Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was left out of the squad for Nigeria’s upcoming friendly matches against Iran national football team and Jordan national football team due to his current club situation.

Head Coach Eric Chelle named a 23-man squad for the games, selecting Maduka Okoye, Adebayo Adeleye and Francis Uzoho as his goalkeepers.

Nwabali, who was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper in recent matches, is currently without a club after ending his contract with Chippa United by mutual agreement last month.

His status as a free agent is believed to be the main reason for his omission, as the coaching crew prefers players who are actively playing at club level and maintaining match fitness.

Despite concerns over his future, the 29-year-old has remained calm, insisting he is not under pressure to rush into a new deal.

“I’m not worried. Not at all,” he said. “I don’t have a specific country or destination in mind. Anywhere that welcomes me, I’m ready to play.”

Nwabali added that he is waiting patiently for the right opportunity, even though he currently has no offer on the table.

“There is no contract in front, there is no club in front. And I am not guaranteeing you that a club will come today or tomorrow,” he said.

While his absence is a notable one, the Super Eagles will hope their selected goalkeepers can step up in the friendly matches as preparations continue for future competitions.

Argentina is spearheading a South American bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup, a joint effort that would include Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin is visiting Argentina to assess the nation’s feasibility as a host for the tournament, slated to follow Australia 2027 and USA 2031.

Formal applications for hosting rights are expected this autumn.

A preferred host will be identified in May 2027, with World Rugby’s council granting final approval the following November.

“The 2035 bid represents a federal objective and a legacy project that transcends our borders,” said Gabriel Travaglini, president of Argentina’s rugby union.

“Welcoming Alan Gilpin to advance this technical analysis is a fundamental step in demonstrating that the region is ready.

“We want a World Cup that reflects the passion and development that rugby has achieved in every corner of our territory.”

Argentina would be a popular destination for the 13th edition of the World Cup and worthy hosts given they have reached the semi-finals three times.

They are currently positioned fifth in the global rankings, one place above England.

Japan, Spain, Italy and a combined Middle East bid are shaping up to be their rivals to put on the tournament.

The World Cup will be staged in Australia next year — when Argentina, Chile and Uruguay will be South America’s representatives — and in the United States in 2031.

Argentina were narrowly defeated in the final of the Rugby Championships in October, losing to South Africa 29-27 in a thrilling encounter at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

In August, they won a first-ever home Test over New Zealand as they beat the All Blacks 29-23.

South Africa have won the last two editions of the World Cup, beating New Zealand in the 2023 final and England in 2019.

Working at the tournament, I remember a feeling there was an extra edge in the build-up to the final in Rabat, compared to previous editions.

What stood out were the allegations – on social media – that hosts Morocco were getting the rub of the green when it came to refereeing decisions. It was becoming a big part of the managers’ pre-match news conferences.

The conspiracy theories seemed to be linked to a perceived close relationship between Morocco’s football federation and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Morocco have become a powerhouse in African football – regularly hosting tournaments like the Women’s Afcon, and helping Caf by hosting many qualifying matches for nations who can’t play at home.

There was chaos when Senegal arrived in Rabat for the final, and pictures of the players walking through huge crowds – with seemingly minimal security – went viral. Complaints followed from Senegal’s football federation that their original hotel wasn’t good enough – and that they didn’t have enough tickets for their fans.

It felt almost inevitable that a controversial moment during the game would lead to an incident – but no-one could have foreseen a group of players walking off the pitch as Senegal did in that chaotic conclusion to normal time.

Now, the two best teams on the continent are at loggerheads. Even before Tuesday’s decision, Senegal’s prime minister had complained about the prison sentences given to 18 people from the country after being convicted of hooliganism offences during the final. Many of the Senegal players spoke out in support of those fans.

The teams will meet again soon – potentially even in the next Afcon final – and you wonder, with relations at an all-time low, what sort of occasion that will be.

Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala blew the final whistle of that match in Rabat almost two months ago, but the ramifications of events during the game will impact African football for a long time to come.

Kai Trump has returned to training ahead of her freshman season at the University of Miami, just months after undergoing wrist surgery to continue her golf career “pain free.” 

President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, who verbally committed in 2024 to play for the Hurricanes, shared a video of herself on Instagram in the gym doing box squats. 

Kai Trump, a University of Miami commit, plays her tee shot on the second hole during The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on Nov. 13, 2025, at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“We’re so back,” she captioned the video posted to Instagram Stories, and tagged her coach, Alex Paup. 

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Trump, 18, announced in January that she underwent surgery. The announcement came after she made her LPGA Tour debut at The Annika in November. 

“Today, I underwent left wrist surgery to address injuries to the stabilizing tissues of my ECU tendon and damage to my fibrocartilage complex,” she wrote in a post on social media. “The surgery was successfully performed at the Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute by Dr. Thomas Graham, Chief of Jefferson Orthopedics. I look forward to my rehab in the coming months, I am excited for the ability to play golf pain free.” 

Former President Donald Trump walks with Kai Trump and her mom Vanessa Trump during the ProAm ahead of the LIV Golf Team Championship, on Oct. 27, 2022, at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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In the weeks that followed, she was pictured with a bandaged cast on her left wrist.

Trump has spoken about her hopes to pursue a professional golf career, telling Fox News Digital in a July interview that she believes the University of Miami is the place for that to happen.

“The more golf I play, the better I’ll do. Getting experience. Miami gave me a great opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to that,” she said at the time.

Kai Trump and her mother, Vanessa Trump, after a match between Jupiter Links and Boston Common Golf Club at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on March 17, 2026. (James Gilbert/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)

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Trump finished in last place at The Annika but made a notable improvement in her second day of competition compared to her first day, improving by eight strokes. She finished with a two-round score of 18-over 158, putting her 27 shots behind leader Grace Kim (65-66) and 17 away from the projected cut line at one over par.

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Paris Saint-Germain snuffed out any chance of a Chelsea comeback with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among the scorers in a clinical 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday which took the holders through to the Champions League quarter-finals 8-2 on aggregate.

The Georgian’s early opener was soon followed by a brilliant Bradley Barcola strike, quickly ending Chelsea’s hopes of turning around their 5-2 deficit from the first leg of the last 16 tie last week.

Substitute Senny Mayulu then fired in PSG’s third in the second half, as Luis Enrique’s men march on to a last-eight tie next month against either Liverpool or Galatasaray – the Turkish side go to Anfield with a 1-0 first-leg advantage on Wednesday.

PSG’s dream of retaining the Champions League title remains very much alive, a year after winning the trophy for the first time in their history.

The Qatar-backed side’s comprehensive victory in this tie gives them revenge for their loss to the Blues in last July’s Club World Cup final, and indicates that they might be finding their very best form again at just the right time.

This was their fourth win in a two-legged knockout tie against Premier League opposition since the start of last year, but while that record is impressive, Chelsea looked a long way short of the level required in Europe’s elite club competition.

Liam Rosenior’s team never really appeared to believe they could come back from their collapse six days ago at the Parc des Princes, when they conceded three late goals to go from 2-2 to 5-2 down.

Their attention will now turn back to the fight to qualify for the Champions League again next season, after a miserable week in which two defeats against PSG have come either side of a loss at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Robert Sanchez started in goal here, as he had done at the weekend, after Filip Jorgensen replaced the Spaniard and was at fault for PSG’s crucial third goal in the first leg.

No chance

PSG, meanwhile, gave a start to Kvaratskhelia after he came off the bench to score a late double in Paris which swung the tie decisively his team’s way.

The Parisians also made the trip undoubtedly feeling fresher after their scheduled weekend Ligue 1 game against Nantes was called off to aid their preparations.

Within six minutes here they were ahead as Mamadou Sarr – making his Champions League debut – misjudged a long kick downfield from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and Kvaratskhelia outmuscled the young Chelsea defender before beating Sanchez.

The second goal came on the quarter-hour, with Warren Zaire-Emery supplying Achraf Hakimi on the right and the Moroccan finding Barcola who controlled on the edge of the box before sending a superb strike into the top-left corner.

The tie was as good as over at that point, and home fans began flooding for the exits when the third goal arrived just after the hour mark.

Kvaratskhelia did the spadework this time down the left before his ball into the middle fell to Mayulu – the 19-year-old, who replaced Joao Neves at half-time, gave Sanchez no chance with a lethal first-time strike.

A miserable evening for Chelsea was then compounded when Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off late on, leaving the hosts to finish the game with 10 men as they had used all their substitutes.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

March Madness brackets are consuming households across America, but with the expanded legalization of sports gambling, more and more wagers are being placed on the tournament games.

The tournament is the only thing that could compete with the Super Bowl in terms of gambling, with 32 games being played on the court and each of them being watched by millions all over the country.

Picking upsets in brackets is stressful enough — you know they will happen, but you just don’t know which ones. But picking all of them on a sportsbook might actually be beneficial.

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General view of the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tipoff between New Mexico Lobos and Michigan State Spartans at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 23, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Since 2008, 12-seeds are 28-40 against No. 5 seeds — that .410 winning percentage certainly is not bad for teams that are normally underdogs of nearly double digits. Combine that with No. 11 seeds going nearly .500 (37-39) in the first round since 2006, and bettors may have cashed in, even if their brackets were busted.

“That’s where you take shots and that’s where, you know, the upsets have occurred,” Johnny Avello, an oddsmaker at DraftKings, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

Since 2019, 10-seeds are also 10-13 against 7-seeds, with one 7-seed advancing because of COVID-19 in 2021. In the last nine tournaments dating back to 2016, No. 9 seeds are 22-14 against No. 8 seeds, with the No. 8 team winning the majority of the games just twice in that span.

Five players have been suspended this offseason for gambling, with a sixth on the way. (Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

TWO-TIME NCAA CHAMPION JALEN BRUNSON REVEALS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT IN MARCH MADNESS

Because of these trends, Avello has seen several lower seeds shrink their point spreads, including No. 11 South Florida against No. 6 Louisville (7- to 5-point underdogs) and No. 12 High Point against No. 5 Wisconsin (12.5 to 9.5). No. 12 Akron has also gone from 9.5-point underdogs to 7.5 against No. 5 Texas Tech.

Now, while some may want to go big or go home with some Nos. 13-16 seeds (kudos to those who bet on UMBC in 2018 and Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023), it may not be wise. In fact, Avello said lots of bettors go heavy on the favorites in those matchups.

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Avello opened No. 2 Purdue (who lost to the aforementioned FDU) as 23-point favorites against Queens, but that spread is now up to 25. No. 2 Iowa State went from 23.5- to 25.5-point favorites against No. 15 Tennessee State, while No. 3 Gonzaga also saw its spread against Kennesaw State go from 18.5 to 20.5.

Texas Tech remains the smallest five-seed favorite, but Vanderbilt and St. John’s stand at -11.5 against McNeese State and Northern Iowa, respectively. For context, the largest spread in a 5-12 matchup last year was Clemson at 7.5 against McNeese, who pulled off the upset. Two other five-seeds sat at -2.5.

The March Madness logo at center court of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

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And for what it’s worth, two No. 13 seeds were single-digit favorites last year, but this year they are all favored to win by double digits.

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It’s time for the WCC to shine.

With three teams in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the conference can make a big splash with some big wins.

Gonzaga shouldn’t have much trouble with Kennesaw State, but Saint Mary’s could have its hands full with Texas A&M, despite being the lower seed.

If Santa Clara can make it three First-Round wins with an upset against Kentucky on Friday, the spotlight will truly be on the WCC.

Here are my previews of the three matchups.

But here’s the truth of what’s really going down in this game: Paulius Murauskas is going to have to play.

Murauskas might be the best player on the court, but he hasn’t proven it against elite competition. He struggled against Gonzaga all three times, including the WCC regular season finale.

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Saint Mary’s also got boatraced by Vanderbilt earlier in the season.

But the troubling part is, he looked scared against the Zags. When things went wrong, he looked awkward and lethargic. He’s gotta play better in the tournament.

Mikey Lewis and Joshua Dent are sick, but they’re not enough to beat A&M by themselves.

The Owls will likely try to stop him with Perry Smith Jr., who is comparable to Ike from a size standpoint, but not as capable. Ike has seen it all at the collegiate level.

KSU ranks 239th nationally in points allowed per game against weak competition. Gonzaga should be able to eat them alive.

The Bulldogs also return guard Jalen Warley from injury. Warley’s an elite defender, solid slasher, and a phenomenal hustle player. It feels like he’s the team’s glue at times.

The combination of Tyon Grant-Foster and Warley should cause fits for Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle. Cottle’s a good all-around scorer, but he’ll likely have to hit a number of difficult  shots to keep the game close.

CBS didn’t randomly choose this game.

The key to this matchup should be whether SCU can hang with the athleticism of UK.

Santa Clara’s offense is potent, but they may struggle to get easy looks against the Cats, especially in the paint. The Broncos have a lot of shooters but don’t have a true post scorer.

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Bukky Oboye is a great defender, but he isn’t a reliable threat on offense. Oboye gets most of his points off of offensive rebounds and alley-oops.

If SCU’s going to come out of St. Louis with a victory, they’ll need at least two of their three leading scorers to go off.

Christian Hammond, Allen Graves, and Elijah Mahi are gonna have to step up because the rest of their team will likely be overwhelmed.

Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.

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Devin Haney has offered a surprising take on Gilberto Ramirez vs David Benavidez, which many envision being a highly competitive cruiserweight battle.

The pair will square off for Ramirez’s WBO and WBA world titles on May 2, headlining a Premier Boxing Champions card at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Perhaps most interestingly, this represents Benavidez’s first outing at 200lbs, with the WBC light-heavyweight titlist looking to become a three-division world champion.

The 29-year-old comes off a destructive seventh-round finish over Anthony Yarde in November, which followed his consecutive points victories over David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

In search of criticism, it could be said that Benavidez is yet to face one of the top dogs – as in, Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev – but has nonetheless shown promising signs while campaigning at 175lbs.

Ramirez, too, is a former world super-middleweight champion but has now firmly established himself as a top-tier cruiserweight, coming off a string of solid unanimous decision victories over Yuniel Dorticos, Chris Billam-Smith and Arsen Goulamirian.

But despite the Mexican’s credentials at 200lbs, WBO world welterweight champion Haney seems to think that ‘Zurdo’ will be an easy night’s work for Benavidez, making a strong prediction on Inside the Ring while also managing a playful jab at the Mexican’s co-trainer, Malik Scott.

“I think that’s a fairly easy fight for Benavidez. I don’t think ‘Zurdo’ will give him any trouble… Especially because Malik Scott is his trainer, right? Easy.”

Many believe Benavidez’s hand speed and combination punching will see him emerge victorious, though it must be said that Ramirez represents a crafty operator who could negate aspects of his opponent’s style.

FIFA has announced a new partnership with streaming platform YouTube that will introduce a different digital viewing format during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, allowing official broadcasters to use the platform to show selected live match content and archive footage during the tournament.

Under the arrangement, rights-holding broadcasters will be able to stream the opening portion of matches on YouTube before directing viewers to television or official streaming platforms for the full broadcast. FIFA said the model is aimed at widening digital reach and attracting younger audiences who increasingly follow sport through online platforms rather than conventional television.

Rights holders to stream opening match segments on YouTube

A key feature of the agreement is FIFA’s plan to encourage broadcasters to show the first 10 minutes of matches live on YouTube. The idea is to offer viewers an early live window before moving them to the main rights-holding platform for the remainder of the match.

The format is expected to be used across the 104-match tournament, which will be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

FIFA to open World Cup archive on digital platform

Alongside live coverage, FIFA plans to make more of its historical World Cup content available through YouTube during the tournament period.

This includes full past matches, classic highlights and other notable moments from previous editions, giving fans access to archive material alongside current tournament coverage.

The governing body expects the archive content to help maintain engagement throughout the tournament, especially between matchdays.

Creators to receive expanded tournament access

FIFA will also increase the involvement of digital creators during the tournament by giving selected YouTube personalities wider behind-the-scenes access.

According to FIFA, creators will be allowed to produce content from stadiums, training venues and team environments, offering coverage beyond traditional match broadcasts.

The plan builds on FIFA’s earlier collaboration with YouTube during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the 2026 edition is expected to feature a much larger digital content operation aimed at reaching mobile-first audiences.

FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first World Cup with 48 teams and 104 matches, making it the largest edition of the tournament.

Key tournament dates