National record holder decathlete Tejaswin Shankar will be considered for this year’s Asian Games despite not competing in the National Inter-State Senior Championships which begins here on Wednesday as he has been granted exemption from the meet, a top official of the national federation said on Tuesday.

Tejaswin, who rewrote his own national record during the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month, has been named in the 32-member Indian team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2). He has sought exemption from the National Inter-State Senior Championships and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) granted him exemption.

“Yes, he has sought exemption from the National Inter-State in writing and we have granted it. He will be considered for the Asian Games,” AFI Planning Commission chairman Lait Bhanot told PTI ahead of the championships here.

“The gruelling 10-event decathlon is such an event which an athlete cannot compete twice within one month. You need a long period of recovery time, otherwise he will get injured.” 
Tejaswin had won a bronze medal in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The AFI had earlier announced that National Inter-State will be the only selection trial for the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan in September-October.

Bhanot also said that national 100m record holder Gurindervir Singh, who has also been named in the Indian Commonwealth Games team, has sought exemption from the National Inter-State and the AFI will take a call on that.

“Gurindervir has also sought exemption and the AFI is yet to take a call on that. We will do that. In any case, the Asian Games team will be named on the final day of the National Inter-State (on June 28).

“The selection committee is the final authority to take a call on whether an athlete will be selected or not,” he said.

“Of course, he (Gurindervir) will have to compete before the Asian Games and qualify if he has to be in the Asian Games team.” 
The Asian Games qualification time for men’s 100m is 10.16 seconds, and Gurindervir had lowered the national record to 10.09 seconds in the Federation Cup last month.

Bhanot also confirmed that national record holder 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable is not in a position to compete after undergoing an ACL surgery last year.

‘Nothing wrong in Animesh Kujur competing for Odisha’ 
There were allegations that the No Objection Certificate issued to 200m national record holder Kujur, who originally belonged to Chhattisgarh, by Odisha to represent the state has lapsed, but Bhanot does not see any problem in it.

“As regarding the migration (of an athlete) from one state to another, both the states have to agree. In case any state is not agreeing, then the athlete can give representation to the AFI which is free to take decision whether the migration is allowed or not,” Bhanot said.

“And once he (Kujur) has gone to Odisha, then if he wants to go back to any other state, there must be some strong reason and the same process needs to be followed again.

“So one time migration is given, it is permanently till the time he does not ask for the migration to some other state.

India’s top-ranked golfer Yuvraj Sandhu says he is “hungrier than ever” and has set himself an ambitious target of winning a major championship within the next two to three years.

Sandhu clinched an unprecedented seven titles last year during a record-breaking domestic season, topping the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit to earn a full-season card on the prestigious DP World Tour.

“I’m just a little hungrier than ever before. Now that I’ve tasted the European tour, I feel like this is exactly where professional golf is… it’s literally where you want to be. So I see myself playing a lot of majors next year, contending as well. And ideally, it would be — winning a major next year,” Yuvraj told PTI.

“So I’m just going to stick to the process, work hard and let’s see if I can win a major next year. That’ll be golden. But I definitely see myself winning a major in the coming two or three years.

“I definitely see that because I know that, to begin with, I have the grit for it. And secondly, I think I have a great team that, you know, pushes me to the limit. And if I tell them that I need to work on certain things.” 
The 29-year-old from Chandigarh said his confidence stems from exposure to European conditions, having played the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath.

“I’ve already competed in European and UK conditions. I did play the US Open qualifier in Walton Heath. On the World Tour, I went out there with my ears and eyes wide open, very receptive to the change,” he said.

“I’ve had trouble breaking through to win or get a top-five finish lately, but I think I’ve become smarter with a lot of things on and off the golf course, and that’s showing in my scores more and more now.” 
Sandhu is part of the six-member Indian team which will compete in the Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 until October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Asked how he felt qualifying ahead of the likes of Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma, Sandhu said: “It’s been a dream to compete at the Asian Games and representing the tri-colour. Coming from an army background, seeing my dad wearing the uniform and serving the nation, I think the nation’s pride, it’s just something that comes to me.

“I feel like if I’m representing the tri-colour, it’s just something that gives me goosebumps till date. So going to the Asian Games, it’s always been a dream and I’m really grateful and thankful to everybody and my whole team who’s contributed for me being selected to the Asian Games.” 
Sandhu, Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar make up the men’s team, while Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs comprise the women’s squad.

“I honestly feel it’s a very strong team. Saptak, Veer and I, we’ve played junior golf together. We’ve played amateur golf together. It’s like we’ve literally seen each other in school. We’ve seen each other in college.

“Now we’ve seen each other in the pro ranks in our rookie years. And now the three of us are going to the Asian Games. I know for a fact that it’s the first time for all three of us.” 
Sandhu also credited improvements in his long game and wedge play for his recent progress.

“I’ve always been an aggressive player. I’ve always been a player who wants to hit a driver or, you know, who wants to pipe down a driver down the middle. So, I think that has helped me and given me a little bit of an edge,” said the Indian, who recorded a tied sixth finish at DP World PGTI Open this year.

“And at the same time, I think my wedge play has definitely become better. Like there have been harsh adjustments at the beginning of the year, which are showing results now.

“I’m very confident that towards the end of the year, there will be a week where I’ll be very busy with interviews,” he signed off.

FIFA WC 2026 Group K team rankings 

 
FIFA WC 2026 Group K: Qualification scenario

FIFA WC 2026: Group-stage tiebreaker

For the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage, teams are ranked first by points (three for a win, one for a draw). If two or more teams finish level on points, FIFA applies the following tiebreakers.

Group-stage tiebreakers (same group)

• 
  Points obtained in matches between the tied teams
• 
  Goal difference in matches between the tied teams
• 
  Goals scored in matches between the tied teams
• 
  Overall goal difference in all group matches
• 
  Overall goals scored in all group matches
• 
  Best team conduct (fair play) score
• 
  FIFA World Ranking

Fair play (team conduct) score

Teams are ranked by disciplinary record if they remain tied after goals and goal difference:

• 
  Yellow card: -1 point
• 
  Indirect red card (two yellows): -3 points
• 
  Direct red card: -4 points
• 
  Yellow card + direct red card: -5 points

The team with the better (less negative) score ranks higher.

Tiebreakers for the eight best third-placed teams

Since the 2026 World Cup has 12 groups, the top two teams from each group qualify automatically, while the eight best third-placed teams also advance to the Round of 32.

Those third-placed teams are ranked by:

• 
  Points
• 
  Goal difference
• 
  Goals scored
• 
  Fair play score
• 
  FIFA World Ranking

FIFA WC 2026: Group K remaining fixtures

Well, that’s it for the Brendan Sorsby theory in the Twin Cities. He won’t be a Vikings QB anytime soon.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified that the NFL won’t be conducting its supplemental draft, effectively ending the pathway for Sorsby to turn pro: “Just in: NFL is declining to hold a supplemental draft this summer, currently leaving the 2027 Draft as the only way for QB Brendan Sorsby to enter the NFL. A letter is being sent to Sorsby, and to all 32 NFL teams, to inform them of the league’s decision. The league continues to try to show it has little tolerance for gambling issues.”

Vikings QB Idea is Kaput

Safe to say that the Sorsby news has created a ruckus. People are noticing that the NFL has slammed the door shut on a promising young passer.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated offered a take: “I can’t remember the NFL ever denying a player entry to the supplemental draft. They’ve let guys in who were ruled ineligible because of drugs (Josh Gordon), NCAA rule-breaking (Terrelle Pryor) and grades (Ahmad Brooks), over and over. Clearly, the NFL is drawing a line here.”

Check out what Dane Brugler — draft nerd for The Athletic — had to say: “NFL declining to hold a Supplemental Draft is a major curveball to the Brendan Sorsby saga. To sum it up: the NFL felt there wasn’t enough time for the league and teams to fully vet everything. The NFL also said that Sorsby did NOT ‘demonstrate accountability’ for his conduct.”

Some people think that the NFL is all about winning. That (misguided) assumption then leads to the belief that quarterbacks are the most precious commodity in the league. Neither belief is true.

What the NFL values above everything else is money. Sometimes, the saying is said so commonly that it gets drained of meaning, but the NFL truly is a business. Kirk Cousins was therefore onto something when he annually pushed for fully-guaranteed deals as a way of ensuring his team was committed to him. A team that will put its money where its mouth is is serious about a passer.

Sorsby is talented enough to be in the NFL. Where he falls short is in his gambling. Threatening the league’s gold is a surefire way to undermine a career since nothing is more sacred in football.

Consider what Jeff Diamond had to say in his recent piece for Vikings Territory: “Sorsby signed with Texas Tech this year only to be implicated in a scandal that involved placing at least 40 bets on his own team while at Indiana and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for placing more than 9,000 bets for at least $90,000 while a college player. He was granted reinstatement by a Texas judge before the Big 12 raised a ruckus and Sorsby ultimately applied for the NFL supplemental draft.”

More from Mr. Diamond: “He’s a big QB with a strong arm and running ability who most scouts rate as a first, second, or third-round talent. The big questions are if he’s kicked his gambling habit, whether the NFL will suspend him upon entering the league, how long that suspension would be, and if there are teams willing to risk a premium draft pick (that would be then deducted from their 2027 draft choices) if they select him.”

As many have commented, the NFL has indeed clarified what’s a no-fly zone. Essentially anything can be forgiven but don’t get in the way of the money.

The Vikings QB position is rallying around Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Inserting Sorbsy into the mix was always unlikely but it’s hard to discount what a team will do when a highly-gifted young fella can be had for a discounted price. No team, Vikings included, will be allowed to jump into the mix since the NFL has intervened.

Vikings training camp begins in roughly a month.

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

Scotland take on Brazil in their final group game of the World Cup on Wednesday at 23:00 BST.

The sides also met in the opening game of the 1998 tournament, when Brazil won 2-1.

Can you name the starting XIs from that game?

After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.

Ruben Amorim’s time at Man United ended on a sour note but the Portuguese head coach could hand the Reds a huge favour this summer

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United cut ties dramatically in January as the behind-the-scenes strains of their relationship were played out in public. Poor results throughout his tenure, combined with the now infamous Leeds press conference, left United with little choice but to let him go.

Since then, both United and Amorim have landed on their feet. The Reds’ interim appointment of Michael Carrick was a resounding success as he turned the club’s fortunes around both on and off the pitch. Qualification for next season’s Champions League justified Ineos’ decision to pull the plug on a head coach Sir Jim Ratcliffe had spoken so highly of.

As for Amorim, he has bagged himself a new job at AC Milan, another huge club that has taken a gamble on the former Sporting man. Due to the nature of his exit, there will be little love lost between Amorim and United.

But that might not be a bad thing for United. The Reds have been linked with Rafael Leao this summer. The 27-year-old scored for Portugal on Tuesday in a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan and, unsurprisingly, his future was under discussion after the game.

“He is a very good coach, I will make a decision after the World Cup,” Leao told reporters when asked if he would stay at the San Siro to work with Amorim. This is a significantly softer stance than the one he took before the World Cup.

“I’m proud as I made history at AC Milan but I want a new chapter,” he said. “I feel ready to play in another league. I did my best for Milan, but it’s time to try another challenge.”

Considering a left winger is one of United’s targets this summer, Leao has made his way onto United’s radar. He has also spoken of his admiration for the Reds and Cristiano Ronaldo, only strengthening the links to Manchester.

But United would do well to dodge Leao. At 27, he does not fit the ideal age for an Ineos signing, and the winger has not played in the Premier League previously.

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He is also valued at £43m by Milan, which, for a club still needing to watch their pennies, is a considerable price tag. As has been well documented, United want to strengthen multiple areas of the squad this season, so splashing that cash on Leao does not represent good value for money.

Such a sizeable fee would be better spent on players who fit the Ineos model. It’s unclear whether Leao has changed his mind on his Milan future, but he has certainly softened his stance since the arrival of Amorim.

If Leao decides to stay in Milan because of Amorim’s arrival, the former United boss might actually be doing the Reds a favour.

With the final round of group fixtures getting under way on 24 June, it’s time to start plotting your country’s path to World Cup glory on 19 July.

But with 32 of the 48 teams advancing to the knockout rounds, new tiebreaker rules, and a table of third-placed teams to keep track of, staying across the various permutations is far from simple.

As it stands, England, sitting top of Group L, and Scotland, third in Group C, are on course to meet in the last 16 in Mexico City (6 July, 01:00 BST).

But all of that could change depending not only on England and Scotland’s performances in their final group matches against Panama and Brazil, respectively, but also results elsewhere.

To keep you up to date, BBC Sport has developed a predictor tool that updates in-game to illustrate the schedule all the way to the final.

With dates and times listed alongside the fixtures, planning early morning alarms and potential all-nighters across three host countries and four different time zones has never been easier.

Click here to view the World Cup knockout stages as it stands.