Ireland celebrates a lot of exciting sporting events that it could be confusing and overwhelming to keep up.

After all, this is the country that birthed legendary athletes such as Kevin McHale, Connor McGregor, Finn Balor, Mickey Ward, and Danica Patrick and they have represented The Emerald Isle with exceptional prestige in their respective areas. Indeed, this kind of passion for competition serves as a testament to the respect that the Irish possess for sports overall.

However, there really is no comparison when it comes to the popularity of soccer in the Island of Ireland, especially when going by online live betting platforms. Obviously soccer is popular all over the world but it has a special p[lace in Ireland and these could be the reasons why!

A rich history

It bears mentioning that Ireland has a grand history of the sport because as mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of superior athletes from the Emerald Isle. And one of the most celebrated is also a legend in the sport itself: none other than winger George Best. Best had the fundamentals covered and was responsible for many incredible plays that players of the sport base their moves off today.

It would continue on during the primes of other legends like Roy Keane and Paul McGrath, all representing the exceptional ability of the Irish when it comes to running and kicking on the pitch. This is why sports pubs were filled with players and they would wager with one another whenever their teams had match days, preceding online live betting on online websites like the betway app when it comes to market traffic. These pubs would also usually turn host to soccer commentaries from many other patrons, which isn’t too far from what platforms like betway would provide its audience.

The excitement of soccer

Today, most Irish fans turn to mobile live betting platforms to find updates about match day games. The production of odds are results of projections and various commentaries that come from the pubs while the bets become easier to make through live betting platforms. Since football is a dynamic sport, odds can shift easily, especially in live betting. Suddenly, every turn and change happening in the game can be wagered on!

For the betting Irishman, the excitement never stops whenever they want to try on higher stakes and higher rewards. Fortunately, technology enhances live betting and poses a richer challenge to take on. Every tactical shift, injury, or red card creates a ripple effect in the live markets, allowing fans to leverage their understanding in real-time. Since these odds change every so often, winning the bet is not as cut and dry compared to the traditional way. But overcoming these odds grant lucrative rewards to the bettors!

Irish luck is always tested come soccer match days which is why live betting platforms have a regular resurgence. Fortunately, they can find out the numbers behind the luck embedded in these establishments.

Hardik Pandya, left, celebrates with captain Suryakumar Yadav the wicket of Netherlands’ Michael Levitt during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Netherlands in Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo)

TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: It’s been four games and four wins but India are yet to have a complete performance with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Unlike the appetisers served in the bilateral which preceded the multi-nation tournament, the main course has fallen far short of expectations. The Men in Blue have had different heroes bail them out of precarious situations in all four games but it could well become a tight position in the Super 8 stage. Suryakumar Yadav vs USA, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya vs Namibia, Ishan again vs Pakistan and now Shivam Dube’s firepower at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.The opening has been the biggest concern as the World No.1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma is yet to score a run in the tournament. It exposed Tilak Varma early, and his newfound obsession of farming strike without showing any intent has sucked momentum from the innings. Surya’s watchful start has further allowed opponents to apply a choke in the middle overs, meaning the lower order does most of the heavy lifting.

Ishan has been India’s primary aggressor, but after he walked off in the fifth over of the innings, the Netherlands gained significant control when Tilak combined with Surya in the middle overs. Together the duo faced 28 deliveries and scored only 30 runs. There was an early reprieve for the Indian captain and the fluency was far from ideal against an attack which stuck to their plans and was very disciplined in front of a capacity crowd.The boundaries had dried up and a sense of desperation was creeping in, prompting an immediate move. Tilak was back after scoring 31 off 27 and Surya found the fielder in the deep ending his knock at 34 off 28 balls. When the runs dried up, Dube, the gladiator, took matters into his own hands and was impeccable with his shot selection. There was a cautious effort by the opposition to mix pace but Dube was not falling in the trap. He seemed to be reading it well off the hand and his approach wasn’t premeditated. The ball was hit where it was supposed to be hit, and there were no half-measures.With six sixes and four boundaries, he injected much needed urgency into the innings and even when Hardik was going at run-a-ball at the other end, Dube’s approach kept India on course of a big total. The partnership between the two raced to 76 off just 35 balls, doing significant damage control for the cautiousness exhibited by the earlier right-left pair of Surya and Tilak in the innings.Chasing 194 runs on a pitch that offered something for bowlers was always going to be a daunting task for the Netherlands. They managed well against the new ball pairing of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh but had no response for Varun Chakravarthy. The mystery spinner, India’s trump card in the tournament, picked three wickets in as many overs – two of those coming off consecutive deliveries, as the Netherlands batter looked clueless when he unzipped his bag of tricks.In their last group game, Surya used as many as seven bowlers – even giving an over to Abhishek Sharma – to ensure everyone is warmed up for the big game against South Africa on February 22. Lower-ranked teams have exposed the Indian batters’ weakness on multiple occasions in the last couple of weeks and the defending champions will want to resolve this before hitting the business end of the tournament.Gerhard Erasmus, Aryan Dutt, Salman Agha, Saim Ayub and Usman Tariq have given enough cues for the teams set to face India in the Super 8. Aiden Markram (South Africa), Roston Chase (West Indies) and Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) will be eagerly waiting for Surya & Co.Brief scoresIndia 193/6 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 66, Suryakumar Yadav 34; Logan van Beek 3/56, Aryan Dutt 2/19)Netherlands 176/7 in 20 overs (Bas de Leede 33, Zach Lion-Cachet 26; Varun Chakravarthy 3/14, Shivam Dube 35/2)

Imagine a heat map of golf-course development at the moment.

It would glow in the Sandhills of the Carolinas, home to a starburst of construction; the high plains outside Denver (see: Rodeo Dunes); and the piney expanses of East Texas, where Wild Spring Dunes is rounding into shape.

But widen the lens and you’d see another bright spot.

Mexico.

Or more specifically: Cabo San Lucas, where the airport keeps expanding, direct flights keep multiplying, and the flow of money and real estate has become so constant that the destination sometimes feels like an annex of L.A.

In recent years, the desert-meets-sea region has given rise to new courses by the likes of Greg Norman and Fred Couples, along with a spate of high-profile renovations. Tom Fazio has a biggie in the works with a second course at Querencia. And don’t forget Tiger Woods, whose exclusive Legacy Golf Club at Diamanté — perched on the rugged Pacific coast — is slated to open next year.

That same wind-buffetted shoreline, which also claims SolMar and Quivira among its tenants, is about to get a little more crowded. Announced last year, Oleada Golf Links, the first design in Mexico by four-time major champion Ernie Els, is now coming into clearer focus, with fresh renderings just released.

Oleada, a Spanish word for “wave,” will sit roughly 15 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas and serve as the centerpiece of Oleada Pacific Living & Golf, an 860-acre resort community spread across a mile of oceanfront.

Els describes the site as one of the best natural properties he’s worked with — a sandy canvas marked by ridges, dunes and rumpled ground that lends itself to a rugged, linksy style of golf (even if the course won’t be a true links in the traditional sense). The setting, he told GOLF.com, is the kind architects dream about: dramatic but not manufactured, offering natural movement that requires little earth-moving.

Working with design partner Greg Letsche, Els plans to route the course so that it begins on higher desert terrain dotted with cacti before tumbling toward the ocean, where most of the holes will play closer to the water. As with other Cabo courses, wind will be a factor, and the design accounts for that, with wide landing areas, multiple angles of attack and a premium placed on creativity along the ground.

The larger development calls for three luxury resorts along with wellness and fitness centers, trails for hiking and biking, orchards and nursery space, and other lifestyle amenities. But real estate and other infrastructure will be set well back from the playing corridors.

Tee times will be available to resort guests and homeowners, with limited additional play expected through select outside stay-and-play arrangements. Preview play is slated to begin in July, with a grand opening scheduled for mid-November. You can put that in your calendar, even as you mark the location on your map.

The chair of Kick It Out, Sanjay Bhandari, says the lack of support from Benfica and the response of their manager Jose Mourinho has “set the tone” in the racism row between the Portuguese club and Real Madrid, after Vinicius Junior alleged he had been racially abused by midfielder Gianluca Prestianni.

READ MORE: Benfica claim ‘defamation campaign’ against Prestianni

Reports of Kirk Cousins’s possible 2026 reunion with the Minnesota Vikings have swung back and forth through seven weeks of the offseason, and the latest clue leans heavily in favor of a partnership. Jason La Canfora spilled his version of the beans this week, insinuating that Cousins could indeed be back to work alongside J.J. McCarthy.

The latest buzz suggests Minnesota could revisit Cousins, but the real story is what job he’d hold.

Cousins worked for the Vikings from 2018 to 2023, helping the club reach the playoffs twice in six years and earn one postseason win.

Cousins Reunion Buzz Gains Momentum

The rumor saga continues.

La Canfora: Cousins to MIN Is Real

La Canfora wasn’t shy this week about banging the drum of a Cousins reunion. He wrote, “Despite interest from other teams, a reunion with Minnesota seems likely due to Cousins’ fit and affection for the city. The NFL moves in mysterious ways, and just two years after Kirk Cousins left Minnesota for a hefty contract in Atlanta.“

“There is now a growing sentiment among NFL executives in the market for quarterbacks that Cousins could very well end up back with the Vikings.”

Minnesota has made it crystal-clear that another quarterback to accompany McCarthy is on the way; it’s just a matter of who and what that man’s role will be.

“McCarthy has proven to be difficult to be develop, according to multiple league sources, with his erratic play playing no small role in the franchise recently moving on from its general manager,” La Canfora continued.

“Cousins finally began to play better football late last season after an Achilles injury, and a poor fit in Atlanta’s offense, led to basically two lost seasons with the Falcons. In a very weak free-agent class, he stands out as a legit stop-gap option.”

McCarthy started 10 games in 2025, the first batch of his career, and ranked dead last leaguewide in EPA+CPOE.

Cousins’s Role?

Imagine a Cousins reunion in Minnesota gaining traction, as La Canfora suggests. The appeal extends beyond mere nostalgia. Cousins previously held the undisputed QB1 position for the Vikings. A return, however, wouldn’t automatically reinstate him.

Kevin O’Connell would face three plausible options: immediately name him the Week 1 starter in 2026, conduct a genuine training camp competition with McCarthy, or assign Cousins to a true QB2 backup role, similar to his anticipated situation in Atlanta in 2025.

Statistical context is key to evaluating Cousins’s potential. In 2023, his last full season as Minnesota’s starter, Cousins ranked fifth in the league in EPA+CPOE. In 2025, that figure plummeted to 30th out of 35 qualifying players. An Achilles tear and the passage of three years separate the potential 2026 version from the 2023 version. While his past accomplishments still hold value, realistic projections require caution. The Vikings won’t get the prime version of Kirko.

La Canfora’s also noted on his source’s intel, “That GM was fairly adamant about a Cousins reunion with Minnesota, though there will clearly be other interested parties. Cousins and his family loved being in Minnesota, he fits the system, they are loaded with skill player talent on the roster.”

“It just may be too good a fit for the team or player to neglect. In other news, quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Malik Willis are also viewed by league insiders as potential movers this offseason.”

A Forgettable 2025 Campaign

The aforementioned stat: in 2025, 35 quarterbacks matched or exceeded Cousins’ passing volume. Of those 35, he ranked 30th in EPA per play.

Should Minnesota reconsider signing him, the front office would be betting on a quarterback who, among qualifying players, ranked as the league’s fifth-worst the previous season. Expecting him to lead them to Super Bowl contention would require a significant leap of faith. Almost a comical leap.

The physical aspect further complicates the situation. McCarthy’s most effective plays in 2025 occurred when he improvised outside of structured plays, scrambling and resetting. This type of flexibility isn’t merely an option in O’Connell’s offense; it’s integral.

Cousins, on the other hand, operates almost exclusively from within the pocket. This has been his established style for years, and at 38, it’s unlikely to change. While his arm remains strong, his mobility is stinks.

Minnesota’s offense, as of late, requires an adaptable and nimble quarterback; Cousins offers inflexibility.

McCarthy v. Cousins in the Summer Somewhat Poetic

No matter one’s opinion of Cousins, the camp battle between him and McCarthy would be one for the ages, at least per the public opinion spectacle. The Vikings would showcase a competition — a real one — of its past and future, with most probably cheering for McCarthy to win the QB1 job along the way.

The optics might be weird and awkward — crawling back to Cousins after a tumultuous early experience with McCarthy. But in the grand scope of Vikings history, the two duking it out in Eagan would be rather fascinating.

Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing has secured a new five-year deal with DAZN in the United States and the United Kingdom

Matchroom signed a major deal with DAZN back in 2021 for the same term, moving its entire stable from Sky Sports. In the time since, the streaming platform has continued to build its boxing output, having partnered with Golden Boy Promotions in 2018 and, more recently, signing up Queensberry as well as a link up with BOXXER, which also broadcasts on the BBC in the UK.

Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said:

“Our new five-year deal with Matchroom Boxing builds on the success of our longstanding partnership and reaffirms DAZN as the global home of boxing. Matchroom Boxing trusts DAZN to deliver the best experiences for the biggest fights for boxing fans everywhere. Together, we’ll continue to raise the bar.”

Hearn echoed the statement.

“DAZN is the only partner that matches our ambitions for boxing. Their global platform, investment, passion and commitment to boxing make them the perfect partner for Matchroom Boxing’s fighters and events. This new, five-year deal in two of the world’s most important boxing markets reinforces our belief and trust in DAZN, and the scale of what we can achieve together.”

Next up on Matchroom’s schedule is the rematch between Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington in Nottingham this coming Saturday night.