The Guardian

Updates from Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt’s last match in charge Kick-off time in Perth is 6.10pm local/8.10pm AEST/11.10am BST Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Referee: Paris-born Englishman Christophe Ridley. Conditions : It is mild and dry at HBF Park, but there is a little wind at a venue that is comparatively small and open by Australian standards. Continue reading...

How did the United States do in its second swing at hosting the men’s showpiece event? The stadiums were mostly received well. The accessibility, less so Come rain or smokescreen, Sunday will bring the 2026 World Cup to its bombastic end. The load-bearer of the co-hosting North American trio, the United States held 78 of the tournament’s matches across its 11 host cities. Only two contests remain…

⚽ World Cup latest on final weekend of tournament ⚽ England’s exit was not just about Tuchel ⚽ Email us | Archive: Argentina v Spain in 1966 Donald Trump joined the chorus of criticism over Thomas Tuchel’s defence-minded approach against Argentina as the United States president questioned the England manager’s “unusual” use of his golf buddy Harry Kane. The inquest into Wednesday’s late 2-1 World…

England’s coach said ball possession is not in the team’s DNA – it’s an opinion that should disqualify him from the job How we talked. On late-night news shows, disembodied heads above a rolling yellow banner. On planes and trains, at bus stops and flower shops and kids’ birthday parties, trying desperately to connect the ennui of the now with the vividness of the later, trying on some level to a…

Antonelli’s lead in the F1 drivers’ standings looked insurmountable after Monaco, but now Russell is potentially within one race win of wiping it out Squaring off at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Formula One’s leading title protagonists Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are embroiled in an increasingly tense head to head.The teenager and his experienced Mercedes teammate facing each other as…

The Arsenal midfielder talks about how Luis de la Fuente has created a team built on respect and how they plan to beat Argentina in the World Cup final The night before the biggest day of their lives, the Spain players who were about to win the 2010 World Cup gathered in the Da Vinci Hotel in Sandton, just north of Johannesburg, drank hot chocolate, ate chocolate croissants and talked. The night …

The fifth in a special series of World Cup 2026-themed collages made for the Guardian by the celebrated satirist Continue reading...

Nearly 40% of 2026 races at showpiece meeting affected Track layout and listening devices for stewards on menu The British Horseracing Authority said on Thursday that it aims to introduce a series of measures before next year’s Cheltenham festival to tackle a significant rise in the number of false starts at National Hunt’s showpiece meeting. The percentage of false starts has climbed steadily ov…

Danny Murphy’s decision to start talking about his deceased cat will haunt the rest of his career while Christina Unkel’s referee analysis was no-nonsense and to the point The final may be Argentina v Spain, but ardent media watchers in the UK know that in broadcasting terms, a World Cup is always a domestic battle between the BBC and ITV. So who won on these important criteria? Continue reading.…

No successful tackles after the 63rd minute and failure to break up play through fouls also played their part in World Cup semi-final defeat There will be coaching courses of the future that use footage of England’s performance against Argentina to illustrate how not to defend a one-goal lead. If that sounds harsh, the data from the match justifies that stance. Many ugly statistics emerged once t…

As the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game take over Philadelphia, we take a spin around the majors with an awards watch, an Ohtani update and lots in between With more than half of the MLB season in the books, the baseball world has convened in Philadelphia for the annual All-Star festivities. What better time for owners and players to engage in Brotherly Love and figure out how to avoid the widely…

American punished for improving line of his swing Sanction moved DeChambeau out of second place Bryson DeChambeau’s ongoing participation in the Open Championship is in doubt after extraordinary scenes at the conclusion of the 32-year-old’s second round at Royal Birkdale. DeChambeau was handed a two-stroke penalty for improving the line of his swing in thick rough, with the scenario prompting a f…

The little maestro has hitherto lived in the shadow of Maradona who has for so long coloured the soul and defined the passion of football in Argentina It is time to consign Diego Maradona’s Hand of God to a museum piece. For 40 years that moment and Maradona’s unforgettable “goal of the century” coloured the soul and passion of Argentinian football. Today things are very different, and the main r…

World No 2 was in full flow off the tee but off colour on the greens and knows he needs to make a charge on moving day One of the sweetest sounds in sport is the elongated swoosh that comes as Rory McIlroy’s driver connects with his ball. Really, it is a beautiful thing. You imagine the impact will be a violent clank. Instead it is more like a yogi softly exhaling having found nirvana. But as McI…

A tournament with more teams and more games has been filled with euphoria, heartbreak, and these weird and wonderful viral moments As a Japanese supporter exclaimed to a television camera, “Texas is good, everything is big”, we knew the World Cup had started. In those early euphoric moments, seeing the palpable joy when everything is still possible, it seemed Japan fans were the MVPs of memes. Th…