New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs lines up against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Diggs reached another championship stage late in his NFL career after joining New England, continuing his run as one of the league’s most accomplished veteran wide receivers. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Fresh off the steam of being deemed innocent in bizarre legal charges in Massachusetts earlier this month, ex-Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is on the prowl for a 2026 employer. And according to SI.com‘s Albert Breer, Diggs won’t have a difficult time finding precisely that.
Diggs’ next stop could involve Patrick Mahomes, a hometown angle, or another short Patriots run.
Breer connected Diggs to the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Atlanta Falcons this week — if Diggs doesn’t simply re-up with the New England Patriots, his squad last year.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs celebrates with running back Latavius Murray after a first-quarter touchdown during the NFC Championship matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Diggs remained one of the Vikings’ emotional leaders on Jan. 21, 2018, during Minnesota’s postseason appearance at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia before the Eagles pulled away later in the contest. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.
Breer on Diggs
Breer sized up a variety of NFL topics this week, and on Diggs’s free agency, he wrote, “I do think an A.J. Brown trade will happen. I also don’t think, for a variety of reasons, you’ll see Diggs and A.J. Brown together in New England. Now, I believe the Patriots love Diggs, and Diggs would love to return. But any realistic talk about his return, to me, hinges on whether the Brown trade happens.”
“Assuming Brown does become a Patriot, I think Diggs will probably be somewhere in that one-year, $10 million range. The Chiefs could make sense. The Commanders might, too, since Diggs is from D.C. The Falcons and Rams would also be interesting landing spots.”
Advertisement
Diggs logged 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025. He can still be a monster contributor on a pass-happy team.
Chiefs as Breer’s Frontrunner
Breer named the Chiefs first in his publication, probably not by accident or coincidence. Here’s how the Chiefs’ WR room is set up without Diggs:
Rashee Rice
Xavier Worthy
Tyquan Thornton
Jalen Royals
Nikko Remigio
Cyrus Allen
Jason Brownlee
Andrew Armstrong
Jimmy Holiday
Jeff Caldwell
Omari Evans
Jacob De Jesus
Xavier Loyd
That group doesn’t need more human bodies, but Diggs would immediately profile as Kansas City’s WR2, and of course, Diggs would cook with Patrick Mahomes.
Commanders, Too
Advertisement
Diggs’s hometown is just 30 to 45 minutes from the Commanders’ stadium. This proximity is a significant draw for players who, as their careers wind down, often prefer to return closer to home, making Diggs an ideal candidate if Washington were looking for another experienced receiver.
The Commanders likely need a more solid WR3 than Luke McCaffrey. With Diggs in the lineup, Jayden Daniels would have Terry McLaurin, Diggs, and rookie Antonio Williams as his primary receiving targets. McCaffrey and Treylon Burks would then fill out the remaining receiver spots.
Falcons or Rams?
Kevin Stefanski now runs the show in Atlanta, bringing a built-in connection with Diggs from their time with the Vikings. Beyond Drake London, the Falcons’ wide receiver depth chart quickly thins, with Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus.
Advertisement
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs speaks with reporters during a press conference ahead of the NFL’s international showcase in London. Diggs addressed the media on Oct. 6, 2023, at The Grove Hotel in Watford while preparing for Buffalo’s overseas matchup as one of the league’s premier pass-catching weapons. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
A skill group of Bijan Robinson, London, Kyle Pitts, and Diggs — with Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback and Stefanski steering the offense — would have real juice.
The Rams signing Diggs would be all about gravy — the rich getting richer. Los Angeles employs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at the top of the ticket, more than enough firepower to compete for a Super Bowl. Diggs, essentially, would ring-chase in Hollywood.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote about the idea of Diggs to the Rams this week, “The Ravens could be a fit for Diggs, but I really like him in L.A. alongside Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The Rams attempted 430 passes out of 11 personnel (three wide receivers) last season, which was ninth most in the league, and Diggs is a natural separator who can line up inside or outside.”
“Plus, he has the toughness to work the middle of the field on in-breaking concepts, a key element of coach Sean McVay’s offense. Diggs had 85 receptions last season for the Patriots, which was almost twice as many as their next-closest wide receiver (Mack Hollins with 46). He would provide an easy boost to the Rams WR room for quarterback Matthew Stafford.”
A Sequel in New England
Advertisement
The frontrunner for Diggs should be New England. He was very vividly Drake Maye’s favorite target, the Patriots’ WR corps remains underwhelming compared to their NFL peers, and Diggs played wonderfully in 2025 as a Patriot.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs answers questions from reporters during Super Bowl week media availability in Northern California. Diggs met with the media on Feb. 5, 2026, at the Santa Clara Marriott while preparing for the league’s championship festivities after joining the Patriots earlier in his NFL career arc. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.
New England’s brass may have been scared off by Diggs’s legal situation, but that has since been resolved.
Diggs just reached his first Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots. If he’s as affordable as $10 million, as mentioned by Breer in his article, he might be wise to return for a sequel.
He’ll turn 33 in November.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
At the PGA Championship, we got a chance to hop on the TaylorMade truck and chat with tour rep Sam Day about building Tommy Fleetwood’s bag. Johnny Wunder and Day spent a significant amount of time talking about how Fleetwood sets up his mini driver, and I saw that as the perfect excuse to talk about why I think the mini-driver trend is here to stay, and the two buckets of players a mini driver works well for.
It’s not a secret Fleetwood is a mini driver fan. He’s had one in the bag for several years now dating back to the TaylorMade BRNR from 2023. He even tried to get Tiger Woods to convert during a TaylorMade shoot last year. TaylorMade also produced a piece last year at the RBC Heritage where rep Adrian Rietveld fit Tommy into his new R7 offering. In that video, which you can watch at the bottom of this article, you can really see the versatility of the mini driver, both in performance but also in it’s fitting capability. The R7 has four weight ports that unlock flight, launch and spin bias for players.
Fleetwood likes to use his mini driver off the deck as well as off the tee. For him it’s a true 3-wood replacement, and that’s bucket No. 1 players might fall into. I struggle to hit the mini off the deck, but there’s a large number of players who have tons of confidence in that delivery and see fantastic launch and ball speed out of the larger, more forgiving profile of the mini over a fairway wood.
What’s so important to Fleetwood though is the way that the mini sets up. He wants it to look square at address behind the ball, which is something that mini drivers can struggle with. Most mini drivers are inherently closed, and for lots of players it just screams left. Adrian ended up putting Tommy’s mini in the 1º lower loft upright setting as well as moving some of the weight toward the heel so Tommy could get the draw he prefers without changing the face angle.
Advertisement
“Tommy, he was literally the first guy to put this in,” Day told Wunder. “As soon as he starts playing great with it, he starts hitting it off the deck, and players are looking at it. It makes my truck in Europe super busy. I think we built like 50 of these in like five weeks. Everybody was testing them … It turns over just a bit more than his driver and goes about 10-15 yards shorter. I think it just gives him confidence when he doesn’t feel it completely in the driver.”
“Everyone associates me as a drawer of the golf ball, but I actually hit driver with a very straight ball flight,” Fleetwood said. “So, if I need to turn one right-to-left, the mini for me is a push up to the right side and let it turn over. Off the deck, the head is not as shallow as a 3-wood so I’m going to catch it a little bit more off the bottom, but the mini driver still holds its spin and still launches high enough. For me, it’s actually as good or even better than off the tee. Having a shot that I can hit 275 out of the fairway is huge for me.”
What I think is the more applicable bucket of players
My mini driver isn’t about replacing a 3-wood, because I would never have a 3-wood in the bag to begin with. For me, and lots of others who I know play a mini driver, it’s just about having a reliable second tee option. I don’t plan to hit my mini off the deck. I have, but it’s not a shot I should responsibly hit, and it’s rare I find myself on the golf course in need of a 270-yard off-the-deck carry. Again, at that point, I probably shouldn’t be hitting that shot, or I did something really bad to end up in that position in the first place.
Advertisement
TaylorMade R7 Quad Custom Mini Driver
PERFORMANCE FOR THE MODERN PLAYER
Inspired by one of the most iconic models in TaylorMade history, the R7 Quad Mini Driver pays homage to what’s come before, while creating its own modern identity in the same breath. It’s that very modern design that incorporates proven TaylorMade technologies to give golfers versatility and playability.
R7 QUAD WEIGHTING SYSTEM
The new quad weighting system features four movable weights (13g x2, 4g x2) that provide the ultimate in spin management and shot shape control. Forward CG creates a penetrating flight best suited for maximizing distance whereas rear CG helps prioritize control and ease of use from the deck. Shot shape can also be fine-tuned helping create the most optimal flight. Additional weights can be purchased for a wider range of adjustability.
INFINITY CARBON CROWN
A new satin Infinity Carbon Crown has been added to the R7 Quad Mini Driver chassis creating a stunning look while saving weight for better mass optimization. The cosmetic package is clean, elegant, and confidence-inspiring.
What I love about the mini is it can be a very purposely built tool. Here in the Chicago area, we play short, tight golf courses. Lots of times a 265-yard tee shot is really all you need. So there’s lots of times where I keep the driver in the bag for the majority of the round, and the mini comes out to hit nice high draws that fall softly in the fairway. To me, this is a much better actual use for a mini driver. My bag goes driver, mini driver, 5-wood. The 5-wood is built as a bit of a bomber so I can reach long par-5s most of the time, and it also serves as a nice tee option if I need to really control flight or dial it back on a shorter par-4. For me, it’s a great bag strategy that gives me a lot of flexibility at the top.
Who does it not work for?
I’m a big believer that the mini should not replace your actual driver. I’ve written about it, I’ve made videos about it, and I still maintain my thoughts on that. If you don’t have a good driver, you should get a better driver. If you’re finding success with the mini and it gives you that much more confidence over the driver, then there’s something in that build you might want to try and replicate in a longer, bigger, faster, more forgiving driver. Too often I’ve seen players give up on the driver, hit a really good mini driver, and then a few rounds later they see how much they are actually losing in distance that they end up back on the search for a new driver and the mini ends up staying in the garage. While you absolutely can use a mini driver as a driver replacement — even guys on Tour have done so — I wouldn’t suggest it unless you’ve got a really good reason to do so.
A quick nod to some of those who do not make the list. Udo Lattek won all three European trophies with different clubs – a European Cup at Bayern Munich, Uefa Cup with Borussia Monchengladbach and Cup Winners’ Cup with Barcelona.
Sven-Goran Eriksson led Gothenburg to a Uefa Cup, won a Cup Winners’ Cup with Lazio and lost European and Uefa Cup finals with Benfica.
Raymond Goethals lifted the Champions League with Marseille in 1993, having lost the final two years earlier, and led Anderlecht to Cup Winners’ Cup success in 1978 a year after finishing runners-up to Hamburg. He also lost a final with Standard Liege.
Then there’s Jurgen Klopp, Champions League winner in 2019 and three-time runner-up. And, of course, heavy-hitting omissions in Brian Clough, who clinched successive European Cups with Nottingham Forest, and Celtic great Jock Stein, the first British manager to win the continent’s top trophy and beaten finalist in 1970.
Pro wrestling fans know Kayla Becker as a regular during WWE programming doing backstage interviews, hosting pre-shows and even trying her hand at in-ring announcing.
Becker is being introduced to a whole host of new sports fans due to her partnership with BZZR – a social media platform dedicated to the fanatic.
Kayla Becker attends the world premiere of “Black Phone 2” presented by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Oct. 8, 2025.(Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse)
She told Fox News Digital she was excited to get back to her broadcasting roots and expanding her coverage outside of sports entertainment.
“Really excited to be a part of BZZR. I obviously have a sports entertainment background when it comes to wrestling. For eight years of my life, I only talked about wrestling, but I only had a passion for sports,” she said. “I was actually a sports broadcast minor in college. I had this dream of one day either grow up and play in the WNBA, but I didn’t hit 5-feet tall so that never happened. …. I’m really fortunate that BZZR approached me.
“Chris Dunn, who is actually head of content over there worked with me as a lead writer at WWE. So, when he got involved with BZZR, he was like I know a girl who can talk on camera for an extended period of time about whatever we tell her to. So, that’s essentially where we are right now and I’m having a blast with it.”
BZZR intends to be a platform to cut out the noise from the rest of the world that shows up on algorithms of much of the other social media companies.
Kayla Becker attends the premiere of “Bring Her Back” at Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif., on May 15, 2025.(Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Becker also told Fox News Digital that BZZR users will be able to talk about sports without the fear of bots or trolls making trouble.
“I think the fact that it’s a social media platform exclusively about sports. I think that in itself is really unique,” she said. “Also, all the creators on there are verified creators with a following of their own so when you go on there and sign up, you’re not dealing with bots or trolls. It’s real people who know what they’re talking about and want to share their passion for sports with the community. I’ve been able to bring some followers over from my wrestling world to check out what I’m saying on BZZR. They want to be there.
“So, on other social media platforms, we all experience, there’s some people who maybe shouldn’t be on social media. The good thing about BZZR is it’s a really safe, home base, for sports fans.”
Advertisement
Kayla Becker attends the “Five Nights At Freddy’s 2” premiere presented by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Dec. 2, 2025.(Savion Washington/Getty Images for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse)
It’s an event where athletes are permitted to take pharmaceuticals ordinarily banned in sports. Substances must only be approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a much lower bar than traditional sporting anti-doping organizations would employ.
Launched in 2023, organizers promised thousands of athletes competing in five sports. After aborted attempts to start it earlier, and some “exhibition events” featuring what the Enhanced Games call a swimming world record, the first Enhanced Games take place on May 24 in Las Vegas. In the end, it will feature 50 athletes across three sports — swimming, sprinting and weightlifting.
There is plenty of money behind it, with each event offering a total purse of $500,000 (€430,000), with $250,000 awarded to first place. There are also appearance fees and record-breaking bonuses, with $1 million for world records broken in the 100m sprint and swimming’s 50m freestyle. A purpose-built stadium has a capacity of 2,500 for the event.
Why are the Enhanced Games controversial?
The Games told DW their aims are to “unlock their [athletes’] best performances under the highest medical and clinical supervision transparently and safely using legal, licensed and approved FDA substances.” Critics argue that any chemically-enhanced records are moot and the pursuit of them under such circumstances is lethally dangerous.
Advertisement
“It’s not a sporting event, it’s a show, it’s a circus,” Michael Cepic, Chairman of the Central European Anti-Doping Agency told DW. Cepic said the notion that the Games prioritize athlete safety is nonsensical.
“There’s just one simple thing everybody can understand. Pharmaceutical products are developed for people with diseases and sickness. If you use them when you have no such issues, it can’t be good for your body.”
The Games’ spokesman added that their results are published on a US government site for peer review, but said that the public will not know the intake of each athlete. “We cannot publish individual protocols as this would violate personal healthcare information. However, we will be providing an aggregate total of substances used across all athletes later this week,” he said on Tuesday.
What are the risks for Enhanced Games athletes?
While it is not mandatory to take anything and there seem to be a handful of athletes who aren’t, Cepic supposes that most will. Regardless of which products are being tailored to which sport, he said, the danger of death and damage is very real. Athletes have been in a training camp under medical supervision in the UAE for some time, with drug programs tailored in order for them to peak this weekend.
Advertisement
“I think as a society we have to ask ourselves what the development has been in the last 2,000 years. In the Roman Empire, you also had exceptional fighters fighting each other until one dropped dead,” he said. “Now, people are endangering their own health just to deliver a big show for the entertainment of the audience and for the money.
“The difference maybe in the Roman Empire was that people died immediately. Here they may be doing all this stuff at 30, then will die at 43 or 47 and nobody cares.”
Cepic also expects this first event to only drive further negative health impacts in the following years.
“Let’s say you are a 50-meter swimmer not on substances, and to beat the world record, you need one tablet of a given substance per day. You take it and beat the world record, fine.
Advertisement
“If you are the next person who wants to beat that record, well, you have to take two tablets per day. And so on and so on and so on. Sooner or later, these bodies will not be able to take it anymore.”
For some athletes, the financial gains are worth the risks, if they see any.
“Swimming was my life for many years,” Marius Kusch, one of the two German competitors, told press agency DPA.
“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, but the truth is that the sport never gave me the financial stability I needed to build a future for myself.” It is a perspective that has been shared by other athletes who have explained their position.
Will World Records be broken at the Enhanced Games?
It seems certain that, by the standards of the Enhanced Games, they will. Greek swimmer, Kristian Gkolomeev, swam a time of 20.89 seconds in the 50m freestyle at an Enhanced Games exhibition event in 2025, beating the official world record. But the world has only the Enhanced Games’ word to take for this, with every global and national sporting body rejecting the legitimacy of the Games.
Advertisement
Kristian Gkolomeev’s 2025 time is not recognized by any external sporting bodiesImage: Darko Bandic/AP Photo/picture alliance
“Our timing system is run by Primetime Timing, which does numerous international events. Our track was built by Mondo, who does Olympic venues, and Myrtha Pools built our pool, who also has built international event pools. This is a proper, verifiable results event,” the Games spokesman added.
Given that the financial incentive is biggest for records being toppled, there will almost certainly be reports of world records emerging from Las Vegas this weekend.
“If those athletes are able to break records, this is a wonderful by-product of this research as it demonstrates we can optimize human performance safely, allowing science and sport to co-exist safely,” the spokesman continued.
Who is funding the Enhanced Games, and why?
The 2023 launch was led by Aron d’Souza. The Australian, who has since been replaced as the face of the organization by German Maximillian Martin, has a long-standing relationship with Peter Thiel, a US-German who is cofounder of PayPal and Palantir, whose AI technology is used extensively in wars around the globe.
Palantir’s AI manifesto sparkes global debate on weapons
D’Souza is now heading “Objection,” which he describes as an AI trial for truth in media and involves his AI deciding on the veracity of media stories at the behest of individuals or organizations. Thiel has been in the news himself plenty recently, with Palantir posting a political manifesto on X that was described as “techno-fascism.” Other investors include Donald Trump Jr, the US president’s son.
While the Games are the headline act this weekend, the more lucrative aim for investors is to profit from selling pharmaceuticals on its website, which represents the broader Enhanced business. The featured athletes do not even have their profiles on the website. Product pages for peptides, testosterone and fat loss products have much more detail.
“This model is designed to capture value from the broader cultural shift toward experiential spending and the growing desire for longevity-focused, direct-to-consumer products in both athletic and consumer contexts. By positioning itself as the premium brand in the performance medicine category, Enhanced aims to establish market leadership in this emerging sector.”
Alyssa Valdez smiles during a game against Cignal in the PVL All-Filipino Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Alyssa Valdez has started training with the Alas Pilipinas women’s volleyball pool ahead of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup from June 6 to 14 in Candon City.
Valdez, who last played for the national team in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games as captain and flag bearer, got a call-up again from the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).
PNVF president Tonyboy Liao confirmed Valdez’s participation in the training.
“Alyssa Valdez will always be Alyssa, her love for Volleyball has been there, whether playing for her university, club team, and country,” Liao said. “She’s so happy that now she’ll be playing with young players who have been looking up to her.”
But the three-time PVL MVP from Creamline will have to wait for her reunion with Tai Bundit, who will be out for three months due to an accident in Bangkok. Valdez and Bundit led Ateneo to two UAAP championships and won the Cool Smashers’ first three of 11 titles.
Advertisement
Article continues after this advertisement
Ex-Cignal coach Shaq Delos Santos will be Alas’ interim coach, calling the shots for the national team since the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 SEA Games.
Sources told Inquirer that former national team Ces Molina and rising star Trisha Tubu and Creamline libero Kyla Atienza also started training with the national team, including Far Eastern University’s trio Tin Ubaldo, Jaz Ellarina, and lone Alas holdover Cla Loresco, University of the Philippines middle blocker Niña Ytang, Adamson’s Lhouriz Tuddao, and Letran’s Lara Mae Silva and Natalie Estreller.
Advertisement
Article continues after this advertisement
Another source reported that Myla Pablo and Jules Tolentino are asking Nxled for permission after receiving invitations, while Alas Pilipinas awaits the decision of Jovelyn Gonzaga, Erika Santos, and National University players.
The Philippines is slated in Pool A with Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, and Uzbekistan. Defending champion Vietnam headlines Pool B with Kazakhstan, Iran, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Lebanon.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Advertisement
Your subscription has been successful.
In the past two AVC Women’s Cups, Alas earned a breakthrough bronze medal in 2024 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum, then reached the championship last year before falling to the host and defending champion Vietnam.
Sunrisers Hyderabad player Ishan Kishan’s celebration after leading his side to a win against Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2026 game on Monday has become a topic of discussion. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 70 off 47 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes, helping SRH chase down a 181-run target in 19 overs and enter the playoffs. Right after the victory, Kishan came up with a whistle gesture celebration, presumably mocking the CSK fans, and even playfully taunted the Chennai crowd by pointing towards it as he celebrated the win with his teammates.
Later, Kishan put up a post on Instagram with pictures from the match. He captioned it “Only thing louder than the whistles was the bat. Into the playoffs.”
After game, the swashbuckling batter said, “I would just say one thing. Sometimes I feel it’s also about motivation, and for me, my motivation was today, my cousin is just standing there. He lost his sister. It was a tough time in our family and they are watching the match for the first time here. So I just wanted to finish the game for them.”
“I’m glad they were here to witness this innings, and I was able to finish this game. I was just feeling blessed from upstairs. I had that sense of power, like, yes, I can do it if I’m there for the team. We will qualify, especially. He’ll be happy about it.”
Advertisement
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and opted to bat first, expecting that the pitch would slow down later on. Chennai posted 180 for 7, and that looked good enough. However, Kishan’s sensational knock comfortably took SRH through.
“When I was keeping, I felt the wicket was not easy — especially when the spinners were bowling, and the slower balls working really well. I had to just play till the last over. It was just about being there and believing in yourself. You cannot doubt yourself at any time. Being in the middle, it’s difficult for the bowlers to get it right every time,” said Kishan.
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026 | Delhi Capitals Wins By 6 Wickets Against Mumbai Indians: Redemption For Sameer Rizvi
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been placed in Group L for the qualifiers of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, where they will battle Madagascar, co-hosts Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau for a place at the tournament.
The draw ceremony took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo. Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong was among the officials who assisted during the draw.
A total of 48 countries will compete in the qualification series, with the teams divided into 12 groups. Twenty-four nations will eventually secure places at the tournament, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Advertisement
Nigeria, who were seeded in Pot 1, received what many consider to be a favourable group. However, because Tanzania have already qualified automatically as one of the hosts, only the team that finishes top of Group L will earn a ticket to the competition.
The same qualification rule will apply to every group containing one of the co-host nations, while the top two teams from the other groups will progress to the finals.
Elsewhere, 2023 champions Côte d’Ivoire were drawn in Group C alongside Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia. Defending champions Senegal will take on Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J, while Morocco were grouped with Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
Advertisement
The qualifying matches will be played during three FIFA international windows. The first two rounds are scheduled for September 21 to October 6, 2026, while Matchdays Three and Four will hold from November 9 to 17, 2026.
The final round of qualifiers is expected to take place between March 22 and 30, 2027, when the full list of teams for the tournament will be confirmed.
Super Falcons defender Shukurat Oladipo has been named the Best Defender in Italy’s Serie A Women after an impressive 2025/26 season with AS Roma Women.
The former FC Robo Queens player was also included in the Serie A Women Team of the Year alongside her Roma teammates Manuela Giugliano, Giada Greggi and Giulia Dragoni.
Oladipo played an important role in Roma’s strong defence during the season. She featured in 18 league matches and started 15 of them as the club kept 11 clean sheets in games she played. Roma also did not lose any league match in which she featured.
Advertisement
The Nigerian defender made 30 appearances in all competitions and also played her first matches in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showing her growing importance in the team.
In the league, Oladipo recorded 27 interceptions, 27 tackles, 70 clearances and 104 recoveries from 1,398 minutes of action, helping Roma maintain one of the best defensive records in the division.
Roma completed a successful domestic season by winning the Serie A Women title after beating Genoa 2-0 in their final match of the campaign.
As anyone who watched the PGA Championship at Aronimink knows, the course played tough.
Aaron Rai came out on top thanks to a final-round of five-under-par 65, which gave him a three-shot victory over Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley. But no one in the 156-player field managed to post four rounds under par.
The greens were diabolical, making it even more of a priority for players to find the fairway off the tee, and hopefully set themselves up for success with an approach shot from the fairway.
Over four rounds, there were 56 fairway opportunities at Aronimink, and three players who topped the driving accuracy list, finding the short grass 69.64 percent of the time: Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Chandler Blanchet. (Winner Aaron Rai was fourth, with a driving accuracy percentage of 67.86 percent.)
Advertisement
So if your game could use a boost of off-the-tee efficiency, check out the three most accurate drivers of the week wielded by some of the world’s best below.
Shop the PGA Championship’s top fairway-finding drivers
Scottie Scheffler: TaylorMade
Scottie Scheffler still plays TaylorMade’s Qi10, which is unfortunately no longer available. The next-best thing: TaylorMade’s latest, the Qi4D.
Advertisement
TaylorMade Qi4D Custom Driver
SHAPED FOR SPEED
The re-engineered head profile increases ball speed thanks to improved aerodynamics developed through advanced simulations.
FACE FOR DISTANCE
Advertisement
60x Carbon Twist Face™ is a technological cornerstone that provides weight savings, incredible ball speed and more consistency vs. a titanium face.
ADJUSTABLE PERFORMANCE
4° loft sleeve can be used to adjust loft, lie and face angle for optimized flight.
TOUR PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES
Advertisement
New and improved cut-through Speed Pocket™ protects ball speed and reduces spin on low-face strikes.
Advanced CAD modeling creates a design with a clean and powerful sound, a foundation of TaylorMade driver performance.
Multi-Material Construction allows engineers to strategically place mass in areas of the head where it maximizes performance, speed, and stability.
Blanchet is still gaming the popular Titleist GT2 — a high-launch, low-spin option which was first released in early 2025.
Advertisement
Titleist GT2 Custom Driver
GT2 — Speed & Forgiveness Across The Face
For players who don’t always find the center of the face and need the stability of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.
Speed & Forgiveness Across The Face
Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, GT2 extracts maximum performance through forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.
Seamless Thermoform Crown
A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence.
Split Mass Construction
GT2 delivers a powerful balance of forgiveness and speed thanks to a breakthrough in internal weighting. Mass is shifted to the back of the clubhead to increase MOI for better stability, while also pushing weight low and forward to optimize speed and spin. The result is a driver that frees you to swing with confidence.
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.
Was it to the Tartan Army’s credit, he was asked, that none of the supporters came on to the grass at Hampden Park?
“Absolutely,” he replied. “It just shows that you can enjoy yourself without going on the pitch. There’s no need for people to go on the pitch.
“The way it ended with the scenes on Saturday at Celtic Park is not good for Scottish football. It’s a bad look. It doesn’t do anybody any favours.”
Hearts had said “reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere” would be investigated by Police Scotland.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the Scottish Professional Football League was waiting for the match delegate’s report to consider action.
“It’s much better if the people could celebrate but stay where they should stay,” Clarke said. “People invading the pitch is not right, because player safety is endangered and that’s not correct anywhere.”
He told the media as he announced his squad for the World Cup: “There’s no way that people are going to come in through that door and try to disrupt you guys doing your job here. It’s just not correct.
“On the pitch is the player’s place of work. People should not go on the pitch. It’s quite clear.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login