The World Cup draw yielded a number of fascinating groups – and the hype for the 2026 tournament can truly build

Are you excited yet? Can you feel it properly? Do you know, exactly, how this is all going to go? The World Cup is always fun in abstract. There are ideas, dreams and hopes. What this thing look like? Who do we our team to get? But the hypothetical discussion runs out, and it all feels a bit silly. What can you say when you don't relly know anything? Not all that much. 

Well, now we know things. FIFA's gaudy 48-team World Cup was unveiled in baffling fashion at the Kennedy Center Friday afternoon, and amid the pomp and circumstance of it all, the balls coughed up a pretty compelling draw. The host nations are all in intriguing groups. There will be some terrific matchups: Portugal-Colombia, France-Norway, Brazil-Morocco. 

There really isn't a dud here. Even the groups that seem a little more predictable feature some good games – at least, on paper. It's now time, officially, to get excited. But which groups are the best? Which favorite can feel pretty good about their chances? And who might get grouped early? GOAL U.S. writers break down the draw in another edition of… . 

ImagnWhich of the co-hosts got the best draw?

TH: The USMNT, and by some distance. Australia, Paraguay and likely Turkey? That's a winnable group. Canada did OK, too, but Switzerland aren't pushovers, and Italy, should they make it, will be tough. But Mauricio Pochettino is the guy who can be happiest. 

RT: The USMNT will feel good. While none of their games are slam dunks, they are all winnable, which gives them a realistic path to the knockouts. Looking ahead, there’s a date with Belgium lurking, which is a lot better than France or Argentina. Overall, the USMNT will be pretty happy, although Mexico’s draw could have been a lot worse, too.

AdvertisementAFPWhat's the best group?

Tom Hindle: Well, they're all pretty good! Is there a single dud here? Sure, we're supposed to get hyped and reactionary and giddy, but it's hard to see any weaknesses – even in an oft-maligned 48-team field. The safe bet has to be France, Senegal, Norway, and whichever playoff team makes it (likely Bolivia). There is a real chance that France, among the faves, could lose two of those games. Now THAT could make things interesting. 

Ryan Tolmich: Group I gets it. France-Norway is going to be fantastic as it gives us that mouthwatering Mbappe-Haaland matchup. Then there’s Senegal, a team with the ability and experience to play with both of those sides. Mix in an underdog with a point to prove from the playoffs, and you have a very fun group.

GettyWhat's the least competitive group?

TH: It was a BIG day for stat-pad-Ronaldo. Portugal did OK, didn't they? Colombia will push them – and could win the group – but Uzbekistan and whoever wins the first FIFA playoff will surely struggle. It's pretty easy to pick No. 1 and 2 there, even if the exact order is up for debate. 

RT: See you in the knockouts, Argentina. They’ve been given an easier run there with Austria, Algeria, and Jordan on the docket. That should allow the champions to surge through the group and really peak later on.

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Getty Images SportBased on the groups, who is your early favorite to win it?

TH: This might be a regrettable prediction later. But, , England have done rather well here. They should navigate their group pretty easily, and the likely sequence of knockout fixtures looks OK, too. Then again, the answer is Spain, who appear to be better than pretty much everyone else at the moment. 

RT: There are a lot of good teams, perhaps more than ever before, with real ambitions of winning this thing. Until someone knocks off Argentina, though, they’re a team worth backing, particularly given their group stage draw.

After staying quiet for much of the day in the lead up to the trade deadline, the Brewers have reportedly traded for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and reliever Shelby Miller from the Diamondbacks, per Jon Heyman of

Arizona's return in the deal has not yet been reported.

The Brewers, who rank top-five in ERA this season and own the best record in MLB, add reinforcements to the bullpen in Miller and a future asset in Montgomery. Miller, who is on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain, is 3–3 with a 1.98 ERA and 10 saves across 36.1 innings pitched this season. The 34-year-old veteran is now joining his tenth team as he heads to Milwaukee.

Montgomery underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year and will miss the rest of the season. When he was last available for a full season in 2023, he combined for a 10-11 record with a 3.20 and 166 strikeouts for the Cardinals and Rangers, and helped Texas go on to win the World Series.

The Dodgers will celebrate the late, great Kobe Bryant at Dodger Stadium next month.

The team announced a flurry of promotional items for the second half of the 2025 MLB season, a collection ranging from a Teoscar Hernandez bobblehead to a Mookie Betts World Series ring. Included in that group is a bobblehead of Bryant, who is depicted wearing a Lakers jersey while holding a bat in a left-handed stance.

The bobblehead will be handed out to the first 40,000 fans in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8—likely to honor the No. 8 jersey Bryant wore for the Lakers from 1997 to 2006 before he switched to No. 24.

Bryant grew up as a Mets fan in Philadelphia, but he was often seen at Dodger Stadium throughout his basketball career. Bryant also read the Dodgers lineup before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series against the Red Sox.

Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, died Jan. 26, 2020 in a helicopter accident.

The Rajasthan Royals opener grabbed headlines by scoring the fastest century by an Indian in the IPL

Ashish Pant29-Apr-20254:12

Jaffer: Have advised Suryavanshi to always play his natural game

[Has it ever happened that you’ve hit the first ball you’ve faced for six]?Vaibhav Suryavanshi is seen asking this question – much before his IPL debut – to a fellow Rajasthan Royals (RR) player in a video posted by the franchise. On April 19, the 14-year old lived this dream when he flat-batted Shardul Thakur over the extra-cover fence off his first ball on IPL debut.Suryavanshi has played just three games in the IPL. But, he’s already wowed people in every step of the way, with his six-hitting skills, with his bat speed, with his ability to rip apart bowlers of international repute. On Monday, he took down a Gujarat Titans bowling unit which had in their ranks Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar and R Sai Kishore – all bowlers who have at least one international cap, to become the youngest men’s T20 centurion. It was also the second-fastest hundred in IPL history, off 35 balls.Related

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A star is born (to bat)

But who is this 14-year-old sensation?Suryavanshi hails from a village named Tajpur in the Samastipur district of Bihar. With facilities limited in Samastipur, Suryavanshi travelled close to 90 kms almost every day to Patna along with his father, Sanjiv Suryavanshi. It was hardly easy, but backed by his father, he was determined to make it big.Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, became the second-fastest centurion in IPL history•BCCI”I am what I am because of my parents,” Suryavanshi said in a video on the official IPL site after his 38-ball 101 in Jaipur. “My mother used to sleep for three hours, wake up at 2am, prepare food for me. My father quit his job, my elder brother took over the job. We had limited means, but my father backed me to succeed. Whatever results you are seeing today, my success is all because of my parents.”Suryavanshi’s rise has been swift. He was just 12 years and 284 days old when he made his first-class debut for Bihar in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season. Before that, he had left a good impression at the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar, which got him a spot in the Under-19 Quadrangular series in late 2023, also involving Bangladesh, England, and two India teams, A and B, in Mulapadu, Andhra Pradesh.Watch – Highlights of Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s record-breaking hundred on JioHotstar (only in India)Playing for India B U-19, Suryavanshi scored 53 against England U-19 in the first game, followed by 75 against Bangladesh U-19s. It was during this second game that former India opener Wasim Jaffer, who was the head coach of Bangladesh U-19 then, spotted him and was “taken aback” by the youngster.5:27

‘Otherworldly’ Suryavanshi wows Bishop, Aaron

“I was really impressed that somebody so young has been picked and then also he got runs, “Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo. “I was actually pleasantly surprised, especially coming from Bihar.”Jaffer and Suryavanshi regularly chatted about batting, with Jaffer offering him tips on building an innings. “He used to keep messaging every now and then whenever he felt like asking certain things or when he felt like wanting to ask about his batting,” Jaffer said. “He is somebody who plays free-flowing cricket. But suddenly, when you go to a higher level, sometimes you are scared, especially when somebody is so young. So, he might think that he needs to change certain things or that he needs to play differently.Vaibhav Suryavanshi with Wasim Jaffer•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I always encouraged him to be positive and play positive cricket. If the ball is there in your arc, and you feel you can hit it, I always told him to back yourself, irrespective of what standard of cricket you are playing. That’s how our relationship started.”Not that I personally coached him or anything. I won’t take undue credit.”Suryavanshi was picked up in the IPL 2025 auction for INR 1.1 crore after impressing batting coach Vikram Rathour and director of high performance Zubin Bharucha at RR during trials. He didn’t play the first seven games of the season and only came into the team because of an injury to captain Sanju Samson, making him the youngest IPL debutant.Suryavanshi had also messaged Jaffer before his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants.5:13

What’s the best way to handle Suryavanshi?

“He messaged me and said, ‘Sir, I am getting a chance’. I, in fact, told him to take seven to eight balls because there is so much adrenaline when you play in the IPL for the first time. Take a bit of time, let your nerves settle down. Sometimes you play certain shots because the occasion gets the better of you. But he went out there and played first ball for six. So it’s not that he takes every advice of mine. But he is a wonderful kid. And he is talented. In this format, for him to hit 11 sixes in IPL, says so much about his ability and talent.”Don’t get me wrong. A player of his ability, the manner in which he plays, he is going to fail sometimes, and he will look bad when he gets out. But when he comes good, he is a match-winner like yesterday. So we’ve got to take the good with the bad.”Jaffer also believes Suryavanshi has what it takes to become an all-format player. “He has got all the ability and he has got all the time. He has shown what he can do in this format [T20s]. And I am sure he will adapt to one-day cricket and four-day cricket pretty soon. I believe he has got a good defence as well. It’s just playing that format a little bit more.”He still has a long way to go but for now, there is obvious celebration in the Suryavanshi household back home in Samastipur.”He has made our village, Bihar and the whole of India proud. We could not be happier and are celebrating,” his father Sanjiv said in a video released by the Bihar Cricket Association. “I want to thank the Rajasthan Royals who worked on him extensively in the last three-four months. I want to thank head coach Rahul Dravid and the rest of the support staff for improving Vaibhav’s game. He himself has worked very hard on his game and this hundred is a result of that.”

تعادل منتخب قطر، مع نظيره منتخب سوريا، في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس العرب. 

وواجه منتخب قطر نظيره منتخب سوريا، في السابعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، في الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العرب.

ويقع منتخب قطر في الجموعة الاولى رفقة منتخبات سوريا وفلسطين وتونس.  

طالع.. ترتيب مجموعة تونس في كأس العرب بعد التعادل مع فلسطين

وتعادل منتخب قطر الفوز مع نظيره منتخب سوريا، بهدف لكل فريق، حيث تقدم لقطر اللاعب أحمد علاء في الدقيقة 80 من عمر الشوط الثاني والمباراة بعد ضربة رأسية قوية من عرضية للاعب إدميلسون، بينما في الدقيقة 90 عادل عمر خربين النتيجة لصالح منتخب سوريا.

وبهذا الفوز رفع منتخب قطر رصيده إلى نقطة وحيدة، في المركز الأخير في جدول ترتيب المجموعة، بينما رفع منتخب سوريا رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة خلف فلسطين المتصدر. اهداف مباراة قطر وسوريا في كأس العرب 

Dan Serafini, a former Major League Baseball pitcher for six teams over seven seasons from 1996 to 2007, was found guilty Monday of killing his father-in-law in June 2021.

According to a Facebook news release from the district attorney's office in Placer County, Calif., Serafini was convicted of both first-degree murder and attempted murder—the former of his father-in-law Gary Spohr and latter of his mother-in-law Wendy Wood. He is also guilty of first-degree burglary.

Police arrested the 51-year-old Serafini in Oct. 2023 after an investigation that took more than two years. During that time, Wood—who survived Serafini's '21 attack—died by suicide.

A report on the verdict from Doc Louallen of ABC News said prosecutors labeled the attack "financially motivated."

Serafini pitched for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres during his career, as well as in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, and for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet threw a complete game shutout for the first time in his career on Saturday, leading the Red Sox to a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Crochet pitched all nine innings and allowed just three hits, no walks or runs, and struck out nine for the Red Sox. After reaching this feat for the first time, Crochet hilariously admitted he didn't know what to do after notching the final out of the game.

“I didn’t even know what to do when the third out was recorded,” Crochet said after the game, via Christopher Smith of . “I was like, ‘Where do I stand?’"

Crochet, who was recently named to his second straight MLB All-Star Game, called his first complete game shutout "really special." He previously came close to such a game against the New York Yankees last month, but gave up a home run to Aaron Judge in the ninth inning. This time around, Crochet managed to close out the game.

“It was really awesome, really special. Just grateful to get the job done,” Crochet said, via Smith. "… Incredibly satisfying. … Nice to keep the streak going, too.”

With Crochet's performance, the Red Sox extend their winning streak to nine straight games. They are now 52-45 and are 4.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.

MatériaMais Notícias

Atual campeão carioca, o Flamengo dominou a seleção da competição em premiação realizada nesta segunda-feira (8). O Rubro-Negro contou com oito atletas no time ideal.

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➡A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Em 15 partidas disputadas, a equipe do ex-treinador do Brasil conquistou o torneio de forma invicta, sendo oito vitórias e quatro empates. O time também encerrou o Cariocão com o melhor ataque e defesa.

Vice-campeão, o Nova Iguaçu colocou dois jogadores dentre os 11 melhores da competição: Bill e Carlinhos. Amém disso, Carlos Vitor foi eleito o melhor treinador. O Vasco, que chegou a semifinal, mas foi derrotado pelo Carrossel da Baixada, emplacou Lucas Piton na lateral-esquerda.

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CONFIRA A SELEÇÃO DO CARIOCA:
Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Lucas Piton, Pulgar, De La Cruz, Arrascaeta, Bill, Pedro e Carlinhos. Técnico: Carlos Vitor

REVELAÇÃO:
Yago – Nova Iguaçu

CRAQUE:
Arrascaeta – Flamengo

Tudo sobre

Campeonato CariocaFlamengo

Tottenham Hotspur return to action at the end of this week with a clash against Aston Villa at home in the Premier League after the international break.

The Lilywhites are currently third in the table, with one loss in seven matches, and Thomas Frank will be hoping that his team continues to thrive in the top-flight.

He may, however, look for more from certain players in the coming weeks. Xavi Simons, for example, is yet to score a goal since his move from RB Leipzig in the summer.

The Netherlands international, as shown in the graphic below, hit double figures for goals in the 2024/25 campaign for the German outfit before his move to England.

These statistics suggest that there is more to come from the attacking midfielder, who played in a central midfield role against Leeds United last time out, as a goalscoring threat.

Frank needs the Dutchman to step up with more goals and assists this season because the Danish tactician will be without James Maddison for some time yet.

Why James Maddison's injury is a big blow for Spurs

The England international suffered an ACL injury in pre-season and is set to be out for the majority of this season. He recently revealed that his target is to return before the end of the campaign.

This means that the former Leicester and Norwich star will not be available for selection to Frank until near the end of the season at the earliest, which is a big blow because of the quality that he can provide at Premier League level.

Maddison, who has 107 goals and assists in his top-flight career (Transfermarkt), ended the 2024/25 league campaign with a return of nine goals and seven assists in 21 starts for Spurs.

The English attacking midfielder proved that he is worthy of wearing the number ten shirt for Tottenham with his performances in the Premier League, with a consistent stream of goals and assists at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Maddison ranked as one of the most effective attacking midfielders in the Premier League last season when it came to scoring and creating goals per 90.

The likes of Rafa van der Vaart, Harry Kane, Robbie Keane, Teddy Sheringham, and Glenn Hoddle all donned the number ten shirt before the Spurs star inherited it from Kane in the summer of 2023.

Maddison’s impact at the top end of the pitch, with goals and assists, shows that he is worthy of being a number ten for the club, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to get back to his best after an ACL injury.

If the England international does not get back to his best in an attacking midfield role for Spurs, that number ten shirt could be up for grabs in the not-too-distant future.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Whilst some may look to Xavi Simons as a potential successor to Maddison’s number ten shirt, there is an exciting young star in the academy system who could steal the number ten from the vice-captain.

Luca Williams-Barnett made his first-team debut for Tottenham off the bench against Doncaster in the League Cup earlier this season, and could have a bright future in North London.

Why Luca Williams-Barnett can steal the number ten shirt for Spurs

Per Transfermarkt, the 17-year-old starlet has worn the number ten shirt for Spurs at U18, U19, and U21 level so far, which shows that he is a fan of the number.

This suggests that his dream would be to wear the number ten shirt for Tottenham at first-team level in the future, but he currently has Maddison in his way and will need to emerge as a star for Frank’s team to have a shot at claiming it.

Williams-Barnett’s form for the club’s academy so far this season suggests that he is well on his way to breaking into the senior side, which would then put him into contention to steal that shirt number.

The teenage talent, who was hailed as “special” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored eight goals and provided five assists in ten appearances in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, which includes a three-minute appearance for the first-team.

Williams-Barnett, typically deployed as an attacking midfielder, has delivered consistent performances at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals in his number ten role.

As you can see in the table above, the 17-year-old starlet’s form since the start of last season has been breathtaking, with a goal or an assist every hour or so on average.

Not only is Williams-Barnett an output machine who can score and create goals at an exceptional rate, but the Spurs sensation also “scores bangers”, per analyst Ben Mattinson on X.

That comment from Mattinson is backed up by the two goals from the attacking midfielder in the video above, as it shows that he is an effective finisher from range.

However, it is now down to Williams-Barnett to prove that he can score and create goals at an impressive rate for the senior team, as he has done at U18, U19, and U21 level so far.

18-year-old Spurs gem is a "superstar" with more talent than Vuskovic

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Kelan Sarson

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If Frank provides the England U18 international with a chance to play regular minutes for the first-team, the impressive attacking midfielder may just steal Maddison’s number ten shirt in the future.

It’s incredible how quickly the mood around West Ham United has collapsed again.

Following the fightback away to Everton, there was a real sense of optimism that Nuno Espírito Santo would be able to lead the club back up the Premier League table.

Unfortunately, an unsurprising defeat away to Arsenal and a truly dreadful home defeat to Brentford have left the fan base utterly deflated.

The team look bereft of ideas and so painfully slow, and while the former might be hard to fix, Nuno can deal with the latter by bringing a player back into the lineup for the next game.

West Ham's athleticism problem

To state the obvious, there are a mountain of problems with West Ham United at the moment, both on and off the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, while Nuno cannot address all of them, one of the most significant ones he might be able to fix in a relatively short period is the severe lack of athleticism in the side.

This lack of running power and physicality has, unfortunately, been on show in some way or other most of the season, but against Brentford on Monday night, it was impossible to ignore.

In fact, love or loathe him, it was one of Jamie Carragher’s main talking points after the game, with him describing the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”

While he was speaking in hyperbole somewhat, it’s not too far off the truth, and it was on full display for the first goal in particular, with Igor Jesus seemingly having plenty of time to score.

Now, the best way to address this problem is to go out and sign some young, dynamic, and physically imposing players as soon as the window opens, but to make a more immediate impact, the manager has to change his starting lineup for the next game, starting with the removal of Andy Irving.

It might sound harsh, but as Tomáš Souček can still be an important player for the Irons, it’s the once-capped Scottish international who has to make way.

Moreover, by taking the 25-year-old out of the lineup, the former Nottingham Forest coach can bring in just the sort of player who could add some dynamism and bite back into the midfield.

The player to add dynamism back into West Ham

When looking at West Ham’s bench against Brentford, one player stood out who would have added some dynamism back into the midfield: Soungoutou Magassa.

The young Frenchman certainly has some drawbacks and is still a little raw, but his talent is evident to see, and most importantly, he would have made life far harder for Brentford.

For example, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described the 22-year-old as someone who can “spray passes wide out to the wings” but that he’s also got very “high potential” for playing as a six “due to how he reads the game.”

However, more importantly for the Hammers, Mattinson also claims that the former AS Monaco gem is blessed with “pure athleticism”, and U23 scout Antonio Mango has highlighted that he’s “strong in both offensive and defensive duels.”

In other words, he’s a fast, tough-tackling defensive midfielder who has a great pass on him, which sounds like just the sort of player Nuno should be playing as often as possible.

After all, he’s not going to improve and iron out the errors in his game without playing regularly, and even if he does make the odd mistake here and there, his physical presence in the middle of the park should make it harder for opposition sides to just run through the East Londoners.

Finally, if people are still unconvinced, they only need to look at some of his underlying numbers from last season to understand he could be something special.

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

2.37

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

2.20

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

4.04

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.97

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

7.90

Top 1%

Tackles

4.13

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.84

Top 4%

Tackles Won

2.20

Top 5%

Successful Take-On %

65.2%

Top 9%

Touches (Mid 3rd)

45.57

Top 12%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.53

Top 16%

Passes into Final Third

5.88

Top 17%

Switches

0.61

Top 17%

Aerials Won

1.14

Top 12%

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Ligue 1 last season for dribblers tackled, tackles plus interceptions, and ball recoveries, the top 5% for tackles won, the top 9% for successful take-on percentage and the top 17% for passes into the final third and more, all per 90 minutes.

Ultimately, there is no way to make West Ham dramatically better overnight, but by starting Magassa in place of Irving, Nuno can certainly improve the athleticism of the side.

Not just Paqueta: West Ham dud is already becoming a huge issue under Nuno

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