Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer believes Tottenham had no choice but to sack manager Thomas Frank as the club are currently in a relegation battle.
Day three at the Cheltenham Festival 2026 is St Patrick’s Thursday.
There are three Grade 1 races down for decision this afternoon: the Ryanair Chase, the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.
Ireland will have very strong hopes of landing all of the Grade 1s today.
Fact To File aims to second Ryanair Chase win
The Ryanair Chase, in its 20th year of sponsorship from the Irish airline, will see Fact To File bid for back-to-back successes in the event.
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Last year’s victor is among five Irish-trained runners in the nine-horse contest. Fact To File was highly impressive in winning the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown last month, and tomorrow’s Gold Cup was seriously considered as his Festival target.
Jonbon, who has finished second three times at this meeting and who runs in the same J.P. McManus ownership as Fact To File, and Banbridge, may give the favourite most to do but the Mark Walsh-ridden market leader should add a sixth Grade 1 victory to his CV.
Teahupoo v Bob Olinger for Stayers’ Hurdle?
Teahupoo, winner of the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival bids for a second win in the Grade 1 contest, with six Irish-handled runners in the race.
This will be the son of Masked Marvel’s fourth appearance in the race, having won it, as well as finishing second and third respectively on his previous runs here.
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Last year’s victor, Bob Olinger, now 11-year-old, is unbeaten at the Gloucestershire track – which includes three Festival wins – and should give the Gordon Elliott-trained Teahupoo most to do. A concern for backers of the favourite is that Elliott is yet to register a winner this week.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Home By The Lee will run in the stayers’ for a fifth time this afternoon, with his best result coming when third to Teahupoo in 2024.
A highly popular winner would be the former American Grand National winner, Hewick, handled by John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, as he aims to add this Grade 1 to his 2023 King George win at Kempton.
2025 runner-up Jade De Grugy bids for Mares’ Hurdle upgrade
The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle is the third race at the highest level on Thursday’s card.
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This is a race Willie Mullins has dominated over the years and will be represented by Jade De Grugy, runner-up to Lossiemouth in this race last season.
With Lossiemouth out of the picture now following her success in the Unibet Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, the French-bred Jade De Grugy, the mount of Paul Townend, may give Scottish owner Kenny Alexander a second win this week.
Wodhooh, trained by Gordon Elliott and the mount of Jack Kennedy, has only tasted defeat once over hurdles. She won the Martin Pipe over course and distance at last year’s Cheltenham Festival and has won at both Ascot and Leopardstown this season.
Five of the seven runners in the race are trained in Ireland.
The Wisconsin Badgers will play the Washington Huskies on Thursday in their first game at the Big Ten Tournament after the latter beat the USC Trojans in overtime 83-79 on Wednesday.
In the win, Washington overcame a 13-point deficit with 13 minutes left, thanks to 22 points from Zoom Diallo, 15 points from Quimari Peterson, and 15 points from Wesley Yates III. Three players for the Huskies played 43 minutes (Hannes Steinbach, Diallo, and Peterson), who went with just a seven-man rotation.
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The Trojans, on the other hand, could not snap their seven-game losing streak, and their season is over. As a result, Wisconsin and Washington will tip off on Thursday afternoon, with the game set to approximately start at 1:30 p.m. CT.
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The two teams faced each other recently in Spokane, and the Badgers enjoyed a nice blowout win on the road. Braeden Carrington went off for 32 points and a program-record nine threes in that win, as Wisconsin made 17 as a team on 45 percent shooting from deep.
Wisconsin will potentially be without Nolan Winter, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Badgers shut him down this week to be ready for the NCAA Tournament. Without Winter, the Badgers started Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauskas together for the first time in the regular-season finale against the Purdue Boilermakers.
The duo shined in that game, combining for 33 points and eight threes, which Wisconsin absolutely needed to knock off the Boilermakers on the road. If Winter is out, the Badgers may have to condense their rotation even more or go deeper into their bench again. Will Garlock and Hayden Jones played four and seven minutes, respectively, against Purdue.
Should the Badgers win, they’d take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Ten Quarterfinals on Friday. The Badgers are currently 6.5-point favorites ahead of Thursday’s game.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa lent his voice to pay parity in football when he received the country’s victorious women’s national team following their historic win in Morocco.
While the winners of the WAFCON received a 150% increase in prize money from the last tournament in 2018, the $500,000 reward is a far cry from the $5 million that Senegal, the men’s African champions, received earlier this year.
“You deserve equal pay for equal work that you do,” President Ramaphosa said during a reception for the “Banyana Banyana” in Tshwane. “You get ten times less than the men when they play and that has to come to an end.
“We are a non-racial, democratic and non-sexist country. I am hugely opposed to unequal pay and it must come to an end. We must demonstrate our appreciation for you with regards to the pay that you should get. Unequal pay is unjust and unfair, and it must come to an end.”
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Joy for a hopeful country
On Saturday night, South Africa won the country’s first ever WAFCON title in front of a record 60,000 fans in Rabat.
Hildah Magaia scored a brace as they defeated hosts Morocco 2-1. It had taken 22 years since they first appeared in the final on home soil to finally claim victory.
The grit and frustration faced by previous generations of players had finally coalesced into a fulfilling triumph inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium when captain Refiloe Jane and her teammates lifted the trophy.
South Africa lifted their first WAFCON title after five finals appearancesImage: FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images
South African Football Association President Danny Jordaan has said in the past that they planned to give equal prize money to the women’s team. He also hopes that the victory can help push South Africa’s bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.
“If a team does well, it is easier to convince people that you’re a footballing nation and you can accommodate the world,” Jordaan told the local Sowetan newspaper.
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South Africa will play at their second World Cup next year. Going to New Zealand and Australia as African champions could give them the momentum they need to truly make an impact on the global stage.
Rapturous reception for champions
Across South Africa, there was widespread celebration. It was the country’s first major title since they hosted and won the 1996 Men’s Africa Cup of Nations, a few years after the end of apartheid. It’s a victory that brings back a lot of nostalgia.
Hundreds of fans thronged into Johannesburg’s O.R Tambo Airport on Monday as the team returned from Morocco. The fans sang, beat drums and blew on vuvuzelas while waving national flags in delirious frenzy as their heroes came bearing the shiny new trophy.
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Banyana Banyana’s victory was a culmination of a lot of hard work and planning by the South African FA. Giving more opportunities to women to control and direct the future of the game has yielded its first major fruit.
Banyana Banyana’s victory has inspired South AfricansImage: Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images
A long-awaited reward
It is particularly great reward for coach Desiree Ellis, who captained the side when they lost their first WAFCON final in 2000 against Nigeria. She has become the face of women’s coaching in Africa and was one of only three women who took charge of teams at the championship.
“The hard work and the sacrifices that you put in that no one sees … this is the reward. It didn’t come easy because we’ve had a lot of heartache along the way,” Ellis said.
“We got knocked out of the Olympics, we lost the final in 2018, lost the [southern African] COSAFA Cup recently. But we knew where we were going, we knew this was the ultimate and from the word go, when we started our training, we could see that the players were really determined.”
South Africa can now build on this success to show that women’s football is a good place to invest, according to former star player Portia Modise.
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“We’re ready for a lot of investors to come and invest in women’s football so it can grow in our country,” she said.
Benn has won 24 of his 25 professional fights, losing just one bout against Chris Eubank Jr before avenging that defeat in November, while Prograis is a two-time super-lightweight world champion.
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Prograis was last in action in August, when he claimed a unanimous decision victory over former world champion Joseph Diaz, and now JoJo has offered his take on his recent rival’s upcoming clash with Benn.
Speaking to MillCity Boxing, Diaz said he was leaning towards Benn, but admits that Prograis is more than capable of getting the win.
“Regis is a good fighter, he’s a slick fighter. He pretends he’s hurt sometimes, he lands good combinations. If Conor gets caught with a shot unexpectedly, Regis hits hard, he could really put some damage to Conor.
“It’s a good fight for both competitors and for boxing. It’s a fight that boxing needs right now. I’m giving the slight edge to Conor Benn because he’s fighting at a heavier weight, and if he lands some good body shots and a good shot up top, he could get Regis out of there.
“Regis is a slick fighter though, so if Benn is a little too wild like he gets sometimes and drops his hands and stuff and Regis catches and clips him, he can win the fight as well, so it’s a good fight.”
The rescheduled women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is underway in Morocco, a year later than planned. The tournament sees some of the best players in the world fighting for glory, but as players and nations emerge, familiar problems linger that threaten to prevent the tournament from reaching its full potential.
While not a traditional powerhouse, Morocco is becoming the emerging epicenter of women’s football on the continent. Thanks to no competing bids and some of the best stadiums in Africa, Morocco has become a stable and safe choice for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the tournament. They are hosting again this time around, after having hosted in 2022. They are also set to host in 2026.
Recent investment in the women’s game in Morocco is clearly paying off. The women’s team unexpectedly reached the World Cup knockout stages in 2023 and have developed star players such as captain and legend Ghizlane Chebbak, who scored a hat trick against DR Congo in the group stage of this year’s WAFCON. Under Jorge Vilda, who was sacked as Spain’s coach after the 2023 scandal involving former Spanish Federation President Luis Rubiales, Morocco are daring to challenge the established football forces of Nigeria and South Africa. They also have the potential to deliver lasting cultural change to both northern Africa and the rest of the continent.
Elsewhere at WAFCON, Nigerian superstar Asisat Oshoala, Zambia’s striking duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji and South Africa head coach Desiree Ellis are just some of the star-studded names that make this year’s tournament one of the most intriguing ever.
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A star of Asisat Oshoala’s caliber deserves to play in front of bigger crowdsImage: Justina Aniefiok/Shengolpixs/IMAGO
Familiar problems in play
The tournament is held back from reaching its full potential by off-field decisions. As a result of the delay, scheduling for the tournament only came out at the end of May, leaving promotion somewhat last minute, especially compared to the Euros. Furthermore, with three stadiums in Morocco being renovated for the men’s tournament, three smaller grounds are now being used, affecting attendance numbers.
“We don’t celebrate this team enough,” Ellis said of her players ahead of their opening game. “That needs to change because many of them are not full-time professionals; that’s what makes it the hardest part.”
Beyond the elusive recognition that many of these teams deserve is the question of fair financial compensation. South Africa’s tournament build-up has been hampered by financial issues, with reports that players were not training and sponsors hadn’t been secured. An agreement with the players has since been reached, but the team’s frustration is one that sadly many other nations competing this summer will likely be able to relate to.
“Women in sports, in general, are getting the leftovers,” Ellis said.
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Women’s football on the rise in Africa
Pay gap still wide
The prize money on offer is also a contentious issue.
On the face of it, the CAF announcement that the prize fund for this year’s WAFCON had been increased by 45% was positive, with the winners now receiving €853,000 ($1 million). But that total is not only less than the winners of the other two women’s competitions this summer — the Euros (€1.75 million) and Copa America Femenina (€1.3 million). It is worth noting that the Euros total prize money is up by 156% from the last edition. As is often the case for most women’s tournaments, the pot is considerably smaller than the men’s version. While €853,000 for this year’s WAFCON winners is obviously a step in the right direction, it is still a long way off the €6 million Senegal’s men got for winning the AFCON in 2023.
This pay gap marks a wider issue in the women’s game, which many players at this year’s WAFCON have to contend with. As FIFA’s annual report on women’s football in March this year revealed, sustainable income remains elusive for many in the professional game. In the report, FIFA highlighted that the global average annual salary for a woman playing professional football is €9,952 ($10,900). Players at teams given the Tier 1 designation were on an average salary of €20,492 but the average of those at Tier 2 and 3 clubs was €3,719 and €2,392 respectively. While many of the 288 players at this year’s WAFCON play their club football in Europe, only a handful play at top outfits. For example, only 10 play in the NWSL (top women’s league in the USA) or the WSL (top women’s league in England) and most of the South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania squads play domestically.
Despite the smaller crowds, the lack of adequate promotion and unique struggles of each nation, this year’s WAFCON already has the makings of being the best yet. But, as women’s football continues to grow in Africa, the hurdles — both globally and nationally — still hold women in professional football back.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The PGA Tour’s biggest event on its own calendar features some of the biggest names playing alongside one another this week just outside Jacksonville. Showcasing a field of 123 players filled with multiple-time major champions, FedEx Cup winners and past victors at TPC Sawgrass, the 2026 Players Championship will highlight the best that the PGA Tour has to offer, one of many massive storylines to follow as the tournament begins.
Among the headliners is Brooks Koepka, who makes his return to TPC Sawgrass in his first season back with the PGA Tour. He is paired with Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Akshay Bhatia and fan favorite Tony Finau in Round 1. The trio kicks off a run of sound groupings beginning at 8:28 a.m. ET off the 10th tee.
Following that threesome is Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg and Si Woo Kim at 8:40 a.m with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler getting his Players Championship underway at 8:52 a.m. alongside Tommy Fleetwood and prior Players champion Justin Thomas.
As the play progresses into the afternoon with those early groups hitting the famed Island Green at the 17th hole, additional stars will step onto the golf course. A popular group on the grounds will be that of Sahith Theegala, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, who tee off No. 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Reigning champion Rory McIlroy, two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama follow immediately at 1:42 p.m., though it’s possible McIlroy never tees off at all. The career grand slam winner has been nursing back spasms that forced him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. McIlroy called himself a game-time decision on Wednesday, and given his afternoon tee time, the wait-and-see approach is appropriate.
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Scheffler is a substantial favorite at nearly 5-1 to win The Players, though Morikawa has moved behind him on The Players odds board at 15-1, per DraftKings.
Oleksandr Usyk remains adamant that, even after Terence Crawford announced his retirement last December, he is not the sport’s leading pound-for-pound operator.
Despite his humility, many would regard Usyk as the finest fighter of his generation, with the Ukrainian having become a three-time, two-division undisputed champion.
His professional accolades followed a distinguished amateur career, where he claimed Olympic gold in 2012, before defeating the likes of Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to unify all four major belts at 200lbs.
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The 39-year-old then cemented himself as the greatest heavyweight of this era by securing two victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively.
And yet, even during his reign as the undisputed king, Usyk always maintained his belief that Crawford was the number one pound-for-pound fighter.
Speaking with Inside the Ring ahead of his clash with Rico Verhoeven on May 23, Usyk named four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson as the man to replace Crawford.
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“Thank you so much [to] people who support me, but I cannot say [the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter is] me.
“Now, maybe it’s Shakur.”
While Stevenson is certainly a top five pound-for-pound star, some would argue that two-division undisputed champion Naoya Inoue deserves to be placed above him at this stage.
The Japanese ‘Monster’ has dominated several of the lower weight classes in recent years, notably defeating the likes of Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton and Luis Nery. His case will be made stronger if he defeats Junto Nakatani on May 2.
Stevenson, meanwhile, has terrific potential to become the sport’s flagship fighter. A three-division champion at the age of 28, the Newark southpaw comes off a dominant win over Teofimo Lopez and looks to push on by facing more big names in and around the 140 weight class.
Victor Osimhen has surprised his sister Blessing with a customised Tesla Cybertruck reportedly valued at about ₦400 million.
The luxury electric vehicle was revealed by car dealer Polanco Exotic Cars on social media, where photos showed the special version of the futuristic truck purchased by the Super Eagles striker.
Unlike the regular factory model, the vehicle comes with a matte-black “stealth” wrap designed to protect the body from strong sunlight and give it a bold appearance.
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The truck also carries a customised red “T” badge on the bonnet, making it different from the usual simple design seen on most Cybertruck models.
The high value of the vehicle is mainly due to the cost of bringing it into Nigeria, which includes shipping charges and expensive customs duties.
Reports indicate that the car may be the Cyberbeast version of the Cybertruck. The model is powered by a tri-motor all-wheel-drive system and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 2.6 seconds.
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Osimhen, who has played for clubs such as Lille OSC, SSC Napoli and Galatasaray, has often spoken about his difficult childhood and the important role his family played in supporting his football career.
The first round of the 2026 Players Championship has arrived. The best players on the PGA Tour are at TPC Sawgrass to take on the Stadium Course in Thursday’s first round. That includes World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and, barring a last-minute withdrawal, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Below, we’ll provide Players Championship live updates all day long on Thursday, including from our writers on-site at Sawgrass, as well as Players leaderboard updates and more.
Here’s a few things to know as you follow along on Thursday:
Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, co-owners of Wrexham, are set to provide commentary for their club’s Championship clash against Swansea this Friday.
This is everything you need to know about the show.
What’s going on?
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Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac are set to offer a unique, partisan commentary experience for their club’s upcoming match, airing this Friday on Sky Sports Football.
Sky is promoting the event as a “first-of-its-kind broadcast,” promising insights from the Hollywood duo that will be “anything but impartial.”
Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob Mac celebrate their club scoring against Chelsea (Nick Potts/PA Wire)
The celebrity owners are also expected to host a number of guests during the live coverage.
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While regular commentary will be provided by Daniel Mann and Andy Hinchcliffe, the focus will undoubtedly be on Reynolds and McElhenney.
The famous owners attended last weekend’s extra-time FA Cup defeat against Chelsea, with Reynolds also present at Tuesday’s 2-1 home loss to Hull.
What have they said?
Announcing the broadcast, Reynolds and Mac said: “As with our decision to take over Wrexham five years ago, we genuinely have no idea how this is going to go, but we will give it our best.
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“Neither of us have called a sporting event of any variety, let alone a sport we basically learned the rules of five years ago.
“Either way, it will be another unpredictable day at the Racecourse and we can’t wait. We’re grateful to our partners at the EFL and Sky Sports, the latter of which we hope is ready with the bleep button.”
What’s the background?
Hollywood stars Reynolds and Mac bought Wrexham for around £2million in 2021, and the club has undergone a transformation since then.
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Wrexham have made English football history with three consecutive promotions taking them from non-league football to the Championship, and they are in contention to make it four in a row (PA Wire)
Their progress has been documented in the popular series Welcome to Wrexham, which has won 10 Emmy Awards and put the club in the global spotlight.
All-Wales clash
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The match is Swansea’s first visit to the Racecourse Ground for a league fixture since Wrexham beat the Swans 4-0 in the old Division Three in 2002.
But earlier this season City beat Phil Parkinson’s side 2-1 in south Wales.
Swansea are the second Welsh side to visit the Racecourse this season after League One Cardiff upset them in the Carabao Cup in October.
No Snoop Dogg?
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Swansea have plenty of star power in their own boardroom, with hip hop star Snoop Dogg, AC Milan playmaker Luka Modric and American billionaire and television personality Martha Stewart all holding minority shares in the club.
Swansea co-owner Snoop Dogg caused a huge stir last month when he pitched up at the Swansea.com Stadium for their home game against Preston (PA Wire)
Snoop caused a huge stir last month when he pitched up at the Swansea.com Stadium for their home game against Preston last month, whipping up the crowd and, according to visiting boss Paul Heckingbottom, leaving the “smell of weed in the tunnel”.
But unless Snoop is one of the promised special guests, Friday night’s broadcast will be a one-sided affair.
