The United States men’s national team secured first place in Group E at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, despite a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in their group-stage finale on Sunday in Rancagua.
The USMNT will face Italy next Thursday, Oct. 9, in a Round of 16 matchup.
Following South Africa’s victory and France’s 6-0 win over New Caledonia, three teams finished with 6 points in Group E. The U.S. claimed the top spot thanks to a commanding +10 goal differential, narrowly beating South Africa (+5) in second place and France (+4) in third.
France now hopes to advance to the knockout stage as one of the four best third-place teams. New Caledonia closed out Group E after three consecutive defeats, conceding 20 goals and scoring just one.
The U.S. took an early lead in the 12th minute when Noah Cobb headed home off a set piece. But just five minutes later, South Africa equalized with an own goal by American defender Joshua Wynder.
Bafana Bafana took the lead in first-half added time when Gomolemo Kekana finished a quick counterattack.
In the second half, the Americans pushed for an equalizer, but their defense was exposed to the South Africans’ rapid breaks.
U.S. coach Marko Mitrovic made six changes to the Starting XI that defeated France 3-0 on Thursday, with Cobb making his first appearance of the tournament, while Reed Baker-Whiting, Luca Bombino, Luke Brennan, Matthew Corcoran, and Pedro Soma all earned their first starts.
This is the 13th time the U.S. has advanced from the group stage of the U20 World Cup. The 2025 edition marks the sixth time the Americans have accomplished this feat as group winners. (ESPN)
Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired on Sunday from the Shanghai Masters after suffering from cramps in his third-round match against the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor, easing the way for Novak Djokovic’s shot at a record-extending fifth title.
The 38-year-old Serb battled through to the last 16 with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, despite admitting that he had been “hanging by a rope” early in the match.
It was a sorry end for Sinner, who had been hoping this week to add to his China Open victory.
The world number two began to experience issues in the fourth game of the third set, trying doggedly to persevere before abandoning the match at 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 3-2.
Sinner ended the fourth game crouched over in pain and limping around the court.
He tried to play through it but did not improve, hitting the ball into the net multiple times to provide an easy break for his opponent.
He could barely walk at the end of the fifth game and had to be helped to his chair before accepting reality and calling it quits.
“(It was) a very unfortunate ending to what I thought was a high-quality match,” Griekspoor said. “Not the way you want to win — brutal conditions here… I wish him a speedy recovery.”
After an evenly matched first set, four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner had shown his teeth in the tiebreak, hitting two aces to take an early lead.
In the second set the tension picked up, with Griekspoor surviving three break points in the second game.
But it was the Dutchman who broke in the 11th game with a backhand, pushing the match into post-midnight territory.
Earlier, 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was given a mighty scare by the 150th-ranked Hanfmann.
The Serb fired two aces to start, delighting the crowd, but soon ran into trouble as Hanfmann found his range.
The German broke in the third game and held serve after that to clinch the first set.
“I was just outplayed by a better player for a set and a half –- I was hanging by a rope to stay in the match,” Djokovic said.
Neither player was able to take control of a grueling second set, until a series of unforced errors from Hanfmann in the 12th game gave Djokovic the opening he needed.
Sweating in 28C humidity at 9 p.m., the 24-time Grand Slam champion then broke in the fourth game of the third set as his 33-year-old opponent’s precision dropped.
Cheered on by a stadium full of adoring fans, Djokovic held his resolve to take the third set after Hanfmann hit the ball out.
“I had to dig in really, really deep to come out from this match as a winner, and I think the energy and support of the crowd really got me out,” Djokovic said.
American Taylor Fritz was another top-10 casualty of the day, after he fell to 37th-ranked Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5.
On a hot afternoon, the world number four seemed lethargic and struggled to get into his stride, unnerved after Mpetshi Perricard nearly broke twice in the fifth game.
That preempted a streak of brilliance that saw the neon orange-clad Frenchman fire three aces to hold the sixth, then break in the seventh.
A closely fought second set came to a head in the 11th game when a double fault by Fritz handed Mpetshi Perricard the advantage, which he swiftly converted with a backhand.
Finishing the match off with two aces, the big-serving 22-year-old said he could be proud of himself.
“It was tough to be honest, tough conditions, very humid,” he said.
“The game at 5-5 (in the second set), it was terrible. I thought I was dying on the court,” he chuckled.
Mpetshi Perricard will next face 11th-ranked Dane Holger Rune, who beat France’s Ugo Humbert, 6-4, 6-4. (JapanToday)
South Africa retained the Rugby Championship crown for the first time after beating Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham on Saturday.
The title was decided on points difference for the first time, the Springboks’ 57-plus margin eclipsing New Zealand’s eight-plus.
The All Blacks beat Australia 28-14 in Perth hours earlier to put pressure on the Springboks, who clinched the title decider in typically punchy style.
They didn’t lead until the 44th minute, gradually overwhelming the Pumas with the power of their set-piece.
“Not the most perfect game we’ve played but it is the fight we show each and every week,” Springboks captain Siya Kolisi said. “It doesn’t always go the way we want it to go but we are always able to find that second gear. With the bench that we have, they are special.”
Taking advantage of the superior muscle up front, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach — named the player of the match — and hooker Malcolm Marx scored two tries each.
The Pumas weren’t as close to South Africa as the scoreline suggested. They scored two late converted tries but finished with the wooden spoon for the first time since 2022.
Argentina gave up the scheduled home match to relocate to Twickenham for bigger ticket revenue, and the Springboks felt more at home thanks to expatriates filling an impressive crowd of 70,360. They celebrated the Springboks’ sixth title in 30 tournaments and their first back-to-back crowns.
“After the way we started (with the shocking loss to the Wallabies at Ellis Park), you could not have said we would be here now,” Kolisi said. “But the belief we have in ourselves is because of what coach Rassie (Erasmus) has instilled into this team. Since 2018, the mindset created means you don’t feel at any moment that you are going to lose. No matter how it looks.”
It didn’t go to plan at the start on Saturday either.
Center Canan Moodie was yellow-carded in the second minute for head-on-head contact, and moments later Argentina gave right winger Bautista Delguy space and time to bust through Reinach and Ethan Hooker to the try-line.
South Africa’s first scrum tighthead was rewarded with a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty.
World Cup winner Ox Nche gave a torrid time to scrum opposite Francisco Coria Marchetti. He debuted in June against the British and Irish Lions and always appeared off the bench until Joel Sclavi was injured on Friday in the captain’s run. That forced the Pumas to start Coria Marchetti, their 10th change to the starting XV that lost to the Springboks 67-30 in Durban last weekend.
Despite Nche being the only change to the Springboks starting XV, they struggled to click at Twickenham. Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the star in Durban, passed over Cheslin Kolbe’s head in one of 10 handling errors in the half.
Santiago Carreras’ second penalty extended Argentina’s lead to 13-3 then Moodie was lucky not to receive a second yellow card and subsequent red when his deliberate knock-on was only penalized.
But South Africa finished the half strong. Lock Eben Etzebeth was held up over the line by Pumas flyhalf Geronimo Prisciantelli but when No. 8 Jasper Wiese lost control of a pushover try Reinach was too close to the line to be stopped.
The second half started badly for Argentina. Loosehead prop Mayco Vivas was sin-binned for a high tackle, and South Africa drove the subsequent lineout, dishing a 26th test try for Marx.
South Africa finally had the lead and an extra man. RG Snyman took over for Etzebeth, who went to the blood bin, and his pop-up helped Reinach burrow over for his second try and extend the lead to 22-13.
Before the game was an hour old, Marx regained an Argentina lineout tap down from his own throw-in then crashed over for his second try of the match. It also was his 17th in championship history, tying him with Richie McCaw for the most tries by a forward.
When Coria Marchetti injured his right leg, the Pumas finishing props were four-cap Boris Wenger and 20-year-old debutant Tomás Rapetti. They were consoled by Delguy’s second try from a wild pass by Kolbe, and fellow wing Rodrigo Isgro scoring after the hooter from a crossfield kick by Carreras. (JapanToday)
Erling Haaland carried Manchester City to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal with the only goal at Brentford, while Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run was ended by a 2-1 defeat to Everton on Sunday.
The Norwegian maintained his sensational early season form to score his 18th goal for club and country in just 11 appearances this season.
Haaland showed his strength to bully his way through the Brentford defence from Josko Gvardiol’s long ball and fire home on nine minutes.
Victory came at a cost for Pep Guardiola’s men as Rodri was forced off in his latest injury setback since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament tear that saw him miss most of last season.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was in tears when he had to be replaced with an apparent hamstring problem midway through the first half.
Despite a less than sparkling performance, City held out to haul themselves up to fifth and right back into the title race.
Palace missed the chance to go second after suffering a European hangover at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Eagles were dominant in the first 45 minutes but were left to rue not adding to Daniel Munoz’s finish from Ismaila Sarr’s pass.
However, their UEFA Conference League exertions in winning away to Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday took their toll in the second half.
Iliman Ndiaye equalised from the penalty spot after Maxence Lacroix clumsily upended Beto as Everton fought back to avoid a first defeat at their new home.
Jack Grealish then got fortunate for his first Everton goal as Munoz’s attempted clearance rebounded off the Manchester City loanee into the roof of the net.
“I thought Crystal Palace should have been out of sight, they should have been 3-0 up, but we stuck at it,” said Everton boss David Moyes.
Ange Postecoglou’s wait for a first win as Nottingham Forest manager goes on after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle.
The Australian is the first Forest boss in over 100 years to fail to win in his first seven games and now faces an anxious wait to see if club owner Evangelos Marinakis decides to make another managerial change over the international break.
“I knew it was a big challenge walking in. That’s what it is and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Postecoglou.
Newcastle had only won one of their opening six Premier League games.
But Bruno Guimaraes led the Magpies to victory with a brilliant strike from outside the box to break the deadlock on 58 minutes.
Guimaraes then won a penalty after robbing former team-mate Elliot Anderson inside the Forest box.
Nick Woltemade smashed the resulting spot-kick into the top corner for his fourth Newcastle goal since joining from Stuttgart last month.
Forest slip to 17th, the same league position that saw Postecoglou sacked by Tottenham at the end of last season despite winning the Europa League.
After a slow start to the season, Aston Villa beat Burnley 2-1 to secure a fourth win in the last 11 days.
Donyell Malen was the Villa match-winner with his first goals since April.
The Dutch forward opened the scoring after racing onto Boubacar Kamara’s brilliant through ball to slot into the far corner.
Morgan Rogers was the creator for the second that Malen controlled before drilling confidently into the far corner.
Lesley Ugochukwu pulled a goal back but Burnley remain in the relegation zone.
Wolves are still rooted to the foot of the table after conceding a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at home to Brighton. (JapanToday)
The previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles both slumped to shock defeats in the NFL on Sunday as the injury-hit Baltimore Ravens suffered a humiliating blowout.
The Bills — regarded by many as favourites for this season’s Super Bowl — were stunned 23-20 by the resurgent New England Patriots in a pulsating duel at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye showed composure beyond his 23 years to engineer the game-winning drive in the final minute of the fourth quarter, setting up Andy Borregales’ 52-yard field goal.
The Bills dropped to 4-1 for the season while the Patriots improved to 3-2.
“It was awesome. What a team win, man,” Maye told NBC television after the win. “These guys right here, they balled out. Defense played great. And what an atmosphere. It felt good.”
The Bills had been the last unbeaten team standing after reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia were beaten 21-17 at home by the Denver Broncos earlier Sunday.
The Eagles looked poised to extend their unbeaten start after opening up a 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field.
But the Broncos showed huge character to battle back, with quarterback Bo Nix leading touchdown drives for JK Dobbins and Evan Engram to make it 17-16 before a bold two-point conversion put them 18-17 ahead.
A 36-yard Wil Lutz field goal gave Denver a four-point cushion before the Eagles’ final possession ended with an unsuccessful hail Mary attempt from quarterback Jalen Hurts as time ran out.
Denver quarterback Nix saluted a superb Broncos defensive performance after the visitors forced Philadelphia into punting seven times while recording six sacks on Hurts.
“We just kept stopping them on defense and we just started putting drives together,” Nix said. “Our defense just played incredible. They just kept getting us the ball back no matter what happened, they never wavered, and we just scored when it mattered,” he added.
In other games the Ravens’ season lurched from bad to worse with a humiliating 44-10 beatdown at home by the Houston Texans.
The Ravens, missing a slew of starters including quarterback Lamar Jackson, slumped to 1-4 for the season after an offensive onslaught led by Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Stroud tossed four touchdowns with 244 passing yards from 23-of-27 attempts as Houston improved to 2-3.
The defeat though was another brutal loss for Baltimore, who were strongly tipped to challenge for the Super Bowl before the season kicked off.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh described the team’s mood as “complete disappointment” and challenged his organisation to regroup.
“We’re gonna have to find a way to turn it around and figure out who we are this next week,” Harbaugh said. “We’re gonna have more than half the season left and we’re gonna have to find ourselves.”
A thrilling game in Seattle saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatch a 38-35 victory over the Seahawks with a field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter.
A seesaw duel saw Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throw for four touchdowns and 341 yards but it was not enough against a Tampa Bay side who improved to 4-1 for the season.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was once again the talisman for the visitors, hitting Sterling Shepard with the game-tying touchdown with just over one minute remaining, before Chase McLaughlin’s 39-yard field goal clinched victory.
The Detroit Lions are also standing on 4-1 after bringing up their fourth straight win in a 37-24 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdowns with 258 yards to spark Detroit.
In Los Angeles, the Washington Commanders rallied from a 10-point deficit to score 27 unanswered points in a 27-10 defeat of the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
The Indianapolis Colts, who suffered their first defeat of the season against the Los Angeles Rams last week, got back to winning ways with a blowout 40-6 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Dallas Cowboys moved to 2-2-1 with a 37-22 defeat of the winless New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford while the New York Giants lost 26-14 at the New Orleans Saints.In London, the Minnesota Vikings improved to 3-2 after grinding out a 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (JapanToday)
Team Brazil capped off an impeccable weekend in Nigeria with a thrilling win at the E1 Lagos GP, seizing the maiden race in Africa to claim their first win in the all-electric powerboat series on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Powered by their pole position from Saturday’s qualifying, Team Brazil duly capitalised from the group races to the final, with Timmy Hansen delivering a flawless performance on the water.
They had the fastest time in the practice session and topped the qualifying race on Saturday before winning the final on Sunday.
They beat Team Blue Rising, owned by Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli, to second place while Team Drogba Global Africa, which is co-owned by Ivory Coast football legend and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Gabrielle Lemaire, finished third.
Team Brazil got 38 points for their win, taking their tally up to 89 points. However, they are still far off from the title in seventh position, ahead of the final race of the season next month in Miami.
“We came to Lagos and we had a fantastic time. It is important with the race format to have the best starting lane, so you want to start on the inside, and we had it. Thanks to the team, I had a brilliant start, and it was smooth sailing,” Hansen told our correspondent.
There was no place on the podium for suspects Team Rafa and Team Brady, who have been in a tussle at the top of the championship standings ahead of the E1 Lagos GP.
However, Team Brady remains top of the championship standings despite finishing fourth. Their 19 points from an electrifying weekend in Lagos take them up to 154 points.
They are still separated from Team Rafa, owned by tennis legend Rafael Nadal by three points. Piloted by Cris Lazarraga and Tom Chiappe, Team Rafa finished fifth in Lagos with 17 points, taking their season’s tally to 151points.
Kohli’s Blue Rising remains third in the standings with 145 points.
The E1 is an all-electric powerboat race which began last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Lagos became the first city in Africa to host the championship.
The E1 Lagos GP was also the penultimate race of the season, setting the tone for the championship battle ahead of the season finale in Miami next month.
Speaking to journalists during the championship on Sunday, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, described the first-of-its-kind event in Africa as a demonstration of the state’s commitment to innovation and clean energy.
“Hosting the E1 series is not just about sports, it is about innovation, environmental responsibility, and putting Lagos on the global map for future-focused development,” Sanwo-Olu said. (Punch)
George Russell in a Mercedes took pole position Saturday for the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, as McLaren were outpaced around the Marina Bay Circuit.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri will start on the second row after coming third while his McLaren teammate Lando Norris was only fifth.
Russell set a blistering lap of 1 minute, 29.158 seconds, 0.182 seconds clear of Verstappen.
“Amazing to be on pole position. Yesterday was a very challenging day for many different reasons but good to come back and get a result,” said Russell.
His fellow Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was fourth to split the two McLarens.
“A long sweaty race tomorrow but I knew there was potential in the car,” added Russell.
“Kimi was doing an amazing job all weekend.”
The Ferrari pair of Lewis Hamilton and Chalres Leclerc were sixth and seventh respectively.
Isack Hadjar (RB), Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) completed the top 10.
Verstappen won the previous two grands prix, in Monza and Baku, and is challenging the season-long dominance of the McLarens at the top of the standings.
He now has a chance of a maiden victory in Singapore that would keep him in the hunt for a fifth consecutive world title, having closed the gap to Piastri to 69 points and to 44 points on Norris.
McLaren are looking to wrap up the constructors’ championship this weekend, where a podium finish for one of their cars will ensure a second consecutive title with six races to spare.
Liam Lawson, who on Saturday crashed his RB for the second successive practice session causing a red flag, managed to qualify in 14th after his engineers repaired the damage between the sessions.
Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber was 11th and also failed to make it to the top-10 shootout alongside the Williams of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, plus the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda in 15th.
Hamilton was investigated for an alleged red flag infringement relating to Lawson’s incident, but escaped a potential grid penalty after stewards deemed he “did not drive in a manner that could be considered unsafe”.
Gabriel Bortoleto in a Sauber, Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, the Haas of Esteban Ocon and the Alpines of Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were eliminated in Q1.
Sunday’s race in tropical Singapore has been declared the first official Formula One “Heat Hazard” with temperatures during the grand prix predicted to be 31C or higher.
That means all drivers must have liquid-cooled vests and refrigerant pump equipment available, though wearing them is not mandatory.Drivers were seen trying out the vests and their associated maze of cooling tubes under their fireproof overalls. (JapanToday)
Estevao struck in added time to inflict a third straight defeat on Premier League champion Liverpool.
The Brazilian teenager slid in at the far post to seal a 2-1 win for Chelsea in a breathless finish at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Estevao’s goal sparked wild celebrations that earned Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca a red card and ensured Liverpool goes into the international break knocked off the top of the standings.
“It is extra special to win like that because you win energy, trust and confidence in the process,” Chelsea assistant Willy Caballero said. “It is also something unforgettable for Estevao.”
Arsenal was in first place, a point ahead of Liverpool, after beating West Ham 2-0, while Manchester United picked up a crucial win against Sunderland to ease pressure on coach Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool is no stranger to late drama this season but the tide has turned on manager Arne Slot.
Late goals in six of the Merseyside club’s first seven games helped it maintain a 100% record and build an early lead in the standings.
But a first defeat of the campaign via Eddie Nketiah’s strike in the seventh minute of stoppage time for Crystal Palace last week was followed by Estevao’s strike in the fifth minute of stoppage time for Chelsea. In between, Liverpool lost to Galatasaray 1-0 in the Champions League.
Cody Gakpo looked like salvaging a point for Liverpool with his score in the second half after Moises Caicedo fired Chelsea in front with a thunderous long range strike in the first half.
But Chelsea, on the back of a three-game winless run in the league, mounted a late onslaught.
Enzo Fernandez headed against the post in added time and Estevao, the 18-year-old forward who joined from Palmeiras in the summer, converted Marc Cucurella’s cross.
“After we scored 1-1 it went our way and I was waiting for us to score the second,” Slot told the BBC. “Last week, same as this week, two difficult away games, the fine margins haven’t been in our favor.”
Ruben Amorim rang the changes and got the result he desperately needed.
Victory against Sunderland came at a crucial time for Amorim ahead of the international break, with speculation mounting over his position. He has still to lead United to back-to-back victories in the league after almost a year in charge but this was a step in the right direction.
“It’s really important to win games and have a better feeling but we need to forget this game and go for the next one,” he said.
Amorim showed his ruthless side by dropping $84 million summer signing Matheus Cunha and handing a first start to new goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Those decisions paid off with first half goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko at Old Trafford and a first clean sheet of the season.
This was only Amorim’s 10th win from 34 league games and going into Saturday’s match he accepted it would be “impossible” to continue in the job if results didn’t turn.
Which is why victory against Sunderland was crucial in a week when he was criticized by United greats Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, and ahead of the international break, which has traditionally been a convenient time to make managerial changes.
After 300 games in charge, Arsenal Mikel Arteta is looking down on the rest of the Premier League after victory against West Ham.
“I wanted to celebrate it with a win, I’ve got it,” he said.
Goals from Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, from the penalty spot, inflicted a first defeat on new West Ham coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
That’s four wins in a row for Arsenal in all competitions and, after a daunting start to the campaign, Arteta’s team looks like a title contender again.
Saka, who scored on his 200th appearance for the club, is convinced Arteta will deliver trophies after finishing runner-up three years in a row.
“We’ve had some tough games, particularly away. We are in a strong place in the Premier League and looking forward to coming back and pushing on,” he told the BBC. “Mikel has very much improved my game. He will bring this club success and (I’m) looking forward to when that day comes.”
Victory, however, came at a cost after another injury to captain Martin Odegaard.
Mohammed Kudus scored his first Tottenham goal to keep Thomas Frank’s team riding high. Kudus’ second-half strike from the edge of the box secured a 2-1 win at Leeds to move Spurs up to third.
Spurs have lost just once in the league under Frank, who took charge in the summer.
Kudus was one of Frank’s big signings, joining from West Ham.
Spurs led through Mathys Tel, whose deflected shot rocketed into the top corner.
Leeds, which was unbeaten at home since February, equalized through Noah Okafor from close range in the 34th. (JapanToday)
FIFA has unveiled the official match ball for the 2026 World Cup, combining high-tech refinements and design details celebrating the three co-host countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The ball, called Trionda, was again designed by German manufacturer Adidas, provider of the official World Cup balls since the 1970 tournament.
“I am delighted and proud to present the Trionda,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the ball was revealed at an event in New York on Thursday.
The first World Cup organized by three countries, with 48 teams competing, inspired both the name and the design of the ball featuring red, blue and green colors.
Iconography from each host nation — maple leaves from Canada, the eagle from Mexico and stars from the United States also feature, with a triangle referring to the unity of the three countries.
Less visible are technological advancements that include deep seams designed to produce “optimal in-flight stability” and embossed icons that improve grip in wet or humid conditions.
A motion sensor chip will relay information on the ball’s movement, sending data to the video assistant referee (VAR) system.
The unveiling marks another step in the countdown to the North American World Cup, which will be held June 11-July 19 next year.
FIFA has launched its online phased ticket sales procedures, with more than 4.5 million fans from 216 countries and territories entering the presale draw.
The tournament draw will be held in Washington on December 5. (JapanToday)
The draw for an expanded 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place on December 3, organizers said Wednesday, with host Australia confirmed as kicking off the tournament at Perth Stadium.
Twenty-four teams will be divided into six pools of four, with 52 games across six weeks from October 1 to November 13. A round of 16 will be played for the first time.
The last World Cup in France, won by South Africa, featured 20 teams.
“I’m thrilled to see the tournament draw date revealed,” said World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson. “Expanding the men’s Rugby World Cup to 24 teams is a landmark moment for our sport. It means more nations, more matches, and more opportunities for fans around the world to connect with rugby.”
World Rugby rankings at the end of the November international window will be used to determine which teams head each of the six groups, making every win crucial ahead of the draw.
South Africa are currently ranked one ahead of Ireland, New Zealand, France, England and Argentina, with hosts Australia seventh. Scotland, Fiji and Italy round out the top 10.
The top two from each pool plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout phase.
“The introduction of a round of 16 will deliver even more knockout rugby, ensuring every match counts and every team has the chance to make history,” said Robinson.
“Importantly, we’ve been able to achieve this within a streamlined tournament window that protects player welfare while enhancing the spectacle. This is a huge step forward for rugby and a reflection of the game’s global growth.”
Sydney had already been announced to host the final and both semi-finals, along with a third-place playoff and a string of other knockout and pool stage games.
The rest of the schedule is split between Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Adelaide and Townsville.
Some 2.5 million tickets will go on sale in February, with one million priced under A$100 (U.S.$66) in a bid to make it the most family-friendly tournament yet. (JapanToday)
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