grounds for recruiting with its close proximity. It seemed it was going to be hard for another school to come in and move him to another state however.
With this latest commitment, Ole Miss is now No. 17 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC in recruiting for the class of 2027 with some time to continue to work. The defensive line this staff is putting together, however, will be one of the most talented and complete Ole Miss has seen in years. It’s clear Golding wants to get players who can control the line of scrimmage first and foremost and then build from there.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectUSA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Only three NHL centers have scored 30 or goals in each of the last five seasons. One of them is Detroit’s Dylan Larkin. The other two are Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon.
Auston Matthews’ streak of nine seasons in row was stopped by an injury-plagued 27-goal season in 2025-26. Connor McDavid finished with 26 goals in 67 games in 2024-25. Sidney Crosby finished with 29 goals last season mostly because he dealt with injuries.
This is not to suggest that Larkin is an equal to the aforementioned players. He is not. The presentation of this statistic is to point out Larkin’s production and value is such that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is entitled to take his time in the name of making the best possible deal.
This is not the kind of deal where you take what you can get and move on.
Yzerman needs to get a center in the deal and needs to land a prospect or younger player with at least the potential to be as productive as Larkin. Maybe that’s the same person, maybe that’s multiple players.
The Minnesota Wild didn’t have those players to offer. The Florida Panthers have no desire to give up younger center Anton Lundell. Some fans thought there might be a fit in Vegas with Tomas Hertl coming back but he has a modified no-trade list. We are told he doesn’t want to come to Detroit. (Plus, he will be 33 next season). The Dallas Stars need time to figure out what they are going to do with Jason Robertson.
Larkin has a no-trade clause, and he has given Detroit only a small number of teams to approach about a deal.
This could take a while. Patience is a strategy.
This is not a deal where Yzerman should pull the trigger for multiple first round picks that are going to be outside the first 15 picks of the first round. History shows that first round picks beyond No. 15 are roughly a 50-50 proposition of even receiving a player who plays 300 NHL games. Some draft years, it’s closer to a 40% chance.
When you trade a player of Larkin’s caliber, you have to get someone in return that you can count on. That’s why Yzerman is prepared to wait.
The Red Wings are saying goodbye to Traverse City. Training camp and the rookie tournament will be at Little Caesars Arena.
Hockey insider says Larkin would like to go to the Dallas Stars.
Red Wings Extra
Tankathon.com’s Mock Draft has Michigan center Adam Valentini available to the Red Wings at No. 47, but has Detroit drafting Calgary (Western Hockey League) defenseman Ben Macbeath (seven goals,). He’s committed to Denver.
Hockey Now Digest
Florida: Brady Tkachuk made the deal happen by saying he would only go to the Florida Panthers.
New Jersey: NJHN offers that the return of the Simon Nemec “weaponizes” the New Jersey Devils
Pittsburgh: Former Penguins player Pascal Dupuis is back in the NHL as director of player development for the New York Islanders. Pittsburgh Penguins.
San Jose: It seems like the Sharks’ acquisition of the No. 9 is setting up a larger deal for a bigger star. San Jose Sharks.
Edwards is happy in Minnesota. Despite his global reach as one of the most popular young players in the league, a signature pitchman for Adidas, Sprite and more, and his supporting role in Adam Sandler’s move “Hustle,” Edwards enjoys relative solitude here. He likes to go to work and then return to his home with his family and friends unbothered, and that is exactly what he is allowed to do.
If this incarnation of the US men’s national team has demonstrated anything, it’s that the unusual variety of paths its players have taken to get there is an asset.Photograph: John Dorton/USSF
In 1993, the United States Soccer Federation handed a contract to Rinus Michels. But the Dutch godfather of Total Football, operationalized through his on-field avatar Johan Cruyff, was not hired to coach the national team, or to coach anybody, really.
By this time, Michels, who managed the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League in 1979 and 1980, had already turned down the chance to manage the US men’s national team twice. Once, in 1983, when it would be entered, disastrously, into the NASL as Team America. And once more in 1991, when Bora Milutinović was appointed instead.
The federation’s general secretary Hank Steinbrecher had something else in mind now.
He dispatched Michels, accompanied by his wife, on a three-month-long tour of the United States. Then, one of the sport’s leading minds was to report back on what he found. “He said, ‘Well, Hank, you have a problem. You are a continent; you are not a country,’” the late Steinbrecher recalled when I spoke to him for my book on the USMNT’s history. “‘The football you play in Los Angeles is very different from the football you have to play in Maine, because of your climatic conditions. The football you play in Chicago is very different from Miami.’ He was crystal clear.”
Michels also pointed out that the Dutch federation – whose national team he had coached four times, taking Oranje to the 1974 World Cup final and lifting the 1988 European Championship – had a unified playing and coaching methodology that ran all the way down to the grassroots game.
The Michels report, which seems to have been lost to time, was followed by one written up by the Portuguese journeyman coach Carlos Queiroz, who laid out a blueprint for implementing just such a national philosophy. The key, Queiroz argued, was to build a national training center as an incubator of national soccer talent and thought, followed by regional ones. This insight begat Project 2010, which impounded the under-17 men’s national team in a full-time residency in Bradenton, Florida, in early 1999. The Bradenton camp ran for 18 years and yielded 33 senior national team players – powering the rise of the USMNT in the early 2000s and supplying the current core of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, too – an extraordinarily high success rate when compared to other such national talent factories.
Michels was right that developing talent in such a vast country would require a modicum of ideological coherence. But he was wrong in diagnosing this regional diversity as an issue.
If this incarnation of the United States men’s national team, this joyous bouillabaisse of accents and backgrounds and origin stories, has demonstrated anything, it’s that the unusual variety of paths its players have taken to get there is an asset.
For decades, there were hardly any routes into pro soccer north of the border with Mexico. In the vacuum, a tangle of pro leagues and semi-pro leagues and college circuits filled the space, flourishing or failing and sometimes doing both, in rapid succession. Sitting loosely underneath this ragged landscape emerged an equally chaotic youth game that was eventually captured by commercialism.
It all made for a senior national team that’s as varied as the regions and realities they emerged from.
Some members of this team passed through college soccer – briefly in some cases, like in goalkeeper Matt Freese’s, or for all four years like his positional rival, Matt Turner. Freese for personal reasons, because it was expected in his family. Turner because he wasn’t remotely ready for the next level and simply needed more time to mature, to develop with players his own age, but at a competitive level. There’s a plausible school of thought that credits the longevity of the 38-year-old USMNT captain and starting center-back Tim Ream to the four years he spent in college. Had he been a pro for those years, the thinking goes, his body would have broken down sooner. But the schedule in the collegiate game, which essentially amounts to that of an unpaid, part-time pro, allowed him to improve and fill out.
It wouldn’t have made sense for Christian Pulisic to play college soccer, as evidenced by the fact that he was playing in Borussia Dortmund’s first team by the time he was 17. Gio Reyna did the same at an even younger age. But that alternative simply didn’t exist a generation earlier. Tab Ramos, a peer and USMNT teammate of Gio’s father Claudio Reyna, once said that when he emerged from college soccer at North Carolina State the exact same player he had entered it as. It’s just that he had no choice. The New York Cosmos drafted him out of high school, only for the North American Soccer League to crumble.
Tim Weah and Weston McKennie made their competitive debuts with Paris Saint-Germain and Schalke 04, respectively, at age 18.
Others went pro as teenagers but stayed stateside. Joe Scally signed with New York City FC at age 15, just as Ricardo Pepi did with FC Dallas; Tyler Adams with the New York Red Bulls at 16; Alex Freeman with Orlando City at 17; two days before his 18th birthday, Auston Trusty signed with the Philadelphia Union, which also developed Brenden Aaronson. Haji Wright spent time as a teenager with the reincarnated Cosmos, then a minor league team, before heading to Schalke.
For as long as the USMNT has existed, it has benefited from, and actively cultivated, the talent that washed on our shores with each wave of immigration. But it has profited, too, from the prolific siring of European-born children by our armed forces stationed abroad. Dozens of such players, the product of some kind of alchemy between nature and nurture, have fallen into the laps of the USMNT and its coaches. This team is no different, gaining Sergiño Dest via the Netherlands and Malik Tillman from Germany, both of them born to American servicemen fathers. Antonee Robinson was born to an American father in England, albeit one who worked in IT.
And then there is the delightful upshot of birthright citizenship, which brought Folarin Balogun to the team quite by accident – his mother had planned to return to England before having her baby, only to be told by the airline that she was too close to her due date to do so safely. Yunus Musah, who was on the 2022 World Cup team, happened to the USMNT program in much the same way. And so, it appears, did Johnny Cardoso – who missed this World Cup through injury – whose Brazilian parents had him in New Jersey before moving back home a few months later.
The combination of having both college soccer and MLS academies, a tangle of minor leagues, and some combination of all of the above is often dismissed as untidy and inefficient. This magnificent mess is seen as a weakness, an anachronism, as a sign that something is still amiss with our structure. But it’s worth wondering if efficiency is really the objective here. Is more soccer not by definition better? With more pipelines open, more players are likely to emerge, all in their own time and on their own journey.
After all, we do not offer the same chances to every community – in soccer as in all other things. Our elite youth system in the United States caters almost exclusively to the upper-middle class, yet we have produced a senior national men’s team that defies this structure and these strictures. The fact of this team’s delightful diversity made a mockery of the Department of Homeland Security’s hateful “OUR SOIL” social media post ahead of the USMNT’s 2-0 victory over Australia on Friday. The Trump administration, after all, is doing its utmost to rid the nation of birthright citizenship.
In whatever manner they made it to the national team, what counts is that these players got there in the end and formed the most talented and pedigreed version of this team. This team reflects a nation that offers a bit of everything, and a bit of everyone, because there are lots of ways of getting to it. Yet the men’s soccer team that represents this nation is defiantly diverse, in every way, and all the better for it.
The US soccer system has a diversity problem; the 2026 US men’s national team doesn’t.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University.
There are many paths to immortality in sport. Winning a race is one of them. But rolling a scooter into a peloton is another, though history may not file that choice under wisdom.
Cycling asks riders to trust roads, rivals, and fate. Fate, it turns out, sometimes arrives on four wheels with a basket. The race in Habkirchen offered a lesson with no lecture. People can train for months and still lose a contest to timing.
Paul Vriesman’s troubled 2026 season continued at the LVM Saarland Trofeo when an elderly spectator on a mobility scooter caused a freak accident. The Dutch junior, recently back from a three-month injury layoff, had no time to avoid the collision and crashed heavily, forcing him to abandon.
Though other riders were involved, none suffered serious injuries. Vriesman lamented the incident online, calling it a sad end to his comeback week. The race itself remained a success for the Netherlands, with teammate Sindre Orholm-Lønseth winning overall, ahead of Splinter van ’t Hoff and Elias Wändel.
The riders came for points and progress. Spectators came for a view. One person wanted a closer look. The peloton paid the price.
— Kingdom of Cycling (@Cycling_Kingdom) June 14, 2026
The LVM Saarland Trofeo brought riders through Habkirchen in Saarland, Germany. The event has served as a stage for names that later found places in the sport. Houses stood near the road. Trees lined parts of the route, and spectators gathered along the course as the peloton approached.
Riders from many nations pushed toward the next stretch of racing. Legs turned, wheels spun, and minds fixed on position. Then a scooter moved from the side of the road.
Footage shared on X shows the peloton bearing down on the section. A rider from Denmark saw the scooter and changed course by a margin measured in instinct. Paul Vriesman of the Netherlands had no path left. He struck the scooter and flew over his handlebars.
Bodies and bikes followed. The crash spread through the group as riders met riders and wheels met frames. One rider landed near the pavement. Equipment was scattered across the road while people nearby reacted to the scene before them.
Cycling has long embraced chaos as part of its bargain. This bargain usually involves weather, tactics, and punctures rather than traffic from the crowd. There are ways to secure a place in the race footage. Most do not involve becoming an obstacle.
The Aftermath
Vriesman did not finish the race. On Instagram, he wrote that the end of his campaign was brought about by the actions of an "old lady who was just living in her own world." His words carried frustration shaped by effort. He had worked through rehab and had spoken of gains in form before the crash erased his plans.
No reports indicated injury with lasting consequences for the group in the days that followed. No reports described arrests or sanctions involving the spectator. Discussion spread across X, Instagram, Reddit, and cycling sites. People argued over blame, barriers, marshals, and spectator conduct.
Some saw failure in crowd control. Others saw failure in judgment. The scooter became a symbol onto which everyone projected a theory. Sport often does that with moments that resist easy answers.
Why The Video Went Viral
The clip quickly escaped cycling circles. On X, the original post had drawn more than 4 million views, along with thousands of likes, reposts, bookmarks, replies, and quote posts.
Many viewers treated the collision as an accidental metaphor for generational tension. One widely shared reaction joked that boomers would not stop until they had "ruined literally everything." Another framed the crash as a painfully funny image of an older person moving into the path of young people simply to improve their own view.
you know life really does like to make its point in the funniest ways, can you think of a more poetic example of the elderly than an old woman driving into the path of young people to improve her own lived experience even if it means potentially killing those young people?
That was only one side of the argument. Others pushed back against blaming the elderly and turned their frustration toward cyclists instead. Some commenters joked that the crash was somehow the rider's fault. Others complained about the "spandex brigade," even though the riders were competing in an organized junior race rather than casually taking over a public road.
— Parable of the American (@ParableoftheA) June 15, 2026
Tesla jokes also found their way into the replies. Several viewers joked that the crash was something Full Self-Driving would never do, treating the mobility scooter like a tiny autonomous vehicle gone wrong.
That mix helps explain why the video traveled so far. It was not just a strange cycling crash. It became a proxy fight for everything the internet already likes to argue about: cyclists, older drivers, crowd control, entitlement, and who gets blamed when common sense disappears.
That is also why some of the comments should not necessarily be read as deeply held beliefs. Online humor often works by exaggerating familiar stereotypes rather than sincerely endorsing them. A joke about boomers is often less about actual Baby Boomers than it is about a stereotype everyone recognizes. The same applies to jokes about cyclists, Tesla owners, or just about any other group that spends enough time online.
In many ways, the humor follows the same tradition that made movies like Blazing Saddles so popular. The film was packed with outrageous stereotypes, but the joke was usually the absurdity of the stereotype itself rather than the people being portrayed. Modern meme culture often works in a similar way. The internet takes a recognizable social trope, turns the dial to eleven, and lets people laugh at the exaggeration.
For younger generations raised on The Simpsons, South Park, late-night comedy shows, internet forums, and social media, memes often serve a similar role. Instead of professional comedians making jokes about society, millions of ordinary people now participate in the same tradition every day. The technology changed, but the basic formula remains familiar.
The mobility scooter crash was the event. The comment section was the show.
What do you think? Was the internet just having fun with an absurd moment, or did some of the jokes cross the line?
Play at Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton was suspended for over an hour due to a power outage that caused the tournament’s Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system to fail amid extreme heat.
ELC replaced replaced line judges at Wimbledon last year, but the system was accidentally deactivated during the match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkov and Sonay Kartal, due to “human error”.
Wimbledon qualifying takes place away from the All England Club, at Roehampton (PA)
Speaking ahead of this year’s Wimbledon, chief executive of the All England Club Sally Bolton said there was confidence in the system - but the extreme heat is likely to have played a part in this latest outage.
“There was a temporary loss of power to part of our Qualifying venue, which meant that the electronic line calling system could not function,” a spokesperson for the All England Club said. “Power has now been restored and play is expected to resume shortly."
On the BBC, presenter Annabel Croft said it had been a “very challenging day”, with temperatures expected to rise to 37C later in the day.
Britain’s Dan Evans, who is playing in his last tournament before retirement at Wimbledon, was one of the players. The 36-year-old had just lost the first set 7-5 to Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.
Wimbledon has a heat rule in place for this year’s tournament and players are allowed to request a 10-minute break when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1C.
The heat stress index accounts for air temperature, humidity and surface temperature - creating a ‘feels-like’ reading that is also known as the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature [WGBT].
The heat stress index will be measured 30 minutes before the start of play, then at 2pm and then at 5pm. The 10-minute break would take place between the second and third sets for women’s singles matches and between the third and fourth sets for men’s matches.
A rare red weather warning for extreme heat has come into force across large parts of the county, as Britons have been told to stay out of the sun for a four-hour period.
Record-breaking temperatures of 40C are expected on Wednesday, with the Met Office alert stretching from London across to Somerset and Swansea, and up towards Birmingham, until 9pm on Thursday.
People have been warned to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm as the severe heat is expected to cause a danger to life, while Network Rail has advised passengers to only travel if “absolutely necessary”.
Extreme heat has played a part in both of this season’s tennis grand slams, with temperatures of 46C at the Australian Open and a heatwave hitting the French Open, too.
Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has at times struggled in the heat, and was knocked out of the French Open during a sweltering second round.
Wimbledon recorded its hottest opening day at last year’s Championship and the heat could be a significant factor once again across the fortnight, which begins on Monday 28 June.
For the second time in the past four years, the Boston Celtics reportedly included Jaylen Brown in an offseason trade. And for the second time in the past four years, the trade didn’t go through.
That could create a bit of an awkward situation between Brown and the organization that drafted him. After being involved in trade rumors for the second time in his career — and after a career-best season — Brown might not be too pleased with returning to the Celtics ahead of next season.
In an attempt to head off any frustration, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens called Brown a “big part of us” after the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, per ESPN.
"Jaylen Brown is a big part of us," Stevens said. "I'm never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he's always been. He's been amazing. He's been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around."
Stevens added that he’s been in touch with Brown and Brown’s agent during the offseason and that the team has been “as proactive and up-front with that as possible.” Stevens declined to get into specifics about the nature of those conversations, however.
Brown, who signed a five-year, $285 million extension with the team in 2023, is coming off arguably his best year in the NBA. The 29-year-old averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game with Jayson Tatum sidelined for a large chunk of the season.
Thanks to Brown’s efforts, the Celtics surprisingly finished with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference in a season where many expected the team to take a significant step back. Brown’s performance earned him MVP votes at the end of the season.
Despite that, Brown was rumored to be the centerpiece in a deal for former Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks opted to instead take an offer from the Miami Heat, presumably sending Brown back to the Celtics for another season.
It’s not the first time Brown’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors. Back in 2022, Brown was rumored to be the centerpiece in a possible deal for Kevin Durant. That deal also fell through, and Brown returned to Boston, signed his massive extension and led the team to a title during the 2023-24 NBA season.
During his decade with the Celtics, Brown — who was selected by the team with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft — developed into one of the best players in the NBA. Over his past six seasons, Brown has made four All-Star teams, received two second-team All-NBA nods and earned MVP votes. He’s put his name among the elite superstars in the game.
But that hasn’t stopped the Celtics from putting Brown on the block. While the relationship between Brown and the team might still be fine, especially after Stevens’ comments, it’s tough to imagine Brown will continue to feel that way if his name keeps coming up every time the Celtics are looking to improve.
The Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run delivered a major economic boost to the Raleigh area, generating $13.4 million in total impact for Wake County.
The team, along with Visit Raleigh and the National Hockey League (NHL), released new figures tied to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, which marked the franchise's first championship in 20 years.
Three sold-out home games at Lenovo Center, along with watch parties for away games, drew more than 112,000 fans combined.
Those events generated:
$13.4 million in total economic impact
$255,024 in tax revenue
More than 6,700 hotel room-nights in Wake County
AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker
The watch parties allowed Caniacs to stay engaged while the team played on the road in Las Vegas.
"We are proud to be Stanley Cup Champions, but we are just as proud of the way this community has rallied around our team," Brian Fork, CEO of the Carolina Hurricanes, said. "We’ve had sold out arenas for home and away games, packed watch parties throughout the state and had thousands of fans traveling to the Stanley Cup Final on the other side of the country. Our fans, partners and government leaders have shown the strength of this market and its passion for hockey and professional sports. We share this championship with all of them."
Local leaders say the Stanley Cup Final will have a lasting impact on the region.
“The Stanley Cup Final will go down as one of the most unforgettable events in Raleigh’s history,” said Scott Dupree of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. “It proved to be a massive economic engine for our region.”
Officials noted the economic impact could have been even higher if Raleigh had hosted a Game 7.
Fans traveled to Raleigh from all 50 states and two countries for the games, boosting hotel stays, restaurant traffic and national visibility in the area.
The momentum from the Canes' championship run could continue to benefit Raleigh and Wake County for years to come, according to local leaders.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 23: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers dives into third base after hitting a triple against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot park on June 23, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 6, Marlins 4
This was not a game one was feeling terribly optimistic about beforehand.
And it was a game that the Rangers lost.
It was a winnable game. The offense had three baserunners in the first, and the bases loaded with no one out in the second, and scored just one run.
Combined with the late comeback, which saw Texas bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, it was an opportunity lost.
The middle innings were the Rangers’ downfall.
Cal Quantrill started what was effectively a bullpen game for the Rangers, facing nine batters over two innings and allowing a single run, to former Ranger farmhand, and key piece in the Nathaniel Lowe trade, Heriberto Hernandez.
Hernandez is one of five former Rangers (or Ranger minor leaguers) who is a member of the Marlins, along with John King, Tyler Phillips, Liam Hicks, and the Accountant, Pete Fairbanks.
The funny thing about it is that Miami didn’t acquire any of those players directly from the Rangers. Some other team acquired each of those five players from the Rangers, and then the Marlins ended up getting them for, essentially, nothing.
The Marlins got Phillips from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash. Hicks was a Rule 5 selection, taken from the Tigers. King, Fairbanks and Hernandez were all free agent signings.
King and Hernandez were traded by the Rangers in trades that worked out very well for Texas, and contributed to their World Series title.
Fairbanks and Hicks were traded by the Rangers in trades that did not work out for Texas. The Fairbanks for Nick Solak swap was a coup for the Rays, though the Nathaniel Lowe deal more or less balanced that out.
Hicks was traded, along with Tyler Owens, to the Detroit Tigers at the deadline for Carson Kelly in 2024. The 2024 team finished below .500 and Kelly didn’t play well for the Rangers. That said, the Rangers weren’t going to add Liam Hicks to the 40 man roster that offseason, and so would have been lost to the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft anyway, unless there was something very Tigers-specific that happened once Hicks got to Detroit that wouldn’t have happened if he were playing the final month and a half of the 2024 season with the Roughriders that prompted Miami to want to select him.
Hicks has been a very good righthanded hitting 1B/DH/third catcher for the Marlins this season, and you know, the Rangers could use someone like that on their roster right about now.
That said, I don’t think anyone expected Hicks to hit like he has this year (or even last year, when he had a 693 OPS in 390 plate appearances). Certainly Detroit didn’t, or else they wouldn’t have left him exposed in the Rule 5 Draft.
I’d probably be more irked about losing Hicks if he’d been with the Rangers when the Marlins took him in the Rule 5 Draft. I’m not sure that makes sense logically, but then, what’s logical about sports fandom?
Getting back on topic, Quantrill was followed by Jose Corniell, newly called up and making his second major league appearance.
In Corniell’s first major league appearance, in the final game of the 2025 season, he pitched a scoreless inning against the Guardians, and then gave up a walkoff homer in the next inning, resulting in the Rangers going 81-81 instead of 82-80 on the year.
Corniell, I regret to inform you, now has two major league appearances and two “L”s. The second batter he faced, catcher Joe Mack, homered off of him, giving the Marlins the lead.
He then had a Very Unfortunate Fifth Inning. Two outs, a runner at first, Xavier Edwards hits a grounder up the middle that you think is a ball that will be the third out, but instead goes into center for a base hit.
Thus setting the stage for Owen Caissie to thump a ball over the fence in right field for the most momentum shifting play in baseball.
At that stage, it was 5-1, Marlins, and the game felt over. Hernandez doubled and Mack singled to make it 6-1, and this felt like the kind of game that would result in double digit runs being given up and Nicky Lopez pitching the bottom of the eighth.
That didn’t happen, though. Corniell got out of the inning with no more damage being done, allowed a double and got a fly out to start the sixth, and then was replaced by Joe Ross, who went the rest of the way and kept the Marlins off the scoreboard.
And it almost mattered! The Rangers threatened late, got back into the game, could’ve made Joe Ross a hero!
Or, at least, the winning pitcher.
That said, the Rangers played a game in June in the Year of Our Lord 2026, and the three pitchers they used were Cal Quantrill, Jose Corniell, and Joe Ross.
If you were a time-traveler and came back from the past and looked at the box score and saw that, you’d say…
But no, someone killed that fish. You know who you are.
On the positive side, Quantrill, Corniell and Ross allowed the rest of the bullpen to have the day off. Jakob Junis and Robby Ahlstrom were probably not available after pitching the previous two days, and Jacob Latz had thrown 31 pitches the day before and so ideally would not have been used, which meant the Rangers’ pen was pretty thin for the game to start with.
The offense had opportunities, but did little with them until it was late. An underwhelming 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. That’s not going to win you many games.
A pair of singles in the first were followed up by a Brandon Nimmo double play ball. Josh Jung walked to put runners on the corners, but an Ezequiel Duran pop out ended things.
The second featured an Alejandro Osuna single, a Jarred Kelenic walk, and a Kyle Higashioka bunt single to load the bases with no one out. And with offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez coming to the plate, we were feeling good.
We were getting hyped. We were getting crunk. We were on fleek.
Lopez did get a run home, on a U3 groundout that put runners on second and third. Osuna was thrown out at home on a Pederson fielder’s choice for the second out, and Wyatt Langford flew out to end the inning and lead ominous posts about how the Rangers were going to regret their misses opportunities.
Texas did a whole bunch of nothing until the late innings, after Sandy Alcantara left the game. Brandon Nimmo homered to start the eighth to make it 6-2. Then in the ninth, against the Accountant, whose debits and credits have been out of balance this season, Pederson hit a two out homer, Langford reached on a HBP, and Nimmo tripled…
And suddenly it was 6-4! And Josh Jung, who has been great this season, was at the plate as the tying run!
Alas, twas not to be. Jung flew out. The game was over. The Rangers had lost.
Cal Quantrill reached 95.7 mph with his fastball. Jose Corniell topped out at 95.9 mph with his fastball. Joe Ross’s fastball touched 95.2 mph.
Brandon Nimmo had a 110.5 mph triple and a 105.9 mph home run. Joc Pederson’s homer was 106.7 mph. Kyle Higashioka had a 103.8 mph groundout. Ezequiel Duran had a 101.6 mph ground out. Josh Jung had a 101.1 mph groundout, a 101.0 mph groundout and a 100.0 mph groundout, with his ninth inning fly out being 97.1 mph.
England's Djed Spence; Ghana's Thomas Partey Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty; Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
England soccer star Djed Spence appeared to avoid shaking the hand of Ghana's Thomas Partey during the pre-game handshake when the teams met each other at the World Cup on Tuesday, June 23
Partey has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to incidents involving four women between 2020 and 2022
Spence, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, and Partey previously faced each other when the latter played in the Premier League for Arsenal
A Premier League soccer star appeared to snub an opponent facing multiple rape charges during the pre-game handshake before England played Ghana at the World Cup on Tuesday, June 23.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence, 25, seemed to be the only England player not to shake the hand of Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, 33, who plays for Villarreal in Spain.
England's Djed Spence in the game against Ghana on June 23, 2026
Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025, following an investigation by London's Metropolitan Police after three women reported incidents that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022 when he played in the city for Arsenal. He pleaded not guilty.
In April 2026, Partey pleaded not guilty to two further charges of rape relating to alleged incidents in 2020, per the BBC. A trial originally scheduled for November 2026 may be pushed back until January 2027 as a result. His lawyer has said he welcomes the chance to clear his name, The Guardian reported.
Amid speculation over the customary pre-match handshake ahead of the game against Ghana, which finished 0-0, the BBC reported that England's Football Association did not discuss it with players beforehand.
Many of those in the England team, including Spence, have faced Partey before, while two — Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka — were Partey's teammates during his time at Arsenal.
Thomas Partey and Djed Spence during a game between Arsenal and Tottenham Hostpur in January 2025 Credit: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty
Television coverage cut away before Partey's handshakes were shown, but in footage circulating on X, Spence seemed to keep his hand in his pocket as the Ghana player walked past. Partey then glanced back at the defender before continuing on his way.
The BBC also reported on the moment during their coverage of the game, with host Gabby Logan commenting that Spence had appeared to not shake Partey's hand.
The England fans in Boston Stadium reacted to the player's name with boos when it was read out over the public address system before the game, the outlet reported, while fans also jeered him when he touched the ball.
Partey missed Ghana's first game against Panama in Toronto on Thursday, June 18. He was denied entry into Canada after telling authorities that he had never been arrested nor charged with a crime, and a judge rejected his appeal, The Guardian reported.
Before the England game, meanwhile, Partey said he felt "okay and ready to play," explaining, via the BBC, "It's part of football. Things happen outside football that you cannot control."
After the game, England head coach Thomas Tuchel was stopped from answering a question on the matter after a spokesperson cited "legal reasons," The Guardian reported.
Ghana's manager, Carlos Quieroz, did answer, however. “We refuse to be part of people that try to bring dust and politics inside the game," he said, via the newspaper. "We fight to keep the four lines sacred. It's difficult sometimes, but it happens. So we have to congratulate everybody who leaves politics outside the four lines."
Earlier this month, Partey was permitted to enter the U.S. for Ghana's training camp in Smithfield, R.I.
"The U.S. is aware of the pending court case for Mr. Partey. However, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa," the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement last week, per the BBC.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
The Brendan Sorsby saga is not over yet. According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Sorsby and his attorney plan to fight the NFL's decision to keep him out of the Supplemental Draft, and he may have a good chance of winning.
This is what the league's policy is on this situation:
“If a player who was not eligible for the Draft in any League Year becomes eligible after the date of the Draft, he will be eligible to be selected in a Supplemental Draft, if the League elects to conduct such a Draft, on or before the seventh calendar day prior to the opening of the first training camp that League Year. No player may elect to bypass a Draft for which he is eligible to apply for selection in a Supplemental Draft.”
So, according to Florio, the question is not his gambling but his eligibility.
Article 6, Section 2(b), when “three NFL regular seasons have begun and ended following either his graduation from high school or graduation of the class with which he entered high school, whichever is earlier.” Sorsby, if he had decided to forgo remaining college eligibility, could have entered the 2026 draft in April under the “special eligibility” rule.
To break it down, according to the rules, Sorsby is eligible for the Supplemental Draft. Now the NFL could come back and reverse their decision but still make Sorsby sit a bit because of his gambling allegations, which may be a compromise both parties could live with this season.
Jack Draper is set to make his return to tennis at the Eastbourne Open, with Andy Murray by his side as coach.
The 24-year-old has been out of action since early April due to injury and brought in Murray to guide him through the grass-court season.
This will be Murray’s second coaching role after his stint with Novak Djokovic, which lasted until early last year.
There aren’t many that know British tennis better than Andy Murray, who’ll be able to offer Draper guidance from not only the technical side but also from the perspective of understanding what it takes mentally.
Draper still has plenty of development ahead of him, and there are certainly worse people he could have guiding him through this phase than one of Britain’s most successful players ever.
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA
Andy Murray shares his thoughts on Jack Draper before the Eastbourne Opener
Speaking to the BBC, Murray explained: “After I stopped working with Novak, I had a number of opportunities to coach again. I had no interest in being on the road and away from my family.
“It wasn’t that I disliked coaching – I just didn’t enjoy it more than I do being at home with my family.
“When Jack asked me, I thought about it, spoke to my wife and told Jack that I’d love to help him.
“I think Jack’s a brilliant player. There is no doubt that when he gets back on the court, he will perform well and win matches at the highest level.
“But right now the focus is on trying to get him back competing consistently again.”
Jack Draper gets Brandon Nakashima in the Eastbourne first round
Draper’s last match came during the clay season at the Barcelona Open, where he was forced to retire against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Since then, he has been recovering from a shoulder issue and is now ready to return, with fifth seed Brandon Nakashima standing in his way in the opening round of Eastbourne.
Nakashima and Draper have faced off three times on the ATP Tour, with Draper currently leading their head-to-head 2-1.
Their most recent meeting was at Queen’s last year, where Draper edged out a three-set win to reach the semifinals.
Fabrizio Romano confirms Liverpool talks for sensational midfielder
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool are in talks for an exciting midfielder.
Okay, let's admit it, this summer is not off to as exciting of a window as last summer. By now Liverpool had Jeremie Frimpong wrapped up and were closing in on the transfers of Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
This time around, it's just Victor Munoz who has signed for the Reds, and on top of that so many players have left.
But a lot of that is down to the World Cup. The market is expected to be a lot slower during a major international tournament. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for a lot of these players, World Cups only come around once every four years and so it's understandable if a lot of players just want to concentrate on the tournament.
Selling clubs will also be far more eager to keep hold of their assets until the tournament ends, when their prices will hopefully have inflated.
So, right now feels like the calm before the storm, and for Liverpool it's likely going to be a huge storm when the window does really get going.
There just simply way too much to do.
Richard Hughes' itinerary includes replacing Mo Salah, signing a centre-back, right-back and potentially more midfielders. At the same time, he mat also need to replace Cody Gakpo.
The midfield department is the most interesting one.
Liverpool on paper don't look like a team in dire need of midfield reinforcements. However, that's before you take into account the fact that Curtis Jones is clearly angling to move. Alexis Mac Allister is also open to an adventure elsewhere. Who knows what the future holds for Wataru Endo.
And on top of that, let's be honest Liverpool do need a holding midfielder. The Reds still haven't replaced Fabinho since he left the club.
There's a lack of proper true no.6s in the market. A lot of teams don't really play with a sitting midfielder anymore. The game has become a lot more dynamic and fluid and it means a player like Fabinho needs to do a lot more.
So, who could Liverpool actually target?
There's been so many names being floated about. The English market seems crazy with huge prices being demanded for Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton.
That could force Hughes to conduct his search elsewhere.
And this elsewhere could be in Ligue 1. Liverpool have been linked with a number of midfielders in France's top flight. Lamine Camara and Mamadou Sangare are both on the club's shortlist.
But they are not alone.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool are also holding talks and meetings for another exciting African midfielder.
Speaking on Born and Red's YouTube channel, Romano confirmed that Liverpool are in talks to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi and have held two meetings in order to lure the Moroccan international to Anfield.
“Liverpool had 2 meetings and more clubs involved in that [PSG and Arsenal], so could be an opportunity to go for him," Romano said.
"It depends on price, it depends on what Lille want to do but Liverpool have been scouting the player for a long time, it has been almost 1 year monitoring the player closely. Let’s see if they enter this one. I think it could be interesting, not just for Liverpool but for other clubs.”
Bouaddi is still only a teenager but he has so much experience so he would be an ideal fit. He's someone who would flourish under Andoni Iraola.
However, Arsenal and PSG being in the race does make things a lot more complicated.
Oakland Athletics infielder Zack Gelof went 0 for 1 in a loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday in San Francisco. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
June 24 (UPI) -- Athletics infielder Zack Gelof sustained punctures from spikes in his right hand, resulting in his exit and snapping a 24-game hitting streak.
Gelof sustained the injury in the second inning of a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday in San Francisco. He was manning second base when Giants third baseman Matt Chapman accidentally stepped on his hand, piercing his skin and drawing blood.
Jeff McNeil replaced Gelof, who retired Chapman during the play. Gelof, who went 0 for 1, failed to record a hit for the first time since May 24. He went 33 for 94 (.351) during his 24-game hitting streak, which was tied for the longest in MLB over the last two years.
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas started the 2026 season with a matching hot streak. Gelof hit .282 with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, a triple, eight stolen bases and 29 RBIs through his first 62 appearances this season.
Manager Mark Kotsay told reporters the Athletics will monitor swelling in Gelof's hand and called him "day-to-day." He also said he didn't believe he would go on the injured list.
"There is a laceration to the hand," Kotsay said. "No stitches required. Pretty much got him just on the top between the thumb and the index. There is some swelling. No fracture. X-ray was negative. Best positive outcome for that situation.
"It's unfortunate for him, with the hitting streak, that circumstances took him out of the game and his hitting streak comes to an end."
Giants first baseman Rafael Devers started the bottom of the second inning with a ground out. Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee settled in for the next at-bat. He hit the second pitch he saw from starter Aaron Civale to right center field for a 414-foot solo homer for the game's first run.
Shortstop Willy Adames followed with a double, bringing Chapman to the plate. The veteran infielder hit the second pitch of that exchange to left field, plating Adames. Chapman rounded first base and attempted to slide into second, but was beaten by a throw to Gelof.
Gelof caught the ball and dove toward Chapman, tagging him with his gloved left hand while his right hand landed in the dirt. Chapman's left foot came down on top of Gelof's bare hand, resulting in the punctures and his early exit.
The Athletics plated their lone run off an RBI single from third baseman Max Muncy in the third inning. Devers went on to drive in the game's final score with an RBI single in the seventh.
Giants starter Robbie Ray allowed just two hits and one run over eight innings to improve to 6-6 this season. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom collected two of the Athletics' three hits.
Civale allowed six hits and two runs over four innings to drop to 5-4 this season. Tuesday's loss extended a three-game losing streak for the Athletics, who sit in second place in the American League West, 2.5 games behind the division-leading Seattle Mariners (41-39).
The Giants (32-46) will host the Athletics in the second game of the series at 9:45 p.m. EDT Wednesday in San Francisco,
Newcastle will be better off selling Sandro Tonali this summer, says former Magpie John Anderson.
Newcastle rejected an initial offer worth £80m from Tottenham for the Italian midfielder last week - having demanded a fee closer to £100m - but Anderson thinks there is an air of inevitability to the transfer.
"It has that 'Anthony Gordon feel' to it, doesn't it? To a certain degree," Anderson told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I think everybody accepted the fact that Gordon was going to go and you just get that same vibe about Tonali. I know there's been a lot of talk about Tottenham and why he would go there with them having finished 17th in the last two seasons, but it's all about getting the right deal isn't it?
"We stood by Tonali in his first season here when he had the problems with the gambling situation but again, if you've got a player who doesn't want to be at your football club and he doesn't want to play for you, you're better off [letting him go]."
But it isn't just player retention that Anderson is worried about.
Newcastle were in talks for Spanish youngster Victor Munoz when the summer transfer window opened, but it was a familiar thorn in Liverpool who beat them to his signature, and Anderson believes there is an overarching recruitment problem at the club.
"They need to do something to get players in. This is the second time this has happened where we thought we had a deal done," Anderson said.
"The James Trafford one springs to mind last season where it dragged on and dragged on, and everybody thought it was a deal that was going to be done and all of a sudden he ends up going back to Manchester City - and now he's another one who has been linked back.
"We said at the back end of last season, they need to do deals and they just need to go and get them done. Go get them done and say 'we've signed this player' but the problem is everything is played out in the press – whether that's a deliberate ploy by the agents to get other clubs interested I do not know – but recruitment needs to be better."
So, here goes a quick recap of the moves made this week, with some analysis and some thoughts.
Before the St. Pete event even ended, we got word of a weird move (broken by Erik Tice on twitter): Dallas traded their bench player Albie Huang and cash to Phoenix to acquire the well-traveled Alix Truong. Dallas clearly is rebuilding, but why send cash out the door to acquire a player to ride the pine? That is unless there’s more moves coming. Meanwhile, Huang moves to Phoenix where she may start over their youngster bench star Alexa Schull. Truong reunites with Danni-Elle Townsend in Dallas, with whom she played so well in MLP’s first event; could Truong be sending Brooke Buckner to the bench? Or, could Dallas be looking to make more moves?
Alix Truong's well-traveled MLP season continues.
PPA
Coincidentally, here’s Alix Truong’s MLP season so far:
She started the season with Bay Area, who traded for her last March 2025.
Bay Area trades Truong to Miami for Mya Bui in a cost-cutting move in February 2026 ahead of the draft.
Miami then moves Truong to Columbus in a 3-way deal with Carolina that nets Miami cash and Isabella Dunlap in Mid-March 2026 just after the draft.
Columbus then moves Truong to Phoenix in late May 2026 after she stars for them in the opening weekend with Parris Todd absent.
Phoenix then flips her to Dallas to potentially ride the bench for Dallas in June 2026.
On 6/23/26, a 3-teamer trade was announced:
Bay Area gets Blaine Hovenier from Las Vegas
Las Vegas gets Clayton Powell from Miami and Cash from Bay Area
Miami gets Luc Pham from Bay Area and Cash from Las Vegas
Impact Analysis for each team
Bay Area definitely improves its starters, replacing the Pham/Yang platoon with high-energy Hovenier, who will rove on the left with lefty Tellez. Is this enough to propel the Breakers (currently 3-12 on the season and sitting 16th) into playoff territory? Probably not, but they’ll be better.
Miami may be cashing in on another asset by moving Powell and netting Cash. As we’re about to see, Pham is surplus to requirements and was immediately dropped for another player in the waiver period, so it sounds like Miami got cash for someone they were about to give away for nothing.
I’d love to see a “Cash tracker” at some point; how much Cash has Miami netted with all these moves over the years? Just this year Miami has netted Cash in deals where they moved Roddy to Atlanta, where they moved Truong to Columbus in a 3-way deal, they got cash AND Frazier from Texas, and now they get cash from Las Vegas for the privilege of a player they were going to drop anyway.
Rafa Hewett returns to MLP.
PPA via pickleball.com
The latest waiver period hit on 6/23/26. Here’s the moves:
Palm Beach puts Greyson Goldin on the IR and officially picks up Casey Diamond. Apparently the expansion Palm Beach had one additional perk of being a new team this year, and that was first waivers selection. They re-claim Diamond, who subbed for them last weekend, and Goldin (who was alleged to have been “faking” his illness or injury last weekend) is now on the IR for presumably the rest of the season. Diamond will serve as a solid insurance policy for further injury to PB’s two male stars Bar and McGuffin. After the move, the team released a statement announcing in essence that the two sides agreed to this move to enable Goldin to go play some Challengers instead of sitting on their bench, which is what he really needs to prepare for the upcoming PPA season.
Florida’s owner Travis Rettenmaier dropped himself, picks up Connor Mogle. Mogle was rostered and traded around earlier this season but has yet to see any MLP action, and likely is a bench player for Florida. Is he an improvement? Possibly; Rettenmaier is a great example of a veteran player in a league going through a major youth movement, and he’s recognized the time has come. It’s too bad, b/c he played pretty well last weekend on his home court and energized the crowd each time.
Miami drops the just-acquired Luc Pham, picks up Zane Ford. Miami’s GM Goldberg strikes again, turning a player he was going to drop into a bit of cash that he can use going forward. Miami picks up a premier league starter from last season in Zane Ford (he was in the NY Hustler’s starting lineup) and improves their singles rotation.
Texas drops Matt Barlow, picks up Rafa Hewett. Barlow as Texas’ bench player has gotten very little playing time and made little impact while doing so, and the Ranchers pick up glue-guy Hewett, who may almost serve as a player-coach to the team.
Texas also drop their other bench player Marcela Aguila Ampon (aka Marcela Hones) and picks up Angie Walker. Ampon struggled greatly when pressed into action last week and Texas probably just used the opportunity to try to incrementally improve the bench.
Hornchurch have signed midfielder Nathan Ferguson after his departure from fellow National League side Hartlepool United.
The 30-year old has previously played for the likes of Crawley Town, Wealdstone, Maidenhead United and Southend United.
Urchins manager Daryl McMahon told the club's website: "I've known Nathan for a long time, going back to his days when he was in Dagenham & Redbridge's youth team.
"He is an athletic box-to-box player, with a good passing range as well as bringing real physicality."
Australia's Liam Paro is the new IBF welterweight champion with a points win over Belfast's Lewis Crocker at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday.
Paro, who previously held the IBF's light-welterweight title, becomes the first Australia-born boxer since Jeff Fenech to become a multi-weight world champion, earning a 115-113 nod on all three cards after a gruelling battle.
The 30-year-old produced a display of skill and heart to dethrone Crocker who was making the first defence of the title he won in Belfast last September, improving his record to 28 wins with one defeat.
Crocker, 29, appeared on the brink of a stoppage late in the fight but just couldn't find the finishing shot with Paro reeling, suffering a first career reverse in his 23rd contest and will now seek to rebuild.
Hearts have completed the signing of "exciting, direct attacker" Sabri Guendouz from Belgian second-tier club Beerschot for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old Frenchman has signed a contract until summer 2029.
Guendouz started his career with Valenciennes in the French third tier before moving to Guingamp in 2020 and, after promotion from the B team, helped them to the promotion play-offs and a Coupe de France quarter-final.
"Last season, he made the move to Belgium where he became Beerschot's creative outlet with 10 goal contributions," Hearts say on their website.
Guendouz was also their main goal assist provider, most active dribbler and winner of penalties as Beerschot finished third but missed out on promotion after being edged out in their play-off final.
He becomes Hearts sixth signing of the summer as they rebuild the squad that came runners-up in the Scottish Premiership last season.
The 2023 NFL Draft class for the Los Angeles Rams has been a legendary group during their first three seasons in the league and despite not having a first-round selection that year, the class has rebuilt the team after a horrific 2022 season.
Their emergence ended the Rams' rebuild in a matter of months, leading to playoff appearances in all three seasons they've been with the team and continuously building on the previous season's successes. Before players like Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and others became household names, it was clear to the players already in the building that the class was special.
Former Rams running back and Super Bowl LVI champion Darrell Henderson Jr. spoke to FootballbyNikko about the 2023 class, providing his insights on the work they did early on and how their ability to block out noise and focus on their work led to winning seasons.
"Everything that they got going right now, all the successes, they earned it," stated Henderson. "Those guys came in and worked and blocked out everything, and that's one of the best classes they've drafted."
The Rams made 14 selections in 2023 and were forced to play their rookies and younger players early due to the financial nature of their roster. Those players were brilliant, with Nacua breaking the NFL record for rookie receptions and receiving yards, while Turner and Young finished first and second in sacks among rookies.
Along with those three, other members include starters Steve Avila, Warren McClendon Jr. and Ethan Evans, with rotational contributors Davis Allen and Desjuan Johnson participating in a variety of roles to help the team, too.
In three years since the 2023 draft, the Rams have finished every year with a better record than the year before, putting up three playoff wins over that time.
After 48 matches in North America, it’s time for the final round of games in the group stage at World Cup 2026.
Sixteen teams will be eliminated after these fixtures, with 32 nations heading through to the knockout stages.
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase.
Here are the top five “must-watch” matches in the second round of fixtures from June 24 until June 27.
Neymar could return for Brazil against Scotland [Reuters]
⚽️ Scotland vs Brazil
Miami Stadium – Wednesday, 6pm (22:00 GMT)
These two sides will meet at the World Cup for the fifth time and there’s plenty to play for in an intriguing encounter in Miami.
Brazil are looking to secure their place in the knockout stages as group winners and are currently tied with Morocco on four points at the top of Group C.
Scotland are aiming to escape the group for the first time at a major international tournament and know that a point will almost certainly guarantee a spot in the round of 32.
Expect Group C to change a lot during these final fixtures, with Morocco taking on Haiti at the same time.
If that isn’t enough, Brazil’s Neymar is also set to make his first appearance at this World Cup.
Sweden have been unpredictable at this tournament [Raquel Cunha/Reuters]
⚽️ Japan vs Sweden
Dallas Stadium – Thursday, 6pm (23:00 GMT)
It’s difficult to predict which Sweden will turn up in Dallas on Thursday.
Graham Potter’s side beat Tunisia 5-1 in their opening match of the World Cup, before losing by the same score to the Netherlands.
Japan have been entertaining to watch at this tournament and were in fine form during their 4-0 win over Tunisia at the weekend.
Expect plenty of goals in this match and plenty of drama. The winner will secure a top-two finish in Group F, so there is a lot to play for.
France’s Kylian Mbappe has scored four goals so far [Kyle Ross/Reuters]
⚽️ Norway vs France
Boston Stadium – Friday, 3pm (19:00 GMT)
Norway and France are already through to the knockout stages, but this game looks set to be a blockbuster affair with both sides looking to top Group I.
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have both scored four goals so far and they’ll be desperate to add to their tally as they chase down Lionel Messi.
France are one of the favourites to lift the World Cup next month and are looking to end the group stage with three wins from three.
But Norway have the opportunity to prove that they truly are dark horses in this tournament and can compete with elite international sides.
Buckle in for a big one in Boston.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Victor Munoz celebrate after the match against Saudi Arabia [Claudia Greco/Reuters]
⚽️ Uruguay vs Spain
Seattle Stadium – Friday, 6pm (00:00 GMT on Saturday)
Group H has been a tight affair following some surprise results in the opening round of fixtures.
Uruguay drew with Saudi Arabia, while Cape Verde shocked the world with a goalless draw against Spain.
La Roja bounced back by thrashing Saudi Arabia and they go into their final game as group leaders, with Uruguay two points behind in second.
Spain will secure top spot with a win in Seattle, ensuring that they avoid Argentina in the round of 32.
Egypt are looking to reach the knockout stages at the World Cup for the first time [Anne-Marie Sorvin/Reuters]
⚽️ Egypt vs Iran
Seattle Stadium – Friday, 8pm (04:00 GMT on Saturday)
Neither of these sides have ever made it out of the group at a World Cup, but on Friday, at least one of them will achieve that feat.
Group G is closely bunched after a number of drawn matches and it sets things up nicely for an intriguing final round of fixtures.
Victory for either Egypt or Iran will guarantee them a spot in the knockout phase, so expect both sides to be up for this one.
Iran have faced numerous challenges at this World Cup, with restrictions on travel and visa issues before the tournament even began.
If Iran progress, there’s also still a chance that they will face the US in the knockout stages.
World Cup 2026: Remaining group-stage full schedule
Wednesday, June 24
Switzerland vs Canada at 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Bosnia vs Qatar at 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, US
Scotland vs Brazil at 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, US
Morocco vs Haiti at 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, US
Czechia vs Mexico at 7pm CST (01:00 GMT on Thursday) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
South Africa vs South Korea at 7pm CST (01:00 GMT on Thursday) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico
Thursday, June 25
Ecuador vs Germany at 4pm ET (20:00 GMT) – New York New Jersey Stadium, New Jersey, US
Curacao vs Ivory Coast at 4pm ET (20:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, US
Japan vs Sweden at 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, US
Tunisia vs Netherlands at 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, US,
Turkiye vs USA at 7pm PT (02:00 GMT on Friday) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, US
Paraguay vs Australia at 7pm PT (02:00 GMT on Friday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, US
Friday, June 26
Norway vs France at 3pm ET (19:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, US
Senegal vs Iraq at 3pm ET (19:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia at 7pm CDT (00:00 GMT on Saturday) – Houston Stadium, Houston, US
Uruguay vs Spain at 6pm CST (00:00 GMT on Saturday) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Egypt vs Iran at 8pm PT (03:00 GMT on Saturday) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, US
New Zealand vs Belgium at 8pm PT (03:00 GMT on Saturday) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Saturday, June 27
Panama vs England at 5pm ET (21:00 GMT) – New York New Jersey Stadium, New Jersey, US
Croatia vs Ghana at 5pm ET (21:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, US
Colombia vs Portugal at 7:30pm ET (23:30 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, US
DRC vs Uzbekistan at 7:30pm ET (23:30 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, US
Algeria vs Austria at 9pm CDT (02:00 GMT on Sunday) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, US
Jordan vs Argentina at 9pm CDT (02:00 GMT on Sunday) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, US
Real Madrid midfielder closing on return to boyhood club but old wounds are complicating the deal
Dani Ceballos’ long-awaited return to Real Betis appears to be edging closer, with the Real Madrid midfielder now prepared to make significant sacrifices to complete the move.
After being granted his release by Real Madrid, Ceballos is expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent and return to the club where his professional career began.
However, despite the willingness shown by both the player and Betis, the operation has not progressed as smoothly as many initially expected.
According to AS, there are still figures within the Real Betis hierarchy who have not fully moved on from the events of three years ago when Ceballos opted to extend his stay at Real Madrid instead of returning to the Benito Villamarin.
Ceballos ready to sacrifice millions for Betis move
The desire to return to Real Betis has never appeared stronger for Ceballos, who is prepared to walk away from nearly €5 million net in salary in order to make the transfer happen this summer.
Despite receiving interest from elsewhere, including Ajax, the Spaniard has prioritised a return to Betis over any alternative destination.
Ceballos is set to leave Real Madrid. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
From the outside, it may seem like a straightforward deal, but the situation remains complicated.
Why is that?
One of the biggest obstacles in the Dani Ceballos transfer involves lingering resentment from within parts of the Real Betis leadership.
It is said that some influential figures at the club have not forgotten what happened in 2023 when Ceballos approached the final months of his Real Madrid contract.
At the time, there was strong optimism that the midfielder would return. Instead, Ceballos chose to renew his contract with Real Madrid and remain at the Santiago Bernabeu for another four years.
That decision left a bitter taste among some directors.
Now, there is a belief in certain areas of the club that Ceballos kept both options open simultaneously, negotiating with Real Madrid while also maintaining conversations with Betis.
Betis are doubting Ceballos’ intentions. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
On the other hand, others inside the club understand why he made that choice.
At 29 years old, Ceballos was still competing for major trophies at one of the biggest clubs in world football while also remaining part of Spain’s plans.
For many, extending his Real Madrid career was simply the logical sporting decision, but not everyone has completely moved on.
So what now?
Right now, Real Betis are hesitant about making Ceballos one of the highest-paid players in the squad.
There are also discussions surrounding the signing bonus that typically accompanies a free transfer and those details still need to be resolved before the agreement can be completed.
From Ceballos’ side, there is a clear willingness to compromise, but he does not want his desire to return home to be interpreted as desperation and that is where the final negotiations become important.
A typical weekend round of fixtures in 2026-27 will feature one game at 19.45 (BST/GMT) on a Friday evening, three games on a Saturday at 14.00, 17.00 and 19.45 (UK time), four games on a Sunday at 11.30, 14.00, 17.00 and 19.45 and one game on a Monday night at 19.45.
There will, however, be several exceptions to that rule of thumb.
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Khephren Thuram of Juventus scores his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
The first round of Serie A fixtures will feature four matches on Saturday, two at 17.30 and two at 19.45, there will be four games on the Sunday, again with two at 17.30 and two at 19.45 and there will then be a further two matches at 17.30 and 19.45 on the Monday evening.
The second round of Serie A fixtures will all be played at either 17.30 or 19.45. The third round of fixtures will also not feature any matches at 11.30 in the summertime sunshine.
On matchdays five, 11 and 29, preceding the scheduled international breaks, there will be no matches played on a Monday.
Similarly, on matchdays six, 12 and 30, immediately after the international breaks, there will be no games taking place on the Friday night. The same will also be true for matchdays 10 and 19, which come immediately after a full midweek round of fixtures.
Those midweek rounds on weeks nine and 18 will be played from Tuesday to Thursday and their kick-off times will be confirmed at a later date, and the timing will depend on the games that are selected for live TV coverage.
There will also be some alterations to the schedule for weeks 17 and 18 of the 2026-27 season, i.e. the games that come immediately after the new-year.
The Philadelphia Eagles will enter training camp with one of the NFL's deeper rosters, and that should create difficult decisions when the team begins trimming toward the initial 53-man roster.
Philadelphia has star power at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive tackle, and cornerback, but the most competitive roster battles will occur near the bottom of the depth chart. The Eagles have added veteran insurance, traded for skill-position depth, drafted potential future starters, and brought in several young players who could make the back end of the roster difficult to predict. That leaves several players under pressure to prove they have a defined role, special teams value, or enough upside to avoid becoming a numbers casualty.
Here is an early look at seven Eagles bubble players under the most pressure ahead of training camp.
1. Darius Cooper, wide receiver
Cooper may be one of the more obvious players under pressure because Philadelphia's wide receiver room changed dramatically around him. DeVonta Smith is the clear lead option after A.J. Brown's departure, while the Eagles traded up for Makai Lemon, added Hollywood Brown, signed Elijah Moore, and acquired Dontayvion Wicks. Those moves changed the depth chart and made it harder for returning receivers to feel safe.
Cooper is talented enough to remain in the conversation, but he must show more than developmental promise. Hollywood Brown gives the offense vertical speed, Wicks is getting significant snaps and has drawn a Keenan Allen comparison from Nick Sirianni, and Lemon was drafted to contribute early. Johnny Wilson is also trying to regain momentum after a significant knee injury, while Quez Watkins, Danny Gray, and Britain Covey are competing for return, speed, and depth roles. Cooper needs a strong camp to prove he can help the active roster rather than remain just a practice-squad candidate.
2. Will Shipley, running back
Shipley is not in immediate danger because of talent, but he is under pressure because the running back room has become more crowded. Saquon Barkley is the centerpiece of the offense, and Tank Bigsby has a clear role after averaging 5.7 yards per carry last season following his arrival as a key trade acquisition. Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele add more competition, while Cameron Latu's role as a fullback/tight end could affect how many backs Philadelphia keeps.
Shipley needs to regain momentum and show he can contribute in a specific way. That could come as a change-of-pace runner, a receiving option, a pass protector, or a special teams player. The Eagles are excited about a new zone-rushing scheme that could help revive the run game around Barkley, but the backup roles behind him remain unsettled. Shipley's roster path is still real, but he needs a strong summer to avoid being squeezed by Bigsby's defined role and the added competition behind him.
3. Grant Calcaterra, tight end
Calcaterra has experience in the Eagles' system and has appeared in 62 games with 22 starts, but the tight end room looks different entering camp. Dallas Goedert is back on a one-year deal after catching 60 passes for 591 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns, while Philadelphia drafted Eli Stowers in the second round as a potential long-term successor. Johnny Mundt is expected to fill the third tight end, run-blocking role, and Cameron Latu is being used as a fullback/tight end hybrid.
That puts pressure on Calcaterra to prove he still brings enough value to keep a roster spot. Stone Smartt, E.J. Jenkins, and Dae'Quan Wright also give Philadelphia options, and the Eagles may not have room for every tight end with receiving traits. Calcaterra's familiarity with the offense matters, but the question is whether he can provide enough blocking, special teams value, and offensive reliability to hold off younger or more specialized competition.
4. Fred Johnson, offensive tackle
Johnson has given the Eagles valuable swing-tackle depth in the past, but the offensive line numbers could become difficult to manage. Philadelphia's starting five is set with Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, and Lane Johnson, while Markel Bell, Myles Hinton, Cameron Williams, John Ojukwu, Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin, Jake Majors, Hollin Pierce, and Jaeden Roberts are all part of the competition behind them.
Johnson's pressure comes from age, roster math, and the team's need to develop younger linemen. He has value because experienced tackles are hard to find, and Lane Johnson's injury history makes swing-tackle depth important. Still, the Eagles have several young offensive linemen who could force their way into the picture. Johnson must show he remains reliable enough to justify a roster spot over players with more long-term upside.
5. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, edge rusher
Tryon-Shoyinka has the draft pedigree and athletic profile to remain interesting, but he enters camp in a crowded edge group. Jonathan Greenard, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Arnold Ebiketie give Philadelphia several athletic pass-rush options, and the Eagles could still add more depth to the room. Jose Ramirez, Ta'Quon Graham, Keyshawn James-Newby, and Joshua Weru are also competing for roles.
Tryon-Shoyinka's pressure is tied to production. He earned a 72.2 overall PFF defensive grade last season, but he played only 142 snaps and has never produced more than five sacks in a season. Philadelphia needs edge rushers who can affect the quarterback and defend the run, and Tryon-Shoyinka must prove he can be more than a traits-based rotational option. If younger players flash on special teams or as pass rushers, his roster security could become uncertain.
Final analysis
The Eagles have several other players who could land on the bubble depending on how camp unfolds. Quez Watkins, Danny Gray, Stone Smartt, E.J. Jenkins, Jake Majors, Gabe Hall, Tariq Castro-Fields, and Ambry Thomas all have roster questions to answer. Still, Cooper, Shipley, Calcaterra, Johnson, Tryon-Shoyinka, Campbell, and Epps stand out because each has a believable path to the 53-man roster, but each also faces enough competition to make training camp critical.
The Philadelphia Eagles have built and constructed several of their greatest eras through first-round draft picks, from Hall of Fame players in the franchise's earliest decades to modern cornerstones who helped deliver Super Bowl championships. The Eagles have also had their share of first-round misses, but the top of their all-time draft history includes some of the most important players ever to wear the uniform.
With training camp set to begin, we're looking at the best first-round pick at every position in the Eagles' franchise history. This list focuses only on players drafted by the Eagles in the first round. That means several franchise legends do not qualify, including Brian Dawkins, Jason Kelce, LeSean McCoy, Harold Carmichael, Brian Westbrook, Trent Cole, DeSean Jackson, and Eric Allen. It also means the list is based on the player's value to Philadelphia, not his entire NFL career if he produced elsewhere.
Here is a position-by-position look at the best first-round picks in Eagles history.
Quarterback: Donovan McNabb, 1999
McNabb remains the clear choice at quarterback. The Eagles selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, and he became the face of the Andy Reid era, leading Philadelphia to five NFC Championship Games, one Super Bowl appearance, and the most sustained run of winning in modern franchise history before the team's later championship breakthroughs.
McNabb left Philadelphia as the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, and quarterback wins. His career will always be defined by debate over what the Eagles did not finish during that era, but the draft pick itself was a franchise-changing success. Philadelphia used a top-two selection on a quarterback and got a long-term starter, perennial Pro Bowl player, and one of the most important players in team history.
Running back: Steve Van Buren, 1944
Van Buren was selected in the first round in 1944 and became one of the greatest players in Eagles history. He was the offensive engine for the franchise's first championship era, helping Philadelphia win NFL titles in 1948 and 1949 while establishing himself as one of the premier backs of his generation.
Van Buren led the NFL in rushing four times, was a multiple-time first-team All-Pro, and was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His production came in an entirely different era, but his place in Eagles history remains secure. For this exercise, he is not only the best first-round running back the Eagles have drafted; he is one of the best first-round picks the franchise has ever made.
Wide receiver: Mike Quick, 1982
Quick was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft and became one of the most explosive wide receivers in Eagles history. He made five Pro Bowls, earned first-team All-Pro honors, and gave Philadelphia a true No. 1 receiver during the 1980s.
His best season came in 1983, when he led the NFL with 1,409 receiving yards. Quick had the size, speed, and downfield ability to tilt coverage, and his career remains one of the strongest receiving résumés among players drafted by the Eagles. DeVonta Smith has already made a strong case as one of the franchise's best first-round receivers, but Quick's peak and league-wide recognition keep him at the top of this position for now.
Tight end: Charle Young, 1973
Young was selected sixth overall in the 1973 NFL draft and gave the Eagles immediate high-level production at tight end. He earned Pro Bowl honors early in his career and was one of the more gifted receiving tight ends of his era, even though the position was not featured in passing games the way it is today.
The Eagles have had more familiar tight ends across franchise history, including Pete Retzlaff, Keith Jackson, Zach Ertz, and Dallas Goedert, but this list is limited to first-round selections. Young's draft status, production, and impact make him the top choice among Eagles first-round tight ends.
Offensive tackle: Lane Johnson, 2013
Johnson was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft and developed into one of the best right tackles of his generation. He became a multiple-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, helped anchor the offensive line for two Super Bowl-winning teams, and gave Philadelphia elite play at one of football's most valuable positions.
Bob Brown, a Hall of Fame tackle selected by the Eagles in the first round in 1964, deserves a major mention here. Tra Thomas also had an excellent career after being selected in the first round in 1998. Johnson gets the edge because of his longevity in Philadelphia, his role in the franchise's championship era, and his sustained performance as one of the NFL’s most dominant offensive linemen.
Guard: Shawn Andrews, 2004
Andrews was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft and became one of the most physically dominant guards in football when healthy. His Eagles career was shorter than it could have been because of injuries and other challenges, but his peak was outstanding.
Andrews earned three Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors, giving Philadelphia elite interior offensive line play during the mid-2000s. He was powerful in the run game, athletic enough to thrive in the Eagles' offense, and capable of overwhelming defensive linemen. Longevity keeps him from ranking higher among all-time Eagles offensive linemen, but at guard, among first-round picks only, his peak makes him the choice.
Center/linebacker: Chuck Bednarik, 1949
Bednarik was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1949 NFL draft and remains one of the defining players in Eagles history. He was a two-way force at center and linebacker, helped lead Philadelphia to championships, and became one of the last great full-time two-way players in NFL history.
Modern positional labels make Bednarik difficult to place, but his greatness is not in question. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, a multiple-time first-team All-Pro, and a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Whether viewed as a center, linebacker, or two-way football icon, he is one of the best first-round picks the Eagles have ever made.
Defensive end/edge rusher: Brandon Graham, 2010
Graham was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft and authored one of the best career arcs in franchise history. Early in his career, he was often judged against players selected after him, but he developed into a consistent, disruptive edge defender, respected leader, and one of the most beloved players in Eagles history.
His signature moment came in Super Bowl LII, when his strip-sack of Tom Brady helped seal Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl championship. Graham’s sack totals do not fully capture his value because his game was built on pressure, run defense, energy, and reliability. Jerome Brown and Fletcher Cox own the interior defensive line conversation, but among first-round edge players, Graham’s longevity, leadership, and championship impact make him the pick.
Defensive tackle: Fletcher Cox, 2012
Cox was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft and became one of the greatest defensive players in Eagles history. He made six Pro Bowls, earned first-team All-Pro honors, and was a centerpiece of the defensive front that helped Philadelphia win Super Bowl LII.
Cox combined power, quickness, and durability, giving the Eagles a game-wrecking interior presence for more than a decade. Jerome Brown’s peak was extraordinary and deserves the strongest possible mention, but Cox’s longevity, production, and championship role give him the edge for this spot. Jalen Carter could eventually enter this conversation, but Cox remains the standard among Eagles first-round defensive tackles.
Linebacker: Chuck Bednarik, 1949
If Bednarik is listed strictly as a linebacker, this is not a close race. He was one of the most important defensive players in franchise history, a Hall of Famer and a symbol of the Eagles’ championship foundation. His physical style and two-way workload made him one of the most iconic players the sport has produced.
Jerry Robinson, a first-round pick in 1979, deserves mention after becoming a productive linebacker and Pro Bowl player for the Eagles. Jihaad Campbell could become part of the future conversation if he develops into the player Philadelphia envisioned when it selected him in the first round. For now, Bednarik remains the easy answer.
Cornerback/defensive back: Lito Sheppard, 2002
Sheppard was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft and developed into one of the Eagles’ top defensive playmakers of the 2000s. He earned two Pro Bowl selections, was named first-team All-Pro in 2004, and became a key part of a secondary that helped Philadelphia remain among the NFC’s top teams.
Sheppard played behind established veterans early in his career before emerging as a ball-hawking cornerback with the confidence and instincts to thrive in Jim Johnson’s aggressive defense. Roynell Young, a first-round pick in 1980, also deserves consideration after becoming a Pro Bowl defensive back and long-term starter. Quinyon Mitchell could eventually challenge for this spot, but Sheppard’s peak gives him the current edge among first-round defensive backs.
Safety: None selected high enough to qualify cleanly
This is the position where the first-round-only rule matters most. Dawkins is the greatest defensive back in Eagles history, but he was selected in the second round of the 1996 draft. Wes Hopkins, Malcolm Jenkins, and other important Eagles safeties also do not fit the criteria for this list because they were not drafted by Philadelphia in the first round.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Ryan O'Hearn #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks to the dugout before the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on June 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates made waves in the offseason when they signed Ryan O’Hearn to a 2-year $29 million contract in January. That signing was the largest ever handed out to a free-agent hitter in franchise history and was the first free-agent signed to a multi year contract by the club in a decade. Despite the big splash signing that it was at the time and what the left-handed hitter has done to this point in the season, O’Hearn finds himself on the outside looking in with regards to All-Star voting.
O’Hearn has quietly been exactly what the Pirates needed for their young team. O’Hearn provides a veteran presence for what is a very young clubhouse and has gracefully embraced that role since signing with Pittsburgh. Although his role in the clubhouse is usually attached to a player that’s over the hill, this couldn’t be further from the truth in the case of O’Hearn.
Ryan O'Hearn makes another nice catch in RF to rob Julio Rodriguez of extra bases pic.twitter.com/SwMhbrNRi2
Not only does O’Hearn provide the steady mindset as a veteran player off the field, he also provides that on the field. The 32-year-old lefty has been one of the consistent performers in manager Don Kelly’s lineup that has completely transformed this offense. 2025 saw Pittsburgh as bottom dwellers for homers and runs scored, but 2026 has seen the club completely flip the script and suddenly the bats have awakened. O’Hearn has been a catalyst in that way. It hasn’t been flashy or over the top, but it’s been a steady driving force. On the year O’Hearn is slashing .274/.333/.447 with a .780 OPS. At the plate O’Hearn has gathered 11 homers, 65 total hits and 41 RBIs. He knocked in a career high six runs against the Athletics on June, 17.
Despite the model of consistency that O’Hearn has been, he finds himself not in the top percentage of players receiving All-Star votes. He’s made significant impacts for the team at first base, right field and as a designated hitter, but still is not receiving the votes that teammates like Oneil Cruz (outfield) and Spencer Horwitz (first base) are receiving. Even with the time Cruz has spent on the injured list, he’s still in the top 20 of votes for outfielders while O’Hearn is nowhere to be seen.
O’Hearn has been named to the All-Star team once in his career. Last season as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, O’Hearn was named to the American League All-Star team as the starting designated hitter. O’Hearn is currently on pace to replicate those same numbers that made him an All-Star just a season ago.
At the time of his signing, Kelly was very impressed with O’Hearn’s career path and said he could be a game changer for the Pirates.
“The resiliency that he showed in that moment of going from being DFA’d to starting in the All-Star Game, that’s what Pittsburgh is all about, is that toughness and that grit,” Kelly said. “Really excited to add him to the organization.”
Pittsburgh and O’Hearn seem to already be a match made in heaven as he really seems bought in to changing the organization and delivering a winner to the city. Even if he doesn’t make it on the National League’s All-Star roster, O’Hearn has more than impressed to this point as a Pirate and could end up being one of those special signings that the Buccos have made in recent history. O’Hearn has made his confidence in the team known since the minute he was signed.
“I couldn’t be anymore excited to be a Pirate,” O’Hearn said. “I love the stadium, I love the city, what it’s about. I did my research before I made a decision, and it’s a team that can pitch and just seemed like one or two pieces away from being a legit contender.”
The Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres completed a borderline blockbuster trade. Chicago sent the 4th & 45th overall picks, along with Louis Crevier, to Buffalo in exchange for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway.
Byram is an incredible defenseman who comes to Chicago hoping to be their number one. He feels that after a career year, it is time for him to get the ice time and paycheck that he deserves. With Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power already established in Buffalo, Byram felt overshadowed.
As a Blackhawk, Byram will be the number one guy on defense. On most nights, he will lead the team in time on ice, and should be their top offensive producer from the back-end. The team will be better with him on it.
The catch is that Byram has one year left on his deal, which carries a cap hit of $6.25 million. After that, he will require a substantial pay upgrade on a long-term extension. His salary will likely double. He is just 25 years old, which means he has some great hockey ahead of him, but it will still be a hard contract to live up to.
Jordan Greenway is not a game-changer. He will be a fourth-line option for Jeff Blashill, bringing a physical presence to the game, but you can't point to him as a reason the team will be better.
Early in the life of the trade, it has the makings of a legitimate disaster for the Chicago Blackhawks. They gave up a top-five pick and a second-round pick, along with a solid defenseman in Louis Crevier, for Bowen Byram without an extension and a fourth-line forward.
The outlook of the trade will improve if they get Byram signed, but there will also be worry about it becoming an albatross. They gave up a lot, including their most valuable asset, and Connor Bedard still has a huge hole on his wing.
In the likely event that they are unable to get Bedard a true top-line winger, that will make it four years in a row to start his career. That's terrible asset management.
Byram is a really good player, and the Blackhawks should have taken him 3rd overall in 2019, but this is a massive overpay for him 7 years later.
Blackhawks Trade Grade: D+
The trade grade will become a C if Byram signs a fair extension, and it will become an A if he is the true number one defenseman that the Blackhawks need for a large portion of the Connor Bedard era. For now, there are way too many question marks.
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Ben James is one of the most promising college golfers since Tiger Woods. But he missed crossing paths with the 15-time major champion on Tuesday for a hilarious—but understandable—reason.
James recently turned pro after graduating from the University of Virginia, where he won seven times and became the first player in a quarter century to earn First Team All-America honors for all four years in school. In his pro debut at the RBC Canadian Open earlier this month, he held the 36-hole lead and he finished T-23 at the U.S. Open last week.
So, the dude is a total stud. Which is why the Travelers Championship extended a sponsor invitation to him this week for this PGA Tour signature event. Well, that and the fact that he also happens to have grown up in nearby Milford, Conn.
That plays a key role in this story, because James is getting to sleep in his own bed this week. And apparently, he's still got the sleep habits of a college kid because here's what he said when he was asked about whether he saw Tiger Woods, who was on hand at TPC River Highlands for the big PGA Tour announcements.
"I was sleeping in my bed in Milford," James replied. "I wasn't here."
Amazing. Maybe next time, Ben. It should be pointed out that Tiger wasn't exactly there at the crack of dawn, either. He was on hand for Brian Rolapp's session with the media that ran from 10 a.m. to about 11 a.m.
It should also be pointed out that James didn't do his Q&A until noon. Smart move by tournament officials. Although, he's got a 9:05 a.m. tee time on Thursday. Better set a couple alarms, Ben.
🎥 Cameraman cops it, World Cup coach shows real emotion
Norway secured an early place in the knockout stage of the World Cup after a thrilling 3-2 win over Senegal. Coach Ståle Solbakken is normally the picture of calm. But after the match, he really let loose in the dressing room in front of the whole team. It was one long hymn of praise for his squad. We would, however, quite like to know what the cameraman did to him.
Clearly, though, the mood in the Norwegian camp is so good that even such an emotional reaction can be laughed off. Striker Alexander Sørloth also had a joking piece of advice at the end: "You have to get him back for that."
CROMWELL, Conn. — Shane Lowry is the latest prominent PGA Tour player to change caddies. Lowry said he parted ways with Darren Reynolds after he missed the cut at the U.S. Open last week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Lowry made a call to the bullpen to Dermot Byrne, his former caddie who was on the bag for the first 10 years of his career. Lowry said this was just for the Travelers Championship because he needed a caddie on short notice and he’s still in the process of figuring things out on a future bagman.
“We’ll see what the plan is going forward. No idea really,” he said.
Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship with Bo Martin by his side. Martin has been working for Min Woo Lee since late 2024.
In other caddie news, John Ellis is filling in this week for Chris Gotterup. Ellis, who was on the bag for Wyndham Clark when he won the U.S. Open in 2023, had the week off from Max Homa, who isn’t exempt for the signature events. Gotterup’s regular caddie, Brady Stockton, took the week off because his wife is expecting a baby.
Julien Trudeau, formerly with Mackenzie Hughes, has a new bag. He rode Ryder Cowen to co-medalist honors among the amateurs last week but he starts a new gig with Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the Canadian rookie who has been one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Welcome back, Travis McAlister, who formerly worked for Maverick McNealy and most recently was on the bag for PGA Tour U grad Gordon Sargent earlier this year. McAlister is hopping on to the bag of veteran pro Tom Hoge.
Steve “Pepsi” Hale, who had been on Ryan Gerard’s bag for more than a year until the PGA Championship, has dipped down to the Korn Ferry Tour to land recent University of Arizona golfer Filip Jakubcik and Micah Fugitt, who had been on Billy Horschel’s bag until The Memorial, is working for Chez Reavie at the KFT event in Springfield, Illinois, too.
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
Here’s how much GTA VI will cost at launch Rockstar Games has revealed official pricing information about Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders. Pre-orders will start on June 25th, and Rockstar has confirmed that physical copies of the game will be “a download code in a box”. Boxed copies of the game will begin shipping on […]
Getting into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 opens up a very deep rabbit hole of potential accessories to make your experience better and more realistic. I'm starting to fall down it myself, moving away from using a controller to something with better control over my virtual planes.
There's a lot to choose from, with options for tighter budgets, those looking for more advanced hardware, and everywhere in between. Amazon Prime Day is a great chance to get yourself a flight stick, yoke, or rudder pedals, and I've rounded up the best deals you need to see.
Each of the items below has been hand-tested by Windows Central experts, so you know they're worth your time and money.
For those with an Xbox Series X or Series S console — the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight is the gateway to the best Flight Simulator experience. Turtle Beach has singlehandedly delivered a monumental leap in the quality of console gear. ~ Matt Brown, Former Senior Editor
"Compatible with Xbox consoles and Windows PC, the VelocityOne Flightstick is perfect for immersive simulations or action-packed space flights with eight high-precision axes. " ~ Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
Thrustmaster doesn't pretend that the T.Flight HOTAS One is a premium flight stick, as it carefully cuts back on any excessive features like built-in displays or unnecessary RGB, sticking instead to a no-frills shell and focusing on the responsive joystick and throttle combination. ~ Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
Honeycomb Aeronautical's award-winning Alpha Flight Controls is updated and compatible with Xbox (with the external Xbox hub accessory) and is one of the absolute best options for flight sim players when combined with the equally great Bravo Throttle Quadrant. ~ Zachary Boddy, Former Staff Writer
Part of a wider effort to simplify a yoke and throttle setup and, in turn, offer a more affordable price tag to help new players ease their way into an ultra-realistic simulation rig — you'll notice I never used the word "cheap" here, and that's for a good reason. ~ Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
This mostly depends on your knowledge of aircraft, as each control type varies in real life. Some small planes use a yoke, while some large airliners, notably the Airbus ones, will use a stick. It depends what you think you'll be more comfortable with, or how close to realism you're trying to get.
Do I need to buy rudder pedals?
Not necessarily. While it does offer a realistic experience and appeals to intermediate players and above, you can usually emulate these controls with flight sticks that allow twisting. Pedals are generally more useful for anyone buying a yoke, but they match up with traditional flight sticks, too. If you're a new player, don't worry about pedals.
Do all flight sticks work on Xbox and PS5?
No. While flight sticks and yokes made for consoles will generally work on PCs that meet MSFS' spec requirements, the same is not true for the opposite. Always check for explicit compatibility confirmation before buying any peripheral if that's your intended platform. Windows PC players don't have to worry as much.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Google is experimenting with new labels that highlight the ads it believes are most relevant to a user’s search query, a move that could influence how users engage with paid results and how advertisers think about ad relevance.
What’s happening. Google began testing a new Search ads feature that adds “Strongest match” or “Strong match” labels to certain ads appearing in search results. The experiment was revealed by Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin, who said the labels are designed to help users quickly identify ads that are highly relevant to their search intent.
The test is currently limited to a small percentage of users in the U.S.
Why we care. Google is testing a new visual signal that could influence which ads users perceive as the most relevant and trustworthy. If the experiment expands, advertisers with strong ad relevance and quality signals may gain greater visibility and potentially higher click-through rates, while less relevant ads could become easier for users to overlook.
How it works. According to Google, the labels rely on existing ad quality and relevance signals already used within its advertising systems. Rather than introducing a new ranking factor, the experiment surfaces Google’s assessment of an ad’s relevance directly within the user interface.
The goal is to make it easier for users to identify the information most closely aligned with their search query.
Why Google is testing it. Google says the experiment is intended to improve the Search ads experience for both consumers and advertisers.
For users, the labels could provide an additional signal about which ads are most likely to address their needs.
For advertisers, the feature could help connect highly relevant ads with high-intent audiences, potentially increasing engagement and click-through rates.
Reading between the lines. The test reflects Google’s ongoing efforts to make ad relevance more visible.
Historically, relevance signals have largely operated behind the scenes through auction and quality systems. By displaying those signals more prominently, Google could be seeking to build greater user trust in sponsored results while rewarding advertisers that closely align ads with search intent.
The experiment also arrives as search platforms face increasing pressure to demonstrate the usefulness and quality of advertising experiences.
What to watch. Google emphasized that this is an early-stage experiment and has not indicated whether the labels will become a permanent feature. For now, advertisers may want to keep an eye on the test as another signal that ad relevance and quality remain central to Google’s vision for Search advertising.
“Tailor Your Feed” is the first time a user can shape their Discover feed by typing, in natural language, what they want to see. We have tracked it from its first appearance in Search Labs^search-labs to the pipeline[^pipeline] that powers it. Ten key points:
An explicit-control layer. Your prompt is turned into SEE_MORE / SEE_LESS actions, applied after a feed refresh.
Seemingly an LLM[^llm] under the hood. A persistent chat thread, and your prompt turned into instructions applied to your feed (in real time and over time).
The rebrand. “Tailor Your Feed” became “Add topics to your feed” in spring 2026, with a chat-style entry point.
The back-end pipeline.historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f[^pipeline-id], the “historical” twin of naturallanguagetuningcontent.f.
Two ways content is chosen. Entity[^entity] / interest expansion (the majority) vs a query-intent[^query-intent] fan-out[^fan-out] (the minority), the latter being the GEO[^geo] mechanism inside Discover.
Visible attribution. The “You asked to see” label, the “resulting from natural language tuning” tag, and a prompt history in My Activity.
Niche sites and small creators surfaced. Vegan recipe creators, Mississippi Today, a LinkedIn post, niche Japanese-property blogs and, as an illustration of the retrieval’s[^retrieval] behaviour, publishers outside the usual mainstream (VentureBeat surfaced on a “niche sites” prompt, though not itself a small site).
A popularity bypass. This pipeline mostly carries content that had barely circulated in Discover before, the opposite of the classic pipelines that re-serve already-popular articles.
What it changes for publishers. Selection power shifts to the user, opening a third path to visibility for small, niche sites.
Still EN-only, still nascent. Search Labs US only (FR ≈ 0%), adoption still early. What’s next.
Methodology
This article combines two observation streams:
Field tracking of the feature in the Google app since December 2025: UI states, server responses, attribution tags, and feed behaviour after each “Refresh / Update your feed”. Captured on our test devices, US (English) Search Labs accounts.
A close reading of the feed itself: each card can be traced back to the pipeline that selected it. By isolating the cards served by historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f, we describe how this pipeline behaves relative to the rest of the feed, drawing on 1492.vision tracking data.
Three deliberate notes on how we phrase things:
We describe distribution outcomes[^distribution], whether an article had ever circulated in Discover before, not raw audience numbers. When we say a card has “no prior Discover distribution”, we mean we find no trace of earlier serving in our Discover tracking dataset.
No account identifier appears in this article. Examples are shown as prompt → result, anonymised.
The internal mechanisms below are our interpretation of observed data and public research. Where a date is inferred rather than anchored, we say so.
1. What “Tailor Your Feed” is: an explicit-control layer
For years, Discover personalization was implicit: Google inferred your interests from clicks, dwell time, follows. “Tailor Your Feed” adds the opposite, an explicit layer where you simply type what you want.
The current entry point at the top of the feed: “What do you want to see?” with an “Add topics to your feed” field.
The feature opens a chat-style panel. You can pick a suggested template or write freely.
The original “Tailor your feed” intro card: “Say what you want in your own words”, with a “Try now” button.
Suggested prompts: “Start showing me women’s basketball”, “Keep me updated on country music”, “Show me more of Cara Nicole’s videos”, with a free-text box “Ask for the kind of content you want.”
These suggestions correspond to four intents the server responses expose: SEE_MORE, KEEP_UPDATED, CREATOR_MORE and SEE_LESS. Whatever you type is interpreted into one (or several) of these actions, then applied to the feed once confirmed with “Refresh / Update your feed.”
The feature shipped through Search Labs, US only.
The Search Labs entry: “Make your Discover feed truly yours by saying what you want to see.” Beta, US only.
Later iterations turned the free-text box into explicit starter templates: “Show me content from…”, “I want videos about…”, “Keep me updated…”. The same verbs, now surfaced as chips.
The “What do you want to see?” panel with its starter templates: “Show me content from…”, “I want videos about…”, “Keep me updated…”.
2. Under the hood: seemingly an LLM that turns prompts into actions
The flow is simple: prompt → interpretation → readable answer + an actionable result. You type a prompt, the assistant replies in plain language and proposes concrete changes, and a tap on “Update your feed” commits them.
A representative response, observed in the data exchanges for the prompt “show me more content on seroundtable.com”, looks like this:
{
"feature": "Discover • Tailor your feed",
"locale": "en-US",
"thread_key": "chat_thread_key_082fa565-234a-451c-9318-1e9af8b9d734",
"user_prompt": "show me more content on seroundtable.com",
"assistant_text": "I can show you more content from Search Engine Roundtable (SERoundtable.com) related to your interests. Refresh your feed to apply these changes.",
"result": {
"status": "UNDERSTOOD_AND_ACTIONABLE",
"actions": ["SEE_MORE"],
"show_call_to_action": true,
"count": 1
},
"ui_state_code": 2
}
The in-app prompt that produced the response above: “show me more content on seroundtable.com”, and the assistant’s reply ending on “Refresh your feed.”
Three things stand out:
A persistent thread. The thread_key is stable across exchanges; your tuning is a conversation, not a one-shot. The same thread is referenced again when, later, a card is attributed to one of your past prompts.
Actions, not topics. The response returns actions: ["SEE_MORE"]. Ask to remove a topic and you get ["SEE_LESS"]; a nuanced prompt can return both, e.g. “new country music releases… but no celebrity gossip” yields ["SEE_MORE", "SEE_LESS"].
Local context injection. Responses are interpreted with your context (locale, language, location). A generic “keep me updated about NBA” came back with “Updates on the Brooklyn Nets“, a local team injected from context.
“keep me updated about nba” → the assistant proposes scores, team and player news, and “Updates on the Brooklyn Nets”, a locally-injected entity.
On Google’s side, your sentence is turned into a set of instructions that feed the retrieval stage, with an “offline” path (applied over time) and a real-time one. This is, as we read it, the architectural shift the feature embodies: from inferred interest vectors to a natural-language profile you write yourself.
3. A six-month timeline (December 2025 → June 2026)
We documented the rollout as it happened. Dates anchored to in-app captures and the feature’s own changelogs; a few are approximate (marked with “~”).
December 2025: first sighting (Search Labs, US). The feature appears with everything described above: the chat panel, the JSON response, the persistent thread, the four intents, local context injection. First impression: the effect is subtle; after several refreshes you see a few on-topic cards, but nothing dramatic. (field note, example)
“I need a break from negative news. Show me more feel-good stories, but keep the local and breaking news.” The assistant lists the kinds of uplifting content to expect, then offers “Refresh your feed.”
Another early example: “can you show me https://dev.to/ on my feed” → the assistant offers programming articles, web-dev tutorials and software news.
~January 13, 2026: the attribution tag. Google starts marking cards “resulting from natural language tuning” after a refresh and the SEE_MORE/SEE_LESS arbitration, making it possible, for the first time, to tell which cards a prompt actually changed. A prompt history also appears in My Activity. (field note)
“‘Tailor your feed’ preferences in Discover. View and manage your prompts.” A dedicated My Activity surface (here, empty).
~February 2026: “historical” tuning, and what SEE_LESS really does. A second tag appears, “historical natural language tuning”, for cards influenced by a past prompt. Testing “fewer X posts”, we saw Google replace X (Twitter) cards with YouTube videos, and, notably, asking to remove a topic does not truly remove it: you get SEE_LESS, but the topic isn’t deleted from the feed. (field note)
~February 2026: the “niche” test. Asked for “more niche / small sites”, the feed came back, on the first refresh, with 2 of 10 cards modified by the prompt (a one-off snapshot, not an average), surfacing VentureBeat and Mississippi Today, with the very first result driven by the request. (field note)
~February 2026: the “entity” test. Asked for “more articles from a specific creator”, Google understood the topics related to that creator (entities), refreshed, and surfaced a LinkedIn post from them, tagged “natural language tuning content”. (field note)
~April 2026: the rebrand + the “You asked to see” label. “Tailor your feed” becomes “Add topics to your feed” with a chat UI, and a visible “You asked to see” label now marks the cards served by the pipeline. (rebrand, label)
A card labeled “You asked to see”: a historical-figures listicle from AOL.
“You asked to see” on a Guardian politics story.
“You asked to see” on Search Engine Roundtable cards; the publisher requested earlier now surfaces explicitly.
May 22, 2026: the query intents (the fan-out). We confirm that, beyond entity expansion, some pipeline cards carry a stored query intent, the prompt decomposed into specific retrieval queries, on the same pattern as the GEO “fan-out”. (More in section 5.) (field note)
“You asked to see” also applies to video: a Crunchyroll/One Piece YouTube card surfaced by a prompt.
June 2026: current state. The entry point reads “Add topics to your feed”, and the feature now surfaces small creators well outside the major publishers (section 6).
4. The pipeline behind it: historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f
Every Discover card can be traced back to the pipeline that selected it. “Tailor Your Feed” maps to a dedicated pair:
naturallanguagetuningcontent.f, content based on your current natural-language preferences.
historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f, content based on past prompts that keep influencing the feed (the “historical” tag from the timeline).
The pipeline retrieves content in two distinct ways:
Mode A: entity / interest expansion (the majority). Based on the observed behaviour, the prompt is mapped to entities and topics, and the feed expands around them. This is why asking for one publisher surfaces related sources and topics, not just that publisher, the same logic as the Follow button. Most cards work this way, expanding around your topics rather than echoing the exact words you typed.
Mode B: query-intent fan-out (the minority). For a fraction of cards, the prompt is decomposed into explicit query intents, natural-language retrieval queries that fetch the article. This is the GEO “fan-out” mechanism, and it is the subject of section 5.
One behaviour worth flagging: in our tracking data, Google appears to promote these cards cautiously, on average less than other pipelines, and pulls them back more often than any other, consistent with a retrieval that sometimes matches loosely (we’ll see a concrete false positive in section 5). It is, by design, a targeted pipeline, not a mass-distribution one: its cards show essentially no growth over time, the lowest of any pipeline. It serves what was asked for, to the user who asked. It doesn’t snowball.
5. Query intent: the GEO “fan-out” inside Discover
This is the most interesting mechanism. For a slice of cards, the prompt is broken down into a specific query intent that matched the article, the prompt turned into precise, natural-language retrieval queries. It is the functional analogue of the fan-out described for Generative Engine Optimization: a single prompt is decomposed into sub-queries that retrieve content by semantic relevance, with no popularity prerequisite.
The decomposition is visible. A prompt about SEO becomes a set of informational queries:
User prompt (approx.)
Decomposed query intents
“Show me content from SEO”
“SEO strategies algorithm changes” · “Google ranking system updates” · “tips for getting content into google discover”
And those query intents then retrieve real articles. Here are anonymised query intent → URL pairs we observed (the formulations are the exact internal query intents):
Our analyzer groups these query intents into clusters:
Clusters of query intents observed in the pipeline: “learning Google algorithms”, “AI content machine learning SEO”, “buying Japanese property guide”, “healthy cooking techniques”, “anime recommendations 2026″…
The same clusters, with the article count per intent.
Drilling into one cluster shows both the strength and the limit of the fan-out:
The “buying Japanese property guide” cluster: japantoday.com (how to buy a home in Japan) and maigomika.com (rural Japan) are spot-on niche matches, but rockpapershotgun.com (Forza Horizon 6 in-game home locations) is a false positive, a video-game article pulled in by surface word overlap. Loose matches like this are why Google ranks this pipeline so cautiously (section 4).
Why this matters for SEO: the query intent reveals the exact vocabulary Google uses to map a prompt to your content. These are natural-language informational queries, not raw keywords. Aligning titles, H1s and intros with these formulations is the Discover-side equivalent of optimizing for the AI fan-out.
6. Niche sites and small creators: the popularity bypass
Classic Discover pipelines mostly re-serve content that is already popular, articles that have already circulated widely and built engagement. “Tailor Your Feed” works differently: the cards we observe show a retrieval that reaches for semantically relevant content regardless of whether it ever circulated in Discover before.
1492.vision tracking data backs this up. On historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f, a majority of the cards point to articles with no detectable prior Discover distribution in our dataset, content that had never (or barely) been served in the feed before. This is, by a wide margin, the highest share of any pipeline: the classic news pipelines show the opposite profile, where almost every card has a long distribution history. A minority of the pipeline’s cards are the exception, mainstream articles (a Reuters story, for instance) already widely distributed and simply re-surfaced here.
The clearest illustration is a recipe prompt. Asking for vegan recipes surfaced, not the big food publishers, but small independent creators:
“Show me content from recipes vegan” → the assistant proposes plant-based weeknight dinners, vegan stews, high-protein tofu, vegan baking… then “Update your feed.”
The result: a “Sweet Potato Tacos” recipe from an independent creator, and “72 Vegan BBQ Recipes” from a small vegan blog, each labelled “You asked to see”, with a rating widget (“How would you rate this suggestion?”).
Across our tracking, the same pattern recurs: a niche gardening blog (buzzyseeds.com) for a seed-starting prompt; Mississippi Today for a “niche sites” prompt (with VentureBeat surfaced on the same prompt, as an illustration of the retrieval’s behaviour); a LinkedIn post for a creator prompt; niche Japanese-property blogs (japantoday.com, maigomika.com) for a property prompt. Most are not the usual high-volume Discover winners.
The takeaway, carefully put: the feature surfaces articles that had barely circulated in Discover before. The retrieval appears to be driven by relevance to the prompt, not by prior popularity: what works like a popularity filter in the classic pipelines is, here, bypassed.
7. What this changes for publishers
This is the part that matters most looking forward, and it’s a genuine shift in how Discover visibility can be earned.
Selection power moves to the user. In the classic feed, Google decides what you see from inferred signals. Here, the user writes the prompt (“show me more of X”, “less of Y”), and Google turns it into entities, interests and query intents that drive retrieval. Demand becomes explicit.
Consequence: niche sites can surface without a Discover track record. Because the retrieval appears to reach for relevance rather than prior popularity, a small site can be served the moment a user asks for its topic, even if it had never really circulated in Discover before (section 6). That’s new.
It’s a third path to visibility. Until now, a niche site broke into Discover only two ways: through strong implicit affinity (Google infers, from repeated engagement, that you love a topic, and a re-surface pipeline keeps feeding you that niche site), or through an explicit follow. “Tailor Your Feed” adds a third, user-initiated path that depends on neither.
The concrete levers for publishers:
Optimize for entities/topics (the dominant Mode A). Be unambiguously about what users will name. A clear topical focus → cleaner entity association → you’re in the expansion set when someone asks for your subject.
Optimize for query-intent vocabulary (the Mode B fan-out). Phrase titles, H1s and intros to match the natural-language informational queries a prompt decomposes into (the Discover-side of GEO). Section 5 shows the exact formulations Google uses.
What it is not. Publishers should be clear-eyed:
Not a mass channel. The pipeline shows essentially no growth, and Google promotes its cards cautiously. It serves the user who asked; it doesn’t broadcast.
Not publisher-triggerable. Only the user can fire it. You can be retrieval-ready, but you can’t activate it for your own site.
Geographically and adoption-limited. It is EN-only (Search Labs, US; ≈ 0% in French feeds), and adoption is still early; the My Activity surface was empty in our tests. The future impact depends on (a) a general rollout and (b) whether users actually adopt prompt-based tuning at scale.
The strategic read: if “Add topics to your feed” graduates from Search Labs and users embrace it, the demand-driven, popularity-agnostic retrieval it relies on is structurally favourable to small, focused, well-described sites, the kind that classic, popularity-dominated pipelines rarely reward.
What’s next?
A snapshot, not an endpoint. What we’re watching:
The French (and EU) rollout. Today the feature is EN-only. Depending on how independent it is from AIO[^aio] and AI Mode[^ai-mode] features, it could reach France sooner or later.
Adoption. A powerful mechanism with no users changes nothing. The empty My Activity surface suggests prompt-based tuning is still a niche behaviour. Mass adoption is the variable that decides whether this matters for publishers.
The current / historical pair.naturallanguagetuningcontent.f (live) and historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f (persistent) suggest tuning is meant to last over time, a standing instruction, not a one-off.
Convergence with generative retrieval. A nascent generativeretrieval.f pipeline, spotted recently in our tracking data, suggests LLM-driven retrieval may reach beyond this one feature (to be confirmed).
The bigger picture: Discover is moving from observed personalization (Google infers) toward declared personalization (you tell it), and the retrieval that serves declared intent doesn’t lock onto popularity. That’s the structural opening for niche publishers, if and only if the feature ships broadly and users adopt it.
Notes
[^pipeline]: In Discover, a pipeline is a selection circuit that chooses and serves the cards. Each card can be traced to the identifier of the pipeline that produced it; that is what we exploit in our 1492.vision tracking data.
[^pipeline-id]: The .f suffix in identifiers such as historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent.f is an internal marker we observe in the metadata of Discover cards; it distinguishes the selection circuits.
[^search-labs]: Google’s beta program that lets users test experimental features in Search and Discover before any wider rollout.
[^llm]: Large Language Model. We assume one here, without direct proof of the model used, from the conversational behaviour and the structured responses observed.
[^entity]: In the sense of Google’s Knowledge Graph: a named entity; a person, topic, organisation or concept that is identified and linked to others, distinct from the everyday sense of the word “entity” (a company, a legal structure).
[^fan-out]: A mechanism by which a single prompt is broken into several retrieval sub-queries, each targeting a different angle of the topic.
[^query-intent]: A natural-language informational query, derived from the user’s prompt, that was used to retrieve a specific article. Observable in our data as metadata attached to certain pipeline cards.
[^geo]: Generative Engine Optimization: the practice of optimizing content to be visible and cited in the answers of generative engines (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, etc.), notably via query fan-out.
[^retrieval]: The stage where Google fetches and selects the content to display in the feed, from interest signals, entities or queries.
[^distribution]: In this article, the fact that an article had already circulated in Discover, as observed in our 1492.vision tracking dataset, not an audience figure nor a Search Console metric.
[^aio]: AI Overviews: generative answers shown at the top of certain Google Search results.
[^ai-mode]: AI Mode: Google Search’s conversational interface, distinct from AI Overviews.
Field tracking: Google app, Search Labs (US/English) accounts, December 2025 – June 2026. Pipeline behaviour derived from close observation of the Discover feed via 1492.vision tracking data. “Distribution” here means whether an article had already circulated in Discover, as observed in our tracking dataset, not private audience figures. The internal mechanisms are our interpretation of observed data and public research; inferred dates are flagged as approximate.
In late Q1, ASUS implemented a 30% price increase for PCs in Taiwan, with the rest of the world following closely. ASUS Joint Technology Systems Division General Manager Yi-Hsiang Liao announced this planned 30% price hike across the company's entire product line, explaining that the extremely high costs of DRAM and SSD storage, combined with a shortage of CPUs, were driving this increase. However, today we are facing another increase, but a much milder one. According to Money UDN, ASUS now expects single-digit PC price increases for Q3, which is a much better situation for the PC market than the continuously rising prices. While these price increases hurt consumers, they also impact PC makers' sales, meaning that signs of stabilizing prices present a good opportunity for the PC market to rebound in the coming months.
As PC price increases are now expected to be in the single digits compared to Q1, we can conclude that component pricing has exhausted its room for further increases from the mid-double digits seen since Q4 of 2025. We can hope to see this trend evolve into price stagnation in the coming quarters, as well as possible contractions down the line. Main cost drivers, including NAND Flash, DRAM, and CPUs, have made any price cuts impossible for the time being. However, there is hope that the supply chain will stabilize next year. DIY PC enthusiasts might see better availability in the coming quarters as major PC OEMs work with the supply chain to gain access to more DRAM and NAND Flash, but as of now, this remains a distant hope.
According to estimates from Alinea Analytics, games that launched in 2025 or earlier that have not received PC ports have dominated first-party PlayStation game sales so far in 2026. The numbers suggest that keeping these titles exclusive to PlayStation 5 increased their sales on that console, allowing Sony to keep...
Rockstar Games confirmed the prices ahead of preorders starting at midnight tonight. The studio also revealed that the game will be a "single-player experience" at launch, so it seems there won't be any new version of GTA Online when the next installment arrives on November 19.
The key difference is in how the system handles movement. Rather than relying only on thumbsticks or teleporting, Omni One keeps users on a slick, stationary base and tracks their steps in any direction. That setup ties a player's body movements more closely to what happens on-screen.
Strategy's cash reserves are now enough to pay only 14 months of dividends from the previous seven-year level. CryptoQuant said the company should pause Bitcoin purchases and rebuild its reserves.
Standard Chartered said tokenized assets moving into DeFi could drive deposits into Aave and help the protocol rebuild its position as a dominant onchain lending platform.
There are several excellent budget and mid-range gaming monitors from GIGABYTE that are currently available for dirt-cheap prices. GIGABYTE Lists 27-inch WOLED 240Hz for Just $349, While its Fast IPS Monitors With 1440p Resolution are now Retailing at $145-$159 The Prime Day deals are here, and it has begun with some exciting display deals for gamers. Popular hardware and monitor maker GIGABYTE has listed some excellent deals on Amazon, which you can avail today, starting at just $145. Whether your budget is less than $150 or over $400, you can have an excellent gaming display for your setup that provides […]
After spending years adrift, it seems like the Star Fox series is poised to fly high once again, with a well-received appearance by Fox McCloud in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and now a new Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive game. While simply titled Star Fox, this latest title is, in fact, a glossy current-gen remake of Star Fox 64, which is still considered by many to be the best in the series nearly 30 years after its initial release. Does Star Fox 2026 prove that everything old can successfully be made new again? Or does this revival miss the mark? Boost […]
All the pieces belonging to the iPhone Fold were in place, as Samsung was preparing to begin mass production of the device’s advanced M16 display. The weakest link was said to be Apple’s 3D printed hinge, which was the most complicated and likely headache-inducing component of the upcoming flagship due to the rattling sounds it was making. With the company reportedly having bulldozed through these hurdles, it’s a positive sign that it can enter mass production in July. Launch month of September for the iPhone Fold won’t get disturbed if report’s claims are true, with the bulk of the hinge problems resolved […]
Phone makers are pretty much attracted to Samsung’s Privacy Display tech used in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. They intend to source the technology from Samsung Display, but the company isn’t rushing to expand the FMP panels.
Privacy Display is not just another software trick or a cheap privacy filter slapped onto the screen. It is built into the hardware itself, giving users a way to block unwanted side glances without changing the phone’s design.
The idea has caught the attention of the wider industry. Smartphone, tablet, and laptop makers are already looking at Samsung Display’s privacy panel. Yet Samsung is not moving quickly to supply this technology to rivals.
The company appears ready to take its time, with rivals not expected to receive these panels until around late 2028. That delay suggests Samsung sees the first generation as a foundation rather than a finished product.
Samsung’s Privacy Display works at a hardware level, narrowing viewing angles so people beside you cannot easily see what is on the screen. Samsung also added two privacy intensity modes and a notification-only option, making it more flexible.
A built-in privacy layer could be useful for business users, commuters, travelers, and anyone handling personal info in crowded places. Rivals are circling because this solves a real problem without forcing users to install bulky accessories.
Meanwhile, turning privacy protection up to its highest level affects the premium display experience. Color accuracy takes a hit, brightness drops, and sharpness is reduced, which is a real letdown in the first-generation.
Waiting until 2028 could mean getting access to a more polished second-generation panel with fewer compromises. Privacy is valuable, but customers buying high-end devices still expect the best possible screen quality.
Samsung is following a dynamic production strategy for its HBM solutions, with HBM4 entering the focus to regain AI memory momentum.
According to Chosun, Samsung is now utilizing half of its HBM production capacity on HBM4 to chase the AI memory market. Products with weaker demand have been reduced so the production can ramp up for the trending versions.
Samsung first shipped an HBM4 memory chip in February 2026. The company has recently unveiled HBM4E with further improvements. However, demand for HBM4 is currently trending due to its broad application.
Industry insiders revealed that the Korean tech giant has assigned about 75,000 of its 150,000 monthly HBM DRAM wafers to HBM4 production.
The remaining 75,000 wafers were allocated to the 12-layer HBM3E, whereas production of the 8-layer HBM3E has been temporarily halted.
Samsung has a limited share in Nvidia’s HBM3E supply chain, which is used in the Blackwell AI accelerator. Meanwhile, the HBM4 is the main force behind Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin.
Apart from Nvidia, Samsung may have been getting increasing demand from major cloud companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, which are developing in-house AI accelerators to reduce reliance on NVIDIA GPUs.
Riding the AI memory frenzy, SK Hynix became Korea’s most valuable tech company. It surpassed Samsung Electronics, breaking a record of over 25 years of dominance.
The next generation of consoles could potentially breach the $1000 market with relative ease, thanks to increasing chip, storage, and memory costs all contributing to a much higher bill of materials.
Deal | Bluetti has officially kicked off its Prime Day deals at Amazon as well as Bluetti’s official store, offering up to 43% off some of its popular portable power stations, namely, the Apex 300, the Elite 200 V2, the Elite 300, the Elite 400, and the FridgePower.
Microsoft's legacy Secure Boot certificate expires today, June 24, 2026. The mandatory firmware key rotation impacts upcoming Windows updates and system security.
Senne Lammens'in as kaleci olmasının ardından Andre Onana ile yolları kesin olarak ayırma kararı alan Manchester United, 35'lik Karl Darlow'un transferine odaklandı. Yaşanan bu sıcak gelişme, Kamerunlu kaleciyi kalıcı olarak kadrosuna katmak isteyen Trabzonspor'a müjde niteliğinde.
Manchester United, kale departmanında radikal bir yapılanmaya gidiyor. İngiliz basınında yer alan iddialara göre, Kırmızı Şeytanlar önümüzdeki sezonun kaleci kurgusunu netleştirirken, bu hamleler başta Trabzonspor olmak üzere Süper Lig devlerini yakından ilgilendiriyor.
Geçtiğimiz sezonu kiralık olarak Trabzonspor’da geçiren Andre Onana, her ne kadar Manchester United’a dönerek forma savaşı vermek istese de İngiliz kulübü bu kapıyı tamamen kapattı.
Karadeniz fırtınası, Onana'nın bonservisini kalıcı olarak kadrosuna katmak için görüşmelerini sürdürüyor. United'ın oyuncuyu kadroda düşünmemesi, Trabzonspor'un bu transferdeki elini ciddi şekilde güçlendirdi.
Öte yandan Manchester United forması giyen milli kaleci Altay Bayındır, düzenli süre bulabileceği bir takıma gitmek için ayrılık hazırlığı yapıyor. United, genç kalecisi Radek Vitek'i de 10 milyon sterlin net kâr elde etmek amacıyla satış listesine koydu.
United'da kale artık tamamen Belçikalı Senne Lammens'e emanet. Geçtiğimiz yaz Royal Antwerp'ten transfer edilen ve Premier Lig'de "Yılın Transferi" seçilen Lammens, takımın Şampiyonlar Ligi vizesi almasında başrolü oynadı ve yerini garantiledi.
Onana ve Altay ile yolları ayırmaya hazırlanan Manchester United, Lammens'e tecrübeli bir yedek arıyor. Gündemdeki bir numaralı isim, Leeds United ile sözleşmesi sona eren 35 yaşındaki Karl Darlow.
Ancak Darlow'un Leeds ile 2 yıllık yeni sözleşme imzalama ihtimalinin yükselmesi üzerine United, rotayı Wolves forması giyen eski kalecisi Sam Johnstone'a çevirdi. Kulübedeki bir diğer alternatif ise sözleşmesi uzatılan emektar kaleci Tom Heaton olacak.
2026 Dünya Kupası D Grubu'ndaki Türkiye maçında Mert Müldür ile tartışırken ağzını kapatan Paraguaylı Miguel Almirón, FIFA'nın yeni yürürlüğe koyduğu 'Suçluluk Karinesi' (Prestianni Yasası) kapsamında futbol tarihinde kırmızı kart gören ilk oyuncu oldu.
2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası D Grubu’nda oynanan Paraguay-Türkiye karşılaşması, futbol tarihine geçecek bir hakem kararına sahne oldu. Paraguay'ın yıldız hücum orta saha oyuncusu Miguel Almirón, futbol dünyasına yeni sunulan "Prestianni Yasası" (Vinícius Yasası) kapsamında kırmızı kart gören ilk oyuncu olarak tarihe geçti.
Maçın hakemi Iván Barton, VAR uyarısı üzerine saha kenarı incelemesine gitti. Görüntülerde Miguel Almirón’un, milli futbolcumuz Mert Müldür ile tartıştığı sırada elini ağzına götürerek konuşmasını gizlemeye çalıştığı tespit edildi.
IFAB ve FIFA'nın saha içindeki hakaret, ırkçılık ve ayrımcı söylemleri engellemek adına getirdiği yeni kurala göre; bir oyuncunun tartışma anında ağzını kapatması, "uygunsuz bir ifade kullandığının" varsayılmasına (Suçluluk Karinesi) yol açıyor. FIFA Disiplin Kurulu, Almirón’un sportmenlik dışı davranışı cezalandıran 14.1b maddesini ihlal ettiğini ve bu karara itiraz edilemeyeceğini açıkladı.
Turnuva kuralları gereği doğrudan kırmızı kartla cezalandırılan Almirón, takımının gruptaki kaderini belirleyecek olan kritik Avustralya maçında forma giyemeyecek. Bu ceza, gruptan çıkma mücadelesi veren Gustavo Alfaro’nun ekibine çok ağır bir darbe vurdu.
Almirón, Dünya Kupası'ndaki ilk maçında da yeni kuralların kurbanı olmuştu. ABD ile oynanan karşılaşmada Tim Ream ile girdiği pozisyonda faul taklidi yaptığı VAR'ın "yanlış kimlik/karar tespiti" protokolüyle belirlenen Paraguaylı oyuncu, rakibine verilen sarı kartı iptal ettirmiş ve kendisi simülasyondan sarı kart görmüştü.
Galatasaray'la devam edip etmeyeceği büyük merak konusu olan Mauro Icardi'nin başı eski eşiyle dertte. Aralarındaki hukuki çekişme devam eden Wanda Nara, yine bir televizyon programına çıktı ve yenilir yutulur olmayan iddialarda bulundu.
Galatasaraylı Mauro Icardi ile çalkantılı ilişkisiyle gündemden düşmeyen Wanda Nara, katıldığı canlı yayında eski eşi hakkında yenilir yutulur olmayan iddialarda bulundu.
Yanina Latorre’nin programına konuk olan Nara, Icardi’nin Galatasaray’a transfer sürecini, Türkiye hakkındaki gizli düşüncelerini ve aralarındaki velayet krizini tüm çıplaklığıyla anlattı.
- Mauro’ya Türkiye seçeneğini sunduğumda bana deli olduğumu söyledi. Oranın berbat bir ülke olduğunu savundu ve çocuklarımın beynini yıkayarak Türkiye’deki insanların 'kötü koktuğu' fikrini aşıladı.
- Şimdi ise o gün 'b.. çukuru' dediği ülkenin şampiyonluklarını sanki ömür boyu taraftarıymış gibi kutluyor. Hepsi büyük bir yalan.
Wanda Nara: “MAURO LE INCULCÓ A MIS HIJOS QUE LOS TURCOS TENÍAN MAL OLOR. JAMÁS QUISO IR A TURQUÍA”. pic.twitter.com/xYrvAbtlfk
Bambu Lab is running a big sale all through the Amazon Prime Day week, meaning you can grab big discounts on its popular line of 3D printers at Amazon for the next few days.
It's also running its big anniversary sale event on its website/. Savings of up to 52% are possible on the best Bambu Lab 3D printers right now, both at its own store and from Amazon. That's important to mention, because we're seeing varied discounts across both sites, thanks to these deals running concurrently.
We're expecting the Prime Day deals to finish by the end of the week, but Bambu Lab's anniversary sale is set to run until July 15, 2026. That doesn't mean it's worth waiting around, however. These are popular printers, and past experience tells us that the best discounts will sell out well before that happens.
If you need or want a new Bambu Lab 3D printer, now is the perfect time. There are record-low prices to take advantage of across the entire Bambu Lab printer family, including deals on the Bambu Lab P1S, P2S, A1, and H2D.
Struggling to decide? Here are the best Bambu Lab Prime Day deals that you can pick up right now. This comes with direct advice on the best 3D printer models, with links to the Bambu Lab printers that we've previously reviewed, where you can read about our full and thorough testing of each printer's performance, which will help you to choose between them.
Bambu Lab Prime Day Deals on 3D Printers
This popular compact printer is solidly built with a full-metal linear rail system and bearings, features full auto calibration, vibration and flow-rate compensation, and compatibility with multi-color AMS accessories. Check out our review of the Bambu Lab A1 mini.
The latest version of the Bambu Lab A1 uses an upgraded heatbed cable with Kevlar reinforcement and thicker insulation for an improved product. Features include full AMS compatibility, full-auto calibration, and a 256x256x256 mm³ build volume. See our review of the Bambu Lab A1 for more details on this 3D printer.
Set the Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer up in 15 minutes and start your printing and maker journey. The P1S is an enclosed printer, making it ideal for high-temperature filament printing. Fast prints are standard thanks to the speedy 20000 mm/s² acceleration limit. Take a look at our review of the Bambu Lab P1S for more information.
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Top-of-the-line performance with one of Bambu Lab's flagship 3D printers. Features include touchscreen controls, dual-nozzle printing, a 350mm x 320mm x 325mm build volume, and auto bed levelling, along with full AMS 2 compatibility.
AMS addons (Automatic Material Systems) for Bambu Lab printers unlock the ability to print with multiple different colors in the same price, as well as help with filament drying and storage.
Depending on the 3D printer combination and compatibility, you can link multiple units together, too.
Grab the same Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer as above, but with an AMS included. With AMS stock limited on Bambu Lab's website until August, this might be a good way to get both without waiting for stock to improve.View Deal
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Compatible with Bambu Lab's X1 and P1 series of 3D printers, the AMS - Automatic Material System provides an enclosure for multiple filament spools and also keeps them dry for better printing results. View Deal
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Bambu Lab's AMS lite - Automatic Material System can be matched with Bambu Lab's A1-series of 3D printers for making prints using multiple filament colors. View Deal
Grab the A1 Mini with the AMS Lite add-on. This isn't on sale, but it is cheaper than buying the two separately.View Deal
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Bambu Lab Filament Deals
Filament is a must-buy when you're buying a 3D printer (unless it's a resin printer), as you're going to need the actual material to start printing with. Bambu Lab have discounts on its own range of filament spools right now, with some great bundles on sale for beginners to pick up below.
This starter pack gives you four 1KG PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament spools, in bambu green, jade white, gray, and black colorways. This is one of the more forgiving materials for beginners.View Deal
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If the more basic colors of the classic pack don't appeal, and you're curious to try making your own piece of 3D-printed art, you can choose this CYMK Lithophane bundle. You get four 1KG PLA spools in cyan, yellow, magenta, and jade white to experiment with here.View Deal
A prebuilt gaming PC is one of the easiest ways to get a fully assembled system without the hassles of compatibility and the higher cost of sourcing individual components. If you are on the lookout for a fully assembled gaming PC, the iBuyPower Y40 is selling at a phenomenal value of $1,749 over at Walmart. Originally priced at $2,499.99, this limited-period offer saves you $750.99 if you purchase the prebuilt PC online.
According to iBuyPower, the prebuilt PC is suitable for anyone looking to upgrade their desktop PC for gaming, streaming, and video editing. It is an all-AMD system including the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is currently our pick as the best gaming CPU on the market, featuring 8 cores, 16 threads, a base clock of 4.7 GHz, and boost speeds of up to 5.2 GHz. It comes with AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache technology, providing a massive 96MB of L3 cache to improve gaming performance. The Radeon RX 9070XT handles graphics duties, which is currently AMD's most well-rounded graphics card offering performance that is almost similar to the RTX 5070 Ti for far less money.
Featuring the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Radeon RX 9070 XT, liquid cooling, and a premium Hyte Y40 chassis, the iBuyPower Y40 delivers high-end gaming performance at a surprisingly accessible price.View Deal
The rest of the components include 32GB of DDR5 5200 MT/s memory, a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, a B650 motherboard with onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and an 850W 80 Plus Gold power supply unit. All of the parts are housed inside the Hyte Y40, which is a fishtank-style case with three 120mm ARGB fans and an iBuyPower AW4 360mm AIO liquid cooler. Included with the prebuilt gaming PC is the iBuyPower Chimera KM7 RGB bundle, which is an entry-level keyboard and mouse combo.
As you can see from our testing, the 9800X3D excels in gaming titles and will serve you well for years to come as the solid foundation of a gaming PC, even paving the way for upgrading the GPU in a few years without bottlenecking it.
Considering all the parts, the iBuyPower Y40 should offer excellent value for anyone looking to jump straight into high-end PC gaming, especially at its discounted price of $1,749. The combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Radeon RX 9070 XT makes it particularly appealing for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and even 4K gaming in certain modern titles. If you've been waiting for a powerful prebuilt gaming PC without spending well over $2,000, this Walmart deal is definitely worth considering.
Given that the Steam Deck 512GB and 1TB experienced a price increase of around 45%, it stands to reason that the Steam Machine would have received the same hike if it were already in the market. So, if we extrapolate the numbers, the Steam Machine would’ve been originally priced at around $729.91. The 1TB Steam Deck’s price jumped by 46.22%, but we can’t just apply that increase to the higher-tier Steam Machine because it has double the storage capacity. But if we check our SSD price tracker, the price difference between the cheapest 1TB and 2TB SSDs was just at $28 when they were at their lowest. If we add this to the 1TB "version" of the living room PC console, then we can safely estimate that Valve’s target price for the 2TB Steam Machine is around $950-$1,000.
The Steam Machine is still more expensive than the PlayStation 5 Pro, even at its original prices, because Valve refuses to subsidize its hardware sales with the sales on the Steam store. After all, the Steam Machine has an open hardware philosophy, allowing buyers to do what they want with the console. You can install Windows 11 on it and just stick with PC Game Pass to play your games on the console, meaning Valve will make zero dollars on game purchases from you.
This stark price difference could make the Steam Machine unpalatable to console gamers who are interested in switching to PC gaming through the living room PC console. After all, several tests reveal that the PlayStation outperforms the Steam Machine in several titles (although the Valve hardware still performed well enough). But the advantage that gamers are paying for in the Steam Machine is the abilities of a desktop PC (you can pretty much install anything you want on it without going through the Steam store and you don’t have to subscribe for online play), combined with the convenience of a living room console (like HDMI-CEC and the ability to switch the console on or off from the controller). Interested gamers will also likely have a library of titles ready to play.
Hopefully, the Steam Machine’s price will come down once the memory supply finally stabilizes, but it will probably be years before this happens, if at all. Valve’s new gaming console is quite a niche product — it’s built for PC gamers with an extensive Steam library who want to play games on their living room couch or while lying in bed without going through the hassle of building an SFF PC. But if you prefer playing games on your desk or already have a substantial game library on your PlayStation, you’re probably better off sticking with your current hardware.
Since Prime Day is an Amazon thing, Lenovo is responding by launching its own sale over at its official online store. Dubbed the Black Friday in June sale, the event brings some of the year's biggest discounts on Lenovo products. Whether you're looking for a laptop, such as the ThinkPad E14 Gen 6, a capable gaming handheld like the Legion Go S, or a high-performance gaming system like the Legion Tower 5i Gen 10, everyone is bound to find something at Lenovo's sale.
The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 is among the most performant and durable laptops for business users. The device pairs a Ryzen 5 7535U, a power-efficient chip with six cores and 12 threads, with 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory to handle office workloads. The 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD guarantees quick load times and better multitasking.
The laptop features a 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS screen with a 60 Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 300 nits for sharp, vivid images. It also comes with a 1080p webcam, a microphone, and a privacy shutter for high-quality meetings with your team. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity ensures a stable, fast connection to the Internet.
The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6features a Ryzen 5 7535U, 16GB DDR5-4800 memory, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Use the BUYMORELENOVO promo code at checkout.View Deal
The Legion Go S taps AMD's Z1 Extreme processor and 32GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory to offer an excellent gaming performance in a handheld. It also comes with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD to house your gaming library.
Lenovo outfits the Legion Go S with an 8-inch WUXGA IPS panel that flaunts a 1920 x 1200 resolution. That combined with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 500 nits make the Legion Go S a very top-tier gaming handheld. To put the cherry on top, the Legion Go S, unlike other gaming handhelds, comes with Valve's SteamOS.
The Legion Go S is a gaming handheld that leverages AMD's Z1 Extreme processor and runs Steam OS. Use the BUYMORELENOVO promo code at checkout.View Deal
A Core Ultra 9 275HX powers the Legion Tower 5i Gen 10. It may be a mobile chip, but it's a very powerful one. With 24 cores consisting of eight P-cores and 16 E-cores, the chip features a boost clock up to 5.4 GHz so that it won't bottleneck the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti that it's paired with. To round out the specifications are 32GB (2x16GB) of DDR5-5600 memory and a nice 1 TB PCIe 5.0 SSD.
The gaming system cools the Core Ultra 9 275HX with a 240mm AIO liquid cooler rated for up to 200W. There's also Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, plenty of high-speed USB ports, and a free three-month subscription to Microsoft's Xbox PC Game Pass so you can start gaming right away.
The Legion Tower 5i Gen 10 is a gaming system that won't let you down. The Core Ultra 9 275HX and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti are plenty to run modern games. Use the BUYMORELENOVO promo code at checkout.View Deal
Given the timing, there are plenty of exceptional computer hardware deals from various U.S. retailers. The ThinkPad E14 Gen 6, Legion Go S, and Legion Tower 5i Gen 10 are just some of the attractive deals on offer from Lenovo. If you're in the market for a different product, don't forget to drop by the company's online store.
OLED panels are quickly becoming a must-have item for desktop PCs. Most of us were introduced to the panel technology in smartphones, and it’s become increasingly popular on laptops. For desktop gamers seeking an immediate visual upgrade, OLED is the way to go, and fortunately, Prime Day is proving to be a great time to take the plunge. From massive DQHD panels on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 (G93SC) to dual-mode offerings like the LG 27GX790B-B, we have you covered.
The Alienware AW3424DW is an ultrawide 21:9 display with a QD-OLED panel. It has a resolution of 3440 x 1440 and a refresh rate of 240Hz. View Deal
The Alienware 34 QD-OLED was the first mainstream QD-OLED monitor, and the updated version, sporting a newer QD-OLED panel and a faster 240Hz refresh rate, is on sale at its lowest price ever on Prime Day. It can now be had for $629.99, or 21% off its list price of $799.99.
We reviewed this model, the AW3425DW, last year and gave it immense praise. It excelled with incredibly accurate color, incredible black levels, and class-leading input lag. It also boasted a color error of only 1.33 based on our testing.
Alienware’s take on this panel has a few unique goodies, as well. It comes with a three-year warranty that covers burn-in, as well as built-in panel-saving features like pixel shifting. This model uses a newer QD-OLED panel that addresses some of the color fringing issues on earlier QD-OLED panels.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
32-inch 4K OLED Gaming Monitors
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) is a great 32-inch-class monitor sporting a 4K 240 Hz QD-OLED display.View Deal
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) hits the sweet spot for gaming monitors: it has a 32-inch screen, which is ideal for its 4K resolution (granted, while you'll find 4K in smaller 27-inch panels, 32-inch models are more popular).
You, of course, get a brilliant Samsung QD-OLED panel, which is known more for its rich colors and deep blacks than for extreme brightness. However, the G80SD does stick out like a sore thumb compared to most OLED gaming monitors because it has a matte, anti-glare coating on the panel instead of a glossy finish.
With that said, the G80SD offers a 240 Hz refresh rate at native resolution, is Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro-certified, and has a 0.03 ms response time. It includes two 10-watt speakers, Bluetooth audio support, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI 2.1 ports. You can even turn the G80SD into a multimedia hub thanks to its Smart TV integration with streaming apps and the Samsung Gaming Hub.
The LG 27GX790B-B is a 27-inch QHD monitor with a native 540 Hz refresh rate, but it can switch to 720 Hz at 720p.View Deal
The Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMGR is a 27-inch, 1440p monitor with a QD-OLED panel. It boasts a 240Hz refresh and 0.03ms GtG response times.View Deal
LG is a leading OLED panel supplier among high-refresh-rate gaming monitors (including some of its primary competitors in the monitor space). They’ve incorporated these panels into their gaming monitor lineup, including the 27GX790B-B. Originally priced at $999, it’s now available for $300 off for Amazon Prime Day, making it a great deal at just $684.99.
The LG 27GX790B-B features an RGB Tandem OLED panel, a 2560 x 1440 (QHD) resolution, and a native refresh rate of 540 Hz. However, if you’re an eSports enthusiast and willing to compromise on resolution to 720p, you can increase the refresh rate to an astonishing 720 Hz. This monitor is designed for gamers with powerful graphics cards capable of delivering over 700 FPS and who are comfortable with 720p resolution.
Asus is also a big player in the gaming monitor market, and it makes that point very clear with the XG27AQDMGR. Being that this is an "XG" monitor, it does away with some of the frills of its more premium siblings to reach a lower price point while still sporting a QD-OLED panel. You can now grab one for just $449 during Amazon Prime Day.
That price gets you a 27-inch 1440p panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate. And who makes that panel, you might ask? Well, LG, of course. The monitor still offers DisplayPort 2.1 despite its lower standing in Asus' monitor rankings, and includes the company's Neo Proximity Sensor to dim the display when you're not sitting in front of it (which goes a long way toward extending panel longevity).
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Carnival UK has announced major organizational changes for its brands P&O Cruises and Cunard. In addition to executive role changes, this will entail establishing new teams that will work across brands and functions for faster decision‑making, deeper collaboration and clearer accountability, according to a statement. A notable change is that Paul Ludlow will become president of Cunard in addition to his current role of Carnival UK and P&O Cruises...
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is offering 50 percent off all cruises on close-to-home voyages from 15 homeports across the continental United States and Canada, plus Kids Sail Free on select sailings. Guests can also take advantage of NCL’s Free at Sea program, offering potential savings of over $2,000 on guest-favorite amenities including unlimited open bars,...
Hurtigruten has launched its annual Summer Sale for North American travelers, offering discounts of up to 50 percent off select Norwegian coastal departures through April 2027. The sale runs through July 16, 2026. “Demand for Norway has never been stronger, and understandably so because of what this unique destination offers: relaxing slow travel along an...
Oceanwide Expeditions announced that on Thursday, June 18, 2026, all remaining crew members of the Hondius who quarantined have completed their quarantine period and are returning to their home countries. This includes all crew in the Netherlands after disembarking the vessel upon its arrival in Rotterdam on May 18, and those who arrived in the...
Concordia Damen has announced it has delivered the Century Star to Century Cruises, the first of three ships the Dutch shipyard will deliver to the company. The second ship is expected at Concordia Damen in August 2026. Chris Kornet, managing director of Concordia Damen, said: “The delivery of the Century Star shows that, as a...
Norwegian Cruise Line is changing six ports of call and its departure port for an itinerary set to be operated by the Norwegian Star starting on November 12, 2027. According to a statement sent to booked guests, the cruise also features a new departure port and will now sail from Tarragona instead of Lisbon. Initially...
Carnival Corporation’s European deployments took the brunt of the Middle East conflict in the second quarter, but bookings have begun reversing the headwinds and point to strong demand for 2027, President and CEO Josh Weinstein said on the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call. Weinstein said the moderation in the back-half outlook was concentrated on European...
Carnival Corporation leaned on cost discipline to offset a yield setback tied to the Middle East conflict, executives said on the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call. Cruise costs without fuel per available lower berth day were essentially flat year over year, outperforming March guidance by roughly 250 basis points and contributing five cents per share,...
A Google Home Speaker is revealed in an early unboxing
The sound quality and app interface are reportedly impressive
However, the power cable can't be removed from the device
The brand new Google Home Speaker is about to finally go on sale, but an early unboxing video posted online reveals a design decision made by Google that a lot of users are likely to be less than pleased about: the power cable can't be removed.
You can check out the unboxing over on Reddit (via Android Authority), which shows off the aesthetics of the device that we've known about since the first official reveal last October — as well as giving us the revelation about the power cable.
The Nest Mini device that the Google Home Speaker is more or less replacing does have a removable USB-C power cable, which means when it's not in use, you can tidy it away more easily. On the other hand, the Nest Audio — another speaker now discontinued since the new model arrived — has a fixed power cable.
It seems that a removable power cable is something that quite a few smart speaker owners care about. "This is a nightmare for repairability, for which I am a massive proponent," writes the original unboxer.
Some positives, one negative
As per the information supplied in the video, the Google Home Speaker comes with a USB-C cable that's around 5 feet (1.52 meters) in length that can't be unplugged. There's a 30W power brick on the other end that can be removed.
On the plus side, our unboxer reports that the sound quality from the speaker is good, that the app component has a "cool" interface, and that setting up the device is straightforward — apparently it takes less than 10 minutes.
As with the Nest Mini, there are apparently touch controls available on top of the speaker, as well as hidden lights to report status information and volume levels. On the whole the first impressions from this user are positive ones.
It's just the power cable situation that's drawing criticism: "the non-removable cord killed it for me" writes one poster (who is apparently worried about cats playing with the cord), while the original poster says they're "extremely disappointed in the engineers". Another comment takes a dim view too: "The reason is always money."
Nespresso machines make brewing consistently tasty coffee easy, without any of the mess of using fresh coffee grounds — and they're going cheap for Amazon Prime Day. As TechRadar's resident coffee expert and trained barista, I've rounded up a collection of my five favorite Nespresso machines — all of which happen to be on sale for Prime Day in both the US and the UK.
There's something here for every coffee-lover, whether you want a super-simple machine that makes consistently tasty coffee and will fit into the tiniest kitchen, or a premium coffee maker that can whip up a latte at the press of a button. All of these Nespresso machines have been tested and recommended by our team of reviewers, so you can be confident they'll all deliver great results.
1. Ninja Prestige DualBrew System
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Can't decide between espresso and drip coffee in the morning? The Ninja Prestige DualBrew System (also known as the Espresso & Coffee Maker Barista System) does both. This all-in-one caffeine station makes delicious espresso using Nespresso Original-style capsules (I tested it with some I bought from a local coffee roaster), which you can brew in three different sizes, with a height-adjustable drip tray so you can use your favorite cups with no splashing. Want to turn your shot into a cappuccino or latte? Use the milk frother on the back of the machine.
On the left-hand side of the DualBrew System you have a feature-packed drip coffee maker, with features including a timer (so you can prepare everything before bed and wake to freshly-brewed coffee in the morning), a drip-stop valve, and a smart hotplate that keeps your coffee hot without scalding it. It's one of the best drip coffee makers I've tested — and it even makes cold-brew.
This is the cheapest this two-in-one coffee maker has been in 2026, and a great buy for Prime Day if you love both drip and espresso, and don't have space in your kitchen for two machines.View Deal
The UK deal on the DualBrew System is even better; this is the cheapest it's ever been by a long shot. I really don't need another coffee maker at home, but with 32% off, even I'm tempted.View Deal
2. Nespresso Lattissima One
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Most Nespresso machines just make espresso, but the Lattissima One (made by De'Longhi) also includes an automatic milk frother for lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos at the tap of a button. It's ideal if you're the only coffee-lover in your household and want a personal machine for preparing single servings.
Like the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System above, it takes Nespresso Original capsules, which means you have a huge choice of drinks from big brands and indie roasters alike. After testing your tap water with the litmus strip provided and setting the hardness on the machine, just drop in a pod and use the three buttons to choose your preferred size and type of drink.
Our reviewer Emily Peck was surprised by how quietly the Lattissima One went about its work, and found the resulting coffee delicious. She had to consult the manual to check what each button does (they perform multiple functions) but once she had that down, she was making great coffees with ease.
The Lattissima One always gets some good discounts during sales events, and Prime Day 2026 is no exception. This is Amazon's best price this year, and the deal applies to both the black and white models.View Deal
The Lattissima One is even cheaper in the UK for Prime Day, and you'll get the biggest saving if you opt for this attractive pastel green version. It comes with a starter set of Nespresso capsules too.View Deal
The Nanopresso is an ingenious little coffee maker that relies on elbow grease rather than an electric pump to extract your espresso. The standard version works with ground coffee only, but it's even more convenient if you opt for the version with an adapter for Nespresso Original capsules. After all, who wants to carry loose coffee grounds around when they're exploring the great outdoors?
Our tester noted that it feels durable and rugged (ideal for throwing in a backpack), and although you'll need to familiarize yourself with the various unusual-looking components before taking it out for the first time, you'll soon be able to assemble it and start brewing in moments.
"All you need is access to hot water and some kind of stable surface to set everything up," said our tester, who was seriously impressed by the resulting espresso. "The Nanopresso actually had us asking why coffee had become so complicated, when all you really need for a wake-up call is a small and mighty piece of kit like this," she concluded. Why indeed?
Amazon has knocked the Nanopresso down to its lowest-ever price for Prime Day, paired with a Nespresso Original adapter so you can use it with either ground coffee or pods as the fancy takes you.View Deal
There's also a 20% discount on the same portable coffee-making setup in the UK. Like the US deal, this is a record-breaking price cut, so if you're looking for an espresso maker for summer camping expeditions, this could be the one.View Deal
4. Nespresso Vertuo Pop
FutureFutureFutureFuture / Jennifer OksienFuture / Jennifer Oksien
The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is made by Breville (Sage in the UK), so you can be confident that it's well-made and durable, despite its budget price tag. This mini Nespresso machine is always an affordable option, and it's even cheaper in this week's Amazon Prime Day sale. It takes dome-shaped Nespresso Vertuo capsules, which include a wide variety of regular and flavored coffees, including special editions like Coconut and Vanilla (designed to be made over ice) and Pistachio Vanilla.
Our tester Jennifer Oksien called it "a fabulous entry-level coffee maker", and owning one myself, I'm inclined to agree. It heats up in about a minute (just power it on and wait until the light on top stops blinking), after which you can simply slide in the pod, press down the lid, and hit the brew button. There are no options to choose between different drink sizes because Vertuo pods do that for you — the machine detects which one you're using and uses the appropriate amount of water without you doing a thing.
The Vertuo Pop+ has a larger water tank than the classic Pop, so you can make drinks for two before it needs refilling. This pistachio green version is usually more expensive than other colors, but it's down to a record-low price this Prime Day.View Deal
Nespresso machines don't get cheaper than the original Pop, and the Coconut White version has received a major Prime Day price cut. It's not quite a record low (it was a couple of pounds less back in 2023) but it's still a huge saving.View Deal
5. Nespresso Vertuo Next
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The Nespresso Vertuo Next is a step up from the Pop, and is noticeably taller, with a larger water tank, more space for your cup, and a bigger bin for used capsules. It's a piece of cake to use as well, and our tester Sophie Bird deemed it the simplest coffee maker she'd ever used — and considering how many coffee machines we test here at TechRadar, that's saying something. She timed the whole brewing process from start to sip, and found it took just 100 seconds, making this an excellent option if you're pressed for time in the morning.
She found the Vertuo Next virtually mess-free as well, noting that there was no splashing when the machine was dispensing coffee — largely thanks to the height-adjustable drip tray. The Vertuo Next is taller than the Pop above, so you can comfortably use larger cups (such as your favorite takeaway cup), and has a bigger water tank for larger brews.
$80 off a top-notch Nespresso machine? Don't mind if I do! This deal applies to the Vertuo Next in stylish gray or navy blue. It dropped to $90 yesterday though, so it might be worth holding out until Thursday to see if it goes back down again.View Deal
The US deal is great, but coffee aficionados in the UK are even luckier, with the Vertuo Next selling for less than half price this Prime Day. It's almost as cheap as the Vertuo Pop, so take a minute to consider which will work best for you.View Deal
While you might think this week is all about Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy has launched a rival 'Tech Fest Sale,' with discounts from top brands like Fitbit. The retailer is slashing prices on its best-selling models, with prices starting at just $79.99.
I've listed the top 5 Fitbit deals from Best Buy below, which include record-low prices on its top-rated activity trackers and smartwatches. Fitbit watches are packed with insightful health and fitness features, including heart rate monitoring and the ability to track exercise, sleep, and stress.
Keep in mind that, unlike Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy's Tech Fest Sale doesn't require a membership to shop its deals. These are limited-time offers, and Best Buy's sale ends on Sunday at Midnight.
The best Fitbit deals at Best Buy
Today's cheapest Fitbit deal is the ultra-slim Fitbit Inspire 3 on sale for $79.95 - just $10 more than the record-low price. Made for everyday wear, the Inspire 3 offers 24/7 heart rate monitoring and tracks sleep, workouts, stress, and more.View Deal
Not only is the Fitbit Charge 6 one of our favorite fitness trackers, but it's also one of the best Fitbits overall. The Charge 6 features a sleek design and offers fitness basics, with 41 exercise modes and up to 7 days of battery life. Today's rival Prime Day deal from Best Buy is a record-low price.View Deal
The feature-packed Fitbit Versa 4 is down to $149.95 at Best Buy's Tech Fest sale. The top-rated smartwatch features a built-in GPS for tracking runs, walks, and bike rides. Plus, it provides a daily readiness score to help you determine whether your body is ready for a workout or recovery, based on helpful insights.View Deal
You can snag a $50 discount on the Fitbit Sense 2, bringing the price down to $199.95. The Sense 2 is one of Fitbit's most advanced health and fitness smartwatches, capable of tracking sleep and stress and featuring smartphone notifications, contactless payments, and GPS.View Deal
While Google's newest Fitbit, the Fitbit Air, isn't on sale, it's already at an affordable starting price of $99.99. The screenless, lightweight Fitbit Air offers standard health and fitness tracking features and delivers an impressive week's worth of battery life.View Deal
Both versions are available physically and digitally; however, the studio has said that the physical editions won't feature a disc as expected, but rather a digital download code in the box.
One explanation for this could be is that Rockstar is trying to minimize the potential for leaks as much as possible, even if that means physical copies won't come with a disc.
Some fans who were eager to get their hands on a physical edition of the most anticipated game of all time are upset, to say the least.
"Obviously I’m going to get this game but 13 years of waiting & this is all physical editions are getting? A f****** code in a box? For the biggest game to ever launch & that’s all the effort you’re putting in for physical? So damn disappointed man," one said.
A user on Reddit wrote, "Such a bummer as a physical collector. Hopefully they start printing disks after release but that’s probably copium on my part".
"This is beyond ridiculous. So everybody has to pay the insane digital price without any discounts whatsoever. Such a lame and greedy move," another added.
There are some who are also considering skipping the day one purchase in hopes of a disc being produced later down the line, but again, there's still the risk of spoilers. For now, it looks like all players will own a digital license for the game instead.
GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.
Pre-loads will begin seven days in advance, on November 12.
Sony has announced a new camera sensor designed for phones
It has an unusual pixel structure that improves its resolution
The company highlights it as being a particularly good fit for telephoto cameras
Telephoto cameras are often a weak link in smartphone camera arrays. Many phones don’t offer them at all, and those that do often use smaller sensors or fewer megapixels than their wide and ultra-wide counterparts. But a new Sony sensor could deliver a big telephoto upgrade if the best camera phones incorporate it.
The Sony LYTIA 610 is the industry’s first mass-produced sensor to have an ‘RB2×2 On Chip Lens (OCL) pixel structure.’ We won’t get too weighed down in technical details, but the upshot is that, according to Sony, this design achieves both “improved resolution and excellent autofocusing” at the same time.
There’s a greater than 20% improvement in spatial resolution (meaning its ability to resolve fine details) compared to conventional Sony sensors with the same pixel size, and the company specifically highlights telephoto cameras as benefiting from all this.
(Image credit: Sony)
Plus, this sensor also offers an improved readout speed, allowing for 4K 120fps video recording and 4K 60fps HDR recording. So it could prove beneficial for videos as well as photos.
Reducing the performance gap
Sony also notes that this sensor “reduces the performance gap with the large sensors used on main cameras and suppresses variations in image quality across multi-lens camera systems, enabling a more uniform shooting experience.” So, in other words, if this is used for telephoto cameras, then you’re less likely to get noticeably inferior shots than when taking wide or ultra-wide photos.
This is all achieved without increasing the sensor or pixel size from Sony’s more conventionally designed LYTIA 601 sensor, which some phones currently use for their telephoto cameras. Potentially, then, this new sensor could deliver improved results without much of a price hike or a larger space requirement.
Of course, it remains to be seen which, if any, phones will actually use this sensor, but aside from Sony’s own Xperia handsets, you’ll also find Sony cameras in at least certain phones by Google, Xiaomi, and even Apple, among other brands. So there are any number of future handsets that could potentially get a telephoto boost from this sensor.
Amazon Prime Day is one of the best events for deals on home cooking appliances, including air fryers, which I turn to every time I lack the time or patience to use the oven.
If you love your air fryer just as much as I love mine, but think you could be getting more out of it, some of our highest-rated air fryers from our favorite brands are some of the star appliances in Amazon's monster sale — with the king of dual basket air fryers, Ninja, being one of them.
Today's best dual basket air fryer deals in the US
The Ninja Crispi's main selling point is that its glass bases double as food containers, making them perfect for meal prep. The larger one is 3.8L, providing enough space to feed up to six people while also allowing simultaneous cooking of a whole 1.2kg chicken and vegetables. This Prime Day deal is $20 shy of the record-low price we saw during Black Friday.
Though it looks more like a mini oven than your standard air fryer, this has seven functions that cover every base when it comes to cooking. Investing in an air fryer oven can help you cut back on the number of small appliances you have taking up countertop space.
For just under half price, you're getting an air fryer that's dependable as well as affordable. Right now, it's much better value than it was during last year's Prime Day and Black Friday events, and I'm confident you'll be getting your money's worth.
An air fryer allows you to enjoy your favorite fried foods with less oil, and this Ninja XL model is perfect for families. The 6.5-quart capacity drawer is enough to make meals for the whole family, and preset functions make air frying, roasting, reheating, and dehydrating easy.View Deal
Today's best dual basket air fryer deals in the UK
The Ninja Foodi Max is the ultimate air fryer for many and it's now down to a great low price at Amazon. It offers six different functions, including Max Crisp, air frying, roasting, baking, reheating, and dehydrating. With two baskets, you get two independent cooking zones with the option to have them sync or match up, depending on your needs. Its extra large capacity is perfect for family cooking or batch cooking as it gives you plenty of room for a 2kg chicken or 1.4kg of fries in each compartment.
Record-low price: This dual-basket fryer to yo-yo in price, but this is the first time we've seen it drop below £100 since Black Friday last year. For a dual basket model and 13 different cooking methods, how can you go wrong?View Deal
Ninja's recent space-saving air fryer is just £5 more than its lowest-ever price, which is still a bit of a steal for the popular and well-rated appliance. We loved it at TechRadar, awarding it full marks in our review and even putting it in our best air fryer buying guide. Well-built and great-looking on any countertop, it offers five cooking levels across two drawers and two racks, while the 9.5L capacity is ideal for medium to big families.
The Instant Pot Vortex's 12L cooking basket makes cooking for larger parties and families, packing eight cooking settings including grill, roast, and dehydrate. Given its large cooking space, you can add a divider to cook two different foods at once. View Deal
Here's a best-ever discount on Ninja's portable air fryer — and a great Prime Day deal. This bundle includes the PowerPod lid, plus two resealable glass containers to carry your dishes until you're ready to cook. According to our testing, it cooks exceptionally quickly, is easy to use and a breeze to clean, making this one of the best air fryer deals I've seen this year.
Apple avoids setting off your iPhone when its execs say “Hey Siri” at events
One enterprising engineer decided to find out why
By analyzing the keynote’s audio, they solved an intriguing mystery
Siri has just been given the brain transplant it's needed for years, but it's always been good at detecting the words "Hey Siri" — so much so that accidental summonings have been a common problem. But an audio engineer has just explained how Apple cleverly avoided Siri popping up on your phone during its recent WWDC 2026 keynote.
As revealed by Techexplain on Substack, it all comes down to the audio frequencies embedded in Apple’s keynote video. Once Apple’s audio engineers made a few subtle tweaks, the company’s presenters could say “Hey Siri” as much as they liked without risking millions of phones going off around the world.
To find out what was going on, Techexplain downloaded the audio and video from the WWDC event. They fed that into a spectrogram analyzer, which is an app that can visualize audio frequencies as colored graphs and bands. When the WWDC video was examined, it revealed that a few frequency bands in the 3kHz to 6kHz range had been removed from the audio.
And this is the key to the video not invoking Siri. Without those four frequency bands, the Siri assistant lurking on your device did not hear the phrase “Hey Siri” — even though Apple’s presenters said it repeatedly throughout the show.
Wait, how exactly does this work?
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple’s solution might sound odd. After all, doesn’t Siri listen out for the trigger words being spoken? If those words were present in Apple’s video, shouldn’t Siri have been activated?
Well, not quite. Your iPhone contains an “always-on processor” chip whose job is to constantly sample background audio, which is then fed into a neural network. The audio is converted into a spectrogram and the neural network analyzes it to look for a specific frequency pattern — in this case, the sibilant sound that occurs when you say “Siri.” And yep, you guessed it, those sibilant sounds mostly exist in the 3kHz to 6kHz range.
In other words, what Siri is actually listening out for is a frequency rather than the words being spoken. It means that if Apple’s engineers remove the 3kHz to 6kHz bands from the WWDC keynote, Siri won’t “hear” its name being spoken — even if that’s exactly what the presenters are doing.
It’s a clever trick that helps ensure Apple’s presenters can speak naturally without the need to avoid saying “Siri.” At the same time, it avoids setting off millions of iPhones and annoying their owners when “Hey Siri” is uttered. It’s an ingenious solution that solves a thorny problem in a satisfyingly elegant way — and we wouldn’t expect anything less from Apple.
Meta's end-to-end ads platform takes care of creation, testing and launching
With access to context, ads can be highly customizable
Users are already seeing 4x ROI
Meta says marketing has now crossed the 'AI threshold', pushing its suite of tools as an end-to-end platform that covers ad creation, testing and launching.
The company is now positioning product data as a key element, with AI capable of building and optimizing the most effective ad format for each individual viewer in real time thanks to the context and knowledge it gets from sellers' catalogs.
As a result, Meta envisions advertisers' roles evolving from content generation to managerial roles focused on providing the right context via product catalog data, brand assets and other creative materials.
Meta's AI changes marketing for good
At Cannes Lions 2026, the company announced a series of improvements designed to position its AI-powered marketing tools as an end-to-end platform, including a shared space where marketers can collaborate and make changes to campaigns.
Meta is also introducing brand memory, enhanced text generation tools and translations.
A collaboration with WPP has also opened up the platform to agencies so that third parties can step in to run ads for their clients.
According to Meta's blog post, advertisers are now seeing a $4.13 revenue return on their $1 advertising investments, marking a 25% increase since 2022.
At the event, the company also stressed the importance of creators in today's economy. Creator Marketplace and Partnership Ads Hub are now merging into the Meta Creator Marketing Hub so it's easier for creators to run schemes and work with brands.
Facebook creators are also being added to the Creator Marketplace, which previously only included Instagram creators.
"With these new updates, we’re accelerating our ecosystem and giving marketers, advertisers, and agencies a platform that compounds performance," Meta concluded.
The movie's streaming release follows a successful theatrical run
The Drama received mostly positive reviews from critics
The Drama is finally coming to HBO Max, with confirmation that it will arrive on one of the best streaming services on July 31.
A24's black comedy The Drama caused quite a stir with its dramatic marketing, teasing engagement photos of Robert Pattinson and Zendaya's characters. Even before I knew what it was about, I knew it would be a must-watch.
The Drama follows Emma and Charlie, whose relationship is tested by an unexpected revelation during the week before their wedding. What follows ensures that the movie definitely lives up to its name — that's all I'll say.
What did critics say about The Drama?
The Drama received mostly positive reviews, earning a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score, and there was plenty of praise for the two leads.
According to the critics' consensus: "Flirting with complex themes, The Drama walks a tonal tightrope with impressive poise thanks to career-highlight performances by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya."
The audience score is just as favorable, with the verdict being: "Elevated by remarkable performances, The Drama wrestles with questions of trust and forgiveness, drawing out profoundly uncomfortable emotions that linger long after the credits roll."
The movie is joining an impressive line-up of A24 movies from recent releases to the studio's earlier work. If you're a fan of black comedy and drama movies, you won't want to miss The Drama.
Unfortunately, there's still a little while to wait until it arrives. But we've got you covered, as you can check out our best HBO Max movies round-up to get more recommendations for what to watch.
GTA 6 pre-orders will officially begin at midnight local time
The Standard Edition will cost $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99
Pre-loads will begin seven days ahead of launch, on November 12
Rockstar Games has unveiled the editions for Grand Theft Auto 6 and confirmed when fans can secure their pre-orders.
GTA 6 pre-orders are scheduled to begin on June 25 at midnight local time for the Standard and Ultimate Editions. The Standard Edition will cost $79.99, and the Ultimate Edition will cost $99.99.
As Rockstar details on its website, the Ultimate Editions "amplifies this experience with an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story."
Players who pre-order the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, which comes with a collection of items that "flash back to when the neon burned brightest."
Those who pre-order digital versions of GTA 6 can begin pre-loading on November 12, seven days in advance of the game's launch on November 19.
The physical version of GTA 6, which contains a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading.
Developer Rockstar Games has announced the price of Grand Theft Auto 6
The standard edition will cost $79.99
The Ultimate Edition will be available for $99.99
Developer Rockstar Games has announced the price of the highly anticipated upcoming game Grand Theft Auto 6, and it's not as bad as some were expecting.
A new press release states that the standard edition of the game will retail for $79.99 (which presumably means a £79.99 price point in the UK and around AU$125 in Australia). The more premium Ultimate Edition will then cost $99.99 and will come with some digital bonus content.
As per the official Rockstar site, Ultimate Edition buyers will get their hands on an "exclusive collection" of in-game items, including a selection of unique vehicles, matching revolvers for the protagonist duo, bonus customization options for guns, vehicles, and clothing, and more.
Anyone who purchases either edition before November 20, 2026 will get their hands on the Vintage Vice City Pack downloadable content (DLC) as well. This nets you the '55 Vapid Stanier sedan vehicle, a garage on Ocean Beach, and some retro outfits and hairstyles for the two playable characters. This is on top of a charming weapon pattern inspired by Vice City hero Tommy Vercetti's iconic shirt.
A fair price?
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
This news comes after months of speculation regarding how much the games will cost, with some analysts suggesting that it could cost as much as $100 to buy. With that in mind, the starting price of $79.99, while higher than that for most games, doesn't seem that bad.
Many developers also reportedly hoped that Rockstar would break the existing '$70 barrier'. With most AAA releases priced at $69.99 / £69.99, there's a chance that this announcement will kickstart a trend of $79.99 games. We'll just have to wait and see whether other companies follow suit.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to release on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S. Pre-orders will begin on June 25 at midnight local time.
The press release does state that the physical version of GTA 6 will be released early on November 12 in order to support pre-loading, and will contain "a download code inside the box" rather than a standard physical game.
If you're interested in placing a physical pre-order as quickly as possible, you can save the search links below.
Enterprises built their early AI strategies in a world that assumed relative freedom of data movement. That world no longer exists, so how do they adjust to the new world?
While it’s a cliché that data is the new oil, the truth is that data does need to be able to flow around an organisation and come to rest in some central location, where it can be refined to extract insight and value.
In recent years, that refining has come, of course, via AI.
But if we really think that analogy through, it also captures some of the problems enterprises currently face managing data.
Recently, the world has seen what happens when the free flow of oil, gas, and other fundamental resources is disrupted. Governments and companies are scrambling to work around supply chain interruptions in the short term and looking for energy sovereignty and resilience in the long term. In this case, centralization has become a liability, thanks to a single, but critical, chokepoint.
In the same way, the upheaval created by AI, paired with governments’ and regulators’ attempts to manage its impact, means companies need to rethink how they architect and manage their data. The difference is that the ways traditional data flows around organizations are changing.
After all, a centralized approach made sense when moving data was straightforward. Now, however, governance and sovereignty concerns and data movement costs have changed the calculus.
AI transformation
AI alone has transformed the equation when it comes to the volume of data that must be managed. It’s not just training models that require massive amounts of data. Those models need constant updating and tuning with fresh data. And, if those models are to deliver value to the business, companies will be constantly running inference, which requires more data, and generates more data.
Unsurprisingly, governments and regulators have an interest in AI governance. This includes existing concerns about data residency and the possibility of new problems, such as data leakage into LLMs.
In Europe, for example, the regulatory landscape laid out by the GDPR mandate has been complicated by the rollout of the EU AI Act, which comes fully into force from August this year. In the US, companies face multiple federal and state-level regulations. Any, or all, of these could come into play as data is moved to that central refinery.
Governments also have an understandable strategic interest in developing sovereign AI, further complicating matters when it comes to both data and the models that work on it.
Once we consider this, it’s clear that only a few organizations are architected to handle the sheer scale of data involved in AI, and the governance it requires.
Companies grow messily, whether organically or through M&A, inheriting different infrastructures – and different governance regimes - as they sprawl across borders.
Data in the old world
In the old world, free-flowing data might have been seen as efficient. Now, given the vast amount of data involved, generating copies of data and moving data across borders is both fraught with risk from a governance perspective. And with escalating cloud egress fees, data movement becomes extremely expensive. At the same time, moving or copying on-prem presents both a financial challenge, and imposes a burden on already stretched technology teams.
What are our options in this new world? Few technology leaders have the option of simply opting out of the whole AI revolution. Whatever your personal views on the technology, few C-suites are prepared to sidestep the AI race.
But we can lay out a roadmap for how to manage data – and compute – in this new world.
To start with, we need to understand the environment we’re really operating in. This may well include accepting that a hybrid or multi-cloud architecture is going to be the normal state of affairs. The very nature of AI, with companies needing to access multiple models and multiple services, means that traditional monolithic, central approaches simply won’t scale.
This, in turn, means every technology leader needs to be crystal clear on what governance means for their organisation and its data, whether that’s data privacy or residency requirements. And it’s imperative that governance is embedded in the AI workflow from the outset. It’s too important to be an afterthought or kicked down the road as other priorities arise.
What this makes clear is that it will normally make more sense to bring compute and those critical AI models to the data, not the other way round.
This isn’t just about reducing data movement costs or producing multiple copies of data. It’s about reducing the friction that comes with reconciling governance requirements as data moves around organizations and across borders. But it can also mean reduced latency and fresher data, making AI more effective.
That’s not to say that it’s not sometimes necessary to move data. But if that’s the case, let’s be mindful and deliberate about it.
But while data becomes increasingly decentralized, it’s imperative that we centralize the management of data access and build the platform accordingly. This lays the groundwork for clear data governance and sovereign AI alike.
By rethinking how they manage data movement, technology leaders can bypass the escalating egress costs and compliance traps embedded in the old way of doing things. The result is an AI strategy that is both scalable and sustainable, enabling enterprise-grade AI, wherever their data lives.
This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit
Said SUV has an advanced sound system to turn audiophile heads
You might know the brand from its beloved Focal Bathys headphones, or more recently for its expensive floor-standing speakers, but Focal is also making great strides in another musical arena: automotive.
The company has teamed up with car company DS Automobiles to unveil a brand-new audiophile-adjacent car: the DS No 7.
I'm no automotive journalist, but even I can tell you that this is a partially- or fully-electric SUV which seats four people comfortably and — given the 14 Focal speakers that'll be dotted around them — rather happily too, I'd venture.
The electric model costs £49,190 (about $66,000, AU$100,000, though DS Automobiles doesn't sell in those regions) while the hybrid one goes for £38,290 (roughly $52,000, AU$80,000). Although that may sound pretty pricey, it's actually cheaper than some Focal tower speakers…
The Focal point
(Image credit: Focal)
Let's get to the meat of the thing: audio. Focal's presence here is to make an in-car audio system sound sublime. To that end, the French audio specialist has kitted out the DS No 7 with 14 speakers, to create a surround-sound system. These include two tweeters mounted on the roof, four woofers and a subwoofer called a Power Flower (yes, really). The 14 are spread across the vehicle, to fill the car with sound.
Keeping the car audio running is a 690W class D amplifier. It also uses a Focal-made DSP to emphasize the spatial benefits of all these speakers, whether you're seated in the front seats or the back ones.
Focal has also contributed some design ideas to the car, to improve audio. The windows are laminated, and materials used in the design absorb sound, to control audio nasties like echo and diffraction.
As an audio journalist, I've always been led to believe that car sound systems are a means to fight a losing battle. No matter how refined your driver set-up is, if it's fighting with the noise of the street and other vehicles (and the fact that the driver isn't seated in the middle 'sweet spot' unlike on a motorbike where the driver's ears are naturally equidistant from speakers), you're going to be having an imperfect time.
So maybe Focal's found a way to fix this. Or perhaps it's a sound system for when you're idling somewhere quiet, watching TikToks on your phone…
A heavyweight showdown between and has been craved by fans for quite some time. Usyk is currently weighing up his next move after his battle with kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven last month, which resulted in an 11th round TKO win for the Ukrainian after a lot closer contest than everybody imagined. It means that there […]
vs is the fight that all of the United Kingdom is talking about – even if it may take place on foreign shores, and now British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr has offered his thoughts on the clash. The long-awaited showdown between two of Britain’s two-time heavyweight rulers is expected to go ahead before the end […]
Golden State Warriors ve Atlanta Hawks'ın, Trey Murphy III'ü kadrolarına katmak amacıyla New Orleans Pelicans ile takas görüşmeleri yürüttüğü bildirildi.
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Azərbaycanı Avropa Konfrans Liqasında təmsil edəcək “Zirə” klubu daha bir futbolçusu – yarımmüdafiəçi Rövlan Muradov ilə də yollarını ayırıb.
Arena.az bu barədə paytaxt klubunun mətbuat xidmətinə istinadən məlumat verir.
28 yaşlı futbolçu ilə müqaviləyə qarşılıqlı razılaşma əsasında xitam verilib. Onun “Zirə” ilə 2027-ci ilin 30 iyununadək sözləşməsi mövcud idi.
Xatırladaq ki, Rövlan Muradov 2025-ci ilin yayında “Sumqayıt”dan “Zirə”yə transfer olunmuşdu. Yarımmüdafiəçi qəsəbə təmsilçisinin heyətində cəmi 15 oyuna çıxıb, məhsuldar fəaliyyəti ilə diqqət çəkməyib.
Rövlan karyerası ərzində “Qəbələ”, “Sumqayıt”, “Slaviya” (Praqa, B komandası), “Qarabağ” kimi klublarda da çıxış edib.
“Zirə” daha öncə Ceyhun Nuriyev, Stefan Akka, Eldar Quliyev, Leroy Mikels, Rüfət Abdullazadə, Tyaqo Silva, Anatoli Nuriyev və Ayron Qomislə də yollarını ayırmışdı. Amin Seydiyev, Maykon Kleyton, Ayxan Hüseynov və Vieyrinyanı heyətinə qatmış qəsəbə təmsilçisi Eren Aydın, Davit Volkov, Aydın Bayramov Elçin Əlicanov, Enrike Kustodio və Qismət Alıyevlə də yeni müqavilə bağlayıb.
Dominikanın “San Kristobal” komandasının yarımmüdafiəçisi Alexandro Herrera bundan sonra “Araz-Naxçıvan”ın uğurları üçün çalışacaq.
Arena.az bu barədə Naxçıvan klubunun mətbuat xidmətinə istinadən xəbər verir.
Kolumbiyalı yarımmüdafiəçi ilə anlaşma “1+1” il müddətinədir. O, yeni komandasına azad agent kimi cəlb edilib.
Alexandro Herrera “Arko Saraqosa” akademiyasının yetirməsidir. 21 yaşlı mərkəz yarımmüdafiəçisi peşəkar futbolçu karyerasına Argentinanın “Banfild” komandasında başlayıb. Herreranın sonuncu klubu Dominika Respublikasının “San Kristobal”ı olub.
Herrera Kolumbiyanın U-20 yığmasına dəvət alsa da, debüt imkanı qazanmayıb.
“Araz-Naxçıvan” daha öncə Luka Dumançiç, Rəşad Həsənov və Alberto Fernandesi də heyətinə qatmışdı.
Ramon Maçado, Hamidu Keyta, Bar Kohen, Nuno Rodriqes, Rahil Məmmədov, Bəxtiyar Həsənalızadə, Coşqun Diniyev, Kristian Avram, Felipe Santos və Ba-Muaka Simakala komandanı tərk ediblər. Tərlan Əhmədli, Slavik Alxasov, Ömər Buludov, Ülvi İsgəndərov və İbrahim Piriyev isə yeni müqaviləyə imza atıb.
Bu gün dünya çempionatında qrup mərhələsinin üçüncü turuna start veriləcək.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, A, B və C qrupunda son matçlar baş tutacaq.
Əvvəlcə B qrupuna yekun vurulacaq. İsveçrə Kanada ilə, Bosniya və Herseqovina isə Qətərlə üz-üzə gələcək.
C qrupunda Braziliya Şotlandiyanı, Mərakeş isə Haitini sınağa çəkəcək.
A qrupunda Cənubi Afrika ilə Cənubi Koreya üz-üzə gələcək. Pley-offa vəsiqəni ötən turdan təmin edən Meksika isə çexlərin müqavimətini qırmağa çalışacaq.
DÇ-2026 Qrup mərhələsi, III tur
24 iyun
B qrupu
23:00 İsveçrə – Kanada
23:00 Bosniya və Herseqovina – Qətər
Xal durumu: Kanada – 4, İsveçrə – 4, Bosniya və Herseqovina – 1, Qətər – 1
25 iyun
C qrupu
02:00 Braziliya – Şotlandiya
02:00 Mərakeş – Haiti
Xal durumu: Braziliya – 4, Mərakeş – 4, Şotlandiya – 3, Haiti – 0
A qrupu
05:00 Cənubi Afrika – Cənubi Koreya
05:00 Çexiya – Meksika
Xal durumu: Meksika – 6, Cənubi Koreya – 3, Çexiya – 1, Cənubi Afrika – 1
Transfer çalışmalarını davam etdirən “Araz-Naxçıvan” Alexandro Herrera ilə müqavilə imzalayıb.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, kolumbiyalı yarımmüdafiəçi ilə anlaşma “1+1” il müddətinədir. 21 yaşlı mərkəz yarımmüdafiəçisi “Arko Zaragoza” akademiyasının yetirməsidir. Peşəkar futbolçu karyerasına Argentina “Banfield”ində başlayan Herreranın sonuncu klubu Dominikanın “San Kristobal”ı olub.
AFFA İcraiyyə Komitəsinin 3 fevral 2025-ci il tarixli qərarına əsasən, Azərbaycan futbolunda ilk dəfə tətbiq olunan yeni təşviq mexanizmi çərçivəsində […]
Konfrans Liqasına hazırlaşan “Zirə” heyətə də əl gəzdirir. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, qəsəbə klubu Rövılan Muradovla yollarını ayırıb. Onunla müqaviləyə qarşılıqlı […]
Transfer çalışmalarını davam etdirən “Araz-Naxçıvan” Alexandro Herrera ilə müqavilə imzalayıb. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Naxçıvan klubu məlumat yayıb. Kolumbiyalı […]
Seneqal yığmasının qapıçısı Eduard Mendi dünya çempionatının qrup mərhələsinin III turunda İraqla qarşılaşmanı zədə səbəbindən buraxacaq. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, […]
Ante Budimir Xorvatiya yığmasının tarixində dünya çempionatlarında qol vuran ən yaşlı futbolçu olub. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, futbolçu bunu DÇ-2026-nın […]
Yeni mövsümə hazırlığı Avstriyada davam etdirən “Sabah” bu gün ilk yoxlama görüşünü keçirəcək. Msport.az xəbər verir ki, Azərbaycan çempionu Rumıniya […]
Carlo Ancelotti has several options to replace the injured Raphinha for Brazil, has confirmed that Neymar will be available to face Scotland and has reportedly decided where the legendary former Barcelona and PSG star will slot in once he is finally given his 2026 World Cup debut.
Who replaces Raphinha and where will Ancelotti field Neymar for Brazil?
Brazil are preparing to take on Scott McTominay’s Scotland in their final group stage fixture at the 2026 World Cup at 23.00 BST on Wednesday evening. Ancelotti and his players currently sit at the top of the group with four points after two matches and are aiming to finish the evening at the top of the Group C standings.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 13: Carlo Ancelotti, Head Coach of Brazil, reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
After a slow start in their 1-1 draw with 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, Brazil showed signs of encouragement during their 3-0 victory against Haiti last week, however, an injury to Barcelona winger Raphinha, who will not be fit enough to feature against Scotland, means that Ancelotti is forced into at least one personnel change.
According to the latest updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport, 19-year-old Bournemouth talent Rayan is the favourite to start on the right wing for Brazil on Wednesday night, but there are still several other options under consideration, including Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli and Endrick.
CUIABA, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 12: Neymar Jr. of Brazil runs with the ball during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Brazil and Venezuela at Arena Pantanal on October 12, 2023 in Cuiaba, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that Neymar is unlikely to start, especially after the success that the team had with Vinicius Jr., Matheus Cunha, Raphinha and Lucas Paqueta against Haiti. Aside from the injured Raphinha, that attacking line-up is likely to remain the same.
However, Wednesday’s reports claim that once Neymar does appear for Brazil at the World Cup, it will be in a false nine role, which La Gazzetta dello Sport describes as ‘the only role where he can offer a genuine difference in his current condition’.
A new episode of the Football Italia Summer Show is now out on YouTube. Today, we discuss Ruben Amorim’s time at Manchester United, where he failed and which errors he must avoid at San Siro.
Milan confirmed Amorim’s appointment last week. The Portuguese signed a three-year contract just five months after he was sacked by Manchester United.
Latest Football Italia YouTube Show: Amorim’s problems at Man United and what they mean for Milan
In this new episode of the Football Italia Summer Show, Manchester Evening News reporter Jack Flintham explains why and how Amorim failed at Old Trafford and which mistakes he’ll have to avoid in his tenure at Milan.
From transfer to tactical decisions, we break it all down in our new show.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on August 30, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
If you haven’t yet subscribed to the Football Italia YouTube channel, you can do it here so you don’t miss any of our content, and you can join our shows with your comments and thoughts.
In one of the most surprising moves of the summer transfer window, former Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldinho is set to return to Italy to play for Serie C outfit Ravenna and the Brazilian icon has shared footage of himself signing and posing with his new no.10 shirt.
The 46-year-old had seemingly called it a day on his playing career over a decade ago, his last contract with Fluminses being terminated all the way back in 2015.
However, the former PSG, Milan and Barcelona star is set to put his boots back on and return to Italy to play for Ravenna in the third tier: ‘I can’t wait to dance with the ball again,” said Ronaldinho when Ravenna confirmed the deal on Tuesday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 19: Ronaldinho attends the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Haiti at Philadelphia Stadium on June 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
While a deal for Ronaldinho brings obvious benefits in terms of exposure and commercial revenue, club owner Ignazio Cipriani insists that this move is not purely for promotional reasons and that the Brazilian icon will definitely play for at least one match in Serie C.
Ronaldinho will not join the team for their pre-season training camp, though.
“He will be there for the presentation of the team on August 21,” Cipriani confirmed in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport
“He won’t come on the training camp, but he will definitely take part in at least one league match, maybe even a few more, we’ll see. We still don’t know when he will take to the pitch in the league, it will depend on several things. It will definitely be a home game.
“His goal is to score his final goal in a Ravenna shirt,” Cipriani insists.
Ronaldinho wearing Ravenna kit (ravennafc.it)
Meanwhile, footage of Ronaldinho signing his new Ravenna shirt with his iconic no.10 on the back of it has gone viral across social media.
Ravenna will be the first club in the world to wear a kit with Ronaldinho’s R10 branding, which Cipriani has compared to the ‘Michael Jordan style’ arrangement with Nike.
Watch: Ronaldinho completes Ravenna move and signs no.10 shirt
Marco Palestra is set to join Chelsea in a whopping €60m deal from Atalanta after one full season in Serie A, but we want to know, is a move to the Premier League the right decision for the 21-year-old Italy talent at this stage of his career?
CAGLIARI, ITALY – FEBRUARY 16: Marco Palestra of Cagliari in action during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and US Lecce at Stadio Sant’Elia on February 16, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
The 21-year-old, who impressed while on loan with Cagliari in his first full season at Serie A level, has had plenty of interest in the early stages of the summer, particularly from domestic double winners Inter, who are in need of a replacement for the Real Madrid-bound Denzel Dumfries.
It had also been reported that Manchester City and potentially even Arsenal were keen on the speedy right-back before Chelsea struck an agreement with Atalanta earlier this week.
So, we want to know: Is a move to join Chelsea the right call for Palestra at this stage of his career, would he have been better off at Inter, was a season under Maurizio Sarri at Atalanta ever a possibility or do you think that there was an alternative option the youngster should have pursued?
Have your say in the poll below and let us know more in the comments.
Is Palestra right to join Chelsea at this stage of his careeer?
Reports in Italy claim that Leon Goretzka is becoming an increasingly enticing option for Juventus again, as PSG have expressed an interest in signing Khephren Thuram while discussing a potential sale of Randal Kolo Muani to the Old Lady.
Could Juventus sell Thuram to PSG and replace him with Goretzka?
Juventus and newly-appointed CEO Giovanni Carnevali have the challenging task of strengthening a Bianconeri squad without access to the 2026-27 Champions League, which is expected to have a significant impact on the club’s revenues and their ability to attract top-level talent to Turin this summer.
Juve are desperately attempting to bring in a new attacker with Dusan Vlahovic almost certain to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of his contract this month.
Several options have been linked with a move to the Allianz Stadium, but reports over the last few weeks indicate that the club are targeting the return of 2025 loanee Kolo Muani, who will return to PSG after spending the 2025-26 campaign with Tottenham Hotspur.
According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Thuram’s name has also come up in conversations while Juventus and PSG have been discussing a potential deal for Kolo Muani.
TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 19: Khephren Thuram of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Allianz Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
It is expected that Juventus would record a significant capital gain if they were to sell Thuram this summer, who came in at a cost of just €20m from OGC Nice in the summer of 2024.
No formal offers have been made yet, and La Gazzetta dello Sport specifies that Juventus and PSG would look to conduct two separate deals for Thuram and Kolo Muani if they are to proceed, rather than one player-plus-cash exchange.
If Juventus are to sell Thuram this summer, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Goretzka would be the go-to replacement for the Bianconeri this summer.
MUNICH, GERMANY – MARCH 18: Leon Goretzka of FC Bayern Munich in action during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between FC Bayern München and Atalanta BC at Football Arena Munich on March 18, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The experienced German midfielder is expected to become available on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract with Bayern Munich later this week and has the ability to cover in a number of deep-lying midfield roles and could allow Spalletti to play either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3.
Goretzka had also briefly been linked with a move to Milan prior to their failure to qualify for the Champions League, and now it remains to be seen whether Juventus, in a similar position to the Rossoneri, will be able to convince the German to move to Serie A.
“Martin Dubravka to Tottenham, here we go! Deal agreed for former Burnley and Man United goalkeeper to join #THFC. Move completed today with Dubravka set to be backup GK at Spurs behind Kinski. Guglielmo Vicario to leave this summer,” Romano posted on X.
See below for more info from Romano on Vicario’s future as he says the Italian shot-stopper has interest from Aston Villa and Juventus, among others…
??? Guglielmo Vicario, set to leave Tottenham with Italian clubs keen on the goalkeeper.
Juventus are informed in case Aston Villa price for Dibu Martínez doesn’t drop. ????
Napoli monitoring Vicario if they can sell a GK this summer, one of the names on the shortlist. pic.twitter.com/KNlwK2Kmkq
Romano added: “Guglielmo Vicario, set to leave Tottenham with Italian clubs keen on the goalkeeper. Juventus are informed in case Aston Villa price for Dibu Martínez doesn’t drop. Napoli monitoring Vicario if they can sell a GK this summer, one of the names on the shortlist.”
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THFC probably needed to make some changes in goal this summer, but the main story will be who they decide to bring in as their new number one.
Vicario has clearly struggled in that role, so it makes sense to offload him, but for now it looks like there’s nothing advancing on a new first-choice ‘keeper.
Dubravka has plenty of experience, though, so seems like a safe option to step in as a backup when required.
The Slovakian has played for Newcastle and Manchester United as well as Burnley in the Premier League.
Liverpool and Newcastle United could be heading for another transfer battle, with both clubs reportedly interested in Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo.
According to the Daily Mail, the 21-year-old has appeared on Liverpool’s radar as a possible alternative to RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, whose valuation has climbed to around €120m.
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Newcastle are also keen, having already made contact over the Belgium forward as they search for attacking reinforcements.
Fernandez-Pardo impressed in Ligue 1 last season, directly contributing to 13 goals in 29 league appearances.
That kind of production, combined with his age and versatility, makes him an obvious target for clubs looking for long-term attacking upside.
Diomande is highly rated after his World Cup performances for Ivory Coast, but Leipzig’s asking price is huge.
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The Reds are also monitoring PSG winger Bradley Barcola, though that deal would also be difficult.
That is why Fernandez-Pardo makes sense. He would be cheaper than Diomande, still has major development potential, and could give Andoni Iraola another quick, technical forward for his high-intensity system.
Liverpool have already beaten Newcastle to one attacking signing this summer, landing Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna for around €40m.
For Newcastle, the need is also clear. Anthony Gordon left the club to join Barcelona and the Magpies are searching for wide players who can replace his pace and directness.
Newcastle are also tracking Köln winger Said El Mala, who has attracted interest from Brighton and Brentford.
But Fernandez-Pardo looks like one of the more advanced names on their list because contact has already been made.
Liverpool and Newcastle are both watching closely. If Liverpool fail to land their top targets, they could quickly move for Fernandez-Pardo and Newcastle may need to act fast to avoid losing another winger race to the Reds.
Fabrizio Romano has provided his latest update on the Mateus Fernandes transfer saga as he’s eyed by both Manchester United and Tottenham.
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The talented young West Ham midfielder is surely going to be on the move this summer after his club’s relegation to the Championship, and it seems there are now two main contenders for his signature.
Posting on X this morning, Romano explained that the “clear feeling” now is that West Ham will end up selling Fernandes to whoever offers the most money.
As per the post below, Romano has indicated that it’s now down to Man Utd and Spurs to come up with that money as the player has opened his doors to either club…
??? Clear feeling on Mateus Fernandes deal as reported last week: he’s ending up to the club bringing best financial proposal to West Ham.
Mateus has opened doors to both Man United first and then Tottenham, now up to the clubs.
“Clear feeling on Mateus Fernandes deal as reported last week: he’s ending up to the club bringing best financial proposal to West Ham,” Romano said. “Mateus has opened doors to both Man United first and then Tottenham, now up to the clubs.”
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Mateus Fernandes to Manchester United or Tottenham?
Looking at those two options, it’s surely got to be United for Fernandes as he makes an important choice at this early stage of his career.
Even if it might be tempting to stay in London and to join a team where there’d be less pressure and more guaranteed playing time, Tottenham have been a mess in the last two years.
After back-to-back 17th place finishes, Spurs need to undergo a major rebuilding job, so from their point of view a signing like Fernandes could be ideal.
However, the 21-year-old would surely do much better to choose Old Trafford as his next destination.
United have improved a great deal under Michael Carrick, finishing third in the Premier League in 2025/26, securing Champions League football for next season.
Fernandes could also have a key role there as MUFC need to make changes in midfield after losing Casemiro at the end of his contract, while Manuel Ugarte could surely leave after falling out of favour.
Football Insider have linked Fernandes with Liverpool, while Romano has also previously mentioned Real Madrid, so it could be that we’ll see other clubs come back into the conversation soon, even if for now it looks like it’s a two-club race between United and Tottenham.
Tottenham Hotspur have received clarity over Lucas Bergvall’s situation after Christian Falk firmly denied suggestions that Bayern Munich are monitoring the Swedish midfielder.
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That led to speculation about Bayern entering the race, but Falk has made it clear that the German champions are not currently following the player.
Writing in his latest update, Falk said the Bayern rumours are “not true” and added that he has received a clear signal from the club that they are not interested in the Sweden international at this stage.
He also described Bergvall as an interesting player, but not someone Bayern are pursuing right now.
Tottenham still face a decision
That denial does not completely end the wider transfer story.
Bergvall’s future remains uncertain, with Evening Standard reporting that Chelsea are not currently planning a move despite previous interest.
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The Sun has also reported that the midfielder has asked to leave Spurs due to limited game time.
Tottenham are believed to value him highly and would not want to lose a player with such long-term potential cheaply.
The club reportedly want around £45m if they do decide to sell.
From Tottenham’s point of view, the Bayern denial is helpful.
It removes one major European name from the conversation and gives Spurs more control over the situation.
However, the interest and speculation around Bergvall still show how highly he is rated.
He is young, technically gifted and capable of playing in several midfield roles, which makes him attractive to clubs looking for future upside.
Bayern are not interested, according to Falk. But Tottenham still need to decide whether Bergvall has a proper role under Roberto De Zerbi or whether a summer exit becomes the best solution for everyone.
Transfer news expert Christian Falk has played down Manchester City and Real Madrid transfer links with Michael Olise as Bayern Munich don’t want to sell.
The France international, currently with his country at the 2026 World Cup, has been the subject of plenty of speculation recently after a superb season for Bayern.
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Olise finished the 2025/26 campaign with 22 goals and 25 assists in all competitions for his club, so it’s easy to see why the likes of City and Real would be interested.
Still, Falk has provided an update on the situation in his latest CF Bayern Insider column, explaining that Bayern don’t want to sell and are not currently under any pressure to do so due to the player’s contract.
Christian Falk on Michael Olise transfer talk
“It is TRUE: Real Madrid would like to have Michael Olise. But it’s not true that they have any kind of chance of signing the Frenchman this summer,” Falk explained.
Falk added that there have not been any contacts between the Bayern and Madrid presidents, and there’s really no chance of this move happening this summer, even for crazy money.
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When asked about Man City’s interest in the former Crystal Palace winger, Falk again focused on his future with Bayern and the possibility of signing a huge new contract at the Allianz Arena.
“The main thing on Olise will be whether or not he signs a new contract with FC Bayern,” Falk said.
“Bayern Munich knows that time will keep running if he doesn’t put pen to paper on new terms. So, there will be a day when they have to talk and decide to potentially sell him a year before his contract runs out. They’d have to be able to bring in money to sign a potential successor.
“At the moment, the contract is running long enough to not worry about it at this point in time. The wide man is playing very well at Bayern Munich and he’s on a five-year contract, so the club still has time to convince him to sign a new contract.”
It would undoubtedly be exciting to see Olise back in the Premier League after he previously impressed as a youngster at Palace.
There’s no doubt, however, that he’s taken his game to another level at Bayern, so he could now come back to England and immediately become one of the most important players at a big club like City.
Following the blow of Pep Guardiola stepping down as manager, City could do with a statement signing like this to breathe new life into their attack and to help get the best out of Erling Haaland.
Another baseball star from Fort Collins has made Major League Baseball.
Fossil Ridge High School graduate Julian Garcia made his MLB debut on June 23 after being called up by the Cincinnati Reds the day before.
Garcia pitched an inning and two thirds in Cincinnati's 2-0 loss to Milwaukee. He gave up two walks and an earned run and was tagged with the loss, but he also recorded three strikeouts for the first K's of his career.
"I just sat there and was just like ‘wow, this is a childhood dream and I made it happen,'" Garcia told reporters about his callup. "It took a little longer than I wanted it, but I worked my butt off to get to this point."
It was a long journey to this point for the 31-year-old Garcia.
The 6-foot-3 righthanded pitcher is a 2013 graduate of Fossil Ridge High School. He then starred at Division II Metro State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB draft.
Since then, he’s taken a long, winding journey to baseball’s top level a decade after being drafted. Garcia pitched in the Phillies minor league system from 2016-22, briefly making Triple-A but never reaching the majors.
He took the 2023 season off after being released by Philadelphia.
Since his time in Philadelphia’s minor league system, he’s pitched in independent minor leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs. He also pitched in the Puerto Rico winter league before signing with the Reds in 2025.
Garcia was called up from the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He has posted a 3.03 ERA with 12 walks, 54 strikeouts and four home runs allowed over 35 2/3 innings this season for the Bats. Garcia made 19 of his 21 appearances in relief for Louisville.
Fort Collins players who have been in MLB include Marco Gonzales (MLB 2014-24), Codi Heuer (MLB 2020-present), Andy Burns (MLB appearances in 2016 and 2021) and J.D. Hammer (MLB appearances in 2019 and 2021).
A total of five nations have already been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after the first two rounds of group stage fixtures.
Of the 48 nations competing, 16 will be eliminated by the time the group stage is concluded in the early hours of Sunday morning (BST).
Five nations which have lost both of their opening group stage matches have been eliminated.
All teams finishing bottom of their group will depart at the end of the group stage, as well as the four third-placed nations with the worst group stage records.
From Group C, Haiti's exit from their first World Cup since 1974 has been confirmed after losses against Scotland and Brazil.
Turkey are the first European nation whose exit has been confirmed following successive defeats to Australia and Paraguay.
Tunisia are the only African nation guaranteed to exit at the group stage at present. They have suffered four-goal defeats to both Sweden and Japan so far.
Tournament debutants Jordan are the only Asian nation already mathematically guaranteed to not advance past the group stage.
In England's Group L, Panama have had an early exit confirmed after 1-0 defeats to Ghana and Croatia.
A format change to this World Cup means head-to-head records instead of goal difference are the primary tiebreaker for countries level on points.
Full list of teams who have been eliminated from 2026 World Cup
Haiti have been eliminated following back-to-back defeats [Getty Images]
Haiti
Turkey
Tunisia
Jordan
Panama
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
England midfielder Eberechi Eze insists the goalless draw against Ghana has not altered Group L’s dynamic, despite Thomas Tuchel’s side failing to break down a resolute defence in Boston.
The stalemate marked the fourth consecutive tournament that England have drawn their second game.
The point all but secured last 32 qualification, with top spot against Panama on Saturday dependent on bettering Ghana’s result against Croatia.
Asked if the Boston outcome had changed anything, Eze stated: "No, we set out to win anyway, so it changes nothing for us, the mentality is still the same, so we’re focusing on doing what we need to win. I think that’s the main thing.
“It’s a long journey, you can’t be too high, you can’t be too low, you’ve got to be trusting what you’re doing in the present moment. So, we’re trying to do that, we’re trying to enjoy it as much as we can, and being confident of what’s to come."
Eze denied England are over-reliant on Harry Kane, who struggled in Tuesday's game (Getty)
Eze also dismissed suggestions that England are overly reliant on captain Harry Kane for goals. Kane, who bagged a brace in last week’s opener against Croatia, hardly featured against Ghana, notably skying a late chance he would normally convert.
Eze explained: "I think it makes it look like that, because he scores so many goals, and he’s that effective. But we’ve got so much talent, so much creativity, and options to score. But, of course, it helps having someone as incredible as him, and we won’t look too much past that."
The squad returned to their Kansas City base on Tuesday night, with attention now firmly fixed on Saturday’s crucial Panama match in New Jersey. Eze expressed his anticipation for returning to the team's 'bubble’, aiming to shield themselves from external commentary surrounding the Ghana result.
He added: "It’s good being around, full of professionals, and enjoying time together. Blocking out a lot of the noise, and we know there’s a lot going on around us, but we’re very focused on what’s going on inside, and we’re enjoying that little bubble that we’re in.
“It’s important to look after that and to hold on to that, because, as I said, there’s a lot of media, a lot of conversations about us and what’s going on, but as long as we can stay tight, that’s all that matters really."
With their focus now squarely on the upcoming fixture, England will be keen to secure their position and advance deeper into the tournament.
Mumbai : The exclusion of inform opener Yashasvi Jaiswal from India’s ODI squad for the three-match series in England has raised eyebrows, especially after the left-hander smashed an unbeaten 110 off 86 balls against Afghanistan in Chennai. Jaiswal, who has scored two centuries in just six ODIs, came into the side as Virat Kohli’s replacement during the Afghanistan series but made way once the former captain returned.
With Rohit Sharma continuing as opener alongside skipper Shubman Gill, Jaiswal faces a prolonged wait for opportunities, prompting concerns about his ODI future ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar termed Jaiswal’s omission “harsh” and said the selectors must have a long-term plan involving Rohit if they are continuing with the veteran.
“Yashasvi has scored two hundreds in his last three ODIs. He made 116 not out against South Africa, then after a gap scored four and a hundred. Anyone opening in India’s strong ODI side will get opportunities, and Yashasvi has made the most of them. So yes, it is unfortunate and a bit harsh,” Manjrekar said during an online interaction on Tuesday.
“If the selectors have picked Rohit, I hope it’s because they genuinely see him as part of the 2027 World Cup plans. Otherwise, that place should have gone to somebody else,” he added.
Manjrekar said Indian cricket often struggles to take purely merit-based decisions involving senior stars. “We all know the culture around big-name players. Decisions are rarely as simple as judging on cricketing merit alone. That seems to be the case with Rohit too. If the selectors believe Rohit is part of the long-term plan, they should say so. But if he is being picked because they are not ready to drop him, then it reflects a problem Indian cricket has had for years. Selection should never be about what’s best for Virat, Rohit or Bumrah. It should always be about what’s best for Indian cricket,” Manjrekar asserted. The former India batter also backed 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Referring to the youngster’s recent verbal altercation during India A’s Tri-series in Sri Lanka, Manjrekar said: “He has learnt a lesson. He seems a very aware and mature guy and will handle such situations much better in the future.”
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Asked whether he had seen anyone bat like Sooryavanshi, Manjrekar said the teenager’s aggressive approach was unique. (Watch Ireland vs India 2026 1st T20I Live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD and Sony LIV).
OneFootball x Gallus: Scotland can get a result against Brazil
As part of OneFootball's collaboration series with Shoot Music we're interviewing an artist about their love of football and, over the next few weeks, it will be all about the World Cup.
This week it's Eamon & Paul Ewins of Glasgow indie-punks Gallus, who, as you might have guessed, are Scotland fans.
How exciting has it been to be back at the World Cup so far as a Scotland fan?
Eamon: It's a first for all of us so it's been incredible. Watching the Haiti game felt genuinely historic, and getting a win made it all the sweeter. Feeling very proud!
Can you describe your feelings heading into the Brazil game?
Eamon: Genuine pride. I think we can get a result against them but we've given a good account of ourselves so far. Morocco are a really good team and I think we were unlucky not to get something off them. I just want to see us attack Brazil and play on the front foot. We're looking good for qualification so avoid a total doing and we're fine. But we have a chance for a real upset against them.
What was your favourite Scotland World Cup memory prior to this tournament, and did John McGinn's goal vs Haiti come close to matching that?
Eamon: Our Scotland world cup memories prior to this are non-existent! We were all babies during France ‘98. The goal against Haiti is right up there with Scotland memories in general though.
If Scotland are to go far this year, which one player do you think will be key to that success?
Paul: Every squad needs an architect. There are a few who could be the architect behind Scotland’s success. But all architects need builders to do the hard work and graft for them, and the only builder in that squad is our bricky, Anthony Ralston.
Who do you think will win the World Cup and why?
Paul: I can’t see much further than Spain and Argentina. Would be happy with either of them winning it, but Germany do look pretty good too. I’ll say Spain to win it after putting Scotland out in the semis
Maybe this World Cup had been just too exciting. Previously sceptical Americans were in danger of being converted to soccer. The various ills of Gianni Infantino and Fifa were being camouflaged by a flood of goals, many of them fine.
Not here. Loud boos greeted the hydration breaks, though they were no less eventful than much of the match. At least when nothing happened during them, there was no actual expectation of anything occurring. This was the worst match of the World Cup.
England were held to a goalless draw with Ghana in their second game at the World Cup 2026 (PA)
Thomas Tuchel had stated he had enjoyed one of the best weeks of his career. But that was before a shocker of a match. His team emerged with a point and retain top spot in Group L. But, frustrated and frustrating, they were dismal nonetheless.
The English are no strangers to unpleasant experiences in Massachusetts; after all, more than 300 chests of their tea were dumped at the bottom of Boston Harbor in 1773. If the English are chased out of Boston this time, it will be less about a determination for no taxation without representation than annoyance at their sheer dullness. Although, presumably, no one will want to mark the 250th anniversary of this.
At the least, however, this should dampen expectations of Tuchel’s team. There were suggestions they had been the most impressive side in the first round of fixtures. Not the second. After the buccaneering demolition of Croatia, the bland stalemate with Ghana.
Maybe Tuchel is discovering that problems which predate him remain. Gareth Southgate’s England were often uninspired in the second game of a tournament, as anyone who stayed awake throughout the Euro 2024 draw with Denmark can testify. It is 14 years since Time Magazine branded England the “world’s most disappointing team”. And if the Southgate era then provided more overachievement than underachievement, the World Cup has had few more disappointing games this year.
Not that Ghana confounded predictions. They did precisely what might be expected of a Carlos Queiroz team; they did it well, too, and the ends justified the means. They have four points and, for the first time since 2010, Ghana are surely headed for the knockout stages of the World Cup. For a side ranked 73rd by Fifa, that is no mean feat.
Ghana celebrated their draw with England and a probably spot in the knockout rounds (Reuters)
But England did too little to break them down and they did it too slowly. After the talk they had fearsome amounts of firepower, there was precious little evidence of it. Jude Bellingham became the youngest man to get 50 caps for his country, but his stand-out contribution was a last-ditch tackle. Harry Kane played at the old home of his hero Tom Brady, but with rather less impact, and skied his best chance.
England almost abandoned any idea of creativity in the middle, forever looking to move the ball wide. Tuchel has looked for pace on the wings; but with Ghana defending deep, there was little room behind their back four. Noni Madueke was too predictable, forever checking inside, as though hearing the voice of Mikel Arteta inside his head.
Harry Kane blasted England's best chance over the crossbar as the Three Lions had to make do with a draw (Getty)England were given a reality check after the worst game of the World Cup (PA)
Anthony Gordon had his powers diminished by Ghana’s low block. The Merseysider was replaced, having looked anything but a Barcelona player. The closest anyone came to a breakthrough was when the goalscoring left-back, Nico O’Reilly came off the bench to head against the bar and when his fellow defender Marc Guehi had an effort cleared off the line.
Meanwhile, England looked more fragile than Ghana. Ezri Konsa inexplicably escaped without conceding a penalty for a knee-high challenge on Prince Kwabena Adu. Ghana had a counter-attacking threat; in the second half, anyway, because they began with no intent.
It was the first game in this World Cup with no shots on target in the first half; Ghana had none off target, either. It was not until the 57th minute that either goalkeeper was worked, and even then Gordon shot straight at Benjamin Asare.
Meanwhile, Ghana had 11.6 percent of possession in the first 20 minutes. They completed 34 passes in the first 36 minutes. One man probably enjoyed it. This was Queirozball, a formula refined across World Cups. The great anomaly was when his Iran opened their 2022 World Cup campaign with a 6-2 thrashing by England. When the final whistle blew here, only Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Ghana have not conceded in this World Cup.
Their national anthem, God Bless Our Homeland Ghana, contains the phrase “to defend forever”. It seemed Queiroz’s charges were happy to do just that. The jubilation at the final whistle came from their spectators. They can plan to extend their stay in the United States.
There were glummer faces painted with the cross of St George. The colony of Massachusetts has had different experiences of the visitors from the old country. While the Scotland supporters brought entertainment to Boston, the England team offered only tedium.
The prize money available at the 2026 World Cup is a record-breaking $871 million (£662m).
Fifa initially announced that the total pot would be $727m (£552m), which was already a 50% increase on the funds distributed at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
But in May they announced a further increase to the pot, by increasing the base participation prize and the preparation fee, bringing it to the new total.
The prize money is split into performance-based rewards and non performance-based financial support.
So how are the rewards broken down?
Performance-based prizes
The further teams progress in the tournament, the more they are rewarded financially.
Fifa will award teams finishing in each position as follows:
Winners: $50m (£38m)
Runners-up: $33m (£25m)
3rd place: $29m (£22m)
4th place: $27m (£20m)
5th-8th place: $19m (£14m)
9th-16th place: $15m (£11m)
17th-32nd place: $11m (£8m)
33rd-48th place: $10m (£7m)
These payouts will form $671m of the $871m on offer in the prize pot, with the remaining $200m (£152m) being paid out among teams regardless of performance.
[Getty Images]
Non performance-based prizes
The remaining money will be spread evenly across all participating teams in the form of:
Preparation money: $2.5m per nation
Additional team contributions: over $16m
This means each team is guaranteed at least $12.5m for taking part in the tournament when combined with the minimum $10m qualification fee.
Preparation money is to contribute towards costs such as training camps and travel for squads pre-tournament.
Fifa describes 'additional team contributions' as 'subsidies for team delegation costs and increased team ticketing allocations', with the aim of reducing financial disparity between nations when paying for the costs associated with playing in the World Cup, such as travel, logistics and administration.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
On Thursday, Australia and Paraguay will clash in each team’s final group game of the 2026 World Cup, with automatic qualification up for grabs for one of them.
Due to a change in rules for this World Cup, the second deciding factor in the final table of a group (after points of course) is the head-to-head record between teams – not goal difference, as was the case in previous years.
Nestory Irankunda celebrating a goal for Australia during their win over Turkey (Reuters)
With this in mind, USA have already sewn up top spot and qualified for the knockout stage, and Turkey have already been eliminated, ahead of the tie between those nations on Thursday.
But what of Australia and Paraguay?
One of these two teams will advance as the second-placed side in the group, while the other will have to hope they are one of the best eight third-placed nations at the tournament.
In other words, the winner between Australia and Paraguay would qualify for the knockouts for certain (on 6 points), while the losers’ fate (3 points overall) would only be clear by the end of the group stage.
However, if the game were a draw, Australia and Paraguay would both finish on 4 points, with goal difference finally coming into play. Given Australia’s is 0 and Paraguay’s is -2 – with these remaining the same in the case of a draw – Australia would qualify in second place ahead of Paraguay. As such, Paraguay would be left waiting on other results, to see if they were one of the eight best third-placed teams. It is very possible that 4 points would be enough for them.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — The wall behind Mauricio Pochettino’s desk in his office at the U.S. men’s national team hotel is covered in motivational phrases.
"If I dream of touching the moon, maybe I can get close to it. If I only dream of getting close, I’ll stay on earth."
"The talent has brought us here but it is the heart, effort and unity that will make us unforgettable."
"Believe Work Compete"
"Everything represents our journey from day one until today," Pochettino said during a roundtable with a small group of reporters on Tuesday, June 23, two days before the USMNT wraps up the World Cup group stage against Turkey.
And what a journey it’s been.
USMNT off to best start in almost 100 years
If you are new to the USMNT, or have paid only fleeting attention since the last World Cup in Qatar, what the Americans have done in the first two weeks of the tournament is probably about what you expected with a high-profile coach like Pochettino.
They won their group for the first time since 2010, and their two wins are their most in the group stage since 1930. They’ve already scored six goals, one shy of their record for the entire World Cup. They’ve got fans singing John Denver.
Easy as Pochettino and his staff – and with Pochettino, it is always a collective effort – are making it seem, it’s been anything but.
"Maybe we didn’t feel or saw how difficult was going to be the process. We were so naïve when we signed the contract," he said. "We misjudged the situation. It was worse than we really believed."
Bigger challenge than anticipated
No country, or club, switches coaches because things are going well. Especially not when the World Cup is less than two years away. A World Cup you are hosting, for only the second time.
Pochettino will not speak ill of predecessor Gregg Berhalter, but one look at the results tells the story.
This is the "golden generation" of the USMNT, with an abundance of world-class talent in players like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Sergino Dest. But the Americans were stagnating, showing no sign they were going to close the gap on the rest of the world anytime soon.
When Pochettino and his staff arrived, they expected players would feel the same sense of urgency as they did. The World Cup, their World Cup, was right around the corner.
The reality was different.
"We don't say that we have better standard, better culture, better habit. We came with different things and we wanted to make the things how we really feel, and that is always a process to change," Pochettino said.
"If you have the habit to every morning to go (somewhere) and someone say, 'No, you cannot go there,' you are going to fight because it was your comfort zone and you say, 'No, I want my comfort zone.'"
Cultural shifts take time
Pochettino was a longtime club manager before he came to the USMNT. Making cultural changes with a club team is different, because you’re with the players for nine months out of the year. The USMNT gathers every six to eight weeks, and the longest stretch they’re together is at a World Cup.
On top of that, Pochettino was trying to figure out who his players were, what strengths they had, where they needed to add depth.
Pochettino's résumé speaks for itself: he's won roughly 50% of the games he's managed, and he's made every team he's gone to better. Most of his staff has been with him for years, if not decades, and they have found a system that works. Training sessions are intense, and talent will only get you so far.
"Football rewards work," Pochettino said.
That the USMNT would get "punched in the nose," as Pochettino puts it, at some point during the transition process was inevitable. It happened in March 2025, when the USMNT lost to Panama in the Nations League semifinals.
It was the first of four consecutive losses.
"That was good crash," Pochettino said. "When we detect all the problems, we go for the solution and … we knew that the solution will arrive. The object is to challenge people. We challenge the organization, we challenge players, we challenge everyone.
"That was the process (so) that now is not a coincidence."
Pochettino has won league titles and taken a team to the Champions League final. He had options when U.S. Soccer came calling. But part of the appeal of this job was the cultural shift, not only for a team but an entire country.
About a year after he was hired, Pochettino went to the Texas-Ohio State football game. Looking around the stadium filled with 100,000-plus rabid fans, he imagined the U.S. men drawing a crowd like that. Of soccer being center stage like it is in Europe and South America.
"My question was why not? If the fans are very passionate, why not with us? With soccer?" Pochettino said.
"To help, to evolve in a very good direction, the sport that we really love … why not be here, be part of something that can create a legacy?" he added. "For me, that is the most important legacy, the connection between the national team and the fans."
That idea of why not eventually evolved into why not us?
Why not us?
It was something Pochettino said at a meeting in November 2025, and it’s become something of a mantra for the USMNT.
"If we believe we can, we can do it. If we work hard, we can do. If we change our mindset, we can do," Pochettino said. “And that is why not us, no?"
Even in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, no one knew quite what to expect from this team. It had talent, of course. But it had been soundly beaten by Belgium and Portugal to start the year. It barely got by Senegal and then lost to Germany in the send-off games.
When the USMNT got to the World Cup, however, it hit the gas. Paraguay and Australia might not be the caliber of France or Argentina, but they are solid teams and the USMNT dominated both.
Pochettino likened this "sudden turnaround" to gardening. You plant a seed and, for a time, nothing happens. Then, one day, there is a tree.
"It's difficult to analyze the process," Pochettino said. "The process was a process that was necessary, necessary to change, to really change things and to go in the good direction, no?
"Always the orientation was to make them better and to give the possibility, the platform, for them to perform."
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Mexico has dominated Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, winning their first two matches against South Korea and South Africa. That means they've already secured a spot on the Round of 32, no matter what the outcome of their third group stage match.
Today, they'll face their final rival, Czechia, in Mexico City to determine who else from their group will move on to the knockout round. Find out more about this game and all of this week's biggest matches in our 2026 World Cup guide.
Here's everything you need to know about watching the Czechia vs. Mexico match at the 2026 World Cup live from the U.S. (Plus, find out how you can catch every other game of the tournament).
The Philadelphia 76ers added a dynamic scoring guard in Alabama's Labaron Philon with the No. 22 pick in the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday night. The Sixers are bringing in a player who can get into the paint, create for himself and others, and knows how to attack when defenses load up on him.
In his sophomore season in 2025-26, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 50.1% from the floor and 39.9% from deep. He was terrific in every sense of the word and he now joins a Sixers team that features two other dynamic guards in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
"I would just say, just watching a lot of basketball, me personally, I feel like being selected by Philly, it's destined," Philon said over a Zoom call on Tuesday night. "Just because they got two good guards, and I feel like I fit in with those guards, and playing at that fast pace, and at that level of basketball."
A big part of Philon's game that will fit next to Philadelphia's young stars is his ability to shoot the ball. He made big strides with his 3-point shot as he doubled his attempts from 3.2 as a freshman to 6.4 as a sophomore and his 3-point shooting percentage went up from 31.5% to 39.9%.
"I would just say the ability to play on and off the ball, make the game easy for others around you," Philon said of his improvements. "I feel like I did that at a high level, and then just being able to play with that unselfishness, and just being able to score what you need to, being able to pass the ball, and like I said, having that mentality to do it on both sides of the ball."
Labaron Philon Jr. has some special offensive tape…
Skinny guards are a horror story as old as time, but Philon’s hyper-efficient 3-level scoring, free throw rate, & nasty work out of the pick-n-roll suggest a role at the next level. VERY fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/WDpAoA1dAR
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) June 18, 2026
His usage rate went up in his sophomore season as well from 20.9% as a freshman to 30.0% as a sophomore. He played next to Mark Sears as a freshman and when Sears moved onto to the NBA, Philon was able to take advantage.
"I would just say going back to the usage was definitely like important in these, because the first year playing with another great guard with Mark Sears, and then like the second year, me being a lead guard, it kind of helped me being able to adapt in any situation and adapting at the guard spot," Philon further explained. "So, like I said, I was just working on my shooting for sure, just being able to space, make the game easy for your teammates, really on the perimeter."
Time will tell if Philon can fit in well next to Edgecombe and Maxey, but on paper, his game is tailormade for Philadelphia to be one dynamic team with the rookie joining the two established players.
The New York Giants selected quarterback Jaxon Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Dart was nothing short of a star throughout his first NFL season in New York. The quarterback will look to play at an even higher level in his second year, as he enters 2026 with a plethora of talented weapons at his disposal.
ESPN's Jordan Raanan recently caught up with Dart and asked about his plans this summer, both before and after training camp. Dart said he will be training as much as possible throughout the remainder of the offseason.
Jaxson Dart: Loves ball.
This is what makes him such a good match with new coach John Harbaugh. Football is important to them. pic.twitter.com/3yTlqJeseX
“I’m working, man,” he said. “I’m getting ready. I can’t wait. I wish the season started tomorrow. I’ll be training this year.”
Dart accumulated 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns across 14 appearances in 2025. The quarterback has proven he can shine both through the air and on the ground, and he is expected to play much smarter football in 2026 as well.
The young star flashed his potential on numerous occasions last season, and Dart appears to be taking his offseason work very seriously.
The new recruiting calendar has brought along players opting to commit earlier in the process and help recruit for their team, and Notre Dame could see that in the 2028 cycle.
The Irish have two current commits, but an elite quarterback could be a game-changer in the pursuit of another top class. Enter Florida’s Neimann Lawrence, a 6-foot, 1-inch and 202-pound passing surgeon. Last season he completed 70.8% of his passes for 1,971-yards with 32 touchdowns and a single interception.
Stats like those get you noticed, as 247Sports has Lawrence ranked as the No. 53 player in his class. He’ll be participating at The Opening Finals, a top high school camp that ends with a 7-on-7 tournament. To start off the festivities Lawrence will make his commitment and choose between the Irish, Michigan, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M.
At this point, Notre Dame might be chasing the Longhorns, who do have a projection by On3’s Steve Wiltfong to land the talented quarterback. However, we’ve seen plenty of those being wrong, as the Irish staff hopes that they’ve made enough of a connection for the 4-star to commit to them.
NEWS: 4-star QB Neimann Lawrence is set to announce his college commitment LIVE on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel at The Opening Finals. 👀
Lawrence is down to Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas and Texas A&M. 🔥
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
We're halfway through the 2026 NBA Draft and the intrigue is far from over. The Washington Wizards got the festivities going by selecting BYU's AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick, followed by Darryn Peterson to the Utah Jazz and Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Plenty of talent remains on the board when Round 2 opens tonight. Let's get into the best available prospects, as well as some other things you need to know about Night 2.
Pitt's new contract includes $36 million in fully guaranteed compensation.
The former Gator now slots in as the third-highest annual value for a tight end at $18 million average behind the San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle with $19.1 million and the Arizona Cardinals' Trey McBride with $19 million.
Before this new contract, the Falcons used the franchise tag on Pitts for 2026, which was at $15,045,000 in annual value. Following the franchise tag, the Falcons and Pitts had until July 15 to work out a long-term extension. The new contract will now lock him up until 2028.
Pitts' contract news comes weeks after the team extended his teammate Drake London with a four-year, $141 million deal.
This past season, Pitts was second in the league in receptions with 88 and receiving yards of 928 among tight ends to add to his five touchdown catches. Last December, he had an all-time great performance by a tight end in NFL history with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With that performance, Pitts became the first tight end to reach at least 150 yards with three touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996.
The Falcons drafted Pitts at No. 4 in 2021 out of Florida, in what was arguably a controversial selection at the time, as tight ends are typically not drafted that high.
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.
The Atlanta Falcons have handed out their second big contract of the offseason, agreeing to terms with Kyle Pitts on a three-year, $54 million extension to keep the tight end in Atlanta through the 2028 NFL season.
Pitts' new deal reportedly includes $36 million in fully guaranteed money, and will make him the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL at $18 million per season. Only San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle ($19.1 million) and Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride ($19 million) will earn more than Pitts in terms of yearly average.
The 25-year-old has had his share of ups and downs since being selected fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, however, he posted a career-high 88 catches last season and led the team with 928 receiving yards. Pitts' draft class has been among the lucrative in NFL history.
Pitts is now the 12th player selected in the first round of the 2021 draft to earn a monster second contract. Per NFL insider Ari Meirov, the Falcons tight end's new deal brings the total career earnings of the 12 players to over $1.3 billion.
"Of the top 15 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, 12 have cashed in on lucrative second contracts worth a combined $1.33 BILLION," Meirov posted on social media. "The only top-15 picks from that draft who have not received large second contracts are all QBs: Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones."
Of the top 15 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, 12 have cashed in on lucrative second contracts worth a combined $1.33 BILLION.
As Falcons fans will remember, there were plenty of discussions on who to take leading up to this draft. While Pitts was the most popular projection, fans debated others, including wide receiver DeVonta Smith, WR Ja'Marr Chase, offensive lineman Penei Sewell and edge Micah Parsons.
Pitts topped 1,000 yards as a rookie, but he struggled to produce once the team traded quarterback and current president of football Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. Ryan has now helped Pitts secure three more years in Atlanta.
Over his first five NFL seasons, Pitts has recorded 284 catches for 3,579 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Falcons. He will look to add to those numbers in 2026.
Wigglesworth and Itoje played together for Saracens and England before the former moved into coaching [Getty Images]
Leaving captain Maro Itoje out of next month's titanic meeting with world champions South Africa is the right thing to do, says England senior assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth.
Itoje has been rested for the 4 July match against the Springboks as well as Tests against Fiji and Argentina on subsequent weekends in order to give him extended time away from rugby.
The 31-year-old has exceeded World Rugby's recommended limit of 30 matches a season in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
He captained the British and Irish Lions in Australia last summer and will lead England into the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.
"I'm incredibly happy that we've been able to do right by him," said Wigglesworth.
"He has had a lot on, not just last year but for the last however many years of his career, so we are lucky to be in that position with the strength in depth in that position so Maro is going to take his rest."
Leicester's George Martin is back in the England set-up after making his comeback from a 14-month injury lay-off in April, while Northampton lock Alex Coles' development was one of the few positives from a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
Ollie Chessum, who shone in the final-round defeat by France, is another second-row option, but could also be deployed at blindside flanker. Bath's Charlie Ewels and Gloucester's Arthur Clark are also part of the Nations Championship squad.
Wigglesworth, who played alongside Itoje at Saracens and England, backed his captain to "come back better".
"What Maro does as well as anyone is use his time really well, so I'm looking forward to catching up after he's had a bit of rest and he's flying," he added.
The format of the new Nations Championships - which pits six northern hemisphere sides against six of their southern rivals over two Test windows and culminates in a November weekend of play-off matches - has handed England a testing itinerary.
After playing the Springboks in Johannesburg, they face Fiji in Liverpool and Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
However Wigglesworth shrugged off concerns about how the travel would impact preparations, adding that Northampton and Exeter players would fly to South Africa with the rest of the squad on Wednesday despite only joining up on Monday after they contested the Prem final last weekend.
"We're all going to stick together on this," he said. "It is an exciting challenge that we're not going to shy away from.
"There will be some adaptions on a couple of training sessions, but we get well looked after with how we travel.
"There's people doing far tougher things than some business-class flights, so we'll be right."
Erasmus backs 'exceptional' Pollock to tame haters
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has said he is unsure what to expect from England at Ellis Park, as they attempt to move on from an unprecedented four defeats in a single Six Nations campaign.
"Tactically, Steve [Borthwick, England head coach] is someone who works with numbers and chases trends, and that's always difficult to prepare against," Erasmus said.
"If I say we know exactly what they'll do next Saturday, I'd be lying."
Erasmus has recently recruited two backroom staff from England's set-up to help his preparations.
Defence coach Felix Jones re-joined the Springboks in February 2025 after an ill-fated 10-month spell as part of England's set-up, while England's chief analyst Joe Lewis swapped to South Africa in March.
In addition, Englishman Andy Edwards, previously Saracens' long-serving strength and conditioning coach, took up a role with the Springboks in 2020.
Erasmus has backed back row Henry Pollock to have an impact for England over the summer.
The 21-year-old put in successive superb performances to help Northampton to the Prem title, but his exuberant on-pitch persona had attracted flak from some South African pundits.
"People make a big deal about certain players, but I don't always think the players themselves want that attention," said Erasmus, comparing Pollock to his own skipper Siya Kolisi.
"What counts is what they do on the field, and recently, he's been doing that. If I were coaching him, I'd only look at his output, and that has been exceptional."
Entering his second year at the helm, Texas A&M basketball coach Bucky McMillan ushered in a new roster partially built from the transfer portal after landing six future starters/reserves, including star shooting guard PJ Haggerty, who averaged nearly 24 points per game with Kansas State last season.
Losing most of the 2025-2026 roster to expired eligibility, the return of forwards Mackenzie Mgbako, Zach Clemence, and Jamie Vinson is absolutely crucial for the Aggies' postseason hopes, especially after Mgbako missed all but seven games during his first season in College Station due to a foot injury.
Needing a go-to scoring option, something the roster lacked last season, PJ Haggerty, who was the top-ranked shooting guard in the portal, provides McMillan an elite inside and outside scoring option who can create shots and find his teammates in transition. Paired with transfer guards Bryson Warren, Tyshawn Archie, Jalen Reece, and Lukas Walls, Texas A&M's backcourt doesn't lack depth in the slightest.
However, while McMillan awaits the verdict regarding Bryson Warren's waiver after playing in the NBA G-League last season, getting Haggerty and the rest of the roster accustomed to the Aggies' fast-paced system is the focus during practice this summer, and during Tuesday's practice, the media was granted access.
Speaking with PJ Haggerty, the Kansas State transfer was asked what interested him most about Texas A&M, starting with McMillan's intense play style.
“I love the play style. Bucky was the first one who called and told me I fit his system. Fast, get up and down, and I love to play in transition. It’s close to home. Having my family be able to come is awesome.”
Widely seen as a perfect fit based on his own play style, Haggerty could have gone anywhere after his elite 2025 season, but he feels that Texas A&M is on the come-up and will continue to develop into one of the more feared opponents in the SEC, especially now that he is on the roster.
"I control the pace of the game, get my teammates involved. Got a lot of shooters I can hit and big men I can dump the ball off to. I think I fit pretty well."
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Quite some time has passed since Auburn football last competed in a postseason game. However, one publication is optimistic that the Tigers will return to a bowl game in 2026.
Athlon Sports predicts 12 teams from the SEC to reach the postseason in 2026, including the Auburn Tigers. The publication's preseason magazine shows the Tigers earning a Liberty Bowl bid, matching up with the Kansas State Wildcats at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.
If this prediction comes true, it will mark the first time since the 2023 season that Auburn has earned a bowl bid. The last time the Auburn Tigers took the field in a postseason game was on Dec. 30, 2023, in the Music City Bowl, where Auburn lost 31-13 to Maryland. The Tigers last won a bowl game in 2018 by defeating Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14, a stretch of four bowl appearances.
Auburn is 4-0 all-time against its projected bowl opponent, Kansas State. The Tigers and Wildcats played a home-and-home series that started in 2007, with Auburn winning the first game, 23-13, inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The series ended in 2014 in Manhattan, Kansas, with Auburn winning, 20-14.
Auburn begins a new era in 2026 with Auburn head coach Alex Golesh leading the charge. He will look to end Auburn's seven-loss streak at four seasons, and a bowl appearance will be a good indicator of a positive trajectory for the Tigers.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
For the first time at a World Cup, finishing third in your group does not mean going home.
The expanded 48-team format in 2026 hands eight of the 12 third-placed sides a route into the new Round of 32, and with the final round of group games still to come, the race for those eight golden tickets is going down to the wire.
Here is where the third-place standings sit, how they are worked out, and who the qualifiers could meet in the knockouts.
The top eight advance to the Round of 32; the bottom four miss out. With the final group matches still to be played (June 23 to 27), every position remains up for grabs.
Table updated after England vs. Ghana on June 23
Pos.
Team
Group
P
W
D
L
GD
Pts
FIFA ranking
1
Sweden
F
2
1
0
1
0
3
38
2
Scotland
C
2
1
0
1
0
3
42
3
Algeria
J
2
1
0
1
-2
3
28
4
Paraguay
D
2
1
0
1
-2
3
41
5
Cape Verde
H
2
0
2
0
0
2
67
6
Belgium
G
2
0
2
0
0
2
9
7
DR Congo
K
1
0
1
0
0
1
43
8
Czechia
A
2
0
1
1
-1
1
40
Qualification cut off (top 8 advance)
9
Ecuador
E
2
0
1
1
-1
1
23
10
Bosnia and Herzegovina
B
2
0
1
1
-3
1
64
11
Panama
L
1
0
0
1
-1
0
34
12
Senegal
I
2
0
0
2
-3
0
15
How are World Cup third place standings determined?
When you finish third in your group, you are no longer being judged against the other three teams in front of you. Instead, you are ranked against the other 11 third-placed sides across all 12 groups. FIFA separates them using the following criteria, in order:
Points earned across all three group matches
Goal difference from all group matches
Goals scored in all group matches
Disciplinary record based on yellow and red cards picked up in the group stage (fewer cards is better)
FIFA world ranking, used only as a final resort if teams cannot be separated any other way
In short: rack up points first, then it comes down to goals, then discipline, and, should everything else be level, your place in the FIFA rankings.
This is exactly the kind of margin that decides who goes through. In the current table, Czechia hold the eighth and final spot ahead of Ecuador only on goals scored, with both sides locked on one point and a -1 goal difference. If they finish level after the last round, fair play and then the FIFA rankings would come into play to settle it. It is also worth noting there is no drawing of lots at this World Cup, as FIFA scrapped it for 2026, so the rankings are the ultimate tiebreaker.
World Cup knockout opponents for third place teams
The Round of 32 slots the eight qualifying third-placed teams against a group winner, with the exact pairings decided by which groups those teams come from (FIFA published all 495 possible combinations in advance). Based on the eight sides currently in the qualifying places, the third-place matchups would look like this:
Mexico (Group A winners) vs. Cape Verde (third, Group H), Match 79
Germany (Group E winners) vs. Scotland (third, Group C), Match 74
France (Group I winners) vs. Sweden (third, Group F), Match 77
USA (Group D winners) vs. Algeria (third, Group J), Match 81
Group B winners vs. Belgium (third, Group G), Match 85
Group G winners vs. Czechia (third, Group A), Match 82
Group K winners vs. Paraguay (third, Group D), Match 87
Group L winners vs. DR Congo (third, Group K), Match 80
Mexico, USA, Germany, France and Argentina have already wrapped up qualification, though not every group has confirmed its winner yet, so the group-winner side of these ties can still change. The third-place pairings will only be locked in once all 72 group games are complete on June 27.
World Cup bracket 2026
The knockout stage is brand new in shape. With 48 teams in the tournament, the bracket opens with a Round of 32, which has never existed at a World Cup before, and runs through the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals to the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
The full Round of 32 schedule is set out below. The top two from each group fill most of the slots, with the eight best third-placed teams completing the 32:
Match 73: Runner-up Group A vs. Runner-up Group B
Match 74: Winner Group E vs. Best third (A/B/C/D/F)
Match 75: Winner Group F vs. Runner-up Group C
Match 76: Winner Group C vs. Runner-up Group F
Match 77: Winner Group I vs. Best third (C/D/F/G/H)
Match 78: Runner-up Group E vs. Runner-up Group I
Match 79: Winner Group A vs. Best third (C/E/F/H/I)
Match 80: Winner Group L vs. Best third (E/H/I/J/K)
Match 81: Winner Group D vs. Best third (B/E/F/I/J)
Match 82: Winner Group G vs. Best third (A/E/H/I/J)
Match 83: Runner-up Group K vs. Runner-up Group L
Match 84: Winner Group H vs. Runner-up Group J
Match 85: Winner Group B vs. Best third (E/F/G/I/J)
Match 86: Winner Group J vs. Runner-up Group H
Match 87: Winner Group K vs. Best third (D/E/I/J/L)
Match 88: Runner-up Group D vs. Runner-up Group G
The Round of 32 runs from June 28 to July 3, with the Round of 16 (July 4 to 7), quarterfinals (July 9 to 11), semifinals (July 14 to 15), the third-place play-off (July 18) and the final (July 19) to follow.
This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Jones discusses his role at Tight End University 2026, presented by Reese's, founded by teammate George Kittle, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, and retired legend Greg Olsen. He reveals that the current and former 49ers quarterbacks are serving as throwers during drills.
"It seems like every year, it's a great collab when you get (San Francisco) 49ers guys coming here, like C.J. Beathard, Nick Mullins, me, and Brock Purdy," said Jones, "I feel like that's a cool little lineage going, but they do a great job. This is a great event, we love it. Quarterbacks love tight ends, great combo, kind of like Reese's, it's a good spot, I'm excited."
Tight End University was created to bring the Tight End community together for an immersive three-day program. Purdy appreciates the camaraderie from all the attendees and the leadership of the founders.
The 2026 NBA Draft is set to begin Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
While the two-round event used to be a single-night affair, with all 60 picks being announced on the same evening, that changed in 2024. That year, the league opted to move to a two-night draft format, which remains in place today.
In this year's draft, the first round will be held on Tuesday night while the second round will take place on Wednesday night.
Why did NBA Draft go to 2 nights?
There are a few reasons the NBA opted to make this change. At the time, the league argued that it gave front offices more time to deliberate, strategize and formulate trade offers.
“Based on feedback about the NBA Draft format from basketball executives around the league and my own experience in draft rooms, we believe that teams will benefit from being able to regroup between rounds and having additional time to make decisions during the second round,” NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said at the time. “Two nights of primetime coverage will also enhance the viewing experience for our fans and further showcase the draftees.”
That quote from Dumars also addresses the elephant in the room: television revenue. By stretching out a second night of the draft, the league now has two separate primetime events that are sure to draw attention.
Fan sentiment regarding the two-night draft has been mixed, with some preferring the get-in, get-out style of old school drafts. Still, given the reasons previously outlined, the league is likely to keep this format in place for the foreseeable future.
Scott McTominay’s team are looking to make the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
For several teams fighting for a place in the last 32, Wednesday’s round of group games are a do-or-die moment. Scotland are among those attempting to make history.
Steve Clarke’s side are still in contention for the knockout rounds after beating Haiti and losing to Morocco, both by a scoreline of 1-0. A point against Brazil would all but secure their spot, although a narrow defeat may also be enough.
All four teams in Group A and Group B are either through to the round of 32 or can still make it. Co-hosts Mexico are already through as group winners while Canada still have some work to secure top spot in their group.
Here is your complete guide on how to watch today’s World Cup games, including kick-off times, broadcast networks, and online streaming options.
Everything points to Bosnia and Herzegovina standing a good chance of making it out of the group stage of a World Cup for the first time. A win over Qatar would almost certainly get the job done for Sergej Barbarez and his players, who have been more competitive at this tournament than the late collapse against Switzerland suggested.
Qatar also enter their final group game with a chance of making the last 32, but their 6-0 thumping at the hands of Canada has surely hit their confidence. A second successive group stage exit looms for the 2022 World Cup hosts.
Player to watch: Edin Dzeko, Bosnia and Herzegovina - The former Manchester City striker hasn’t had much service so far, but will surely have opportunities to find the back of the net against a defensively vulnerable opponent.
Switzerland finally hit their stride in the closing stages against Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which the introduction of Johan Manzambi off the bench completely changed the dynamic of their attack. The Freiburg forward will surely keep his place in the lineup for this match.
Co-hosts Canada lost Ismaël Koné to a serious leg injury in their last outing against Qatar. That, however, was the only negative of a morale-boosting 6-0 win that highlighted the attacking capacity of Jesse Marsch’s side even with Alphonso Davies still unavailable on the sidelines.
Player to watch: Jonathan David, Canada - The Juventus forward found his shooting boots against Qatar, netting a hat-trick. He is their best link-up player and their most reliable finisher in and around the penalty area.
Morocco have shown glimpses of their excellence at this World Cup, but have yet to produce a 90-minute performance. That could change against Haiti who enter the final round of group games already eliminated. The Atlas Lions want top spot in the group and may finally play with the handbrake off.
Haiti should feel good about how they have equipped themselves in one of the most challenging groups in the entire tournament. They certainly haven’t embarrassed themselves, although Wednesday’s meeting with Morocco could be their toughest test so far.
Player to watch: Brahim Diaz, Morocco - If one player embodies how Morocco have added more to their game since making the World Cup semi-finals in 2022 it’s Diaz, whose dribbling ability and natural creativity is always a threat.
Scotland have moved from Boston to Miami for Wednesday’s crunch match with Brazil and The Tartan Army have come with them. If Clarke’s team can string something together in the final third in the way that evaded them in defeat to Morocco, they stand a chance of making the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time.
This tournament has been an uneven one for Brazil who struggled to impose themselves against Morocco only to sweep away Haiti in their next fixture. Carlo Ancelotti is edging closer to finding the right attacking formula, but concerns about the balance of the rest of his team remain.
Player to watch: Matheus Cunha, Brazil - The Manchester United attacker gave Brazil some much-needed attacking cohesion in the win over Haiti and is expected to keep his place in the lineup as the South Americans target top spot in the group.
With Mexico already sure of their place in the last 32 as group winners, Javier Aguirre could be tempted to rest some of his best players for Wednesday’s encounter with Czechia. Indeed, El Tri have earned the opportunity to preserve themselves for the knockout rounds where their World Cup campaign will be defined.
Czechia, on the other hand, likely need a win to make it out of Group A. Miroslav Koubek’s side have underwhelmed in their two games so far, failing to impose themselves in two winnable matches against South Africa and South Korea. They may have left it too late to salvage a round of 32 spot.
Player to watch: Obed Vargas, Mexico - If Aguirre rotates his squad, as expected, Vargas could be in line for a start in central midfield. The Atletico Madrid youngster is an energetic presence in the middle of the pitch and a driving force with the ball at his feet.
There hasn’t been much between the four teams in Group A so far with three of the four matches played to this point producing under 2.5 goals. Wednesday’s encounter between South Africa and South Korea could also be keenly contested even if the AFC outfit are the slight favourites.
South Korea only need a draw to secure their spot in the last 32 while South Africa require three points to stand any realistic chance of progressing beyond the group stage. At some point, Hugo Broos will have to release the handbrake on a team that has played with a lot of caution at this tournament.
Player to watch: In-Beom Hwang, South Korea - The Feyenoord midfielder has been a commanding presence for South Korea in the centre of the pitch, offering plenty on both sides of the ball. He will be a key figure in their final group game.
The offensive line has always been a big deal for Wisconsin. The program is known for its toughness, player development, and producing NFL-level blockers.
In recent years, things haven’t looked like the classic “O-Line U.” The Badgers have dealt with injuries, coaching changes, new schemes, and too much inconsistency up front.
Thankfully, after the 2026 spring practices, there are good reasons to think this group is heading in the right direction.
One major change is that Eric Mateos is now leading the offensive line. He has worked with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes before, which helps. Wisconsin has been searching for stability on offense, and the line is where that’s most important.
The Badgers also made several additions through the transfer portal, bringing in Austin Kawecki from Oklahoma State, PJ Wilkins from Ole Miss, Lucas Simmons-Johansson from Florida State, Blake Cherry from Arkansas, and Stylz Blackmon from Augustana.
The starting lineup seems to be set at least initially with PJ Wilkins at left tackle, Colin Cubberly at left guard, Austin Kawecki at center, Emerson Mandell at right guard, and Kevin Heywood at right tackle. Overall, it’s an interesting mix.
Wisconsin's projected starting offensive line in 2026
Left Tackle: PJ Wilkins (Ole Miss transfer)
Left Guard: Colin Cubberly
Center: Austin Kawecki (Oklahoma State transfer)
Right Guard: Emerson Mandell
Right Tackle: Kevin Heywood
Kawecki brings experience and stability at center. Cubberly and Mandell have Big Ten experience on the inside and upside to get better. Heywood is a high-ceiling player who missed last season with an injury. Wilkins could be the key factor. He’s a big, athletic player who mostly played guard before, but Wisconsin seems confident he can handle tackle.
The tackle spots are the most interesting part of the group. Heywood and Wilkins are likely the top two, but both are still developing. Heywood has great physical tools but needs more game experience. Wilkins has the size, but there are some questions about his quickness that revolve around his game.
Wisconsin wants to see if Wilkins can handle being a full-time Big Ten left tackle. Behind them, Simmons-Johansson is the main backup. If he improves, Wisconsin will have real depth at tackle. If not, the Badgers could be just one injury away from having to make changes again.
The interior of the line seems more solid. Kawecki is expected to anchor the center spot, and Cubberly and Mandell give Wisconsin two young players with real starting experience. Mandell had foot surgery this spring, but he’s expected to return by fall. While he was out, Blake Cherry got important first-team reps, which could help if Wisconsin needs extra linemen during the season.
The main takeaway after spring is that the offensive line isn’t a finished product, but it has more depth. Last year, Wisconsin was just trying to fill gaps. This year, there are real options. The Badgers have a likely starting five, a solid third tackle, young players to develop, and more competition overall.
How good this group can be depends on whether Heywood and Wilkins become reliable tackles. The lowest point depends on whether the depth holds up if injuries happen. Still, for the first time in a while, Wisconsin’s offensive line feels less like a weak spot and more like a group that could return to the program’s usual high standard.
Broncos Wire's 91-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fourth-year tight end Nate Adkins, No. 45.
Before the Broncos: Adkins (6-3, 252 pounds) was a five-year collegiate player, attending East Tennessee State from the FCS (2018-21) before transferring to the South Carolina Gamecocks as a graduate transfer in 2022. In his lone season of FBS play in the SEC, Adkins played in 13 games, catching 13 passes for 168 yards.
Broncos tenure: Adkins joined the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft. Adkins had a decent rookie year, playing in 10 games (one start), catching four passes for 22 yards. In 2024, Adkins had the best statistical season of his pro career, playing in 17 regular season games (10 starts) and the lone Broncos' playoff game, catching 14 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, Adkins found himself limited by injury, only playing in nine games, catching six passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Adkins has primarily been used as a blocking tight end for the Broncos.
Chances to make the 53-man roster: Likely. As one of the veteran members of the Broncos' offense, Adkins has the experience factor over younger players like Justin Joly, Caleb Lohner and Dallen Bentley. Because of his added value as a blocker and his ability to fill in at fullback, Adkins still feels likely to make the active roster even in a crowded tight end room.
Dillon Lewis moved to Dragons from Harlequins in 2025 [Huw Evans Picture Agency]
Two years on from his most recent international outing, tight-head prop Dillon Lewis is looking to help fill Wales' problem position.
The 30-year-old earned an international recall for the summer schedule against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in the Nations Championship.
Wales tune up for those Tests with an uncapped fixture against Barbarians at Allianz Stadium on Saturday (14:00 BST).
It presents Lewis with the opportunity to represent his country for the first time since winning his 57th cap against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations.
"The two years have been riddled with a few injuries, which hasn't helped my case, but it is something that I never gave up on," said Lewis, who toured Australia the following summer but did not play.
Lewis brought up a half-century of Wales caps while with Cardiff before spending two seasons with Harlequins.
He relished the change of scene, saying it made him "a more mature and more rounded player", but last summer moved to Dragons to boost his chances of featuring in a third World Cup.
"Coming home to Wales was a big driving factor in that, just trying to be in the shop window as much as possible, and luckily I picked up some form towards the end of the season," said Lewis, who made nine appearances after an autumn calf injury.
"It was never something I closed the door on. I aspired to get back in and there was a lot of competition as well to make it even harder."
Wales' tight-head prop issue
Dillon Lewis made his Wales debut in 2017 [Getty Images]
The two tight-heads that played in the Six Nations for Steve Tandy's side will not feature this summer.
The 34-year-old is rested after his exertions with Provence as Wales try to get him through to the World Cup, while Bath's Archie Griffin is absent after surgery.
Keiron Assiratti, the leading tight-head last autumn, withdrew from the squad after suffering a calf injury in Cardiff's United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final defeat.
Lewis is joined in the squad by Sam Wainwright and Ben Warren, while Chris Coleman and Rhys Henry have helped in in training before the Baa-Baas fixture.
The three official members of the squad have a combined tally of just eight professional starts in 2025-26, but opportunity knocks.
"You always like to think you can add something to a team, so it has been a frustrating time for me," said Lewis.
"The way the team finished the Six Nations was brilliant to watch. You could see a definite change and it was exciting, and something I was desperate to be a part of."
After missing out twice, Lewis has worked for the first time under Tandy and his new scrum coach Paul James.
"You hear all the boys coming back into the clubs and speaking so highly of the environment and how much they enjoyed it," said Lewis.
"It's tough to listen to, but it also spurs you on to try to get back here, so I've loved being back in with a completely fresh, new coaching staff.
"Everything's a bit different - there is a new outlook on the game and culture. I've loved it and it's been nice to get back in."
October 31, 2010; St. Louis, MO, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) drops back to pass against the St. Louis Rams in the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Carolina 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#81: QB Matt Moore
Matt Moore joined the Panthers after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. Moore didn’t make the final 53 man roster, so he was waived and was claimed by the Panthers in September of that season. He played sparingly in 2007 following Jake Delhomme’s unfortunate elbow injury, finishing with a 2-1 record as a starter and managing an offensive rookie of the month award for December.
Moore stuck around in 2008, however between a very good Jake Delhomme season and leg injuries keeping him out, Moore didn’t need to play in that year. 2009 became a famous season for him, as he started 5 games and won 4 of them for a Panthers squad that was reeling from a struggling Jake Delhomme and injuries at the quarterback position. Moore’s best game of the season and one that will always remain in my memory, was a 26-7 upset victory over the Minnesota Vikings, led by Brett Favre and very much trying to push for Super Bowl glory again. Moore completed 21 of 33 passes for 299 yards and 3 TDs in that effort as a Panthers team many expected to lose handily won in one of the more wild upsets in the franchise’s existence to that point.
That late season surge by Moore saw him as the de-facto starter in 2010. However, as we all remember, that season was not fun and Moore got one of the two Panthers wins that year in only 5 games started. Moore eventually moved on to greener pastures and played 8 more seasons in the NFL, 7 as a Dolphin and his final year as a Chief.
Full disclosure, we had someone else pegged for this spot when making the countdown, but their off field issues ultimately trumped multiple years of successful play and I personally felt Matt Moore deserved a spot on this countdown. It isn’t often you find a quarterback like Moore as a UDFA off waivers in their rookie year who spins off the type of career he had. And that Vikings game plus several games of what I would call plus production for a guy who was meant to hold a clipboard, that pretty much embodies what the Carolina Panthers have been all about since their inception. Many of their best players in history were guys people would never have given that opportunity to, such as his running mate at times in Jake Delhomme.
Share your favorite memories of Matt Moore in the comments!
We are delighted to announce that Maria McAneny has signed a new two-year contract which will see her remain at the club until 2028.
Maria has had a standout season in the Hoops contributing 13 goals and five assists, including a Goal of the Month award for December.
Having come through the Academy, McAneny has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the club at just 21-years of age, playing a key role for the Ghirls this campaign.
To top off her great season, that halfway-line strike against Hibernian last December earned her a place in the record books, with Guinness World Records officially recognising it as the fastest goal ever scored in women's professional football at 4.1 seconds.
Her consistent form saw her called into the Scotland squad for the first time in November, where she marked her debut with a goal against Ukraine in Spain, then capped off her first appearance for the national team at Hampden Park with a memorable strike against Luxembourg in March.
Speaking to the official Celtic website on extending her stay, Maria McAneny said: "This is where I want to be as I love being here and I love being part of this club and it's something that I want to keep doing.
‘So, yeah, I'm really happy about being here.’
“I feel like I'm not finished with Celtic and I want to be here. And for as long as possible that may be.
“But I think right now that this is the right step for me in my career. And yeah, I want to continue to keep winning trophies for this team and take it to the next level.”Celtic FC Women Head Coach, Grant Scott added: "Maria had a great season last year and has become an integral part of what we are trying to build upon.
'As a player who's come through the academy system she completely understands what the club is about and showcases the talent we are able to produce here.'
"We look forward to Maria working herself back to full fitness and playing her part in the team next season."
Brian Rolapp spoke to the media at TPC River Highlands on Tuesday and he came across really well.
Rolapp spoke with a certain air of authority as he delivered an exciting new plan for the PGA Tour.
Big changes are coming to the PGA Tour in 2028 and each and every bullet-point of Rolapp’s plan was greeted with excitement from the vast majority of golf fans.
Brian Rolapp outlined his plans to introduce two tiers – PGA Tour Championship Series and the PGA Tour Challenger Series.
The former will have purses of at least $20 million while the latter will boast purses of $4 million as a bare minimum.
The top 100 PGA Tour players will compete on the Championship Series while the next 100 in the rankings will play on the Challenger Series.
How Brian Rolapp could enable fans to watch live PGA Tour golf seven days a week
Those playing on the second tier can earn promotion to the top tier either by winning twice in one season or finishing inside the top 20 of the season-long points list.
Rolapp has already outlined how the majority of Challenger Series events will be played concurrently with the Championship Series tournaments.
However, there is a big change he could make to the schedule that would be genuinely game-changing for golf fans.
Why not have PGA Tour Challenger Series events run from Sunday through Wednesday?
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
This way, golf fans would be able to watch PGA Tour action seven days a week.
Sure, the opening round on Sunday would cross over with the Championship Series final round, but that wouldn’t change anything when it comes to viewing figures.
PGA Tour tiers competing for views would be pointless
If the Challenger Series was played on the same days as the Championship Series, how many fans would actually watch the lower tier instead of the top tier anyway?
There is no point having both series battling against each other for viewership figures. The Championship Series will obviously always win that battle.
Brian Rolapp has made some incredibly exciting moves with his proposed changes for the PGA Tour.
However, there is no question that there is another level that could be reached.
It would be hard to top having PGA Tour golf to watch live on television seven days a week.
Dec 22, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball (41) huddle with teammates before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Good morning Gang Green Nation! Here are your links to your New York Jets this glorious Wednesday in June.
Amanda Vogt – Jets’ Marcelino McCrary-Ball Extra Motivated After Indiana FB National Championship
Rich Cimini – Cops investigate Jets QB Geno Smith after battery accusation
NJ.com – Super Bowl-winner makes heartfelt Jets admission: ‘That wasn’t in the stars for me’
Edward Lewis – Geno Smith had contentious encounter with police three months before alleged battery incident: ‘Do your job better’
Erich Richter – NFL refuses to hold supplemental draft in blow to Brendan Sorsby after Jets speculation
Edward Lewis – Ex-girlfriend claims Geno Smith ‘beat me up’ in tearful 911 call
Alex Smith – NFL informs potential Jets target Brendan Sorsby there will be no 2026 Supplemental Draft
Geoffrey A Knox – NFL officially makes decision on Jets-Brendan Sorsby speculation
Geoffrey A Knox – Jets’ offseason buzz is praised, showing no signs of slowing down
Justin Melo – Is Harrison Phillips the most important next extension for the Jets?
Justin Melo – What are the best & worst case scenarios for the 2026 Jets offense?
Andrew Gould – NFL Releases Statement On Concerning Geno Smith Situation
Chris Rosvoglou – Jets Facing Pressure To Cut Geno Smith Before Training Camp
Tzvi Machlin – NFL Shuts Door On Brendan Sorsby’s Potential Arrival In 2026
Matt Sullivan – Why Jets can’t add Brendan Sorsby after wild NFL decision
Carter Bahns – NFL declines Brendan Sorsby’s supplemental draft application, leaves Texas Tech QB with few options for 2026
Nick Faria – Cade Klubnik’s Summer with Jets Just Took On Bigger Meaning
The Detroit Tigers’ four-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees to even up the three-game home series. Casey Mize cruised through the first five frames before surrendering three runs in the sixth and the offense just did not have enough gas to get over the hump before they ran out of time.
On Wednesday night, left-hander Tarik Skubal will make his third start since returning from the injured list after having an innovative nanoscope procedure performed on his pitching elbow. The 29-year-old has not found his old form just yet, posting a 4.35 ERA and a 5.42 FIP in his last two games stretching over 10 1/3 innings of work, allowing 12 hits (three home runs) and two walks while striking out 12 and hitting a batter.
Up against him will be fellow southpaw Ryan Weathers, who is having his best season since his 2024 campaign with the Miami Marlins. The 26-year-old hit a rough patch recently, putting up an 8.47 ERA and a 7.63 FIP over three starts stretching across 17 frames before bouncing back his last time out, allowing one run on a solo shot over 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight vs. one walk for a no-decision in a 5-1 home loss against the Chicago White Sox.
Here is a look at how the two matchup in the series finale.
Detroit Tigers (34-45) vs. New York Yankees (47-31)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Pinstripe Alley Media: Detroit SportsNet, Amazon Prime Video, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 80: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA)
Aerial of the Cutalong course and main clubhouse at the Tributer Resort in central Virginia. The property has plans to add a second 18-hole championship course designed by Tiger Woods.
RON BLUNT STUDIO | Tributer Resort
A new Tiger Woods-designed course is coming to the Tributer Resort in Lake Anna, Virginia, a future member offering for the growing residential component in development at the destination property that in 2021 opened one of the top new courses in the state.
The second course won’t begin construction until 2028 but the project from TGR Design is part of the ambitious expansion plans from Reef Capital Partners, the ownership group behind newer golf destinations such as Black Desert Resort (UT) and Sweetens Cove (TN) that continue to gain popularity.
Situated in central Virginia, about 55 miles north of Richmond and 85 miles southwest of Washington D.C., Tributer Resort currently has Cutalong Golf Club, an 18-hole championship layout modeled after C.B. Macdonald’s National Golf Links of America. The current course was recognized by Golf Digest in 2023 as one of the Top 5 best new private courses in the U.S. and the forthcoming TGR course will provide a second distinct championship golf experience.
The routing for the new, member-only TGR Design course at Tributer Resort in Central Virginia.
Tributer Resort
Tributer Resort is evolving into a lifestyle and residential destination under Reef Capital Partners, which acquired the property in 2018, with a year-round environment rooted in golf as well as hospitality and waterfront living near Lake Anna. When complete, the community will include more than 900 residences along with multiple dining spaces, wellness amenities, lakeside recreation, curated outdoor experiences, and trail systems.
“This new course announcement represents a major milestone in the evolution of Tributer Resort and reinforces our commitment to building a premier golf destination at Lake Anna,” said Tributer Resort General Manager Ian Sikes. “Together with our existing offerings, this addition brings a new level of excitement and distinction to the club and community.”
Golf Residences
Tributer Resort is adding more golf-centric accommodations as part of its expansion.
Tributer Resort
The residential component of the resort currently includes seven golf villas and eight cottages, all of which are member-owned but available to guests interested in stay-and-play packages at the property, in addition to estate lots with golf course views. Buildout plans call for a total of 22 golf villas (four bedrooms) and 34 cottages (two bedrooms), although guests will only have access to the Cutalong course, not the new TGR Design, which will be member-only.
Golf memberships, which offer priority access to both courses, are now available. There are also social memberships reserved for residents interested in the Tributer lifestyle beyond golf.
“Our vision is to create a vibrant, enduring community where resort amenities are seamlessly integrated into everyday life,” said Reef CEO Jared Lucero. “This next phase brings together thoughtfully designed residences, elevated amenities, golf, and world-class recreation.”
The existing Cutalong Course at Tributer.
Brian Oar | Tributer
While the Cutalong course is inspired by strategic principles of golf’s Golden Age architects (Donald Ross and Alister MacKenzie among them), the forthcoming TGR Design course will showcase the property’s dramatic topography and natural landscape of a property where miners in the 19th and 20th centuries once dug for copper, pyrite and traces of gold. Routed through rolling farmland, mature hardwood forests and pine groves overlooking Lake Anna, the second course will stretch to 7,310 yards from the championship tees and be defined by strategic shot values and a distinct variety of holes with expansive vistas.
“A balanced mix of uphill and downhill holes, shifting perspectives, and natural landforms will ensure no two holes feel alike, creating a course that feels organic in its movement and varied in its demands,” said TGR Design President Bryon Bell, who noted that strategy, creativity and thoughtful decision-making will define the overall experience.
True to Tiger’s design principles, it will challenge elite players yet remain playable and engaging for less experienced or less skilled players.
“Lake Anna provides a remarkable setting for championship golf,” added Bell, “and we’re excited to see this design come to life in a way that fully reflects its sense of place.”
The existing Cutalong Course, recently named one of the top new private courses in Virginia, during the fall.
Brian Oar | Tributer
Woods and TGR Design have an existing relationship with Reef, having designed the first of two courses at the private club community of Marcella in northern Utah. Cutalong was the first golf property acquired by Reef Capital Partners, evolving --and re-branding -- as Tributer, and was the launchpad for an expanding portfolio of golf developments.
Complementing the golf courses at Tributer is an 18-hole, lighted putting course (The Shenandoah Green) that’s designed as part of a social and entertainment venue adjacent to the clubhouse that overlooks the 1st and 18th greens of the existing course. Single-night and multi-night stay-and-play packages are available at the resort, providing a member-type experience within private residences.
The putting green next to the clubhouse at the Tributer Resort in Central Virginia.
RON BLUNT STUDIO | Tributer Resort
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 23: Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match between Portugal and Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) | FIFA via Getty Images
The FIFA World Cup rolled full steam ahead with important games for all teams involved. Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo were eager to make their mark vs. Uzbekistan after missing out on the first game against DR Congo. This was the game with the most goals scored. The chemistry-fueled comeback of the Portugal team was as glitzy as it could get.
England vs. Ghana ended at a goalless draw with Harry Kane and co missing good chances to take the game away. Croatia bore the fruit of their efforts to grind out a 1-0 victory over Panama. DR Congo once again were stubborn to the very end and did not allow Colombia much room to operate. Daniel Muñoz got Colombia’s lone goal to edge past the Congolese challenge.
The magic of the World Cup is the absolute no prisoners taken approach in attack and defense. This has always led to some fantastic sequences of play and a fair chunk of ridiculous goals scored. The underdog teams have proven themselves in this World Cup, often putting punching above their weight and also playing proper football.
Without further ado here the goals from MD 13’s fixtures.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally got his first goal…oh wait not yet
Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo nearly connect on this chance for Portugal! pic.twitter.com/m5P6QRj1ai
The 1-1 draw against DR Congo saw Portugal and Ronaldo receive a lot of negativity. The 41-year-old was determined to exorcise those demons and prove his place for his country and this tournament. This chance missed by millimeters. Nuno Mendes continued to show why he is one of the most highest rated left-backs in the world. The venomous cross across the face of goal was begging to be finished.
Ronaldo finally blasted in his first goal and it was a stunner
João Cancelo’s ball into a crowded box was fished out by Cristiano. He freed himself from his marker and took the shot as perfectly as possible. The dropped shoulder and leaning angle preserved the pace and the tricky height of the cross. There was no chance to react to this blinder from CR7.
Ronaldo with a free-kick!…A fantastic bluff that let Nuno Mendes score
This free kick took its own sweet time. The ref had to intervene several times to organize the Uzbeks and the Portuguese players. Meanwhile Ronaldo was preparing himself in his signature style, a few paces away from the ball taking deep breaths. When the whistle blew and Ronaldo launched, the entire wall reacted to him as Nuno Mendes slyly shot in the second goal. It was a beautiful bluff that worked due to Ronaldo’s reputation of being the one to take free-kicks and penalties.
What a shot from Aziz Ganiev. One can only stand and applaud a screamer like this. Unfortunately VAR intervened and called Fayzullayev’s challenge on Cancelo illegal. What a dissappointment.
Attacking forward type of run, beat the defenders as he reached the ball. Topped it all off with a laser guided shot into the corner from an impossible angle. This is looked reminiscent of the Ronaldo from his Real Madrid era!
Nematov read the second bluff from Ronaldo to stop the hattrick
Another free-kick and another bluff from Portugal. This however, Abduvohid Nematov never took his eye off Ronaldo even after the fake jog towards the ball. A close quarters save to deny a hattrick.
This was just unfortunate. A fatal deflection from the Uzbek goalkeeper gave the fourth goal away. The crowded box was doing its job of reducing time and awareness for the opposition, but this time it backfired and led to an own goal.
Once again Ronaldo’s movement occupied the defender’s attention that created an empty pocket of space behind the veteran attacker. The substitute, Rafael Leão, pounced on the opportunity and smashed in the cross.
Two late chances and two misses. The team needed Harry Kane to finish that. It was a difficult height for a volley, but that was the moment for England. The group stage of the expanded format is not easy at all. Two dropped points for England.
A perfect Croatia combination
CROATIA TAKES THE LEAD 🇭🇷
The 2nd half sub Ante Budimir scores off the beautiful cross from Josip Stanišić! pic.twitter.com/7FjqOTWhox
The perfect hoodwinked exchange between Mario Pašalić and Josip Stanišić. A bewitching cross from Stanišić that beat two defenders and the goalkeeper to reach Budimir before being directed into the back of the goal. Magical stuff from Croatia!
The DR Congo team deserved a lot of appreciation for their consistent and constant structure and defensive organization. Colombia were always outnumbered due to the constant micro movements and readjustments from the Congolese team.
Juan Quintero at the playmaker role for Colombia was the key to unlocking the watertight Congo side to open space. Other than long balls, a tricky playmaker is often the solution against teams like the DR Congo. With a feint and flick, his pass found Daniel Muñoz in the box. Having missed out twice already, Muñoz made it up with a fine finish that was sufficient to win the game for his country.
Every four years, a select group of qualifying national teams recruit their best players to compete for the coveted title of the best soccer team in the world. The 2026 tournament is taking place in a total of 16 different cities — including Miami, Atlanta and New York.
Several of this year's star athletes have been playing the sport for decades, while others are new to the world stage. The youngest athlete playing in the 2026 World Cup is 17-year-old Mexican prodigy Gilberto Mora, while the oldest is 43-year-old Scottish goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Here are the ages of your favorite soccer players competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
01 of 26
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal Credit: Carlos Rodrigues/Getty
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players of all time. The athlete started playing when he was 7 years old. He began his career at the Portuguese club Sporting CP at the age of 12 before signing with Manchester United in 2003.
Ronaldo has also played for Real Madrid and Juventus. He returned to Manchester United in 2021 before joining Al-Nassr in 2023, where he’s played ever since. He has represented his native Portugal in every World Cup since he was 21 years old.
02 of 26
Gilberto Mora, 17
Gilberto Mora of Mexico Credit: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty
Gilberto Mora, 17, is the youngest athlete to compete in the 2026 World Cup. Mora, who was born in October 2008, has played with the Liga MX club Tijuana since 2024.
He is representing his home country of Mexico in the World Cup.
03 of 26
Lionel Messi, 38
Lionel Messi of Argentina Credit: Marcelo Endelli/Getty
Lionel Messi, 38, has led his native Argentina in the World Cup since 2006 — when he became the youngest player ever to compete and score in the tournament.
The veteran athlete helped his team take home the title at the 2022 World Cup, marking the country’s first win in nearly four decades. Messi, who spent most of his career with Barcelona, currently plays for Inter Miami.
04 of 26
Cédric Bakambu, 35
Cédric Bakambu of Congo DR celebrates after winning and qualifying to the FIFA World Cup 2026 on March 31, 2026 in Zapopan, Mexico. Credit: Simon Barber/Getty
D.R. Congo's Cédric Bakambu, 35, has played for the national team since 2015. As a teenager, he played for France's national team.
In his professional life, Bakambu plays for the Spanish team, Betis.
05 of 26
Lamine Yamal, 18
Lamine Yamal of Spain Credit: Judit Cartiel/Getty
Lamine Yamal is competing in his first World Cup tournament for Spain at the age of 18 years old.
Yamal, who was born in 2007, played for two youth clubs before signing with Barcelona in 2023.
06 of 26
Harry Kane, 32
Harry Kane of England Credit: Rich Storry/Getty
Harry Kane, 32, is the captain of the England national team in the 2026 World Cup.
Although Kane is representing his native country, he has been playing for the German club Bayern Munich since 2023.
07 of 26
Michael Olise, 24
Michael Olise of France Credit: Sebastian Widmann/Getty
Michael Olise, 24, also plays for Bayern Munich, however he competes internationally for France.
Olise, who was born in England, previously explained that he decided to represent France because his mother is French-Algerian and it’s been his dream since he was a child.
France's first match on June 16 also served as Olise's World Cup debut.
08 of 26
Joshua Kimmich, 31
Joshua Kimmich of Germany Credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty
Joshua Kimmich, 31, is a fellow teammate of Kane and Olise’s on Bayern Munich.
Kimmich has represented his native Germany on their national team since 2016 and previously competed in the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022.
09 of 26
Erling Haaland, 25
Erling Haaland of Norway Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty
Erling Haaland made his World Cup debut for the Norwegian national team in 2026 at 25 years old.
Haaland, who is considered one of the greatest Norwegian soccer players of all time, competed at the youth level for years before going professional. He has played for Manchester City since 2022.
10 of 26
Christian Pulisic, 27
Christian Pulisic of the United States Credit: Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty
Christian Pulisic, a.k.a. “Captain America,” is 27 years old and was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Pulisic, who is thought of as one of the best American players of all time, started representing the United States in international competitions when he was still a teenager.
In 2016, Pulisic became the youngest player ever to appear at a World Cup qualifier match when he took the field at the age of 17. Two years later, he broke another age-related record when he became the youngest person ever to be named captain of the team during a friendly match against Italy.
When he isn’t playing for the U.S., Pulisic can be found competing with AC Milan.
11 of 26
Amad Diallo, 23
Amad Diallo #15 of Cote d'Ivoire celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credit: Ezra Shaw/FIFA via Getty
Amad Diallo, 23, made his World Cup debut in 2026 with his national team, Côte D'Ivoire.
He has played professionally for Manchester United, Rangers and Sunderland.
12 of 26
Jude Bellingham, 22
Jude Bellingham of England Credit: Angel Perez Meca/Europa Press via Getty
Jude Bellingham, 22, was born in 2003 in England and competes on behalf of the English national team.
Bellingham made his World Cup debut in 2022 before being selected for the 2026 team. Bellingham, who has already broken various youngest age records, has played professionally for Real Madrid since 2023.
13 of 26
Bruno Fernandes, 31
Bruno Fernandes of Portugal Credit: Carl Recine/Getty
Bruno Fernandes, 31, has been representing his home country of Portugal since he was a teenager.
Fernandes, who has played for Manchester United since 2020, has been a member of the Portuguese national team for the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
14 of 26
Luka Modrić, 40
Luka Modrić of Croatia Credit: Image Photo Agency/Getty
Luka Modrić, 40, is regarded as one of the greatest Croatian soccer players of all time.
Ever since 2006, Modrić has competed in every international tournament that Croatia has qualified for — including five total World Cups. He previously played for Real Madrid from 2012 to 2025 before joining AC Milan in 2025.
15 of 26
Mohamed Salah, 34
Mohamed Salah of Egypt Credit: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty
Mohamed Salah, 34, has been representing his native Egypt at the international level since he was a teenager.
Salah, who has been dubbed the “Egyptian King” by fans, previously competed with Egypt in the 2018 World Cup and has been the team’s captain since 2019.
Salah played for Liverpool from 2017 to 2026, at which point he departed the Premier League club after nine seasons.
16 of 26
Pedri, 23
Pedri of Spain Credit: Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty
Pedri López, who goes by Pedri, is a 23-year-old Spanish player who competes for both his country's national team and FC Barcelona.
Pedri made his World Cup debut in 2022 before returning for the 2026 tournament.
17 of 26
Kevin de Bruyne, 34
Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium Credit: Franco Arland - UEFA/UEFA via Getty
Kevin De Bruyne, 34, is representing his native Belgium in 2026 for his fourth World Cup appearance.
De Bruyne made his debut with the national team in 2010 before serving as captain from 2023 to 2025. He played with Manchester City for 10 years before joining Italy's Napoli in 2025.
18 of 26
Craig Gordon, 43
Craig Gordon of Scotland Credit: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty
At 43 years old, Craig Gordon is the oldest person to compete in the 2026 World Cup. He is a member of the Scotland national team, as well as the Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. He has represented his native country since 2002 and previously competed in the team’s 2006 World Cup qualifying matches.
However, a myriad of injuries prevented Gordon from competing internationally again until 2014, when he played in a Euro 2016 qualifying match against Germany. In 2025, he was selected as the starting goalkeeper for Scotland's first World Cup appearance since 1998.
19 of 26
Tyler Adams, 27
Tyler Adams of the United States Credit: David Horton - CameraSport via Getty
Tyler Adams, 27, has been playing soccer on the international stage since he was a teenager in New York. He served as the captain of the U.S.' 2022 World Cup team — becoming the youngest American captain at the tournament since 1950.
The midfielder, who is competing in his second World Cup tournament in 2026, has been a member of the Premier League club Bournemouth since 2023.
"We look at it as an opportunity to really grow the game even more,” Adams told PEOPLE of his team's World Cup appearance. “If the team is successful, then kids around the country will look at us and say, ‘I wanna be the next us.’ ”
20 of 26
Kylian Mbappé, 27
Kylian Mbappé of France Credit: Shaun Botterill - FIFA/FIFA via Getty
Kylian Mbappé is a 27-year-old forward for the France national team. He was born in Paris and helped lead France to victory in the 2018 World Cup before taking his team to the final in the 2022 tournament.
Mbappé, who is currently serving as his squad's captain, joined Real Madrid in 2024.
21 of 26
Luis Díaz, 29
Luis Diaz of Colombia Credit: David Ramos/Getty
Luis Díaz, 29, made his World Cup debut in 2026 for the Colombian national team after previously playing in a 2023 qualifier.
The world-renowned winger previously competed with Liverpool for three years before joining Bayern Munich in 2025.
22 of 26
William Saliba, 25
William Saliba of France Credit: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty
William Saliba, 25, played for his native France in the 2022 World Cup before making the team for a second time in 2026.
Saliba, who is considered one of the best center-backs in the world, currently competes for Arsenal.
23 of 26
Ousmane Dembélé, 29
Ousmane Dembélé of France Credit: Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
Masour Ousmane Dembélé, who goes by his middle name, is a 29-year-old member of the France national team.
Dembélé competed in the 2018 World Cup and helped lead his team to victory, while also playing in the 2022 and 2026 tournaments.
The star forward, who plays with Paris Saint-Germain, is one of only 10 players to have won the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.
24 of 26
Achraf Hakimi, 27
Achraf Hakimi of Morocco Credit: Nicolas Gaudin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty I
Achraf Hakimi, 27, also plays for Paris Saint-Germain, however he represents Morocco at the World Cup.
Although Hakimi was born in Spain, he grew up with Moroccan parents who helped influence his decision to play on behalf of their country. He previously competed in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
25 of 26
Vinícius Júnior, 25
Vinícius Júnior of Brazil Credit: Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, who goes by Vinícius Júnior, is a 25-year-old Brazilian soccer player.
The forward, who has already made a name for himself in the soccer world at a young age, has played with Real Madrid since 2018.
Prior to the 2026 World Cup, he competed in the 2022 tournament.
26 of 26
Tim Ream, 28
Tim Ream of the United States Credit: Erin Chang/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty
Tim Ream, 38, plays for the U.S. national team and has won several titles since starting his soccer career as a child in St. Louis.
Ream spent much of his career playing with Fulham before signing with Charlotte FC in 2024. He previously represented the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup.
"I actually call it my superpower now," he said of soccer in an interview with PEOPLE. "I put my boots on, I step outside, and it's like nothing else is there. Nothing else matters. It's just you, it's a ball, it's your teammates. It's the goal. It's everything. And it's probably why I am just pushing myself to still play to this day, and try to play in this World Cup."
A busy lead-up to the draft. Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
Farewell to Simon Nemec:
TRADE ALERT: We’ve acquired two conditional first-round picks, a 2026 second-round selection, and defenseman Etienne Morin from Calgary in exchange for defenseman Simon Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
Assessing the Simon Nemec trade: “This trade ensures the Devils avoid a risky contract and arms them with draft picks that can be leveraged as currency to add top-six winger help.” [The Athletic ($)]
“The Brady Tkachuk blockbuster to the Florida Panthers underscores an unfolding truth in today’s NHL. Power is shifting in favor of the NHLs star players. New Jersey Devils fans watching the Hughes speculation might feel uncomfortable. However, they’re not in a Tkachuk-like predicament… yet.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
NEWS | The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues for forwards Connor McMichael and Milton Gastrin and Washington’s first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft.#ALLCAPS | @Shift4
Seems like Morgan Rielly could be on the move soon:
Morgan Rielly’s agent J.P Barry has submitted a list of 4 Western based teams Rielly is willing to go to. This will be a team by team assessment and depending on the fit, there could be some flexibility to add teams to the list.
“Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the NHL found no basis to prevent the Edmonton Oilers from hiring coach Mike Babcock but that the league expects ‘a certain level of decorum and conduct’ from him.” [ESPN]
“The NHL is exploring putting a second team in Texas, with Austin and Houston as potential targets, commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Tuesday following a board of governors meeting.” [ESPN]
“Will Connor Hellebuyck be the next American-born star to leave a Canadian NHL franchise? It appears the Team USA Manifest Destiny is real, and we have to take the trade rumors seriously at this point.” [Daily Faceoff]
“For decades, NHL teams asked players to be loyal and commit on long-term deals that locked them up from their teenage years until retirement. These teams then acted in cutthroat ways to buy out or otherwise dump them, however, when their play declined. That paradigm has now changed entirely, to where star players (and their agents) realize they hold the cards, especially with how free agency has been hollowed out and how vital the trade market has become to building a top team. Whether that shift has created a permanent imbalance in the league, with talent flowing from north to south, remains an open question. But it’s one worth asking yet again, as another top player heads to Florida and another Canadian team’s GM is left scrambling to fill a gaping roster hole.” [The Athletic ($)]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
The Vancouver Canucks are still the front-runners in a potential deal involving Brendan Gallagher, however, Darren Dreger brought up the possibility the Canadiens may end up buying out the final year of Gallagher’s contract. [Canadiens Offseason: Gallagher Trade Talk, Potential Buyout Cost]
Given how much he has offered to the organization, Gallagher is definitely taking his departure from Montreal with class.
Brendan Gallagher in a recent interview with the Athletic’s Arpon Basu:
“About halfway through the season, I kind of figured it out. I could kind of sense the direction (the Habs) were looking to go. And it was OK. At that point, I had had conversations with them and they were… pic.twitter.com/F4CqMw8Lfm
There’s no doubt about it, from a production standpoint, Ivan Demidov enjoyed a great rookie season. His underlying numbers leave something to be desired, but given his elite skill level, logic dictates the team is yet to find his ideal linemates. In other words, there’s still work to be done, but overall, Demidov was fantastic in his first year in the NHL. [Canadiens Player Grades: Demidov Dazzles In Rookie Season]
Speaking of Demidov, he took some time off from mentoring prospect Alexander Zharovsky to spend time with Warrior Hockey, his stick sponsor. Meanwhile, Zharovsky is in Florida taking part in a camp for Russian prospects hosted by his agent, Daniel Milstein.
TSN mentioned a potential free agency target for the Habs: Jeffrey Viel. The 29-year-old Rimouski native would be an interesting addition to the bottom six, but the lineup is already overflowing with forwards, making it a rather cramped situation.
ICYMI: We’ve reached phenom Lane Hutson in our Montreal Canadiens player grades, and as expected, he received an A+ due to his excellence. He not only improved his production, his underlying numbers were fantastic in his sophomore season. Hutson is the rising tide that lifts all Canadiens boats. [Canadiens Player Grades: Hutson Is The Rising Tide]
NHL Trades
The Canadiens were not involved in any deals, but it was a very busy day from a trade standpoint. A few deals were made, including some heavy hitters.
The St. Louis Blues traded Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 16th overall pick (2026), Connor McMichael and Milton Gastrin.
The Ottawa Senators acquired William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and the rights to Brandon Svoboda in exchange for the ninth overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. This is on the heels of the trade that saw former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk join the Florida Panthers in exchange for a package of draft picks.
The New Jersey Devils sent Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Etienne Morin, a second-round pick (2026), a first-round pick (2027, top-10 protected), and a first-round pick (2028, top-10 protected).
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Jordan Greenway and Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Louis Crevier, a first-round pick (4th overall, 2026), and a second-round pick (45th overall, 2026).
Sportsnaut Network
Sunny Mehta just put his first fingerprints on the New Jersey Devils. The Devils moved Nemec to the Flames with Tsyplakov, opened up $2.5 million to use in the week ahead, and set themselves up with a plethora of assets to use on the trade market that has already seen a magnitude of 10 regarding player movement. [New Jersey Devils]
Columbus has not made the playoffs since the 2019-2020 season. One player that the Blue Jackets could potentially draft is Boston College Eagles forward Oscar Hemming. Will they select him or potentially draft another player? [Columbus Blue Jackets]
Brady Tkachuk seems pretty jacked to be joining the Florida Panthers, saying Tuesday morning that he wished “the season started tomorrow.’’ It does not. But it certainly has been a whirlwind couple of days for Brady and the entire Tkachuk clan.[Florida Panthers]
The real reasons Ruben Amorim failed at Manchester United and what Milan must learn
A new episode of the Football Italia Summer Show is now out on YouTube. Today, we discuss Ruben Amorim’s time at Manchester United, where he failed and which errors he must avoid at San Siro.
Milan confirmed Amorim’s appointment last week. The Portuguese signed a three-year contract just five months after he was sacked by Manchester United.
Latest Football Italia YouTube Show: Amorim’s problems at Man United and what they mean for Milan
In this new episode of the Football Italia Summer Show, Manchester Evening News reporter Jack Flintham explains why and how Amorim failed at Old Trafford and which mistakes he’ll have to avoid in his tenure at Milan.
From transfer to tactical decisions, we break it all down in our new show.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on August 30, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
If you haven’t yet subscribed to the Football Italia YouTube channel, you can do it here so you don’t miss any of our content, and you can join our shows with your comments and thoughts.
Deadlocked at 0-0 for the first few innings, Syracuse finally broke the ice with a two-run fourth but they wouldn’t hold the lead for long, as the IronPigs plated four runs in the bottom of the inning on a Dylan Moore grand slam. Syracuse scratched back, scoring a run apiece in the fifth and sixth, and despite allowing another Lehigh Valley run in the bottom of the sixth, retook the lead in the seventh, when the rehabbing Francisco Lindor led off the inning getting on base thanks to an error and Tyrone Taylor drove him in with a home run to left center. After a balk in the bottom of the inning tied things up at 6-6, those rehabbers once again had an impact on the game in the top of the eighth. Lindor singled, Taylor doubled, and with runners on second and third, Ronny Mauricio singled to drive both home and give Syracuse the lead, a lead they would finally hold onto.
Nick Lorusso homered in the top of the first to give the Rumble Ponies an early 1-0 lead, but the SeaWolves reversed things in the fourth with a big six-run inning and controlled the rest of the game from there on in. Jose Ramos hit a solo homer of his own in the sixth, but a lot of good it did, as it was Binghamton’s only additional run. So much for the Rumble Ponies starting the second half on the right hoof.
Both teams scored a few runs in the early innings, but Jersey Shore landed what seemed at the time to be the decisive blow, plating five runs in the fifth and surging ahead to a 7-3 lead. To their credit, the Cyclones kept things competitive, scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to bring them within one. A few innings later, in the eighth, the recently reassigned Sam Biller successfully plated that run, tying things at 7-7. In the tenth inning, Hoss Brewer hunkered down and was able to prevent the BlueClaws from scoring. In the bottom of the inning, Daiverson Gutierrez led off the inning and drove the first pitch he saw in the zone for a line drive into left that the fielder played poorly to win the ballgame.
The St. Lucie Mets were on the basepaths all evening, logging 10 hits, drawing 4 walks, and getting on base an additional 4 more times thanks to defensive miscues on the part of the Mighty Mussels. They made the most of those opportunities, stealing eight bases in ten attempts. The team hit only two extra base hits, a Julio Zayas double in the first and a Jeremy Rodriguez double in the fourth, but kept the train going, scoring six runs; with a few more extra base hits, this one could’ve been a true blowout, as St. Lucie only went 3-18 with runners in scoring position and left 9 runners on base.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 05: Kody Huff #68 of the Cleveland Guardians walks across the field before a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on March 05, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As a Guardians fan you may not be very familiar with Kody Huff, but you are way too familiar with Gabriel Arias. Let’s adjust the familiarity vortex there, real soon.
Gabriel Arias currently has a 54 wRC+ and a 46% strikeout rate. I think it is fair to note that his planned rehab was cut short by the injury to José Ramírez. Still, for his career, Arias has a 74 wRC+ and a 34% strikeout rate. Among ML hitters with 1,000 or more plate appearances since 2022, he ranks last with a swinging strike rate north of 20%. He is just a terrible hitter.
Enter Kody Huff. Acquired from the Rockies for Cal Quantrill, Huff is a right-handed hitter having a breakout season as a 25 year-old in Cleveland. Huff has a 141 wRC+ with a 17/15 K/BB%, with a home OPS of 979 at Columbus and a .875 OPS in road games. He also has a 1.012 OPS against LHP this year. Admittedly, his wOBA of .407 is belied a bit by a .366 xwOBA… but .366 reduced down to, I don’t know, .315 in the bigs would still be a huge improvement over current options, especially if it included production vs. southpaws. Huff has seen his hitting output skyrocket with slightly higher exit velos (+1 mph in average exit velo) and moving about 9% of his prior groundball rate to line drives and 6% to flyballs. Nothing looks particularly unsustainable… he simply seems to have made some hitting growth later in his development, as catchers often do.
“Aha, he’s a catcher,” you say. “How can we fit him on the roster with our catching all-stars Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges??” Leaving aside all sarcasm there (Bailey and Hedges are excellent defenders and both have hit fine with Cleveland this year), Huff has started 20 games at first base and 9 at third base this year.
Huff is fine at third base. He has a good arm and looks smooth picking the ball. He may actually be a pretty good first baseman. And he’s got a solid reputation as a catcher. I think the team should pause Huff’s catching work and tell him, “Kid, you are gonna fill in for José and get some great reps at third base.” Then, DFA Arias (who will get through waivers, and if he doesn’t, who cares?) and add Huff to the roster. If he hits and Jose is back, then keep Huff in the David Fry role.
It’s probably bad that I want to solve our offensive woes with catchers. But in Ingle and Huff, I see professional hitters. And we need more of those in Cleveland, by George. Get Huff the magic dragon up!
Detroit Lions defensive end Anthony Lucas (61) walks off the field after practice during OTAs at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Thursday, June 11, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host surveys for NFL fans, sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we are tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions fans, and with OTAs/minicamp behind us, let’s predict which undrafted rookie could make an impact on the Lions roster in 2026.
However, we have yet to get Lions fans’ opinions on this year’s UDFA class, which brings us to this week’s question:
Which UDFA is most likely to make an impact on the Lions roster in 2026?
For this exercise, we have provided fans with five players to vote on, or they can choose the “other” option and expand on their selection in the comment section. Here are the five options the Pride of Detroit staff previously nominated:
Quarterback Luke Altmyer has impressed during OTAs and minicamp with his arm, confidence, and ability to pick up on the Lions’ scheme quickly.
“I think he is unflappable, I guess, would be the word that comes to mind,” Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said during OTAs. “Every day he’s the same guy, he puts in the same process, he works. He never seems overwhelmed by what we’re asking him to do or how we’re asking him to do it, and he’s willing to learn and to work at it, which has been great.”
If Altmyer can continue to develop and impress, it’ll be interesting to see how much he pushes Teddy Bridgewater for the QB2 role, or potentially force the Lions to consider rostering three quarterbacks.
Tight end Miles Kitselman was one of Jeremy Reisman’s “winners” from OTAs and minicamp, as he has already climbed up the depth chart and is firmly in “roster bubble” range. With Sam LaPorta and Tyler Conklin dealing with injuries, Kitselman was getting some run with the first and second team, illustrating how quickly an opportunity could show up for him.
Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina didn’t stand out in OTAs/minicamp, but that was to be expected for all trench players with no pads on during this portion of the offseason. Once the pads come on in training camp, Keanaaina should have a chance to stand out more, especially at a position with questionable depth.
EDGE AnthonyLucas stood out this spring due to his length, high energy level, and willingness to mix it up, even drawing praise from defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. While the Lions invested in the edge rusher position to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson–selecting Derrick Moore in the draft and signing DJ Wonnum and Payton Turner in free agency–, there could still be an opportunity for a player to grab snaps in a situational pass rushing role with room to grow.
Linebacker Erick Hunter grabbed NFL Draft analysts’ attention with his production and coverage skills during the evaluation process. While he’s yet to stand out at practice, he should get plenty of opportunities in a linebacker room that typically rosters at least six players and currently only has eight on the active roster.
And with that, it’s time to vote in the survey, share your feedback in the comment section, and check back with Pride of Detroit this weekend for the results.
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Jun 19, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt (12) fields the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers continue to boast arguably the top farm system in all of baseball and that’s even with a large number of graduations that have happened through the first two and a half months of the season. Because of those graduations, and a pretty good sample size of play down in the minor leagues, it’s time to make some updates and adjustments to our Brewers Top 50 prospects list from the pre-season.
There are some notable risers and fallers with their performances early this season. The recently extended Luis Lara is certainly one of them with his breakout season. But he’s not the biggest riser on this list.
Biggest risers: 2B/LF Dylan O’Rae (+17 spots), OF Braylon Payne (+16), RHP Jayden Dubanewicz (+14), RHP Jaron DeBerry (+10), OF Luis Lara (+9)
Biggest fallers: 1B/3B Eric Bitonti (-8 spots), RHP Melvin Hernandez (-4), OF Jose Anderson (OUT)
Graduations: RHP Brandon Sproat, RHP Logan Henderson, LHP Robert Gasser, LHP Shane Drohan, RHP Carlos Rodriguez, 1B/LF Tyler Black
1. Jesus Made, SS
2. Luis Pena, SS
3. Cooper Pratt, SS
There are no changes to the top three spots in the Brewers farm system. However, since the pre-season, Jesus Made has vaulted to the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball status and Cooper Pratt signed an eight year contract extension with the Brewers. Pratt was recently called up to make his MLB debut and has taken over the starting shortstop job in Milwaukee, which will likely be his for years to come, that is unless one of the other two names above him take that title.
4. Luis Lara, OF (Up 9) 5. Jett Williams, SS (Down1) 6. Josh Adamczewski, IF/OF (Up 8)
Luis Lara and Josh Adamczewski are the big risers into the Top 10 in this update. Lara has completely crushed Triple-A pitching and earned himself a long-term contract extension from the Brewers. It’ll only be a matter of time before he joins Cooper Pratt in Milwaukee. Jett Williams has struggled a bit offensively this year, leading to Lara surpassing him. Josh Adamczewski also put up big numbers in High-A Wisconsin before earning the mid-season promotion to Double-A Biloxi. 7. Jeferson Quero, C (Up 2) 8. Andrew Fischer, 3B (Up 2) 9. Blake Burke, 1B (Up 3)
Jeferson Quero continues to be blocked by William Contreras and Gary Sanchez, though he was able to make his MLB debut earlier this season. Quero has been solid in Triple-A and is ready when an opportunity presents itself. Andrew Fischer has been the talk of this Brewers system almost with his home run barrage this summer that pushed him up to Double-A. The strikeout rate is still a concern long-term, but in spite of it he’s hitting nearly .300 with an OPS over 1.100. Blake Burke, another former Tennessee Volunter, is also mashing in Biloxi with 15 homers himself, plus even more stolen bases. Keep an eye on Burke. 10. Bishop Letson, RHP (Down 2) 11. Marco Dinges, C — 12. Tyson Hardin, RHP (Up 4) 13. Braylon Payne, OF (Up 16) 14. Coleman Crow, RHP (Up 9)
Bishop Letson really struggled to start the season in Double-A, but has finally started to turn things around, which keeps him in the Top 10. Tyson Hardin has done much better after a promotion to Triple-A and he finds himself pretty close to making it to the big leagues given the amount of injuries the Brewers have had in their rotation. Braylon Payne has been one of the biggest risers in this update as he’s hitting the ball extremely hard in High-A and he’s also dropped his strikeout rate. That K rate will remain important to watch as the 19 year old develops. Coleman Crow has also gotten himself to the bigs and risen up the list. He’s on the IL, which has prevented him from graduating, but he will return and graduate soon. 15. Brady Ebel, SS (Up 2) 16. Luke Adams, 3B/OF (Down 1) 17. JD Thompson, LHP (Up 3) 18. Tate Kuehner, LHP (Up 6) 19. Jayden Dubanewicz, RHP (Up 14)
Luke Adams missed a ton of time early in the season with a wrist injury so the sample size is a bit smaller than the other hitters. Since returning from the IL, Adams has looked great and he could leap back up in the August re-rank. Lefties JD Thompson and Tate Kuehner get a nice boost as their development remains on track. Jayden Dubanewicz is another big riser as his stuff has looked nasty and he’s already pushed his way to High-A Wisconsin. In his first two starts there, he’s struck out 11 and is yet to walk a batter. Dubanewicz could be that next pitching lab success story. 20. Craig Yoho, RHP (Down 2) 21. Brock Wilken, 3B (Down 2) 22. Mike Boeve, 1B/3B (Down 1) 23. Brett Wichrowski, RHP (Up 2) 24. Bryce Meccage, RHP (Up 2)
Brock Wilken has not adjusted well to Triple-A, still hitting below the Mendoza Line with not a lot of home runs to make up for it. It’s not too late for him, but that future infield is looking crowded already and there are a lot of good ones right around him in the upper minors. Mike Boeve has looked a little better a year removed from shoulder surgery, but his numbers still haven’t returned to what they were pre-injury. 25. Ethan Dorchies, RHP (Up 2) 26. Manuel Rodriguez, RHP (Up 2) 27. Josh Knoth RHP, (Up 5) 28. Dylan O’Rae, 2B/OF (Up 17) 29. Jaron DeBerry, RHP (Up 10)
Some of the numbers are unsightly for the young pitchers across the lower levels when it comes to ERA, but that doesn’t mean their stuff has diminished. Numbers are like that all across those levels this year so I’ll take them with a grain of salt and not ding guys like Dorchies or Rodriguez too much. Knoth is returning from TJS and has looked good, ramping the velo up to 97 MPH but generally sitting around 94 with his fastball. Dylan O’Rae is having a great year after missing 2025 with wrist surgery. Jaron DeBerry is also putting himself on the radar in the upper minors with some strong outings this year. 30. Diego Frontado, SS (Up 8) 31. Ricki Moneys, SS (Up 6) 32. Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP (Up 8) 33. Josiah Ragsdale, OF * 34. Frank Cairone, LHP —
Down in the DSL, two of the Brewers big signings this year were Frontado and Moneys and they are living up to the hype, showing off power and bat-to-ball skills, giving them a big boost in this update. Brian Fitzpatrick put himself clearly in the big league bullpen picture before an elbow injury sidelined him. Josiah Ragsdale is the first player to make this list after missing the pre-season top 50. He’s showcased a combo of speed and contact skills with a little bit of pop in High-A. Frank Cairone is back in Arizona after recovering from a January car accident. He’s yet to see game action, but could be in ACL games soon. 35. Braylon Owens, RHP * 36. Tyler Renz, RHP — 37. Alexander Frias, OF * 38. Eric Bitonti, 1B/3B (Down 8) 39. Mark Manfredi, LHP *
Another handful of new faces here. Braylon Owens, a 10th round pick last year, has done really well in High-A and is among the organization’s leaders in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP. Alexander Frias has finally gotten promoted to Low-A Wilson after tearing up the Arizona Complex League. He looks like he has big-time potential. Eric Bitonti is striking out at a high clip still in High-A and it worries me about his long-term viability. Mark Manfredi is up to 97 MPH on his fastball and his strikeout rate has ticked way up this year. Keep an eye on Manfredi as a bullpen option in Milwaukee in the near future. 40. Griffin Tobias, RHP (Up 4) 41. Handelfry Encarnacion, OF — 42. Pedro Ibarguen, OF (Up 4) 43. Jacob Morrison, RHP (Up 6) 44. Cameron Wagoner, RHP *
Some young players still with good potential with Tobias, Encarnacion, and Ibarguen here. They’re in the lower levels, Ibarguen in particular has had a nice year in Low-A. Jacob Morrison, out of Coastal Carolina last year, is on the IL right now but looked good in his limited action in Low-A. Cameron Wagoner is throwing upper 90s and hitting triple-digits on occasion after missing a long stretch due to injury. He could move up quickly as a bullpen arm. 45. Brailyn Antunez, OF * 46. Melvin Hernandez, RHP (Down 4) 47. Chase Bentley, RHP * 48. Joey Broughton, LHP * 49. MaKale Holden, RHP * 50. Luis Lameda, SS *
Brailyn Antunez was the big international signing last year, but struggled in the DSL. Upon heading to the ACL this year, there’s been some positive reports, and it’s starting to translate into on-field results. Melvin Hernandez has not pitched at all this year due to visa issues, per a source. He’s still a talented arm when he is on the field. This list is rounded out with some of the young, projectable talent the Brewers possess. Chase Bentley had the biggest “Day 3” signing bonus the Brewers gave out last year and has looked good. Broughton is back from TJS finally and has done well upon his promotion to Low-A. MaKale Holden also got a big bonus last year and has showcased some nasty stuff. Luis Lameda is hitting over .300 with more walks than strikeouts for Low-A Wilson.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 21: Mikel Oyarzabal #21 of Spain celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Barcelona have been offered hope of landing Alvarez this week after the striker admitted he wants to move on, but Atletico are furious with the situation and have said they will file a complaint to FIFA about the Catalans.
Oyarzabal was therefore asked if he could guarantee he’ll stay at Real Sociedad while at World Cup 2026 and offered up the following response.
“I’m focused on helping the team win in three days. I’m where I want to be, at what I consider my home, Real Sociedad,” he told reporteres.
“My mind isn’t on that, but on arriving in Uruguay in the best possible condition.”
The striker bagged a brace last time out against Saudi Arabia and was also asked whether he feels underrated by the world press.
“I’m actually tired of answering this question; I don’t dwell on it,” he added. “What matters to me is what my teammates, my coach, the staff, and the people whose opinions actually count have to say.
“We know how football works these days, and it’s normal for people to talk, but I don’t let it bother me.”
Oyarzabal has 14 goals and seven assists in his past 13 Spain games and is likely to start again when La Roja face Uruguay in their final group fixture.
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 25: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Football Team celebrates his sack against quarterback Ben DiNucci #7 , of the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on October 25, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The question
In this week’s Reacts survey, we have only one question, and it focuses on the defense. We want to know who you believe will lead the team in sacks this season.
Setting the official bar
For all those who might not know, the all-time official sack leader for the Washington franchise is Ryan Kerrigan.
Per Pro Football Reference, he finished his 11-year career in burgundy & gold with 95.5 sacks, finishing with at least 11 sacks in a season four times. His highest total was 13.5 in 2014, but in ’18 & ’19, he put together back-to-back seasons with 13 sacks each. His final two years in DC were his least productive from a sack perspective, yielding 5.5 sacks per season. His consistency extended to his ability to stay healthy as well; in 11 seasons, he missed only 4 games, all of them in 2019.
The ‘unofficial’ career sack leader for the Redskins
Older fans may remember watching the wrecking ball named Dexter Manley, who played on two of Washington’s super bowl winning teams back in the last century. Many people will insist that it is Manley, not Kerrigan, who deserves the mantle of ‘all time franchise sack leader’.
The argument rests entirely on the 6.0 unofficial sacks that Dexter recorded during his rookie season in 1981, which came right before the NFL began tracking sacks as an official statistic.
Seen in this light, Manley set the standard in his 9 seasons playing in a Redskins uniform.
How many sacks have some of Washington’s veteran front line defenders tallied so far in their NFL careers?
Let’s look at some current Washington players to see what kind of sack numbers they have put up in their careers.
One thing that jumps out at me is that Deatrich Wise tops the list despite having played less than 2 games in 2025 and, thus, producing zero sacks. At 31 years of age, Wise played for 9 years in New England before joining the Commanders, averaging about 4.5 sacks per season, with a low of 2 in a Patriots uniform in 2019.
Dorance Armstrong, currently 29 y.o., was on a 1-sack-per-game pace last season before getting injured in Week 7 and missing the final 10 games. In his 6 seasons with the Cowboys, he compiled just 2.5 sacks in his first three years, but 21 in his final three years in Dallas playing for Dan Quinn. He has produced 10.5 sacks in 23 games as a Commander. His career average is 5 sacks per 17 games.
Odafe Oweh is 27 years old, and is the only player on this list to have double-digit sacks in a single season, which he accomplished in 2024 playing for the Ravens. He had strong production in 2025 as a Charger, when he finished the season tallying 7.5 sacks in 12 games. His career average is 6.6 sacks per 17 games.
Charles Omenihu is 28 years old and has played for 3 different teams in his 7 year career. Despite getting blanked in 2021, Omenihu averages 4.1 sacks per 17 games for his career.
K’Lavon Chaisson is the youngest player on this list at 26 y.o. He produced just 5 sacks in 4 seasons playing on his rookie contract in Jacksonville. In 2024, as a Raider, he compiled 5 sacks, and playing for the Patriots in ‘25, he tallied 7.5 sacks. With 12.5 sacks over the past two years, the Commanders believe that he will be totally unleashed as an inside pass rusher in Daronte Jones’ defensive scheme here in Washington.
The rookie
Here are the college stats for rookie 5th round pick, Joshua Josephs:
Daron Payne averages 4.8 sacks per 17 games. His career high is 11.5 sacks in ‘22; his low was 2 sacks in 2019.
Tim Settle averages 2.1 sacks per 17 games, but has twice tallied 5 sacks in a single season (’20 & ‘24).
Frankie Luvu averages 4.3 sacks per 17 games. He was highly productive from 2022 to 2024, with 7, 5.5, 8 sacks respectively. He’s had 3 or fewer sacks in his each of his other 5 NFL seasons.
Leo Chenal has played 4 NFL seasons as a part-time LB in Kansas City (about 40% of defensive snaps) and has a career high of 3 sacks in 2023.
Rookie Sonny Styles had 9 sacks in his Ohio State career, with 6 coming in 16 games in 2024.
Comments & Results
Of course, we invite you to answer the survey question below, but also feel free to expand on your answer and provide nuance in the comments section. While you are certainly free to simply share which choice you made on the survey question, the most interesting comments will explain why you answered the way you did. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article the next few days.
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 04: Quinnen Williams #92 of the Dallas Cowboys runs out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 4, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Cowboys could lock up one of their cornerstones on defense this offseason.
The Tennessee Titans made defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history, with the 29-year-old signing a three-year, $105.8 million deal with $100 million guaranteed and $35.3 million in AAV, well above the previous high from Chiefs DT Chris Jones at $31.8 million per year.
Who could be next among star defensive tackles to earn a big pay day? Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams’ name certainly comes to mind. He and Simmons are both 29, and Williams is only under contract for the next two seasons with Dallas.
As it stands, Williams is currently the ninth-highest paid DT in the league in AAV at $24 million per year. The Cowboys being willing to trade a first-round pick for him in next year’s draft shows how important they feel he is to the defense, which means a contract extension to back that up could be in the future to make Williams either the highest paid, or close to the highest paid, player at his position. – Tommy Yarrish
What Drake London’s new deal could mean for George Pickens
Falcons WR Drake London is now the NFL’s third-highest paid wide receiver in AAV, signing a four-year, $141 million extension with $100 million guaranteed and $35.26 million per year.
London, who is 25, is the same age as Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, and both are heading into their fifth seasons in the NFL. Pickens too was seeking a long-term contract, but the Cowboys told him and his representation that would not happen this offseason, and he instead signed his $27.3 million franchise tag that keep shim under contract for the 2026 season.
Pickens’ one-year deal on the tag makes him the 17th highest-paid wide receiver in the league in AAV. Should Pickens go out and post a year similar to his 2025 campaign where he had more than 1,400 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, a deal similar to London’s may be in the ballpark of what Pickens could seek. For reference, CeeDee Lamb is the league’s fifth-highest paid WR at $34 million annually. If Pickens surpasses him and is closer to London’s $35 million per year mark, he and Lamb would become the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history, surpassing the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who currently combine for $69 million per year. – Tommy Yarrish
The Cowboys’ former third-round pick could be the key to how good the defense becomes this season.
In an interview with DLLS Cowboys during the last week of minicamp, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel made headlines by proclaiming he was going to be the best cornerback in NFL.
He didn’t say when.
He said someday.
That’s still lofty talk from a 2025 third-round pick who missed 10 games as rookie, was mediocre at best when he did take the field last year and is not guaranteed to be starter in 2026.
Revel is currently alternating at left cornerback with veteran free agent Cobie Durant, who has turned the most eyes in the offseason.
Calen Carson has held down the right cornerback spot with DaRon Bland sidelined rehabbing a foot injury.
The best two will start.
The Cowboys continue to have high hopes for Revel, who was considered to be a first-rounder after a stellar junior year at East Carolina.
He entered his senior season widely considered one of best cornerbacks in college football.
But that was before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL, thus tanking his draft stock.
The cornerback needy Cowboys took a flier on him in the third round of the 2025 Draft, armed with inside information.
Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper did his surgery at East Carolina and could vouch for his ability to recover and return to health.
Will George Pickens be with the Cowboys beyond 2026?
George Pickens will play for the Cowboys in 2026 … but not 2027
Pickens’ presence and comments at the Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp made it clear he’s fine with playing this season on the $27.3 million franchise tag. Barring a complete reversal by the Cowboys, he won’t have a long-term extension by the July 15 deadline for teams to extend franchise players.
Spinning this forward, if the one-year carrot is enough to bring the best out of Pickens the way it did in 2025 — when he had 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns on 93 catches — then it’s easy to see him pricing himself out of Dallas next year with a huge contract from some other team. If he has a bad year, it’s easy to see the Cowboys moving on to another option, too.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
First of all, the Cowboys could absolutely franchise Pickens again in 2027. It would cost them $32.8 million, but there are already six NFL wide receivers averaging more than that per year, and there likely will be more by next March. The fact that CeeDee Lamb, Pickens’ Dallas teammate, is one of those six is part of the issue. The Cowboys might not feel they can afford to pay two receivers top-of-market money and still manage their salary cap.
But the fact is, there’s no way to know how this season will go or how the Cowboys will feel about it when it’s over. Is there a world in which Lamb, who has missed games due to injury each of the past two years and has just $7 million in guarantees on his contract beyond 2026, is the one they move on from, allowing them to keep Pickens? Sure. I’m not saying that’s the way I’d predict this to go, but it’s not out of the question, right?
Pickens showed the Cowboys a lot last season after they traded a third-round pick to get him in the offseason. They’ve made it clear they’d like to see more before making any long-term decisions about him. He now has the opportunity to give them a difficult decision next offseason if he does everything they’re asking him to do.
It could be a big training camp for a few players and their future in Dallas.
Jaydon Blue
In the immortal words of Cris Collinsworth, “Now here’s a guy…” Here is a guy who has the opportunity to make a big leap on the 53-man roster if he stands out in camp. The RB rotation behind Javonte Williams is not set in stone, and even though fifth-year pro Malik Davis has done fairly well with the opportunities given, it’s not a stretch to think that the soon-to-be 28-year-old back has reached his ceiling.
Blue, on the other hand, is in his second year and is building on his already formidable speed and elusiveness. If he continues to develop those skills, he is absolutely a viable option for the second back behind Williams. The only thing that could hold him back is how well he holds up in pass-protection. It isn’t a secret how much the Cowboys covet RBs that can block, and if Blue can at least prove serviceable in that area, be prepared to see a dramatic increase in snaps for the second year back in 2026.
Shavon Ravel Jr.
The second-year corner recently made waves by saying he sees himself as being the best corner in the league someday. For that to be true, he has a long way to go, but luckily for him, he has his whole career ahead of him.
Last year, Revel Jr. had a hard time staying healthy and getting onto the field. He played in only seven games, starting five, and had a negligible impact on what ended up being one of the worst defensive units of all time.
Revel Jr. also has the physical tools to make an impact. At 6’1”, 194 lbs., he’s equipped to handle the best receivers in the league. Positionally, Cobie Durant and DaRon Bland are probably shoe-ins for the outside corner positions, and Caleb Downs will be seeing a ton of action as the nickelback, but beyond them, a large rotational role as the third cornerback is up for the taking.
DeMarvion Overshown
Overshown is someone who has shown us glimpses of absolute magic when he’s been healthy, but that phrase has haunted him: “when healthy.” The third-year pro is looking to put together a complete season, which would be a first, and the shifting defensive scheme should give him a chance to shine even more on the interior of the second level of the defense.
From a camp perspective, nobody is challenging him for one of the two starting MLB spots on the defense, assuming Dee Winters is taking the other position. Ideally, the influx of talent on the defensive line could help Overshown, and with the speed and explosiveness he’s shown in spots in his career, he could see a huge role leading the charge of a possibly much improved defense.
Daily discussion question: Are you going to training camp this year?
The Florida State Seminoles return home to close out September against the University of Central Arkansas, following an expected physical road battle against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. After taking on the Tide and SMU in back-to-back games, FSU gets a welcome reprieve as the Seminoles host the Bears, who are expected to arrive at Doak Campbell Stadium as double-digit underdogs.
This matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Central Arkansas will net a $450,000 guaranteed payday for the trip, but the key storyline will center on FSU head coach Mike Norvell facing his alma mater. Norvell starred as a wide receiver for the Bears from 2001 to 2005, finishing his career as the school’s all-time receptions leader with 213 catches. He started his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2006 and has since been inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame.
Norvell, a former walk-on receiver who was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in August 2016, is the school record holder for career receptions (213) and is fifth in career receiving yards (2,611). He played on teams that won 33 games in his four seasons, including UCA’s best team in the NCAA Division II era. The 2005 Bears finished 11-3 and lost in the Division II quarterfinals.
The Bears compete in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), a FCS football-only alliance created from the former Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Central Arkansas last beat an FBS opponent on August 29, 2019, when they upset Western Kentucky. In that season-opening upset, the Bears defeated the Hilltoppers by a score of 35-28 on the road.
Three key players
Bears quarterback Austin Myers entered the transfer portal during the offseason after leading the Bears in most passing categories in just 7 games, but decided to withdraw and rejoin the program. His prior production was not enough to be named starter when the coaching staff left the competition wide open following spring practices, leaving Myers locked in a three-way battle with Luther Richesson and Caleb Koger as they head into fall camp.
Whoever gets the nod at QB will inherit a weapon in wide receiver Malachi Henry, the offense’s most explosive big-play threat. Henry led the team last season with 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging nearly 13 yards per reception.
Offensive lineman Will Diggins is the anchor of the Bears’ offensive front. The 6’4″, 320-pound tackle is a multi-year starter who earned Preseason All-UAC honors.
Florida State vs. Central Arkansas Bears: Game preview, predictions
Best Case
While the Bears are a respected program in their lower division, the size, speed, and depth of FSU will heavily favor the Noles, who should easily dominate their undermanned opponent, maintain control of the game, and have the score in garbage time by early in the second half.
Realistic Case
For FSU, it should be about gaining confidence, building momentum, and working on their execution in what should be a tune-up game before heading into the meat of their ACC schedule. The game should be in hand with enough time left for the 2nd and 3rd-team players to get significant playing time in preparation for Virginia.
Worst Case
The FCS Trap. Florida State demonstrates the same complacency and lackadaisical performance as it did against Jacksonville State—another FCS opponent—five years ago, squeaking by in a matchup it should have dominated and heading into October with the nightmare feeling around the program hitting a high.
2026 FSU football schedule
Saturday, Aug. 29: New Mexico State Aggies (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 7:00 p.m. (The CW)
What will FSU’s record be after September? Anser in SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA, where we ask questions of the most plugged-in FSU fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Usually, we eschew stories about other sports, but this is a pretty funny Phillies connection to be made. The Trail Blazers hired Micah Nori as their next head coach. Does that name sound familiar?
Every story is local: Phillies outfield prospect Dante Nori’s dad is an NBA head coach now. https://t.co/DwrSdAasP6
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 7-2 at Indianapolis Indians
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 3-6, 2 RBI, 2 K, fielding error – after a dreadful start to the year, Oswaldo has come alive with a .967 OPS in June 2B Marco Luciano 2-4, BB, K, SB RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, BB, 2 K, GIDP CF Garrett Martin 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 K, SB – he did it all last night 1B Tyler Hardman 0-5, 3 K DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, 3 BB, K, SB SS Jonathan Ornelas 0-4, 2 K C Payton Henry 0-4, K LF Duke Ellis 1-4, RBI, BB, K
Alexander Cornielle 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K Zach Messinger 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 0 K Carson Coleman 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win) Yordanny Cruz 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (hold) – good to see a steady outing from Cruz Bradley Hanner 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 4-0 at New Hampshire River Cats – Somerset stifled, four hits, all singles
LF Jackson Castillo 2-3, BB, SB CF Jace Avina 0-4, K RF DJ Gladney 1-3, BB, K DH Nick Torres 1-4 3B Coby Morales 0-4, K C Tomas Frick 0-3 1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, K SS Owen Cobb 0-3, 2 K 2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, K
Cade Smith 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR (loss) – probably the 24-year-old’s best start of the year, tough luck loss Chris Kean 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Tony Rossi 1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Cade Smith (@Yankees No. 16 Prospect) notched his THIRD quality start of the season! 🤩
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 5-4 at Bowling Hot Rods
3B Kaeden Kent 1-5, K SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2 K, throwing error DH Eric Genther 0-4, RBI, 2 K 1B Kyle West 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K RF Wilson Rodriguez 2-3, BB 2B Roderick Arias 1-4, 2 K, SB C Josue Gonzalez 0-3, RBI, SF CF Camden Troyer 0-4, K LF Luis Durango 2-4, 2B, SB
Bryce Cunningham 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR – 2024 second-rounder has given up three runs over his last three starts Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K Brandon Decker 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (hold) Brady Kirtner 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB 0 K (loss, blown save)
3B Jackson Lovich 0-4, K CF Brando Mayea 0-4 DH Luis Puello 0-4, K LF Logan Maxwell 0-1, BB, SB LF Gabriel Lara 0-2, K SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-3, RBI, SF, SB RF Willy Montero 1-4, 2B, 2 K 1B Hans Montero 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB C Engelth Urena 0-3, K 2B Luis Escudero 0-2, BB, 2 K
Justin West 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K (win) Kevin Stevens 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (hold) Greysen Carter 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K (hold) Matthew Tippie 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (save)
Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 10-6 (7) vs. FCL Tigers
3B Richard Matic 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, K CF Wilberson De Pena 1-1, 2B, 3 BB, 2 SB, fielding error – a nice .417 OBP on the year for the 19-year-old DH Queni Pineda 0-3, BB, 2 K 2B Leni Done 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB LF Jose Castro 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, CS RF Francisco Vilorio 0-3, K SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, fielding error C Justin Capellan 1-3, 2B, K, throwing error 1B Christofer Reyes 0-3
Hueston Morrill 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Jerson Alejandro 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K Sunayro Martina 0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 0 K (loss) – a 4-1 fourth-inning lead evaporated quickly Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR Edinzo Marquez 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K Brian Arias 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 11-3 vs. DSL Cardinals
DH Isaias Castillo 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, SB SS Stiven Marinez 1-5, 3B, RBI, K, fielding error CF Yostin Pena 3-4, K, 2 SB 2B Juan Torres 2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB 1B Cesar Lopez 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB C Juan Martinez 1-3, K, SB L Manuel Aguilar 1-4, 2B, 3 K RF Eliezer Adames 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K 3B Emmanuel Orozco 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
Fredy Penuelas 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 4 K Angel Salazar 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (win) — one of the cleanest DSL lines you’ll see Luis Ilarraza 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K (hold) Varis Villarreal 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 12-5 at DSL Tigers 2
SS Mani Cedeno 1-5, 2B, 2 K 2B Carlos Bello 2-4, 2 2B, K, SB C Alessandro Rodriguez 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB, two throwing errors, one pickoff error – oops RF David Carrera 1-4, HR, RBI, K 3B Kevin Beltre 0-4, K DH Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB 1B Adrian Feliz 0-2, K 1B Jesus Guerrero 1-2, 2B, RBI, K LF Sebastian Pinto 0-1, BB LF Eddison Charles 1-2, K, SB CF Alfiery Matos 0-4, K
Randy Angomas 2.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K Kevin Centeno 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR Carlos Hampshire 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K Lenin Caceres 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Arsenal target breaks silence and asks to leave present club
Julian Alvarez has broken his silence and insists he has told Atletico Madrid that he wants to leave the club this summer as several teams continue to compete for his signature.
The Argentinian forward is one of the most sought-after players in the current transfer window, with Barcelona and Real Madrid having reportedly seen bids rejected, while Arsenal are also monitoring the situation closely. The Gunners view him as an ideal attacking addition for Mikel Arteta’s team and remain interested in bringing him to the Premier League.
Growing Transfer Interest Across Europe
Arsenal have admired him since his time in England, although Manchester City were previously unwilling to sanction a move. With the player now in Spain, there is a belief within the club that a transfer could be more achievable this summer.
Barcelona are still considered his preferred destination, while Real Madrid have also maintained strong interest, including reports of a significant offer being rejected earlier in the window. The situation has therefore developed into a highly competitive transfer battle among Europe’s elite clubs.
Alvarez Statement on His Future
Alvarez has now addressed his situation directly and, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, said:
“I don’t want to hide or act like I don’t want to be clear. I try to be honest.
“I spoke to Atlético people and I think the best for everyone involved is for me to leave.
“I want to fulfill my dream.”
His comments have significantly intensified speculation over his future, with multiple clubs expected to reassess their next steps as the transfer window progresses.
Atletico Madrid now face a major decision regarding how to respond to the player’s stated position, while interest from across Europe is expected to remain strong until a final resolution is reached.
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SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 4: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa #27 of the University of Notre Dame listens to the alma mater during a game between Boise State University and University of Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on October 7, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images
We live in a college football world of lists, rankings, and countdowns. Many players on Notre Dame’s roster have been talked about and written about over the last few months — so let’s fall in line.
This will be my official Top 20 Notre Dame Football Players ranking. I will unveil each player, and list the three things I like about them. It seems simple enough, but I have no doubt that some of these ratings will be highly criticized, but you can always share your thoughts in the comments below.
#27 Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa LB
The best athlete
Notre Dame is currently blessed with a handful of really good linebackers. Under Chris Ash and his defensive system that works out of a 4-2-5 base, the number of linebacker snaps doesn’t just decline, but they are more spread out with their rotations. In my opinion, the most athletic football player of the linebackers is KVA. He provides more on the field as he is in incredible thumper and solid in pass coverage, but he is also a good pass rusher. He’s just really good at pretty much everything he does.
The Poly Pipeline
One of my favorite themes about Notre Dame over the last 20 years is how much of a Polynesian pipeline it has become. Obviously, we can thank Manti Te’o for leading the way, and ever since his time at ND, we have seen more and more of Polynesian blood flood South Bend with their talent. KVA is now a part of that legacy.
Contract year
Even though KVA has two years of eligibility remaining after this year, he’s likely to enter the NFL Draft in 2027. While that’s sad news for all of us later, right now it works as a positive. If his true intention is to get to the NFL ASAP, then this year is a contract year – the better he plays the higher he rises. Right now he considered to be the #3 LB in the NFL Draft which puts him somewhere in the second round at best. A magnificent showing could better his case.
Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch with DLSS, FSR, and XeSS on PC alongside low-latency modes for all GPU vendors Halo Studios have officially released the PC system requirements of Halo: Campaign Evolved, confirming that the game will launch with DLSS, XeSS, and FSR on PC. Additionally, low-latency modes are supported on GPUs from all vendors. […]
If you have an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you probably need more storage. Having to uninstall a game to install a new game or an update to one of your favorite titles is a hassle.
The Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S is a plug-and-play solution that lets you expand the storage of your console.
"Seagate's Storage Expansion Card is the best way to add more space to the latest Xbox consoles, while avoiding the annoying limitations of USB drives. While it's an expensive investment that might be hard to justify, those who drop the cash won't be disappointed with the returns." — Matt Brown, former Senior Editor
This 2TB model has double the storage of the base expansion card and is a great way to get more space for games on your Xbox Series X|S.View Deal
This massive 4TB expansion card is the largest available for your Xbox Series X|S.View Deal
Why buy the Seagate Expansion Card?
You can skip game file management and space issues with the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox. (Image credit: Windows Central)
The Seagate Expansion Card is the simplest way to expand the storage of your console. There's no setup or configuration required to use the card.
Xbox Series X|S games can be massive. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 alone is 161GB, and that's without DLC. The Seagate Expansion Card delivers similar speeds to the native storage of the Xbox Series X|S, so you can store games on the card and play them without having to transfer files around.
The Seagate Expansion Card also supports Quick Resume, which is a feature that lets you pause your game and power down your console and then pick up exactly where you left off when you load the game again.
Considering how big games are and how many great games are available on the Xbox Series X|S and on the way to the consoles, an expansion card of some kind is a must have. The Seagate Expansion Card is the easiest to use, quick enough to play games off, and is a great deal during Prime Day.
Alternative discounts
Prime Day discounts and a deal at Best Buy provide the best prices on the Seagate Expansion Card, but if those deals expire, you can check out these alternatives:
The Seagate Expansion Card is meant to be used with an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, but it can work with a PC if you pair it with the right adapter.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Out of all the gaming accessory manufacturers, Razer has got to be my absolute favorite. From providing comfortable gaming chairs to esports-ready controllers and headsets, Razer's products have enriched mine and many others' lives, and it's about to enrich a lot more of them.
Razer is hosting an Amazon Prime Day sale on several of its top-grade PC gaming peripherals, lifestyle furniture, controllers, and more for a limited time, and we've rounded up some of its best for you to check out.
"The Razer Viper V3 Pro is the new champion of Razer's high-end esports gaming lineup, and it packs a ton of impressive tech into a lightweight package." ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer
"The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K takes an already great mouse and elevates it further. Its bulk and weight won’t be for everyone, but there’s no doubt it brings an awful lot to the table." ~ Alex Blake, Freelance Contributor at TechRadar
"The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is undeniable as the world's most advanced gaming keyboard. Adjustable actuation and endless customization make it a boon for any professional esports gamer." ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer
"The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is undeniable as the world's most advanced gaming keyboard. Adjustable actuation and endless customization make it a boon for any professional esports gamer." ~ Christopher Coke, Contributing Writer at Tom's Hardware
"The Razer Kraken V4 refines the comfortable design to be slimmer and more attractive, adds more RGB lighting, and improves the audio quality across the board." ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer
"Razer has finally made a wireless controller for the Xbox and overall it's absolutely brilliant. Combining the best aspects of previous Wolverine controllers, Razer has updated it for the present day with its excellent mouse switch technology, hall effect sticks and an ergonomic design that I would argue is better even than Microsoft's own." — Richard Devine, Managing Editor
"The Razer Kishi V3 Pro takes everything great about Razer's excellent Kishi Ultra and adds more buttons and features and plenty of other enhancements. It's truly the ultimate mobile gaming controller, as long as you don't mind the size." ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer
This is the extra-large version of the Kishi V3 Pro controller built to accommodate Android and iPad tablets up to 13-inches big.View Deal
"The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K takes an already great mouse and elevates it further. Its bulk and weight won’t be for everyone, but there’s no doubt it brings an awful lot to the table." ~ Rhys Wood, Hardware Editor at TechRadar
"Despite its stiff backrest and lumbar support, the Razer Iskur V2 X is a great gaming chair with high-quality seat cushioning and padded armrests that will keep you relaxed during long periods of gaming." ~ Alex Corden, Staff Writer
This is the upgraded version of the Iskur V2 X chair built with Razer Gen-2 EPU leather and Cool tech, so it's 13 times more durable, breathable, and comfortable to sit in. View Deal
FAQ
When does Amazon's June Prime Day event start?
Amazon's Prime Day June event starts on June 23, 2026 and will last until June 26, 2026.
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Halo Studios put out the system requirements lists for the upcoming AAA FPS RPG, Halo: Campaign Evolved. The game is releasing on July 28, 2026, with pre-orders open now. There are four system requirements lists put out by the studio, "Low (minimum)", "Medium," "High (recommended)," and "Ultra." The minimum experience is 1080p @ 60 FPS. This requires either an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-10700K processor; an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, AMD Radeon RX 6600, or Intel Arc B580 graphics card; at least 16 GB of RAM, and at least 8 GB of video memory.
The "Medium" experience is 1440p @ 60 FPS, and this calls for either an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X or Intel Core i5-12600K processor; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 7600 graphics card; at least 16 GB of RAM, and at least 8 GB of video memory. Things move up a significant notch with the "High" tier, which corresponds with the game's "recommended system requirements" list, offering a 4K Ultra HD @ 60 FPS experience. This requires either an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 or Intel Core i7-12700K processor, either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 9070 graphics card, at least 32 GB of RAM, and at least 16 GB of video memory.
Bitcoin research said that BTC price action remained in tune with previous cycles as the bear market produces a 20% discount to its four-year "adoption structure" trend line.
Just when we thought that high-speed 4TB solid-state drives were out of reach for the majority of the masses, Amazon’s Prime Day 2026 sale drops another banger in the form of Acer’s Predator GM7 PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD. For a limited time period, you can grab these uber-capacity units for only $469.99 after a 23 percent discount, giving you a golden opportunity to not only increase your storage but also make your system snappier. The Predator GM7 is equipped with SLC Cache to ensure that games load faster and file transfers don’t lose their performance Acer’s PCIe NVMe Gen […]
Rockstar Games provided some new details today on GTA 6 ahead of the grand opening of the pre-orders tomorrow, June 25. Besides confirming the bonuses that PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S users will get to enjoy by purchasing the Ultimate Edition, the development studio confirmed that retail copies will not include any disc, but only a download code. "The physical version of Grand Theft Auto VI, containing a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading," Rockstar Games wrote on its official website. While releasing retail copies earlier to allow pre-loading ahead of […]
Rockstar Games has just confirmed that GTA VI will be priced at $80, thus putting to rest long-held fears of a higher price. The studio also shared gorgeous new Grand Theft Auto VI screenshots and key details about the GTA VI Ultimate Edition, just hours ahead of the opening of pre-orders, which will happen at midnight local time on June 25. This version of GTA VI offers an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and other story-linked content for Jason and Lucia across the game's progression. The Ultimate Edition is priced at $100 and includes: These bonuses unlock gradually as Jason and Lucia […]
Amidst surging component prices that are driving up the cost of gaming hardware - both for systems already available and those launching very soon like Valve's new Steam Machine - Sony is facing multiple challenges for its PlayStation 6 console. Besides having to make it a compelling upgrade for existing PlayStation 5 users, the Japanese company also needs to keep manufacturing costs down as much as possible. One of the centerpieces of this strategy, according to a new leak from Moore's Law Is Dead, is AI-driven frame generation via ongoing research into Virtual Frame Interpolation (VFI). During the latest episode […]
The Renewed Premium store belonging to Amazon has your favorite iPhone 17 Pro stocked, and if you’re worried about getting a lemon, don’t worry, because each unit is individually inspected for serious levels of wear and tear. The perks of shopping for units at the online store are that Prime Day 2026 gives you a chance to grab Apple’s flagship for up to $250 off, making the deal one of the best that we’ve spotted. The best ‘price to performance’ is the Cosmic Orange version of the iPhone 17 Pro with 512GB of storage, and here’s why Since these Renewed […]
“The compact Android tablet from Oppo outperforms both the iPad Mini and the Xiaomi Pad 8 in almost every respect and even offers a matte OLED display option. From our perspective, it’s difficult to understand why Oppo chose not to include a 5G variant, especially given the tablet’s high‑end hardware and its potential to serve as a full smartphone replacement
Deal | The Google Pixel 10 Pro is now cheaper than ever on Amazon during Prime Day as a limited‑time offer. The device features a relatively compact 6.3‑inch LTPO OLED display and a 48 MP periscope telephoto camera.
According to the official Halo: Campaign Evolved system requirements, the Steam Machine is not the ideal platform to play the game. The CPU and GPU recommendations for even a "Low" tier experience in Halo: Campaign Evolved appear to be a tough ask for the Steam Machine.
After confirming its existence last week, Redmi has now announced the launch date for the K90 Ultra. Alongside the announcement, the company has also revealed the phone's design and confirmed several of its key features.
The Redmi K90 Ultra will be unveiled in China on June 30, the company confirmed via a post on Weibo.
Redmi's upcoming K90 series smartphone will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. However, the company claims it can match, or even outperform, devices equipped with the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC in gaming performance.
According to Redmi, this is...
Fotospor'un "Beşiktaş devrede" haberi İspanya'yı salladı, Real Betis kesenin ağzını açtı! Fenerbahçe'nin Faslı yıldızı Sofyan Amrabat için 7 milyon Euro'luk teklife hazırlanan Sevilla ekibine Beşiktaş çelmesi gelirken, tecrübeli orta sahanın İstanbul kararı transferin seyrini değiştirdi.
Fenerbahçe’nin Faslı orta saha oyuncusu Sofyan Amrabat için Fotospor'un gündeme getirdiği, "Beşiktaş, Faslı oyuncuyu istiyor" haberi gündemi karıştırdı.
Bu haber üzerine Betis teknik direktörü Manuel Pellegrini’nin orta sahadaki sertlik ve denge sorununu çözmek için ısrarla istediği Amrabat için Real Betis, kesenin ağzını açtı. İspanyol kulübünün, Fenerbahçe’ye yaklaşık 7 milyon Euro civarında bir bonservis teklifi yapmaya hazırlandığı iddia edildi.
Fenerbahçe’nin oyuncu için Fiorentina’ya ödediği 12 milyon Euro’luk maliyeti aşağı çekmek isteyen Sevilla temsilcisi, Sergi Altimira ve Nelson Deossa'nın takımdan ayrılmasıyla birlikte bu transferi resmiyete dökecek. Betis, oyuncuyu Şampiyonlar Ligi projesiyle ikna etmeyi planlıyor.
Transfer piyasasında Betis’in en büyük "tehdidi" ise Beşiktaş oldu. Oyuncunun net 5 milyon Euro olan maaşı ve Türkiye’deki %30’luk avantajlı vergi oranı Betis’i zorlarken, Beşiktaş’ın ise Fenerbahçe’nin talep ettiği yüksek bonservis bedelini ödemeye tam olarak yanaşmadığı belirtiliyor.
Suudi Arabistan seçeneklerini masadan kaldıran Faslı yıldızın, İstanbul içinde de semt değiştirmeye ve Beşiktaş forması giymeye sıcak bakmadığı iddia edildi.
Hafta başından bu yana Roma'da transfer zirvesi yürüten teknik direktör Gian Piero Gasperini, listesinin ilk sırasındaki Mason Greenwood ve babasıyla bizzat görüştü.
Yeni sezonun kadro planlaması için hafta başından bu yana Roma’da bulunan teknik direktör Gian Piero Gasperini, seçim döneminde Fenerbahçe'nin başkan adayı Hakan Safi'nin "anlaştım" dediği İngiliz yıldız Mason Greenwood’un transfer listesinin ilk sırasında olduğunu doğruladı.
La Gazzetta dello Sport’un haberine göre; deneyimli teknik adam transferi bitirmek için bizzat devreye girdi.
Gasperini’nin, Mason Greenwood ve oyuncunun babasıyla bir araya gelerek projesini aktardığı öğrenildi.
Yapılan görüşmelerin ardından Greenwood cephesinden de olumlu yanıt geldi. 22 yaşındaki hücum oyuncusunun, İtalya’dan gelen diğer teklifleri geri çevirerek transferde Roma’ya öncelik verdiği belirtildi. Tarafların resmi sözleşme için görüşmeleri sıklaştırması bekleniyor.
İtalyan basını, Galatasaray ile Mauro Icardi arasındaki yeni sözleşme pazarlıklarının sürdüğünü duyurdu. Farklı tekliflere rağmen önceliği sarı-kırmızılılara veren Arjantinli yıldız 2 yıllık kontrat isterken, yönetim masaya 1 yıllık teklifle oturdu.
Galatasaray, Arjantinli yıldız golcüsü Mauro Icardi ile yeni sözleşme imzalamak için resmi görüşmelerine devam ediyor. İtalyan basınından Corriere dello Sport’un haberine göre, taraflar arasındaki müzakereler maaş ve sözleşme süresi üzerinde yoğunlaşmış durumda.
Sözleşme süresi konusunda taraflar arasında fikir ayrılığı yaşanıyor. Mauro Icardi 2 yıllık yeni bir sözleşme talep ederken, Galatasaray yönetimi masaya 1 yıllık kontrat önerisiyle oturdu.
Sürenin yanı sıra yıllık garanti ücret ve bonusları kapsayan maaş bütçesi üzerindeki pazarlıklar da devam ediyor.
Yıldız futbolcuya başka kulüplerden resmi teklifler olduğu belirtilse de Icardi'nin kariyerine sarı-kırmızılı formayla devam etmek istediği ve önceliğini tamamen Galatasaray'a verdiği öğrenildi.
Tarafların, aradaki süre ve mali pürüzleri gidererek ortak bir noktada buluşması bekleniyor.
Adı Trabzonspor ile de anılan dünyaca ünlü Ukraynalı golcü Artem Dovbyk için Real Betis devreye girdi. İspanyol ekibi, AS Roma'ya resmi teklifini sundu.
La Liga ekiplerinden Real Betis, adı Trabzonspor ile de anılan Ukraynalı golcü Artem Dovbyk’i kadrosuna katmak için AS Roma'ya resmi teklifte bulundu.
İtalyan bombacı Nicolò Schira'nın paylaştığı bilgilere göre; Real Betis, 29 yaşındaki santrforu satın alma opsiyonuyla birlikte kiralamak için İtalyan kulübünün kapısını çaldı.
Gelecek tekliflere açık olan AS Roma cephesinde ise tek hedef oyuncuyla tamamen yolları ayırmak. İtalyan devinin, sakatlıklar nedeniyle beklentilerin uzağında kalan Dovbyk’i kiralamaya sıcak baktığı ancak transferin zorunlu satın alma maddesiyle kalıcı hale getirilmesini şart koştuğu öğrenildi. Kulüpler arasındaki pazarlıklar devam ediyor.
Galatasaray'ın rüyasını The Athletic bitirdi. Adı sık sık sarı-kırmızılı kulüple anılan Eduardo Camavinga, Real Madrid'den ayrılmak istemediğini yönetime bildirdi.
Galatasaray’ın transfer listesinin ilk sıralarında yer alan ve sarı-kırmızılı taraftarları heyecanlandıran Eduardo Camavinga transferinde sıcak bir gelişme yaşandı. Dünyaca ünlü spor mecrası The Athletic’in paylaştığı bilgilere göre; Fransız yıldız, Real Madrid'den ayrılmayı kesinlikle düşünmüyor.
Galatasaray yönetiminin kadrosuna katmak için yoğun mesai harcadığı 23 yaşındaki orta saha oyuncusu, İspanyol devindeki geleceğine odaklanmış durumda. Çıkan iddiaların aksine, Camavinga’nın Madrid’de mutlu olduğu ve şu aşamada takımdan ayrılmaya sıcak bakmadığı belirtildi.
Orta saha hattını dünya çapında bir isimle güçlendirmek isteyen sarı-kırmızılıların, İspanyol kulübüyle olan iyi ilişkilerini kullanarak bu transferi bitirmeyi hedeflediği biliniyor ancak oyuncunun net tavrı, transferin önündeki en büyük engel olarak duruyor.
Real Madrid ile 2029 yılına kadar sözleşmesi bulunan genç yıldızın, kulübün planlarında da önemli bir yer tuttuğu gelen bilgiler arasında.
VfB Stuttgart sonrası Bayern Münih'ten ayrılması beklenen Alexander Nübel, Beşiktaş'ın ilgisine olumsuz yanıt verdi.
VfB Stuttgart’taki kiralık dönemini tamamlayan ve Bayern Münih’in planları arasında yer almayan Alexander Nübel, transfer döneminde radikal bir karara imza attı. Adı Beşiktaş ile güçlü bir şekilde anılan Alman file bekçisi, kariyerine Avrupa’nın elit kulüplerinde devam etmek istiyor.
Alman basınından Sport Bild’in haberine göre; siyah-beyazlıların ilgisine olumsuz yanıt veren Nübel, geleceği için riskli ama büyük bir adım attı. Beşiktaş’ın teklifini geri çeviren 29 yaşındaki kalecinin hedefi, Avrupa’nın zirvesindeki kulüplerden birine imza atmak.
Geleceği henüz netlik kazanmayan başarılı eldiven için dev kulüplerin devrede olduğu belirtiliyor. Nübel’in masasında bulunan ve transferi için nabız yoklayan takımlar şunlar:
Manchester City
Juventus
Benfica
Bayern Münih ile bağlarını koparma noktasına gelen Nübel'in, bu üç devden hangisini seçeceği transfer döneminin en çok konuşulan hamlelerinden biri olacak.
Manchester City, Nottingham Forest'ın 23 yaşındaki orta sahası Elliot Anderson için 150 milyon Euro ödeyerek Premier Lig tarihinin transfer rekorunu kırmaya hazırlanıyor.
İngiltere Premier Lig’de transfer piyasası tarihi bir anlaşmayla sallanıyor. Manchester City, Nottingham Forest forması giyen Elliot Anderson’ı kadrosuna katmak için geri sayıma geçti.
City 23 yaşındaki orta saha oyuncusu için yaklaşık 150 milyon Euro gibi rekor bir bonservis bedeli ödemeye hazırlanıyor. Bu transfer resmiyet kazandığı takdirde, Anderson Birleşik Krallık tarihinin en pahalı futbolcusu unvanını eline alacak.
Premier Lig'deki bir önceki transfer rekoru, geçtiğimiz yaz transfer döneminde Newcastle United'dan Liverpool'a 145 milyon Euro karşılığında imza atan Alexander Isak'a aitti. Manchester City'nin Anderson hamlesiyle birlikte bu rekor da kırılmış olacak.
Newcastle United altyapısından yetişen ve 2024 yılında 41.2 milyon Euro bedelle Nottingham Forest'a transfer olan Elliot Anderson, sergilediği performansla devlerin dikkatini çekti. İngiltere Milli Takımı Teknik Direktörü Thomas Tuchel'in de gözdelerinden biri olan genç yıldız, milli takımda Declan Rice ile birlikte orta sahanın merkezini parsellemiş durumda.
Transfer döneminin başında Beşiktaş'ın da listesinde yer alan Diogo Leite, Avrupa devlerini reddederek Suudi Arabistan Pro Ligi'nin yeni ekibi Al Diriyah ile el sıkıştı. 27 yaşındaki Portekizli stoper sağlık kontrolünün ardından uzun vadeli resmi sözleşmeye imza atacak.
Transfer döneminin başında Beşiktaş’ın da gündemine gelen Portekizli stoper Diogo Leite, Suudi Arabistan Pro Ligi ekiplerinden Al Diriyah ile el sıkıştı. 27 yaşındaki savunmacının kısa süre içinde sağlık kontrolünden geçerek resmi sözleşmeyi imzalaması bekleniyor.
Union Berlin ile olan sözleşmesi bu ay sonu itibarıyla tamamlanacak olan Diogo Leite, transfer piyasasının en gözde isimlerinden biriydi.
Başta Beşiktaş olmak üzere, Bundesliga'nın köklü kulüpleri Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt ve Schalke 04'ün de yakından ilgilendiği başarılı stoper, tercihini Suudi Arabistan'dan yana kullandı.
Suudi Arabistan futbolunda üçüncü ligden birinci lige kadar çok hızlı bir tırmanış gösteren Al Diriyah, Leite transferiyle kadrosunu güçlendirmeyi hedefliyor.
Mayıs ayının ortasına kadar Alman milli takımının yardımcı antrenörü Alfred Schreuder tarafından çalıştırılan kulüp, iddialı projeleriyle dikkat çekiyor. Schreuder, yaklaşan Dünya Kupası turnuvası sebebiyle yükselme play-off'ları öncesinde görevini bırakmak zorunda kalmıştı.
Resmi sözleşmenin, oyuncunun sağlık kontrollerinin ardından uzun vadeli olarak imzalanacağı bildirildi.
Fenerbahçe'nin de gündemine gelen Alejandro Grimaldo, adım adım Atlético Madrid'e gidiyor. Kulüpler arasındaki görüşmelerde son noktayı koymak için Leverkusen yönetimi İspanya'ya çıkarma yaptı; resmi açıklama an meselesi.
Adı bir süredir Fenerbahçe ile de anılan Alejandro Grimaldo, memleketi İspanya’ya dönmeye hazırlanıyor. Bayer Leverkusen ile Atlético Madrid arasındaki transfer görüşmelerinde sona gelindi. Resmi açıklamanın bugün gün içinde yapılması bekleniyor.
Grimaldo, Atlético Madrid ile günler öncesinden el sıkışmıştı. Leverkusen CEO'su Fernando Carro ve sportif direktör Simon Rolfes, transferi noktalamak için Madrid'e gitti.
Leverkusen kapıyı 25-30 milyon Euro'dan açsa da, transferin 20 milyon Euro civarında bir rakama bitmesi bekleniyor. Barcelona altyapısından yetişen ancak İspanya liginde hiç maça çıkmayan 30 yaşındaki sol bek, önümüzdeki sezon ilk kez La Liga'da boy gösterecek.
Fenerbahçe'de teknik direktörlük sürecinin perde arkasını aralayan Aykut Kocaman, sessizliğini bozdu. 16 Haziran gecesi Oğuz Çetin ile yaptığı telefon görüşmesinin ardından iletişimin ansızın koptuğunu belirten Kocaman, yönetimin İsmail Kartal kararını medyadan öğrendiğini açıklayarak sitem etti: Şahıslara kırgınım ama Fenerbahçe sevgim baki.
Fenerbahçe'de yeni sezon yapılanması sürerken, futbol kamuoyunun merakla beklediği teknik direktörlük sürecine dair ilk şok açıklama Aykut Kocaman’dan geldi. Sessizliğini bozan deneyimli teknik adam, Oğuz Çetin ve Fenerbahçe yönetimini hedef alarak sürecin perde arkasını tüm çıplaklığıyla anlattı.
Aykut Kocaman, kamuoyundaki bilgi kirliliğini gidermek amacıyla yaptığı açıklamada, sürecin 1 Mayıs 2026 Cuma günü Sayın Aziz Yıldırım’ın daveti üzerine başladığını belirtti. Bu süreçte resmi bir görevi olmamasına rağmen, Sayın Oğuz Çetin ile Fenerbahçe’nin yeni sezon planlaması, kadro dengesi ve transfer tercihleri üzerine oldukça kapsamlı, yoğun ve uyumlu bir çalışma yürüttüklerini ifade etti.
AYKUT KOCAMAN SON KONUŞMAYI ANLATTI
Çalışmaların son aşamasında, teknik kadronun belirlenmesi için uzlaşı arayışlarının sürdüğünü belirten Kocaman, sürecin kopma noktasını şu sözlerle aktardı:
-16 Haziran Salı gecesi saat 23.58'de Oğuz Çetin'le yaptığımız ve iyi dileklerle bitirdiğimiz telefon görüşmesi sonrası ansızın iletişim kesilmiştir.
Görüşmenin ardından kendisine hiçbir geri dönüş yapılmadığını vurgulayan tecrübeli çalıştırıcı, Fenerbahçe Yönetim Kurulu’nun İsmail Kartal yönünde bir tercihte bulunduğunu ertesi gün herkes gibi sadece medya aracılığıyla öğrendiğini açıkladı.
İSMAİL KARTAL'A BAŞARILAR DİLEDİ
Kulüplerdeki başarı ve başarısızlığın en büyük payının kararları alan yönetimlerde olduğunu hatırlatan Kocaman, seçilmiş iradenin kararına saygı duyduğunu belirtti. Göreve getirilen İsmail Kartal ve ekibine başarılar dileyen Kocaman, sitem dolu sözlerle açıklamasına son verdi:
-Gerek yıllar içerisinde gerekse de son dönem özelinde şahıslara olan kırgınlığım Fenerbahçe sevgimin önüne hiçbir zaman geçmemiştir. Fenerbahçe'nin menfaatlerinin her şeyden önce gelmesi bilinciyle, bu zorlu süreçte başarılı olunmasını canı gönülden temenni ediyorum.
Aykut Kocaman’ın bu sert ve net açıklamalarının ardından, gözler iddiaların odağındaki isim olan Oğuz Çetin ve Fenerbahçe Yönetimi’nin yapacağı savunmaya çevrildi.
İtalya'dan Fenerbahçe'ye Sörloth müjdesi! Juventus'un Kolo Muani transferinde sona yaklaşması, Atletico Madrid'in Norveçli golcüsünü boşa çıkardı. Transfer düğümü çözülüyor, Sörloth Kadıköy yolunda...
Fenerbahçe’nin uzun süredir peşinde olduğu Alexander Sörloth transferinde sıcak gelişmeler var. İtalyan basınının köklü gazetesi Corriere dello Sport, sarı-lacivertlilerin önünü açacak dev transfer zincirini yazdı.
İtalyan devi Juventus, forvet transferinde rotasını tamamen PSG forması giyen Randal Kolo Muani'ye çevirdi.
Juventus, Fransız yıldızla 3+1 yıllık sözleşme konusunda prensipte el sıkıştı.
PSG 40 milyon Euro talep ederken, Juventus 30-35 milyon Euro bandında bir satın alma zorunluluğu/opsiyonu içeren kiralama formülüyle işi bitirmeye çalışıyor.
Juventus'un listedeki diğer isim olan Sörloth'tan vazgeçip Kolo Muani’ye yoğunlaşması, Atletico Madrid forması giyen Norveçli golcüyü tamamen boşa çıkartıyor.
İtalyan devinin bu hamlesiyle birlikte Atletico Madrid'in elinde kalan Sörloth, transfer piyasasında en ciddi alıcısı konumundaki Fenerbahçe'ye kalıyor. Sarı-lacivertliler, bu transfer düğümünün çözülmesiyle birlikte Norveçli dev golcüyü kadrosuna katmaya çok yakın.
2026 Dünya Kupası'nda ikinci maçların ardından "en iyi üçüncüler" tablosu netleşiyor: Türkiye turnuvaya veda ederken, devlerin kaderi pamuk ipliğine bağlı.
2026 Dünya Kupası grup aşamasındaki ikinci maçların ardından son 32 turuna yükselecek "en iyi üçüncüler" tablosu şekillenmeye başladı. Türkiye turnuvaya erken veda ederken, Paraguay ve Avustralya (2. ve 3. olarak) bir üst tura yükselmeyi hemen hemen garantiledi.
Şu anki puan durumuna göre son 32 turuna kalması beklenen ve elenme hattında olan takımlar şöyle:
2026 Dünya Kupası'nda ikinci maçlar tamamlanırken, Sofascore istatistiklerine göre turnuvanın en iyi 11'i belli oldu. A Millî Takımımızın santrfor hasreti çektiği dönemde Türk asıllı golcü Deniz Undav, Haaland ve Mbappé ile birlikte hücum hattında yer aldı.
2026 Dünya Kupası’nda ikinci grup maçları geride kalırken, Sofascore istatistiklerine göre turnuvanın şu ana kadarki en başarılı ilk 11'i belirlendi.
A Millî Takımımızda santrfor eksikliği ve gol yollarındaki kısırlık tartışılmaya devam ederken, Kürt asıllı Alman golcü Deniz Undav, sergilediği performansla dünya devlerinin arasına adını yazdırdı.
İşte ikinci maçlar sonunda turnuvanın en yüksek puan alan "Altın 11'i:
Amerikan Basketbol Ligi (NBA) Avrupa ve Orta Doğu İcra Direktörü George Aivazoglou, Türkiye'den NBA Avrupa projesine yoğun ilgi gördüklerini belirterek, "İstanbul'un bu ligin yapı taşlarından biri olabileceğine inanıyoruz." dedi.
Aivazoglou, NBA ile FIBA'nın ortaklaşa kurmayı planladığı lig projesinin son durumu, Türkiye'nin ve Türk temsilcilerinin projeye gösterdiği ilgi, NBA Avrupa projesinin Avrupa basketboluna yapacağı etki ve Avrupa Ligi ile sürdürdükleri görüşmelere ilişkin AA muhabirinin sorularını yanıtladı.
NBA Avrupa projesinde önemli bir mesafe aldıklarını belirten George Aivazoglou, "Ekim 2027'de gerçekleştirmeyi hedeflediğimiz başlangıç öncesinde önemli ilerleme kaydediyoruz. Bunun iddialı bir hedef olduğunun farkındayız ancak Londra, Madrid ve New York'taki çalışma arkadaşlarım, FIBA'daki ortaklarımızla birlikte, bu takvimi gerçeğe dönüştürmek için farklı konu başlıklarında ilerleme sağlıyor. Ayrıca, ligimizde yer almak isteyen potansiyel kulüplerden, yatırımcı gruplarından ve iş ortaklarından gördüğümüz ilgi de gerçekten çok yüksek." diye konuştu.
"Türkiye'den ve özellikle İstanbul'dan son derece yüksek bir ilgiyle karşılaştık"
NBA Avrupa projesine Türkiye'den gösterilen ilgiyle ilgili konuşan Aivazoglou, şu ifadeleri kullandı:
“Türkiye'den ve özellikle İstanbul'dan son derece yüksek bir ilgiyle karşılaştık. İstanbul'un bu yeni ligin yapı taşlarından biri olabileceğine inanıyoruz. İstanbul dünya çapında birinci sınıf bir şehir. Spora inanılmaz bağlı, kültürel etkisi çok güçlü, Avrupa'daki en büyük ve en bağlı taraftar kitlelerinden birine ev sahipliği yapan bir yer. Eğer Avrupa basketbolu bir dönüşümden geçecekse, Türkiye'nin bu geleceği şekillendiren ülkelerden biri olması gerektiğine inanıyoruz.”
"Gelecek 100 yılın ligini kuracak ortaklar arıyoruz"
Avrupa basketboluna milyarlarca dolarlık yatırım yapmaya hazır paydaşlarla görüştüklerini vurgulayan George Aivazoglou, şu görüşleri aktardı:
“Avrupa basketboluna NBA ve FIBA ile birlikte milyarlarca dolarlık yatırım yapmaya hazır çok sayıda potansiyel kulüp ve yatırımcıdan daha önce benzeri görülmemiş bir ilgi görüyoruz. Buna Türkiye de dahil. Ancak değerlendirdiğimiz tekliflerde finansal taraf sadece tek bir unsur. Bununla birlikte, bizimle aynı vizyonu paylaşan, faaliyet gösterdikleri pazarlarda dünya standartlarında kulüpler ya da şirketler yönetme konusunda kendini kanıtlamış ve gelecek 100 yılın ligini kurarken bize yardımcı olacak ortaklar arıyoruz.”
"İlk 10 yılda gelirin yüzde 90'ının kulüplere aktarılmasını öngörüyoruz"
Aivazoglou, NBA Avrupa projesinin ilk 10 yılında gelirlerin yaklaşık yüzde 90'ının kulüplere aktarılmasının planladığını belirterek, Avrupa basketbol tarihinde benzeri görülmemiş düzeyde yatırım yapılacağını ifade etti.
Amaçlarının açık ve liyakate dayalı bir sistemle Avrupa basketbolundaki büyümeyi hızlandırmak olduğunu kaydeden George Aivazoglou, sözlerini şöyle sürdürdü:
“Bu lig, Avrupalılar tarafından inşa edilen, Avrupalı taraftarlar için tasarlanan ve her kulübe Avrupa çapındaki en üst düzey rekabete ulaşma yolu sunan Avrupa spor modeliyle uyumlu bir yapı olacak. Yani gerçek anlamda bir 'Avrupa Ligi' olacak. Bahsettiğimiz bu katılım fırsatı, her kulübe kendi peri masalını yazma ve kıta genelinde daha fazla taraftarı dünya standartlarında basketbolla buluşturma imkanı yaratacak. Bankacılık tarafındaki ortaklarımız JP Morgan ve The Raine Group ile işbirliği içinde ve potansiyel kulüpler ile yatırımcı gruplarıyla yürüttüğümüz sürekli diyalog sayesinde, oyunun gerçek potansiyeline ulaşmasını ve tüm paydaşların bu büyümeden pay almasını sağlayacak bir model tasarladık. Franchise satışlarından elde edilecek gelirlerle, Avrupa basketbolu tarihinde benzeri görülmemiş bir yatırım gerçekleştireceğiz. Kulüpler, önerdiğimiz ekonomik modelin tam merkezinde yer alıyor. Bu kapsamda, ilk 10 yıl boyunca lig ekonomisinin yaklaşık yüzde 90'ının kulüplere aktarılmasını öngörüyoruz. Bunun içerisinde, ilk günden itibaren sağlanacak yüz milyonlarca dolarlık garanti katılım ödemeleri de yer alıyor. Bu performansa göre de artacak. Yani takımlar sürdürülebilir olacak. Bu da Avrupa basketbolunun mevcut ekonomik gerçekleriyle karşılaştırıldığında son derece önemli bir değişim anlamına geliyor.”
"Genç Avrupalı oyuncuların Avrupa'da kalmasını teşvik edeceğiz"
Projenin Avrupa'nın yeni nesil yıldızlarının daha uzun süre Avrupa'da kalmasını teşvik edecek güçlü fırsatlar sunduğunun altını çizen Yunan basketbol adamı, şu değerlendirmede bulundu:
“Bugün birçok genç Avrupalı oyuncu, Avrupa'da gelişimini sürdürebileceği net bir kariyer yolu göremediği için ABD'de üniversite seviyesindeki fırsatlara yöneliyor. Finansal açıdan güçlü, oyunculara daha yüksek gelir ve daha fazla ticari fırsat sunan bir lig oluşturarak, genç Avrupalı oyuncuların Avrupa'da kalmasını ve kariyerlerini burada geliştirmesini teşvik edeceğiz. Bunun da hem yeni nesil oyunculara hem de taraftarlara ilham vereceğine inanıyoruz. NBA, başarılı basketbol ligleri kurma ve büyütme konusunda 80 yıllık deneyimini, ticari başarı ve franchise değeri yaratma konusundaki güçlü geçmişini ve dünya genelinde 2 milyardan fazla taraftara ulaşan küresel pazarlama gücünü bu projeye taşıyor. Bu uzmanlık, Avrupa basketbol ekosisteminin her seviyesine çok önemli katkılar sağlayacak.”
"Galatasaray'ın bakış açısı, bizim vizyonumuzla örtüşüyor"
George Aivazoglou, Galatasaray ile yürüttükleri görüşmelerin son derece yapıcı geçtiğini kaydetti.
NBA Avrupa projesine katılacağını açıklayan Galatasaray ve diğer Türk takımlarıyla yaptıkları görüşmelere ilişkin Aivazoglou, şu ifadeleri kullandı:
“Galatasaray, hiç şüphesiz Avrupa'nın en köklü spor kurumlarından biri. Türkiye'de ve dünyanın dört bir yanında on milyonlarca taraftara sahip. Bizi en çok heyecanlandıran konulardan biri Galatasaray'ın basketbola yönelik uzun vadeli vizyonu. Kulüple yürüttüğümüz yapıcı görüşmelerde, Galatasaray'ın Avrupa basketbolunun geleceğine ilişkin bakış açısının bizim vizyonumuzla büyük ölçüde örtüştüğünü gördük. Böylesine köklü bir spor kulübünün, hayatta bir kez gelebilecek böylesine bir fırsatı değerlendirmeye istekli olması, planlarımızın Avrupa'nın önde gelen kulüpleri arasında yarattığı heyecanın da önemli bir göstergesi. İstanbul'un sportif alandaki üstün konumu, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş ve Anadolu Efes gibi önemli kulüplere ev sahipliği yapmasından da açıkça belli. Fenerbahçe bu konuda öne çıkan örneklerden biri. Baktığınızda, 10 yılı aşkın süredir Avrupa basketbolunun en üst seviyesinde istikrarlı şekilde rekabet etme başarısı gösteren bir kulüp. Bu başarı, Türkiye'de basketbol kültürünün gelişimine de çok önemli katkılar sağlamış durumda.”
"Avrupa Ligi ile anlaşamazsak yolumuza devam etmeye hazırız"
Aivazoglou, NBA Avrupa projesi kapsamında Avrupa Ligi ile görüşmelerin sürdüğünü ancak anlaşma sağlayamadıkları takdirde ortakları ve yatırımcılarıyla yollarına devam etmeye hazır olduklarını belirtti.
Avrupa basketbol ekosistemiyle işbirliği içinde hareket etmeyi hedeflediklerini aktaran George Aivazoglou, "FIBA ile birlikte, bu ayın başında Avrupa Ligi yönetimiyle bir araya geldik. Avrupa basketbolunun tamamını kapsayan yapıcı, işbirliğine dayalı ve ortak bir zeminde buluşulmasını sağlayacak bir sonuç için çalışmalarımızı sürdürüyoruz. Önümüzdeki ay yeniden bir araya geleceğiz ancak aynı zamanda da gerçekçiyiz. Avrupa Ligi ile yaptığımız görüşmeler yakın zamanda somut bir sonuca ulaşmadığı taktirde, ortaklarımız ve yatırımcılarımızla birlikte yolumuza devam etmeye de hazırız." şeklinde konuştu.
Chinese companies are paying as much as 600,000 Chinese Yuan ($82,000) for servers built around Nvidia's five-year-old A100 accelerator and modifying gaming GPUs to run AI workloads, as a U.S. smuggling crackdown and a Chinese customs freeze on legally approved chips choke off every other supply route at once, according to the Financial Times. The price of an A100 server has roughly tripled since late last year, while Nvidia's flagship DGX B300 system has doubled to more than 8 million ($1.1 million) on the black market over the past six months.
Servers built on the A100, a data-center GPU Nvidia launched in 2020, have climbed from about 200,000 Chinese Yuan ($22,300) to as much as 600,000 ($67,000) since late last year, the FT reported, citing chip traders. Demand has also pulled in gaming processors that can be modified to run inference.
Nvidia's restricted Blackwell hardware sits at the top of the same market: the RTX 6000 Pro workstation card has risen from roughly 50,000 Chinese Yuan ($5,580) at the start of the year to as much as 130,000 ($14,500), and the DGX B300, which retails in the U.S. for nearly $400,000, now trades above $1.1 million. Renting is no cheaper, with an FT survey finding that GPU rates inside China now match or exceed U.S. prices, reversing the discount that the abundant smuggled supply once provided.
Washington tightened enforcement at the end of last year, and in March, a Supermicro co-founder was charged over an alleged $2.5 billion scheme to route Nvidia AI servers to Chinese buyers. Authorities in Taiwan and Malaysia subsequently opened their own smuggling investigations, drying up the re-export routes traders had relied on. Building data centers from smuggled chips is a "dead-end," Nvidia told the outlet, adding that it provides no support or repairs for restricted products.
Beijing itself closed legal channels from the other side. After the Trump administration approved H200 exports to China, Chinese customs were instructed to block the chips at the border, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later confirmed that Nvidia hadn't sold a single H200 to a Chinese company months later. Both moves push buyers toward the same destination: Huawei, which has positioned its Ascend 950PR, launched in March, as the inference chip of choice for domestic firms.
It’s understood that the 950PR is currently undergoing testing at large data center clients in China, but output is still limited, and its native CANN software stack substantially trails Nvidia’s CUDA, so domestic supply can’t yet absorb the demand the import freeze has redirected.
Rising memory prices are only compounding all this, with one trader saying that moving away from Nvidia hardware had become harder as component costs climbed, a knock-on from the DRAM and HBM shortage now working through every tier of the AI hardware stack. Until Huawei scales the 950PR, which will take some time, or Beijing greenlights H200 imports, which is highly unlikely, prices for the remaining A100 inventory in China will continue to rise.
Yesterday, we brought you some poppin' deals on TP-Link Wi-Fi networking gear, and today, we're back in action with the latest sales from Netgear. Netgear has a wide assortment of Wi-Fi 7 hardware, ranging from entry-level dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers to premium tri- and quad-band Orbi mesh routers.
Today, you’ll find deals on everything from EXS25 plug-in range extender to the Orbi 770 tri-band mesh system.
The Netgear Orbi 770, currently on sale, is a mid-range Wi-Fi 7 mesh system that includes two wireless nodes. The system carries a regular asking price of $549.99, but is currently available with a $125 discount, taking the price to $424.99.
The main node (router) features three 2.5 GbE LAN ports and a dedicated 2.5 GbE WAN. The second node (satellite) only features two 2.5 GbE ports. Interestingly, neither node includes a USB 3.x port, which is increasingly common at this price point.
Regarding wireless connectivity, the Orbi 770 supports 2.4 GHz at up to 688 Mbps, 5 GHz at up to 4,320 Mbps, and 6 GHz at up to 5,760 Mbps. It also covers up to 5,550 square feet, which should be more than adequate for the average American home (around 2,220 square feet). Managing the Orbi 770 can be done using Netgear's web GUI or the Orbi smartphone app.
We reviewed the three-node variant of the Orbi 770 and praise its easy of use and plentiful ports, but knocked it for the high price. This Amazon Prime Day sale addresses our primary concern.
The Orbi 700 Wi-Fi 7 mesh router is designed to envelope a spacious 5,500 square feet of space with peak speeds of up to 11 Gbps. These speedy routers come with three 2.5 GbE LAN ports and a single 2.5 GbE WAN port. View Deal
The Nighthawk RS90, RS140, and RS180 are all dual-band Wi-Fi 7 routers, meaning that they don't include the higher-performance 6 GHz radio. While that means that short-range performance suffers compared to a tri-band router (when using a compatible Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E client), it allows them to be offered at much lower prices. The RS90 is priced at just $87.89 (33% off). The RS90 includes four GbE ports, one 2.5 GbE WAN port, and supports up to 2,000 square feet.
The RS140, on sale for $121.46, is a slight step up, offering faster cumulative speeds across the two bands (5 Gbps versus 3.6 Gbps) while increasing coverage to 2,250 square feet. It also comes with three GbE LAN ports and one 2.5 GbE WAN port.
The RS180 is faster still, offering up to 5.5 Gbps speeds while boosting coverage to 2,500 square feet. It also brings upgraded hardware with three GbE LAN ports, one 2.5 GbE LAN port, a 2.5 GbE WAN port, and a single USB 3.0 port for network storage. It’s currently priced at $142.99, representing a 28% discount.
This Wi-Fi 7 router covers 2,500 square feet at up to 5.5 Gbps speeds, and also sports one 2.5 GbE and three 1GbE LAN ports along with a single 2.5 GbE for WAN connectivity. View Deal
The Wi-Fi 7 RS140 covers up to 2,250 square feet at 5.0 Gbps and supports up to 80 devices. This Dual-Band router comes with three 1 GbE LAN ports and one 2.5 GbE WAN port. View Deal
Netgear's Nighthawk RS90 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router with a sleek exterior (aided by its internal antennas). It also has a full load of GbE and 2.5 GbE ports to support your wired client.View Deal
The EXS25 is a slightly different beast, as it's a Wi-FI 7 range extender. It's on sale for $99, a 33% discount off its regular price. The EXS25 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 extender that plugs directly into a free wall outlet.
Once set up, it adds an additional 1,500 square feet of coverage to your wireless network while supporting up to 4.5 Gbps speeds. The EXS25 can work with any wireless router, not just Netgear-branded ones. In addition, thanks to its 2.5 GbE port, you can use it to add wireless functionality to a device that only supports a wired network connection.
This Wi-Fi 7 range extender covers 1,500 square feet and runs at 4.5 Gbps, supporting up to 45 devices to enable easy roaming in far-flung areas away from your router. View Deal
According to Netgear, are only good through June 26, so you had better act fast if you want to want to upgrade or expand your home wireless network.
The best deal on gaming RAM we've seen so far on Prime Day isn't even on Amazon. You can pick up 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM for the equivalent of just $215 right now, thanks to this Newegg combo bundle, which combines 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 memory with a Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite Wifi 7 Ice motherboard for $479.99.
That's a good mid-tier board for an all-white AM5 build, but let's be honest, it's the RAM you care about. If you want an Intel alternative, though, you can spend a dollar less and pick up the same RAM, in black, for the equivalent of just $214. Alongside the same spec Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5 kit, you're getting a Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Ultra Core board instead for $563.98.
An AMD gaming PC build is the clear favorite among gamers at the moment, so let's focus on that kit deal first.
You're getting a Gigabyte X870E Aorus Elite Wi-Fi 7 motherboard to start off your build or upgrade. This is a solid, mid-tier motherboard with a feast of gaming-friendly features to sink your teeth into. It's AM5, so this will fit all the latest AMD CPUs, and comes with a total of 12 USBs at the rear, including two USB-C ports rated at 40 Gbps. Four M.2 sockets are included for a collection of SSDs (if you've got them), with three rated for PCIe 5.0 over four lanes when you're using a CPU like the 9800X3D. One further slot is rated for PCIe 4.0 SSDs, too. It comes with fast networking capabilities, including 2.5G Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7. You can also install up to 256GB of DDR5 RAM over four DIMM slots, with speeds of up to 8,200 MT/s, although this bundle only ships with 32GB.
Snag an incredible deal with this 2-item Newegg combo. It ships with 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 RAM and a Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite Wifi7 Ice motherboard. The equivalent RAM cost is just $215.View Deal
The board itself is white, so while it isn't a must-have, it'll go well with an all-white build, including the case. You're getting a fast set of 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM, in a kit of 2 x 16GB, supporting speeds of 6,000 MT/s. Corsair is a popular and trusted brand for RAM, and while it performs well, it also looks great, with ten-zone configurable lighting on top of a matching all-white body.
The total cost of the bundle is $479.99, with the motherboard costing $224.99 individually. That makes the RAM just $215, which is around $135 less than the cheapest equivalent kit on sale, anywhere else.
Intel fans can choose this deal instead, however. 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 RAM, this time in black, with a Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Ultra Core motherboard, which scored well in our review. As we said then, this is a good choice that gives you everything you'd want from a mid-tier gaming motherboard.
Get 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 RAM and a Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Ultra motherboard, a Newegg combo deal that brings the RAM cost down to just $214.View Deal
It ships with a good selection of USB ports, with 14 in total on the rear I/O. Ultra-fast 10G Ethernet is included here, along with WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. You get five M.2 sockets, as well as two that support Gen 5 SSDs. It's a build-friendly board for novice PC builders, too, supporting a number of Gigabyte's 'EZ' DIY-friendly features to help put a PC together more quickly. This'll support Intel CPUs with the LGA 1851 socket type, including the latest Arrow Lake CPUs like the new Intel Core Ultra 270K Plus.
RAM is the big one, though. Again, 32GB DDR5 Corsair Vengeance, split over two 16GB modules, with RGB lighting. Two modules mean this is dual-channel memory, so your PC will have double the available bandwidth between the RAM and CPU. The end result is a boost in frame rates and significantly better load times when both modules are installed. The RAM cost here is equivalent to just $214, a $1 cheaper than the AMD bundle, but the cost overall is higher.
Variety is the spice of life, and you've got two solid RAM bundles from Newegg to choose from here that will save you $135 or more compared to buying any rival RAM with the same specs separately. The AMD bundle for $479.99, which brings the RAM cost down to $215, is almost unbeatable, but the Intel bundle for $563.98, making the RAM $214, is unstoppable, too. Pick either of them fast, though, because these prices are too good to last, and they will sell out quickly.
While there are Prime Day monitor sales aplenty, Amazon can't match this Newegg price on the 491CQP. This monitor would be ideal for someone who wants an expansive display for productivity as well as gaming, and it's the perfect alternative to a setup with lots of different monitors scattered all over your desk.
Get a 5120 x 1440 monitor with OLED panel, 144Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms GtG response time, Display HDR True Black 400, and a bunch of ports. View Deal
This is a great display solution for someone who wants to just buy one monitor and never think about display real estate for years. While it doesn't have 4K resolution, the 5120 x 1440 resolution is the equivalent of having two 1440p monitors side-by-side.
The quantum dot OLED panel offers 1.07 billion colors, DisplayHDR True Black 400, and a 144Hz refresh rate. Thanks to OLED tech, you also get a 0.03ms GTG response time.
This monitor also includes USB-C with 90W power delivery, so you can plug a laptop into it and use the monitor like a giant OLED dock. KVM support means you can control multiple devices using one keyboard and mouse. Other ports include two HDMI 2.1 ports, and DisplayPort 1.4a.
MSI's monitor comes with a 3-year OLED warranty to protect against burn-in should the need arise.
Meta has suspended an internal AI training program after an internal data leak exposed sensitive employee information company-wide, according to a Business Insider report on June 22. The program, introduced in April, was designed to help Meta train AI systems on real employee workflows by gathering data, but has now triggered internal backlash over privacy and data security.
Screenshots obtained by Business Insider showed that data collected through the program was more broadly accessible within Meta than intended. The exposed information reportedly included private employee conversations, performance-related data, transcriptions, and activity records. Meta classified the incident as a SEV 2, on an internal scale of 0 to 5, where SEV 0 is the most severe.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the company has paused the program while it investigates the incident. "We have carefully designed this program with privacy safeguards, and while we have no indication at this time that any data was improperly accessed by Meta employees, we're pausing it while we investigate," the spokesperson told Business Insider. The incident does not appear to be an external hack but rather an internal data mismanagement.
Meta introduced the program, called the Model Capability Initiative, to monitor employee behavior for use in improving its AI models. The program, which the company reportedly made mandatory for most staff, collected data on employees’ work activities, including keystrokes, mouse movements, conversations, transcripts, and performance-related information.
Employees were reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of their keystrokes and mouse movements being recorded for AI training. Now they're finding out the data may not have been properly protected, and was widely accessible across the company rather than restricted to intended viewers.
Screenshots reviewed by Business Insider reportedly showed employees criticizing the failure to lock down the data from the start. “I am incensed,” one employee wrote in an internal group, according to the report. Another said there was no evidence of malicious access, but called the lack of promised restrictions “super frustrating.”
The episode is the latest in a frustrating stretch for Meta's workforce. The company has cut thousands of jobs in part to fund AI infrastructure behind more powerful AI systems; the same class of systems that Meta and other companies are deploying to replace workers. Building these models also requires vast amounts of training data, and Meta turned to its own employees to supply it, a move most employees were reportedly against. Now these employees have learned that the data they were compelled to hand over was not adequately secured, leaving it exposed to much of the company.
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XRPPower and World Cup partners have launched a new app focused on digital asset management, automation, and user engagement across major cryptocurrencies. As the World Cup becomes the world’s most-watched sporting event, a revolution in the digital economy and smart…
Investors who sued Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks over their promotion of Voyager Digital have appealed a federal court decision that dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds. A notice filed Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit has referred about 40 unregistered virtual asset service providers to investigative authorities and warned consumers about the risks linked to unauthorized crypto businesses. The Financial Intelligence Unit, which operates under the Financial Services Commission, said…
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday announced the seizure of a cloud computing account put to use by subsidiaries of Cambodia-based corporate conglomerate HuiOne Group, as the Treasury unveiled fresh sanctions against nine individuals and 26 entities linked to Prince Group.
"These subsidiaries are alleged to have assisted individuals and organizations in transferring proceeds of
The Aroya sailed from Istanbul on Saturday for Aroya Cruises’ first cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey in 2026. After repositioning to the Eastern Mediterranean earlier this month, the vessel has been offering itineraries to Turkey and Egypt. Sailing roundtrip from the Galataport Cruise Terminal, the first sailing to Greece features visits to four...
LastPass confirmed a supply chain breach via Klue, where stolen OAuth tokens let attackers access its Salesforce environment
Customer names, contact details, and CRM data were exposed, but master passwords were not; phishing risk remains high
Threat actor Icarus claimed responsibility; other firms including Recorded Future, Tanium, Jamf, Sprout Social, Gong, and Insurity also impacted
Password manager LastPass confirmed that it lost sensitive customer data in a supply chain attack that struck a third party.
As LastPass explained in a newly released incident report, unnamed threat actors first targeted Klue, a third-party market intelligence platform that integrates with its Salesforce and Gong systems. After obtaining its OAuth tokens, the attackers were able to access LastPass’ Salesforce environment and exfiltrate sensitive data stored there.
“On June 12th, LastPass was made aware of an incident that occurred at Klue (klue.com), a third-party market intelligence platform utilized by our go-to-market teams, which integrates with our Salesforce and Gong systems,” LastPass said.
Compromising names and emails
"We immediately launched an investigation and learned that, as part of this incident, an unauthorized actor was able to obtain OAuth tokens Klue held for many of its customers, including LastPass.”
“The threat actor then used these credentials to access LastPass customer data within our Salesforce environment.”
Further in the report, the password manager said the attackers most likely accessed customer names, phone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses, support case information, and sales/CRM-related data.
Passwords, including the master password, were most likely not exposed. However, criminals can use the data they obtained to launch phishing attacks, through which they might trick the victims into sharing those secrets, as well.
LastPass is now urging customers to remain vigilant and be careful with incoming messages, particularly those claiming to come from the company.
According to BleepingComputer, the Klue supply chain attack was claimed by a threat actor called Icarus, which apparently used compromised legacy credentials for an integration service to breach the intelligence platform.
Besides LastPass, a number of other organizations are affected as well, the publication further reported, including Recorded Future, Tanium, Jamf, Sprout Social, Gong, and Insurity. LastPass has now disabled employee access to Klue.
We're nearing the end of the World Cup 2026 group stages, and things are hotting up — both metaphorically and literally. A temperatures in my living room soar, I've decided it's time to take my game viewing outside, where I can enjoy the action with the cool evening breeze on my face.
For that, I need a projector — and now's a really good time to buy one. We're in the middle of the Amazon Prime Day sale (with retailers like Currys, AO and Very running rival deals events), so there are plenty of discounts to be had if you know where to look.
Below, I've rounded up the best projector deals I've spotted, including the ones I'm deciding between for my own al fresco watch parties. I've stuck to sub-£450 buys here, which means they're more basic options, and most are compact and portable, too. If you're looking for something higher-end that will be more of a permanent fixture, head to our best projector guide for our top picks.
Xgimi's range is worth checking out in particular, as are Anker's Nebula projectors. We haven't reviewed these specific models, but we have tested similar products from those brands, and been impressed. Our Anker Nebula Mars 3 is the larger and higher-specced sibling of the Mars 3 Air Mini featured below, for instance, and scored four stars in our review. We called the Xgimi Mogo 3 "a strong contender for the portable projector crown", too — and its successor is included in my deals roundup.
Scroll down for more excellent deals, and happy watching...
The in-ear audio market has exploded in the past couple of years, and that includes gaming earbuds, with a whole host of brands releasing in-ear options. I've tested a bunch of them, and the good news is that some of these are among the current Amazon Prime Day deals.
Even premium sets like the excellent SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds that I use across platforms, and the brilliant planar-magnetic PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds that I love to use with my PlayStation Portal, have price cuts right now.
Note that not all the discounts and prices below are the same in the US and UK. But I can almost guarantee that whatever you're looking for, on either side of the pond, you'll find something excellent.
Gaming earbuds in the US
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
Pros
Superb SteelSeries audio quality
Ergonomic design and robust build
Excellent companion app, and super multiplatform compatibility
Traveling to the 2026 World Cup means joining hundreds of thousands of fans in crowded cities across North America.
Airports, stadiums, fan zones, and hotels are all packed with people competing for the same public Wi-Fi networks. These connections are often slow and insecure, making personal data vulnerable to interception.
To stay protected without sacrificing speed, you need more than just a VPN – you need the best VPN with the right settings. Tuning your VPN configuration helps keep your connection secure and fast, no matter where you go during this summer’s tournament.
The 5 best settings to change for top VPN performance
Just turning on your VPN isn’t always enough to cut through the noise of a packed stadium or busy airport terminal. To get good speeds and real security when thousands of people are online at once, here are five specific settings to tweak:
1. Protocol
WireGuard is the superior protocol choice for modern devices, offering faster connection speeds and lower latency compared to OpenVPN or IKEv2.
This efficiency matters when network congestion is high. WireGuard establishes secure tunnels more quickly, reducing wait times. If your provider offers OpenVPN, it's a great alternative for compatibility, but for raw performance in crowded zones, WireGuard is best.
2. Transport protocol
If you've never heard of transport protocols before, think of them as the delivery method your VPN uses to move data. Most commonly, you'll see TCP and UDP as your choices for this.
On congested networks, TCP’s reliability mechanisms can add delay when packets are lost. UDP avoids this overhead by sending data without waiting for confirmation.
In a crowded stadium where every millisecond counts, switching to UDP can reduce latency and improve responsiveness for smooth VPN streaming even when the network is struggling to keep up.
3. Split tunnelling
With split tunneling, you can choose which apps can be routed outside the VPN’s encrypted tunnel. At a stadium, your banking app needs maximum security, but a local map app might benefit from direct access to avoid unnecessary latency.
Excluding non-sensitive apps from encryption can reduce bandwidth strain and prevent compatibility issues with local networks that sometimes block VPN traffic entirely.
4. Location
Connecting to the server closest to your physical location often results in lower ping and faster speeds. However, nearby servers may be overwhelmed by thousands of users connecting simultaneously.
If your current location lags, try switching to a server slightly further away that’s under less user load. Avoid jumping between regions unnecessarily, as crossing international borders increases the distance data travels and introduces lag that ruins live streaming.
5. Obfuscation
In monitored environments like airports, deep packet inspection can detect and block standard VPN traffic.
Obfuscation disguises VPN traffic as regular HTTPS web traffic, allowing you to bypass firewalls and censorship attempts. Although this adds processing that might marginally impact speed, the ability to stay connected when other connections fail more than makes up for this.
Norton VPN handles 2026 World Cup crowds well. With servers in over two dozen North American cities, it’s designed for high traffic. It features native WireGuard support and built-in obfuscation to bypass congestion and blocks. Plus, a generous 60-day money-back guarantee gives you plenty of risk-free time to test these tweaks.View Deal
As you prepare to cheer on your national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, make sure your setup can handle the packed stadiums and busy airports.
By selecting the right VPN protocol, using UDP, and enabling features like split tunneling, you can protect your data and keep your device safe so you can enjoy the World Cup worry-free..
With Videodrome, Mulholland Drive, and Wild at Heart among my favorite movies of all time, I can't help but be tickled by the David Lynch-themed title of this week's Rick and Morty season 9 episode: Erickerhead.
A clever play on Eraserhead, we could expect the Smith family to turn their typical extraterrestrial adventures into something even more surreal. As the synopsis cryptically hints, "Rick's stomach is mad, broh. But it's all-you-can-eat-and-drink here, broh."
Truthfully, that could mean anything. But when does Rick and Morty season 9 episode 6 arrive on Adult Swim, Hulu, and HBO Max?
What time can I watch Rick and Morty season 9 episode 6 on Adult Swim, Hulu, and HBO Max?
In the US, Rick and Morty season 9 episode 6 will debut on Adult Swim on Sunday, June 28 at 8pm PT / 11pm ET.
Viewers elsewhere, as well as in the US, have two streaming options: Hulu and HBO Max. Episodes should appear on these platforms 24 hours after they've aired on Adult Swim, meaning you can expect episode 6 on Monday, June 29.
These are the timings you need to take note of:
US – 12am PT / 3am ET
Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
UK – 8am BST
India – 12:30pm IST
Singapore – 3pm SGT
Australia – 6pm AEST
New Zealand – 8pm NZDT
When do new episodes of Rick and Morty season 9 come out?
(Image credit: Adult Swim)
Rick and Morty season 9 is set to have 10 episodes. As long as there are no unexpected delays, we can expect it to have the following release schedule:
If you’re looking to buy an instant film camera, there are only two serious names in the game: Polaroid, and Fujifilm Instax. While some manufacturers like Canon and Kodak offer digital instant-print cameras that use techniques like dye-sublimation to create instant prints of digital images on specialist paper, it’s not the same. For the true alchemical magic of instant film, you Polaroid and Instax are the big hitters.
Polaroid is undoubtedly the better-known brand name due to its long history, dating back to the 1940s (though hitting major popularity in the 70s). It spent a few years in the wilderness following a bankruptcy in the early 2000s, before being purchased and revitalised in 2017 by an analog film collective called The Impossible Project. All the proper Polaroid cameras you can buy new today have been released since this renaissance.
Instax cameras may not have the historical cachet of Polaroids, but they are massively popular — Fujifilm reported last year that its Instax line has sold more than 100 million units since its inception in 1998. I don’t have similar sales data on post-revival Polaroid, but frankly, I don’t think it’s anywhere close.
Ultimately, there are compelling reasons to choose either brand. The Instax mini 12 is TR's pick as the best instant camera, and I can see why — it's a great option for the majority of users. But for me personally, it’s Polaroid all the way.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Why I’ll pick Polaroid every time
It’s not a question of print size, as both brands have similar offerings. Fujifilm Instax Wide film is about the same size as a Polaroid I-Type (or SX-70) print, just rectangular rather than square. Polaroid’s smaller ‘Go’ film produces prints of comparable dimensions to Instax mini.
What it’s all about is vibe. Scoff if you want, but come on — you’re shooting instant film. You’re not here for accurate colors or pitch-perfect sharpness, you’re here because you love the tangibility of holding a print in your hands, the transportative lo-fi look of a format that’s been around for half a century. It’s all vibe.
I’ve shot Polaroid and Instax prints side by side before for comparison. Once, while I was viewing them, my partner made an astute observation that I have since stolen and made my own: the Instax catches your eye first, but you end up liking the Polaroid more. Instax prints are bright and vivid, with naturalistic colors and a decent level of detail, especially the Wide format. They’re fun and kitschy.
But Polaroid images just have that inimitable retro glow that instantly transports me back in time. The softer, more muted color palette makes images less immediately striking, but more satisfying the longer I look at them. There’s a richness to them, a greater sense of depth and subtle tonality. If I were embarking on an artistic project with instant film, there’s no question which format I’d choose. It wouldn’t even be a decision.
This isn't an entirely fair comparison, as full-size I-Type is always going to beat Instax mini. But for me, while the sky in the Instax looks truer to life, that stylized retro glow on the Polaroid is just so appealing. (Image credit: Jon Stapley)
Instax cameras are easier to use for sure — most are just point and shoot. If I were recommending an instant camera for a family, or for someone who isn’t an experienced photographer, I’d go with Instax. But for me, as someone who knows my way around a camera, the depth of control offered by the top-end Polaroid cameras leaves Instax in the dust.
Connect to the Polaroid app, which works very smoothly and is highly intuitive, and you can completely program in your settings, taking total control over your images. Want to try your hand at creating long exposures on instant film? It’s straightforward on a Polaroid Flip or Polaroid I-2, and impossible on an Instax Mini 99.
Sure, Polaroids aren’t perfect. The ongoing cost of I-Type film is a sore point, with packs of eight shots costing the same as a pack of 20 shots of Instax Wide or Mini. This sucks. No way to pretend it doesn’t. Buying in bulk can help a little, though honestly not a lot. At least the smaller Polaroid Go film is much cheaper, and I prefer it to Instax Mini. Again, its subtler look is less striking, but richer.
I really enjoyed shooting with the Go Gen 3. My shots weren't all hits, but there were some that I loved. Again, it's not quite true to life, but it has distinctive character. (Image credit: Jon Stapley)
Do you agree? Let me know which is your preferred instant-film format in the poll above. And if you’re looking for an instant-film camera to buy, see my explainer on why the Polaroid Go Gen 2 is the best buy you can make this Prime Day and click on today's best deals where you live using the links below.
Most executives have no idea how much of their website traffic comes from AI agents.
If you were to ask which AI agents are legitimate and which are impersonating trusted names to scrape data, they’d struggle to tell them apart, a problem that’s growing by the day.
In early 2026, AI and bots generated billions of requests, outpacing internet traffic from humans.
This is no longer a fringe activity; AI agents are now a persistent, substantial portion of the traffic hitting websites.
Yet most organisations can’t tell you what that traffic is doing, where it’s really coming from, and whether it’s helping or hurting their business.
The Volume Trap
When organisations hear that AI agent traffic is creating billions of requests, the instinct is often to treat it as a monolithic category. It’s not. Lumping all AI agents together is like treating all humans as identical users; it misses the nuance that determines value.
Take two agents from the same company: one built to improve search relevance, potentially driving referral traffic back to a website, and another designed purely for large-scale data extraction to train AI models, offering zero benefit to organisations.
Both show up in traffic reports, both generate similar volumes, but only one has any upside for businesses. Without the ability to distinguish between them, companies can’t make informed decisions about either. Organisations are flying blind, and the cost of that blindness is steep.
The Trust Problem
Here is where it gets trickier: even when an AI agent identifies itself, organisations can’t trust it. Recent data shows that well-known, trusted AI agent names are being actively impersonated at scale. Meta-ExternalAgent was spoofed over 16 million times in early 2026. ChatGPT-User saw nearly 8 million fraudulent requests using its name. PerplexityBot had nearly 2.4% of all requests claiming to be legitimate turn out to be fake.
If website allowlists – approved lists granted automatic access - certain AI agents by name, assuming they are legitimate crawlers, a fake agent string is essentially a skeleton key. Bad actors know this and are using trusted agent identities as cover to bypass defenses and extract whatever data they want.
The exposure isn’t theoretical. Testing across 700k high-traffic websites revealed that the vast majority return full access to spoofed AI agent requests with no verification whatsoever.
The Agentic Browser Challenge
Traditional AI crawlers are only part of the story. A newer, more sophisticated vector is emerging: agentic browsers. These tools don’t just request a page, they simulate full browser sessions and interact with a site like a human user.
They’re harder to detect and harder to distinguish from legitimate traffic, and they are showing up in force across the industries with the most valuable transactional data.
In February 2026, agentic browser traffic was concentrated in ecommerce and retail (about 20% of volume) and travel and tourism (15%). These sectors hold some of the most valuable transactional data on the internet: pricing data, inventory information, customer behavior patterns, and competitive intelligence.
For businesses in any of these sectors it’s time to start actively monitoring for agentic browser activity, as organisations may be leaking data without realising it.
What This Means for Decision Makers
The implications of this visibility gap are immediate and material. Invisible traffic is unmanaged traffic. Companies that can’t identify traffic can’t decide what to do with it. Should it block it? Throttle it? Allowlist it? Monetise it? Without clear visibility, decisions become guesswork.
High volume does not equal high value. Some AI agents drive search visibility and referral traffic. Others extract data and contribute nothing in return. By treating them the same, organisations are subsidising data collection efforts with no upside for a business.
Relying on basic bot detection doesn’t cut it anymore. Agentic browsers behave like real users and simple signal-based detection misses them. Organisations need behavioural analysis that accounts for session patterns, timing, interaction signatures, and other contextual indicators.
Where to Start
Getting control of AI agent traffic starts with visibility. Organisations need to log and classify what is hitting sites, by agent type, behaviour, and claimed identity without relying solely on user-agent strings, as they’re easy to spoof.
Agent classification is an ongoing practice. As the AI agent ecosystem evolves quickly, with new agents appearing regularly and existing ones changing behaviour, in-time assessments go stale fast.
Establish a tiered access framework, but make it session-specific, not agent-specific. The same AI agent can exhibit legitimate behaviour in one session and extractive behaviour in another.
Intent-based detection evaluates what an agent is doing in real time, not just what it claims to be. Is it browsing product pages at a human pace or scraping an entire catalogue? The behaviour in each session should determine the response.
Companies should stop assuming that because something identifies itself as a known agent, it is legitimate. The cost of blind trust is too high. Verify everything.
AI agents are not going away. Their traffic will continue to grow, and their behaviour will continue to evolve. The organisations that thrive in this environment will be the ones that can see clearly what is happening on their websites and make deliberate, informed decisions about what to allow and what to block.
Right now, most organisations can’t, and that needs to change. AI agents are already interacting with websites. The question is whether organisations know what they’re doing while they’re there.
This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit
O2's 2G networks set to be pulled from 2029 in line with industry
4G and 5G networks are more secure and more efficient
Some IoT and connected systems still use 2G
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has become the latest UK mobile operator to announce plans to shut down its legacy 2G networks, beginning in 2029.
At the same time, VMO2 said not having to look after 2G networks will free up more resources to look after, and improve, 4G and 5G network capacity, speeds and reliability.
The company already started shutting down its 3G networks in 2025, with a national cutoff planned as soon as this year, but 2G networks remained open in the meantime.
VMO2 to start pulling 2G networks from 2029
EE is also turning off its 2G networks from 2029, with VodafoneThree following suit in 2030.
While VMO2 promises to warn customers to help them identify affected devices and migrate to more modern networks, most smartphone users are unlikely to notice an impact because modern smartphones rely on 4G and 5G networks instead.
But IoT devices, smart meters, payment terminals, alarm systems and other crucial infrastructure has traditionally used 2G networks.
"While most customers won’t need to take any action at all, some businesses might need to start planning for this now," CTO Jeanie York explained.
The industry-wide 2G shutdown ultimately falls under government plans to strengthen telecoms security, following concerns over supply chain risks, cyberattacks and the general security of critical national infrastructure.
VMO2 also disclosed the environmental benefits of the shutdown. Though its 2G networks only carry 0.5% of all VMO2 mobile network traffic, it accounts for more than 10% of the company’s total cell site energy consumption. The company declared that its 4G and 5G networks are 10x more efficient.
’s undefeated record remains intact, but his former sparring partner believes that there is one heavyweight rival who can put an end to that streak. During his 13-year professional career, the Ukrainian has had a few close calls but ultimately is deemed to have merited the wins in each of his tight decision triumphs over […]
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