Megan Barker is preparing to make her long-awaited City of London Nocturne debut ahead of the Commonwealth Games and National Championships.

Megan Barker is set to fulfil her second of five goals in 2026 when she takes to the track at City of London Nocturne.

In April, the Welsh cyclist, who is based in Manchester, competed in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong, winning a silver medal in the team pursuit. And this summer, the new City of London Nocturne offers the chance to tick another item off her bucket list.

She said: “I’ve heard a lot about it and seen a lot of clips and pictures. I think it’s really cool and I’m glad it has come back. I think the crowds enjoy it because you can see all the action and you don’t have to stand around all day.”

The new Nocturne event has been designed to be bigger and better with food stalls and street music building an intense urban atmosphere around a circuit in the City of London.

Barker said: “It suits my physiology. I like really short, sharp, hard efforts and going up to one hour is perfect for me. I’m better at it than road racing. It will be nice to get some crit racing in a bit earlier in the season than normal, before crit nationals.”

The 28-year-old won the national title in 2023 to join an exclusive club that boasts names such as Katie Archibald and Lizzie Deignan (nee Armitstead) and repeating that success is her third major aim of this year. She said: “It’s always one of my big aims. I crashed out last year quite early on, so I was gutted about that. And it’s the same course – I’m hoping it’s not a repeat. And I’m also aiming for the Track World Championships in Shanghai.”

But by far the biggest target for Barker this summer is the Commonwealth Games. She raced at both Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 but failed to win a medal. Glasgow represents a real opportunity for the Welsh team to take home some silverware if Barker is selected.

She said: “Obviously, it only comes down every four years, so you want to make the most of it. My main aim would be the team pursuit, because a lot of girls in the GB squad are Welsh this year, so we have a solid team.

“We were fourth last time and it was pretty tight. I’m hoping we’re going to have like a really good chance of a medal, which has been one of my career goals that I keep just missing out on. My family are all booked to go, which makes it way nicer, especially if you do get a good result and you can celebrate with them afterwards.”

To find out more and enter races go to www.racenocturne.com

When a new general manager takes over an organization, he or she often embarks on a roster rebuild, cutting dead weight from the past and exercising patience for the future. That won’t happen for the Minnesota Vikings, at least not anytime soon, as new boss Nolan Teasley told reporters Wednesday his squad is ready to win now.

The Vikings have never really conducted a full rebuild in the first place, and they’re not about to start in the summer of 2026.

Teasley’s Seahawks Blueprint Arrives in Minnesota

Teasley: Win Now

Asked if we would “rebuild” the Vikings or let it ride in 2026, Teasley replied, “I believe we’re ready to compete right now because they’ve been competitive.”

Teasley added, “I don’t know if I would get into depth in terms of staffing or anything in that regard because I haven’t been here to assess the people that are here. But I know there’s a lot of strong evaluators and a really strong football operation in place. The roster, it’s obvious it’s a strong nucleus of talent on both sides of the ball.”

The Vikings finished 9-8 last year, one win away from an NFC North crown, despite featuring the league’s fifth-worst quarterback efficiency.

Tealsey also observed, “They’ve won a lot of football games here in the last four years, including five in a row to end last season. We’re going to build the deepest, most competitive roster possible so that we can be at our best in December and January and February, and ultimately working toward winning the Super Bowl that this fan base deserves.”

… Probably Why He Was Hired

When the owners, the Wilfs, interviewed all nine candidates for the general manager job, discussing the franchise’s continuous win-now mantra was probably paramount. That is — Mark and Zygi Wilf may have ruled out any would-be executive who recommended a full rebuild for the Vikings.

Why? Well, aside from a poor season in 2011, the Wilfs, who have owned the club for 20 years, have never hosted a terrible Vikings team. When Minnesota has a down year, that translates to seven wins, not two.

Remaining competitive at all times — like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs — is the Viking Way. Teasley’s modus operandi evidently aligns with the Wilfs: if a team must rebuild, it should do so gradually.

Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling wrote Wednesday, “That sustained run of success — without an extended period of losing that delivered premium draft picks — resonated with the Vikings owners. The Wilf family have stated almost annually their desire for the Vikings to compete for division championships and playoff spots without a protracted rebuilding period.”

The State of the Roster

Meanwhile, the Vikings’ roster is, indeed, ready to contend. If one assumes that Kyler Murray stabilizes the quarterback position, or if J.J. McCarthy takes the next maturational step, the sky is the limit for wins. The playmaking weaponry is there; Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason can attest.

The defense has ranked in the NFL’s Top 3 in back-to-back seasons thanks to Brian Flores’s innovative and intense scheme. In fact, Flores’s system propelled Minnesota to five straight wins at the end of the 2025 campaign.

And the special teams ranked eighth last season per DVOA. Kicker Will Reichard even took home All-Pro honors.

The whole team is ready to win in 2026, so long as Murray or McCarthy is ready for the QB1 job.

Picking the GM from the Super Bowl Champs

Picking Tealsey was no accident. He came up within the Seattle Seahawks organization. In addition to winning the Super Bowl last season — the second in 12 years — Seattle has not won fewer than six games in a season since 2009.

These are Seattle’s win-loss records during Teasley’s employment:

Vikings head coach Kevin O”Connell said about Teasley, “You think about how they were able to do it in Seattle, really in multiple ways, they weren’t ever picking in the top five, or number one overall.”

“They were able to do it in ways that, quite honestly, I view as the ways we’re probably going to have to operate moving forward, either within our quarterback room right now or potential acquisitions in the future. You have to lean on process. You have to lean on a world where you can make really good decisions.”

Maintaining a winning or competent roster — at all times — is all Teasley knows. It also just so happens to be the strategy the Wilfs endorse. They don’t embrace taking a step backward to be better; it’s habitually a steady wave of competitive rosters.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

FIFA has banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a decision that will require supporters to buy bottled water inside the venues.

According to reports, FIFA recently changed its stadium rules. Last month, the guidelines allowed fans to bring empty, clear reusable plastic bottles with a capacity of up to one litre into stadiums.

However, the updated rules now clearly state that reusable water bottles will not be allowed inside any World Cup venue.

Explaining the decision, FIFA said the change was made for safety reasons.

“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

“FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risks and injuries to players and spectators.

“Several venues already banned outside bottles for safety reasons, and FIFA has decided to apply the same rule across all World Cup stadiums.”

FIFA said fans would still have access to hydration facilities around the stadiums, including misting stations, cooling tents and water stations.

The governing body also said bottled water sold inside the venues would be priced similarly to other events held at the stadiums.

The decision comes despite concerns about high temperatures during the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A recent study by the World Weather Attribution research group estimated that 26 of the 104 matches at the tournament could be played in conditions where heat stress levels exceed recommended limits.

The study used the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), a measure that combines temperature, humidity, sunlight and wind to assess how heat affects the human body.

Fans also faced a similar restriction during last year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where many supporters complained about extremely hot conditions at some venues.

The Rams led the league in scoring in 2025 but fell short of even winning their division thanks in part to 38-37 loss in overtime to the Seahawks in Seattle. The remedy? Try to create the best defense in the league for 2026. That plan started by trading with the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie then signing his former teammate Jaylen Watson in free agency, with both grading as top-20 cornerbacks last season. The biggest move came on June 1 when the team shipped Jared Verse and picks to the Browns for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Those moves elevate the ceiling of the defense both up front and on the back end, and they’re a big reason why the Rams will be the consensus Super Bowl favorites heading into the 2026 season.

We’re taking a look at everything you need to know before making Los Angeles Rams futures bets below, including odds, trends, 2026 schedule, offseason changes and more before sharing our preseason betting strategy for the team. Odds are via DraftKings.

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Los Angeles Rams 2026 odds

While the Rams were co-favorites with the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl after the latter hoisted the trophy in February, their offseason had moved them to a clear +800 favorite prior to the Garrett trade, with the Seahawks tied for the second shortest odds with the Bills and Ravens at +1000. The trade shifted the market significantly, with the Rams moving down to +600 after the deal and likely to drop further as bets are made throughout the offseason. Their win total sat at its February price on June 1 prior to the Garrett trade, while they moved from +144 to +110 to win the NFC West with the deal.

Los Angeles Rams futures trends

The Rams have finished Over their win total in five of the last six seasons, but they haven’t started a season at shorter than +1000 to win the Super Bowl since 2002, a year they were coming off a 14-2 season and Super Bowl loss. After going 12 straight years without a playoff berth, the Rams have been to the postseason seven times in Sean McVay’s nine seasons as head coach, with last year’s team his best in terms of point differential at +172.

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Los Angeles Rams 2025 season review

While the Rams finished just third in yards per pass play, their volume allowed the offense to finish first in yards per play overall while avoiding negative plays as the second-best team in both interception and sack rate. The defense squeaked inside the top 10 of both sack and interception rate as well but finished just 13th per play against the pass and 19th against the run. The defense was able to get stops when it needed, ranking third in red zone success rate.

Los Angeles Rams 2026 offseason review

There hasn’t been a lot of turnover for the Rams, but the additions they have made should be impactful. McDuffie and Watson will lead a cornerback group that lost several contibutors, while Garrett should elevate the play of the entire front seven with the attention he commands. On offense, Ty Simpson has the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart and will prepare to take over the offense once Matthew Stafford retires.

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Los Angeles Rams 2026 schedule

A difficult schedule starts with a trip to Australia to open the season, with the team losing its home game against the 49ers for the Melbourne matchup. They’ll get to play at home the following week with an extra day of rest due to the Monday matchup. The NFL put the Rams in a unique situation later in the year by making them part of the Wednesday game during Thanksgiving week, which will be preceded by the team’s bye. Perhaps the most crucial part of the schedule comes in the last three weeks when they’ll have both matchups against the Seahawks.

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Los Angeles Rams futures picks

The Rams’ win total is too high and their Super Bowl odds are too short for me to want to play either, but I don’t really want to fade the team either with the upgrades on defense and how well the offense played last year. The best case for doing so would likely be anticipating key injuries lowering the ceiling of the team, particularly with Stafford, who has battled to stay healthy at times during the twilight of his career. I’m more comfortable getting a plus number in the division and having some room to overcome tough breaks for the Rams if the Seahawks also suffer some regression.

Sir Ben Ainslie’s feud with Sir Jim Ratcliffe is being heard in court after a series of allegations were made against Ineos representatives and their chief

Sir Ben Ainslie has claimed he was warned that Sir Jim Ratcliffe would “burn your house down” unless he surrendered his team’s assets and intellectual property to the Manchester United co-owner’s Ineos empire, according to documents filed at the High Court.

The alleged threat was reportedly delivered by Jean-Claude Blanc and Rob Nevin, the chief executive and chairman of Ineos Sport, at Ainslie’s Barcelona office in October 2024, just hours before Ainslie was set to make history in the America’s Cup against New Zealand.

Ratcliffe had bankrolled Ainslie’s campaign by pouring millions into the project as Britain sought to claim the prestigious competition for the first time in its 175-year history.

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It is alleged that Blanc and Nevin informed Ainslie that Ratcliffe would only fund future America’s Cup bids if he transferred “all of [the team’s] assets and intellectual property” — with the clear implication that refusal would spell the end of his Athena team.

Ainslie alleges that Nevin stated: “We have a phrase at Ineos: ‘scorched earth’. It means that if you don’t give Jim what he wants, he will burn your house down.”

The filing, prepared by Meysan Partners UK LLP, further states that Ainslie “attempted to defuse the situation by reminding Mr Nevin that the first AC37 race would be beginning shortly.

Mr Nevin then reiterated and expanded upon his threat, explaining that the only instance in which Sir Jim had backed down from a dispute was one concerning the state of the People’s Republic of China.”

The filing states that Ineos “must have been aware that it would distract Sir Ben from his preparation to the detriment of the Defendant [Athena], and to the detriment of the prospects of the America’s Cup being won”.

Britain’s most decorated sailor has levelled several serious claims while defending himself against a High Court action brought by Ratcliffe’s Ineos. They are seeking to compel Ainslie’s Athena Racing squad to surrender the “£180m boat” they constructed jointly for the previous America’s Cup.

Ineos lodged a claim in April and declared that “having provided approximately £174 million of funding for the design, construction and testing of a racing yacht and related assets, the Claimant is entitled under the Agreement to ownership of those assets following its expiry. Wrongfully and in breach of contract, however, the Defendant has refused to transfer these assets to the Claimant and has wrongly disputed its obligation to do so.”

In defence filings seen by The Telegraph, Athena Racing has accused Ratcliffe and Ineos of exerting “undue commercial pressure” through “hostile negotiating tactics”. They have also claimed “false imprisonment” after Ainslie and his Athena associates were allegedly confined within their Northamptonshire headquarters following the separation of the two parties.

It is claimed that Ineos violated a non-compete agreement by revealing intentions to compete for the 38th America’s Cup next year alongside former technical collaborators Mercedes F1 and refused them entry to a simulator at their facility.

Ainslie’s defence is mounted against Ineos Racing Limited, though the four-time Olympic gold medallist has outlined in the filing that “the Claimant [Ineos Racing] is ultimately controlled and directed, whether directly or indirectly, by Sir Jim Ratcliffe” and the Ineos Group.

The claims in the filing are contained within a section titled: “The Claimant does not come to equity with clean hands.”

Chad Brown is utilizing the “strength in numbers” concept at the 2026 Belmont Stakes as he has three horses in the field. All three are mid-to-long shots, but saddling 33% of the Belmont Stakes 2026 field certainly has its advantages. Emerging Market at 6-1 has the shortest Belmont Stakes odds of Brown’s trio, followed by Growth Equity (12-1) and Ottinho (20-1). A native of Mechanicville, N.Y., Brown will aim for his first Belmont victory at a race track just 15 minutes from his hometown. Claim your exclusive TwinSpires $400 signup offer here with the promo code CBSSPORTS, more than what’s available to the general public:

The 2026 Belmont Stakes has a 7:04 p.m. ET post time on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. Ahead of Brown’s trio of thoroughbreds on the Belmont Stakes 2026 odds board is the favorite, Renegade (2-1), Chief Wallabee at 3-1 and Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo at 9-2. With so much to consider while making your 2026 Belmont Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.

The 2026 Belmont Stakes will be the 158th running of the Test of Champions and, unsurprisingly, the list of winners is overwhelmingly American thoroughbreds. Just nine of the prior 157 Belmont champions were born outside of the United States. Five were British-born, three came from Ireland, and one was from Canada. Victory Gallop (1998) remains the last foreign-born Belmont Stakes champion as the Canadian thoroughbred won by a nose in that year’s race, thus preventing Real Quiet’s bid for the Triple Crown.

Given all the history of the race, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Belmont Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2026 Belmont Stakes picks possible.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 22 Preakness winners and predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last eight years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.

Now, with the 2026 Belmont Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2026 Belmont Stakes betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

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Top 2026 Belmont Stakes expert picks

Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:

Belmont Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $13.20 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty and Journalism.

Belmont Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $13.80 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza.

Belmont Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $40.50 at the 2025 Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza and Rodriguez.

While Golden Tempo (9-2) is one of the favorites, Demling isn’t including the Kentucky Derby winner in his picks for the 2026 Belmont Stakes. “I still don’t believe he’s the best of this bunch and I don’t think he gets a perfect set up here like he did at Churchill,” Demling told SportsLine. He is building his tickets around an epic double-digit longshot who a legendary trainer is “very high on”, spicing up Demling’s 2026 Belmont Stakes exotics. You can see his picks here. 

How to make 2026 Belmont Stakes bets

Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Belmont Stakes 2026. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.

So which horses do you take, and in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2026 Belmont Stakes.

2026 Belmont Stakes odds, futures, horses, post positions

The Detroit Lions have suffered their first significant injury setback of the offseason.

Prior to Thursday’s practice, head coach Dan Campbell announced that rookie wide receiver Kendrick Law has torn his ACL and will miss the entire 2026 season.

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Law was selected by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 168th overall pick and was expected to compete for a depth role in Detroit’s wide receiver room.

Tough Break for Lions Rookie

The injury is a disappointing development for the 22-year-old receiver, who entered the NFL after spending time at both Alabama and Kentucky.

Standing 6-foot and weighing 205 pounds, Law brought intriguing athletic traits and versatility to Detroit’s roster. The Lions viewed him as a developmental prospect with upside, particularly on special teams and as a depth receiver.

Now, his rookie season will instead be focused on rehabilitation and recovery.

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What It Means for Detroit

While Law was not expected to have a major role in the offense this season, his injury does impact the team’s overall depth at wide receiver.

The Lions return a strong receiving corps led by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, and second-year receiver Isaac TeSlaa. Detroit also added several young receivers this offseason who will now receive additional opportunities throughout training camp and the preseason.

For Law, the focus shifts toward making a full recovery and positioning himself to compete for a roster spot in 2027.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam final with a dominant victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the French Open.

A beaten semi-finalist in 2024, Andreeva was hugely impressive throughout her 6-1 6-3 victory and will await compatriot Diana Shnaider, the 25th seed, or Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in Saturday’s final.

The 19-year-old is the fourth-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece in the past 30 years, after Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Coco Gauff.

Should she prevail, Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided an unavoidable backdrop to the contest, with Kostyuk regularly denouncing the war since it began in February 2022 – and being highly critical of athletes from Russia who have failed to do so.

In keeping with the stance taken by Ukrainian players over the past four years, Kostyuk did not pose for a pre-match photo with Andreeva, and the players did not shake hands afterwards.