Prolific sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga have been instrumental in transforming Malawi from no-hopers to giant killers to finalists at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Read moreChawinga sisters shine as Malawi reach Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final

The Malawian Scorchers scored 12 goals en route to the title decider against Cameroon on Sunday with Temwa from Kansas City Current claiming five and Tabitha from Lyon four.

Opposing them in Rabat will be Michaely Bihina, the outstanding goalkeeper at the tournament, who has played a key role as the Indomitable Lionesses reached the final.

The 22-year-old from famed Portuguese club Benfica saved four penalties in the semi-final victory over Morocco – one in extra time and three in the subsequent shootout.

It promises to be an intriguing showdown between Malawi, who have in three of their five matches thusfar scored three goals (Nigeria (3-2) Egypt (3-1) and Algeria (3-1)), and Cameroon, who have conceded only twice in five games.

Malawi are ranked 153rd in the world – 82 places below Cameroon – and it would be the greatest upset in the 28-year history of the WAFCON if they triumph.

“Qualifying for the final is an incredible achievement. Our victories mean a lot to the people of Malawi,” younger sister Temwa told reporters.

“Many of the headlines reflect the goals Tabitha and I have scored, but we are just part of a very talented group of footballers.”

Tabitha, at 30 three years older than Temwa, also emphasised the importance of teamwork in reaching the final.

‘The Chawinga sisters are special’

“Temwa and I will never succeed without our teammates. When everyone performs to the best of their ability we can succeed.”

Bihina told reporters she “watched recordings of several Malawi matches, but had never been to a stadium to watch the team”.

“The Chawinga sisters are special. I have been studying how they operate and, hopefully, it will assist me in the final.

“We raised our game in the knockout stage to eliminate Nigeria and Morocco. The stronger the opposition, the better we play.”

When the WAFCON kicked off in late July, neither Cameroon nor Malawi were considered likely finalists. Defending champions and record 10-time winners Nigeria were the team to beat.

Cameroon only got into the tournament via a side door having lost home and away to Algeria in the final qualifying round.

Later, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) increased the number of qualifiers from 12 to 16. The four losers with the highest rankings, including Cameroon, were added.

Congo Brazzaville, the first qualifying opponents of Malawi, withdrew. They then overcame Angola.

A blow for Malawi will be the absence of midfielder Rose Kadzere, who scored twice en route to the final. Sent off in the semi-final win over Algeria, she is serving an automatic suspension.

Apart from the glory of being crowned African champions for the first time, Cameroon and Malawi will compete for a record two million dollar first prize. The runners-up pocket $750,000.

On Saturday, Morocco face Algeria for third place in a repeat of a group match won 1-0 by the host nation.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The Buss family is selling its remaining 17.8% share in the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a $12.5 million valuation, according to ESPN. “We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the Buss family said in a statement. “We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles; but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”

Kushner and Iger purchased control of the Lakers from Mark Walter last week in a shocking transaction. Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, bought the team in 2025 at a $10 billion valuation. He is currently under federal investigation for potential financial fraud. The Buss family has had a stake in the Lakers for nearly five decades, with Dr. Jerry Buss becoming the team’s owner in May 1979. The team has won 11 NBA championships in that 47-year span.

When the Buss family originally sold the franchise to Walter last summer, Jeanie Buss was allowed to remain the team’s governor. Jeanie took over as governor after he father’s death in 2013. NBA rules allow for someone to be a team governor only if they own at least 15% of the team, which the Buss family trust retained despite selling majority control to Walter. When Walter became owner in 2025, the NBA said in a statement that Buss would remain governor for at least a five-year term.

Mere hours after the news broke that Kushner and Iger were buying the team, Iger gave an interview to The California Post in which he said that the plan was for Buss to remain governor, but that “if things change, they’ll change.” Now that the Buss family no longer owns the requisite 15% of the team necessary to retain governorship, either Iger or Kushner will presumably become the team’s governor and lead the team moving forward.

The Buss family trust requires four out of the six siblings to vote for a sale of the team. The initial sale of majority control from the Buss family to Walter was driven by Jeanie, according to a lengthy ESPN report in January. That sale allowed Jeanie to retain governorship of the team. However, younger siblings Joey and Jesse Buss, who had held prominent roles in basketball operations for the Lakers, were both fired afterward. Now, according to Yaron Weitzman, all five siblings besides Jeanie executed the tag-along clause in the family trust, stating that they wanted to sell the family’s shares. A 17.8% stake in a $12.5 billion sale would be worth $2.25 billion.

Three big questions after shocking Lakers sale: Dodger-fication on hold? What does this mean for a Vegas team?

Sam Quinn

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The Lakers under Walter had spent most of the past 14 months integrating with his other local professional sports franchise, the more recently successful Dodgers. Now, not only is Walter gone, but so is the Buss family, leaving Kushner and Iger to direct the team as they see fit. What exactly that means for the team’s basketball future is not clear, but it is the end of an era for the purple and gold.

There has been a late addition to the Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic card later this month after an unbeaten British heavyweight was added to the bill in an interesting showdown with a world-ranked contender.

Unbeaten sensation Itauma will meet Hrgovic at The O2 Arena in London on August 29, with the vacant IBF heavyweight title up for grabs for the winner.

Victory for Itauma would see him become the second youngest world heavyweight champion in history, but there are a number of other fighters in the banner division that are trying to earn fresh opportunities after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his unified world titles.

One of the men hoping to break into title contention is Guido Vianello, who is currently ranked 12 in the world with the IBF and 14 with the WBC, and holds a stoppage victory over recent Tyson Fury foe Arslanbek Makhmudov.

He will now feature on the Itauma vs. Hrgovic show, after it was announced that he will go up against unbeaten Welshman Moses Jolly, who holds a perfect 12-0 record, with 8 of those victories coming by knockout.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱: Undefeated British heavyweight contender is coming to the O2 🚨🏟️

Guido Vianello is set for a Jolly-𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙩-up in the capital 🔥#MosesHrgovic | Aug 29 | The O2, London | DAZN pic.twitter.com/SsRgSu5cy3

— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) August 17, 2026

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Vianello represents a big step up in competition for Jolly, but the 30-year-old will see it as a big chance to earn the upset against the Italian and announce himself to a much wider audience.

Other fights that already feature on the Itauma vs. Hrgovic event include a British and Commonwealth welterweight title fight between Constantin Ursu and Ben Vaughan, Sam Noakes going up against Denys Berinchyk, and Alous Youmbi taking on Mike Perez.

The position of pound-for-pound number one has become much more open during 2026, but James Toney offered a left-field selection when asked to name his pound-for-pound king, overlooking each of Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk and Shakur Stevenson.

As 2025 came to a close, fans were debating whether Terence Crawford becoming a three-division undisputed champion outweighed Oleksandr Usyk’s legendary title reigns at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.

However, Crawford’s retirement and then Usyk’s underwhelming display against Rico Verhoeven in May has blown the debate wide open, with many fans believing that Japanese sensation, Inoue, should take top spot.

Although, in an interview with About Boxing, James Toney selected fellow three-division world champion David Benavidez as his pick, before explaining why, for him, Shakur Stevenson is not in the running.

“I don’t know why [people think Shakur is pound-for-pound number one]. What has he done?

“Wrong era. If he did it [became a four-division world champion] in my era, then it would be very impressive but in this era? No it’s not. 

“It’s his fault because if he wants to be top dog, fight the best fighters out there. Don’t make excuses. I did it, Roy [Jones Jr.] did it, Marvin Hagler did it.

“If you want to talk bad, back it up, like I do, every time.”

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Benavidez halted Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez to claim the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles with a performance of the year candidate back in May. Next, it seems as though Benavidez will seek to add the WBC marble to his collection, with a fight against Interim champion, Michal Cieslak, currently being rumoured.

New Delhi: There was a time when Ashmita Chaliha could only watch while fellow players were training, travelling and discussing their next tournaments.The Assam shuttler was confined to rehabilitation for a career-threatening medial meniscus tear in her right knee that she sustained during the 2024 Korea Open in Aug. She was repeating the same exercises day after day. Her racquet was largely out of reach, her competitive rhythm gone and her ranking slipped rapidly.For someone who had been ranked inside the world’s top 40, the slide was particularly painful. Ashmita eventually found herself outside the top 200, a point she describes as her “rock bottom”.But that low eventually became the starting point of a comeback that reached its latest high at Korea Masters this year, where she had a memorable run to claim the title on Aug 9.Looking back at the difficult period, Ashmita admitted that the biggest battle was not necessarily physical. “Preparing during my injury, like for rehab and stuff, it was more mentally than physically,” she said.“I was always doing the same thing while there was training and stuff. It was upsetting because you see other players preparing for the tournament and discussing the next plan, whereas I was just stuck there,” Ashmita recalled.Yet somewhere amid frustration and uncertainty, she found a different kind of motivation. She had little control over how quickly her body would recover, but she could control how she approached the road back.The first objective was not immediately to win a major title or chase a ranking. It was simply to find out whether she could compete again.Once she was cleared to return, she chose to ease herself back through smaller tournaments. The matches were as much a test of her physical condition as they were of her confidence.“Once I started to play, I was mostly getting back with small tournaments. I just wanted to know how fit I am or if I can compete with the good players,” she said.Those early tournaments helped rebuild something an injury can take away from an athlete just as quickly as fitness and belief.The Korea Open triumph was therefore more than another title on her resume. It represented the distance she had travelled from those lonely rehabilitation sessions, from watching others compete while she waited for her own opportunity.On making the comeback after losing the first game in the Korea Masters final, Ashmita said, “I was just in the game and taking one point at a time. I wasn’t thinking about whether I could win the match. I was just playing and seeing what happens. When I changed sides, it was better for me and my attack was going pretty well, so I stuck to that game.”There was no overnight transformation. Her return was built through patience, smaller competitions and the willingness to start again.And that is perhaps what makes the Korea Masters victory particularly significant. Ashmita did not simply return to the winner’s circle; she returned after experiencing how quickly an athlete can fall when injury takes away the one thing they live for and that is competition.She may not be part of India’s World Championships campaign in New Delhi this time, but her Korea Open triumph has offered a timely reminder of what she is capable of when healthy and confident.Playing at home can be a double-edged sword, the 26-year-old admitted. “It’s a mixed feeling. Firstly, it’s in your home country, so you want to win and get a medal for India,” she said. “That already builds a little bit of pressure, but it’s also very exciting to play in front of your home crowd. There will be additional support, and you wouldn’t want to let people down.”For an athlete who once felt stuck on the sidelines, the journey back has been about learning to move forward one tournament at a time. The rankings may have fallen, the road may have been frustratingly long, but Ashmita has shown that a career can be rebuilt from its lowest point. Sometimes, the comeback begins when all you can do is believe that your time will come.

For the most part, Minnesota has been a healthy football team. Unfortunately, safety Jamal Adams stands out as the exception since he’s now done for the year.

The Vikings filled the open spot with a young player for the secondary.

Consider what the team’s official social media had to say: “The #Vikings have signed CB @brycephillipsbp and placed LB Jamal Adams on IR.” Obviously, nobody wants to see an injury but this is an instance of Minnesota responding to a minus one with a plus one. The focus now shifts toward what Phillips can do inside a purple jersey.

The Vikings Filled Open Roster Spot: CB Bryce Phillips

Think of the Vikings’ secondary as a singular whole rather than being divvied up into two different positions.

DC Brian Flores doesn’t appear overly concerned about position titles and the perceived limitations that accompany whatever is normal for those spots. A corner who can play free safety will get tasked with doing so; a safety who can play along the edge will do so. Move through the various positions and Coach Flores will consistently demonstrate a willingness to task his players with unusual responsibilities.

Rolling with Bryce Phillips to replace Jamal Adams makes sense within that broader consideration of the defensive backs. Losing a versatile safety hurts. Quite possibly, part of the adjustment means emphasizing a nickel package with three corners rather than three safeties. Beefing up the corner spot is part of that approach.

Bryce Phillips went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft despite tossing up a very promising 8.58 RAS. He played his ball for San Diego State. Once upon a time, Kevin O’Connell played quarterback for the same school. Kansas City scooped him on a three-year deal that saw a whopping $267,500 included as guaranteed money, per Over the Cap.

The Chiefs’ website considered the overall haul of UDFA talents by offering a quick blurb for each player. Consider the assessment of Bryce Phillips:

A two-year starter for the Aztecs, Phillips was on the field for at least 700 defensive snaps (and 350 coverage snaps) in each of the last two seasons. He recorded seven pass-breakups and two interceptions in that time.

Primarily a wide cornerback at San Diego State, the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Phillips began his career at Tennessee State, where he played for two seasons from 2022-23.

In all likelihood, the Vikings could only clear out roster room for a half dozen corners. Of those six possible spots, there are four certainties. All of Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre are getting onto the final team. Next up is rookie Chuck Demmings, somebody who has picked up a lot of fans since getting drafted in the 5th Round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s looking like the CB4.

Next up is a collection of roster talent that’s trying to prove worthy of one of those final spots. Think Zemaiah Vaughn, Dwight McGlothern, and various others. Bryce Phillips needs to prove more promising than most of these guys to get onto the 53-man roster.

Moreover, there’s the safety talent to consider. Unless there’s a trade, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, and Jakobe Thomas are getting onto the team. Tavierre Thomas appears quite likely to, as well, since he demanded a pretty good contract. What about Kahlef Hailassie and Jacob Thomas? It’s a less obvious connection, but the safety talent makes the roster battle tougher for Phillips.

Bryce Phillips is listed by the Minnesota Vikings as being 6’0″ and 195 pounds. He’ll need to prove helpful on specials while demonstrating promise on defense. Do that and he’s got a chance to make the final team.

The Vikings will host the Ravens for joint practices in a couple days.

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