Here we are in the last two months of the 2025-26 season.
The title race completely passed us by months ago, and unfortunately that has become standard procedure in the last few years. After the tremendous run of results in January had us thinking of a comfortable spot in the top four in Serie A, the crushing reality of February and, to some extent March, made us realize that today’s Juventus team is barely/merely good enough to hang around the outskirts of the fourth, fifth and sixth positions.
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Last month had a little bit of (almost) everything — dramatic comebacks, last-minute goals, crushing victories, penalty misses, and corto muso performances.
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Let’s get started.
Falling into the Europa League?
We started the month with a blockbuster 3-3 draw away at Roma. After a tight first half, the hosts took the lead just before the break when Brazilian wingback Wesley cut inside from the edge of the box and curled a lovely right-footed shot into the top corner and just past Mattia Perin’s fingertips. We equalized immediately after the break when Conceição scored with an incredible half volley that almost ripped the net in half.
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A 10-minute spell then turned the game firmly into Roma’s favor. Evan Ndicka barged his way past Andrea Cambiaso and volleyed home from Lorenzo Pellegrini’s corner kick. Then, the reborn Donyell Malen received an incredible pass from Manu Kone, beat the offside trap, and chipped the ball over Perin who was too slow to come off his line. (And I thought sweeper-keepers were overrated …) Jeremie Boga brought us back into the game when he scored with a tremendous volley after Edon Zhegrova’s deflected cross fell to him. His goal was the beginning of a great run of games he had in March.
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The game had a dramatic conclusion in the 93rd minute thanks to our beloved bricklayer Federico Gatti. Once again, Zhegrova was the catalyst as his cross from the free kick created havoc in the box. Gatti pounced (ha!) on the loose ball and smashed in the half volley to deny Roma the victory in a brilliant game of football.
We returned to winning ways with a big 4-0 home win against Pisa. Remarkably, all goals came in the second half and, curiously, after Spalletti switched to a 3-4-3 with Boga/Yildiz as a false 9. Cambiaso scored the first goal when he headed in from a great chipped cross from Yildiz. The second came quickly afterwards: Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint shot hit the post and the rebound fell to Khephren Thuram who tapped the ball into an open goal.
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The goals kept coming. Yildiz collected a pass from Conceição, slipped past the defender, and blasted the ball into goal. Boga put the cherry on top with a goal in stoppage time after he received a perfect through ball from Locatelli, rounded the goalkeeper, and scored in the empty net: 4-0!
Boga continued his great month by scoring the game’s only goal in a tight 1-0 victory over Udinese. Kelly played a fantastic long ball to Yildiz, who charged into the box and crossed low to Boga. The Ivorian held his run excellently and, as a result, was in the perfect position for the easy tap-in. The Bianconeri controlled the rest of the game and probably should have scored more to put the game to bed, but in fairness Udinese posed such little offensive threat that the victory was never in doubt.
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The final game of the month against Sassuolo was the one that, in my eyes, ended our chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Remarkably, goalkeeper Perin created the first goal when his excellent long outlet pass released Conceição on the counterattack. He dribbled his way into the box and squared the ball for Yildiz, who scored with a low, accurate shot.
As has happened time and time again this season, Juventus conceded from its first (and only!) shot on target. Sassuolo played a nice bit of one-touch passing on the edge of the box and the ball came to Berardi on the right wing. The winger squared the ball for Andrea Pinamonti who, after bullying Gleison Bremer of the ball in the buildup to the goal, ghosted past the Brazilian defender to poke the ball into goal from Berardi’s low cross. The Bianconeri won a very soft penalty after Jonathan David’s cross hit a defender’s arm, but goalkeeper Arijanet Muric caught Locatelli’s incredibly weak penalty kick. It ended 1-1 and we fell further behind in the race for Top 4.
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Juventus Women
Juventus Women opened the month with a solid 2-0 victory over Fiorentina in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. Chiara Beccari scored in the ninth minute thanks to a nice assist from Ana Capeta. The Portuguese forward then capped a match-winning performance with a goal in the 51st minute after latching onto Viola Calligaris’s great through ball and scoring with a shot at the near post.
It wasn’t a great month of results in the league, though.
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AC Milan beat the Bianconere 1-0 thanks to Thea Kyvag’s goal early in the second half, but the deciding moment came just a few minutes earlier in stoppage time of the first half. Kay-Lee de Sanders fouled Capeta in the box but goalkeeper Sandra Estevez saved Emma Stolen Godo’s penalty, resulting in a disappointing 1-0 loss. We followed that loss with a frustrating goalless draw against bottom-of-the-table Genoa.
Thankfully, Juve ended the month on a high note with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. Capeta ended a fantastic month with two goals in this game. The first was a wonderful curled shot from the edge of the box that went in off the post and the second a header from a corner kick. Iris Omarsdottir scored from a rebound after a corner kick resulted in Katla Tryggvadottir hitting the post. Juventus cruised to a 2-1 victory (4-1 on aggregate) over Fiorentina and will meet Roma (who else?) in the final!
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New starts with false 9s?
During the winter transfer window, the big story was Juventus’s attempt to get another striker, likely on a short-term deal. Dusan Vlahovic has since only recently returned from injury and still hasn’t extended his contract that expires in a few months, Arek Milik has risen from the dead after missing nearly two seasons due to injury, and Loïs Openda and Jonathan David haven’t worked out the way we thought they would.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Spalletti has tinkered accordingly to find a solution while his strikers find their purpose in life form. He has tried two solutions: playing Weston McKennie as a striker and playing a false nine. Remarkably, McKennie was actually quite good in that position — is it still a surprise that McKennie plays well everywhere on the pitch? — but we need him more urgently in other areas.
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The false 9 experiment began catastrophically when the attack was terrible in the first half of the first game against Napoli. But the experiment has caught fire recently as a combination of Yildiz and, more importantly, Boga have done quite well as false 9s. The Ivorian, in particular, seems to be a good fit for the position as he is faster and more physically dominant than the Turkish forward and more comfortable with his back to goal.
But as I mentioned earlier, Milik and Vlahovic are now (fully?) fit, which means that Spalletti has another problem on his hands: who do you play/drop? Boga is in fantastic form, Yildiz is the team’s top contributor in attack, and McKennie is one of the most important players in the team. Conceição is hot and cold, but we don’t have many players comfortable on the right wing.
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It’s an important question to ask because, despite having the third-best attack in the league, we are remarkably wasteful in attack. We have 12 shots per game compared to Inter’s 13 shots per game, but the league leaders have scored 14 goals more than us, highlighting the significant difference in the teams’ effectiveness in front of goal. To emphasize this even further, the two teams have essentially the same number of shots per target (185 for us, 184 for Inter).
So what is the new power ranking for the Bianconeri’s attackers? Let’s find out after the international break.
A two-event stop in Texas concludes this week with the 2026 Valero Texas Open beginning on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET at TPC San Antonio – The Oaks Course. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are both out this week ahead of major play, but there’s still a strong Valero Texas Open field headlined by top-10 OWGR players such as Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley. The latest 2026 Valero Texas Open odds via FanDuel list Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg as the +1500 co-favorites. Russell Henley (+1600), Jordan Spieth (+1800) and Robert MacIntyre (+1800) are among the other favorites. Collin Morikawa and Gary Woodland have both withdrawn from the field.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites.
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Now that the 2026 Valero Texas Open field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, which you can use for PGA picks, one and done contests or Texas Open DFS lineups.
2026 Valero Texas Open predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Texas Open 2026: It projects that Henley barely cracks the top 5 despite being one of the favorites. Henley has yet to finish inside the top 5 in any event this year, so the model isn’t ready to project him near the top of the leaderboard. He finished fourth in this event in 2024, but didn’t play it in 2025 and he finished T52 and missed the cut in his other two Texas Open appearances. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: The model projects Sepp Straka as a top-10 contender despite him not being in the top group of favorites at +2700. The 32-year-old Austrian has finished inside the top 20 in four of his last five events, including a strong T8 finish at The Players Championship last time out. He struggled during his first two appearances at this tournament, but turned a corner last year, finishing T22 after a strong weekend, so the model likes his value this week. See who else to pick here.
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Tommy Fleetwood +1500 Ludvig Åberg +1500 Russell Henley +1600 Jordan Spieth +1800 Robert MacIntyre +1800 Si Woo Kim +2200 Sepp Straka +2200 Hideki Matsuyama +2200 Maverick McNealy +2700 Michael Thorbjornsen +3000 Rickie Fowler +3000 J.J. Spaun +3300 Denny McCarthy +3300 Alex Noren +3300 Keith Mitchell +3500 Ryo Hisatsune +3500 Johnny Keefer +4000 Nick Taylor +5500 Sudarshan Yellamaraju +4500 Thorbjørn Olesen +4500 Richard Hoey +4500 Marco Penge +5000 Alex Smalley +6000 Tony Finau +6000 Will Zalatoris +6000 Brian Harman +6000 Jordan Smith +6500 Stephan Jaeger +6500 Christiaan Bezuidenhout +7000 Austin Smotherman +7000 Davis Thompson +7000 Matt Wallace +7000 Max McGreevy +7000 J.T. Poston +7000 Mac Meissner +7000
The Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium saw heated words being exchanged between Delhi Capitals’ Tristan Stubbs and Lucknow Super Giants pacer Prince Yadav. The incident happened in the fifth over. After the fifth ball of the over, Prince Yadav went all the way to Tristan Stubbs and stared at the South African batter. Stubbs did not hold back and returned the gesture.
Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants put up an embarrassing batting display with some questionable tactical calls, getting shot out for 141 in 18.4 overs in their IPL match against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel opted to bowl first, and even though the Ekana Stadium wicket wasn’t a belter, there could be no tangible excuse for the LSG unit for its pathetic batting display.
A fit-again T. Natarajan (3/29 in 4 overs), Kuldeep Yadav (2/31 in 4 overs) and the brilliant Lungi Ngidi (3/27 in 3.4 overs), who bowled perhaps a contender for the ‘ball of the tournament’, made life miserable for the home team, which looked as bad on the field as it had seemed on paper, as per pre-tournament predictions.
Captain Rishabh Pant, in a surprising move from the team’s perspective, broke the successful opening pair of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh and promoted himself to the top of the order.
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Pant (7 off 9 balls) started with a nice back-drive off Mukesh Kumar, but in the next over was run out at the non-striker’s end when the bowler got a fingertip to a smashing straight hit from Marsh.
But, to be frank, Pant didn’t look comfortable once, despite that opening boundary, and it seemed more like a desperate attempt to get his India T20 slot back.
Aiden Markram (11) hit a six and a four, but DC skipper Axar Patel’s wicket-to-wicket delivery breached his defence.
The highly rated Ayush Badoni (0) edged one from T. Natarajan that was angled across, but it was Ngidi’s newfound confidence in executing slower deliveries that became the standout moment of the first half.
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It was a floating off-cutter that beat the dangerous Nicholas Pooran (8 off 8 balls). Pooran, whose philosophy hinges on bat speed, saw the loopy trajectory of the delivery dip late as the ball sneaked between bat and pad to hit the stumps.
In Ngidi’s case, there was no perceptible change in his arm speed as he took considerable pace off the ball.
Ngidi, who has perfected pace-off deliveries with variable lengths, tightened the noose on the LSG batters. He also accounted for Shahbaz Ahmed with a wide slower yorker, which is a difficult art to execute.
As for Kuldeep, he took some punishment initially but did the job well by dismissing the dangerous Marsh with a googly that saw the bat face turn in his hand, the leading edge flying to mid-off
Are NFL teams supposed to trade up the draftboard for running backs? Absolutely not — it’s taboo. Should the Minnesota Vikings do it anyway? Maybe — if the temptation is to grab Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. And thanks to some reporting from NFL insider Jason La Canfora, one trade partner might just do the trick if the Vikings want Love.
Cleveland could be the pivot point if Minnesota wants the Notre Dame star.
That team is the Cleveland Browns, a franchise apparently open to trading down at the No. 6 spot.
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Cleveland Could Hold the Key to a Love Deal
How much would you give up to Love?
Jeremiyah Love breaks into the open field after a catch, gaining extra yards during second-half action on Sep. 30, 2023, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. The Notre Dame running back showcased acceleration and balance against Duke, turning a routine play into a chunk gain while stressing the Blue Devils’ defensive pursuit angles. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.
La Canfora: The Browns Are Open for Business
Jot the Browns down as a likely trade listener. La Canfora wrote this week, “With so many holes and wanting to stockpile picks, this may end up being a prime opportunity to trade down. In all likelihood, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the only offensive skill player off the board when Cleveland is up to pick, and with many executives identifying Washington as a prime spot for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and the Browns being connected with Ohio State running back Carnell Tate.”
“Perhaps they are sitting in a bit of a sweet spot in which some other team will be motivated to move up to grab their pick on the best pass catcher or runner in this draft.”
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Cleveland pulled off a blockbuster deal in the last draft, too, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to spend big in their pursuit of Travis Hunter.
La Canfora added, “The Browns have long been in the rebuilding business and the ‘asset relocation’ business, putting together an analytically-minded front office with execs from other sports involved that has left a lasting impression on owner Jimmy Haslam, even as some of those individuals have moved on.”
“Cleveland just hired an older head coach in Todd Monken, who has never done the job before, and the team seems years from contending. Even in more times of more robust rosters, the Browns were generally seen as willing listeners at the very least in regards to trades, and draft trades.”
There’s a path to Love if the Vikigns want him, at least in the rumor mill.
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Jumping in Front of the Commanders
For a while in March, the Tennessee Titans became a mock-draft darling to pick Love at No. 4. While that remains in play until draft night, the tide has turned a bit in favor of Tennessee taking the plunge with Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
If the Titans don’t take Love, and the New York Giants decide Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy are enough for the 2026 backfield, the Commanders are the next logical spot for Love — at pick No. 7.
With the Browns trade, the Vikings would jump ahead of Washington, disqualifying them from the Love pick and making him a Viking. That’s the working theory behind a trade up the draftboard so high; a team might have to box out the Commanders, who have Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White on tap for running back duty in 2026.
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The Trade Price
This is the part where you avert your eyes. A trade all the way up to No. 6 in Round 1 won’t be cheap for the Vikings or any franchise.
Stacey Dales conducts an on-field interview with Jeremiyah Love during NFL Scouting Combine activities on Feb. 28, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Notre Dame running back discussed preparation and performance while evaluators observed closely, as prospects navigated media sessions alongside drills during one of the league’s most visible pre-draft events. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Minnesota could also sell next year’s 1st-Rounder while possibly getting a late-rounder back from Cleveland. There are options.
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A Vikings Playground with Love, Murray, Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson
The Vikings’ rushing offense has never been solved by head coach Kevin O’Connell, although it improves each year. Trading for and drafting Love would immediately fix the problem, so long as O’Connell committed to using him like a bellcow RB1 in a balanced offense.
A Cleveland Browns helmet sits on display near the sideline ahead of kickoff on Jan. 4, 2025, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The close-up captures team branding and game-day readiness as players prepared to take the field against the Ravens in a divisional matchup with late-season implications. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.
Minnesota already boasts a Top 3 defense over the last couple of seasons under Brian Flores; adding Love to an offense with Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson would strike fear into the hearts of, well, everybody.
If the offensive line stayed healthy — it did no such thing in 2025 — the Vikings’ roster wouldn’t really have any weaknesses, and the club would flirt with Super Bowl aspirations.
That’s the upside of dreaming big about Love in purple and gold. The Browns could hold the key.
This week, reporters asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Dončić to make their respective cases for the Most Valuable Player award. Both MVP candidates declined to do so.
“I never [made a case for myself],” Dončić said after scoring 42 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 127-113 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. “I’m not the one voting. But I think I’ve been playing pretty good, we’ve been winning, so that’s it. That’s all I got to say.”
This year’s MVP race is particularly tight. Rational arguments can be made in favor of Gilgeous-Alexander, Dončić, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić. Since Jokić is averse to self-promotion, it appears that Wembanyama will be the only one who publicly states why he believes he should win. Last week, he told reporters in Miami that he’s the right choice because defense is 50% of the game (and he’s the league’s most impactful defender), his San Antonio Spurs almost swept the Thunder in the regular season and his impact on offense goes beyond scoring.
The only other thing Gilgeous-Alexander said about the MVP race is that it’s “good for the league” because it drives interest.
“I think it’s good chatter,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “It gives people something to talk about. There’s a lot of good players in this league and a lot of guys in the conversation because of that.”
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That doesn’t mean, however, that he wants to participate in that conversation.
On one of the last days of March, Germany play Ghana in the final international break before World Cup preparations begin. Many fans started their journey first thing in the morning, including Dennis and Kai.
The two friends from the north of Germany put on their kits and boarded the train early, keen to support the team in person that evening in Stuttgart.
For Dennis in particular, trips like this are routine; he has been following the national team since 2015, and the 40-year-old has hardly missed a game since. Kai has been a regular since Euro 2024 on home soil.
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“Wearing the eagle on your chest and singing the national anthem is something special,” Dennis told DW. “You always meet up with other fans, travel to tournaments — it always gives you goosebumps.”
The two are what are known as regulars, fans who accompany the team to every match — wherever the location.
The buzz before the tournament
No wonder, then, that the upcoming FIFA World Cup is firmly marked in their calendars.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Kai, his eyes lighting up as he speaks. “I want to soak up everything that’s going on in the cities. Dennis has always talked so much about it.”
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The anticipation begins long before the tournament, added his mate Dennis: “The excitement starts two years in advance; you start saving up and thinking about what the trip might look like.”
Both have already bought tickets for Germany’s group games, and their itinerary is all planned out. They’re really looking forward to it, and the current political situation in the United States isn’t dampening their spirits.
“Politics should really stay out of sport. Sport is meant to build bridges and bring people together, but politics often likes to exploit tournaments like this,” said Dennis.
How big will Germany’s support be in the USA?Image: Maximilian Koch/picture alliance
Löw warns against traveling
Not everyone is as relaxed, though. Most recently, former Germany head coach Joachim Löw warned against traveling to North America.
“We had debates even before the 2018 World Cup in Russia and calls for a boycott ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But playing in a country that is currently actively at war is even more dangerous,” warned Löw at an event in Cologne.
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Löw, who led Germany to victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, was referring to the policies of US President Donald Trump, who started war with Iran at the end of February. On top of this, operations by immigration agency ICE and other geopolitical conflicts are causing unrest and uncertainty. The political situation is “completely overshadowing the tournament,” said Löw.
Green party politician worried about personal freedom
There has also been, and continues to be, strong criticism from the political sphere.
“What FIFA is organising there together with Donald Trump is not something that makes my heart beat faster,” Green Party politician and human rights activist Boris Mijatovic told DW.
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Green party politician Boris Mijatovic has warned against traveling to the USA this summerImage: dts-Agentur/picture alliance
“The disclosure of personal data, such as email addresses, mobile phones, computers or social media accounts, should not be ignored. These are all infringements on personal freedom that I would not tolerate,” Mijatovic said. “A state that snoops into your privacy in this way should not be rewarded with a visit.”
Mijatovic also fears further “bizarre moments of vicarious embarrassment” such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino presenting the newly created FIFA Peace Prize to Trump during the World Cup draw.
“I find it utterly grotesque the way one has to pay homage to this president to win his favor. This applies just as much to Gianni Infantino as it does to [German] Chancellor Friedrich Merz,” added the politician, including DFB German FA President Bernd Neuendorf in his criticism.
Mijatovic feels there is a lack of courage to voice criticism of FIFA.
“I miss that stance,” he said. “What we once built, with respect and fair play, has gone down the drain.”
For Germany fan Bengt Kunkel this year’s World Cup will be one he watches on television at home rather than in person. Kunkel, who has worked hard to generate a great atmosphere at Germany games for several years, will not be traveling to the US.Bengt Kunkel (center) was one of many fans cheering at Germany games at Euro 2024Image: Matthias Koch/picture alliance
“I take a very critical view of the World Cup,” he said. Trump is a huge problem, he added, because he is trying to make the World Cup his own and exploit it for his political agenda.
“On top of that, there are the restrictions on press freedom and freedom of expression, plus FIFA’s political pandering in awarding the Peace Prize to Donald Trump,” said Kunkel, who is also critical of the cost to fans.
“We worked out that for the group stage alone, we would probably have had to spend between €5,000 and €8,000 ($5,800-$9,280),” explained the Germany fan. “This isn’t a fan-friendly tournament. Nothing about this World Cup appeals to me, so it was clear I wouldn’t be going.”
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The stricter entry requirements for fans are also a cause for concern for the 27-year-old.
“When it comes to saying, ‘we’re going to check all social media activity of people wanting to enter the US and see if anyone has liked or posted anything against Donald Trump,’ then that has nothing to do with inviting the world into your home and wanting to celebrate a football festival.”
Germany fans are hopeful the country can seal their fifth star at the 2026 World CupImage: Matthias Schrader/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance
Can the team win the World Cup together?
Kunkel knows that the 2026 World Cup is currently dividing fans.
“But I understand anyone who goes there,” said Kunkel, adding that he does not believe a boycott is the answer.
“It has to be OK to support the national team, despite everything. So let’s just make the best of it and have a brilliant World Cup summer.”
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Even Dennis and Kai admit it’s “not a fan-friendly World Cup.” Nevertheless, they’re confident that the US will ensure everyone’s safety and that it will be a fantastic football festival.
“We want to become world champions,” Dennis said. “We have to be a team and act as a team, and if we fans stand behind the team, we can go a long way.”
The Nigeria national football team have remained in 26th place in the latest men’s world ranking released by FIFA on Wednesday.
The team, led by Éric Chelle, played two matches in March. They recorded a 2-1 win over Iran national football team and later settled for a 2-2 draw against Jordan national football team.
Despite their results, the Super Eagles remain the third highest ranked team in Africa. Morocco national football team are still the continent’s top side in 8th place, followed by Senegal national football team in 14th.
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Algeria national football team and Egypt national football team complete the top five teams in Africa.
At the global level, France national football team have moved to the top of the ranking, replacing Spain national football team.
The next FIFA men’s world ranking is expected to be released on June 10, 2026.
Ghana lost 2-1 to Germany in a friendly match in Stuttgart. Ghana will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 18 against Panama, before facing England and Croatia.
The final piece of the FIFA World Cup puzzle has fallen into place for Canada.
Bosnia and Herzegovina upset Italy on Tuesday in a European playoff to clinch a berth at this summer’s tournament, marking its return to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
Canada already knew it would be hosting Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24 at BC Place in Vancouver in Group B action at the World Cup. Bosnia’s victory over the Italians means Canada will face them in its group stage opener on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto.
What kind of team is Bosnia? What should Canada expect from their Balkan nation?
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Here’s a look at Canada’s first opponent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nickname: Zmajevi (The Dragons) FIFA world ranking: No. 65 All-time caps leader: Edin Džeko (148) All-time to scorer: Edin Džeko (73) Current coach: Sergej Barbarez
How Bosnia qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Bosnia posted a 5-2-1 record during the first round, finishing behind Group H winners Austria and beating out Romania for second place, and a spot in Path A of the European Playoffs.
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Down 1-0 against Wales in Cardiff, Bosnia was on the verge of elimination when Edin Džeko scored a late equalizer. After a goalless extra time, Bosnia completed the comeback, winning 4-2 on penalties.
The Bosnians trailed 10-man Italy by a goal in the finale of the Path A playoffs before drawing level and then winning 4-1 on penalties to send the hometown fans at Zenica’s Bilino Polje Stadium into a state of delirium.
Bosnia’s World Cup history
Bosnia competed at the World Cup as part of Yugoslavia from 1930 to 1990. The breakup of the country saw Bosnia become an independent country that first took part in World Cup qualifying for the 1998 tournament in France.
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After four failed attempts, the Bosnians qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2014 in Brazil, where they bowed out in the group stage.
The Dragons will be back at the World Cup this summer for the first time in 12 years after failing to qualify in 2018 and 2022.
Scouting report on Bosnia
Canada’s opening match will be a tricky one, considering the form that Bosnia and Herzegovina have been on — seven wins, three draws and only two losses since March 2025. This is also a team that can score and is hard to break down, with 24 goals scored and three clean sheets in that same period.
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Although Bosnia has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation at times, coach Sergej Barbarez tends to rely on a traditional 4-4-2 setup with forward Ermedin Demirović forming an attacking partnership up top with Džeko.
Key to Bosnia’s attacking success are wingbacks Amar Memić and Esmir Bajraktarević, who prefer to deliver dangerous crosses into the penalty area, rather than cutting into the middle off the wing. Typically, Memić and Bajraktarević look to penetrate deep before crossing into the box, where one striker attacks the near post and the other goes towards the back post, thus making life difficult for opposing defenders.
Džeko provides a tall target man (he stands six-feet-four) and is renowned for winning his aerial battles against opposing centre backs. Most of Bosnia’s best scoring chances come off Džeko’s attempts on goal or from his headed passes. How Canadian centre backs Moïse Bombito and Derek Cornelius deal with the Bosnian dangerman will be one of the more important tactical questions that Jesse Marsch’s side will have to answer.
It’ll also be important for Canada to shut down Memić and Bajraktarević and prevent them from supplying crosses into the box. Bosnia is also dangerous from set pieces, so Canada would be well advised to limit the number of fouls they commit in and around the box.
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Bosnia’s major weakness is its lack of experience. Džeko has 148 caps for his country, but only three other players on the squad who took part in this month’s pair of qualifying matches have played in 30 games for their country. The overwhelming majority of players on the roster have fewer than 20 caps. That lack of experience often leads to inconsistent performances across 90 minutes.
And while Džeko is an experienced campaigner who is capable of conjuring a magical moment, the team is far too reliant on him; it lacks variation in its attacking play and fails to provide consistent support for the veteran striker.
Most recognizable name on Bosnia’s team
At 40 years of age, Edin Džeko is still going strong for Bosnia.
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The veteran striker was his country’s top scorer during European qualifying with six goals, accounting for over one-third of his country’s offence.
Džeko has a wealth of experience at international and club level, having previously turned out for some of Europe’s top outfits, including Manchester City and Inter Milan. He’s currently playing for FC Schalke 04 in Germany’s second division.
What Canada is saying about Bosnia
“Their players grew up in a war-torn country, and a lot of them were lucky to escape, found their ways to different countries. I coached Amar Dedić (at Red Bull Salzburg) — his family moved to Austria and had to find a new life there,” said head coach Jesse Marsch. “So, these players have been through a lot in life, and I think it really served them well in the (European playoffs) where they were in difficult situations.
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“I have a lot of respect for what Bosnia has achieved, what those people have been through, what those players have been through, and I’m happy for them to be at the World Cup. I know we’re in for a really difficult first match.”
Midfielder Ismaël Koné added that “to be fair, Bosnia is a very good team. I didn’t know this was their level. I’m very surprised Italy didn’t go through. I thought with the experience they have, with the high-quality players they have, by now, after missing two World Cups, they would be here, but you know, it’s football.”
Winger Liam Miller noted that while watching the game against Italy, “you could tell Bosnia were a good team. They had more passes, obviously. I know Italy had a red card. But even before Italy got their red card, I felt like (Bosnia) were the better team in the game. So, they’re a good team. We can’t underestimate them. They’re going to come here with energy.”
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau echoed those sentiments, saying “Bosnia was pretty much the team that was most in form (in Path A) of the four that could have been a possibility (for Canada). It’s going to be a very tough opponent.”
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Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
Famed for his willingness to fight and his desperation for legacy, Terence Crawford retired as an undefeated pound-for-pound great just a few months ago.
However, when reflecting on his career, there is one opponent whom ‘Bud’ wishes he could have fought.
Crawford became boxing’s third four-belt undisputed champion when he trumped Julius Indongo to take control of all four titles back in August 2017, before repeating the feat up at welterweight six years later with a dominant beatdown of Errol Spence Jr.
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Last September, Crawford then made the sizeable jump up to super-middleweight, where he dethroned long-reigning 168lb superstar Canelo Alvarez to become the first three-division undisputed titleholder since Henry Armstrong in 1938.
Soon after, the Omaha operator announced his retirement from the sport, hanging up the gloves with a record of 42-0 at the age of 38 years old.
Despite all of his success, Crawford admitted that the man he most wishes he could have fought is boxing’s only eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, in a clip captured by Jai McAllister.
“Pacquiao, for sure. 1000%.
Man, I tried to fight Pacquiao for [so long]. That was a fight that I was chasing for years, since I was 140lbs.
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“To see him fight [Adrien] Broner, Tim Bradley, Keith Thurman and all of those fights. I was like, man, what is going on. These guys is not [on my level].
“I am [up] here, [on a level above,] and he was fighting these guys. I just couldn’t understand it.”
While Crawford has retired, Pacquiao remains active, still competing at 47.
The 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur begins Wednesday morning with the first round at Champions Retreat in Georgia. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Wednesday, including full Augusta National Women’s Amateur TV coverage, streaming info and Round 1 tee times.
How to watch ANWA on Wednesday
American amateur star Asterisk Talley is only 17 years old, but she’s already become a fixture at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. First, she finished 8th in her ANWA debut in 2024. Then last year, Talley came oh-so-close to claiming the title, finishing one shot short of 2025 ANWA champion Carla Bernat Escuder.
Now ranked No. 10 in the women’s world amateur ranking, Talley is hoping this week’s event sees her finally lift the tophy on Saturday at Augusta National.
But first, Talley and the rest of the 72-player field, which features two former Augusta National Women’s Amateur winners, have to contest the first and second rounds at Champions Retreat to earn the right to compete at Augusta this weekend.
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And the action gets started Wednesday morning with Round 1.
You can watch the first round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on TV via Golf Channel, which will air coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. You can also watch a live simulcast Golf Channel’s TV coverage via ANWA.com.
Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the first round of the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
How to watch on TV Wednesday
Golf Channel will air first-round TV coverage of the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Wednesday from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET.
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How to stream online Wednesday
You can stream the first round of the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur via Peacock and ANWA.com, both of which will offer live simulcasts of Golf Channel’s Wednesday TV coverage.
2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Round 1 tee times for Wednesday (ET)
Tee No. 1
8:00 a.m. – Brooke Biermann, Ai Goto, Emily Odwin 8:12 a.m. – Rocio Tejedo, Catherine Rao, Charlotte Back 8:23 a.m. – Grace Kilcrease, Vanessa Borovilos, Yurina Hiroyoshi 8:35 a.m. – Huai-Chien Hsu, Catherine Park, Dianna Lee 8:46 a.m. – Nikki Oh, Raegan Denton, Elise Lee 8:58 a.m. – Seojin Park, Mackenzie Lee, Clarisa Temelo 9:09 a.m. – Prim Prachnakorn, Sara Brentcheneff, Chloe Kovelesky 9:21 a.m. – Amanda Sambach, Arianna Lau, Elizabeth Rudisill 9:32 a.m. – Marie Eline Madsen, Jasmine Koo, Camille Min-Gaultier 9:44 a.m. – Kiara Romero, Andrea Revuelta, Eila Galitsky 9:55 a.m. – Soomin Oh, Rianne Malixi, Megha Ganne 10:07 a.m. – Tsubasa Kajitani, Lily Reitter, Reagan Zibilski
Tee No. 10
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8:00 a.m. – Andie Smith, Eunseo Choi, Aira Nagasawa 8:12 a.m. – Paula Martin Sampedro, Maria Jose Marin, Anna Davis 8:23 a.m. – Patience Rhodes, Asterisk Talley, Aphrodite Deng 8:35 a.m. – Megan Streicher, Megan Propeck, Kary Hollenbaugh 8:46 a.m. – Avery Weed, Veronika Kedronova, Beth Coulter 8:58 a.m. – Louise Landgraf, Karen Tsuru, Katelyn Kong 9:09 a.m. – Bailey Shoemaker, Gyubeen Kim, Amelie Zalsman 9:21 a.m. – Anna Fang, Anna Iwanaga, Ava Merrill 9:32 a.m. – Ashley Yun, Macy Pate, Yunseo Yang 9:44 a.m. – Meja Örtengren, Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Farah O’Keefe 9:55 a.m. – Scarlett Schremmer, Lauren Kim, Yujie Liu 10:07 a.m. – Kyra Ly, Achiraya Sriwong, Kelly Xu
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