The Guardian

It was a talking point beforehand in the England dressing room, Harry Kane bringing it up; a message with it, too. At each of the previous three tournaments, the team had spluttered in game two. The roll call of irritation took in the draws against Scotland and Denmark at the European Championship – either side of the draw against the United States at the last World Cup. Must do better this time,…

⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 7pm EST/12am BST/9am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email Jeff We also have Leander Schaerlaeckens at the grounds to provide color on Panama-Croatia… There’s some sappy Croatian power ballad playing and the sea of Croats is going absolutely nuts belting it out. Like, true Eurovision stuff. Continue reading...

Forward expected to return from injury in Group C finale ‘His qualities are without question … he’s a superstar’ Steve Clarke believes Scotland must be prepared for the threat provided by the “icon” Neymar in Miami on Wednesday. Neymar is expected to make his bow for Brazil in this World Cup after returning from injury as Group C reaches its climax. “His qualities are without question,” Scotland’…

Committee to study Lake Placid-NYC Games 2042 emerges as earliest realistic target State cites existing venues and IOC shift The prospect of a Winter Olympics stretching from the Adirondacks to New York City has taken its first formal step toward reality as state leaders launched a year-long review into whether the two destinations could jointly host a future Games. New York governor Kathy Hochul…

Golden oldies fighting for the golden boot? Let us not get ahead of ourselves. But it will do Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego no harm that he is off the mark at this World Cup, particularly in light of Lionel Messi’s voracious appetite to stoke fires that started long ago. Two first-half goals gave Houston’s public what they came for and laid an unfortunate run to rest. Until this contribution to what qu…

Tottenham also among clubs tracking Summerville Chelsea consider move for Como’s Jacobo Ramón Roberto De Zerbi has been given significant funds and is looking to make two big moves in midfield. Tottenham are pushing to land Sandro Tonali, even though Newcastle will demand a huge fee for the Italy international, and have entered the race to sign Mateus Fernandes. West Ham need to raise funds after…

⚽ World Cup kick-off time: 4pm EST/9pm BST/6am AEST ⚽️ Guide to all 1,248 players | Bracketology | Golden Boot In today’s first World Cup game , Cristiano Ronaldo is filling his flourescent boots against Uzbekistan. The Football Association has remained coy over what will happen when England line up for their next World Cup match, against Ghana on Tuesday, and come up against a familiar opponent …

Squad are due to arrive in Johannesburg on Thursday Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus praises Henry Pollock Marcus Smith says England are flying south determined to make a fast and furious start to the new Nations Championship at South Africa’s expense next week. A 36-man squad will touch down in Johannesburg on Thursday and Smith says there is a shared desire to rise to the high-altitude challenge…

Jorge Chipi Vera launches TV rant after Almirón red card Paraguay winger covered mouth in win over Turkey A football commentator has been stripped of his World Cup credentials by ⁠Fifa after an expletive-laden tirade against the organisation and match officials during Paraguay’s 1-0 victory over Turkey when ⁠Miguel Almirón was sent ⁠off. Jorge ​Chipi Vera lost his composure on live television whe…

San Francisco Giants pitchers wrote Bible verses on hats MLB had warned players over violation of league rules MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has defended the league’s policy over Pride celebrations in a letter to Republican senator Josh Hawley. Most of MLB’s 30 teams celebrate Pride month with a themed game to acknowledge the LGBTQ community and its baseball fans. During a 12 June game against the…

New elite series to include promotion and relegation 23-24 events spread across February to August The PGA Tour has announced sweeping changes to its competitive structure, approving a two-tier system with promotion and relegation to take effect in 2028. The elite-tier ⁠PGA Tour Championship Series will run ⁠from February to August and ​feature 23-24 events with $20m (£15m) purses, while the $4m …

AJ Dybantsa is widely expected to have his name called first on Tuesday. But which other young stars are worth keeping an eye on? AJ Dybantsa looked like a pro among college kids in his lone season at BYU, becoming just the fifth Division I player in the last 40 years to average more than 25 points per game while shooting better than 51%. Even beyond the numbers, Dybantsa’s natural length and abi…

Sanjay Patel owns more than 75% of SMP73’s shares County say work was done before his appointment The England and Wales Cricket Board is planning to review a payment of £1.75m from Yorkshire to a company controlled by the club’s chief executive, Sanjay Patel, for ­consultancy work relating to the Hundred sale. The club’s 2025 accounts, which were circulated to members last month, show that Patel’…

Miami acquire two-time MVP Antetokounmpo Bucks get Herro, Jaquez Jr, prospects and picks Giannis Antetokounmpo wants more championships. So do the Miami Heat. And the Heat finally have another superstar. The Heat landed Antetokounmpo – a two-time NBA MVP and 10-time All-Star – from the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night in exchange for a massive haul of players and draft picks. Continue reading...

There are twice as many teams from Caf at this World Cup than in 2022, but their results so far have been hit and miss • Predict the winner | Daily podcast | Download our app On Monday evening local time at New York New Jersey Stadium, Senegal will face Norway in a game that is not only crucial in terms of who qualifies from Group I, but will go a long way in determining how African performance a…