Everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Gold Cup.

How Mauricio Pochettino can ensure Chelsea secure another Premier League victory against Burnley.

Brittney Griner was back in action on her home court in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 12 for the first time since her release from a Russian penal colony

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said he plans to retire next summer

England heartbreakingly lost 1-0 to Spain in their first Women’s World Cup final as Olga Carmona’s first-half goal proved enough to break the Lionesses’s hearts. Sarina Wiegman and her players were looking to bring the game’s biggest prize home from Sydney but Carmona drilled a finish into the far corner on 29 minutes and, although Mary Earps brilliantly saved Jennifer Hermoso’s penalty with 20 minutes remaining, England couldn’t fashion an equaliser. It was the first time the England men’s or women’s team have reached a football World Cup final since 1966 and the nation came to a halt for the historic occasion – which was briefly interrupted by an anti-Putin protester invading the pitch in the first half – but were left bereft as Spain saw out the victory. Lauren Hemp came closest to scoring for the Lionesses when her curling effort struck the bar in the 16th minute but Spain were good value for the win as they became just the fifth nation to lift the Women’s World Cup, following in the footsteps of USA (4), Germany (2), Norway (1) and Japan (1). Follow the latest updates as the Lionesses fly home: Read More The two sides of the Women’s World Cup — and the truth about where power still lies England’s impact will last far longer than pain of World Cup final defeat How not to win a World Cup: Spain, Jorge Vilda and the story of a complicated victory

Peter Crouch has opened up about the weird habits of one of his former Tottenham Hotspur teammates who had passion for crisps, croissants and cars – but didn’t even like football. Benoît Assou-Ekotto played 202 games for Spurs between 2006 and 2015, and became something of a cult hero at the club. But on many of those occasions the stylish left back didn’t even know which team he was playing until minutes before the match because of his total disinterest for the sport. Crouch said: “He would tell us straight out that he had no interest in football whatsoever. He genuinely didn’t like it. At 1.30pm on a Saturday he’d have no idea which team you were playing.” But perhaps the French-Cameroonian player’s strangest habit, Crouch said, was his pre-match meal – usually something professional sportspeople take extremely seriously. “Benoît would turn up with a Tesco’s bag containing the same four items every time: a croissant, a hot chocolate, a full-fat Coke and a packet of crisps. “The croissant I understood. He is French-Cameroonian. The hot chocolate: same cultural backstory. He used to dip the first into the second. “But the crisps, and the Coke — it was like two discrete lunches, one belonging to a middle-aged Parisian and the other a 12-year-old on the Seven Sisters Road. “And it worked. He was always in great shape and rarely injured.” Crouch, 42, was speaking in an interview with the Mail, ahead of the release of a documentary about his career. Both players were fan favourites at the club, Crouch for his towering height and Assou-Ekotto for his flair-filled runs down the wing. Assou-Ekotto made 22 appearances for Cameroon during his 14-year career, which also saw him play for Queen’s Park Rangers, Lens and Saint Étienne. Crouch added: “We accepted it, along with all the other weirdness: the random cars he would turn up to training in, sometimes a Smart car, then a Lamborghini; the way he would refuse to take ice baths for recovery, on the rather basic premise that they were 'too cold'. “Benoît was a really weird guy but we loved him a lot.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Saturday's football transfer rumours, with updates on Raphael Varane, Fikayo Tomori, Victor Osimhen, Jadon Sancho, Leroy Sane & more.

Max Verstappen finished fastest in a rain-hit final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen completed his speediest time in the early minutes before it started drizzling at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. The double world champion finished two tenths clear of Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull, with Lewis Hamilton third, four tenths back. Hamilton completed only eight laps as he elected not to run in the slippery conditions, despite the chance qualifying – which takes place at 4pm local time (3pm BST) – could also be disrupted by showers. Behind Hamilton, Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari, one place ahead of his countryman Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin. George Russell finished sixth for Mercedes. The one-hour running was suspended for nine minutes after Logan Sargeant crashed out. Sargeant lost control of his Williams through the high-speed final corner, before sliding into the gravel and grazing the wall. Verstappen will head into qualifying having finished fastest in all three sessions as he bids to extend his 39-point championship lead over team-mate Perez. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Leigh Wood defends the WBA featherweight title against Josh Warrington tonight, as the British pair square off in Sheffield. Wood, 35, is making the first defence of his second title reign, having lost then regained the WBA belt in back-to-back duels with Mauricio Lara earlier this year. In February, the Mexican stopped Wood in the latter’s hometown of Nottingham, but the Briton avenged the defeat with a points win in May. He now puts the gold on the line against Warrington, a former two-time champion who has his own history with Lara. Warrington was also stopped by Lara in their first clash in 2021, before fighting him to a draw later that year – when the boxers clashed heads. The 32-year-old then stopped old rival Kiko Martinez in 2022, becoming IBF featherweight champion for the second time in his career, but he lost the title in his next fight – a points defeat by Luis Alberto Lopez. The “Leeds Warrior” is aiming to get back to winning ways here, as he faces “Leighthal” in a tantalising showdown. Follow live updates from Wood vs Warrington and the undercard fights, below. Read More Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk undisputed rematch ruled out after major call Anthony Joshua could fight on same card as Eubank Jr vs Benn, claims Eddie Hearn Let’s get ready to rumble! Inside the ropes with boxing’s ring announcers

Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver is being compared to one Steve Avery.With his first win as a starting pitcher, rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver became the youngest pitcher to win a game for the Atlanta Braves since Steve Avery did it back in 1990.This was only Smith-S...

After getting a second opinion on his sprained right elbow, Cleveland Guardians starter Triston McKenzie will continue his rehab program with the hope he can avoid surgery and return to the mound this season

Brendan Rodgers made a dramatic return as Celtic manager on Monday, four years after walking out on the Glasgow...