The Irish government has indicated to Uefa a desire to host more Euro 2028 tournament matches in the Republic of Ireland.
The European Championship finals will be staged across the UK and Ireland, with the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to host six matches.
Five games were scheduled to take place in Belfast but the UK government’s decision not to provide funding to rebuild Casement Park in the west of the city in time for the Euros put pay to that.
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The cost of rebuilding the derelict Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) stadium to a specification which would allow it to host Euro matches had escalated, with the UK government saying that the finances required had exceeded £400m.
Speaking at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, Irish Culture and Sports Minister Catherine Martin said that she would like to see more of the tournament’s matches held on the island of Ireland.
On the prospect of additional Euros games potentially being staged outside of Dublin, she said: “I think that’s ultimately for the stakeholders themselves to decide. But yes, the more that can be held on a wider spread.
“I always talk about regional tourism as well, and looking at the 250,000 people working in tourism, 70% of them are in the regions.”
We’re on to Week 7, and I’ve got my eyes on a handful of games.
For those new to this space, if you are looking for a few wagers to get in on the NFL action, I have you covered. Nothing makes football better than having a few bucks on the games weekly.
Last week, we went 3-0 in this spot. Let’s keep building on that!
I think the Eagles are in a bad place right now. They were far from convincing in a win over the lowly Browns last week and now head to face the Giants, who have had trouble finding the end zone at home. Even with their wide receiver group healthy and back in the lineup, the Eagles offense sputtered last week and the Giants front should give them problems here. It doesn’t hurt the Giants should have Malik Nabers back as well.
PICK: Giants (+3.5) to lose by fewer than 3.5 points, or win outright
Let’s get one thing clear: This is not a revenge game. There is no revenge for losing two Super Bowls which you should have won. However, the Niners can do themselves a lot of good in a quest to get back to another Super Bowl this year by beating the two-time defending champs and getting above .500 this year. The Chiefs are coming off a bye, but the Niners also have a few extra days rest having won in Seattle on Thursday. That should help heal some of their injuries, while we know K.C. will be without Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice. I sense there will be a bunch of people flocking to the “Mahomes as a dog” angle here, but I think this game means a lot more to the Niners here given the Chiefs lead in the division and S.F. having given away a couple of games this year.
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PICK: 49ers (-1.5) to win by more than 1.5 points
Chris “The Bear” Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, “The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!” Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica.
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Weir’s goal set the tone for what turned out to be a difficult evening for Elena Sadiku’s Celtic side, as they continued in their first ever Champions League group campaign.
It’s now no points and no goals after opening with a home defeat by Dutch champions FC Twente, and this sore one in Madrid.
There was no doubt Real were the dominant side and probably should have made more of their chances early on, but Celtic battled until the final quarter when the dam broke and the hosts added three late goals.
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Sadiku though, insisted 2-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the game.
“I think how we played football was amazing against a team like Real Madrid,” the Swede said.
“I’m very proud of the team. First half, we defended well and had energy from the girls.
“Second half, we created chances and that could’ve changed the game. We need to be executing those better.”
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“For me, how we played football and how we attacked shows what I want with this team.”
Crichton agreed Celtic’s performance was an improvement on the defeat by Twente, where the Scottish champions struggled to create chances.
And, had Murphy Agnew and Emma Lawton made more of their opportunities, things might have been different.
“In my opinion it’s really harsh,” the former Scotland defender said of the scoreline.
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“When you go up against top sides you expect to be without the ball and your goalkeeper to be worked and to have to put bodies on the line.
“When you look at Real’s 31 shots and 14 on target, they were lucky if a quarter of them tested [goalkeeper]Kelsey Daugherty.
“Celtic can keep their heads high and hopefully they will dust themselves down and give a better account of themselves against Chelsea.
“The Celtic manager said they were better equipped after the Twente game, and watching them for the 93 minutes I would agree.”
In recent years, there’s typically been a quarterback or two that have established themselves as the best or one of the best prospects at their position for the ensuing NFL Draft. Caleb Williams entered the 2023 season as a clear favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 while Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were battling for that honor during the 2022 season, eventually going Nos. 1 and 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As the 2024 college football season reaches its halfway point, there doesn’t appear to be a similar consensus formed among the quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Colin Cowherd believes there’s one quarterback who’s already emerged from the pack: Colorado’sShedeur Sanders.
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“I think it’s pretty obvious: That’s the No. 1 pick,” Cowherd said of how he felt watching Sanders in Colorado’s loss to Kansas State last Saturday.
While Sanders wasn’t able to get the win, he had another impressive performance in Week 7. He completed 34 of 40 passes for 388 yards, three touchdowns and an interception against the Wildcats. He’s completed 72.6% of his passes for 2,018 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
As Sanders is in the midst of another impressive campaign, Cowherd thinks his play, along with concerns he has about the other top quarterback prospects in the draft, make Sanders the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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“First of all, Quin Ewers, like him, [but he’s] hurt again, don’t love that,” Cowherd said. “Cam Ward, feels small. I’ve fallen for [that] before. Shedeur Sanders, same height, I never think about his height. It may not [make sense], but when I look at Shedeur Sanders — [Patrick] Mahomes and Shedeur Sanders are the same size. They play big. I think [Ward] comes across as a mover and a playmaker. I think Shedeur Sanders is easily the best quarterback in college. I think he’s separated [himself from the rest]. … Carson Beck without Brock Bowers is not the same.”
Cowherd isn’t alone in thinking that Sanders is the top quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang has Sanders as the first quarterback being selected in his most recent mock draft. He has the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Sanders with the fourth overall pick.
FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt is also a fan of Sanders’, thinking he can be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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“I think Shedeur Sanders is such a better player than he gets credit for because everybody loves to hate on Colorado, Shedeur Sanders and his dad,” Klatt said on “The Herd.” “He didn’t have his two best receivers and they’re going against Kansas State and they have a lead with two minutes to go. I felt like the coaching staff for Colorado fumbled the game at the end.
“He’s fabulous. He’s accurate. He’s tough — you talk about tough, there’s no one in the last two years in college football who’s been hit more than Shedeur Sanders and he gets right back up. He continues to stand in the face of pressure and throw dimes. I love that about him. He’s an anticipatory thrower. He’s smart. He understands defensive structure. His game translates.”
Is Shedeur Sanders the best QB in College Football?
However, Klatt disagreed with Cowherd’s notion that Sanders has “separated” himself from the rest of the quarterback prospects. He believes that Ward has been “sensational” enough to possibly be the first quarterback taken in next year’s draft while poinitng out a couple of flaws in Sanders’ game.
“[Sheduer’s] got to quit holding onto the football,” Klatt said. “He’s allergic to incompletions, so he doesn’t want to throw the football away. You’ve got to throw the football away, particularly at the next level, or you’re going to get hurt. The next thing is, he’s got this — and it’s happened twice this year — weird, ‘I’m going to take the fade’ and it’s not the situation to throw the fade.
“Fourth-and-6 on Saturday night against Kansas State, they’ve got to drive down and kick a field and he throws a fade. Dude, you got blitzed from the wide side of the field, you’ve got an in-breaking route that’s got inside leverage on the support defender. Throw the in-breaking route!”
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Sanders has been sacked more than any other quarterback since he transferred to Colorado in 2023. He was brought down for 52 sacks last year and has been sacked 23 times this season, just one short for the most in the nation.
As for Ward, Klatt didn’t touch on why he’s a big fan of his during his appearance on “The Herd.” But he’s raved about Miami‘s quarterback for much of the season on “The Joel Klatt Show,” recently ranking him third on his Heisman ballot ahead of any other quarterback. Ward has thrown for 2,219 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions this season to go with 11 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Still, Klatt believes Sanders is a strong quarterback prospect and might be the first player whose name is called at the NFL Draft next April.
“There are things that frustrate me about Shedeur, namely those decisions in critical moments and that he holds the football,” Klatt said. “But everything else, this guy is fabulous. He’s accurate, he’s tough. He absolutely could be the first pick in the draft.”
Pep Guardiola is open to extending his stay at Manchester City, Barcelona rejected huge Lamine Yamal bid in summer, and Manchester United are chasing Frenkie de Jong.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola could sign an extension to his contract even if the club loses its legal battle against 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. (Athletic), external
Sporting’s Portuguese boss Ruben Amorim, 39, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Spanish head coach Xabi Alonso, 42, top Manchester City’s list to replace Guardiola if he decides to leave. (Mail), external
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Barcelona rejected a 250m euros offer from Paris St-Germain in the summer for their 17-year-old Spain winger Lamine Yamal. (Goal), external
Arsenal and Manchester City are among the admirers of 23-year-old Atalanta and Belgium midfielder Charles de Ketelaere. (Caught Offside), external
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is keen to sign Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 27, in January as he attempts to rebuild his midfield. (Sport – in Spanish), external
Manchester United are interested in RB Leipzig and Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko, 21, who is expected to depart the Bundesliga club next summer. (Mail – subscription required), external
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Bayer Leverkusen and Germany defender Jonathan Tah, 28, Canada and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, 23, and Lille and Canada forward Jonathan David, 24, are being tracked by Barcelona. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei, 21, has been advised by Italy Under-21 boss Carmine Nunziata to consider his Blues future in January if he is not getting game time. (Rai Radio 1 via Metro), external
New England boss Thomas Tuchel could make approaches for staff currently at his former club Chelsea, with the German, 51, keen to assemble a new backroom team that he trusts. (Mail), external
With the Davante Adams trade to the New York Jets serving as a backdrop, we took a closer look at the top passing trios in the league — specifically, quarterbacks and their top two wide receivers.
Their offense doesn’t always operate at an elite level, but that’s not because of a lack of talent. Burrow is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, regardless of distance or situation, and he’s got a knack for putting the ball in the perfect situation for his receivers. Not that he needs to, necessarily, for Chase and Higgins. Both of them are so tough when it comes to making contested catches and they both have the explosiveness to turn any throw into a big play.
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Chase might be the most explosive receiver in the NFL. He’s averaging 16.6 yards per catch and almost half of that average (7.8) comes after the catch — second best in the NFL among receivers with at least 20 catches this season. And Higgins has become a sure-handed underneath target, with zero drops this season. At some point this season, this passing attack is going to get rolling, and when it does, more wins will likely follow. — Ralph Vacchiano
Stroud has shown that last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign was no fluke, as he’s now an MVP candidate in his second season. One of the primary reasons for that is the playmakers that the Texans have surrounded him with on the perimeter. Collins is a problem for most NFL cornerbacks because of his size (6-4, 222 pounds) and ability to make contested catches.
Houston added another dimension to its offensive attack in the offseason by trading for Diggs. A former All-Pro who can still get vertical and make plays downfield, Diggs has been most effective in the slot for Houston, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards from that alignment. Add in explosive playmaker Tank Dell, and the Texans have an argument for boasting the best passing group in the NFL. — Eric Williams
The Eagles have almost $200 million in guaranteed money invested in this trio, and they’re worth every penny. The addition of Brown, in particular, transformed Hurts and the Eagles’ offense when he arrived in 2022. The year before, Hurts threw almost exclusively toward the outside where Smith was being double-teamed by everyone. When Brown arrived, he opened up the middle of the field for the Eagles and their offense exploded.
Brown is a master at getting open, especially in the deep middle where he can turn on the jets and turn a 20-yard throw into a long touchdown. In the two games he’s played this year, he’s averaging 21.4 yards per catch. Smith isn’t as explosive or prolific, but he’s shockingly tough for someone with such a slight frame (6-foot, 170). He’s sure-handed too, with no drops this season and only five last year.
Hurts isn’t the most dynamic passer, and he’s not the quarterback he was in 2022. But few are better at creating outside the pocket, where he’s a dangerous runner and has a knack for finding open receivers on extended plays. The ability of Brown and Smith to get open has a lot to do with that. — Ralph Vacchiano
It’s understandable why Rodgers wanted to reunite with Adams. And don’t get it twisted — even though he turns 32 in December, Adams can still play. He’s one of the best route runners in the league, and the chemistry the two had in Green Bay was special. The addition of Adams will make the Jets better in situational football, like third down and in the red zone, because of Adams’ ability to win in compact spaces and make tough, contested catches on a consistent basis.
With Adams in the fold, Wilson will be freed up to stretch the field vertically and make more explosive plays downfield, creating a dynamic duo to take pressure off Rodgers to be perfect in the passing game. While Wilson’s target share will take a hit in the short term, he should get more desirable matchups with Adams on the other side, which will lead to more big plays. Because of their unique and complimentary skill sets, Adams and Wilson will be one of the tougher WR tandems for defenses to prepare for in the second half of the season. — Eric Williams
This second act for Mayfield has been something to watch. Surrounded with the kind of playmakers he never had in Cleveland, he has suddenly become a more accurate and much more prolific passer. He has always had a canon of an arm, though it came with a tendency to be a little wild. Now he’s got receivers who can handle it.
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There are few who have been better or more consistent in the NFL over the past decade than Evans. He’s big (6-5, 231), strong and sure-handed (just one drop this season). And maybe nobody is better at coming down with jump balls. He’s also a reliable red-zone target too, with 18 touchdowns since the start of last season.
And the speedy Godwin is the perfect complement. He’s the YAC king — the NFL leader in yards after the catch, with 324 of his 511 receiving yards coming after the ball hits his hands. And when it hits, it stays there. He has just two drops this year and has averaged only three per season. When Mayfield throws his direction, he has a passer rating of 138.3. — Ralph Vacchiano
Credit begins with Purdy, who is doing more of the heavy lifting this season with Christian McCaffrey sidelined. Teams are playing more man coverage and committing more bodies to stopping the run, leading to more throws by Purdy down the field into tight coverage.
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But Purdy has successfully made the switch, which is why he’s entered the MVP conversation. Samuel has assumed McCaffrey’s role as the primary movable chess piece in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, lining up all over the field. And after a slow start due to missing the offseason because of a contract dispute, Aiyuk is finally taking on a larger role in the offense. Samuel and Aiyuk remain two of the best receivers in the league in creating explosive plays, and Jauan Jennings has an argument as the best third receiver in the NFL. — Eric Williams
Jared Goff is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL, and he has been since his days in Los Angeles where he took the Rams to a Super Bowl. He’s always been smart and accurate with a strong-enough arm. He certainly can get himself into trouble and has had a few years with way too many interceptions. But for the most part, he’s shown he can win, as long as he doesn’t have to carry a team.
In Detroit, he doesn’t. The Lions have a terrific defense and running game for that. Goff also has a strong receiver duo in St. Brown and Williams. St. Brown is just a notch below the top-tier receivers in the NFL. He had a huge season last year, but it was more because he knows how to get open and is a high-volume player (164 targets last year, fifth most in the NFL).
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Williams is the explosive one. He only has 16 catches so far this season, but they’ve gone for 365 yards. His average of 11.6 yards after the catch leads all wideouts. In fact, the next closest receiver (Xavier Worthy, Chiefs) averages 9.0. Brown is the safety net for Goff. But Williams is always one play away from being gone. — Ralph Vacchiano
Because of his sheer size, physicality and speed, Metcalf is one of the league’s toughest matchups for defensive backs. However, new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has yet to unlock Metcalf’s skill set in his scheme. Add to that a wily veteran like Tyler Lockett, who remains Smith’s most trusted receiver, and Seattle presents a problem for opposing defenses because of its ability to both stretch the field vertically with Metcalf and win over the middle with Lockett.
But the up-and-comer in the Seahawks’ offense is former first-round selection Smith-Njigba. While the Ohio State product is Seattle’s third receiver on paper, he’ll likely lead the team in receptions and targets by the end of the year because of his sticky hands and ability to create consistent separation in tight quarters. — Eric Williams
This inclusion goes beyond the 509-yard, four-touchdown game Cousins had two weeks ago against Tampa Bay. At 36 years old and in his first year in Atlanta, he isn’t likely to have many games like that. Cousins’ best attribute is his efficiency. He gets the ball to his playmakers. In fact, 82.7% of his passes this season have been rated as “on target” by Pro Football Reference — the best percentage in the league.
That’s why both of his receivers are off to excellent starts. London looks like he’s ready to finally break out in his third NFL season, as he’s on pace for 108 catches, 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, 213 pounds, he’s so big and strong, and he has just eight career drops. It never made sense that he wasn’t a better red-zone target. Cousins is the right quarterback to make him one.
Atlanta is also getting a lot from Mooney out of the slot, though he’s dropped a few too many passes this season (five). The veteran is shifty and good at adjusting his route. He and London give Cousins a nice inside-outside combination, which has surprisingly given the Falcons one of the best passing attacks in the league. — Ralph Vacchiano
Minnesota has the best receiver in the NFL in Jefferson, so let’s start there. His ability to win contested catches and create explosive plays is elite, giving Darnold someone to throw the ball to when the picture is muddy on any given play. Jefferson’s playmaking alone is one of the main reasons Darnold is experiencing a rebirth in Minnesota.
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And while he’s been dinged up this season, Addison proved last year as a rookie that he is a stellar wingman opposite Jefferson. The USC product is a smooth route runner who also makes plays after the catch. And despite his 5-11, 175-pound frame, Addison is not afraid to go across the middle and take big hits while coming down with the football. — Eric Williams
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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