Sports
World Cup 2026: Co-hosts Mexico plan to deploy 100,000 security personnel
World Cup co-hosts Mexico have announced plans to deploy nearly 100,000 security personnel to protect fans at this summer’s tournament, amid the ongoing drug cartel violence in the country.
Mexico, hosts alongside the United States and Canada, will stage World Cup fixtures across three cities – including Guadalajara, the capital city of Jalisco where the violence began last month and more than 12,000 people are reported missing.
Mexico will also host matches in Mexico City and Monterrey, both spared by the violence, when the World Cup is held between 11 June and 19 July.
The Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) drug cartel, one of the country’s most feared criminal organisations, has engaged in gun shootouts with the Mexican military, blocked roads and burned vehicles in response to the killing of its leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – known as ‘El Mencho’ – in an army operation.
El Mencho was Mexico’s most wanted man and was also sought by the United States, which had placed a $15m bounty on him.
He was buried on Monday in a cemetery near the military base in Zapopan. On Friday, Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum presented her plan to ensure the safe staging of the World Cup.
Fifa and Sheinbaum have insisted that the violence will have no impact on the World Cup, when millions of visitors are expected.
Mexico’s ‘Plan Kukulkan’, named after the serpent deity of the Mayan civilisation, covers the host cities and their nearby tourist destinations and will oversee a security deployment of “just over 99,000 personnel”, according to the head of Mexico’s World Cup coordination centre, Roman Villalvazo Barrios.
That figure includes 20,000 military personnel and 55,000 police officers, as well as members of private security companies, and involves around 2,500 military and civilian vehicles, 24 aircraft, anti-drone systems, and dogs trained to detect explosives and other substances.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said he feels “very reassured” that Mexico can still successfully stage World Cup games.
Sports
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Daniel Berger leads by five as Rory McIlroy rallies in Bay Hill second round
Following a level-par opening round, Northern Irishman McIlroy will begin the third round tied ninth after he improved to four under.
McIlroy remained even as he reached the back nine but birdied four of the next seven holes to post 68 and climb up the leaderboard.
World number one Scottie Scheffler appeared set to match his opening round 70 but the American slipped to three under after bogeying the 18th.
Tommy Fleetwood rallied with three birdies on the back nine to get back to one over par and inside the weekend cut-off.
Berger has suffered a run of injuries, including a back issue which sidelined him for 18 months and fractured a finger at the BMW Championship in August last year.
He put himself on course for a long-awaited victory – and the £3m top prize – after a clean run on the back nine included three birdies to strengthen his position.
“I actually feel like I played better [today], the course was a little tougher,” Berger said.
“I’m looking forward to the next couple of days and seeing the challenge they bring.”
Oleksandr Usyk may be forced to relinquish another world title, potentially allowing two heavyweight veterans to collide for his IBF strap.
The Ukrainian became a three-time, two-division undisputed champion after securing a fifth-round stoppage victory in his rematch with Daniel Dubois last July.
Since then, Usyk has vacated his WBO title, enabling Fabio Wardley to be elevated from ‘interim’ to full world champion, while keeping hold of his WBC, IBF and WBA belts.
It was then announced last month that the 39-year-old will face Rico Verhoeven, a decorated kickboxer, at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza on May 23.
Originally, the WBC declared it would not sanction their contest, given that Verhoeven’s only professional boxing contest – a second-round stoppage victory over Janos Finfera, whose then-record was 0-5 – had arrived in 2014.
The sanctioning body, however, has since given Usyk the green light to defend his green and gold strap against the kickboxing star, while the IBF and WBA are yet to confirm their stance on the matter.
As far as Usyk’s IBF title is concerned, though, Wasserman and Misfits Boxing promoter Kalle Sauerland believes it should be contested by Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder, who are gearing up to lock horns at London’s O2 Arena.
With Chisora being the organisation’s leading heavyweight contender, Sauerland has told Sky Sports that he will be lobbying for a vacant IBF title clash on April 4.
“Oleksandr Usyk has not had one single mandatory defence of the IBF IBF urged to strip Usyk and put heavyweight title on the line for upcoming fight in his reign as heavyweight champion.
“Given Chisora’s position at the very top of the heavyweight rankings right now, and Wilder’s position as well, and given the high-profile nature of the fight, it would be an amazing addition for them to be able to fight for the belt.
“That’s the politics of boxing. We will be speaking to the IBF to see whether there is something that can resolve the situation and we will be lobbying for such a move.”
While Chisora, indeed, is the highest-ranked heavyweight contender with the sanctioning body, an IBF elimination bout will nonetheless take place between Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr on March 28.
The winner of that contest could then have a stronger claim to be ordered as mandatory challenger to Usyk, should the masterful southpaw still be in possession of his red and gold strap.
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have plenty of roster decisions they need to work through. The most imperative is figuring out the quarterback situation. Beyond that, though, several critical aspects of the team will be scrutinized.
Outside of the quarterback position, the running back room and its depth could be the Vikings’ greatest cause for concern on offense. Maybe that transitions to the tight end room if T.J. Hockenson doesn’t restructure his current deal. It’s also possible that wide receiver depth is seen as questionable with Jalen Nailor headed to free agency.
Path Opens in the Vikings’ Wide Receiver Rotation
The Minnesota Vikings will have both of their top wide receivers, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, back. Are they ready to let 2025 third-round pick Tai Felton settle in, though?
Last season, Felton played in all 17 games, but the rookie logged just 46 total offensive snaps. He played heavily on special teams, but contributed only three catches (on three targets) for 25 yards. There is a serious level of uncertainty regarding his development and readiness for the next step.
The third wide receiver role is wide open after the departure of Nailor. Felton is the straightforward answer as to how the position should be filled, but that comes down to Kevin O’Connell’s belief in where he currently stands.
A decade ago, the Vikings had another former Maryland wide receiver they were breaking in. Stefon Diggs, who the New England Patriots just released, was a fifth-round pick in 2015. He played in just 13 games as a rookie, but started nine and had 720 yards with four touchdowns.
Both Diggs and Felton have similar size and body chemistry. However, Diggs was vaulted into a prominent role much more quickly. It would be the best-case scenario for Minnesota to see Felton blossom into that sort of talent. Of course, they could also do without the headache that Diggs became synonymous with.
If Felton isn’t ready, though, then the franchise will need to explore options in free agency or that draft. Jefferson and Addison may be among the best in the league. Having nothing behind them is a problem, though.
EDMONTON — Too fast, too organized, too good.
Whatever it is that mysteriously stops this Carolina Hurricanes system from winning enough playoff games clearly does not apply to one-off regular-season meetings, as the hottest team in the NHL cut through the Edmonton Oilers like a hot knife through butter Friday in a 6-3 win.
The Oilers were totally outclassed on home ice, as Anaheim pulled five points clear of Edmonton atop the Pacific.
Two wins in eight games will do that to a team.
“We need to put together wins,” said an exasperated head coach Kris Knoblauch, who is dangerously close to becoming that coach who just can’t figure it out. “We’ve only got 20 games left, and we’re on the brink of not making playoffs.
“We can’t just wait to find our game in the playoffs, because we need to ultimately get there. So we need to find another gear.”
Carolina outshot Edmonton 32-16 and outscored them two to one as well. It figures, as the Canes were at worst twice as good as Edmonton.
Edmonton has now allowed at least four goals in 10 of its past 12 games — 56 goals total in the past dozen outings. They are 5-7 in that span, which is surprisingly good, but the fact remains that Edmonton’s defensive game is simply nowhere close to a level that could make the playoffs, let alone win series.
“Nobody wants to get scored against. We’re not trying to go out there and trying to let in five every night,” pleaded two-goal man Zach Hyman after the game. “There’s an effort there to be better. We’ve talked about it, and it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it — doing your job and trusting that the other guy is going to do their job.
“I can’t give you a magic answer, otherwise we wouldn’t be 10 games allowing five goals a game or whatever it is. It’s everything. It’s lapses, I can’t give you the answer because if I could, we’d be doing it.”
Edmonton broke in three new players in this game, all trade deadline week acquisitions: defenceman Connor Murphy (minus-2), centre Jason Dickinson (plus-1) and winger Colton Dach (minus-3). None of the three had a point or a shot on goal, though Knoblauch thought the Dickinson line with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen was his best unit.
The energy those new players provided was likely squared off by the learning curve and unfamiliarity of a trio of players wearing an Oilers jersey for the first time.
On the Hurricanes’ side, their only acquisition — tough winger Nick Deslauriers — wasn’t even in town. So, Carolina had the same lineup playing that tightly organized Hurricanes system, though the locker room could not have been pleased with general manager Eric Tulsky’s inactivity at the deadline.
“I know there’s a lot of disappointment, I’m going to be honest,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said before the game. “(The players) were hoping to see us make a splash. It’s tough. We’re one of the best teams in the league right now. Teams are making deals to try to catch us, and to try to catch the teams that are ahead of them, and that is us.
“On one side, it would be nice to throw your chips in and see if you could improve your team,” he said. “But we love the group we have. If you’re (making moves), it means you’re going to be disrupting that chemistry that I think we’ve done pretty well here. It’s behind us, and we’ve got to move on.”
The Hurricanes are indeed one of the NHL’s best regular-season teams, tops in the league with a 15-2-3 record in their previous 20 games. They are organized with excellent system play, and support each other better than any team we’ve watched this season.
For whatever reason, it’s a game plan that doesn’t produce enough wins in the post-season. But in a one-off regular-season game, these Canes run a system that keeps them at or near the top of the tables most seasons.
Looming for Edmonton now is a killer road trip through Vegas, Colorado, Dallas and St. Louis (on a back-to-back) from which they could come home well out of touch with the top of the Pacific.
“You look at our division, and it’s right there for us,” Hyman said. “The optimism is that we’re a team that has been to the Cup Final back-to-back. We’re a really good team (with) the pieces that we’ve added. It’s just a matter of putting it together and doing it.
“We’ve got to try and not ride the roller coaster and believe in the processes and believe in the group we have.”
NHL Highlights, March 6
Against Wolves, the old guard did the job for Slot with Salah, Robertson and Jones sending Liverpool to victory.
The criticism and spotlight on Salah this season only intensified when he accused the club of “throwing me under the bus” in an explosive interview in December.
He left soon after for the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt losing to Senegal in the semi-final in January, and the forward now has four goals in 11 games since his return.
Yet the 33-year-old has been nowhere near the levels he set last season, when he scored 34 goals in all competitions as Liverpool won their second Premier League title.
It was a lacklustre first half at Molineux from the forward before he added Liverpool‘s second – although such was the quality of Robertson’s cross he could not miss.
There does appear to have been a truce between Salah and the club, although every goal could be his last for them after a decorated Anfield career.
It was also a rare Robertson strike, in a rare start this season, with the 31-year-old close to leaving for Tottenham in January.
But the Scotland international showed his reliability – along with Jones, who continues to do the same.
Both the midfielder’s goals this season have come in the last two rounds of the FA Cup, having scored in the fourth-round win over Brighton as well.
At 25 Jones is far from old, but he has 215 appearances for Liverpool and the academy graduate has been dependable and valuable for both Klopp and Slot amid big money buys.
It means youngster Rio Ngumoha has the perfect place and perfect players to learn from after the 17-year-old made the fourth start of his young career.
“It’s special when you are 17 years old if you are able to impact it with some very good one-v-one situations,” said Slot. “That also makes him special, there are not many players in the modern game who do that.
“He also did better than three days ago because he kept the ball more. Three days ago he also had impact and today he was even better.
“It was a nice moment to use all his energy for the attacking part.”
The winner of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois could be in line for an immediate unification showdown, depending on whether Oleksandr Usyk keeps hold of his WBA title.
Wardley will make the first defence of his WBO title on May 9, taking on former IBF champion Dubois at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
The 31-year-old was elevated from ‘interim’ to full world champion following his 11th-round finish over Joseph Parker in October, with Usyk having vacated his WBO heavyweight strap.
Quite unexpectedly, it has since been announced that the Ukrainian will face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven on May 23, defending his WBC title at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.
But while the WBC has confirmed its stance on the matter, it is yet to be announced whether Usyk will also be defending his IBF and WBA titles.
The division’s WBA ‘regular’ champion, meanwhile, is Murat Gassiev, who claimed his secondary strap with a sixth-round stoppage victory over Kubrat Pulev in December.
Despite previously losing a comprehensive points decision to Usyk at 200lbs, back in 2018, Gassiev has now reinvented himself as a solid heavyweight contender.
But rather than setting his sights on a rematch with the former three-time, two-division undisputed champion, the 32-year-old is instead targeting the winner of Wardley-Dubois.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Gassiev’s co-promoter, Al Siesta, believes this unification match could materialise if the WBA elevates his client to full world champion – either by stripping Usyk of the title or making him ‘champion in recess’.
“It is a similar situation to the WBO, who stripped Usyk when he decided not to face [mandatory challenger] Fabio Wardley.
“This allowed the division to progress and now we see a great fight with Wardley and Dubois in May – an amazing fight that we will be keeping a very close eye on.
“To face the winner in the UK would be a dream for Murat and I believe, whoever the winner is, would make for a blockbuster bout for Murat in the future.
“If the WBA title is not at stake for Usyk against Verhoeven, then it only makes logical sense to strip him of his title or make him a ‘champion in recess’. This would allow Murat to be elevated to ‘super’ champion.”
The winner of Wardley-Dubois would likely be made a sizable favourite against Gassiev, whose heavyweight campaign has not yet set the world alight.
Wales captain Dewi Lake says a win is just around the corner after an encouraging display in the 27-17 Six Nations defeat by Ireland in Dublin.
Wales’ losing Six Nations streak has now stretched to 15 matches, with the previous victory in the tournament coming against Italy in March 2023.
But this Dublin defeat was the finest performance in the Steve Tandy era so far, as Wales fell just short again.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said Wales were “tremendous and Ireland had been involved in a proper, dogged Test match”.
This performance follows the narrow 26-23 home loss to Scotland two weeks ago, with Wales facing Italy on the final weekend in Cardiff next Saturday.
Wales will bid to avoid the wooden spoon for the third successive Six Nations and try to claim a tournament win for the first time in almost 1,100 days.
“The win is coming, I can feel it, it is just around the corner,” said Lake.
Nigeria has not given up hope of returning to the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko.
Dikko said the country is still waiting for an official decision from FIFA over a complaint linked to Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes.
Earlier this week, many fans believed the Super Eagles’ chances were over after FIFA released information about the upcoming intercontinental playoffs. In the announcement, the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared among the six teams expected to compete for the final two places at the tournament.
The development made many observers think Nigeria’s protest had already been rejected.
However, Dikko explained that the appearance of DR Congo in the list does not mean a final decision has been made.
He said Nigeria is still expecting FIFA’s official ruling and urged supporters to remain patient.
“As far as we know, FIFA has not yet announced its decision. We are watching the situation closely,” Dikko said.
“The fact that DR Congo appears on the list of teams for the playoff does not mean the case has been decided. Once FIFA releases its verdict, the situation may change.”
He also explained that in sensitive matters like this, FIFA normally communicates its decision directly to the parties involved before making it public.
According to him, Nigeria remains confident that the case will be resolved fairly.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the World Cup were damaged in November after the Super Eagles lost to DR Congo in a tense playoff match decided by penalties.
After the match, the Nigeria Football Federation submitted a complaint to FIFA, claiming that DR Congo used players who were not eligible for the game.
If FIFA rules in Nigeria’s favour, the result of the match could be reviewed and Nigeria may get another chance to compete for a place at the tournament.
For now, six countries are expected to compete in the intercontinental playoff tournament scheduled to take place in Mexico later this month.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles are preparing for international friendly matches during the March break as they continue their preparations while waiting for FIFA’s final decision.
Ireland claimed a bonus-point 27-17 win over Wales in the Guinness Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road on Friday night.
Opening half tries for Stockdale and Crowley, along with five-pointers from Conan and Osborne in the second half, saw Ireland claim their 60th win over Wales, in this the 137th meeting between the two countries.
Ireland score early
Ireland got on the board early with a try from Jacob Stockdale. The Lurgan winger crossed for the five-pointer with only five minutes on the clock. Touching down just marginally right of the right-hand post presented Jack Crowley with an easy conversion attempt, which he comfortably slotted over for a 7-0 Ireland lead.
Try Ireland!
Ireland on the front foot from the off and Jacob Stockdale has their first try of the night.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 6, 2026
Jack Conan thought he had scored his side’s second try of the night when beating two Welsh defenders to touch down in the 12th minute. Just as Crowley was about to kick the conversion, the referee Karl Dickson decided to consult with his TMO, Andrew Jackson. The decision was that front row Tom O’Toole had knocked the ball on at the back of the ruck, meaning the try was disallowed.
Edwards gets Wales on scoreboard
Dan Edwards had an easy effort to register the visitors’ first score of the game with a penalty kick from directly in front of the posts. The Ospreys’ kicker succeeded in reducing the deficit and brought his side to within four points of Ireland, with 17 minutes played.
Crowley touches down
Jack Crowley found himself in a two-on-one situation, played a dummy, and took the five points. The try, his fourth international try, pushed Ireland into a 12-3 lead. The Corkman missed the conversion which followed, however.
Try Ireland!
The home side back in control as Jack Crowley scores Ireland’s second try of the night.
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🔊RTÉ Radio 1/Tráchtaireacht Ghaeilge – RTÉ news channel/RTÉ Player pic.twitter.com/XKcohsAo1W— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 6, 2026
Wales close the gap
With the match clock past 40 minutes, Wales scored a try against the run of play. Front row, Rhys Carre of Saracens, showed quite a turn of foot for a prop, and scored despite the best efforts of Robert Baloucoune.
With Dan Edwards adding the extras, Ireland only took a two-point advantage into the dressing room at the break, leading 12-10
Ireland dominated the possession with 65%, the territory with 60%, made 93% of their tackles and covered 286 metres in the first half but will have felt disappointed heading to the dressing room at half-time with just a slender two-point lead.
Half-time score: Ireland 12 Wales 10
Jack Conan touched down early in the second period. The referee, Karl Dickson, again checked the validity of this score with his TMO, Andrew Jackson.
Try Ireland!
Jack Conan was denied by the TMO in the first half, and nearly again here, but he has his try and Ireland lead 19-10.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 6, 2026
Conan Try
It took some time for the English referee to decide to award the score, but to the delight of the fans behind the posts, Conan’s try was confirmed. Crowley successfully kicked his second of three conversion attempts by that stage of the game, as Ireland moved into a 19-10 lead.
Wales hit back through Cardiff Rugby’s James Botham. The grandson of former England cricketer, Ian, the flanker crashed over left of the Irish posts following a period of relentless pressure from the visitors.
Try Wales!
Relentless pressure on the Irish line and eventually James Botham makes it count – Ireland lead by two points.
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Dan Edwards added another conversion for the night to bring his side to within two points of the hosts. It was 19-17 with 16 minutes remaining on the stadium clock.
This seemed to be the warning Ireland required. Pressure from the hosts eventually saw fullback Jamie Osborne claim his fifth international try.
Try Ireland!
Jamie Osborne with a huge score in Dublin as they try and see off this stiff Welsh challenge. Bonus point secured.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 6, 2026
Despite a relatively easy conversion effort, Crowley missed his second kick at goals, as Ireland took a 24-17 advantage into the final 11 minutes of this Guinness Six Nations fixture.
Jack Crowley’s late penalty put Ireland’s supporters and management at ease as his score pushed Andy Farrell’s side to a 27-17 win.
Final score: Ireland 27 Wales 17
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