Jude Bellingham says England will hopefully be even better in the knockout stageJude Bellingham says England will hopefully get better in the knockout stage of the World Cup, after mixed performances in the group stage.The Three Lions beat Panama 2-0 in their final group game but it was far from easy and Panama could have easily scored a couple. They did have the ball in the back of the net once but it was ruled offside.Asked about the tournament so far, Bellingham said: We achieved that first objective, which was to get through the group and top it as well.On whether England will get better in the knockout stage, the midfielder replied: Well see, hopefully, hopefully. I think every day weve got to try and improve every game weve got to improve, and, yeah, its up to us to do that.Bellingham got a goal and an assist in the win, and was the standout player. His goal was a striker from a corner, and his assist was a lovely piece of play which culminated in a cross which Harry Kane headed in. Asked if the assist pleased him more than the goal, the 22-year-old said: The assist, I think it was just a good combination of play, and, we have to give it to Harry again, who just continues to raise his level. He is incredible.

Is Lionel Messi playing vs. Jordan? He's expected to come off the bench, and SportsLine's Martin Green has revealed his picks

World Cup co-host Mexico knows who will be its Round of 32 opponent. Mexico won Group A with nine points as it emerged victorious in all three of its group stage games at the tournament. That included a tournament opener 2-0 win over South Africa in Mexico City, followed by a 1-0 win over South Korea in Guadalajara. El Tri then wrapped up the group stage with a 3-0 win over Czechia in Mexico City. Here is everything you need to know about Mexico's round of 32 opponent: Who Is Mexico's Round of 32 opponents? Mexico will play Ecuador in the Round of 32. These two teams have played 25 times before, with Mexico having won 14 times compared to Ecuador's four. The two teams have drawn seven times. This will be the second time the two teams have played at the World Cup, with Mexico beating Ecuador 2-1 in the group stage at the 2002 World Cup hosted by South Korea and Japan. When is Mexico vs. Ecuador? Mexico vs. Ecuador will be playing on June 30 in Mexico City (9 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One). It will be the third time so far that Mexico plays here, having already beaten South Africa and Czechia.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Roberto Martnez bought his family tickets for Saturday's World Cup group stage match between Colombia and Portugal several months ago. He knew it was going to be tough game to get into, so he didn't wait.How tough a ticket? Well, Martnez had one of the easier paths to the game. He coaches Portugal.Of course, no one else was that lucky.The stories at Miami Stadium from fans entering the match were fascinating. Most of the 64,000 or so people coming in spent $1,000 or more, per seat, just to say they were there for what might be one of Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup matches.I think its fascinating, the passion of the game in a difficult moment in the world, Martnez said. Football still brings unity, it brings passion, it brings inspiration for the kids, all the values that you want to see in a human being. It makes me extremely proud.Not everyone shared that opinion. Colombia fans were rooting for Colombia, Portugal fans were rooting for Portugal, and that would be expected.And considering what they paid a game like this was worth it, many said they more than earned the right to cheer as lustily as they wanted.Colombia natives and brothers Juan and Felipe Ramirez made the trip from Europe to Miami for just a few days, spending $2,400 on each ticket.We put it down," Juan Ramirez said, because this is a once in a lifetime experience.Since the draw made clear that this matchup would happen, Colombia vs. Portugal has held a level of anticipation that is largely unusual for group-stage matches certainly one of the most anticipated in this tournament. FIFA said tickets for this match were among the most sought during the pre-event purchasing process.And since demand couldn't possibly match supply, prices soared. The lowest get-in prices hovered around $3,500 early Saturday, with prices ranging from $2,676 to $22,084 on StubHub on Friday.Gustova Borda, a lifelong Colombia fan, described how meaningful it is for him and his wife to see their team back in Miami, a city that holds special meaning for the couple.This is a very important city for us. She was treated for breast cancer here about two years ago, Borda said about their return to the city.His wife, who declined to offer specifics about her health, was in a Colombia jersey as were thousands of others in the stadium.Their price to get in?We spent $8,300 for both of our tickets," Borda said, and I think it was totally worth it.Other fans said they saved for months to ensure they could attend this game. Colombia fan Gina Barrios spent $1,500 apiece for her tickets and thought that was a bargain.I bought it through a family friend, but I know they were going for a lot higher," Barrios said. "This is my country ... so I was very excited to see them here again.___Gracie Fisher is a student in the University of Georgias Carmical Sports Media Institute.___See more of APs World Cup coverage here.

Having already clinched the group, La Albiceleste rest Lionel Messi and rotate in young talent against Jordan

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss on Friday took issue with first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin's recent comments that Ole Miss' past embrace of Confederate symbols made recruiting Black players more difficult. "Me, personally, I dont agree," said Chambliss, who was coached by Kiffin last season. "I dont think that what he said was truthful. ... The Oxford community is nothing but love and they care about their people no matter what they look like: brown, black, purple, yellow you know what I mean?" Kiffin, who is white, coached at Ole Miss from 2020 to 2025. He oversaw the Rebels' 11-1 regular season in 2025 but left for LSU before the College Football Playoff in a move that has since brought much scrutiny to college footballs recruiting calendar. In May, Kiffin was featured in a Vanity Fair magazine article in which he described prospective Ole Miss recruits telling him: "Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents arent letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi." "That doesnt come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana," Kiffin added in his comments to Vanity Fair. Kiffin wanted to coach the Rebels in the CFP, but Ole Miss wouldnt allow it because Kiffin also would have been simultaneously recruiting for LSU. Without Kiffin at the helm, Chambliss nonetheless led the Rebels into the national finals with a scintillating CFP quarterfinal performance against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Chambliss, who is participating this weekend in the Manning Passing Academy as a counselor, said he still thinks highly of Kiffin, will always appreciate the opportunity Kiffin gave him at Ole Miss and does not harbor hard feelings about the way Kiffin left the program. However, Chambliss sounded eager to point out that his experience in Oxford did not match Kiffin's comments to the magazine. "The people in Mississippi and Oxford showed me nothing but love," Chambless said of a visit he made before deciding to transfer to Ole Miss from Ferris State. "One thing that I can really take away from my visit and the reason why I did commit to Ole Miss is I asked my family what they genuinely thought about the visit, what they thought about the people, if they trusted what they were actually saying, if theyre gonna be true to their word," Chambliss added. "They said, I feel like this is the right place.' And my moms super religious, too, and she just had a good feeling," Chambliss said. "We prayed on it, and that was the main thing. ... So, I felt like Oxford is home and its a great place." Kiffin will be back in Ole Miss' Vaught-Hemingway Stadium but on the visitor's sideline on Sept. 19 when LSU visits the Rebels. Pete Golding, who had been a defensive coordinator on Kiffins staff, took over at Ole Miss. Reporting by the Associated Press.

South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran has a one-stroke lead going into the final round of the Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine (Andrew Wevers)Ryu Hae-ran got off to a hot start and came up with some clutch par putts down the stretch on Saturday to seize a one-shot lead over Brooke Henderson going into the final round of the Women's PGA Championship.South Korea's Ryu carded a four-under par 68 for an 11-under total of 205 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, where world number one Nelly Korda was frustrated on the greens but was just four strokes off the lead in her bid for a third straight major title.Ryu, chasing her first major title, birdied the first and fifth holes before pouring in a 28-foot eagle putt at the par-five seventh to jump to a two-shot lead.She added a seven-foot birdie at the seventh, where her putt circled the entire cup before falling in to push her lead to three strokes."My front nine, it was amazing because I got an eagle and three birdies," she said. "I started the back nine, it was more windy and a lot of tough putts."But I just made one bogey today, so it was good for me for tomorrow," added Ryu, who said fatigue was also a factor as she comes off a month-long mid-season break.Her bogey at the 10th was a sign of the difficulties to come, but Ryu drained a seven-foot par putt at the 14th and par putts of five feet at 16 and 17 to stay on top.Henderson, who was just 18 when she won the 2016 Women's PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, was delighted to post a three-under 69 in the blustery conditions."It was affecting everything," Henderson said, adding that it was a factor in her birdie at the 16th, where she reached the green of the driveable par-four but saw her 16-foot eagle putt come up short."I thought the wind was going to push it, so I thought the putt was going to be faster, but I ended up coming up short," she said. "I feel like it was just hard to judge all day."Henderson was one stroke in front of South Korean Yoon Ina, who started the day with a five-shot lead but seemed to feel the pressure as she posted a three-over 75."I was just nervous a lot," admitted the 23-year-old, who opened with back-to-back bogeys. "I missed short putts."After 10, I think I found my pace," Yoon said. "Even on the front nine, I didn't do anything different, but I think I was a little unlucky so there was a little frustration there."Alone in third on nine-under, Yoon remained firmly in the mix.Dewi Weber of the Netherlands and South Korean Kim A-lim shared fourth on eight-under ahead of Korda and Alison Lee on seven-under.- Korda falters -Korda looked poised to make a run when she shook off a bogey at the par-five third to birdie the sixth, 11th and 13th holes.But the US star missed a golden opportunity when she three-putted from the fringe at the 16th to settle for par, missing a four-foot birdie attempt."It was a left-to-right putt, just left edge, and the wind was kind of gusting off my right ... just didn't make a very confident stroke," Korda said of the short miss, which was followed by a three-putt bogey at 17."Just left a few putts out there," Korda said.She said weather will dictate how aggressive she can be in her bid to become just the third LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season after victories in the Chevron Championship and US Women's Open."Putting in general, when it gets this windy, you have to calculate in the wind, too, and a gust here and there," she said. "Sometimes you aren't as confident with your lines."bb/js

SportsLine's Martin Green reveals his Uzbekistan vs. Congo DR best bets for their FIFA World Cup 2026 match on Saturday

The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup officially gets underway Sunday with a historic Round of 32 clash at Los Angeles Stadium. Both Canada and South Africa will be playing in the knockout stage of a men's World Cup for the first time in their respective histories. Co-hosts Canada enter the match after finishing second in Group B. Jesse Marsch's squad missed out on topping the group and home-field advantage in Vancouver after a tight 2-1 loss to Switzerland in their group finale. Meanwhile, South Africa pulled off one of the tournament's biggest surprises in Group A, securing their passage with a 1-0 upset victory over South Korea to claim the runner-up spot. Here is everything to know about match day 18. When: Sunday, June 28, 3 p.m. ET Where: Los Angeles TV: FOX Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One Canada will look to make the most of their first-ever World Cup knockout appearance when they take the pitch at Los Angeles Stadium. Jesse Marsch's side yielded eight goals during the group stage, with six coming against Qatar. Although a pair of early second-half defensive lapses against Switzerland cost them the top spot in the group Wednesday, the Canadians proved they can swarm opponents and generate attacking pressure, which they'll need to replicate to advance to the Round of 16. A key for Canada will be executing their transitional play without midfielder Ismal Kon, who was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a broken leg. Marsch will lean heavily on his attacking power up front, including Juventus forward Jonathan David and Southampton striker Cyle Larin, to puncture a disciplined South African defense. For South Africa, Hugo Broos' Bafana Bafana have already defied expectations to get this far. Competing in their first World Cup since hosting in 2010, South Africa advanced by prioritizing a stubborn defensive posture, managing just over 30% possession against South Korea but managed to hold on to win 1-0. Bafana Bafana will welcome back key midfielder Teboho Mokoena from suspension to anchor the engine room, though veteran attacker Themba Zwane remains sidelined by a ban for his red card against Mexico. While Canada enters the match as betting favorites, South Africa's ability to bend but not break defensively makes the Group A runners-up a wild card. If Hugo Broos side can frustrate Canada's frontline and force them into a mistake, they can advance. Player To Watch Canadas superstar has yet to make his debut at this year's World Cup, but that could change in the knockout stage. Alphonso Davies was expected to play and was available on the bench during Canada's 2-1 loss to Switzerland, yet mysteriously didn't. "I think Alphonso Davies will be ready to go next game," Marsch said after the loss to Switzerland. Canada has made it this far without Davies, but with its tournament life on the line, he should get minutes either as a starter or substitute. Thapelo Maseko was the hero for South Africa, scoring the winning goal against South Korea that sent Bafana Bafana to the knockout stage for the first time. At 22 years old, he became South Africa's youngest goalscorer at the World Cup and despite his young age, South Africa will likely need another big moment in order to advance to the Round of 16.

A 15-year NBA veteran and six-time NBA All-Star, Jimmy Butler has seen and played for many different organizations, including the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. But, in his mind, none of them top his time in Golden State thus far. In a recent press conference, the Warriors forward indicated his desire to retire with the franchise, praising the team from top to bottom."End is a bad word, but this is where I want to be done. (I want to) retire here. This organization is top-tier. It's the best," Butler told ESPN's Anthony Slater. "You're playing with one of the greatest players ever. I'm grateful to be able to witness this. I want to be able to do my part, get this organization back on top where we belong."Entering his age-37 season, Butler has one more year remaining on his contract. However, the Marquette product doesn't plan on retiring. "I have a couple good years left in me, and we're going to ride it until the wheels fall off," said Butler. Currently recovering from an ACL tear suffered last January, Butler is eager to help aid Stephen Curry in another deep playoff run.This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors forward Jimmy Butler reveals his intentions amid retirement talks