Tonga and Samoa have advanced to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup semi-finals after Tonga beat Samoa 20-18 in their group-stage match. The article says a final between the Pacific teams could challenge Australia and New Zealand’s long-running dominance and draw attention to international rugby league.
Key Facts
Tonga won all three of its group matches and will play New Zealand in the semi-final.
Samoa will play Australia in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final.
Tonga beat Samoa 20-18 in their group-stage meeting in Sydney.
Tonga and Samoa have each won 11 of their 23 meetings, with one match ending in a draw.
Samoa finished as runners-up at the 2022 World Cup, its first appearance in a men’s final.
Tonga reached the semi-finals in 2017 and lost 20-18 to England.
Australia has won 10 of the last 11 men’s Rugby League World Cups, including the last three.
The 2026 tournament has 10 teams, down from 16 in earlier editions.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Gareth Hopkins, 43, walked the final mile of the London Marathon in London on Sunday, six months after suffering a cardiac arrest during the race. After six months in hospital and extensive rehabilitation, he said he wanted to reach the finish line; about 200 people joined him for the walk.
Key Facts
Hopkins, a paramedic from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, collapsed at mile 25 of the London Marathon on 26 April.
Doctors linked his cardiac arrest to severe rhabdomyolysis caused by overheating.
He spent six months in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital and returned home in September.
Hopkins said he had to relearn how to walk, talk and eat.
He and his brother Chris ran the marathon to raise money for Age UK in memory of their grandmother, who died in January 2025.
Chris said St John Ambulance staff helped save Gareth’s life.
Hopkins is still unable to work, and a fundraising page for his family has raised nearly £36,000.
He said he will not run another marathon.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
CD Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel died on Tuesday from injuries after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a Spanish second-division match. Football clubs and fans paid tribute across Spain and Europe, while Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter.
Key Facts
De Miguel was 30 and went into cardiac arrest after being struck in the chest.
The collision occurred during a match between CD Tenerife and FC Andorra.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal did not play the Champions League anthem before their Tuesday matches in his honor.
Stadiums across Europe held moments of silence, including Old Trafford during Manchester United's match against Roma.
Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor Jose Luis Sanchez-Jauregui told EFE that criminal charges were unlikely because the collision occurred during play.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and midfielder Mikel Merino paid tribute at a news conference before their match against Slavia Prague.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Canada and several European hockey federations say they will not play Russian teams while Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. The statements followed a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that lifted the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban on Russian teams; Canada’s prime minister said Russian players would not compete in next month’s world junior championship in Alberta.
Key Facts
Canada said Russian skaters would not compete in the world junior championship scheduled to start December 26 in Alberta.
Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia and the Czech Republic announced opposition to playing Russian teams.
Norway said its position was based on concerns about the safety and wellbeing of players, staff and their families.
The International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban on Russian teams began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was extended annually.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted the ban, saying security concerns were not supported by sufficient evidence.
Ukraine’s foreign minister thanked European countries for refusing to play Russia and urged nations to deny visas to Russian players.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Manchester United came back from 2-0 down to beat Roma after Bruno Fernandes retook and scored a penalty, then Matheus Cunha scored twice in the final seven minutes. The win was United’s first in 10 games and eased pressure on head coach Michael Carrick, who urged the team to stay positive at half-time.
Key Facts
Roma led Manchester United 2-0 during the match at Old Trafford.
A video assistant referee advised that Fernandes’s first penalty attempt had to be retaken because a Roma player encroached into the penalty area.
Fernandes scored the retaken penalty.
Matheus Cunha scored twice in the final seven minutes to complete United’s comeback.
Cunha was sent off soon after his second goal, but United held on to win.
The victory was Manchester United’s first in 10 games.
Carrick said he told players at half-time to avoid frustration and keep looking for solutions.
Wayne Rooney praised Carrick for helping the team regain belief after a poor first half.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barcelona beat Aston Villa in the Champions League, ending Villa’s perfect start in the competition after three wins. Unai Emery said the match gave his team lessons and information to study, while Villa created first-half chances but did not take them.
Key Facts
Barcelona scored through Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, whose two second-half goals put the game beyond Villa.
A mistake by Villa’s Joao Gomes led to Yamal’s opening goal in the seventh minute.
Villa had chances in the first half but failed to score.
The defeat ended Villa’s run of three straight Champions League wins.
Emery said Villa made mistakes but that he was not blaming Gomes.
Barcelona were missing Andreas Christensen, Eric García and Xavi Espart.
Emery said the match would give him and the players experience and information to analyze.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel died on Tuesday after suffering head and chest injuries in a collision with goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a Spanish second-division match against FC Andorra. Football clubs and supporters paid tribute, while Tenerife announced six days of mourning and plans to open its stadium for fans to say goodbye.
Key Facts
De Miguel was injured in a collision with Owono during Tenerife's 2-2 match against FC Andorra on Monday.
De Miguel's condition was initially described as stable but serious; he died at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday.
A minute's silence was held before Tuesday's Champions League matches and is planned for Wednesday's fixtures and this week's Europa League and Conference League matches.
Tenerife suspended all club activities for six official days of mourning.
De Miguel's funeral will take place in Navahermosa, Toledo, and Tenerife will open its stadium to supporters on Saturday evening.
Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter; the chief prosecutor said criminal proceedings were very unlikely.
The referee sent Owono off and abandoned the match after the collision.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Manchester United came from 2-0 down to beat Roma in the Champions League, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a penalty and Matheus Cunha scoring twice. The article also recalls major Champions League comebacks, including wins by Tottenham, Liverpool and Roma.
Key Facts
Roma led Manchester United 2-0 after 17 minutes at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes began Manchester United’s comeback with a penalty.
Matheus Cunha scored twice within three minutes to put Manchester United ahead.
Tottenham beat Ajax 3-2 in the 2019 semi-final second leg and advanced 3-3 on aggregate through the away-goals rule.
Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick, including a 95th-minute winner, against Ajax.
Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 in the 2019 semi-final second leg to advance 4-3 on aggregate.
Roma beat Barcelona 3-0 in the 2018 quarter-final second leg and advanced 4-4 on aggregate through the away-goals rule.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Manchester United came from 2-0 behind to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League, ending a run of nine games without a win. Captain Bruno Fernandes said the players did not need to win to protect manager Michael Carrick’s job and reaffirmed his belief in the manager and club.
Key Facts
United scored three times in the second half to beat Roma 3-2.
Fernandes’ 58th-minute penalty began United’s comeback.
The win ended United’s nine-game run without a victory.
Fernandes said the club and players needed the win, but the team did not need to save anyone’s job.
Fernandes had been dropped to the bench after criticizing Carrick’s tactics following a 4-1 loss to Como.
Fernandes said he accepted the manager’s decision to bench him and said it did not change his belief in Carrick and the staff.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League, ending Villa’s perfect start in the competition. Lamine Yamal scored in the first half and Raphinha added two goals after halftime as Barcelona recorded their first Champions League clean sheet in 19 matches.
Key Facts
Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Villa gave the ball away near their own goal.
Raphinha scored twice in the second half, bringing his season total across all competitions to 19 goals.
Barcelona had lost to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous European match and remained in contention for a top-eight league-phase place.
The Champions League anthem was not played before the match in tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died after an on-pitch collision the previous day.
Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid with second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Villarreal 6-0 and set a record for the fastest four goals scored in a Champions League match.
Manchester United came back from two goals down to beat AS Roma 3-2, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice after halftime.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old first-time marathon runner from Pennsylvania, collapsed in Central Park about two miles from the finish of the New York City Marathon on Sunday and died that night. Her father said she died from rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle breakdown can release harmful substances into the blood; the city medical examiner is still investigating her cause of death.
Key Facts
Apa was running with the Parkinson's Foundation Champions to raise money and honor her grandfather.
She had trained for months and was an athlete who played field hockey at Bucknell University.
A bystander performed CPR after she collapsed near mile marker 24, before race medical staff arrived.
The New York Police Department said she was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Apa graduated from Bucknell in 2024 with a business degree and later worked as a product manager at an industrial technology company.
More than 61,000 people took part in this year's New York City Marathon.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Haas says Esteban Ocon will not race for the team again in the 2026 season. Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara will replace him at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, while Haas has not named the driver for the remaining races.
Key Facts
Haas said Ocon would no longer compete for the team in the 2026 world championship.
Rafael Camara, whom Haas has signed for 2027, will drive for the team at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Haas previously replaced Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
The Mexico City change followed a reported dispute about tyre choice during practice.
Ocon said there had been a difference of viewpoints but denied reports that physical violence was involved.
Haas has not explained what led to Ocon’s removal or named his replacement for the later races.
Ocon has raced in 198 grands prix since his 2016 debut and has one victory.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Jodie Burrage received death threats and abusive messages on social media after losing her first WTA Tour singles match in 16 months. She lost to India’s Vaishnavi Adkar in the first round of the Chennai Open, while fellow player Eva Lys called on the WTA to act against online abuse.
Key Facts
Burrage, 27, is ranked 474th in the world and previously reached a career-high ranking of 85th in September 2023.
Adkar came from a set down to beat Burrage 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Burrage shared a video of abusive direct messages on Instagram and wrote that the messages reminded her why she had left the tour.
Burrage’s previous WTA Tour main-draw singles match was at Wimbledon in July 2025.
A report said female tennis players received more than 12,000 abusive social media posts and messages in 2025.
The report said gamblers were responsible for 42% of verified abuse and 59% of serious abuse cases in 2025.
Eva Lys publicly supported Burrage and asked the WTA when it would take action.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Scottish-born coach Clark Laidlaw led the Hurricanes to the 2026 Super Rugby title in his third season in charge. Now a New Zealand passport holder, he says he hopes Scotland can beat the All Blacks when they meet at Murrayfield, while also supporting New Zealand in its other matches.
Key Facts
The Hurricanes finished top of the regular-season table and won the 2026 Super Rugby championship.
The Hurricanes beat the Brumbies 66-12, the Blues 57-21 and the Chiefs 60-5 in the playoffs.
Laidlaw has spent 18 years in New Zealand, on and off, and now holds a New Zealand passport.
He left Scotland at age 30 to work as a skills coach for Taranaki.
Before coaching the Hurricanes, Laidlaw coached New Zealand sevens teams to Commonwealth Games and World Cup Sevens gold medals and an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo.
Eight Hurricanes players were named in Dave Rennie's All Blacks touring squad.
Laidlaw says he wants Scotland to beat New Zealand but also wants the All Blacks to win their other matches.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli says he wants to make targeted improvements rather than overhaul the team after a mixed first camp. Scotland face North Macedonia and Switzerland in their final Nations League matches before beginning preparations for Euro 2028 qualifying.
Key Facts
Pocognoli’s Scotland won one of his first four matches in charge.
Scotland lost 3-0 to Switzerland after Jack Hendry was sent off early, then lost at home to Slovenia.
Captain Andy Robertson said Scotland were outfought and not good enough in the defeat to Slovenia.
Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Kieran Tierney return to the squad for the upcoming matches.
James Penrice received his first Scotland call-up after strong form with Rangers.
Scotland sit third in Nations League Group B1 and need at least four points to have a chance of reaching the promotion play-offs.
The Euro 2028 qualifying draw is scheduled for 6 December in Belfast, with group matches starting in March next year.
Scotland is co-hosting Euro 2028 with England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean in Portaferry, County Down, on Tuesday. Mageean, a former European champion who competed at two Olympic Games, died on Sunday after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
Key Facts
A tribute read at the funeral described Mageean as a talented and inspirational person.
The funeral took place at St Patrick's Church in Portaferry.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill and fellow Olympian Rhys McClenaghan attended.
Mageean married her long-term partner, Thomas Moran, less than three weeks before her death.
She represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.
Mageean won the 1,500-metre title at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.
She won silver for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia has been postponed by almost a year amid concerns about missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement. Conflict-related security concerns have also disrupted football and Formula 1 events in the region, while several upcoming races remain uncertain.
Key Facts
The Asian Cup was moved from 7 January–5 February 2027 to 23 December 2027–21 January 2028.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 race weekends were canceled in April because of the US-Iran conflict.
The Qatar and Abu Dhabi Formula 1 races scheduled for late 2026 could be canceled if the regional situation worsens.
Formula 1 is considering replacing the Abu Dhabi weekend with a single race in Imola if the Middle East races are called off.
Some Saudi Pro League matches were postponed, though the league cited rest periods and logistical requirements rather than the conflict.
The Saudi Pro League called off this weekend’s full round of matches after the Asian Cup postponement, saying it would revise the calendar.
Al-Nassr and Al-Wasl did not travel for scheduled AFC Champions League matches, which will be rearranged.
The 2027 Formula 1 season is scheduled to begin in Bahrain, followed by a race in Saudi Arabia.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The article examines how athletes’ remarks and gestures can trigger pressure from sponsors, clubs, leagues and governments. It contrasts Kylian Mbappe’s joke about an image of Mao Zedong with deliberate protests by Colin Kaepernick and Lamine Yamal, and argues that commercial ties can restrict athletes’ public speech.
Key Facts
The article says Chinese sponsors withdrew support after Mbappe made a remark about an image that apparently placed his face on Mao Zedong’s.
Chinese state television suspended broadcasts of La Liga, and Mbappe and Real Madrid apologized.
Colin Kaepernick knelt during the U.S. national anthem to protest systemic racism and police killings of Black people; the article says he was effectively frozen out of the NFL.
After Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s title celebrations, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused him of inciting hatred and called for the club to distance itself from the gesture.
The article cites ancient Greek writer Pausanias’s account that Croton residents tore down a statue of runner Astylus and turned his house into a prison after he identified himself as a Syracusan at the Olympics.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said athletes may be better off staying silent because comments can be dangerous.
The article argues that commercial relationships can give sponsors, clubs and leagues leverage over athletes’ speech.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
England will face France, Austria and Portugal in Group A2 of the 2027 Women's Nations League. The campaign will run across international windows in February-March, April and June, with teams playing home and away.
Key Facts
The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Nations League group stage is scheduled for three international windows in February-March, April and June 2027.
The competition helps determine qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games and Euro 2029.
The four League A group winners will reach the semi-finals in October 2027.
The Nations League final will decide the competition's champion.
Scotland will play Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
The Republic of Ireland will face Spain, Norway and Switzerland.
Wales will play Denmark, Italy and Iceland, while Northern Ireland will face Poland, Finland and Belarus.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland say their national teams will not play Russia in international ice hockey while the war in Ukraine continues. Their statements follow a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that Russia must be admitted to the 2027 World Championship; the IIHF has opposed the ruling.
Key Facts
Norway said it would refuse to play Russia at the 2027 World Championship but would play its other group matches.
Denmark's federation said it could not see its team playing Russia under the current circumstances.
Sweden said its national teams would not play Russian teams while the war in Ukraine continues.
Finland said it would use all possible means to prevent Russia from returning to the championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on October 30 that Russia must be admitted to the world championships after an appeal by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.
The 2027 World Championship is scheduled to take place in Germany in May, and its draw and schedule were made without Russia.
The IIHF opposed the court ruling and said it would create significant practical implications.
Turku, Finland, said it would withdraw from hosting the 2027–2028 junior world championships if Russia is allowed to take part.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
