Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Bolivia 2-1 in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico to seal their first appearance at the finals in 40 years.

Iraq, whose preparations for Tuesday’s playoff had been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, will play in World Cup Group I against France, Senegal and Norway.

Goals from Ali Al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured a famous win for Iraq, whose last appearance at the World Cup came at the 1986 finals in Mexico.

Read moreItaly’s World Cup nightmare deepens with shoot-out defeat to Bosnia

The win marked a triumph for Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold, who had initially sought to have Tuesday’s fixture postponed due to the disruption caused by the regional conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Most of the Iraqi squad only reached Mexico after a gruelling three-day journey from Baghdad that began with an overland crossing into Jordan.

But there was little sign of weariness during a confident start by Iraq, who took the lead after nine minutes through Luton Town striker Al-Hamadi – the 24-year-old who moved to Liverpool as a toddler following the outbreak of the 2003 Iraq war.

Iraq midfielder Amir Al-Ammari won a corner after a superb free-kick that was saved at full stretch from Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.

From the subsequent set piece Al-Ammari curled a pinpoint corner on to the head of Al-Hamadi who nodded home for 1-0.

Iraq were well worth the early goal and looked in control until Bolivia, who had gradually grown into the game, equalized after 38 minutes.

Ramiro Vaca’s shot from the edge of the area was controlled with one touch by Moises Paniagua and the Morocco-based central midfielder swept into the roof of the net.

The goal stunned Iraq and Bolivia looked likely to grab a second after dominating the remainder of the half.

Read moreDR Congo score extra-time winner to reach first World Cup in half a century

Iraq regained the lead eight minutes into the second half, when a long ball forward was nodded into the path of substitute Marko Lawk-Farji.

Lawk-Farji’s cross found captain Hussein and the veteran striker clipped a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

Bolivia pressed frantically for a goal to force extra-time, but Iraq’s well-marshalled defence held firm during a nerve-shredding nine minutes of stoppage time.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Michael O’Neill has openly acknowledged the immense strain of simultaneously managing both the Northern Ireland national team and Blackburn Rovers, describing the dual role as “challenging physically and mentally.”

The 56-year-old stepped into the Championship relegation battle with Rovers on a short-term deal in February, a move that raised eyebrows among Northern Ireland supporters ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Italy.

That play-off ultimately ended in a 2-0 defeat in Bergamo on Thursday, but the focus on O’Neill’s long-term future has been a persistent narrative throughout this international window.

He has previously expressed being “fed up” with the constant discussion, stating that “as things stand” he intends to complete the season with Blackburn before “returning to the status quo” as Northern Ireland manager, where he has two years remaining on his contract.

However, this has not quelled the debate. Ahead of Tuesday’s 1-1 friendly draw with Wales, O’Neill faced renewed scrutiny after rival Championship clubs voiced concerns over a potential conflict of interest, particularly regarding his management of Northern Ireland players also involved in the same relegation fight as Blackburn.

Despite the distractions, O’Neill has successfully guided Blackburn out of the bottom three to 19th place, now four points clear of 22nd-placed Leicester ahead of Friday’s match at Birmingham.

Reflecting on the demands of his unique situation, O’Neill reiterated the personal toll.

“It has been tough, challenging physically and mentally, because the results obviously affect you as a manager,” he said. “I go back to the club now. We’ve seven games to go between now and the end of the season. I’ll look forward to the second of May when the season ends.”

Despite the World Cup dream ending, O’Neill remains optimistic about the national team’s trajectory.

“But I can come away (after this), though we’re disappointed we lost a World Cup play-off, we saw a lot of development and progress in our team and our squad,” he added.

His discussions about the young, rapidly developing Northern Ireland side suggest a manager not eager to depart from a promising project, with an eye towards a Euro 2028 qualifying campaign.

The upcoming Nations League campaign, which will see Northern Ireland face Georgia, Hungary and Ukraine later this year, also featured in his post-Wales comments.

“We have games in June, which have yet to be confirmed in terms of opposition or venue,” O’Neill noted.

“In the Nations League we go up a level into League B and I think the window in September and October will be really challenging because of the depth of our squad.”

He highlighted the particular difficulties for smaller nations: “Four games in 16 days is challenging when you don’t have the resources of the bigger nations.”

Nevertheless, O’Neill stressed the strategic importance of these fixtures, concluding: “But the Nations League will be very important for us in terms of our preparation (for) and the draw for 2028 when it comes around.”

This weekend, Derek Chisora fights one of the hardest natural punchers in heavyweight history, as he collides with Deontay Wilder in his supposed farewell fight. Ahead of the scrap, Chisora has unveiled a surprise name as the man who has hit him hardest thus far in his 49-fight career.

Chisora has faced a host of heavyweights considered to be major punchers and has been stopped four times during his almost two-decade-long spell in the sport, with David Haye being the first to halt him, in their 2012 grudge match at Upton Park.

Two years later, ‘Del Boy’ fell to Tyson Fury in their 2014 rematch, when he attempted to become a two-time British champion and the EBU European heavyweight titleholder, as his corner pulled him out after round 10.

In 2018, after a gruelling rematch with Dillian Whyte, Chisora was knocked out whilst ahead on the scorecards in round 11, that being the solitary pure ‘KO’ defeat to date for the 43-year-old.

Finally, in a second unsuccessful challenge for world honours, ‘Del Boy’ was denied in round 10 by Fury once again in 2022, in a one-sided trilogy clash that remains as his most recent defeat.

Yet, in an interview with Givemesport, Chisora accredited the hardest punch that he has felt to a man that he beat twice, believing that Paul Butlin, whom he decisioned in 2008 and 2009, caught him with the best shot.

“Paul Butlin from Wales [hit me the hardest].”

Butlin was a veteran journeyman who also shared the ring with fighters such as Anthony Joshua and Lucas Browne, but had claimed just three stoppage wins in his 41 professional contests.

Despite Chisora’s words, Butlin hails from Leicester, meaning that Chisora could have instead meant to name Welshman Darren Morgan -whom he fought in his third pro bout back in 2007 and has also since praised his power – with six of Morgan’s eight wins coming by knockout.

Wilder will hope that he can remove any confusion and register a more devastating blow, as he seeks to become the first non-Briton to dispatch of Chisora when they meet at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.

Democratic Republic of the Congo have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years after a 1-0 win over Jamaica in an intercontinental play-off final in Mexico.

The match was decided in extra time, with Axel Tuanzebe scoring the winning goal in the 100th minute.

Before the match, Tuanzebe described the game as the biggest of his career. The defender, who was born in Bunia, has now made history for his country.

The game was tight and tense, with both teams struggling to score during normal time. Cédric Bakambu had two goals ruled out for offside.

Tuanzebe’s goal came from a corner taken by Brian Cipenga. The ball touched a Jamaican defender before hitting Tuanzebe and going into the net. There was a short delay as officials checked for handball, but the goal was allowed after a VAR review.

Jamaica, who were hoping to reach the World Cup for the second time after their 1998 appearance, could not find an equaliser.

DR Congo will now play in Group K at the expanded tournament. They will face Portugal in their first match, before games against Colombia and Uzbekistan.

The Congolese team had a long journey to qualification, playing 13 matches since November 2023. They finished second in their group behind Senegal and went on to beat Cameroon and Nigeria in the African play-offs.

This historic victory marks a major moment for DR Congo football and ends a long wait to return to the world stage.

Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, son of Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, shared some intriguing insights into his personal life in a recent interview. The all-rounder, who struggled for consistent opportunities at the Mumbai Indians (MI), was traded to LSG ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Now preparing to make his debut for the franchise, Arjun revealed some surprising details about his life off the field. One of the biggest revelations was that he hardly has any cricketer friends.

During a chat with Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast, Arjun was asked how he manages to stay calm. His secret, he explained, lies in spending time with his five dogs at his home in Goa.

Conversation excerpt:

Shubhankar: How do you keep yourself so calm and cool?

Arjun: “I have five dogs in Goa, and I spend time playing with them.”

Shubhankar: Do you have friends who are cricketers?

Arjun: “I don’t really have cricketer friends; most of my friends don’t play cricket.”

Shubhankar: Do you talk to them about cricket?

Arjun: No, they don’t know much about cricket.

Shubhankar: Are you scared of criticism?

Arjun: “No, I’m not.”

Shubhankar: How do you keep yourself so calm and cool?

Arjun: I have 5 dogs in Goa & I spend time playing with them.

Shubhankar: Do you have friends who are cricketers?

Arjun: I don’t really have cricketer friends, most of my friends don’t play cricket.pic.twitter.com/gZJMrcO7Df

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— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) March 31, 2026

What stood out from the interview was the fact that Arjun-himself a professional cricketer and the son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar-doesn’t have cricketer friends.

Over the years, Arjun has faced considerable trolling on social media, largely due to the expectations fans placed on him because of his father’s illustrious career. Still considered a ‘work in progress,’ Arjun was asked during the podcast if he fears criticism. His confident reply dismissed that notion.

At the Mumbai Indians, the presence of world-class pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult limited Arjun’s opportunities. At Lucknow Super Giants, however, the competition will be different, with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Anrich Nortje forming the pace attack.

Yet, it is Arjun’s ability with the bat that could carve out a role for him in the lower-middle order of the franchise.

When asked about a player he idolised growing up, apart from his father Sachin, Arjun named Yuvraj Singh. Asked if he admired Yuvraj’s bowling, Arjun replied with a smile: “He was a spinner; I am a pacer.”

Ciaron Maher admits peaking a three-year-old for dual 2400m Derbies over one season presents difficulties, but the renowned long-distance specialist trainer is aware of its feasibility.

Observer seeks to accomplish the Victoria Derby – Australian Derby double as the Ghaiyyath colt enters the 2400m Group 1 second instalment at Randwick on Saturday.

Maher managed the double with Hitotsu in 2021-22, and Chris Waller prepped Riff Rocket accordingly in 2023-24.

In line with Hitotsu, Observer captured the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) victory at Flemington, but while Hitotsu advanced directly to the Derby after the Guineas, Observer took an extra 2000m start, running third in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas on March 21.

Maher’s trust in Observer remains unshaken, as the colt has steadily polished his racing demeanour, and Saturday’s extension to 2400m fits ideally.

James McDonald, Australia’s top jockey, rides Observer on Saturday, taking the reins from Craig Williams of the Rosehill ride.

“Back up to the trip, that’s what he’s bred for,” Maher said.

“He came through his run really well, and he’s ticking over pretty well.

“Craig probably just went a touch slow the other day. If he had his time again, I would say he probably would have gone a bit quicker.

“But he rallied well, and he was good through the line, so I wouldn’t read too much into that last run.

“I suppose getting out to that trip twice is a bit of a feat (for a three-year-old), but we’ve done it before.”

Maher’s Australian Derby success with Explosive Jack preceded Hitotsu by a year, and that runner went on to win the South Australian Derby at Morphettville before placing third in the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.

Observer dons the number one cloth and starts from gate 12 in a field of 13 on Saturday.

Visit betting sites to find the latest racing betting markets for the Australian Derby.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has condemned anti-Muslim chants which were heard during the first half of Spain’s 0-0 draw with Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday.

At half-time, a message warning fans against xenophobic remarks and singing was displayed on the screen at the RCDE Stadium with the stadium announcer also reading out a similar request.

The message was then repeated early in the second half, leading to whistles from some sections of the crowd.

“The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” they posted on social media.

The behaviour was also condemned by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

“It’s intolerable,” he said. “Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves.

“They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible.”

Tuesday’s game was due to be played in Qatar but was moved to the home of La Liga side Espanyol due to the war in the Middle East.

De la Fuente made 10 changes from Friday’s 3-0 friendly win over Serbia with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal the only player to keep his place while Egypt were without injured Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

The result also saw Spain, one of the co-hosts of the next World Cup in 2030, lose their top place in the world rankings.

On January 30th, five days after the 2025 NFC Championship — where Sam Darnold punched the Seattle Seahawks’ ticket to the Super Bowl — the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, replacing him with interim GM Rob Brzezinski, who previously held the title of executive vice president of football operations. Two months later, Brzezinski is the frontrunner to keep the job full-time.

Minnesota’s next front-office move could stay internal, and Brzezinski has real momentum for the job.

Brzezinski embarks on the NFL draft in three weeks, and that might be his final test.

Brzezinski Has a Legit Path to the Top Job

Vikings’ general manager search may not be too external.

Ian Rapoport on Brzezinski

The NFL began its annual league meetings on Monday, and NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport was there with updates.

He said on Vikings Entertainment Network about Brzezinski, “He’s always had a strong voice in the organization… If a team was smart and they wanted to hire a GM who doesn’t just scout, doesn’t just grind tape, but really understands how an organization works, really operates it at a very high level, does great contracts, makes really good trades, someone who just runs the business of football.

“Like he’d be someone team should hire and for whatever reason, partially because he’s very loyal, has stayed in Minnesota. But to me, like this is someone who probably should have been a GM already, so I wasn’t surprised to see him get the interim title. I would expect him to be a pretty strong candidate for the full-time job as well, as he should be.”

It’s a pretty damn big deal for a man to be in charge of free agency, onboarding quarterback Kyler Murray, and running a draft. The clues suggest Brzezinski is a) trusted b) the frontrunner to keep his job.

Mark Wilf on Next GM Criteria

Vikings owner Mark Wilf also spoke at league meetings. He said about his GM criteria. “We’re gonna be deliberate about it, but we know we need to get moving for the next college season and all that and get ready.”

“Once the draft’s concluded, we’ll get going with interviews, and moving towards a relatively expeditious process to get it going. We certainly want someone who is a great leader. Someone who can lead. We feel we have a great scouting staff. Great coaching staff.”

Brzezinski has worked for the Vikings since 1999. He’s probably a keeper.

“Of course, never resting on any laurels. We want to be competitive every single year and have long-term success. So someone’s got to fit within that. It’s got to fit within what we have in our building right now, as well. So it’s a host of factors. Hopefully we’ll know it when we see it,” Wilf added.

Possibly a Rubber Stamp for Brzezinski?

Indeed, the Vikings will probably — and should — conduct a full interview cycle for a new general manager, but the writing is on the wall for Brzezinski as “the guy.” He joined the franchise one year after Randy Moss was drafted; he has that type of staying power. Players, coaches, and other coworkers seem to like him. His budget acumen is widely renowned.

So long as the upcoming draft doesn’t resemble a schematic train wreck, Brzezinski has the tools, intelligence, and experience to keep his current job with a full-time bump.

The only thing working against him? If the Vikings want a true scout of rookie talent, well, they may have to tap someone else on the shoulder.

But most fans believe that’s what O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores are for.

Letting Kevin O’Connell Sink or Swim

Another reason Brzezinski may remain in charge concerns O’Connell. It’s rare for an NFL franchise to only fire a general manager while retaining the head coach. Minnesota values O’Connell that much. So, in theory, O’Connell is the current Team CEO, the true mastermind calling the shots, with Brzezinski employed to run the budget and solve any decision-making tiebreakers.

Think of this way: Suppose the 2026 season goes off the rails, and the Vikings determine O’Connell isn’t the right fit. It will be more seamless to terminate O’Connell and tell Brzezinski “thanks but no thanks,” only to turn around and hire a fresh and official new leadership tandem.

By retaining O’Connell and firing Adofo-Mensah, Minnesota proved that it trusts O’Connell’s decision-making. It’s up to him to prove that Adofo-Mensah’s roster-building held the enterprise back.

Brzezinski, as the guy behind O’Connell, fits the current arrangement. He’s the silent guy with a title behind O’Connell, the guy who’s really in charge.