Queensland Country Bank Stadium will play host to Saturday’s
Round 17 NRL game between North Queensland Cowboys and
Penrith Panthers. The game kicks off at 5:30 pm with Penrith Panthers heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the North Queensland Cowboys vs.
Penrith Panthers
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday June 27, 2026 at 5:30 pm

Where: Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

North Queensland Cowboys vs Penrith Panthers Odds

North Queensland Cowboys vs Penrith Panthers Preview

Penrith will start strong favourites when it travels to Townsville to face North Queensland on Saturday evening.

The Cowboys struggled to contain New Zealand’s attacking pressure last week, particularly through the middle of the field. While North Queensland’s powerful forwards remain dangerous with momentum, repeated defensive efforts have exposed vulnerabilities at times this season.

That presents an opportunity for the Panthers, who remain one of the competition’s most methodical teams. Nathan Cleary’s game management and Penrith’s ability to patiently build pressure continue to separate them from most opponents.

The Panthers have won seven of their past eight meetings against the Cowboys and will be confident of strengthening their position near the top of the ladder, while North Queensland needs a significant response after last week’s disappointing performance.

The United States men’s national team opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-1 rout of Paraguay behind two goals from Folarin Balogun, and after taking care of Australia, the team has one match left in the group stage against Turkey on Thursday night.

The Americans took care of Australia last week 2-0 to keep their strong start rolling. The victory clinched a knockout-round berth for Team USA. The USMNT will look to carry its momentum into their match against Turkey as the Stars and Stripes return to Los Angeles Stadium.

Players of the United States celebrate their first goal, an own goal by Cameron Burgess of Australia, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, Washington, on June 19, 2026. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

WATCH USA VS TURKEY ON FOX ONE

Australia began its World Cup run with a win over Turkey before suffering a setback against the U.S. The Australians will meet Paraguay on Thursday in a match featuring two teams already beaten by the Americans during the group stage.

Late last month, the Americans defeated Senegal, 3-2, in a World Cup tuneup match.

Under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, the USMNT entered the tournament as the No. 17 team in the FIFA World Rankings. FIFA determines its world rankings using the Elo rating system, which rewards teams for wins and penalizes them for losses while also factoring in the strength of the competition.

Alex Freeman of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between the U.S. and Australia at Seattle Stadium on June 19, 2026. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE

This year’s World Cup features an expanded field of 48 teams.

Here’s how to watch the game, including start time, TV information and streaming options.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed on stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw on Dec. 3, 2025. (Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

How to Watch United States vs Turkey

When: Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California.

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch on FOX One and FOX Sports.

Floyd Mayweather’s planned exhibition against Greek kickboxing icon Mike Zambidis this weekend has now been cancelled following a dramatic legal battle that has engulfed the Hall of Famer’s 2026 comeback schedule.

The exhibition, scheduled for Saturday, June 27 in Athens, Greece, became the subject of a recent lawsuit after CSI claimed Mayweather is contractually obligated to fulfil previously signed agreements to face Mike Tyson in an exhibition before a professional rematch with Manny Pacquiao. The company argued that staging the Zambidis exhibition with another promoter would breach those agreements.

A federal court hearing was held this week, with a judge then expected to rule on whether the injunction preventing the Zambidis bout should remain in place. However, since the ruling remains pending, “the Mayweather-Zambidis event will no longer proceed in Athens, Greece as planned on Saturday evening”.

There has not yet been an indication that the exhibition will be rescheduled, and it appears unlikely that Mayweather’s exhibition schedule will move forward until his dispute with CSI is resolved.

That legal battle could also have wider implications, with veteran boxing reporter Dan Rafael reporting that the long-discussed Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch has been pushed back from its planned 2026 date and, if it happens at all, is now expected no earlier than January 2027.

For now, the cancellation leaves Mayweather’s immediate future firmly up in the air. The undefeated former five-weight world champion has remained one of boxing’s biggest attractions since retiring from professional competition, building a lucrative exhibition career around his global drawing power.

Whether that schedule can resume – or whether long-discussed bouts with Tyson and Pacquiao eventually materialise – will likely depend on the outcome of the ongoing legal dispute, which now appears set to shape the next chapter of Mayweather’s career as much as anything that happens inside the ring.

Oct 30, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) chants “Go Spurs Go” along with fans after a victory over the Miami Heat at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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From the show

World Cup Debrief

Reading time
1 min

After a disastrous start at the World Cup, Bafana Bafana have qualified for the knockout stage for the first time. The team beat South Korea 1-0 in their last group stage game to reach the Round of 32. Meanwhile superstar Neymar came in as a substitute for Brazil to the delight of fans. The team took the top spot in Group C by beating Scotland 3-0.

The Vikings’ EDGE3 opening is creating some consternation.

Consider, for instance, what former Vikings GM Jeff Diamond had to say: “Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, and Chaz Chambliss are all former undrafted players who may develop into decent players but at this point, they’re not going to strike fear in QBs and OCs around the league. Golday seems to be the player of potential promise as the rotational player at the position on the current roster but we’re talking about a rookie who is unproven in the NFL.”

And then Dustin Baker dug into the upcoming battle that’s going to take place at training camp: “All eyes are on the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback battle in Eagan between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy because that’s just how the sport works. It’s all about the quarterback. Yet, the ‘other’ competition should turn heads, too — at OLB3.”

Curiously absent from these discussions is the ongoing presence of linebacker Eric Wilson.

The Vikings’ EDGE3 is Under Contract: LB Eric Wilson

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings had a deficit at corner. Much consternation circulated online. The team’s coaching staff, however, didn’t appear to share the widespread concern.

Most of the 2025 season involved leaning on Byron Murphy Jr. alongside Isaiah Rodgers. Seeing those two work through a season with great health was fortuitous. CB3 Jeff Okudah missed most of the season and CB4 Dwight McGlothern had the odd assignment of being on the roster but being avoided at all costs. Veteran corner Fabian Moreau got worked into the mix when there was a need for more corner talent.

The real key, though, was the ample depth at safety. Boasting all of Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward allowed the Vikings to fill the needed jobs within the secondary. Brian Flores, never bound by what a certain player is “supposed” to do based on position, borrowed from safety to fill a deficit at corner.

As things stand, the best guess is that something similar will occur within the front seven. There’s a shortage at edge rusher? No problem, just snag somebody from the linebackers.

The Vikings’ edge rusher crew is being led by Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, both of whom have the capacity to be excellent. Ty Ingram-Dawkins is getting work at edge rusher. Presumably, he’ll be leaned on as a jumbo option to clog running lanes more than chase down the passer (but that’s just speculation based on having a larger build).

What has too often been missing within the calculus has been the depth at linebacker.

All of Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Jake Golday, and Ivan Pace are looking to come back in 2026. Even more promising for the Vikings is that all will demand playing time. A formation that sees Cashman alongside Golday as the off-ball linebackers while Wilson functions along the edge won’t be surprising.

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Consider the edge rusher snaps for the Minnesota Vikings for the 2025 season (courtesy of PFF):

• Dallas Turner: 662 Snaps
• Andrew Van Ginkel: 538 Snaps
• Jonathan Greenard: 528 Snaps
• Eric Wilson: 336 Snaps

Already, Eric Wilson has been leaned on to play a reasonably large role at edge. What appears to be occurring is that he’s getting bumped up from securing the Vikings’ EDGE4 job to being the Vikings’ EDGE3 for the upcoming season.

After all, nothing substantial has been done to address the position, meaning there needs to be at least some level of belief in the talent already on the roster. Even better, there’s too much talent at off-ball linebacker. Shuffling guys around is a way of keeping talent that deserves to be on the field actually on the field.

The NFL is a place that truly does allow actions to speak louder than words. Doing nothing — not signing a well-known EDGE3 — tells us something. Conversely, doing something — such as re-signing Eric Wilson for a reasonably meaty three-year contract — tells us something, as well. The Minnesota Vikings must have confidence in his capacity to continue doing what he did in 2025.

Eric Wilson, 31, stands at 6’1″ and 230 pounds. He has mostly been an off-ball linebacker but Flores leaned into the defender’s brains, aggression, and explosiveness to add edge rusher to his list of responsibilities. He tossed up a career-high 6.5 sacks last season.

Vikings training camp begins on July 26th.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Earlier this week, Argentina’s Lionel Messi added the new title of World Cup Goals King to his CV.

By the end of the tournament, it could be Kylian Mbappe holding that honor. Down the line, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior are young enough to get in the mix. And if everything goes right, the teenage Lamine Yamal has the time and talent to obliterate them all.

This is an amazing era for elite international goal-scorers. But maybe even more exciting, the convergence of those talents could be symbolic of a World Cup that is ushering in a new era of international competition, one that comes closer to the increasingly attack-oriented model that defines the modern club game.

Under the influence of rapidly improving data, modern soccer at the highest levels has become predicated on pressure and transition.

For sure, it’s not the aesthetic preference of every soccer critic.

Listen closely enough, and you’ll hear the cries of someone in Brazil whining that Carlo Ancelotti’s Selecao rejected the Jogo Bonito in favor of a modern devotion to backpressing that proved critical in their emphatic 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday night.

But for the average neutral, it’s hard to deny how much more compelling the club game has become as a result of data that shows the benefits of a higher octane approach.

You can see this in the UEFA Champions League, where goals per game have risen from 2.65 in 2015-16 to 3.45 in 2025-26.

Or you can see it in which teams are and aren’t succeeding at the international level.

Arguably, no side has fallen further than Italy, a nation whose footballing identity is most irrationally opposed to the ongoing tactical revolution.

Similarly, teams like Ecuador and Paraguay, who rode cynical tactics to success in South American qualifying, have so far been exposed by teams with more time to build attacking chemistry.

Yes, some teams have still succeeded out of a low block. But the Ghanas and Cape Verdes of the world have only done so when they could muster at least some threat of a vertical counterattack.

And now, with many of the same managers who orchestrated that rise in attacking play now coaching at this World Cup, goals are up here as well. If the rate of roughly 3.0 goals per game continues, it would be the highest scoring edition since 17-year-old Pele and Brazil dazzled their way to their first championship in Sweden in 1958.

The greatest attacking players are also staying great longer.

At 41, Ronaldo may come with baggage, but he’s still the best finisher on his Portugal team. At 32, Harry Kane’s career is only middle-aged when it would’ve been considered in its twilight era a generation ago.

And the engrossing all-time scoring chase is only possible because Messi is still playing at age 39, and arguably better at a World Cup than he ever has before.

There’s still a lot of time for this World Cup to go sideways. The knockout stages have a way of bringing out the worst conservative instincts in coaches. Oppressive summer weather could become more of a factor as June turns to July, and as more of the kickoffs fall before sunset to appease European TV audiences.

And there’s always the danger for off-the-field controversies to grow louder once the competitive field shrinks.

But on the evidence so far, this tournament has shown that the future of the game on the field is arguably the brightest it’s ever been. And whether it’s Messi or Mbappe who finishes on top of the all-time World Cup scoring chart this summer, you get the sense neither one will stay there for all that long.

The dates for the 2027 NFL Draft have been set.

The NFL announced that the first round of the draft will be held on Thursday, April 29. The second and third rounds will be held the next day and the final four rounds of the draft will be conducted on May 1.

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Washington D.C. will be serving as the host city for the draft for the first time. Events are set to be held around the city with the main draft stage on the National Mall.

The NFL has awarded the 2028 Draft to Minneapolis and the Bengals have engaged in conversations with the league about Cincinnati hosting the 2029 edition.

4 Pines Park will play host to Saturday’s
Round 17 NRL game between Manly Sea Eagles and
Melbourne Storm. The game kicks off at 7:35 pm with Manly Sea Eagles heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Manly Sea Eagles vs.
Melbourne Storm
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday June 27, 2026 at 7:35 pm

Where: 4 Pines Park

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm Odds

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm Preview

Manly returns to 4 Pines Park on Saturday night for a crucial clash against a Melbourne side beginning to find its rhythm.

The Storm’s improvement has been built on defence, with Craig Bellamy’s side showing far greater resilience and composure than it did earlier in the season. That defensive steel has helped Melbourne remain firmly in the finals hunt despite periods of inconsistency.

Manly enters the contest as favourite but faces questions around personnel changes in the backline. The Sea Eagles remain one of the competition’s most dangerous attacking teams at home, though Melbourne’s ability to apply pressure could force errors.

These clubs have developed a fierce rivalry over the years and little is expected to separate them again. With both sides chasing top-eight security, the result could have major implications later in the season.

GIO Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 17 NRL game between Canberra Raiders and
St. George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 2:00 pm with Canberra Raiders heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canberra Raiders vs.
St. George Illawarra Dragons
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Sunday June 28, 2026 at 2:00 pm

Where: GIO Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Odds

Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Preview

Canberra will look to strengthen its finals credentials when it hosts St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders remain one of the competition’s success stories this season, but there have been signs the demands of a long campaign are beginning to test some of the club’s younger players. The return of Ethan Strange to his preferred side of the field provided a boost to the attack last week.

The Dragons continue to rely on effort and defensive resolve. While points have been difficult to come by at times, Shane Flanagan’s side has regularly remained competitive through strong field position and disciplined football.

Canberra has won four of its past five meetings against St George Illawarra, but the Dragons have consistently shown an ability to keep contests tighter than many expect.