For decades, one of the most unshakable rules in FIFA World Cup football has stood firm: any player shown a red card will automatically miss their team’s next match. No exceptions, no appeals, no room for negotiation. That long-standing certainty has now been thrown into chaos, after FIFA granted an unprecedented reprieve to United States star forward Folarin Balogun, leaving the sport grappling with urgent questions about fairness, consistency and political interference.
分类： sports
-
Dodgers’ Eliézer Alfonzo makes MLB debut with sister, stepmother still missing in Venezuela quakes
LOS ANGELES – In an emotionally charged opening day at the highest level of professional baseball, catcher Eliézer Alfonzo made his long-awaited Major League Baseball debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, a milestone clouded by uncertainty over his stepmother and sister, who remain missing following the catastrophic earthquakes that struck his native Venezuela. The 26-year-old prospect took the ninth spot in the Dodgers’ starting lineup, handling catching duties for starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan during the team’s home interleague clash against the San Diego Padres. Alfonzo’s 16-year-old sister Eliana and stepmother Patricia have been unaccounted for since a series of powerful quakes devastated coastal Venezuela on June 24. Multiple Latin American media outlets published reports Sunday claiming that the pair’s bodies had been recovered from the rubble of the La Guaira hotel where they were staying when the disaster struck. As of first pitch, the Los Angeles Dodgers organization confirmed that no official verification of these reports has been received, leaving Alfonzo in limbo as he stepped onto the major league diamond for the first time. Speaking roughly two hours before game time at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared that he had not yet spoken directly with Alfonzo about the developing situation, and struggled to put the catcher’s ordeal into words. “Outside of my heart goes out to him and his entire family, I don’t really know what to say about it,” Roberts told reporters. “He is with the team today, and he’s going to play, but obviously calling this a heavy heart doesn’t even begin to cover it. I don’t want to go too deep into this, because I’ll get emotional. I know it’s unbelievably tough for him right now.” Alfonzo’s path to the majors has been nearly a decade in the making. After logging 581 appearances across nine seasons of minor league play, the Dodgers called him up to the active roster Saturday, marking his first ever opportunity to compete at baseball’s top tier. He spent the majority of his professional career in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system, climbing as high as the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo last year. Last November, Alfonzo signed a minor league free agent contract with the Dodgers, and turned in an impressive performance at Triple-A Oklahoma City to earn his call-up, posting a .313 batting average with 17 runs batted in through his play this season. The Dodgers’ roster move came amid a growing need behind the plate: veteran starting catcher Will Smith has been out of commission for nearly a month with a nagging neck injury. Dalton Rushing has stepped in as the team’s primary starter at catcher, with veteran Chuckie Robinson serving as his backup, but the Dodgers elected to hand Alfonzo a shot in the starting lineup this weekend. Alfonzo is following a family legacy of professional catching: his father, Eliézer Alfonzo Sr., appeared across parts of six MLB seasons between 2006 and 2011, suiting up as a catcher for four different major league clubs, and even spent one season in the Dodgers’ minor league system early in the former backstop’s career.
-
Queiroz leaves Ghana following World Cup exit
Veteran football manager Carlos Queiroz has ended his tenure as head coach of Ghana’s men’s national team, stepping down just three months after accepting the role following the Black Stars’ early elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the round of 32 stage.
The 73-year-old coach was appointed to lead Ghana back in April this year, and steered the side to a third-place finish in their Group L during the group stage, which earned them a spot in the knockout round. Their run in the tournament was cut short, however, after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the first knockout fixture, which saw the Ghanaian side exit the competition.
Queiroz boasts an extensive resume in elite football management, including a notable spell as assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson at English Premier League giants Manchester United. He held the assistant position at Old Trafford across two stints: first from 2002 to 2003, before returning to the club from 2004 to 2008, where he contributed to multiple major trophy wins during his time at the club. This World Cup marks the fifth consecutive major tournament where Queiroz has held a head coaching position at the competition; he previously led the national teams of Iran, Portugal, and Egypt at World Cup finals.
Queiroz was not the only head coach to part ways with his national team on the day of the announcement. Following his departure, it was also confirmed that the Jordan Football Association had split with head coach Jamal Sellami, after Jordan finished the tournament in fourth place in their Group J bracket. The dual departures add to the wave of post-tournament coaching changes that typically follow early elimination from the FIFA World Cup.
-
World Cup what to know: US faces Belgium after Balogun’s suspension rescinded
As the World Cup’s knockout round heats up, the most highly anticipated match-up of Monday’s slate is not the iconic Iberian rivalry between Spain and Portugal, but the high-stakes Round of 16 clash between the host United States and Belgium in Seattle – a game that already carries off-field drama and could literally move the Richter scale.
Seattle’s Lumen Field, already known as one of the loudest venues in North American professional sports, made waves during the U.S. men’s national team’s group stage win over Australia, where crowd roars were intense enough to register as detectable seismic activity. With a quarterfinal spot on the line and a home crowd of more than 80,000 raucous fans expected, that shaking could reach new levels when the two sides kick off Monday evening.
The biggest pre-match shake-up came in an unexpected reversal from FIFA, which overturned American star forward Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-game suspension for a red card picked up in the team’s final group stage win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Balogun, who leads the U.S. with three tournament goals – tying Landon Donovan’s 2010 total for the second-most by an American man at a single World Cup, trailing only Bert Patenaude’s four goals at the inaugural 1930 tournament – was suspended after stepping awkwardly on Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemović late in the match, which the U.S. played 30 minutes down a man. The reversal, which came after U.S. President Donald Trump placed a direct call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has left the Royal Belgian Football Association publicly “astonished” but delivered a massive boost to the American side ahead of their biggest match in modern history.
U.S. captain Christian Pulisic emphasized that the Seattle fanbase has already delivered unmatched energy throughout the tournament, and their support will only grow with Balogun’s return. “(Seattle) fans are going to bring it, no matter what,” Pulisic said. “I think that’s what they’ve shown this trip, this tournament so far. I’m sure when (Balogun) walks out, they’re going to give that much more of a roar.”
For the U.S., a win on Monday would mark two historic milestones: it would be the first time the men’s side has won two consecutive knockout matches at a World Cup, and push them into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. Though Belgium hammered the U.S. 5-2 in a March warm-up friendly, the Americans enter the clash on a hot streak, having opened the tournament with a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay before topping their group.
Belgium, for their part, calls Seattle a home away from home: the side has been based at the Seattle Sounders’ training facility since June 13, and has already played two matches at Lumen Field, earning a 1-1 group stage draw with Egypt before a 3-2 extra-time win over Senegal in the Round of 32. Belgian midfielder Dodi Lukébakio said that dramatic win has given the side extra confidence heading into Monday’s match, while defender Maxim De Cuyper noted the team is prepared to block out the hostile home crowd. “If you play against 80,000 supporters or with 80,000, you have to try to do the same,” De Cuyper said. “And I think that’s what we’re going to try (to do).”
Though the U.S.-Belgium clash has stolen the day’s headlines, the earlier match between Iberian neighbors Spain and Portugal carries its own historic weight, as 41-year-old Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo confirms this tournament will be his final World Cup appearance. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be leaving with a clear conscience, not a hundred percent but a thousand,” Ronaldo said in translated remarks. “I gave everything to football. I didn’t do it out of need. It’s because of the passion that I play on this national team because I love to play football.”
The two sides have a 105-year rivalry full of memorable matches: nearly a year ago, Portugal beat Spain in a penalty shootout to claim the UEFA Nations League title, and eight years ago in Russia, Ronaldo notched his only World Cup hat trick to secure a 3-3 group stage draw against La Roja. Portugal is aiming for back-to-back quarterfinal appearances, and has only advanced past that stage once, in 2006, when they reached the semifinals.
Spain, by contrast, enters the match as the only team yet to concede a goal in the tournament. The 2010 World Cup champions, who have not reached the quarterfinals since their title win, opened their campaign with a scoreless draw against underdog Cape Verde (who captured the world’s attention by advancing to the knockout round before pushing defending champion Argentina to extra time in a 3-2 loss), then went on to beat South Korea, Uruguay and Austria by a combined 8-0. “We know that every game is a final and it’s difficult,” Spain midfielder Rodri said in translated remarks. “We’re going game by game. We don’t think much further. We have a very tough rival, and if we’re able to beat Portugal, then we’ll be one step closer.”
Monday’s doubleheader kicks off the Round of 16, with two more matches scheduled for Tuesday: Argentina faces Egypt in Atlanta at noon EDT, while Switzerland takes on Colombia in Vancouver at 4 p.m. EDT.
-
Australia give improved England plenty to ponder one year out from Ashes
The historic Lord’s Cricket Ground did not add another iconic English sporting triumph to London’s recent legacy, following in the footsteps of nearby Wembley and Twickenham. Instead, Australia women’s cricket team reclaimed the T20 World Cup title with a dominant seven-wicket win over the host side in the 2026 final, leaving England confronting questions about squad strategy and personnel just one year out from the next Ashes series.
England entered the final with high hopes, framed as a chance to replicate the recent international success of England’s other women’s national teams, the soccer Lionesses and rugby Red Roses. The home side advanced to the decider but crumbled at the decisive moment, producing their most underwhelming batting and bowling performance of the entire tournament. Batting lacked variation in tempo, while bowling displays were uncharacteristically loose, falling well short of the ‘perfect performance’ England admitted they needed to topple the Australian side.
For Australia, the win marked a long-awaited redemption after exiting the previous two World Cups empty-handed. Captain Sophie Molineux, whose laid-back, approachable leadership style has drawn sharp contrast to her more decorated predecessors Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy, noted after the match that her experienced squad has not yet hit its peak, signaling Australia will remain a dominant force in global women’s cricket for years to come.
The defeat leaves England head coach Charlotte Edwards facing a defining moment analogous to that of Michael Vaughan ahead of the iconic 2005 men’s Ashes series. Vaughan opted for a full squad reset to shake off the baggage of repeated losses to Australia, and Edwards has now opened the door to potential major personnel changes ahead of next summer’s home Ashes. Appointed just 15 months ago in April 2025, Edwards stressed that a full review of the squad will take place at the end of the summer, acknowledging the team stuck with experienced core players for this tournament who had delivered consistent results throughout the group stage.
Despite the lopsided final score, the tournament marked clear progress for an England side that has climbed back from rock-bottom in recent years. Just 20 months ago, England crashed out of the T20 World Cup in the group stage, followed by a humiliating 16-0 clean sweep defeat in the 2024-25 Ashes and a rocky group-stage exit at the 2025 50-over World Cup. This run to the final has re-established England as the second-ranked team in global women’s cricket, a status that had slipped away after three underwhelming World Cup campaigns.
Several emerging and existing players have proven their value to the squad during the tournament. Young talents Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson have added much-needed power to England’s middle order, while Alice Capsey has transitioned from promising prodigy to reliable top-order batter. Star spinner Sophie Ecclestone also returned to near her best form after inconsistent outings in recent seasons, while 35-year-old Heather Knight silenced critics who argued her international career was winding down. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt also shrugged off concerns over a recent two-week calf injury to produce consistent performances throughout the event.
The tournament also highlighted growing leadership depth within the squad, a promising sign for the future. When Sciver-Brunt was sidelined with her calf injury earlier in the campaign, vice-captain Charlie Dean stepped up seamlessly to lead the side, proving she is a ready replacement when Sciver-Brunt eventually steps down. Gibson also got a valuable leadership trial during an intra-squad camp in South Africa earlier this year, and will lead Sunrisers Leeds in the upcoming Hundred season, with many tipping her as a future international captain.
That said, clear weaknesses were exposed in the final that cannot be ignored. The most pressing issue is the form of veteran wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones, who notched five single-figure scores in seven innings at the tournament. While Jones’s glovework has never been questioned, she has failed to deliver consistently with the bat in her role as an opening batter, managing just two centuries in 260 international matches. England currently lack clear established replacements, with domestic keepers Kira Chathli and Ellie Threlk yet to force their way into contention, leading to calls for a bold shake-up: moving current back-up keeper Alice Capsey into the full-time wicketkeeper role, which would open up a spot for exciting 18-year-old talent Davina Perrin to come into the side as opening batter alongside tournament leading run-scorer Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Uncapped squad member Tilly Corteen-Coleman is also expected to get opportunities in the coming international windows.
Edwards has pushed back against calls for an immediate overhaul, saying she remains excited to work with the current squad over the next 12 months to build on their progress. She also noted that the team has already won back public support after the heavy backlash following the 2024-25 Ashes defeat, and has successfully re-established England as a legitimate contender in global women’s cricket. Now, her biggest challenge remains: closing the gap with a dominant Australian side and pulling off an Ashes upset on home soil next summer.
-
Cristiano Ronaldo says it again: His 6th World Cup with Portugal will be his last
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ahead of Portugal’s highly anticipated round-of-16 World Cup clash against neighboring rival Spain, Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo opened up in a rare Sunday press conference, confirming that this sixth World Cup appearance of his decorated career will be his last. What began as a lighthearted press interaction eventually turned thoughtful, as the 41-year-old global superstar reflected on his legacy, his journey in international football, and what he expects from the knockout stage matchup.
The event kicked off with playful banter between Ronaldo and an Argentine reporter, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner recalling a lighthearted exchange with an Argentine flight attendant on his team’s trip to the United States. “Yesterday on the flight, there was an Argentine flight attendant,” Ronaldo shared through an interpreter with a grin. “I knew she was Argentine by the way she looked at me… If you look away quickly, it means you don’t like Cristiano.”
Setting aside the humor, Ronaldo made clear that this tournament marks the final chapter of his decades-long World Cup career, a comment he first made publicly in a television interview late last year, just months after Portugal lifted the UEFA Nations League trophy in a thrilling penalty shootout victory over Spain.
“ I want to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to the fullest,” he said. “Hopefully, tomorrow won’t be my last match. That way, you can keep bashing me some more.”
Over the 25-minute press conference held at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, nearly every question from the packed room of reporters circled back to one widely assumed reality: this tournament is Ronaldo’s final run on football’s biggest global stage. When pressed on retirement, he joked that reporters were eager to push him out the door, but quickly shifted to philosophical reflection on everything he has achieved in the sport.
“There’s nothing missing,” Ronaldo said. “God was so generous toward me. He gave me everything I never expected to win, especially at the national team. And personally, the same thing. So it’s enjoying every moment. I’m not going to be more Cristiano or less Cristiano because I win the World Cup. Of course, we all have hopes, myself especially, and we all want all the conditions to win. But we know that only one is going to win.”
Ronaldo’s World Cup farewell comes eight years after he made history as the oldest player to record a World Cup hat trick, a feat he achieved at age 33 in a dramatic 3-3 group stage draw against Spain. Notably, that 2018 matchup ended with neither powerhouse advancing past the group stage, adding extra stakes to their 2022 knockout encounter.
Heading into the round-of-16, Portugal is aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive World Cup. The furthest the nation has ever advanced in the tournament was a semifinal run during Ronaldo’s World Cup debut in 2006.
Ronaldo has already made his mark on this tournament, notching the tying goal in Portugal’s 2-1 round-of-32 win over Croatia, bringing his total World Cup goal count to 11, with three of those coming in 2022. That match pitted two of football’s most iconic veteran stars against each other: Ronaldo, 41, against Croatian playmaker Luka Modric, 40, who was competing in his fifth World Cup.
Acknowledging the natural changes that come with age, Ronaldo noted he has adapted his game over the years. “What I have done throughout my career is to adjust to the nuances of age, knowing that I’m not the player I used to be,” he said. “But one thing I can understand very clearly is nothing has changed because I can still score a goal. I hope I do that tomorrow, and if I don’t, I hope others on the team do.”
A correction was issued following the initial publication of this report, fixing an erroneous reference that incorrectly listed Manchester City as one of Ronaldo’s former club sides.
-
Cape Verde’s soccer team returns home to huge welcome. The basketball team also has World Cup hopes
For a tiny West African island nation of just 500,000 people, what was already set to be a landmark Independence Day celebration turned into a once-in-a-generation moment of national joy this Sunday, as two of its national teams delivered historic achievements that captured global sports attention.
Cape Verde’s men’s national soccer team arrived home to a hero’s welcome after a breakout maiden World Cup run that saw the side advance to the tournament’s round of 32, and push global powerhouse Argentina led by Lionel Messi into a tense extra-time battle. To make the weekend even sweeter, the country’s men’s national basketball team locked in a spot in the second round of 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying over the weekend, wrapping up the milestone with a comfortable win over Libya in a qualifying match hosted in Cameroon on Sunday.
At roughly 4,033 square kilometers of total land area, Cape Verde is the smallest country by land mass to ever qualify for the FIFA World Cup — a historic feat that has already cemented this team’s place in global soccer history. Sunday marked the 49th anniversary of the nation’s independence from Portuguese rule, so nationwide celebrations were already planned across the archipelago off West Africa’s coast long before the two teams’ landmark wins. The soccer team’s return from their World Cup campaign in Miami, Florida, only amplified the electric national mood to extraordinary levels.
In footage captured by the team’s starting goalkeeper Vozinha, ground crew workers at the international airport dropped to their knees and bowed in reverence as the team’s plane taxied to its arrival gate, a raw display of how deeply the squad’s run resonated across the small nation. After clearing the terminal, where players spent hours greeting supporters, posing for selfies, exchanging hugs and high-fives with thousands of cheering well-wishers and speaking with local media, the squad was loaded onto the back of an open flatbed truck for a public parade through crowded city streets.
Thousands of fans lined the route, waving the nation’s iconic blue, red and white flag that fluttered in the warm weekend breeze. Local drummers performed traditional rhythms along the parade route, and cultural dance troupes joined the procession to turn the homecoming into a full national street party.
“We gave it all for Cape Verde,” said defender Pico Lopes, summing up the team’s pride in representing the small nation on the world’s biggest soccer stage.
Emanuel Trovoada, head coach of the national basketball team, echoed the celebratory tone after his side locked in their qualifying milestone. The Cape Verde basketball team made their own historic first World Cup appearance in 2023, and are now targeting a second consecutive berth at the 2027 tournament, with their next set of qualifying matches set to kick off in late August.
“Viva Cape Verde,” Trovoada declared after the team’s win over Libya, a statement that summed up the entire nation’s mood over the weekend. “This is historic. This is important. Our soccer team has returned to the country — for a party.”
-
Osaka stuns world number one Sabalenka to reach quarter-finals
Wimbledon’s Centre Court played host to one of the most captivating upsets of the 2025 tournament on Tuesday, as four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka delivered a masterclass to defeat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, booking her first ever spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Osaka, who had never advanced past the third round at the All England Club before this year, put on a near-perfect display of power and precision to wrap up a 6-2, 7-6(7-2) victory. The Japanese star dominated every facet of the match: her serve was unbreakable when it mattered, her groundstrokes landed exactly where she intended, and her tactical read on Sabalenka outpaced the top seed’s own aggressive game plan.
The result marks Sabalenka’s earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2022 French Open, and snaps a 122-match streak of avoiding straight-set defeats at major tournaments. It also reverses a three-match winning streak for Sabalenka over Osaka in their previous three encounters across the past three months. This time, however, Osaka was in control from the opening game, matching Sabalenka’s blistering pace step for step and moving around the grass court with unexpected fluidity.
Coming into this tournament, Osaka’s resurgence has been one of the biggest storylines of the 2025 WTA Tour. After returning from maternity leave in July 2023, she spent more than a year struggling to recapture her top form before hiring coach Tomasz Wiktorowski – the former mentor of world number one Iga Swiatek – late in 2024. The coaching change has paid immediate dividends: Osaka reached the semifinals of the 2025 US Open, notched her first ever trip to the second week of the French Open last month, and now has matched that career-best performance at Wimbledon.
When asked about her newfound success on grass, Osaka was quick to credit her team, joking: “The big Polish man! Shout out Tomasz! Shout out to the rest of my team, they are the best. I have so much fun with them and I learn so much from them. I’m so grateful they are on this journey with me.”
“I’ve had so much fun on this run,” Osaka added after the match. “It’s been a long time since I had so much fun on the court. To do it here means a lot.”
The match itself was a showcase of two of the hardest hitters in the women’s game, but Osaka’s controlled aggression set her apart. She broke Sabalenka early in the first set with a blistering winner – one of 21 total winners she hit through the match – and raced to a double break as uncharacteristic errors piled up for Sabalenka. Osaka closed out the first set in just 32 minutes, a stunningly quick start that set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Sabalenka managed to steady herself in the second set, with her powerful serve bailing her out of multiple break points. Heading into a second-set tiebreak, the top seed had plenty of momentum on her side: she had won 21 consecutive tiebreaks at Grand Slams entering the match, and would have been heavily favored to force a deciding third set. But Osaka flipped the script, racing out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak and closing out the win on her second match point. After the final point landed in bounds, Osaka pressed her racquet to her forehead, stunned by her own achievement.
For Sabalenka, the result continues a rocky 2025 season by her own exceptionally high standards. After reaching at least the semifinal of all four Grand Slams in 2024, the Belarusian has fallen short of her own expectations this year. While she has tied for the most WTA Tour titles on tour this season, she dropped a second consecutive Australian Open final in a three-set defeat, and collapsed from a set and double break up in the French Open quarterfinals – a result that left her joking she wanted to quit the sport entirely.
Against Osaka, Sabalenka was openly frustrated by her performance, at one point hitting her own head with her racquet in frustration. But the top seed was clear after the match that she was beaten by a better opponent on the day, not undone by her own mistakes. Speaking to reporters just minutes after the final point, Sabalenka struck a measured tone, a contrast to her controversial post-match press conference at the 2025 French Open.
“I didn’t play my best, and she played probably her best. Sometimes that happens,” Sabalenka said. “Sometimes you can go out there and do everything you can and still lose the match. Well done for Naomi. Wishing her the best.”
Osaka will next face Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova for a spot in the Wimbledon semifinals. Muchova’s upset win over 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova guarantees that the women’s singles draw will produce a new champion for the 10th consecutive Wimbledon tournament.
-
Australia wins the Women’s T20 World Cup after crushing England in the Lord’s final
On a sun-drenched Sunday at cricket’s iconic Lord’s Ground, Australia’s women’s cricket team etched another chapter into their already legendary legacy, crushing hosts England by seven wickets to lift the 10th ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup trophy.
The 2024 edition of the tournament went down in history as the largest and most commercially successful Women’s T20 World Cup to date, drawing a sell-out crowd of 28,883 fans to the final that promised a clash of titans. Pre-match stats pointed to two unbroken streaks: England had never lost a Women’s World Cup (across any format) on home soil, while Australia had never fallen to England in a World Cup final across all formats. By the close of play, only one of those records would hold.
After winning the toss and putting England in to bat first, Australia’s tight bowling attack put the home side on the back foot from the opening powerplay. England openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge – who became the first player in history to score over 300 runs in a single Women’s T20 World Cup – and Amy Jones both fell inside the first six overs. By the 10th over, the hosts were 67-3 after Alice Capsey was cleaned up, leaving captain Nat Sciver-Brunt to anchor the innings. Sciver-Brunt notched a record ninth T20 World Cup half-century, finishing with an unbeaten 58 from 53 balls, while Freya Kemp’s late unbeaten 44 from 28 balls dragged England to a final total of 150-4 – a total widely viewed as below par on Lord’s batting-friendly pitch. Australia’s pace duo of Lucy Hamilton (1-19) and Kim Garth led the disciplined bowling effort, restricting the dangerous English batting line-up to just enough runs to set up a chase.
What followed was a masterclass in controlled aggressive batting from Australia, who pulled off the highest successful run chase in Women’s T20 World Cup final history, finishing on 153-3 with 17 deliveries to spare. After losing opener Georgia Voll to Lauren Bell in the second over, Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield launched a devastating 100-run partnership off just 67 balls that turned the match into a one-sided contest. By the end of the powerplay, Australia was already 62-1, with Mooney finding the boundary repeatedly off England’s bowlers.
Litchfield’s aggressive innings included a spectacular reverse-sweep six off Linsey Smith, but she fell just short of a match-finishing half-century, bowled for 48 in the 13th over with Australia still 34 runs short of victory. Mooney, who notched her third match-winning half-century in as many successful World Cup finals, reached 64 from 49 deliveries (with 10 boundaries) before being pinned lbw by Sophie Ecclestone on review, with just 11 runs left to win.
It was left to Australian stalwart Ellyse Perry to hit the winning runs, capping an extraordinary career that now includes seven World T20 titles. For Perry, the win was extra special: it marked new captain Sophie Molineux’s first World Cup title, after Australia failed to claim a World Cup trophy in 20-over or 50-over formats since 2018, ending the side’s historic run of consecutive titles.
“It’s phenomenal. For it to fall our way is super special,” Perry told Sky Sports after the match. “Amazing performance from the girls against an awesome England team. To get over the line in Soph’s first World Cup (as captain), it’s a joy to be part of. To have the chance to be part of that is the privilege of a lifetime.”
Mooney, who was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament for her consistent performances throughout the event, acknowledged the pressure on the side after two early tournament exits. “It’s been well documented that we haven’t made it in the last two ICC events. I woke up this morning pretty grateful we have made it this far,” she said. “I started the tournament a little rusty but I warmed up. The game plan was to settle the dugout in the powerplay in a big game. I tried to make sure we got ahead of the game as early as possible.”
For England, the defeat was a disappointing end to a historic home tournament, with coach Charlotte Edwards admitting her side was outclassed. “Gutted. We came here with so much belief and confidence to pull off something really special,” Edwards said. “But Australia are a very, very good team and we were completely outplayed.”
The win extends Australia’s staggering tournament record to seven titles from eight World T20 finals, cementing their status as the undisputed dominant force in women’s international T20 cricket.
-
England’s hopes crushed as Australia win T20 World Cup
The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup final at London’s iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground ended with a statement victory for Australia, who reclaimed the global title with a commanding seven-wicket win over hosts England, extending their unrivaled reign in women’s limited-overs cricket.
England, bidding for their first T20 World Cup trophy on home soil since their memorable 2017 50-over World Cup win at the same venue, got off to a rocky start with the bat. Early wickets of Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey and Heather Knight left the hosts reeling at 70-4 after just 11 overs, with only captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and young all-rounder Freya Kemp providing late resistance. Sciver-Brunt anchored the innings with a slow-paced 58 not out off 53 deliveries – a far cry from her explosive 73-run knock in the semi-final against South Africa – while Kemp hit a quickfire 44 not out off 28 balls to lift England to a final total of 150-4 from 20 overs. However, the total always looked under par on a low, slow pitch that offered little assistance for fast bowling, leaving Australia well-placed to chase the target.
Australia’s chase got off to a minor early blip, with opener Georgia Voll bowled by Lauren Bell in the second over. But that was the only high point for England, as rising star Phoebe Litchfield and veteran opener Beth Mooney put together a match-winning 100-run partnership from just 67 balls that broke the back of England’s bowling attack. England’s seamers consistently delivered too much width outside off stump, allowing the left-handed pair to find the boundary at will, and Australia had matched England’s total boundary count by just the 10th over of the chase.
Litchfield fell for 48 with Australia still needing 34 runs from 42 balls, but Mooney continued her clinical knock, reaching 64 before falling, leaving just 11 runs to get. A late point of controversy came in the 17th over, when England spinner Sophie Ecclestone thought she had claimed a clean catch to dismiss Australia star Ellyse Perry, only for the TV umpire to rule the catch not clean, prompting boos from the capacity crowd and anger from Ecclestone. The decision ultimately made no difference to the result, as England bowled five wides in the very next over to bring up the winning runs for Australia, wrapping up the chase in just 17.1 overs.
For Australia, this win marks their seventh T20 World Cup title and 14th World Cup crown across all formats, capping an undefeated run through the tournament and bouncing back from semi-final exits at the previous T20 and 50-over World Cups. The victory comes amid a period of transition for the side, with new captain Alyssa Healy stepping into the role vacated by Meg Lanning, and young players like Litchfield and Voll claiming their first World Cup titles. Perry extended her own record to nine World Cup titles, while Mooney – who now boasts five World Cup crowns and a remarkable T20 final batting average of 76.42 – was the difference-maker with her clinical knock.
For England, the result is a crushing end to what was a tournament of progress. Under new coach Charlotte Edwards, the side ended a run of three consecutive tournaments without reaching a final, fixing longstanding issues with fitness and fielding that plagued their 2023 Ashes whitewash defeat to Australia. While the capacity crowd at Lord’s marks a landmark moment for women’s cricket, and England can build on their run to the final, the gap between the two sides remains clear. Heading into next summer’s home Ashes series, England’s next task will be closing that gap and turning progress into silverware.