Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been coaxed out of retirement for the World Cup by Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 40-year-old Neuer retired after the 2024 European Championship but was included in Nagelsmanns 26-man squad on Thursday for the upcoming tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States. His inclusion means a demotion for Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who was assured he was the No. 1 until reports emerged in recent weeks that Nagelsmann was thinking about a Neuer recall. Up to last week, Baumann was saying his "current understanding" was that hed be the starting goalkeeper at the World Cup. "We told Oli in March that we had a meeting with Manu," said Nagelsmann, who acknowledged Neuer's return was "a blow" for the 35-year-old Baumann. Asked about his communication with the players, Nagelsmann replied, "I ask for understanding that I can't go into every detail from conversations. I try to explain a lot and take people with me. Sometimes I manage it less well, other times better. ... From Oli's point of view there's definitely some room for improvement." Baumann has shown over more than 500 Bundesliga appearances that hes a team player, and hes unlikely to let any personal disappointment have any impact on Germanys chances of success. Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andr ter Stegen was seen as Neuers natural successor but has been beset by injuries and made just two appearances for Girona after joining the club on loan in January. Baumann has made 11 appearances for Germany, compared to 124 by Neuer, whose last game was in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals hosted by Germany, a 2-1 extra time loss to eventual champion Spain. The clamor to include Neuer in the squad grew louder after he produced some outstanding performances for Bayern Munich, particularly against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. The only concern are recurring injuries. Neuer went off early during Bayerns last Bundesliga game of the season and the club said on Sunday he "must take a break for the time being because of muscular problems in his left calf." It was unsure if Neuer could play in the German Cup final against Stuttgart on Saturday. Drip-feed announcements In a bid to generate more excitement, the German soccer federation (DFB) began on Thursday morning announcing the World Cup squad one by one before Nagelsmanns scheduled announcement that afternoon. Midfielder Joshua Kimmich was the first to have his place confirmed, followed by Deniz Undav, Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz and Bayern star Jamal Musiala. Musiala made the squad after impressing for Bayern and proving his fitness after recovering from breaking his leg at the Club World Cup in July. "He's healthy, he's fit and will help us a lot to play a good World Cup," Neuer said of the 23-year-old Musiala. Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown will get a chance to add to his three appearances. Bayern forward Serge Gnabry was ruled out of the tournament with injury, while young Bayern teammate Lennart Karl won his race to be fit in time. Germany aiming for fifth title Four-time champion Germany faces Ivory Coast, Ecuador and newcomer Curacao in Group E at the World Cup. Preparations are due to start in the Bavarian resort of Herzogenaurach on May 27, two days later than initially planned. The team will play warmups against Finland in Mainz on May 31, then the United States in Chicago on June 6. "I think we're well prepared," Nagelsmann said. "We need to let our actions do the talking. That is why Im glad that things are finally about to get underway." ___ Germany: Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart) Defenders: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Raum (Leipzig), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Pascal Gro (Brighton), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich) Midfielders: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Forwards: Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray) Reporting by The Associated Press.

ISL Final Day LIVE Updates: Five teams - East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Punjab FC, Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC - are in contention to win the Indian Super League title on the final day.

New York is three wins away from the NBA Finals after a miraculous Game 1 comeback... so what does Game 2 have in store?

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, has been one of the strongest opponents of the TKO-backed plans to enact the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. The piece of legislation looks to amend the Ali Reform Act of 2000 to allow promoters to create a Unified Boxing Organization (UBO) that would operate outside the sports current four-belt system.The main concern many within boxing have is that the Ali Revival Act would allow TKOs Zuffa Boxing helmed by UFC CEO Dana White and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh to create a UBO that would run similarly to the UFC, which could be detrimental to fighters rights. Although many including promoter Eddie Hearn believe that fighting against the proposed act is a losing battle because it is inevitable to go through, Ali Walsh follows in his legendary grandfathers footsteps by potentially jeopardizing his own career to battle for what he believes in and what he thinks the great Muhammad Ali would support. I never want to put words in someone else's mouth, but I think it's apparent what [Ali] would think about the revival act because it's taking away the act that he put in place, Ali Walsh told Uncrowneds The Ariel Helwani Show Wednesday.He would not be for it why would he be for something that is not [beneficial] for the fighters? My grandfather was the people's champion. He fought for the people. He was ready to literally die for what he believed in. Why would he be OK with fighters being exploited? Wiping away his act and then coming in with this new revival act that would just build a monopoly and take away the fighter's powers? I just really don't see him agreeing with that at all.TKO essentially has monopolistic levels of control in MMA with the UFC and is now attempting to dominate the boxing marketplace as well through Zuffa Boxing. Zuffa has already signed up a list of top fighters, including Conor Benn, Jai Opetaia and Richardson Hitchins, and is already in talks to add Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney to complete what would be a star-studded roster. "That's how monopolies start, Walsh explained. They buy up all the talent, they put the promoters out of business, and then you don't have a choice [but to join Zuffa]. You will [ultimately] have a choice there's no gun being held to your head that you have to go to Zuffa, but you're not going to have any other opportunities once they put the other promoters out of business, they buy all the top talent. We hear every day about a new big-name boxer that's going to Zuffa. So once they buy all the top talent and they take over the sport they've got the money to do that, they have the resources to become that monopoly. Once they do that, you could get random fights in Mexico, or you could be getting some sort of opportunity with Zuffa. So you wouldn't have a choice."Turki Alalshikh and Dana White joined forces for Zuffa Boxing.Chris Unger via Getty ImagesIt is no secret that fighters in the UFC command a small fraction of the money generated by their events, while in boxing, the talent receives the majority of the finances available. Zuffa Boxing may be paying above market value for the time being, but once the company can rid the marketplace of viable competition, Ali Walsh thinks TKO will be able to gradually lower purses and bring the sport closer to a UFC business model.They're trying to pass the UFC model into boxing, Ali Walsh said. When people ask, 'How do you think it's going to work?' Well, we kind of know how it's going to work. The UFC had to settle a $375 million [lawsuit] that their fighters put against them. And that was a settlement, so we don't even know how much the damages really were. There were over a thousand claims of fighters complaining about pay and whatnot. We kind of know the direction that they want to head with boxing. We see it. Their business model is apparent today. If you have any questions about what they're trying to do with boxing, just look at the UFC. It's kind of unfortunate because I even know that [former UFC champion] Sugar Sean O'Malley, I remember watching on a podcast that he has this Reebok deal that garnered the UFC over a million dollars. I remember him saying that they used his name, image, likeness, and he only received like three grand from it. That's the kind of stuff that would be coming to boxing now."One of the major advantages the Ali Revival Act would offer TKO is that UBOs would not be subject to the same financial transparency obligations that exist for boxing promoters under the current Ali Reform Act. The latter piece of legislation gives boxers the right to know how much revenue is coming into the event they are fighting on, including television rights fees and gate receipts. This gives headlining fighters an idea of whether they are being justly compensated by their promoters and prevents them from being exploited or underpaid. Such a mechanism does not exist in the UFC, so fighters are often left guessing about whether they are receiving their fair share of the pie."In the UFC, the fighters make around 16%, up to 20% of the revenue that's made in the UFC gets distributed amongst the fighters, Ali Walsh said. In boxing, it's the exact opposite. Fighters make up to 80% of the revenue that is made in these boxing events. That alone shows you the staggering difference in pay between the UFC and boxing.

From must-see games to Heisman Trophy contenders, we cover 100 things to know ahead of the 2026 season.

Blues winger Brian Too could be PNGs next big signing, with Penrith reportedly expecting him to leave at the end of next season as a potential player exodus looms.

A Mexican sports journalist was in the middle of a live report when he was carjacked at gunpoint on Tuesday.

Jannik Sinner won't have the crowd on his side when he starts his quest for a career Grand Slam at the French Open this weekend.Sinner was on Thursday drawn a French opponent in the first round Clement Tabur, ranked a career-high 165th. Tabur received the wild card vacated by former champion Stan Wawrinka, who gained a late automatic entry.With two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the overwhelming men's favorite on the red clay of Roland Garros.The Italian is unbeaten in three months. He's won 29 straight matches and dropped just three sets. The French Open is the only major Sinner hasnt won. Sinner had three match points in last year's final but Alcaraz prevailed in an epic match.In the women's draw, Coco Gauff is trying to become just the third woman to defend the Roland Garros title this century after Justine Henin and Iga Switek. Gauff will start her campaign against fellow American Taylor Townsend, a doubles specialist.In the absence of Alcaraz, who will also miss Wimbledon, Sinner has claimed all three clay Masters 1000s in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. The 24-year-old has the fifth longest winning run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic has the record of 43 straight wins in 2010-11.With his historic Rome title first Italian men's champion in 50 years Sinner became the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.Djokovic continues to chase an unprecedented 25th major title. But the Roland Garros champion from 2016, 2021, and 2023 is in Paris with only one match on clay this season and only three tournaments all year because of a shoulder injury. The 38-year-old will take on Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. Djokovic couldn't meet Sinner until the final.No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, still looking for his first major crown after making it to the 2024 final in Paris, will be up against another local player, Benjamin Bonzi.Home favorite Arthur Fils, the highest-ranked French player at No. 19, opens against Wawrinka in a mouthwatering contest.Gauff aiming for back to backGauffs first Roland Garros title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago.Just like last year, Gauff was the runner-up at the Italian Open, losing in the final to Elina Svitolina. She is No. 4 and seeded to meet No. 1 Sabalenka in the semifinals.While Sabalenka remains unbeatable at times on hard courts, she is still perfecting her game on clay. She was upset by American Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals and lost in the third round at the Italian Open to 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea.Sabalenka appeared visibly bothered by lower back pain in Rome. Her first-round opponent is Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a Spaniard ranked 51st.Elena Rybakina, ranked No. 2 and this years Australian Open champion, is in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Switek.Rybakina has mixed results on clay. She has reached the French quarterfinals twice. She starts against Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.Switek, the four-time French Open champion, lost to Svitolina in the Rome semifinals and is still reshaping her game under new coach Francisco Roig, who used to work with Rafael Nadal. Switeks 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended in the semifinals last year with a loss to Sabalenka. She opens against Emerson Jones of Australia, a wild card.Svitolina, who is from Ukraine, claimed the Rome title for her first WTA 1000 trophy in eight years and is back in the top 10 after a maternity leave. But shes never been past the semifinals of a Grand Slam, and never past the quarterfinals at the French Open. Svitolina takes on Anna Bondar in the first round.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis