This Saturday, six men and women will step foot inside one of the most brutal structures WWE has to offer. In the city of Chicago, the fans will be on the edge of their seats as they find out who survives the Elimination Chamber and earns a title shot.
Let’s take a look at the card and what WWE has to offer on its last (for now) show before WrestleMania.
The biggest bout on the card is for the World Heavyweight Championship. Hometown hero CM Punk will defend his title against Finn Balor. Now, there is a snowball’s chance in hell that Balor walks away with the gold, as it is reported that this is a placeholder feud until Roman Reigns returns in March. That doesn’t mean the build-up hasn’t been great, though. Punk is trying to knock some sense into Balor, telling him to split from the Judgement Day. Meanwhile, the Prince has become a somewhat conceivable threat to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Expect the second-city Saint to have his hand held high when the match is over.
Another hometown hero will be looking to capture gold in Chicago. AJ Lee takes on Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. The odd part about this match is that it’s taking place at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania. Rumor has it that the creative team will find a way to have this end in a no-contest, so they run it back at ‘Mania. So why even have the match take place? Their promo battles have been subpar at best. I suppose it’s an excuse to get the second-city Saints’ wife on the card in their hometown. Whether or not AJ wins, the crowd will be rooting for her.
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Then there is the women’s EC match, where the winner takes on Jade Cargill for the Smackdown Women’s championship. That is expected to happen, as it appears that Liv Morgan will choose Stephanie Vaquer after winning the Royal Rumble. The blue brand’s women’s division has been booked terribly, so let’s hope WWE can offer the fans something for WM.
The first participant and most likely to win is Tiffany Stratton. Stratton has faced Cargill before, so there might be backlash from fans if she wins. The next two that don’t seem to have a chance are Asuka and Alexa Bliss. That leaves Rhea Ripley, who will probably get the biggest pop of the night. Raquel Rodriguez is a sleeper in the fight, as she could pull the upset and take home the title alongside her stablemate Liv Morgan at WM. Lastly, perhaps the most shocking is that Kiana James will be debuting inside the Elimination Chamber. She found a creative way to win the triple threat, taking Flair down with the pin to get the win.
In the main event, six men will wage war inside the Chamber. Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, and Jey Uso. Rhodes is the favorite to win the match, but expect everyone else to put up a fight. A very interesting fact is that Je’Von Evans is the first participant inside the EC to be born after it debuted. Look for him to shine inside the EC. The winner will take on Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Lastly, don’t forget about what could be the biggest surprise of the night. For weeks, Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis have been trading back and forth a crate. On the crate, it says “Do Not Open Until 2/28/26”. At first, people thought it’d be Chris Jericho inside the crate. However, Y2J is still under contract with AEW, and reports suggest he will be returning to WWE when no one expects it. A comical take was that Triple H would come out of the crate and declare a “New Era” in the WWE. Other suggestions are a new sponsor, something to do with WWE 2K26, or Danhausen.
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No matter what is revealed, this year’s Elimination is looking to be a great one. Probably not as memorable as last year, when John Cena turned heel, but I digress. Feast your eyes on one of the most unforgiving structures in WWE, and get ready to see what’s inside that crate. Tune in at 7/ET on the ESPN App in the city of Chicago to witness the last checkpoint before WrestleMania.
The Minnesota Vikings have two running backs under contract for 2026: Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. And if they’re in the mood late in the 2026 NFL Draft or in undrafted free agency, they could parley a pre-draft visit with North Carolina Central’s Chris Mosley into a roster spot.
Mosley profiles as a later-round or UDFA option as Minnesota maps life beyond Aaron Jones.
Mosley met with the Vikings and a handful of other NFL teams this week, as the NFL Combine is underway in Indianapolis.
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What Mosley Could Offer a Crowded Vikings Backfield Picture
Here’s one for your UDFA scorecard.
North Carolina Central running back Chris Mosley carries the ball during a Week 7 matchup against Florida A&M on Oct. 11, 2025, at Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. Mosley worked between the tackles as North Carolina Central tested the Rattlers defense during conference play. Mandatory Credit: Gerald Thomas-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
Vikings Meet with Mosley
Minnesota is evidently in on the Mosley sweepstakes. SI.com‘s Justin Melo tweeted Monday:
Nice HBCU Legacy Bowl for North Carolina Central football RB Chris Mosley, who rushed for 1,017 yards + 8 TDs this past season.
Mosley met with the following teams, per source:
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Giants
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Jaguars
Until the Melo tweet, most Vikings fans had never heard of Mosley. Now is as good a time as any to remember the name, especially for a franchise that loves unearthing undrafted free-agent playmakers after the draft.
Who is Chris Mosley?
Mosley is 5’10 and 180 pounds, profiling as more of a scatback, perhaps akin to Jerick McKinnon of Vikings yesteryear. Regarding Minnesota’s 2026 offseason plan, he probably shouldn’t be considered the RB1 solution in a room that already features Jones and Mason.
The rookie logged 1,020 rushing yards last season, with 8 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 30 catches for 324 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He’s versatile.
SI.com‘s Gerald Huggins II on Mosley: “Chris Mosley is a running back with above-average linear speed, combined with toughness and quickness as a runner, despite his below-average size for the position. His frame is lean, with limited bulk, and he shows good change of direction in congestion. He does a good job of fitting through congestion, with an early burst and acceleration.”
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“He shows patience to allow his pullers to set up blocks for him. Mosley welcomes contact, runs behind his pads, and shows adequate forward lean with a pinball-like running style. His contact balance is good, and he sinks into his frame to make timely jump cuts, with good vision to process openings in congestion. He requires refinement as a route-runner, but works best on screens, swings, and check-downs, showing urgency to gain yards after the catch.”
Mosley must have some pizazz, evidenced by the number of NFL teams meeting with a relative unknown before the draft.
Huggins II added, “In pass protection, he lacks stoutness, struggles against blitzers, and does not consistently hold up. Mosley projects as an NFL camp/2nd-tier league starter who will be most impactful in a power-heavy running scheme that allows him to utilize his vision, patience, and toughness.”
“His toughness as a runner and ability to consistently gain positive yardage give him upside to be an RB3 or 4 at the NFL level. He will need to refine his receiving ability and pass protection to be a more serviceable option.”
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Probably Not an Emphatic Solution
From free agency, a few headliners will seek new teams, including running backs Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall, JK Dobbins, and Rachaad White. Most Vikings fans have assumed that if Minnesota wants to improve the rushing offense, they’ll swing for somebody younger than Jones, who will turn 32 during the 2026 regular season.
A North Carolina Central Eagles helmet rests on the sideline before kickoff against Grambling State on Dec. 17, 2016, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Team equipment sat ready before players took the field for the postseason matchup between the two historically successful programs. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports.
In the draft, notable running backs like Jeremyiah Love, Jadarian Price, Jonah Coleman, Emmett Johnson, and Nick Singleton are expected to fly off the board by the end of Round 4.
Conversely, Mosley isn’t quite like all these men. He’s closer to another version of Vikings running back Zavier Scott, who held the RB3 role in 2025.
Aaron Jones’s Future Looms
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Jones logged just 548 rushing yards in 2025, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2017, when he battled injuries and a crowded Green Bay Packers’ depth chart. He still logged 4.2 yards per carry, but his teammate, Mason, took a more prominent role, probably because of his youth and production.
The veteran tailback is paid handsomely, extended last year by former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for $10 million per season, a contract that caught some off guard due to Jones’s age. Well, he showed up to 2025, battled injuries, and experienced a dip in efficiency. That’s how it goes for aging halfbacks.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 24, 2024, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Jones celebrated the scoring play as Minnesota built momentum in a divisional road matchup. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images.
Minnesota could release Jones in the next couple of weeks while saving up to $7.75 million. He’s a frequent cut candidate among Vikings fans and analysts. The Vikings could also restructure his contract.
Mosley is nowhere to be found on the Consensus Draft Big Board, and that is over 700 players deep. He’s a sleeper’s sleeper.
Ryan Garcia’s world title win has the boxing world talking about a potential grudge rematch with Devin Haney, but reigning WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero does not believe it would be competitive.
That moment came almost two years after his first scheduled world title challenge, when ‘King Ry’ was supposed to fight for the WBC super-lightweight title against Haney, but missed the weight beforehand and thus lost the opportunity to win the belt.
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Garcia pulled off the upset to hand Haney a first career defeat, but the result was then overturned to a no-contest when it was revealed Garcia had tested positive for performance enhancing drug Ostarine.
After serving a one-year ban, Garcia would then lose to Romero in a second bid for a belt. Speaking to K.O. Artist Sports following Garcia’s win, ‘Rolly’ said that Garcia is ‘scared’ to rematch him, after witnessing the Californian call out Shakur Stevenson in his post-fight interview.
“That dude is scared of me, you can’t tell?”
Despite the Stevenson call-out, anticipation is beginning to build for a fierce rematch with Haney, now a unification since the latter beat Brian Norman Jr for the WBO welterweight title. If it happens, Romero predicts that Garcia will get the job done inside of the distance this time around.
“Bro, come on, don’t talk to me about that kind of stuff. Devin sucks.
“Of course [I want to see the Haney-Garcia rematch], I want to see Devin get knocked out.”
Former Alpine driver Jack Doohan recently came out and revealed that he received death threats during the 2025 season. The Australian driver was demoted by the French team after the Miami GP, and Franco Colapinto was assigned as his replacement.
Jack Doohan had been a part of Alpine Academy since the 2022 season and became the F1 team’s reserve driver starting in 2023. With Esteban Ocon moving to Haas ahead of the 2025 season, Colapinto got his big F1 break and was announced by Alpine to partner Pierre Gasly.
However, just six races into the 2025 season, the Australian was sacked by the Enstone-based team amid poor results since making his debut. Doohan failed to score a single point in the first six races of the season, which included a DNF in Australia and Miami.
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Formula 1 Testing in Bahrain – Day 2 – Source: Getty
The former Alpine driver speaking on Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries detailed the death threats he received ahead of the Miami GP. As reported by The Times, the French driver said,
“I got serious death threats for this [Miami] Grand Prix, saying they’re going to kill me here, if I’m not out of the car. I had six or seven emails saying if I am still in the car by Miami, all my limbs will be cut off.“
“Wednesday, I was there with my f***ing girlfriend and my trainer, and I’ve got three armed men around me — I had to call my police escort to come and get it under control. I wasn’t able to enjoy being a Formula 1 driver, something I dreamt of for so long. So yeah, it’s pretty s**t,” added Jack Doohan
Franco Colapinto, who replaced Doohan, was signed on a race-by-race basis. Going into 2026, the Argentine had been confirmed on a one-year contract with Pierre Gasly as his teammate.
Former Alpine driver Jack Doohan joins Haas as reserve driver for the 2026 season
After being reverted to a reserve driver role for the remainder of the 2025 season, Jack Doohan came out earlier this month and announced that he will be joining the Haas F1 team as the reserve driver for the upcoming season. Speaking about the opportunity to join Haas, Doohan said,
“I’m thrilled to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team. It’s the ideal place to continue my Formula 1 career. I would like to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to grow and take on the great challenge of 2026 together. I’m eager to begin working with the team and collaborating on a successful season.”
The Australian driver in the reserve driver role will partner with full-time drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman to form the 2026 driver lineup
Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) slaps hands with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell after a made field goal against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
In 2024, J.J. McCarthy became the theorized solution for the Minnesota Vikings at quarterback. In 2025, the rubber hit the road for him to strut his stuff. In 2026, the pressure is on, so much so that McCarthy is on the hot seat, says CBS Sports.
It’s a prove-it season for McCarthy: stay healthy, win the job early, and stop leaving the door open.
Tyler Sullivan sized up all quarterbacks on the hot seat in 2026, and McCarthy checked in at No. 2 behind Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
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Minnesota’s QB Room Has a Man on the Hot Seat
McCarthy has one big chance to prove it.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) goes through warmups ahead of a preseason contest against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. The young passer worked on timing and mechanics during pregame preparation as Minnesota evaluated its offense for the upcoming campaign. Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: McCarthy prepared under the lights before exhibition action began. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Sullivan: McCarthy Is on the Hot Seat
McCarthy was included on Sullivan’s “hot seat” list, grouped with passers like C.J. Stroud, Michael Penix Jr., and Bryce Young.
On McCarthy, he wrote, “The Vikings bungled their quarterback situation, and it may have cost them their Super Bowl window. They decided to ride with McCarthy and allow Sam Darnold to depart in free agency last offseason after a 14-3 regular season in 2024. Darnold went on to win a Super Bowl with Seattle, while McCarthy has largely struggled as the starter.”
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“That decision was seemingly a driving force in Minnesota firing GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. A new GM won’t have the same investment in McCarthy as Adofo-Mensah did, so the former first-round pick is truly at a crossroads in 2026. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings, under interim GM Rob Brzezinski, bring in some competition this offseason. Depending on who comes aboard (Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, etc.), McCarthy’s job could vanish before we even get to Week 1.”
McCarthy will likely have to fight like hell this summer to keep his job, let alone worry about the 2026 regular season hot seat.
“In 2025, McCarthy was 6-4 as the starter, completed just 57.6% of his passes, and had more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). However, the Michigan product did flash a little bit down the stretch, owning a 4-0 record over his final four games in 2025 with seven total touchdowns and just three turnovers,” Sullivan added.
“Is that the tide turning in a positive direction? That remains to be seen, but the Vikings aren’t exactly acting like it is as they seem open to an upgrade if one is realistically available to them.”
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A Competition This Time
In 2025, the Vikings ultimately took heat for “handing McCarthy the job.” The club’s QB2 was Brett Rypien until the draft, when Adofo-Mensah traded for Sam Howell, who was dropped four months later. The Vikings then signed Carson Wentz, and he wound up starting five games because of McCarthy’s injury woes.
Minnesota almost certainly won’t give McCarthy a cakewalk this offseason and summer. Head coach Kevin O’Connell, who some believe is the personnel general manager, will find another quarterback to push McCarthy to the limit or perhaps take his job on paper by the end of March.
Some logical candidates included Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, Tua Tagovailoa, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis.
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The Sweet and Salty of J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy’s season presented a stark contrast between flashes of brilliance and frustrating injury setbacks, particularly during the middle of the year. After returning from a high ankle sprain, his performance became inconsistent, with productive theatrics emerging only late in games. This difficult three-game stretch culminated in a concussion against Green Bay, further contributing to the stop-and-start rhythm that ruined much of his season.
However, the first game of 2025 showcased McCarthy’s potential. He engineered a 4th Quarter comeback in Chicago and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in his first start. Later, he demonstrated resilience by returning from the ankle injury to secure a hard-fought road victory in Detroit, delivering one of his most impressive performances in a raucous environment.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) embraces Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) following a divisional matchup at Ford Field. The two former college stars shared a brief moment after the game as players exited the field. Nov 2, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA: McCarthy met St. Brown after the NFC North contest. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images.
Towards the end of the season, McCarthy displayed Pro Bowl-caliber play against Washington, Dallas, and New York before a hairline fracture in his hand sidelined him once more.
As Minnesota looks ahead to 2025, they have a quarterback capable of making exceptional throws and orchestrating late-game heroics. The primary concern remains his health.
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A Grand Climax Awaits
Thankfully for eager fans’ sake, the wait is nearly over on the identity of McCarthy’s new quarterback teammate. NFL free agency kicks off in 13 days with “legal tampering.” Minnesota will either sign a free agent like Willis or trade for a passer like Murray or Jones. It could also sign a seasoned veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo to act as steady QB2 insurance.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) greets head coach Kevin O’Connell before kickoff at MetLife Stadium ahead of a late-season matchup. The quarterback and coach shared a brief exchange on the field during pregame routines. Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA: McCarthy and O’Connell met before Minnesota’s road contest began. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images.
Once the Vikings reveal that man, it will be easier to gauge McCarthy’s hot seat, the one described by Sullivan. Suppose the Vikings trade for Mac Jones. McCarthy’s seat will instantly become toasty. A Garoppolo signing or someone similar will take the hot-seat conversation all the way through the regular season.
On the whole, Sullivan is right. The 2026 summer, fall, and winter are McCarthy’s one big shot to prove he has QB1 staying power as a 23-year-old. If he does not, he’ll get in line with the Baker Mayfields and Sam Darnolds to prove himself at a later date well into his 20s.
Stefanos Tsitsipas set to drop outside Top 40 after Dubai Exit
Stefanos Tsitsipas is set to fall outside the top 40 of the ATP rankings for the first time in eight years following his loss to Ugo Humbert in Dubai.
Tsitsipas entered the tournament as the defending champion, meaning he was unable to defend the ranking points from last year’s title run. With those points dropping, the ranking slide is unavoidable.
For much of the past decade, Tsitsipas has been a fixture near the top of the game. He has reached Grand Slam finals, won multiple Masters titles, and established himself as one of the leading names of his generation. Falling outside the top 40 marks a clear shift from where he has operated for most of his career.
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Humbert, meanwhile, delivered a good performance to end the Greeks’ title defence.
For Tsitsipas, attention now turns to the upcoming hard court events, where he will look to steady his form and halt the ranking drop. The question now is how quickly he can respond.
On Tuesday the PGA Tour announced that Eugenio Chacarra has earned an exemption into the Puerto Rico Open, the alternate event opposite next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
That’s a big deal for the Spanish 25-year-old, who will become one of the first ex-LIV players to tee it up in a Tour event. It’s also the latest in a murky swirl of pros tour-hopping as the battle for pro golf dominance rolls on — and as pathways back from LIV continue to open.
Chacarra spoke to a group of media on Tuesday morning in a call announcing the move. While he has been forthright about where his LIV experience fell short — his “there is only money” interview last month turned heads — on Tuesday he expressed gratitude for his time at LIV, calling it a “tremendous opportunity for me, my family and my future family” while emphasizing that this gets him one step closer to his childhood dream.
“Yeah, obviously very thankful for the opportunity. My goal since I was little is to be on the PGA Tour,” he said.
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Chacarra signed with LIV in 2022 as a promising young talent and won in the opening season. He also won on the Asian Tour in 2023 and won on the DP World Tour in 2025; now he’s hoping to pick up another tour’s title next week.
“The next step in my career is to hopefully make it on the PGA Tour and to win on the PGA Tour,” he said.
Chacarra’s LIV tenure came to a close after the 2024 season, when he finished in the league’s “open zone” and wasn’t re-signed by Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC. It’s unclear what his LIV options were in free agency, but the ex-Oklahoma State Cowboy embraced the chance for a fresh start.
“I lost a bunch of weight. I got my team working really hard. I wake up every day motivated to get better and having goals to achieve, it’s completely changed my mindset,” he said. “Like I’ve said, I think I was losing a little motivation to get better out there on LIV at the last year I was there, so it was time for me to move on and start a new pathway in my professional career.
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“Obviously LIV didn’t exist when I was little, I grew up watching the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, and that’s what I dream of playing and winning, and that’s what my heart and my ambition was, so we thought it was the best for me to move forward and try to get on the PGA Tour.”
Chacarra won last year’s Hero Indian Open, a victory that earned him berths into every big-time DP World Tour event. He finished T4 at the following week’s Volvo China Open and picked up top 10s at the Italian Open and the Alfred Dunhill Championship. While he has played the PGA Tour in the form of the co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open (as have several other LIV pros) this will mark the his first start in a non-co-sanctioned (sorry, that’s a mouthful) event. He’s currently No. 27 on the DPWT’s Race to Dubai; earning one of that tour’s 10 PGA Tour cards is one of his goals.
“If I keep playing good out there I also have a chance to get my PGA Tour card through that,” he said.
He also echoed the words of another recent LIV defector:
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“I agree with Patrick Reed. The grind of playing a Friday to make a cut or coming into Sunday with a chance to win.”
Chacarra lives in Tulsa, Okla., where he’s a member at major championship host site Southern Hills. He’s not the only ex-Cowboy to stay in state; he said he regularly sees Bo Van Pelt, cited Viktor Hovland and Austin Eckroat as pros in residence and adds that he still frequents Karsten Creek, Oklahoma State’s home course.
Chacarra added that while his goal is ultimately the PGA Tour, playing the DP World Tour has given him additional appreciation for the pro game and that he hopes to continue competing there.
“Obviously it gave me a little more of what, like, real golf is. Having a cut, having to grind, having different tee time times. Just playing with every week with a lot of players. It’s fun to see where my game is, where I need to improve, what areas I need to improve a little more to be able to be one of the best and get on the PGA Tour quick.”
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Chacarra’s announcement comes amidst a flurry of LIV-, DPWT and PGA Tour-related news.
At the end of 2025, Laurie Canter earned a PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour but turned it down in favor of a LIV deal.
Brooks Koepka has already returned to the PGA Tour and headlines this week’s Cognizant Classic in Florida, his third event since his acceptance back via all-new Returning Member Program.
Patrick Reed led a group of ex-LIV pros who will regain Tour eligibility next year, a group that includes Pat Perez, Hudson Swafford and (though his timeline is less clear) Kevin Na.
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Just last week the DP World Tour reached an agreement with a group of eight LIV pros to play on both tours without fines provided they hit certain benchmarks — although Jon Rahm was, notably, not among them.
As for Chacarra? He follows the footsteps of James Piot, who last summer became the first ex-LIV pro to receive a sponsor invite into a PGA Tour event at the Rocket Classic.
He knows the week could lead to nothing — or to everything.
“Like I said to my team, I mean, this is like a major for me. So it’s going to be fun and I’m going to try to perform the best I can.”
The German national team’s sporting director, Rudi Völler, stressed in a weekly sports talk show recently, that while no gag order would be imposed on anyone, “it cannot be that it’s being talked about, practically on a matchday like with this disaster in Qatar.”
Germany were met with a lot of criticism for their gesture in Qatar, but Jürgen Mittag, a professor of sports politics at the German Sport University Cologne, believes had they made the quarterfinals things might have been different.
“But as it was, they were met with a great deal of ridicule because they were symbolically strong but sportingly weak,” Mittag told DW.
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Germany’s protest ahead of the Japan game in Qatar was met with a lot of criticismImage: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
EU weakens Germany’s stance
The hope is that in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico Germany will perform better on the field, but what does that mean for their stance off it?
Michael Mutz, a professor of social sciences in sports at the Justus-Liebig University Giessen, doubts that any political statement will be made.
“I can’t imagine that the DFB (German Football Association) will actively pursue a political agenda against the host country again after the negative experiences in Qatar,” Mutz told DW.
“The DFB is exposing itself to accusations of double standards because it criticized the situation in Qatar so harshly and will now presumably remain silent about the US, but the association will have to accept that.”
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Mittag believes Germany’s postion is weakened by the current state of the European Union. The bloc is now further challenged by Donald Trump’s new round of tariffs on six member states as well as the UK and Norway who sent troops or officials to Greenland — which Trump is intent on acquiring — for security purposes.
“European democracy is also suffering a little… it is becoming increasingly fragmented and is therefore somewhat less capable of acting in foreign policy. This applies to the big picture as a whole, as well as to the internal sphere of football and other sports-related matters,” Mittag explained before the tariffs, set to start on February 1, were announced.
“Germany has been very proactive in sports diplomacy in recent years, but has also found that although it plays a prominent role, it doesn’t receive much support,” Mittag added.
Mittag cites the example of Germany’s stance on Russia and Belarus’s return to the Olympics. Germany petitioned hard against this and tried to forge a strong alliance, but only received minimal support. Mittag believes this defeat has hurt them, and forced them to reconsider their approach.
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“That’s when Germany realized that it needs to pursue a different strategy. It doesn’t want to give up its position, but placing too much emphasis on moral, value-based issue is strategically clumsy. So, in the end, it does not lead to success and then you even have to put up with scorn or schadenfreude when you perform poorly in sporting terms,” Mittag explained.
Andreas Rettig (right) meets with DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (left) and Germany’s former Economic Affairs and Climate Action minister Robert HabeckImage: Dominik Butzmann/BMWK/picture alliance/dpa
Political shift in sports diplomacy
Andreas Rettig, an outspoken sports executive who used to work at St. Pauli, was appointed as the new DFB’s CEO in 2023 and may be the perfect person to forge new alliances and better position Germany in committees. Even he has come up against challenges though. Rettig’s attempt to initiate a dialogue on critical issues ahead of the 2024 Euros was not met with much enthusiasm by regional associations.
Others in Germany have been loud, though. St. Pauli President and DFB Vice President Oke Göttlich recently told Sportschau: “Personally, I would advise against traveling given the current situation in the country.”
After Bayern Munich’s Champions League win over Union Saint-Gilloise, Bayern and Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said he would “no longer be taking part in the political discussion.”
The DFB have yet to comment.
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“There has been a realpolitik shift in sports diplomacy, it’s somewhat less value-based, somewhat more realistic and acting pragmatically in order to perhaps achieve more success than in the past,” Mittag added.
Jürgen Mittag believes that Germany can have a more effective strategy by winning over associations and committeesImage: BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl/picture alliance
Viewership might drop
The January protests against the Trump administration’s clampdown on illegal immigration – including a decision by the US justice department not to launch a criminal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on January 7 – have increased tensions in many places.
Given that Germany’s viewership dipped for the World Cup in Qatar, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another drop this summer, particularly given the difficult kickoff times for European viewers.
“I believe that we will not see the same viewing figures as in previous World Cups,” Mittag said.
“I would actually assume that broadcasting and media behavior will also reflect the fact that a lot of people in the summer of 2026 will say, ‘I’m aware of this World Cup, but I’m not going to watch it all. I’m not as enthusiastic as in previous years, and in a small way, I’m expressing my criticism.’”
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What is clear is that the moment Germany touch down in the United States, players and staff will have to answer questions about playing a tournament in the current political and social climate. The strength of their answers will depend on many factors, but perhaps most of all on how well they play on the field.
“The decisive factor for identification with the national team is not so much the political situation as the fact that the DFB team is perceived as a likeable, approachable, and successful team,” Mutz explained.
“Certainly, there is also a growing awareness in society that we are living in times of crisis and that political opinions are highly polarized. Especially in these times, the national football team could be an important anchor point for identification and the experience of belonging and community—across all social groups and political camps. However, football’s ability to bring different people together is weakened when the national team is perceived as too political.”
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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This article was updated on January 26, 2026 to include the statement from the St. Pauli President.
Garden Horizons is a tycoon simulator on Roblox in which you become a gardener and grow Plants of different rarity and types on your plots. To purchase seeds for them, you must reach Bill’s Seed Shop, available at the center of the map, and interact with Bill, who will show you the available stock. Moreover, this shop gets restocked every five minutes, which will help you obtain different Plant seeds.
This guide will introduce you to every Plant seed available in the game.
What are Plants in Garden Horizons?
Bill’s Seed Shop (Image via Roblox)
Developed by Dawn Digital, Garden Horizons allows you to purchase seeds of different kinds and rarity by interacting with Bill at Bill’s Seed Shop. Located at the center of the map, this shop possesses a limited stock of multiple seeds that you can purchase by spending Shillings.
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By sowing these seeds in your garden, you can grow them into mature plants that either possess or produce some harvestable byproducts over time. Upon selling the harvested produce to the Steve NPC, located beside the seed shop, you can earn Shillings based on the weight, mutation, and modifier it has.
Plant Modifiers
Depending on the ripening stage a fruit has been harvested, you can obtain one of these three value multipliers:
Unripe: 1.0x to 1.9x increase in base value of the fruit.
Ripened: 2.0 to 2.9x increase in base value of the fruit.
Lush: 3.0x increase in base value of the fruit.
Plant Mutations
While growing, a fruit or Plant can obtain one of the following mutations, which can increase the base value of the produce:
Soaked: 1.2x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Foggy: 1.2x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Chilled: 1.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Flooded: 1.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Silver: 2.0x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Snowy: 2.0x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Sandy: 2.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Mossy: 3.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Shocked: 4.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Gold: 5.0x increase in base the value of the fruit.
Starstruck: 6.5x increase in the base value of the fruit.
Sep 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Vancouver Whitecaps forward Sergio Cordova (9) plays the ball against New York City FC midfielder Alfredo Morales (7) during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
St. Louis City acquired forward Sergio Cordova on loan from Switzerland’s BSC Young Boys on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Venezuelan international returns to MLS through June 30 with a purchase option.
Cordova, who played for Real Salt Lake (2022) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (2023), will occupy designated player and international roster slots.
“Adding Sergio on loan gives us valuable depth and short-term reinforcement while maintaining the flexibility that is important to our long-term plans,” sporting director Corey Wray said. “We are always looking to maximize the MLS roster mechanisms, and putting Sergio in the DP spot will benefit us in several ways while also giving us options moving forward.
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“Beyond that, he brings qualities we value in a striker with his movement, ability to link play, and stretch defenses. We are excited to get him integrated with the group and look forward to what he can add over the coming months.”
Cordova tallied 15 goals and two assists in 61 matches during his previous MLS stint. He has also played in Germany, Turkey, Russia and his native Venezuela.
U.S. men’s hockey star Jack Hughes appeared to have no qualms about the potential of going to Washington for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
Trump invited the men’s hockey team to his speech on Sunday after Hughes scored in the overtime period of the gold medal game, defeating Canada 2-1.
Jack Hughes (86) poses with teammates after the gold-medal game against at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
The players’ excitement appeared to miff critics of Trump. But while talking to reporters outside the E11EVEN nightclub in Miami on Monday night, the New Jersey Devils star said meeting the president is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the U.S. and when you get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president, you know, we’re proud to be Americans, that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House and just be part of that,” he said.
Jack Hughes, who scored the winning overtime goal, celebrates after defeating Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Hughes was dripping in patriotism right after he scored the goal on Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington.
“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The U.S. are a hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong and we had so much support from ex-players. I’m so proud to be American today,” he said.
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As the team celebrated in the locker room, FBI Director Kash Patel held his phone on speaker as Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address.
“I’ll tell you what. I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they’d be calling, I said we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something, but if you would like to, it’s the coolest night, it’s the biggest speech …”
One player cut off Trump and said, “We’re in.”
Jack Hughes celebrates with the U.S. flag after scoring the team’s second goal in overtime to win gold on Feb. 22, 2026.(Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo)
“We’ll get Kash, and we’ll get the military to get you guys over,” Trump continued. “You won’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard – we’ll be sailing through like you did on the ice.”
