Championship Update:
Five senior county finals remain outstanding.
Details awaiting confirmation are marked
TBC and can be updated
as results become available.

Championship data: @gaelicstandings,
supplied 26 October 2026.
TBC denotes details awaiting confirmation.
Results and outstanding finals should be
checked against official county records.

Harry Kane has been crowned the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner, capping off an outstanding season for Bayern Munich and England. The England captain claimed football’s most prestigious individual award following a remarkable campaign that showcased his goalscoring ability, consistency and leadership.

Kane’s victory marks a historic moment for English football, as he becomes the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. The Bayern Munich striker was recognised for his exceptional performances at both club and international level throughout the 2025/26 season.

The 33-year-old enjoyed a prolific campaign with Bayern Munich, scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. His contribution played a significant role in Bayern’s domestic league and cup double, further strengthening his position among the leading players in world football.

Kane also delivered impressive performances for England, captaining the national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He scored six goals during the tournament as England reached the semi-finals, adding another major achievement to an already outstanding season.

His Ballon d’Or triumph comes after years of consistently performing at the highest level, both in the Premier League and Bundesliga. The award represents a major individual milestone for Kane, who has continued to establish himself as one of the most accomplished strikers of his generation.

The 2026 ceremony was held at the London Palladium on October 26, marking the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or. Kane’s victory also brought the prestigious award back to England for the first time in 25 years.

With the Ballon d’Or now added to his collection of achievements, Kane has further cemented his place among football’s elite players.

While the Victoria Derby garners significant attention, the sprint race for three-year-olds is shaping up as one of the most keenly awaited events of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

The Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington this Saturday is poised to bring together a formidable collection of colts and fillies aiming to build their reputations for a potential career at stud.

A jump-out involving seven horses at Flemington on Friday provided an indication of some of the runners set to compete in Saturday’s 1200m dash down the famous Flemington straight.

Participants in the 800m jump-out included The Next Episode, Paradoxium, St Gotthard, Natural Fling, and Under Focus, with Paradoxium comfortably crossing the line ahead of his rivals.

Champion trainer Chris Waller, whose colt St Gotthard finished in third place, emphasized that the session was about gaining experience.

“Experience, that is what it was all about,” Waller stated. “St Gotthard is a relatively lightly raced horse. It was a really good run in the Golden Rose and since then he’s been set for this race.”

“He’s had a quiet trial in Sydney and then the jump-out and it’s all systems go for the big one next week. This is the real pinnacle for a three-year-old colt that hopefully can really stamp themselves as a stallion, and that is what the Coolmore team is all about. He started his two-year-old career late and made an impact straight away. He’s come back really well at three and he’s ready to peak here on Derby Day.”

Waller has an impressive record in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, having secured the win on six occasions, with Switzerland being his most recent triumph in 2024.

From the outset, Waller has been struck by St Gotthard’s exceptional quality.

“He’s got speed and talent, and James McDonald has been impressed with him right from day one,” Waller commented. “That tells me he’s got the ability and it’s just about bringing it all together and making sure he’s ready to peak.”

Ciaron Maher, aiming for his first Coolmore Stud Stakes victory, watched as The Next Episode finished fifth, in a group, behind the dominant winner Paradoxium.

The Next Episode has been specifically targeted for this Group 1 sprint since his victory at the Gold Coast in May, and followed this with a first-up win in the Danehill Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on October 3.

Maher, in line with Waller, brought The Next Episode to Flemington to enhance its experience ahead of next Saturday’s race.

“It’s been his aim all the way along,” Maher said. “He was great here the other day and he had a look down the straight before that. It’s a month between runs and he had a nice (on) bridle hit out, and he should present pretty close to spot on.”

Explore the top Australian betting sites for competitive racing betting markets.

Morkel’s advice to the players is to “Stand near a powerful fan to counter the speedy wind”

The wind at Wellington’s Basin Reserve can change direction without warning, making it a challenging venue for visiting teams. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has offered a simple piece of advice to the Test specialists yet to arrive in New Zealand: prepare to deal with the strong winds before stepping onto the field.India will play a two-match Test series against New Zealand after the ongoing T20I and ODI series. The first Test is scheduled to begin at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on November 18.Morkel’s advice to the players is to “Stand near a powerful fan to counter the speedy wind”, which has troubled visiting teams at the venue for years.“We’ve spoken about Wellington, especially before the start of the tour, and we’ve planted those seeds. I spoke to some of the boys who were back in India last night, and they asked what the conditions are like. I said, ‘Make sure you get a very strong fan at home. When you walk into the fan that is going to be your preparation’,” Morkel said ahead of India’s third T20 International.The Indian team is currently in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, which is also known as “Windy Wellington”. Wind speeds reached 120 kmph on Monday.Although the third T20I against the Black Caps is scheduled for Tuesday, Morkel and head coach Gautam Gambhir are already looking ahead to the challenges the team could face in the Test series.“This wind is a different beast. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. So I think it’s going to be a new sort of thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and accustomed to with a quick turnaround,” Morkel said.He added that India would need to face the conditions without making excuses, as the wind could affect several aspects of the game, including a batter’s stance and position at the crease.“For us, it is looking forward to that challenge and taking it head-on and not really making excuses. This wind can impact a lot of things, it can impact batting, your stance, your crease, it can impact many factors,” Morkel said.The former South Africa fast bowler has experienced the conditions at the Basin Reserve during his playing career. He said adjusting to the wind in just a few days of training was difficult, making it important for players to approach the challenge with the right mindset.“When I toured here with South Africa, we had certain ways that we went about trying to get used to it. I don’t think you can ever get used to it in the space of two, three, or four days. So it comes down to how you’re going to frame the whole situation: you’re either going to see it as a challenge, or you’re going to see it as a negative and let it down.“Hopefully, we can get those guys in a mental space where they look forward to that challenge. At the end of the day, you need somebody to put their hand up and bowl into the wind, because we can’t have four guys bowling off the wind.”New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also aware of the problems the conditions can create for visiting teams. He said the hosts would look to make the most of any discomfort their opponents experience.Bracewell pointed out that wind behaves differently at enclosed stadiums, where it can swirl and change direction, compared with more open grounds such as the Basin Reserve.“It is interesting. At closed stadiums, it swirls around a bit, so it’s probably not as consistent as it is when you play in a slightly more open field like the Basin. We had one game here where the cameras got turned off from one end because it was so windy,” Bracewell said.However, he also sees dealing with different conditions as an important part of international cricket, where teams must adapt to the challenges they encounter around the world.“So that’s the joy of playing here is you get faced with different conditions, and that’s the great thing about international cricket. You go all around the world and have to deal with different things.“So it swirls a bit in the stadium, so it’s not necessarily that there’s going to be one end that perhaps if we’re playing in an open sort of stadium that you could target.

Coming off a strong performance against Sebastian Fundora last weekend, Ermal Hadribeaj has considered how the WBC champion might fare against Jaron Ennis.

The super-welterweight contender entered his maiden world title shot against Fundora, who ultimately stopped his mandatory challenger in the final second of round 12.

Prior to the finish, though, the ‘Towering Inferno’ had been made to work harder than expected as Hadribeaj found repeated success on the inside.

That he was even able to get past the American’s 80-inch reach came as a surprise to many, while Fundora would argue that he was happy to trade leather at close quarters.

Either way, his latest performance has inspired some to suggest that, against Ennis, the 28-year-old is unlikely to get away with adopting the same approach.

This is partly due to the effectiveness of Hadribeaj’s raiding strategy, as the 32-year-old southpaw would often bring his feet into range, initiate a clinch and work his way around the long limbs of Fundora.

Hadribeaj, however, has argued that Boots may not enjoy the same success by employing such tactics, telling former two-time world champion Shawn Porter that the American cannot rely solely on his speed advantage.

“I don’t think [Ennis] is going to be able to fight the way I [did against] Fundora. When you go in the ring with Fundora, you realise something that is not normal.

“So if [Ennis is] going to [try and] capitalise on his quick movement, maybe it’s not going to work with Fundora.

“With [Fundora’s] height, everything he does works.”

Before an undisputed encounter with Fundora can materialise, Ennis must first defeat IBF champion Josh Kelly in a three-belt unification match that is expected to take place in January.

Manchester City and Arsenal are on the same points total in the Premier League table after defeat for Enzo Maresca’s side

Manchester City lost their lead at the top of the Premier League after losing to Aston Villa before Arsenal beat Everton. Nicolas Jackson strikes either side of Erling Haaland’s thirteenth goal of the season saw Enzo Maresca’s side lose for the first time in league action.

Just a few hours on from that defeat at Villa Park, the Gunners strode to victory at Emirates Stadium and joined City on 21 points. Having won several games by a considerable margin, City stayed top on goal difference but the Premier League champions are right on their tail.

City may have a chance to put some breathing room between the two again when they make the trip to Emirates Stadium in late November. Before then, both teams have some challenging fixtures with an international break also on the calendar.

With all of that being said, MEN Sport has compared the upcoming five league fixtures for both teams after differing results on Saturday.

Man City’s next five fixtures

Brighton (H) – Oct 31

Nottingham Forest (A) – Nov 7

Fulham (H) – Nov 21

Arsenal (A) – Nov 29

Leeds United (H) – Dec 2

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Verdict: City’s next clash is at home to Brighton and could be quite the challenge considering Arsenal have already fallen to Fabian Hurzeler’s side. A trip to Nottingham Forest follows that with three points needed as Arteta and Co. triumphed at the City Ground earlier this month.

You probably didn’t have time to watch all of the games in the West this week.

Fortunately, you don’t have to—you can read about them below.

Here are brief game summaries for each matchup.

[[2026 SuperWest Combined FCS Football Standings]]

Click the link to the summary you want, or scroll down.