Cricket history was made in Mirpur on Wednesday, as Bangladesh pulled off a landmark five-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI, claiming their first ever ODI series win against the six-time world champions. The underdog hosts have now sealed back-to-back wins over Australia, adding an ODI series triumph to their T20I series victory against the same opponent in 2021, with one match still left to play in the three-match tour. What makes the win even more remarkable is the context of the matchup: before this series, Bangladesh had never won an ODI series against Australia, falling to 0-3 sweeps in each of their four previous encounters. Their only prior individual ODI win against Australia came in a tri-series with England back in 2005, and they waited 21 years between their first 50-over win, which they earned in the opening match of this current series. The match, disrupted by rain, relied on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to set a revised target for Bangladesh, after a late rain delay cut Australia’s innings short. Australia, missing several of their star first-choice players including pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, top-order batters Travis Head and all-rounder Mitch Marsh, got off to one of the worst possible starts in ODI history. Inside the first two overs, Australia were 0 wickets for 3 runs, becoming only the fourth men’s ODI side in nearly 5,000 matches to lose three wickets without scoring a single run. A sensational collapse was only avoided thanks to a resilient fightback from stand-in captain Josh Inglis, who scored 34, and a match-saving seventh-wicket partnership of 103 runs between Marnus Labuschagne and Xavier Bartlett. Labuschagne finished the innings unbeaten on 55, while Bartlett hit a valuable 52 off 63 balls. Just before the rain rolled in to stop play, Bartlett and spinner Adam Zampa fell to the Bangladesh bowling attack, cutting Australia’s final total to 187 for 8 from 42 overs and adjusting the target Bangladesh needed to chase to 192 runs from 41 overs. Bangladesh’s chase got off to a shaky start, with opening batter Tanzid Hasan Tamim out for a golden duck on the very first over. Middle-order batters Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the innings, putting together an 86-run second wicket partnership that put Bangladesh back on track, with Sarkar scoring 42 and Shanto adding 41. The pair fell in quick succession after their stand, leaving the hosts on 98 for 3 halfway through their chase, but Bangladesh never let the momentum slip. Tawhid Hridoy hit an unbeaten 40, and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz contributed 22 not out to guide the side across the finish line with six full overs to spare. In a moment that underlined Bangladesh’s fighting spirit, Mehidy was hit on the body by a bouncer from Australian paceman Nathan Ellis, and required medical attention after a stretcher was called onto the pitch, but he refused to leave and finished his innings to secure the win. The result means Bangladesh cannot lose the series, with the final match of the three-match ODI series set to take place in Mirpur this Sunday, kicking off at 06:00 BST. Beyond the bilateral series, this result carries major implications for 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup qualification. Only the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings by September this year will qualify directly for the tournament. Currently, England sit in eighth place, Bangladesh ninth, and the West Indies 10th. England face a difficult away series against top-ranked India in July, meaning Bangladesh’s rising ranking points from this historic series could push them above England and alter the automatic qualification landscape ahead of the 2027 tournament. Bangladesh still hold an unfinished goal against Australia: while they now hold ODI and T20I series wins against the side, they are still yet to claim a Test series victory over Australia, a milestone they will look to reach in future matchups.
分类： sports
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Artan to referee Uefa Super Cup after losing World Cup spot
In a striking show of solidarity for a Somali official denied entry to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, European football’s governing body UEFA has named referee Omar Artan as the head official for this summer’s UEFA Super Cup between European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa. The annual showpiece match, which pits the previous season’s UEFA Champions League winner against the UEFA Europa League champion, will kick off on August 12 in the Austrian city of Salzburg.
The appointment comes after collaborative talks between UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with both bodies backing the nomination for the highly respected African official. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin emphasized the value of Artan’s experience and skill in an official statement announcing the decision, noting that Artan has already established a strong track record at the highest levels of CAF competition despite still being a relatively young official.
“Football is made to connect people, and Uefa wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination,” Ceferin said, adding that he appreciated enthusiastic support for the initiative from CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
Artan, who claimed the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award and has featured on FIFA’s international referee list since 2018, was set to make history as the first Somali referee to officiate at a men’s World Cup finals when he traveled to the U.S. earlier this month. But his long-held dream of participating in the tournament was derailed when U.S. border officials in Miami turned him away, even though he held a valid diplomatic passport and approved single-entry U.S. visa.
A U.S. government official confirmed earlier this week that Artan was denied entry over unsubstantiated allegations of “association with suspected members of terror organisations.” The denial falls under a long-standing travel ban first introduced during the Trump administration that includes Somalia among the restricted countries. After consultations with U.S. authorities, FIFA confirmed Artan would be forced to withdraw from the 2026 World Cup tournament.
In comments shared with The New York Times this week, Artan pushed back against the claims made by border officials, saying he was questioned extensively about alleged links to Somali militant group Al Shabab, and denied any knowledge of or connection to the organization. He added that all his documentation was fully in order for the trip. “I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan said. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”
The unexpected nomination to the UEFA Super Cup marks a major show of support from European and African football governing bodies, recognizing Artan’s professional accomplishments while highlighting football’s core mission of uniting people across borders and geopolitical barriers.
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Everything to know about the US men’s team at the 2026 World Cup
In a packed Chicago stadium packed with 63,000 roaring fans this past Saturday, Antonee Robinson unleashed a blistering strike that found the back of Germany’s net, offering a tantalizing preview of what the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) could accomplish when co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil. Though the pre-tournament friendly ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat for the Americans, Robinson’s goal showcased an explosive attacking potency that could produce unforgettable tournament moments, while the raucous crowd made clear that American fans are ready to rally behind their side.
Led by star forward Christian “Captain America” Pulisic, ranked top of their group, and managed by elite former European club coach Mauricio Pochettino, expectations are running high for this USMNT squad. For insight into the team’s prospects, BBC Sport spoke to John Harkes, a former USMNT player who featured in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and made history as the first American to compete in England’s Premier League. Harkes argued that the American side has an excellent chance to turn in a strong performance on the global stage this summer.
“I think they’re very talented,” Harkes noted. “But the critical part of any World Cup is that you have to come together as a team, and you need resilience and fight through adversity. Sometimes games don’t go your way. At the end of the day, you just need a little luck.” He pointed out that the majority of this roster currently competes in top European leagues, a depth of experience that will serve the team well—if key players can stay fit. Injuries have plagued the squad in recent warm-up matches, most notably starting defender Chris Richards, who missed the Germany friendly with an ankle injury, making full fitness the most critical prerequisite for success. Harkes also highlighted the electric atmosphere the Chicago crowd created for the friendly, saying the home support could prove transformative: “If that’s something they can embrace in a friendly scrimmage, then I’m really excited.” While Harkes stopped short of predicting an outright tournament win if the US advances past the group stage, he added that “anything is possible from there.”
A closer look at the squad’s core players reveals a balanced mix of established skill and rising form. Christian Pulisic, the 27-year-old AC Milan attacking midfielder, already holds the record as the fastest US player to hit 50 goal contributions across 86 international caps. A constant attacking threat with elite ball control, this tournament is widely viewed as a defining moment for Pulisic, who will look to cement his national team legacy—though he enters the World Cup with a recent goal drought that has put him under mild pressure. Up front, 24-year-old AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun turned in a blistering 2025-26 club season, netting 11 goals in 14 appearances to emerge as one of Europe’s most in-form center forwards. The USMNT will look to him to add the cutting edge in the final third that the team lacked during its 2022 Qatar run. In midfield, 27-year-old Juventus star Weston McKennie brings relentless tenacity and physicality, while 27-year-old AFC Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams—who captained the US in Qatar at just 23 years old—anchors the defense, shutting down opposing attacking threats quickly. At 38, veteran defender Tim Ream, captain of this 2026 squad and a mainstay with 82 caps, brings decades of experience from nine seasons in England’s Premier League and currently plays for MLS side Charlotte FC; his calm distribution under pressure makes him a critical locker room and on-pitch leader.
Home advantage stands as one of the USMNT’s biggest assets heading into the tournament. While the United States has not historically been classified as a top soccer nation, the world’s biggest sporting event is already building momentum among American fans and media, and a strong opening to the tournament could supercharge that support. The roster itself is dynamic and versatile, with incisive wing-backs Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest adding width to attacks, and Balogun filling a consistent striker gap the team has faced for years.
Securing Pochettino as head coach in 2024 was widely considered a major coup for US Soccer. This marks the Argentine manager’s first international posting, and he is eager to rebuild his reputation as an elite coach after a mixed run of results at top European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Harkes defended Pochettino’s leadership, saying: “Pochettino is a good manager, even though this is the first time he’s managing a national team. I feel like his expectations and core values of what he wants has finally gotten this team on the right track.” Compared to past USMNT World Cup rosters, Harkes noted that the 2026 squad benefits from better resources and far more consistent high-level experience earned through the grind of European club competition.
The US enters the tournament ranked 16th in FIFA’s men’s world rankings, and tops a group that includes 22nd-ranked Turkey, 27th-ranked Australia, and 40th-ranked Paraguay. Harkes acknowledged the quality of the group’s opposition: “Paraguay is a great side. Australia as well, and Turkey is a strong, underrated side. They know how to fight and compete.” As co-hosts alongside Canada and Mexico, the US automatically qualified for the 2026 tournament, extending a recent run of consistent qualification: the US has missed just one World Cup since 1990, falling in 2018 to a crushing late qualifying defeat to Trinidad and Tobago. At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the US advanced to the round of 16, matching the result it achieved the last time it hosted the tournament in 1994. The USMNT’s best ever World Cup performance remains its third-place finish at the inaugural tournament in 1930, while the US women’s national team has claimed four World Cup titles to date.
Below is the full confirmed 2026 USMNT roster, with each player’s current club listed:
– **Goalkeepers**: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
– **Defenders**: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
– **Midfielders**: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)
– **Forwards**: Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City) -
‘Just tight’: Adam Reynolds downplays hamstring concerns as Michael Maguire declares premiership defence is alive despite horror loss
The 2026 NRL season is turning into a nightmare for defending premiers Brisbane Broncos, who slumped to their sixth consecutive defeat on Thursday night with a lopsided 48-6 hammering at the hands of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The brutal loss has reignited questions about Brisbane’s ability to defend their title, while the team now faces a growing injury crisis that has sidelined multiple key players ahead of their upcoming bye.
The biggest talking point after the match surrounded the fitness of Broncos captain and veteran playmaker Adam Reynolds, who was forced from the field with 20 minutes remaining in the contest. The issue began early when Reynolds notched an early interception and was chased down by Rabbitohs forward Lachlan Hubner; immediately after the tackle, the skipper was seen clutching his left hamstring, raising fears of a serious season-ending soft-tissue injury.
Though Reynolds remained on the field through the first half, he grew increasingly visibly uncomfortable as the match progressed, eventually heading to the locker room with an ice pack wrapped around his injured hamstring. Speaking to reporters post-game, Reynolds downplayed the severity of the issue, insisting he only left the field due to severe cramping rather than a pulled or torn hamstring. “I’m right, just tight,” he said, brushing off further questions about his long-term health. NRL physiotherapy experts have backed this assessment, noting that the club’s use of pickle juice and on-field stretching to treat the issue is consistent with treating cramping, which would see Reynolds avoid a long spell on the sidelines if the diagnosis holds.
Reynolds’ early exit was not the only injury blow for Brisbane on Thursday. Just minutes after the captain left the field, five-eighth Ezra Mam was also forced off with an AC joint injury. Mam, who has come off the bench in the Broncos’ last two matches, had turned in several promising plays before suffering the injury while making a game-saving try tackle on South Sydney winger Ed Kosi in the corner. He remained on the field for a handful of defensive sets before the pain became too much to continue. Broncos head coach Michael Maguire confirmed post-match that the full extent of Mam’s injury will not be clear until he meets with club medical staff.
Brisbane already entered Thursday’s match without a host of star players, including lock Patrick Carrigan and utility Gehamat Shibasaki, who have both been sidelined with long-term injuries. Despite the mounting casualty list and the club’s slide into the bottom four of the NRL ladder after six straight losses, Maguire delivered a defiant, unexpected verdict on Brisbane’s premiership defence, insisting the defending champions are still very much in contention to play finals football this season.
If Brisbane fails to qualify for the finals, they will become the first premiers since the 2005 Wests Tigers to miss the post-season the year after winning the title. But Maguire rejected suggestions that Brisbane’s campaign is already over, pointing to the return of injured stars as a potential turning point for the struggling side.
“We’re still well and truly alive,” Maguire declared. “People will probably think I’m mad, but one thing I do know is I’ve got a number of guys that are not on the field at this present moment. And as a group, we said we’re not going to use that as any sort of excuse or anything like that. But they’ll all come back and there’s a lot of quality there that I know that can come back into the team. So although we’re probably in a bit of a tough hold at the moment, we will get those boys back at some stage.”
Maguire added that the current slump could ultimately strengthen the side in the long run, even as the team prepares for a brutal run of upcoming matches after their bye next week. “We all know what the team’s capable of doing, so once they get back (things will improve). We’ve got to get through this little period now, which is tough for all of us. We don’t like going through it, but it can also be the making of us. These guys have had plenty of experience together. They’ve been through some tough times, they’ve been through some good times. I think they just have to come together like we do. I thought our prep this week was spot on, but it didn’t turn out onto the park so we’ve got to dig deep amongst ourselves to find that because I know I’ve got a team here.”
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Vendee Globe winner Dalin dies aged 42
The world of elite sailing is in mourning this week following the death of iconic French skipper Charlie Dalin, 42-year-old winner of the 2024-25 Vendee Globe, who passed away after a years-long fight with a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer. Dalin’s wife Perrine Le Pape confirmed the news in a statement sent to French news agency AFP on Thursday, saying, “It is with deep sadness that my family and I announce the passing of my husband, Charlie Dalin, following a long illness.”
What made Dalin’s historic Vendee Globe victory all the more extraordinary is that he was battling his cancer diagnosis throughout the entire grueling non-stop race. In October of last year, the skipper revealed the full scope of his health struggle in a published memoir, disclosing that he had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor just days before the 2024-25 Vendee Globe got underway. After urgent initial treatment, he returned to the starting line of sailing’s most punishing solo event and received ongoing immunotherapy treatment while navigating the full 24,300-mile course entirely alone.
Dalin completed the round-the-world route in a blistering record time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, smashing the previous benchmark set by Armel Le Cleac’h in 2017 by more than nine days. When he crossed the finish line in January 2025 to claim victory in the 10th edition of the iconic race, he was met by his wife and their young son Oscar, joining him on his boat for the emotional celebration. At the end of the race, he held a lead of more than half a day over his nearest competitor, a gap that cemented his status as one of the sport’s all-time great performers.
This was not Dalin’s first run at Vendee Globe glory. In the 2020-21 edition of the race, he crossed the finish line first, only to be relegated to second place overall after competitor Yannick Bestaven received a time bonus for rescuing a fellow skipper in distress. Dalin took the setback with characteristic grace, and remained a beloved figure across the sailing community for his sportsmanship and resilience.
In late 2023, Dalin was forced to withdraw from the Transat Jacques Vabre race due to an undisclosed medical issue, sparking widespread speculation about his health that he did not address until the release of his memoir months later. Up until that October announcement, only a small inner circle knew of his diagnosis and ongoing treatment as he continued to compete at the highest level of the sport.
Tributes have already begun pouring in from across the global sailing community, honoring Dalin not just for his historic on-water achievements, but for the extraordinary courage he displayed in competing at the highest level while facing a life-threatening illness.
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Vendee Globe record winner Charlie Dalin dies at 42 after cancer battle
The world of competitive sailing is in mourning this week after the announcement that Charlie Dalin, the iconic French skipper who claimed victory in the 2024-25 Vendee Globe round-the-world race in record time, has passed away at age 42 following a battle with gastrointestinal cancer. Vendee Globe organizers confirmed his death in an official statement released Thursday, drawing tributes from across the global sailing community and French political leadership.
French President Emmanuel Macron honored Dalin’s legacy in a public note, calling him “an extraordinary sailor, a rare example of courage, a guiding light on the open sea.” What makes Dalin’s final victory all the more remarkable is that he kept his 2023 cancer diagnosis private throughout the grueling 2024-25 race, pushing through the challenge to set a new benchmark that has redefined single-handed ocean sailing.
Dalin’s path to the 2024-25 championship was years in the making, marked by near-misses and extraordinary resilience. In the 2021 edition of the four-year race, he crossed the finish line first after 80 days at sea, but was ultimately stripped of the top spot when competitor Yannick Bestaven was awarded a 10-hour time bonus for assisting in the rescue of another sailor. Bestaven’s adjusted finishing time ended up more than two hours faster than Dalin’s, leaving the French skipper with a second-place finish that stung.
That disappointment faded at the 2024-25 race, which starts and ends at the Atlantic coastal port of Les Sables-d’Olonne in western France. Dalin delivered a masterclass performance, smashing the previous race record held by Armel Le Cleac’h by more than nine days. He finished the grueling 24,000-nautical-mile journey in just 64 days, 19 hours, and 22 minutes at the helm of his yacht *MACIF Santé Prévoyance*, claiming the long-awaited win he had worked decades to earn. Throughout the race, he led the competing fleet for a total of 42 days, finishing nearly 10 days ahead of the previous benchmark.
Yoann Richomme, Dalin’s closest competitor in the 2024-25 Vendee Globe and a friend of decades, shared a heartfelt tribute to Dalin on social media following the announcement of his death. “What a remarkable fight you waged against this cruel illness. I am deeply impressed by your perseverance and optimism, right up to your final days,” Richomme wrote. “Our battles on the water, from our first tacks in the Figaro class, eventually led us to that fierce contest during the last Vendée Globe, which thrilled us so much. I cherished the years we spent together, the hearty laughs we shared, and our mutual determination to always give our very best on the water.”
Born in Le Havre, Normandy, Dalin fell in love with sailing at age 6 during a holiday sailing course in Brittany. A graduate in naval architecture from the University of Southampton, he spent seven seasons honing his racing skills in the Figaro class before moving up to the elite IMOCA circuit in 2019. Beyond his 2021 Vendee Globe second-place finish, he also claimed runner-up in the 2022 Route du Rhum, the iconic transatlantic race that runs from France to the Caribbean.
The Vendee Globe, widely considered one of the most grueling challenges in all of competitive sport, is held every four years. It requires sailors to complete a solo, unassisted voyage around the globe, passing South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin, and South America’s Cape Horn across a distance of roughly 24,000 nautical miles, or 44,500 kilometers. Dalin’s record-setting 2024-25 win, achieved while privately fighting a terminal cancer diagnosis, has cemented his reputation as one of the most courageous and talented skippers in the history of the race.
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Horror show: Broncos in crisis as premiers slump to sixth loss in a row and lose star halves on emotional night for Jai Arrow
On an emotionally charged Thursday night at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, the South Sydney Rabbitohs delivered a crushing 48-6 defeat to the defending premiers Brisbane Broncos, all but ending Brisbane’s hopes of repeating their 2025 grand final victory. The match was overshadowed by an outpouring of support for former NRL forward Jai Arrow, who was forced into early medical retirement after a devastating diagnosis of motor neurone disease.
The entire rugby league community put rivalries aside to honor Arrow, who debuted for the Brisbane Broncos in 2016 before finishing his playing career with the Rabbitohs. Before kickoff, both teams formed a joint guard of honour as a tearful Arrow walked out onto the pitch alongside his partner and young child. The Rabbitohs wore special all-white “whiteout” jerseys with Arrow’s name printed on the back, while the Broncos added Jai’s name and his former club number to their playing kits. After the pre-match ceremony, Arrow rang the iconic Rabbitohs Legacy Bell, and players from both sides embraced him as the 80,000-strong crowd rose to give a warm standing ovation in support of Arrow and his family. All of the match-worn jerseys will be auctioned off after the game, with 100% of proceeds going directly to Arrow and his family to cover medical and living costs.
Once the match got underway, it quickly turned into a nightmare for Brisbane. The Broncos, already on a five-match losing slide, produced one of their worst performances in recent memory, missing 23 tackles in the first half alone and going into the halftime break trailing 30-0. Things went from bad to worse when key playmakers Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam both left the game with serious injuries. Captain Reynolds, who first tweaked his left hamstring early in the contest while making a break, struggled on through severe cramps before exiting the match with 20 minutes remaining. Mam, who sustained a shoulder injury while making a last-ditch try-saving tackle, followed Reynolds off the pitch shortly after. The pair’s injuries compound an already brutal run of form for the defending premiers, who have now dropped six consecutive matches.
Veteran Rabbitohs five-eighth Cody Walker turned in a vintage performance to lead his side to a much-needed win, snapping South Sydney’s own three-game losing streak. Walker notched three first-half try assists, including a spectacular set-piece play just before halftime where he pulled in a floating chip kick from Ashton Ward and offloaded to Jamie Humphreys for an easy try under the posts. Star winger Alex Johnston continued his historic try-scoring form at Accor Stadium, crossing for four tries, while forward David Fifita produced a series of powerful barnstorming runs in the opening 40 minutes. Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett praised his side’s first-half intensity, particularly with star fullback Latrell Mitchell sidelined through injury, though he admitted he was disappointed with the team’s sloppy play in the second half.
For the Broncos, the 48-6 defeat marks their worst loss of the 2026 NRL season and leaves their finals hopes all but extinguished. To squeeze into the top eight, the premiers will now need to win at least eight of their remaining 10 regular-season matches, a feat made even more challenging by a brutal upcoming draw and the loss of their two key playmakers to injury. If Brisbane fails to qualify for the finals, they will become the first defending premiers since the 2005 Wests Tigers to miss the post-season the year after winning the premiership. Even with a bye next week, Brisbane coach Michael Maguire and his squad will face intense scrutiny from fans and media across Queensland in the coming weeks, just eight months after the club lifted its first premiership trophy in decades.
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‘Mum was killing me’: England’s Rice on World Cup heat – and his sunburn
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada draws near, England national team midfielder Declan Rice has made headlines for an unexpected pre-tournament mishap: a painful sunburn that left him bright red in official photos, drawing playful teasing from fans online and a stern telling-off from his own mother.\n\nThe Arsenal star, who arrived in North America alongside his teammates several days early to acclimatize to the region’s extreme summer heat, opened up about the viral incident in an interview with the BBC. Looking back at the pre-tournament photoshoot that showed his beetroot-red complexion and obvious watch strap tan line, Rice laughed off the moment, saying, “I think everyone’s seen them photos… I was bright red at that photoshoot, my mum was killing me.” When asked when he finally felt adjusted to the local climate, he joked the turning point was simple: “when the sunburn went”.\n\nExtreme heat has been a top talking point ahead of this World Cup, which kicks off officially on Thursday. The climate challenge is being driven in large part by El Niño, the recurring weather pattern that has already pushed summer temperatures across North America to unexpected highs. In Arlington, Texas, where England will kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, local temperatures hit 36 degrees Celsius this week, with forecasts calling for even more scorching conditions as the tournament unfolds.\n\nThe unstable weather tied to El Niño has also brought erratic conditions beyond just sustained heat. England’s final pre-tournament warm-up match against Costa Rica in Dallas on Wednesday was delayed by severe thunderstorms, a disruption that meteorologists warn could become common throughout the tournament: the intense summer heat generates massive, fast-forming storm systems that can throw match schedules off track.\n\nRice admitted that the sudden shift from England’s variable mild weather to North America’s consistent extreme heat took a major physical toll at first. “Honestly, the first day was tough, just getting used to that heat – when you come from England and it’s hot, cold, all different types of weather,” he explained. “Then you come here and, regardless of whether it’s hot or cold, it’s 30C and it really does hit you in the face when you’re running.”\n\nTo help players cope with the dangerous conditions, FIFA has implemented mandatory hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half of every World Cup match. For the England squad, heat acclimatization has been a core part of their preparation for months, including specialized training sessions in temperature-controlled heated tents in Spain and practice matches in the sweltering heat of Kansas, where the team will remain based throughout the tournament.\n\nEngland manager Thomas Tuchel has been open about the challenge, saying he expects his players to “suffer” in the grueling conditions as they chase the nation’s first World Cup title since their historic 1966 win. The heat challenge is not limited to U.S. host cities, either: co-hosts Mexico and Canada have also recorded temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in recent days, meaning teams across all groups will have to adapt to the extreme climate to perform at their best.
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World ski president Eliasch loses election by one vote and alleges IOC influence
BELGRADE, Serbia — In a stunning upset that has sent ripples through global winter sports, longtime International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) president Johan Eliasch has been removed from his post by a razor-thin one-vote margin, capping a chaotic campaign that pitted the incumbent against a coalition of traditional skiing powerhouses and elite athletes.
The Thursday election ended with Alexander Ospelt, a little-known lawyer from the Alpine principality of Liechtenstein, securing a 65-64 victory over Eliasch, a Swedish-British billionaire and owner of global sports equipment brand Head. Ospelt will now take the helm of FIS for a four-year term, after the vote went his way at the governing body’s general congress held in the Serbian capital.
For Eliasch, the defeat comes with an additional high-profile consequence: he immediately loses his seat in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), one of the most exclusive and influential bodies in global sport. The 64-year-old, who served as FIS president for five years, had previously run for IOC presidency 15 months ago, a race ultimately won by Kirsty Coventry.
In his immediate concession address, Eliasch made a bombshell allegation against the IOC, claiming the Olympic governing body had interfered to sway the election result. “The IOC tried to influence the outcome of today’s vote. Against this we must stay firm,” he told delegates, before urging FIS to defend its institutional independence and extending congratulations to his opponent.
The writing was on the wall for Eliasch from the opening moments of the FIS congress, as delegates moved quickly to signal their dissatisfaction with his leadership. By an 88% majority, members voted to rearrange the official agenda and advance the presidential election to the first order of business, an unusual move that reflected widespread discontent. Later, another 60% vote approved a shift from electronic voting to paper ballots, a change widely interpreted as a vote of no confidence in Eliasch’s outgoing administration over transparency concerns.
Unlike international soccer governing body FIFA’s one-member-one-vote system, FIS uses a weighted voting framework that grants larger, more established skiing nations two or three votes apiece. That structure worked against Eliasch, who had spent half a decade locked in bitter public disputes with the sport’s traditional heartland nations in Europe and North America over his autocratic management style and controversial decisions around spending FIS’s cash reserves.
Even his home national federations of Sweden and Great Britain refused to back his re-election bid. To comply with FIS nomination rules, Eliasch ultimately secured a nomination and citizenship from Georgia to appear on the ballot. His campaign was opposed by a coalition of leading winter sports nations that secured the backing of many top professional skiers, including American skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin, one of the most decorated athletes in the sport’s history.
Under FIS bylaws, Ospelt will not officially take office until one full day after the election, allowing Eliasch to oversee the remaining congress business on his final day in the role. Framing the outcome as a positive result either way in pre-election comments, Eliasch struck a measured tone in his closing remarks. “It’s been a great privilege to serve you,” he said. “Either way I am very happy,” adding that a loss would let him “get my life back.”
Ospelt, who has served as a member of the FIS Council under Eliasch’s leadership, struck a unifying tone in his first remarks as president-elect. “I will start my new job with great joy and humility,” he said. “I will be the president for all of you. Let’s be united.”
Unlike his predecessor, Ospelt will not automatically gain IOC membership immediately after taking office. However, as the head of FIS — the governing body that oversees roughly half of all medal events at every Winter Olympic Games — he is widely expected to receive an invitation to join the IOC in due course.
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Mahomes to become NFL’s first $500m player
In a landmark deal that reshapes the ceiling of professional athlete contracts in North American sports, star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is poised to make history as the first player in National Football League history to sign a contract with total guaranteed earnings exceeding half a billion dollars.
The 30-year-old field general, who has already cemented his legacy by steering the Chiefs to five Super Bowl berths and three championship titles, has agreed to a two-year contract extension that pushes his total guaranteed compensation to $504.75 million. The new deal extends his tenure with the Kansas City franchise through the 2033 season, locking the generational talent into the organization for the rest of his professional playing career.
Mahomes’ prior contract, a 10-year agreement signed in 2020, carried a base value of $450 million, with up to an extra $50 million available through performance-based incentives. Under the restructured extension, the average annual value of Mahomes’ contract will hit $64 million starting in 2027. That figure surpasses the previous NFL record for average annual pay, the $60 million per season deal Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed in 2024 that made him the league’s highest-paid player at the time.
For Mahomes, the extension cements his lifelong connection to the only NFL franchise he has ever played for. “I’m just so excited to be here for life and to be a part of Chiefs kingdom for even longer,” he said in a statement following the announcement. “We have so much more to do. Let’s go out and do it. Let’s go win some more.”
The new deal comes nearly seven months after Mahomes suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee during the 2025 regular season. That injury cut the Chiefs’ campaign short and kept the team out of the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2014, ending a historic run of sustained success that Mahomes led.
That run of dominance included Super Bowl victories in 2020, 2023, and 2024. The Chiefs came within one game of becoming the first NFL franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 championship game.
Chiefs chief executive Clark Hunt framed the extension as a no-brainer for the organization, praising Mahomes both for his on-field dominance and off-field impact. “Over the past decade Patrick has become one of the most iconic, beloved sports figures of all-time,” Hunt said. “He has helped lead our franchise to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships, he has been instrumental in shaping the Chiefs brand and putting Kansas City on the world stage, and on top of it all he has been an outstanding role model in the community.”
Hunt added, “Patrick is a generational talent and an elite human being, and I’m so excited he will continue to lead our team into the future.”