BERLIN, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 13: Team USA celebrates its world title beneath the “World Champions” display at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Germany 2026 final between France and USA at Berlin Arena on September 13, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Milad Payami/FIBA via Getty Images)
Team USA are world champions once again.
The Americans defeated France 97-79 in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final in Berlin to win their fifth consecutive World Cup title and their 12th overall.
It was not an easy start for the defending champions. France raced into a 14-point lead, but the USA fought back before taking control in the second half.
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Breanna Stewart led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Caitlin Clark also played a key role as the Americans pulled away in the third quarter.
The victory gives Team USA 36 consecutive wins at the Women’s World Cup and extends their unbeaten run in major international competition to 20 years.
The fifth straight title also puts the USA alongside the Soviet Union, who won five consecutive women’s World Cup championships from 1959 to 1975, as the only teams to achieve that feat.
With the WNBA season on hiatus due to the FIBA World Cup, Sophie Cunningham has been keeping busy during her downtime. On Sunday, the Fever guard visited the World Wide Technology Raceway for the Illinois 300 and appeared to greet Michael Jordan during the NASCAR event.
Steven Taranto shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting Cunningham’s linkup with Jordan in the pit lane.
“Sophie Cunningham saying what’s up to Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon before the green flag today,” Taranto wrote.
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The post featured a couple of images of Cunningham at the event, where the guard appeared to shake hands with the Bulls legend and former racing driver Jeff Gordon. The images quickly went viral online, with fans going wild over the unexpected linkup.
“Sophie going for Jordan son,” a fan wrote.
@sohali2012 Sophie going for Jordan son
“Sophie’s boyfriend better watch out!” another fan added.
@STaranto92 Sophie’s boyfriend better watch out!
@STaranto92 @sophaller Sophie Cunningham and Michael Jordan is peak aura.
@STaranto92 @sophaller Is bigger than these two combined right now!!
While Cunningham’s NASCAR visit drew plenty of reactions from fans, the guard made the most of her appearance at the race. Apart from linking up with Jordan and Gordon, the Fever star made her way to the pit lane, where she appeared to interact with racers and engineers.
She also joined the pre-race stage, spent some time in the broadcast booth, and waved the green flag to start the race.
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Cunningham has quickly become one of the biggest names in the WNBA, and her appearance at the race was another example of her growing popularity, as she was welcomed by the teams and even got the chance to meet the basketball GOAT.
Sophie Cunningham opens up on the mental side of the game during NASCAR visit
Sophie Cunningham had an eventful outing during her NASCAR visit on Sunday. While her link-up and appearance at the event turned heads, her interaction with fans also stood out as she kicked footballs and threw hats into the crowd while offering a candid interview with Kenny Wallace.
During the interview, Cunningham was asked about the mental side of sports and how she has “mastered” it through her antics during games.
“I think I’ve kind of mastered that art a little bit,” Cunningham said. “I get a little feisty, if you know what I’m saying. And you know, I do think it is part of the sport. And so, you got to have a one-up on people. And sometimes it’s not so physical, but it is the mental game. So, it’s fun.”
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Cunningham has earned a reputation as a feisty figure, with the guard often finding ways to rile up her opponents through simple gestures and on-court antics.
Naoya Inoue continues to eye up a move to the featherweight division as he seeks to further enhance his already tremendous legacy, and the Japanese sensation has admitted that two of his potential bouts at 126lbs would be ‘difficult to predict’.
Currently, Inoue is expected to take on fellow pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez in March, with the Texan planning on one further contest as a bantamweight this year before moving up and challenging for Inoue’s undisputed super-bantamweight crown.
Speaking with Ring Magazine, Inoue discussed which of the featherweight world champions he would prefer to face, admitting that he has no real preference but feels as though challenges for Rafael Espinoza (WBO) and Brandon Figueroa’s (WBA) belts would be harder to predict.
“I think any of them would make for an interesting fight. But Espinoza and Figueroa have particularly unique styles and sense of distance, so I think those would be fights that are difficult to predict.
“[Angelo] Leo and [Bruce] Carrington are more traditional in terms of their styles. But that’s just talking about their styles.”
Inoue then went on to reiterate that the unpredictability of Espinoza and Figueroa may not necessarily make them tougher fights than respective IBF and WBC world champions, Angelo Leo and Bruce Carrington.
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“Yeah [Espinoza and Figueroa throw punches from unique angles]. And sometimes those kinds of things can actually work perfectly for me, so it’s hard to say exactly how it would play out.”
Inoue also stated that he is intending on fighting twice in 2027, meaning that he is expecting to just fight once at featherweight next year, presuming his super-bantamweight showdown with Rodriguez goes ahead in the spring.
Rivers United’s CAF Champions League journey has come to an end after the Nigerian side fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with FC San Pedro in Uyo on Sunday.
The result at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium was not enough to send Rivers United through, as the Ivorian side held on to secure qualification to the next round.
Rivers United went into the second leg with hope after earning a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Côte d’Ivoire. Issouf Dosso had put San Pedro ahead before substitute Iyowuna Douglas scored in the 69th minute to rescue the Nigerian side.
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With the return leg in Uyo, Rivers United had the chance to finish the job at home.
But things quickly went wrong.
San Pedro stunned the home crowd by scoring twice in the first half to take a 2-0 lead and put Rivers United in serious trouble.
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The Nigerian side returned for the second half with a clear mission: fight back or face elimination.
And fight back they did.
Rivers United pushed forward, increased the pressure and scored twice to bring the game level at 2-2.
The comeback gave the home side fresh hope and turned the final stages into a tense battle, with Rivers United searching desperately for the goal that would keep their Champions League dream alive.
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But San Pedro refused to break.
The Ivorian side defended their advantage and saw out the remaining minutes to secure their place in the next round.
For Rivers United, it was a painful end to a tie that had looked promising after the first leg.
The disappointment will be even greater considering their strong start to the domestic season, where they defeated Plateau United 2-0 in their opening Nigeria Premier Football League game.
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But continental football proved a different challenge.
Rivers United showed plenty of character by coming back from 2-0 down, but the damage done in the first half proved too much to overcome.
They fought back. They levelled the game. But in the end, San Pedro had done enough.
The 2-2 draw means Rivers United are out, while FC San Pedro march on in the CAF Champions League.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca quickly shuffled his pack against Manchester United and then made sure his players knew the revised plan
Enzo Maresca did not shy away from Manchester City making it more difficult for themselves being a man down against Manchester United. But the City boss made sure his players knew how tough it would be for United when they went out for the second half.
City had been stung by Phil Foden’s red card after 23 minutes, sent off for retaliating to provocation from Bruno Fernandes that Maresca thought should also have brought a red card. City’s coach immediately tinkered with his shape, moving Rayan Cherki out to the wing for the rest of the half to keep the width while asking the rest of the team to be compact.
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He went one further at half-time, bringing on Iliman Ndiaye for Cherki in what was just the third appearance for the deadline day signing from Everton. As much as City were on the back foot, this was designed to keep them able to spring forward whenever the moment allowed.
“Rayan Cherki is a top player, but in that moment we needed something different,” said Maresca. “We needed a player that can win fouls, contact the attacker and the idea for the second half with Iliman on one side, Antoine on the other and Erling when we had the chance to attack we need to attack.
“We cannot just defend. We also keep the ball quite well in the second half knowing that we had 10 men. I think second half if we just wait for them and we don’t attack or we don’t counter then the game becomes very difficult for us – even more difficult.”
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Ndiaye was brought on to make sure City kept a threat on the pitch, and the players returned for the second half believing that while they were up against it, United somehow had a downside to having one extra man on the pitch.
“The message at half-time that I said to the players was the game was more difficult for us but also for them so keep believing that we can win the game,” added Maresca. “They are top in transition, with space in behind. With 10 players we dropped so we didn’t concede transitions or space in behind so the game was more difficult for us but also for them. Believe, stay in the game and in the end we can win this game.”
Max Verstappen has cited teammate Liam Lawson’s ability to adapt, after stepping in mid-season at Red Bull, as a sign that current Formula 1 cars are “numb to your driver inputs”.
The four-time F1 champion told the BBC in an interview published Wednesday that the 2026 cars, with a crucial role for electric hybrid power, can have “unnatural” outcomes like requiring drivers to brake earlier into corners for the best exit speed.
Verstappen suggested it’s one reason Lawson has adapted quickly after replacing the injured Isack Hadjar for the last two races. He’s staying there for this week’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda has stepped into Lawson’s old Racing Bulls seat, and both Lawson and Tsunoda have scored points in their new cars.
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“No disrespect. And I hope no-one picks up on this. But look at Yuki. He jumps in the car. Never driven the car before. Immediately competitive,” Verstappen said.
“Liam jumps from the Racing Bulls to the Red Bull – immediately competitive. It’s because these cars are numb to your driver inputs. Of course, yes, you still have to do a good lap. And you still have to commit. The fastest drivers will always come out on top. But it’s really, really limited.” Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the 2026 cars all year.
At one stage, he even said he was considering leaving F1 altogether, but eventually agreed a contract extension to keep him at Red Bull through 2030.
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He told the BBC he “never really spent a lot of time talking or doing different things or trying to go somewhere else,” despite speculation which had linked him to a move.
Verstappen’s agreement with Red Bull allows him to pursue his interests outside of F1 after his first 24-hour endurance sportscar race earlier this year.
He told the BBC he’d talked with two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso about potentially teaming up to tackle the Le Mans 24-hour race and that he would like to take on the top-level Hypercar class of sportscar racing.
John O’Shea and Tom Charlton will be without their initial top seed for The Metropolitan, but they are eager to give another member of their team a chance to impress for a start in that race this weekend.
The Randwick training partnership is keen for their untapped import, Starzintheireyes, to gain a start in the $300,000 Group 2 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) on home ground.
The import is yet to achieve a win in four starts in Australia, but was an unlucky second first-up when narrowly defeated by The Mona Lisa, and Charlton is optimistic about his future.
“He’s been unfortunate not to win yet in Australia,” Charlton commented.
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“He’s got a load of class and it was a big performance (last start).”
“We’re pretty sweet on him and at some stage the penny will really drop.”
Starzintheireyes, a son of Starspangledbanner, arrived in Australia as a winner of two of his five starts, including the Group 3 Zetland Stakes (2011m) at Newmarket.
The five-year-old had three runs in his first Australian preparation, securing a second placing over 1800m in benchmark 78 grade at Hawkesbury, a third in a BM88 over 2000m at Randwick, and a sixth placing in a 2000m BM100 at Flemington on June 6.
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He possesses the second-lowest rating of the 19 entries for the Kingston Town Stakes, which is capped at a field of 14, plus emergencies, but Charlton expects him to outperform his rating if he gets a start.
“If he ran well it could open the door of a Metrop,” he said.
“But he’ll keep improving. He might end up in a nice race.”
The only Kingston Town entry with a lower rating than Starzintheireyes is Aethelwulf – who is the favourite for the $750,000 Group 2 The Metropolitan on October 3 – with entries headed by ATC Australian Derby winner Green Spaces. O’Shea and Charlton also have Athabascan entered.
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King Pedro is not nominated after an elevated temperature ended his aspirations for a start in The Metropolitan, having last won the Grafton Cup. However, Charlton remains hopeful of his return to racing at some point this spring.
“We’re assessing him at the moment and perhaps where we can get to, but the Kingston Town is just going to come a little bit too quick,” he stated.
The Kingston Town Stakes is one of four Group 2 races scheduled for this Saturday’s Randwick meeting, which will feature Autumn Glow in the $1 million Seven Stakes (1600m).
Check out the latest racing odds on these sports betting platforms.
Alexander Zverev failed to realise he had just won the US Open after becoming a two-time grand slam champion in New York.
The German would have perhaps expected a muted reaction to his winning moment as he was facing the home hope Ben Shelton in the final.
But the 29-year-old lost track of the score because when Shelton put his return long on Championship point, Zverev barely responded.
Instead, the top seed thought there was another game to come because he had already hit the balls to the other end of the court in preparing to receive.
It wasn’t until Zverev looked up to the scoreboard and the upper deck of the Arthur Ashe Stadium for him to realise he was the champion.
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But there was no falling onto his back as, in one of the strangests grand slam title victories of all time, Zverev belatedly burst into a wide smile.
“I thought it was 5-1!” he later told Sky Sports. “I knew I had broke twice, he had only held once so like it’s 5-1.
“I thought, OK, I’m gonna have a relaxed service game here and then I’m gonna get tight on the next one.
“It’s actually funny. Tennis teachers always tell you just play each point, to forget about the score. From that moment I forgot about the score, it helped me.”
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(Getty)
Zverev will pocked $5.5m in prize money by winning the US Open title while victory will also exorcise some of the demons from his previous US Open final appearance in 2020.
Six years ago, Zverev served for the Championship against Dominic Thiem, but lost from two sets up in a brutal collapse.
Perhaps not realising the score helped Zverev as he produced a masterclass in the fourth set to repel Shelton’s comeback after the young American finally arrived in the final.
The 23-year-old Shelton overcame a very nervy start and threatened a comeback when he broke his opponent for the first time late in the third set and force the fourth.
But Zverev immediately pounced to claim the opening break before serving out a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 victory for his sixth consecutive win against the world No 9.
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Zverev won his first grand slam title in June at the French Open and also reached the Wimbledon final in July in what is by far the best season of his career.
He is now just the fourth man in the Open era to win his first two grand slam titles in the same year and aiming for the year-end world No 1 is now a realistic target.
Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy and his coaches after defeating Ben Shelton (Getty)
This has been Zverev’s year at the grand slams after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated the men’s game and swept the biggest titles in 2024 and 2025.
He has taken advantage of spells of injury from both Alcaraz and Sinner and has not had to beat either player in 2026 to become a two-time grand slam winner.
It was not all smooth sailing for Zverev, though; far from it when he was taking on the partisan US Open crowd as well as home favourite Shelton.
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Zverev faced jeers due to the slow pace of his service play and he was finally given a time violation from the chair umpire Marijana Veljovic in the fourth set.
Zverev’s incessant bouncing of the ball before his serve was a talking point before the final after his semi-final opponent complained about the time he would take during serves.
The stats showed Zverev spent around three hours of his 23-plus hours on court this fortnight bouncing the ball between serves.
The final pick of the opening round of this year’s NHL Draft has made an excellent first impression with the Ottawa Senators.
Jaxon Cover had three goals and four assists in two games at the Prospect Challenge this weekend in Gatineau, Que., including two goals and two helpers in a 5-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
The London Knights forward was picked 32nd overall by the Senators.
“Going into this, I wasn’t really thinking about points,” Cover said. “Just trying to play my game and keep it simple. The puck kept finding my stick and was just trying to capitalize on my chances and show I can score goals.”
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Ottawa got the 32nd pick back in this year’s draft after originally being docked its selection for the botched Evgenii Dadonov trade in 2022.
The decision was initially levied on Nov. 1, 2023, that the Senators would forfeit a first-rounder in 2024, ‘25 or ’26. Owner Michael Andlauer, who had just taken over the team, fired then-general manager Pierre Dorion that day and named Steve Staios as the replacement for the role.
The Senators switched Cover to centre for Sunday’s game after he played at his usual right-wing position on Saturday.
“He was impressive again. He’s obviously pretty dynamic, as we saw the last two games,” Belleville Senators coach Andrew Campbell said.
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In what was a physical game, Cover showcased his skills.
“He’s so smart, so he doesn’t put himself in compromising positions,” Campbell said. “He knows where he is on the ice. He makes his way around, he’s elusive, he’s shifty, he’s fast. He doesn’t get hit all that often.”
Raised in the Cayman Islands, Cover, 18, didn’t begin playing ice hockey until the age of 13, after playing roller hockey in his youth.
Last season, he had a team-leading 20 goals and finished second with 52 points in 67 games with the Knights.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Deshaun Watson made his first NFL start in 693 days and couldn’t have asked for a better start. The trouble was it lasted only five plays.
Watson had the Cleveland Browns moving on the opening possession Sunday against Jacksonville with a couple of dump-off passes over the middle that put them on the Jaguars 33-yard line. But on second-and-five, Watson didn’t see Foyesade Oluokun slide over in coverage, and the linebacker leaped to pick off the pass.
That was the last of Cleveland’s hopes in what quickly turned into a 34-10 rout. The next time the Browns got a first down, when Watson scrambled for three yards, there was 5:18 left in the first half and the Jaguars already were up 24-0.
“It was just a guy made a play,” Watson said of his interception, one of several mistakes that ranged from a fumble he recovered to a pair of delays that cost the Browns rare opportunities.
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“I saw the coverage that brought the blitz late up the middle. They timed it up very well,” he said. “Got knocked off platform, and 23 made a good play. That’s pretty much how that kind of played out. Then we just couldn’t get our rhythm back. Jacksonville made the plays and got points and we didn’t. And that’s where the game got away.”
Watson finished 16 of 22 for 205 yards, numbers that looked better than they were because of a 46-yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston with 1:52 left in the game.
It didn’t help that Watson and the Browns faced a team that was No. 1 against the run last season and returned all but three starters. Watson was the leading rusher, picking up 38 yards scrambling when he wasn’t on his back for five of the Jaguars’ sacks.
“It wasn’t all on him,” coach Todd Monken said.
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The Browns were outmatched all day on the suffocating heat of late summer in Florida, a team trying to rebuild against the AFC South champions.
But so much attention was on Watson, who is getting paid $46 million this year from his five-year, $230-million contract he signed with the Browns in 2022. He tore his Achilles tendon against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 20, 2024, and then tore it again that cost him all of 2025.
Monken said he saw no hesitation in how Watson delivered his passes, even the interception. His big concern was how slow it took to get off plays. The Browns were trying to pick up points late in the first half when a drive stalled by three straight penalties, include a delay of game.
Later in the third quarter, with the Browns facing third-and-two from the three, Watson couldn’t get off the play in time, then missed badly on a throw to Boston leading to a field goal.
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“Certainly could have called it better,” Monken said. “Certainly could have played better around him. Certainly there’s plays I’m sure he wished he had back. There were things operationally that weren’t clean enough, us getting in and out of the huddle, getting our subs in, being up against it.”
Watson was competing with Shedeur Sanders in training camp until Monken selected as him as the starter three weeks before the first regular-season game.
Monken bristled when asked if he was sticking with Watson for next week’s game at Tampa Bay.
“I’d rather just talk about today because I haven’t had time to look at the tape,” he said. “I’m sure as hell not firing me. I’m not firing our staff. I’m not getting rid of all of our players. So, he happens to be one of 53 and however many practice squad guys we’ve got, and our staff. He’s one of that.
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“We’ll evaluate everything,” he said. “But just to say that emotionally here at the end … I mean, we just didn’t play good enough. Didn’t coach well enough.”
Two road games to start the season might not be the worst thing for the Browns, particularly after Watson riled up Cleveland fans when he said the booing in a preseason loss to Buffalo was disrespectful and “I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games.”
Watson found one positive out of losing to the Jaguars for the first time in eight games, six of them when he was with the Houston Texans.
“Definitely just a lot of different emotions from just all over the place,” he said of his start in nearly two years. “But I’m happy that I was able to come out healthy.”
The Vikings begin the 2026 season on Sunday, September 13th. Overcoming the Packers will be met with great applause if that were to occur. Is that going to happen?
More fascinating than that basic uncertainty about winning, perhaps, is the collection of queries underneath that very obvious question of being able to take down Green Bay. Consider Minnesota’s top questions moving into the NFC North battle.
The Vikings’ Top 5 Questions for Week 1
Aug 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
So, Does Kevin O’Connell Run the Football?
The chatty head coach tends to say all the correct things. In the NFL, though, it’s all about real actions.
Keep in mind, folks, that Kevin O’Connell is wise to emphasize the passing game. Doing so keeps the offense potent (usually). Better yet, WR1 Justin Jefferson is the Vikings’ cornerstone player, so leaning into that reality means tossing the ball plenty.
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What’s needed, though, is some balance. Gobbling up ground yards would go a long way in the Vikings shining in 2026.
Can the Rookies Soak Up Snaps Early?
The rookies haven’t been great lately. The cluster of talent from 2026 is looking to change that.
In particular, there’s defensive tackle Caleb Banks who was a very surprising selection at No. 18. Pad level has become his version of “layered throws” and throwing with “touch.” He’ll look to pursue a different path than QB3 J.J. McCarthy.
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In Week 1, DT Domonique Orange, LB Jake Golday, and FB Max Bredeson appear most likely to do really good things on the football field.
About that Breakout Candidate. Is that Going to Happen?
Many foresee really good things for edge rusher Dallas Turner. I foresee good things for left guard Donovan Jackson. Who else could be included in the mix?
Running back Jordan Mason is a sneaky athlete who could clear 1,000 yards on the ground. Safety Jay Ward has been ultra patient waiting for his true shot to explode. Defensive linemen Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Elijah Williams have a shot, too. Quite possibly, some others will emerge out of nowhere.
The Vikings’ starting five consists of a pair of 1st-Round selections (LT Christian Darrisaw and LG Donovan Jackson), a 2nd-Round selection (RT Brian O’Neill), a 6th-Round selection (C Blake Brandel), and a free agency signing valued at $88 million across five years (RG Will Fries).
Being good isn’t good enough. The large lads need to be great.
The 29-year-old quarterback isn’t perfect. He is, however, very talented. Much of the intrigue rests in his rare combination of elite scrambling ability alongside some tremendous accuracy. In theory, working with Justin Jefferson alongside the rest of the skill means that Murray is about to explode.
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