Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been recalled to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel for the nation’s first internationals since the World Cup.

The pair were notable omissions from the 26-man World Cup squad that travelled to the United States in the summer. Palmer was snubbed by Tuchel after an injury-hampered 2025/26 resulted in a downturn in performance, while former Liverpool player Alexander-Arnold – who has played just once under Tuchel – was overlooked as a result of perceived defensive frailties.

However, the Chelsea star has got the new campaign off to a flyer under new Blues boss Xabi Alonso, scoring four goals and notching two assists across six games as part of a dynamite front three alongside Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro.

His return to form has been rewarded with a return to the Three Lions setup, joining the creative group of Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze in what is England’s most stacked position. However, there is no place for Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White despite a brilliant start to the season.

Phil Foden was the other big name to miss out on World Cup selection, though his stuttered start to the new season – most recently being sent off in the Manchester derby – means his wait for a recall goes on. The Manchester City midfielder remains without a goal in 2026.

The other side of Manchester has fared better, with Kobbie Mainoo retained despite Manchester United’s dismal early-season run, while Marcus Rashford has been named as a winger option. Harry Maguire, who was outspoken about his disappointment of not being selected for the World Cup, remains out in the cold.

Mainoo was the only player included in the World Cup squad not to play a minute of football in the summer, with injury ruling him out of his best opportunity in the third-place play-off against France.

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and 18-year-old Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha get their first senior call-up after both were included in the support group that travelled to the United States to help England during their World Cup warm-up.

Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly, Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall and Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all also been named.

In total Tuchel has not called up nine players from the initial World Cup squad, with John Stones, Noni Madueke, and the Saudi-based pair of Ivan Toney, and Ollie Watkins dropped. Reece James has not been named after suffering an injury and missing Chelsea training this week, while Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson and former Tottenham full-back Djed Spence – who has yet to play for new club Inter Milan as he rebuilds his fitness – are all also unavailable for selection due to injury.

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Jason Steele

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento, Jarrad Branthwaite, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Lewis Hall, Nico O’Reilly

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Alex Scott

Forwards: Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Rio Ngumoha, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka

Who do England face in the first international break of the season?

England head into an extended three-week international break across the end of September and beginning of October, during which they will play their first four matches of the new Nations League campaign.

The Three Lions return to action against world champions Spain on Saturday 26 September, their first match at Wembley since enduring World Cup heartbreak at the hands of Argentina in the semi-finals.

They then face trips to Czech Republic on Tuesday 29 September and Croatia four days later, before welcoming Czech Republic to Wembley in the reverse fixture on Tuesday 6 October.

Kerala-based sports-tech startup Dartle has raised $100,000 in seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), as it looks to turn growing demand for digital tools in youth sports into a larger international business. The company plans to deploy the capital towards expanding its go-to-market operations, scaling in the US and adding more artificial intelligence (AI)-driven capabilities to its software platform.

The funding comes as Dartle seeks to build on its early traction across international markets, with the US emerging as a key growth market. The startup, founded by Nihal Pradeep, Swathi Krishnan and Nagaraj R Potti, is backed by accelerator Upekkha and has also been recognised by NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore. Its focus is on building a recurring-revenue software business around the operational and performance-management needs of youth sports and football academies.

Building an operating system for sports academies

Dartle operates a vertical business-to-business (B2B) software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed for youth sports and football academies. The platform brings several operational functions under one system, including scheduling, player performance analytics and parent engagement.

The startup is targeting a market where academies often rely on a combination of spreadsheets, messaging applications and manual processes to manage their operations. By bringing these functions onto a single platform, Dartle aims to reduce administrative work while giving coaches and academy administrators greater visibility into player development.

According to the company, its platform can reduce administrative workload by up to 75 per cent. Its data and performance-tracking tools are also designed to help academies monitor individual player development and improve athlete retention.

US market emerges as key growth driver

Dartle currently works with 14 academies across India, the Middle East, Nepal and the US. Its international expansion is increasingly centred on the American market, where the company is running eight paid pilots.

Targeting 100 academies and $1 million ARR

The new funding comes as Dartle looks to scale its customer base and increase recurring revenue. The company plans to onboard more than 100 sports academies globally over the next year and is targeting annual recurring revenue (ARR) of nearly $1 million.

AI will form a key part of that expansion. Dartle plans to deepen AI integrations within its platform as it seeks to offer academies more data-led tools for managing athletes and operations.

For the startup, the immediate focus is on converting its US pilots into wider adoption while expanding its footprint across international youth sports markets. Its growth strategy reflects a broader shift in sports towards technology platforms that combine operational management with player data and engagement tools.

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Real Madrid narrowly defeated Elche (3-2) in Matchday 6 of La Liga. Kylian Mbappé scored a goal and provided an assist.

Lock it in!

The Seattle Seahawks are putting 29-year-old quarterback Drew Lock under center for their Week 2 road matchup against the NFC West-rival Arizona Cardinals (Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX), as starter Sam Darnold nurses a glute injury that he sustained in their Week 1 win over the New England Patriots.

Here are five things to know about Lock:

Drew Lock balled out for the Missouri Tigers.

Serving as the Tigers’ starting quarterback from 2016-18 — and being part of the program from 2015-18 — Lock averaged 3,620.3 passing yards, 31.7 passing touchdowns, 10.3 interceptions and a 148.7 passer rating per season over that span, while completing 58.4% of his passes. Most notably, Lock led the SEC with 3,964 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns and a 165.7 passer rating in 2017. Granted, he also led the conference with 13 interceptions. Missouri appeared in a bowl game with Lock in both 2017 and 2018.

Well before the Super Bowl, there was Mizzou and the Liberty Bowl. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Lock is second in Missouri history with 12,193 passing yards and 99 passing touchdowns.

In between Peyton Manning’s final season (2015) and Russell Wilson’s first season with the franchise (2022) — we’ll revisit this shortly — 11 different players started at quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Lock was one of those 11 players.

Denver selected Lock with the No. 42 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, with him starting a combined 21 games from 2019-21. Lock was the team’s primary quarterback in 2020, throwing for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions across 13 starts, while posting a 75.4 passer rating and completing 57.3% of his passes. He also rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns.

So, why did Denver’s 2019 second-round pick only play three seasons for the team?

Lock was part of one of the biggest trades in NFL history.

In March 2022, the Broncos traded Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two-second round picks and a fifth-rounder to the Seahawks for star quarterback and then-nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.

The New York Giants entered their Week 17 home tilt against the Indianapolis Colts with the worst record in the NFL and two losses away from having the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not on Lock’s watch.

After spending the bulk of the 2024 season as the team’s backup to Daniel Jones, Lock made five starts after New York released Jones following a 2-8 start, with Lock’s fourth start being arguably the best of his career and one of the best in Giants’ history. In what was a 45-33 win for the Giants, Lock threw for 309 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, while posting a career-high 155.3 passer rating – it was the third-highest passer rating in a game in Giants’ history – completing 73.9% of his passes (17 of 23) and rushing for a score.

The Giants went on to pick third in the 2025 NFL Draft. That said, one could argue it worked out for New York, which selected Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick and traded up to select Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 pick. Dart and the Giants opened the 2026 season with a win at home over the Dallas Cowboys, with the second-year quarterback throwing for 230 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 134.2 passer rating and completing 79.3% of his passes (23 of 29) in the victory.

Of course, Lock landing in Seattle in 2022 and later playing one season for the Giants makes his presence with the Seahawks in 2026 his second act with the franchise.

Act 1 got off to a bumpy start for Lock, who lost a quarterback battle to Geno Smith in 2022, with Smith going on to be the team’s starting quarterback from 2022-24. With that said, Lock made two starts for the Seahawks in 2023, highlighted by hitting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a go-ahead and eventual game-winning 29-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

As for the present, Lock played all but the opening series in Seattle’s Week 1 win over New England, throwing for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, while posting a 113.3 passer rating and completing 72.7% of his passes (16 of 22). Last year, Lock appeared in five regular-season games and one playoff game for the Seahawks, but he never made a start.

Sunday will mark Lock’s 29th NFL start.

NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that Hardik Pandya will have to build his way back into international cricket through game time, with the all-rounder currently not part of India’s squads after not playing enough cricket since the IPL.

Following India’s 127-run win over Afghanistan in the third T20I in New Delhi on Thursday, Gambhir said Pandya’s immediate priority should be getting back on the field, including through the India A series, before pushing for a return to the senior sides.

“Hardik at the moment cannot bowl 10 overs, and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL, so we don’t want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well,” Gambhir said during the post-match press conference.

The India head coach also revealed that the message to Pandya has been straightforward: play, regain match fitness and then push for a place in both white-ball squads.

“And that was the clear message to him that if he can play that India A series, and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20s and the one-day squad as well,” Gambhir said.

India could play Hardik and Nitish together

Gambhir’s comments also highlighted India’s plans to develop more than one seam-bowling all-rounder. Nitish Kumar Reddy, initially included in India’s 15-member Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn from the continental event and will instead feature in the ODI series against the West Indies.

Gambhir believes the move will give Reddy valuable game time and accelerate his development with the ball ahead of India’s future assignments.

“From Nitish’s point of view, it’s actually a great thing that he’s been withdrawn from the T20 format, and he’ll get game time against the West Indies as well,” he said. “We know how important a seam-bowling all-rounder will probably be in a year and when we go to South Africa. And once Hardik comes back, obviously it’s going to be good.”

The coach even suggested India could eventually accommodate both Pandya and Reddy in the same playing XI.

“Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11,” Gambhir said, while stressing that Pandya’s current bowling workload remains a factor.

“Hardik at the moment cannot bowl 10 overs,” he added.

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Reddy’s bowling development excites Gambhir

Gambhir was encouraged by Reddy’s progress as a seam-bowling all-rounder and believes having multiple players who can contribute with both bat and ball will give India greater flexibility.

“I think it’s good that we got Nitish now from the Asian Games so that now he can, and you could see the more he bowls, the better he becomes, and we have when you can develop a couple of seam-bowling all-rounders, it will always be handy,” Gambhir said.

Reddy will now get an opportunity to feature in the ODI series against the West Indies rather than the Asian Games, providing him with additional match exposure.

Abhishek’s hundred powers India to 3-0 sweep

The Hardik discussion came after India completed a commanding 3-0 T20I series sweep over Afghanistan. Abhishek Sharma smashed a record-breaking 108 off just 34 balls as India posted 221/7 in the third match in New Delhi.

Ravi Bishnoi and Reddy then claimed three wickets each as Afghanistan were bowled out for 94, their lowest total against India in T20Is and their heaviest defeat in the format.

Gambhir, however, said the focus inside the dressing room remained on impact rather than individual milestones.

“I can sit here and keep talking about his 100, but it’s just the impact. The only thing we talk about in that dressing room is how much impact we create with the bat and how much impact we can create with the ball,” Gambhir said.

India’s 100 runs in the powerplay was another major positive for Gambhir.

“T20 cricket is not about runs or wickets; it’s about how much impact you can create,” he said. “The biggest positive was we got a 100 in the powerplay that we have never done in my coaching tenure.”

Another domestic football season is underway and already, in mid-September, the shortcomings of technology in sport are at the center of the discourse once again.

The video assistant referee (VAR) is perhaps the most discussed technology in modern sport. While video replays have been in use for years in sports like American football, rugby or cricket, it has only been a decade since the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the highest regulatory authority in the sport, approved the use of VAR.

With artificial intelligence (AI) reportedly reaching dangerous levels of development and technological optimization of people’s lives at an all-time high, it is perhaps a pertinent time to consider the use of technology in sport. Has it finally evolved from a supporting role to an all-powerful, game-altering one?

“The idea behind VAR was that technology could reduce human error while leaving the referee in charge,” Susmit Gulavani, an assistant professor in AI and machine learning in sport at the University of South Carolina, told DW.

“Over time, however, VAR has expanded in both its use and its influence. The introduction of newer technologies, such as AI-assisted Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT), has made it an increasingly central part of decision making. While these advances have improved the precision of offside decisions, they have also raised expectations that technology should deliver perfect outcomes,” he said.

“That is where the sense of “mission creep” comes from. VAR is now expected to resolve almost every contentious decision, even though many incidents, such as fouls or handball decisions, still require human interpretation.”

That pursuit of perfection often leaves fans waiting and confused, and it breaks up a game that is fast and fluid. The World Cup this summer was evidence of that. And yet, if anything, the technology looks like it is finding more ways to embed itself into the sport.

VAR in the Bundesliga under the spotlight 

It has been nine years since VAR was introduced to the Bundesliga.

After the World Cup, German officials confirmed that VAR will also be allowed to have a say in second yellow cards and corner kicks in the Bundesliga. Granting technology additional powers did not go down well with organized fan groups in the country though, who launched a coordinated campaign calling for VAR to be scrapped in August this year. The broad message was that the technology has “robbed football of its joy” and that it was time to put the cameras back in the box.

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This is particularly significant in Germany, where many fans are club members and therefore have genuine influence over the actions of their club and the governance of the game. Jochen Drees, the head of VAR operations in Germany, has however argued for refining the technology rather than removing it – a natural tendency, according to Gulavani.

VAR mission creep a symbol of technology’s power

“VAR is a useful example of a broader societal pattern. As technology becomes more capable, we increasingly rely on it, but we also have to decide where its role should begin and end,” he said.

“The appeal is understandable because AI can significantly improve efficiency and productivity. Tasks that once took hours can often be completed in minutes. At the same time, this expansion raises important questions about privacy, transparency, accountability, environmental costs, and where human judgment should remain central.”

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Is AI the better referee?

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What will technology in sport look like in the future?

Sport without this technology is unlikely. Business, recruitment and event management are already finding ways to be more efficient thanks to the introduction of AI and other technologies.

As for VAR, perhaps a different system is required. At the U20 men’s football World Cup last year, challenge cards, as seen in the NFL for example, were trialed. Coaches could ask for situations to be reviewed, reducing the interference of constant replays and slow-motion assessments. Reportedly, trialing of the approach, officially called Football Video Support (FVS), continues but it is likely seen as a cheaper alternative to the expensive VAR rather than a replacement.

“The key is to treat technology as decision support rather than decision replacement,” Gulavani said. “

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AI and technologies like VAR are good at processing large amounts of information quickly and consistently, but they cannot fully understand the context, intent, or nuance that many sporting decisions require. Human referees are still needed to interpret the Laws of the Game and exercise judgment in situations where there is no objectively ‘correct’ answer.”

A return to a previous era seems unlikely, but the challenge is familiar. Can sport find a way to return technology to a supporting role rather than one that governs it to such an extent that it removes human engagement and emotion? If it can, perhaps those ripples will be felt beyond the white lines of sporting arenas.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Collagen, long associated with skincare and wellness products, is increasingly finding a place in elite sport, where athletes are using it as part of efforts to support joints, tendons and other connective tissues.

The shift represents a new application for an ingredient already established in the consumer health and beauty market. In high-performance sport, however, the focus is less on appearance and more on helping athletes cope with the physical demands of repeated training, competition and rehabilitation.

Collagen is generally consumed as peptides or powder, particularly by athletes returning from injury and those competing in sports that place greater loads on the body.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Wayne Lombard, head of athletic performance for the Indian women’s hockey team, said the science around collagen use in sport is still developing. He added that athletes use it because of its potential role in supporting joints and tissues such as ligaments, the meniscus and the labrum.

Injury management creates a new sports-nutrition market

Collagen is a structural protein found in connective tissues, including tendons, ligaments and cartilage. For elite athletes, maintaining these tissues can be important because training involves repeated mechanical loading and, in some sports, high-impact movements.

According to The Indian Express report, Lombard said athletes use collagen to strengthen soft tissues and help keep them in a condition capable of handling repeated physical stress. He also said its use becomes particularly relevant when athletes are recovering from injuries.

That puts collagen in a different segment of the sports-supplement market. Rather than being promoted primarily for muscle growth or an immediate performance boost, its use is linked to the broader objective of keeping athletes available for training and competition.

High-performance centres bring supplementation under scrutiny

The growing use of collagen also reflects the changing role of sports science in Indian high-performance programmes.

At the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Vijayanagar, supplementation is part of a wider system that places emphasis on nutrition, training and rehabilitation. The centre follows a “food first” approach, encouraging athletes to meet their nutritional requirements through food wherever possible.

Samuel Pullinger, head of sport science at IIS Vijayanagar, said collagen is used for joint health and pain management, with supplementation timed around specific phases of training or rehabilitation.

Athletes in sports such as rowing, swimming and athletics, particularly the triple jump, are among those using collagen because of the physical loads associated with their disciplines, according to the report.

The approach illustrates how sports organisations are increasingly treating supplements as part of an athlete-management programme rather than standalone products. Decisions around their use can involve sports scientists, nutritionists, coaches and medical teams.

Timing becomes part of the proposition

Another element attracting attention is when collagen is consumed. Pullinger said collagen has a specific window in which it can be particularly useful and suggested consuming it around 45 to 60 minutes before training or a rehabilitation session. He also recommended pairing it with vitamin C.

Research has explored this timing principle, with studies suggesting that consuming gelatin or collagen before exercise can increase markers of collagen synthesis. But these studies have generally been small, meaning the findings do not establish that a particular timing protocol will improve sporting results.

That distinction is important as collagen moves further into the elite-sport market. The commercial opportunity lies in a more specialised product proposition — supplements designed around training and rehabilitation — rather than presenting collagen as a shortcut to improved performance.

Science still puts limits on the claims

The expanding use of collagen comes despite an evidence base that is still evolving. Recent research has found potential benefits for tendon adaptation and connective-tissue health, but evidence of a direct improvement in athletic performance or muscle strength is less conclusive. The emerging consensus is that collagen may have a role alongside appropriate mechanical loading, nutrition and rehabilitation, rather than functioning as a performance enhancer on its own.

Pullinger also cautioned athletes against viewing collagen as a secret ingredient that could dramatically transform sporting results.

For Indian sport, therefore, collagen’s significance may lie less in its promise as a miracle supplement and more in what its growing use says about the professionalisation of athlete care. As high-performance programmes invest more in recovery, injury management and sports science, supplements such as collagen are becoming another tool in the business of keeping elite athletes training and competition-ready.

For the Chicago White Sox, dropping two of three in a series against the Cleveland Guardians really feels like a double whammy.

Not only did Chicago fall out of first place in the AL Central for the first time since early July, but they also fumbled away a valuable first-round bye in the postseason. If the White Sox somehow get right in the final eight games of the regular season, their best chance of making the playoffs at the moment is via the AL Wild Card — along with the other rabble.

By carving out space for three Wild Card teams, Major League Baseball treats the division winner with the second-best record like the team with the best record. This means the Tampa Bay Rays (92-59) could win 100 games and the AL East and be rewarded almost identically to another division-winner that can’t finish better than 87-75.

It doesn’t seem fair, but that’s what Major League Baseball gets for making it too easy — or “fair,” if you will — to reach the postseason in the first place. The entirety of the American League has played mediocre baseball all season, and as a result, all but three teams still have a chance to be a Wild Card as of Thursday morning. It’s like that “Oprah” where everyone wins a car. Sorry to say, the Kansas City Royals (67-85) dream of driving off to the playoffs crashed last night.

Someone being eliminated from the postseason in the AL isn’t something that happens every day. And it won’t happen today, because the earliest the Minnesota Twins can be eliminated is Friday. The Seattle Mariners, who sneakily have a day off Thursday, can’t be snuffed out until the weekend. What a life.

Looking critically at the AL Wild Card field, it’s probably too harsh to say “they all stink,” but they definitely are thoroughly flawed teams. Even the ones from the mighty AL East. For all of the handwringing about how the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox “deserve” a bye more than any of the AL Central or AL West unmentionables, sure, let’s feel sorry for someone from the AL East.

Because of their starting pitching, the Red Sox have a legit shot to emerge and reach the World Series. They’d supercharge their chances if they had a bye. But if you break up their outlier 15-game winning streak from two months ago, their 82-70 record looks a lot more like the other Sox.

The Yankees — won’t someone think of the Yankees?! — could use a bye because it would give Aaron Judge a few extra days to stay off his feet. He’s hurt again. They could still attrit (as in attrition) their way to the World Series — but only because the competition ain’t too good.

Save the “re-seeding” talk for another season. The AL is just bad, and the reward is a playoff spot.

The Guardians still have time to mediocre themselves (mediocre is a verb now) back into the Wild Card portion. Their 9-7 September surge is not synonymous with a run that erased a 15 1/2 game deficit on the Detroit Tigers a season ago. Going back to the start of June, they’re four games under .500. Are the Guardians like a watch dog? Because, woof.

And don’t even look at the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros out of the AL West. Don’t look! What the league should do in their case is tell the winner they’ve made the playoffs and send them to an empty stadium in a recreation of that scene in “Goodfellas” with Joe Pesci in his nicest suit. And then have their moms make them dinner. But no playoffs.