The governing body can now dictate which venues will host matches in the opening week of the finals. And some clubs arent happy.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi achieved a significant milestone, scoring his maiden ODI century with a resilient 102 against India. This landmark hundred came after a remarkable 4,644-day wait since his debut, placing him among the longest-waiting players for their first ODI ton. Shahidi's determined innings, battling through trouble and cramps, guided Afghanistan to a respectable 218 after an early collapse.

The online sports industry in India has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. As internet access becomes more widespread and smartphone usage continues to rise, sports enthusiasts are increasingly turning to digital platforms for convenience and accessibility. Modern users expect platforms that are easy to access, simple to navigate, and optimized for multiple devices. With so many...

SEATTLE STADIUM Mexico and Scotland have their ducks, but the USA has its chicken, thanks to Chris Richards. Paxo, a rubber chicken, made an appearance at the World Cup on Friday in Seattle with Richards parents, Ken and Carrie. Paxo found his way to Richards after he picked the chicken up on the field after Crystal Palace won the UEFA Conference League last month in Leipzig, Germany. Richards told me after the USA's 2-0 win over Australia on Friday that Paxo is now joining the World Cup ride. "I just kind of ran with it and had a few pictures with it in the Conference League trophy," a laughing Richards said. "And so now it's kind of making the U.S. tour as well, right?" This isnt the first time an animal has emerged as an avian mascot for a team at the World Cup, although the other two birds were real. Mexico has embraced Merlin, while Scotland fans also adopted their own duck (named Dawn) while marching through Providence, Rhode Island. Has Richards' USA teammates seen the chicken yet? When I asked defender Auston Trusty about it after one of the most famous wins in the American mens teams 113-year history, he looked perplexed, "A chicken?" he said. "That's the first I've heard of it." Richards laughed again when asked if he'd make an introduction at some point. "Not yet," he said. "We'll see." Richards didnt play in that UEFA Conference League final as he recovered from the ankle injury he suffered on May 17 in a Premier League game against Brentford. He missed Palaces final game of the season against Arsenal, as well as the USAs two World Cup tune-ups against Senegal and Germany before returning to the lineup in the tournament opener against Paraguay. "I was pretty devastated. I feared the worst," Richards, who missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury, said when he arrived at the Stars and Stripes training base in Southern California a couple of weeks ago. Now its two wins in two World Cup games for Richards with Paxo stateside. Richards is also thriving on the field, leading a USA defense that snapped a streak of 10 straight games without a clean sheet with a shutout against the Socceroos. After making history by completing all 83 of his pass attempts against Paraguay, he went 91-of-95 against Australia. Richards has now completed 97.8% (175-of-179) of his passes at the World Cup. Thats the second-best accuracy for a player who has attempted at least 100 passes since 1966. The only player with a better percentage was Romanias Gheorghe Popescu, who was 122-for-124 through two matches in 1994, according to OPTA. Richards and the rest of the USA defense will be especially thrilled to have finally gotten a clean sheet. "One clean sheet sounds great," goalkeeper Matt Freese said. "Two, three, four clean sheets sounds a lot better." Richards path to the World Cup is one that has taken him from his native Birmingham, Alabama, to mighty Bayern Munich and Crystal Palace. He was originally rejected by MLS club FC Dallas at the age of 16. He eventually made it to the FCDs academy the following year. He was only there for one year, though, before joining Bayern and making his pro debut there. He made his maiden appearance for the USA in November 2020, and has earned 38 caps for the team since. Now he's the undisputed anchor of USA's back line, which is clearly at its best when he's in the lineup. "He has a presence on the field," USA teammate and fellow defender Mark McKenzie said, while veteran winger Tim Weah called Richards "one of the most important players on the team."

SportsLine's soccer experts have revealed their World Cup picks and World Cup predictions for Saturday, June 20

Aston Villa Keep Close Eyes On This World Cup Star Ahead Of A Summer Swoop: Perfect Signing For Emery?In one of his recent reports, journalist Sacha Tavolieri has shared a key update on the future of Lille attacking ace Mathias Fernandez-Pardo. Aston Villa have not only made initial contact with the players representatives but also sent scouts to the United States to monitor the Belgians performance in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.The 21-year-old Red Devils international left for Lilles academy after brief spells with Anderlecht and Mechelen back in his homeland. However, he returned to Belgium in 2020 and joined Gents youth ranks. There, he flourished with the reserves and was eventually promoted as a first-team regular.A blister spell at the backend of the 2023-24 season caught the eyes of Lille, who brought him back to Stade Pierre-Mauroy in the summer of 2024. Fernandez-Pardo has since cemented a key status high up the pitch, scoring 12 and assisting 11 times in 71 appearances over the past two campaigns. His versatility, movement, physicality, runs behind the defence, pace, acceleration and finishing tick the boxes of a Premier League forward of the modern era.MADRID, SPAIN OCTOBER 23: Matias Fernandez-Pardo of LOSC Lille passes the ball whilst under pressure from Nahuel Molina of Atletico de Madrid during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between Atletico de Madrid and LOSC Lille at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano on October 23, 2024, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)Villas resurgence under Unai Emery is astounding. From battling for survival, the Spaniard led them to win the coveted Europa League last season, defeating Freiburg in Istanbul. They are going on par with the leagues big six, and his structural discipline, tactical adaptability, and controlled transitions have maximised the potential of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn. They have been Emerys front four for most of the season, and the gaffer is now aiming for further attacking reinforcements to emerge as an indispensable European force.Why Emery Could Play Him From The FlankMeanwhile, Aston Villa still lack depth down the flank, with Jadon Sancho and Leon Bailey struggling for minutes all season. The pair seem surplus to requirements in Birmingham, and so is Harvey Elliott, who is set to return to Liverpool after Emery opted against playing him enough to avoid triggering the obligation-to-buy clause. Donyell Malen has been offloaded to Roma, and the manager replaced the Dutchman with Tammy Abraham as Watkins understudy for the number 9 spot.Predominantly a centre-forward, Fernandez-Pardo is also comfortable from the left-hand flank as an inverted winger. With Watkins and Abraham challenging each other, the Lille sensation is likely to be deployed from the flank ahead of Buendia. The French side valuehim at around 70m, as they look to make a hefty profit from his sale, having snapped him up for a base fee of 10m (+2m add-ons).

Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo scored two each as Netherlands cruised to a 5-1 World Cup victory over Sweden to go top of Group F.

The Carolina Hurricanes celebrated the franchise's second Stanley Cup title in Raleigh on Saturday, but still managed to take care of some business during the festivities.

Thousands of jubilant Carolina Hurricanes fans crammed onto sidewalks, gathered around office building windows, even lined up on floor after floor of at least one parking deck to cheer and wave at the team's Stanley Cup championship parade on Saturday.The turnout that packed downtown was enough to leave their coach the captain of the team's last Cup winner 20 years earlier at a loss.Im in shock, Rod Brind'Amour said in the gap between the end of the parade and the start of the rally that would end the day's festivities in North Carolina's capital. It doesnt very often, but Im just kinda speechless.The Hurricanes brought their Stanley Cup celebration to downtown Raleigh on Saturday, with thousands of fans arriving hours early to line the parade route and grab a spot near the rally stage. The players boarded double-decker buses for the parade that weaved by the State Capitol building, while Brind'Amour was in the back of a late-model truck taking in the scene.They were greeted by fans screaming, chanting, waving flags and wearing Carolina jerseys, still buzzing from the franchise beating the Vegas Golden Knights last weekend to win the Cup for the second time, the other coming in 2006.I was trying to explain to the fellas what I knew was going to happen, said captain Jordan Staal, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. And my expectations were so high because I know these Caniacs, I know what they're all about, and I was still blown away. I couldn't even describe how amazing that was.The team took the rally stage with Staal hoisting the Stanley Cup skyward before a roaring crowd, while Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov were among a line of Hurricanes players who kept intermittently cranking the Storm Warning siren that is a pregame tradition for the team to take the ice.The Hurricanes even got some business done, with general manager Eric Tulsky calling reserve forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the podium to sign a two-year $1.75 million deal. The trade-deadline acquisition was set to become an unrestricted free agent, one of the few bits of roster uncertainty for a team that has the core of its roster locked up to long-term deals.Otherwise, though, it was a daylong party.Carly Goodman, 35, of Raleigh, was hard to miss in the front row behind barricades in front of the stage where the parade would end with a rally. She sported a red Sebastian Aho jersey, waved a large Hurricanes flag and was blinged out with a silver Stanley Cup chain necklace.She was drinking from a beer skate, the novelty mug shaped like a Hurricanes skate that sold out immediately during the Game 1 of the second-round series against Philadelphia. She got up at 5 a.m. Let my dogs out, they were mad to get up, she said and made sure to head straight downtown hours in advance to ensure a prime spot.Its been something special ever since 2006, Goodman said. Raleighs a small market. Weve got college sports, but this is epic. Its a team that everybody can get behind. It breaks down all the barriers. Everyone just comes together and smiles, no matter if youre a Duke fan, Carolina fan, whatever it doesnt matter.It was a longer trek for Scott Stiles, 60, and his son, Joey, 24. They werent about to miss the celebration even though they live in Concord, a city outside of Charlotte known for its ties to NASCAR and other motorsports. So they hopped in the car around 3 a.m. to make the 2 1/2-hour drive, arriving more than five hours before the parade was scheduled to start and finding fans like Goodman already waiting closer to the City Plaza stage.The duo Scott in an Andrei Svechnikov jersey, Joey wearing a Seth Jarvis one had chairs plopped in the middle of Fayetteville Street straight back from the stage, their spot marked by a giant Hurricanes flag.Whens the next time theyre going to win a Cup? Scott said, pausing as a Lets go Canes! chant wrapped up. They might win it again next year, who knows? But we wanted to be a part of it.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Thousands of jubilant Carolina Hurricanes fans crammed onto sidewalks, gathered around office building windows, even lined up on floor after floor of at least one parking deck to cheer and wave at the team's Stanley Cup championship parade on Saturday.The turnout that packed downtown was enough to leave their coach the captain of the team's last Cup winner 20 years earlier at a loss.Im in shock, Rod Brind'Amour said in the gap between the end of the parade and the start of the rally that would end the day's festivities in North Carolina's capital. It doesnt very often, but Im just kinda speechless.The Hurricanes brought their Stanley Cup celebration to downtown Raleigh on Saturday, with thousands of fans arriving hours early to line the parade route and grab a spot near the rally stage. The players boarded double-decker buses for the parade that weaved by the State Capitol building, while Brind'Amour was in the back of a late-model truck taking in the scene.They were greeted by fans screaming, chanting, waving flags and wearing Carolina jerseys, still buzzing from the franchise beating the Vegas Golden Knights last weekend to win the Cup for the second time, the other coming in 2006.I was trying to explain to the fellas what I knew was going to happen, said captain Jordan Staal, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. And my expectations were so high because I know these Caniacs, I know what they're all about, and I was still blown away. I couldn't even describe how amazing that was.The team took the rally stage with Staal hoisting the Stanley Cup skyward before a roaring crowd, while Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov were among a line of Hurricanes players who kept intermittently cranking the Storm Warning siren that is a pregame tradition for the team to take the ice.The Hurricanes even got some business done, with general manager Eric Tulsky calling reserve forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the podium to sign a two-year $1.75 million deal. The trade-deadline acquisition was set to become an unrestricted free agent, one of the few bits of roster uncertainty for a team that has the core of its roster locked up to long-term deals.Otherwise, though, it was a daylong party.Carly Goodman, 35, of Raleigh, was hard to miss in the front row behind barricades in front of the stage where the parade would end with a rally. She sported a red Sebastian Aho jersey, waved a large Hurricanes flag and was blinged out with a silver Stanley Cup chain necklace.She was drinking from a beer skate, the novelty mug shaped like a Hurricanes skate that sold out immediately during the Game 1 of the second-round series against Philadelphia. She got up at 5 a.m. Let my dogs out, they were mad to get up, she said and made sure to head straight downtown hours in advance to ensure a prime spot.Its been something special ever since 2006, Goodman said. Raleighs a small market. Weve got college sports, but this is epic. Its a team that everybody can get behind. It breaks down all the barriers. Everyone just comes together and smiles, no matter if youre a Duke fan, Carolina fan, whatever it doesnt matter.It was a longer trek for Scott Stiles, 60, and his son, Joey, 24. They werent about to miss the celebration even though they live in Concord, a city outside of Charlotte known for its ties to NASCAR and other motorsports. So they hopped in the car around 3 a.m. to make the 2 1/2-hour drive, arriving more than five hours before the parade was scheduled to start and finding fans like Goodman already waiting closer to the City Plaza stage.The duo Scott in an Andrei Svechnikov jersey, Joey wearing a Seth Jarvis one had chairs plopped in the middle of Fayetteville Street straight back from the stage, their spot marked by a giant Hurricanes flag.Whens the next time theyre going to win a Cup? Scott said, pausing as a Lets go Canes! chant wrapped up. They might win it again next year, who knows? But we wanted to be a part of it.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL