Las Vegas is reportedly earmarked to host the draw ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the first with a 48-team field
Las Vegas set to host 2026 World Cup drawReportedly scheduled for Dec. 548 teams will qualify, expanded from 32-country formatFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Las Vegas is the landing spot for the 2026 World Cup draw, according to and numerous reports. The unveiling of the 12-group tournament will take place on Dec. 5.
Cities in Canada and Mexico were reportedly considered for the event, but ultimately ruled out. Those countries, along with the U.S., will co-host the 2026 World Cup starting next June.
The Sphere – a 54,000 seat entertainment venue – was reportedly considered as a potential location, but sources close to the venue confirmed to GOAL that the Sphere will not host the event, and has a conflicting concert on the day of the draw.
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There is history to the draw being held in Vegas. In 1994, the draw for the then-24 team event was carried out at the Las Vegas convention center. That was the final World Cup with 24 teams, before the tournament expanded to 32 in 1998.
DID YOU KNOW?
As of July 29, just 13 teams have qualified for next year's tournament: the USMNT and co-hosts Mexico and Canada, plus 10 nations that have already navigated the slate of their respective confederations. Some teams won't know their staus until after the draw takes place, with intra-confederation playoffs set for March 2026.
The biggest-ever edition of the global showpiece will feature 104 games involving 48 teams played across 16 host cities in three countries.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP?
World Cup qualifying will continue in the fall. International breaks are slated for Spetember, October and November as 35 more teams hope to seal qualification to the tournament, which kicks off on June 11, 2026.
OBotafogoindicou qual será o estilo dos reforços que pretende trazer para a nova temporada. Com o meio-campista Marlon Freitas prestes a desembarcar no clube e o zagueiro Segovia e o atacante Gabriel Barrosna mira, o Alvinegro voltou-se para atletas que mostraram potencial de crescimento no ano anterior.
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Acertado desde o meio de 2022 pelo Glorioso, Marlon Freitas foi essencial no Atlético-GO, onde se tornou um dos pilares durante sua passagem. Os demais atletas surgem como alternativas para funções nas quais a equipe botafoguense tenta encontrar novas saídas.
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Campeão da Sul-Americana com o Independiente del Valle, Luis Segovia surge como um jogador polivalente, capaz de atuar tanto como zagueiro quanto como lateral-esquerdo. John Textor espera até o fim do vínculo do equatoriano com o Del Valle para concretizar a transferência.
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O acordo com o polivalente compensaria a saída de Kanu. O zagueiro fez as malas e acertou com o Bahia.
A busca por Gabriel Barros pode ocasionar uma mudança de rota interna no Botafogo. O jogador de 21 anos era visto como uma promessa para ser lapidada no time B, que disputará o Carioca. Entretanto, há uma expectativa que ele seja a solução para a saída de Júnior Santos.
O jovem se destacou na reta final da Série B com a camisa do Ituano. Sua velocidade contribuiu para o Galo de Itu lutar até o fim pelo acesso. Seu estilo voluntarioso despertou o interesse de Textor em contar com Gabriel Barros na sequência de trabalho.
A luta para aumentar o potencial do Glorioso renderá muito empenho tanto do elenco quanto de quem mapeia quem parte e quem chega ao clube.
India are still on top in ODIs and T20Is, even as Scotland have overtaken Zimbabwe to be 12th in T20Is
ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2024
Australia won the World Test Championship last year•ICC/Getty Images
Australia have replaced India as the No. 1 Test team in the ICC men’s rankings after the annual update. India, though, have retained the top spot in the ODI and T20I rankings.In this cycle, the matches played only after May 2021 are taken into consideration for the ranking, which means India’s 2-1 series win in Australia in December 2020-January 2021 has dropped out. All results between May 2021 and May 2023 are weighted at 50%, while the ones in the following 12 months are weighted at 100%.As a result, Australia, who also won the World Test Championship last year, now have 124 rating points, four clear of second-placed India (118), and 19 ahead of third-placed England (105). Both India and Australia are next in action in the format only in November, when they face each other in Perth.Full rankings tables
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The positions of all other Test teams remain unchanged.In the ODI rankings, India (122) have extended their lead over Australia (116) to six rating points. South Africa are at third spot, and are only four points behind Australia. Pakistan (106) and New Zealand (101) round out the top five.While India are still No. 1 in T20Is with 264 points, their lead over Australia (257) has reduced from 11 to seven points.The biggest beneficiaries were South Africa, who rose two spots from sixth to fourth, and are only two points behind third-placed England (252).Meanwhile, Pakistan have dropped two places to seventh, and Scotland have overtaken Zimbabwe to be 12th.
يتمسك نادي نيوكاسل يونايتد الإنجليزي بموقفه بشأن لاعبه ألكسندر إيزاك، الذي يسعى ليفربول للتعاقد معه خلال نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.
ويُغلق سوق الانتقالات الصيفي بنهاية شهر أغسطس الجاري، ويواصل ليفربول محاولاته لإقناع نيوكاسل بالموافقة على بيع إيزاك.
من جانبه أبدى إيزاك تمردًا في وقت سابق، وأوضح لنيوكاسل رغبته في الرحيل عن الفريق هذا الصيف، لكن لم يستجيب ناديه له.
وبحسب ما ورد في صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، اجتمع جيمي روبن، الشريك في ملكية نيوكاسل، وجاكوبو سوليس، مدير الفريق، ووفد من صندوق الاستثمارات السعودي (المستحوذ على ملكية نيوكاسل) مع ألكسندر إيزاك في منزله قبل مباراة الفريق أمام ليفربول.
وقد التقى ليفربول ونيوكاسل مساء يوم الإثنين ضمن مباريات الجولة الثانية للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”
وحقق ليفربول فوزًا مثيرًا بثلاثية لهدفين على ملعب “سانت جيمس بارك” في الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع.
اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت بعد فوز ليفربول الدرامي على نيوكاسل: لم تكن مباراة كرة قدم.. وتفاجأت بـ إيكتيكي
وجاء الاجتماع بإيزاك في محاولة لإقناعه بالبقاء في نيوكاسل والعودة إلى تشكيلة المدير الفني إيدي هاو.
وتواجد رئيس نيوكاسل، ياسر الرميان، في مباراة ليفربول، ولم يكن حاضرًا في الاجتماع، وذكر التقرير إنه أبدى دعمه الكامل لاستمرار إيزاك وإعادته لتشكيل الفريق في أقرب وقت.
وأفاد التقرير أن المحادثات شملت بالتأكيد مناقشة توقيع عقد جديد إذا التزم إيزاك بالبقاء في نيوكاسل هذا الموسم.
وسبق ورفض نيوكاسل عرضًا من ليفربول بقيمة 110 ملايين جنيه إسترليني للتعاقد مع إيزاك، ويترقب الريدز الموقف خلال الأيام المقبلة في ظل تفضيل النادي الاحتفاظ بلاعبه.
Romeo Beckham was spotted at Oasis' latest gig as he partied with Manchester City star John Stones.
Beckham Jr at WembleySpent time with Man City aceSeemingly not blinded by club loyalties to his dadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Pictures posted on Instagram showed Romeo in the Wembley crowd for Oasis' latest gig, stood alongside Manchester City star Stones. Beckham Jr's dad, of course, became a legend at Manchester United, but his son is said to be an Arsenal fan, perhaps explaining why he was so willing to dance alongside the City ace.
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Beckham is now trying his hand at modelling, having previously tried, and failed, to become a professional footballer like his father. Stones, by comparison, is still going through his pre-season responsibilities ahead of City's 2025/26 campaign.
DID YOU KNOW?
Romeo has previously walked the catwalk for Versace, donning a sleeveless outfit that prompted a "proud of you" message from his father on Instagram. He had played for Brentford B in the 2023/24 campaign, and previously turned out for Inter Miami's second team.
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City play Palermo on August 9 as they step up preparations for the campaign. They kick off their Premier League campaign on August 16 against Wolves.
Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre said that Prithvi Shaw’s exclusion from the last few games was justified seeing the way Abishek Porel grabbed his chances. Shaw, who played eight games, scored 198 runs at an average of 24.75 and a strike rate of 163.63, and struck one half-century.”He [Shaw] was our retained played, and as you see, last four [of five] games he was also on the bench. But that’s the IPL,” Amre said after DC’s 19-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in their last league game of the season. “If you are not in form, you can’t [keep your place]. Ultimately, the pressure for the team is so much that every game is important and we have to win.”And we had done that. Without playing him, we won the games. And whoever got the opportunity… I think Abishek grabbed the opportunities with both hands.”Related
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Ponting on Porel: The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was a very special talent
Shaw didn’t play the first two games of the season, but scored a quick 43 off 27 balls against Chennai Super Kings in his first outing. He also had a 40-ball 66 against Mumbai Indians but his form tapered off after that. Porel, on the other hand, smashed 327 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 159.51. On Tuesday, the left-hander blazed 58 off 33 balls, helping DC score 73 in the powerplay, as he stitched a 92-run stand with Shai Hope for the second wicket.”What an innings [Porel] played today,” Amre said. “We saw Jake [Fraser-McGurk] getting out in the first over and even then we managed to get 73 runs in the powerplay. I think that’s what was so critical and the credit goes to Shai Hope and Porel for getting that 92-run partnership today.”Fraser-McGurk holed out at long-on off the second legal delivery of the match, but Porel gave DC the momentum. He scored 19 of the 21 runs that came in the third over and then smashed two sixes and a four in the sixth, and brought up his half-century, off 21 balls, soon after.In the three matches Porel played as an opener, he scored 159 runs at a strike rate of 165.62. Both his half-centuries also came at the top of the order.
Josh Windass scored Wrexham's first Championship goal in 43 years after converting from the spot at Southampton.
Wrexham take on Southampton
Moore wins Welsh side a penalty
Windass converts from the spot
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WHAT HAPPENED?
In Wrexham's Championship season opener at St Mary's, Kieffer Moore won his side a penalty, and then fellow summer signing Windass slotted home the subsequent spotkick in the 22nd minute. The Welsh team have been out of this division for more than four decades but they looked right at home in the first half against Southampton.
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After securing three straight promotions from the National League, Wrexham were expected to struggle a bit more in the Championship. But so far, Phil Parkinson's men look well suited to the English second-tier. Another promotion may be a step too far but they have made a positive start.
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WHAT NEXT?
After this game against Will Still's Southampton, Wrexham entertain fellow Championship outfit Hull City in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, before hosting West Brom next Saturday in their next league fixture.
Bangladesh need to wait for another two days to know if he’ll be ready for their World Cup opener on June 7
Mohammad Isam02-Jun-2024Bangladesh will have to wait for another two days to know whether Shoriful Islam can take part in their first match of the T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka on June 7. Shoriful split the webbing between his index and middle finger on his left hand during Bangladesh’s warm-up match against India in New York on Saturday.During the last over of the first innings, the left-arm fast bowler tried to stop a drive from Hardik Pandya and was hit on his bowling hand. He looked in pain and was immediately rushed off the field by Bangladesh team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan.Later, BCB’s chief physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said that Shoriful needed six stitches on the injured area.Related
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“Shoriful suffered a split injury between the index and middle finger of his left hand while trying to stop a ball in his last over,” Chowdhury said. “After initial medical attention, he was taken to Nassau University Medical Centre. The hand surgeon administered six stitches. We will visit him again after two days. We will know then how much time it will take for Shoriful to return.”Shoriful will have six days to recover as Bangladesh now head to Texas for their opening game. Returning figures of 1 for 26, he was one of the few bright spots for Bangladesh in the warm-up game that they lost by 60 runs. With Taskin Ahmed also recovering from a side strain, the team will be without their frontline quicks if Shoriful is out of their first game.
Kusal Perera was the most high-profile local player to not attract a bid
Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2024
Isuru Udana went to Galle Marvels for $100,000 despite his base price being $30,000 and Marvels being the only franchise that bid for him•Getty Images
Matheesha Pathirana has become the most expensive Lanka Premier League (LPL) player ever, commanding a US$120,000 price tag as he ended up with his old team, Colombo Strikers, for the 2024 edition of the tournament.The other big winner of the day was seamer Isuru Udana, who was bought by the new Galle Marvels franchise for $100,000, despite his base price being $30,000 and Marvels being the only franchise that bid for him. The auctioneer checked three times whether he had heard the bid from Marvels correctly. He had. They wanted to pay that much for Udana, who has not played for Sri Lanka since 2021.Dasun Shanaka also commanded a serious price tag, going to B-Love Kandy for $85,000. In his case, though, Jaffna Kings had been in a bidding war with B-Love.Related
Kandy have big names, Galle boast of power-hitters, and Dambulla bag the fast bowlers
As it happened – the Lanka Premier League auction
Among the fresh overseas signings, Afghanistan allrounder Karim Janat attracted the biggest bid, going for $80,000 to Dambulla Thunders, a franchise under new ownership this year. Rilee Rossouw was another headliner, joining Kings for $60,000.Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz – a wicketkeeper batter – and Hazratullah Zazai – a top-order batter – also got bids worth $50,000, going to Strikers and Thunders respectively. Spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen went to Kings for $32,000, and seam-bowling allrounder Dwaine Pretorius was bought by Marvels for $30,000.In general, it wasn’t a profitable auction for many overseas players. The likes of Lungi Ngidi, David Wiese, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Shoaib Malik, and Mushfiqur Rahim went unsold.Local spin-bowling allrounders like Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage did okay, though, going for $50,000 to Kings and Strikers respectively. Kusal Perera was the most high-profile local player to not attract a bid, with even former Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne getting a gig for $10,000 with B-Love Kandy.This version of the LPL has two new sets of owners. Thunders have replaced last year’s owners Dambulla Aura, while Marvels have taken over from Galle Gladiators.Kings, Strikers, and B-Love Kandy are the surviving franchises from last year. Kings are the only owners that have been around since 2022 or before.B-Love Kandy Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, AndreFletcher, Kyle Mayers, Ashen Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka, Ramesh Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Mohammed Hasnain, Chamath Gomez, Pawan Rathnayake, Chaturanga de Silva, Kavindu Pathirathne, Lakshan Sandakan, Sammu Ashan, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammed Ali, Kasun RajithaColombo Strikers Chamika Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nipun Dhananjaya, ShadabKhan, Glenn Phillips, Chamika Gunasekara, Dunith Wellalage, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Taskin Ahmed, Angelo Perera, Shevon Daniel, Garuka Sanketh, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Shehan Fernando, Kavin Bandara, Isitha Wijesundara, Muhammed Waseem, Allah GhazanfarGalle Marvels Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella, Maheesh Theekshana, Tim Seifert, Alex Hales, Janith Liyanage, Dwaine Pretorius, Sahan Arachchige, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Sean Williams, Zahoor Khan, Malsha Tharupathi, Isuru Udana, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sadeesha Rajapaksa, Mohommed Shiraz, Kavindu Nadeeshan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Chamindu Wijesinghe, Jeffrey Vandersay, Yuri KoththigodaDambulla Thunders Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Dushan Hemantha, Praveen Jayawickrama, Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran, Lahiru Udara, Akila Dananjaya, Danushka Gunathilaka, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Ranesh Silva, Sohan de Livera, Hazratullah Zazai, Karim Janat, Asela Gunaratne, Lahiru Madushanka, Rusanda Gamage, Mithun Jayawickrama, Ayana Siriwardhana, Sonal Dinusha, Haider Ali, Santhush GunathilakaJaffna Kings Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, AzmatullahOmarzai, Noor Ahmad, Rilee Roussow, Fabian Allen, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pramod Madushan, Jason Behrendorff, Asitha Fernando, Vishad Randika, Lahiru Samarakoon, Wanuja Sahan, Eshan Malinga, Alex Ross, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Murvin Abinash, Arul Pragasam, Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Theesan Vithushan, Nisala Tharaka
Alexander Isak has been left furious after learning that Newcastle United are determined to sell him in the summer transfer window. The transfer saga, involving Isak, has been going on since the start of the window as the Swedish striker expressed his desire to leave the Magpies and sign for Liverpool. The Reds even launched a massive bid, which was knocked back by Newcastle.
Isak won't be sold this summer
Isak left fuming after learning about his future
Liverpool still want the Swedish forward
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Earlier this week, Sky Sports reported that Isak had trained alone in Newcastle's facilities on Wednesday, as he continued to push for a potential move to Liverpool, amid reports of a British-record £150 million ($200m) second bid from the Premier League champions. The striker arrived at the training ground as the rest of the squad were leaving, fresh from a 'family day', from which Isak was excluded.
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Now, reports that Isak has been informed that the Magpies won't sell him in the summer window and that left the Sweden international furious. The striker will also not be allowed to play for the club until he comes to terms that he won't be able to exit St James' Park, at least in the current window.
DID YOU KNOW?
Newcastle themselves have missed out on securing transfers for two key targets this window as Hugo Ekitike signed for the Reds, while Benjamin Sesko opted to join Manchester United. Eddie Howe is still pushing for a new striker, although even if the club manage to sign a new forward, Isak will still remain at the club.
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WHAT NEXT FOR NEWCASTLE?
Newcastle are set to face Atletico Madrid in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday before they kick off the new season against Aston Villa on August 16.