Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos knows he needs to improve the team to get them back to the World Series after two consecutive years of early exits.

A frustrated Dabo Swinney defended his Clemson career to a radio caller who questioned his performance as one of college football's highest-paid coaches

Rain and the threat of lightning storms could not dampen Manchester City’s open-top bus parade to celebrate their treble success on Monday evening. Thousands of fans had lined the streets to cheer on Pep Guardiola’s squad who secured the Champions League trophy with victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday night to add to the Premier League title and FA Cup. Access to the stage show site on St Peter’s Square was initially delayed due to reports of adverse weather conditions and lightning storms in the area, with the club later confirming the start of the trophy parade from Beetham Tower on Deansgate was put back until 7pm. The team took the tram to St Peter’s Square, where four buses set off down Deansgate and onto Cross Street, before heading via King Street, Brown Street and then Booth Street with the parade scheduled to finish at Nicholas Street. Defender Nathan Ake held aloft the Premier League trophy to the delight of the City fans who had braved the rain, many following down on foot towards the stage celebrations once the route was clear. Midfielder Phil Foden waved the Champions League trophy, while Guardiola smoked a cigar as he took in the scenes. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

German soccer clubs have rejected a proposal to sell a one-eighth share of future worldwide media rights to investors in a vote

What the papers say Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is heading for the exit door at the Emirates, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Gunners are willing to let the 30-year-old Ghana international leave as they look to reshape their midfield. Manchester United are looking to make a £45million bid for England’s Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, 29, according to the Star on Sunday. The Daily Mail reports United are also expected to increase their bid for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount to £50m. Newcastle are poised for a surprise bid for a new goalkeeper, reports The Sun. They say West Brom’s Josh Griffiths, 21, is in the sights of the north-east club. Burnley are also on the lookout for a goalkeeper with Antwerp’s Jean Butez the latest potential target. The Sun says they will switch their attention to the Frenchman, 28, if they miss out on Dutch youngster Bart Verbruggen, 20, from Anderlecht. Social media round-up Players to watch Kyle Walker: Bayern Munich are in talks with Manchester City over a deal for the 33-year-old England defender. Joao Palhinha: West Ham are reportedly close to a move for the Portugal midfielder, 27, as a potential replacement for Declan Rice. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Oklahoma Sooners' last-minute victory over Texas gave former head coach Bob Stoops the perfect opportunity to call out the doubters.

England boss Sarina Wiegman lauded the Lionesses’ adaptability after a system shake-up sparked a thumping 6-1 victory over China at the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses had not scored more than once in their opening two matches but came alive on a crisp night in front of 13,497 at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium to seal top spot in Group D. Wiegman took a gamble as she swapped England’s usual 4-3-3 for a 3-5-2 formation, and she was rewarded with goals from five different players including a brace from Chelsea prodigy Lauren James, who also picked up three assists. “I think we are growing into this tournament,” said Wiegman, whose side will travel back to their Terrigal, New South Wales base camp before flying to Brisbane to meet Nigeria in the knockout stages. “I think tonight we had a great performance. Of course we made a choice and went for it. “Everyone really believed in it [the formation] straight away and you could see that on the pitch. They were really excited about it. We want to use the qualities of the squad as optimal as possible. The team showed they were really adaptable. “I think you could see from the whole team that we were enjoying ourselves, you could tell that we were really connected, the ball is going around and we have different ways to go in attack, and of course Lauren James was one of them when she scored the goals. “You saw that the team was enjoying every goal, except the one from China.” Alessia Russo got things started for England after just four minutes, while a dangerous-looking Lauren Hemp marked her return to Wiegman’s starting XI by doubling England’s advantage. James struck her first after 41 minutes, but was denied a retrospective hat-trick after Australian referee Casey Reibelt turned to VAR and the stoppage-time strike was chalked off. Lucy Bronze, who was ruled offside in that build-up, found herself at the wrong end of another call to the monitor after the restart and was aggrieved when she was punished for a handball and China were awarded a penalty, converted by Wang Shuang. Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly wrapped up the victory with late strikes. Bronze said: “I knew it hit my hand, but it wasn’t deliberate. “Unless I cut my arm off I don’t know how I get my arm out the way. Again, we sit down with referees every tournament to discuss the rules, the rules are if I’m trying to put my hand next to my body. “I said to the girls she’s going to give the penalty because it hits my hand but [England keeper] Mary [Earps] was behind me, if I was trying to hit the ball away I would have hit my hand in the air. I knew it wasn’t deliberate but I guess she just wanted to give me a yellow card for fun. Hopefully I can continue doing that and take it into the next round Lauren James “It wasn’t a fun game in that respect, the referee for me. So, I was quite disappointed with that game to come off with that performance. The most important thing is we won, we’re through to the next game, no one else got injured.” James, who became the first England player to be directly involved in five or more goals in a game at the men’s or women’s World Cup, admitted it would have been the icing on the cake to complete the hat-trick. She said: “I was disappointed in the moment obviously but that’s football for you. In the moment I just had to be focused for the game to continue. “I think just playing with freedom, just enjoying my football and I think tonight showed that. Hopefully I can continue doing that and take it into the next round.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live There’s nothing to it – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Kylian Mbappe loan link It’s what dreams are made of – Lauren James ‘buzzing’ as England reach last 16 Willie Peters to spare star Hull KR players against Wigan with cup final in mind

No. 21 Tennessee and Kentucky need a victory to have a chance to finish at least third in the Eastern Division of the SEC with both trying to bounce back from rough losses

Gareth Southgate says it will be “brilliant for everybody” if the UK and Ireland’s bid to host the Euro 2028 gets the green light as expected. Turkey’s withdrawal to focus on a joint submission with Italy for Euro 2032 means the five-nation bid is now the only option on the table for the finals in five years’ time. UEFA will formally announce the hosts for the two tournaments following a meeting of its executive committee in Switzerland next week. All the nations are fantastic football nations, huge pride Gareth Southgate “Well, it’s clearly a joint bid with all the other home nations so brilliant for everybody if that opportunity arises,” England manager Southgate said. “There’s still a little bit to do, I think. “But I think you know, all the nations are fantastic football nations, huge pride. “They’ll have huge pride in hosting and if the teams get qualified as well then there’s obviously some home advantage to hosting as well.” The news came on the same day that it emerged Spain, Portugal and Morocco are set to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup, with three South American nations. Montevideo in Uruguay – the city which hosted the first World Cup finals match in 1930 – is poised to stage the opening contest, with games in Argentina and Paraguay to follow. The rest of the 48-team tournament will then move to north Africa and Europe, under a proposal from UEFA, the Confederation of African Football and South American confederation CONMEBOL which was accepted by the FIFA council at a meeting on Wednesday. The hosting arrangement is now subject to formal approval by FIFA’s congress. Asked about the impact of these plans on player welfare, Southgate said: “I’m not sure what they’ve got in mind for that, really! “I should enjoy a invite to Buenos Aires as a TV pundit if that’s the plan.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Scrum-half Ali Price given surprise start for Scotland’s World Cup shootout Aaron Ramsey to miss Wales’ November Euro 2024 qualifiers, says Cardiff manager Young Irish players can learn a lot from James McClean – Stephen Kenny

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young will not practice on Thursday because of an ankle injury, the team announced

British Rowing on Thursday announced that transgender women will not be able to compete in the female category at its...

National football teams have begun to issue reports around the safety of players and staff, following a shooting in Auckland just hours before the start of the Women’s World Cup. Ahead of the opening match between hosts New Zealand and opponents Norway in Auckland, a gunman was found dead after killing two people and injuring multiple others in the city on Thursday (20 July). The shooting took place at a building site in Auckland city centre. New Zealand Football issued a statement on social media, writing: “New Zealand Football are shocked by the incident in Auckland CBD this morning. We can confirm that all of the Football Ferns team and staff are safe but we will not be able to comment further while details are still emerging. “Please refer to New Zealand Police for further information. Preparations for the game tonight at Eden Park will continue as planned.” Meanwhile, reigning world champions USA issued the following statement: “Regarding the incident in downtown Auckland, all of our USWNT [US Women’s National Team] players and staff are accounted for and safe. Our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information. Read More How to watch every Women’s World Cup match on TV Women’s World Cup: Group guides and players to watch for every team ‘That World Cup Guy’ arrives in Australia to back the Lionesses