Cup

Wizz Air has announced that it’s received approval to operate flights between the UK and USA with its first flights set to take off in the summer in time for the World Cup

Budget airline Wizz Air has confirmed it now has “regulatory approval” to operate flights to the United States. The airline, who currently offer routes from the UK to destinations such as Poland, Turkey, Italy, and Romania, will offer the flights for football fans visiting the USA for the 2026 World Cup.

The airline confirmed it will now offer tailored charter flights to groups from teams to supporters and tour operators who are organising group travel to the USA. It confirmed that charter enquiries for summer travel are now open.

However, the airline also clarified that it has “no intention or plans to launch regular commercial flights to the US” but that “the new authorization represents a significant achievement and reflects months of preparation, regulatory coordination, and operational planning.”

So, while individuals won’t be able to book onto scheduled services, those who are travelling with large groups, organising a tour, or travellers looking for a private travel experience will be able to charter a transatlantic flight with Wizz Air.

Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said in a statement: “This is a proud and exciting day for everyone at our airline,” said . “Receiving approval to operate between the UK and the United States is a huge milestone for our company. It opens the door to incredible opportunities, particularly for European football teams and supporters travelling across the Atlantic this summer.

“We are ready to deliver exceptional charter experiences and bring fans closer to the action in the United States.”

England’s first fixture is set for June 17 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, meaning many football fans are likely to descend on the Texas city to watch the big game. Its other group games are England vs Ghana, set for June 23 in Boston, and Panama vs England on June 27 in New York.

Scotland’s World Cup fixtures are set for June 14 when they take on Haiti in Boston, followed by another match in the city against Morocco on June 19. The team will then head to Miami for Scotland vs Brazil on June 24.

Wales and Northern Ireland are yet to secure their places in the World Cup as both teams are still in the qualifying stages. In addition to fixtures across the USA, some matches will also be held in Canada and Mexico who are joint hosts.

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However, seeing the matches in person is likely to be an expensive undertaking. Tickets for group stage games range from $100 to $575 (about £75 to £431), although FIFA has announced a very limited number of £45 tickets to each game. A seat at the July 19 final, which will take place in New Jersey, will be especially costly. Tickets bought at face value range from $2,030 to $6,370, about £1,500 to £4,800, with resellers no doubt charging even more.

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WIZZ Air has been given approval to launch its first flights from the UK to the US.

The budget airline’s first transatlantic route will be to allow Brits to travel to America for the World Cup.

Wizz Air confirmed that despite given the permits to be able to fly between the UK and the US, there were no plans for regular commercial flights.

Instead, it will operate chartered flight for both football teams and supporters to be able to fly to the US during the World Cup season.

Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said it was a “proud and exciting day.”

They added: “Receiving approval to operate between the UK and the United States is a huge milestone for our company.

WIZZ OFF

Top cheap holiday destination with new Wizz Air flights axes pricey tourist visas

TAKING OFF

Wizz Air reveals plans to launch first-ever transatlantic flights from the UK

“It opens the door to incredible opportunities, particularly for European football teams and supporters travelling across the Atlantic this summer.

“We are ready to deliver exceptional charter experiences and bring fans closer to the action in the United States.” 

The charter packages hope to offer flights for both large groups and individual travellers.

They added: “We are excited to welcome passengers on board and to celebrate this new chapter as we expand our reach across the Atlantic.” 

Brits can look at booking charter flights which are now available on the website.

Wizz Air has never operated transatlantic routes, although does have some long flight options the other way.

The airline’s longest flight is London Gatwick to Jeddah, taking just under seven hours.

However, they did also once offer cheap flights from the UK to the Maldives – although these were cancelled in 2022.

The Polish airline first launched in 2004, with Wizz Air UK starting in 2017.

Wizz Air Malta followed suit, and the short-lived Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was axed last year.

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“I’m enjoying the role across all formats and I’d love to carry that on,” added McCullum.

“It’s been an absolute privilege to be in this position over the past three and a half years. I feel like we’ve made some significant improvements across the various formats.

“Yes, we’ve missed some opportunities, but I think this team has a real opportunity over the coming years to continue to improve and hopefully finish what we started. I’d love to be a part of that.”

Key backed McCullum during the Ashes, but neither ECB chief executive Richard Gould nor chair Richard Thompson have publicly spoken on his future.

At the end of the Ashes, McCullum also received support from Test skipper Ben Stokes, while the relationship between McCullum and Brook has blossomed during the T20 World Cup.

Asked after the semi-final defeat if McCullum should stay in charge, Brook said: “125%. I’ve said plenty of times he’s the best coach I’ve ever had.

“The way he speaks to everybody, he’s got an aura in the dressing room, and everybody looks up to him. The things he’s done over the four years since he took over has changed English cricket for hopefully the best.

“Our partnership has been good throughout the competition and since I’ve taken over. Long may it continue.”

Failures in away Ashes tours have often signalled change in the management of England teams.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former England captain Nasser Hussain said the ECB has to guard against repeating the mistakes of the past, while not ignoring the failures of this latest defeat in Australia.

“What you have to get away from is going to the Ashes, you lose, you get rid of the coach and captain, and you start all over again. I’m never a fan of that,” said Hussain.

“But I’m also not keen on, a couple of months later, forgetting what happened in the Ashes, and how poor England were on and off the field – all the mistakes that were made.

“There is a feeling Brook and McCullum are aligned, but there is a suggestion there was a divergence during the Ashes and that is a concern.

“They’ve made good decisions in the white-ball game that they didn’t in the Ashes. They missed an opportunity there and you can’t just brush over that.”

Sanju Samson hit 89 for India as they posted 253-6 and beat England by 7 runs in second semifinal of cricket’s 2026 T20 World Cup.

Defending champions India edged one of the all-time great T20 World Cup matches to beat England by seven runs in their semifinal in Mumbai.

Sanju Samson appeared to put the tournament co-hosts in a near-unassailable position with a total of 253-6 on Thursday, but a century for Jacob Bethell put England on the verge of a historic run chase.

Having found themselves 64-3 inside the powerplay, England were looking down the barrel of a heavy defeat at Wankhede Stadium.

A cameo of 17 from 5 balls by Tom Banton ignited the chase, however, and Will Jacks’s 35 from 20 aided matter in a partnership of 77 in 6.3 overs with Bethell.

When the latter fell – run out in the final over – with 105 from 48 balls, the game was up and India were on their way to the final as England finished on 246-7

Suryakumar Yadav’s side will now seek a record third T20 World Cup title when they take on New Zealand on Sunday.

Earlier, England decided to field upon winning the toss, but saw Samson’s scintillating 89 off 42 balls lay the platform for India to pile up a massive total.

The in-form opener, who made 97 not out against the West Indies in the previous match, hit seven sixes and eight fours to thrill a raucous home crowd.

The hosts flayed England’s attack to all parts of the ground, hitting 19 sixes and 18 fours, meaning Harry Brook’s side needed a T20 World Cup record chase of 254 to reach the final.

Samson signalled his intent with a four and six off Jofra Archer’s first over after Brook won the toss and decided to bowl.

Jacks took the second over and struck a blow for England when Abhishek Sharma (9) lifted the off-spinner to Phil Salt at deep mid-wicket.

Samson was given a life on 15 when Brook dropped a simple chance at mid-off off Archer.

It proved a costly mistake as, helped by some ill-disciplined bowling, Samson raced to his half-century off 26 balls with another huge six as Liam Dawson’s first over was pummelled for 19 runs.

Ishan Kishan put on 97 from 48 balls with Samson for the second wicket before the left-hander holed out to Jacks off Adil Rashid in the 10th over to make it 117-2.

Samson powered on until Jacks returned to have him caught by Salt in the deep in the 14th over, at which point India were 160-3.

Shivam Dube continued the onslaught with 43 off 25 balls with four sixes before being run out by Brook’s direct hit.

Hardik Pandya hit 27 off 12 balls late on and Tilak Varma 21 off seven balls to take India past the 250 mark.

Jacks was the pick of the England bowlers with 2-40 but the wayward Archer was plundered, taking 1-61 off his four overs.

New Zealand beat South Africa in a comprehensive victory on Wednesday and await in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia well before the air strikes on their country by the US and Israel began last Saturday.

More than 1,100 Iranian civilians are estimated to have been killed according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, external (HRNA).

“No-one likes what’s happening, no-one wants war,” said head coach Marziyeh Jafari.

In the same news conference however, she insisted Iran have “come here to play football”.

A 4-0 defeat by Australia on Thursday means they now must beat Philippines on Sunday to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages.

Their approach to the national anthem has matched that taken by the men’s team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were silent before their first game against England and then sang along before their next match against Wales.

That campaign came against the backdrop of significant domestic protests in Iran over the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

Before this game, dozens of Iranian-Australians gathered outside the stadium in Gold Coast waving Israeli, Australian and pre-revolution Iranian flags.

Follow our live build up, with full toss and team news coverage, ahead of our live text commentary stream.

Finn Allen hits fastest century at a T20 World Cup as New Zealand crush South Africa by nine wickets to reach final.

New ⁠Zealand stormed into the Twenty20 World Cup final ⁠with a nine-wicket demolition of South Africa in ⁠the first semifinal at the Eden Gardens.

Put into bat, South Africa recovered ‌from a precarious 77-5 to post a competitive 169-8 after Marco Jansen led their recovery with a belligerent 55 not ⁠out.

Finn Allen smashed an ⁠unbeaten 100 off 33 balls, however, and shared a 117-run ⁠opening stand with Tim Seifert (58) as ⁠New Zealand romped ⁠to their target in only 12.5 overs.

Allen’s achievement was the fastest century scored at a T20 World Cup.

“We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early,” Allen said. “It is easy for me when Tim [Seifert] is going like that. The way he batted got us off to an absolute flyer.

“It is easy in semifinals to stay up for the fight and with Tim [Seifert] we keep each other in it, and we enjoy it out there together.”

Earlier Jansen’s fifty came in response to Kiwis spinners Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie took two wickets each before Tristan Stubbs and Jansen put on 73 to rescue the innings at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

Stubbs (29) and Jansen, who hit two fours and five sixes in his 30-ball knock, helped set New Zealand a target of 170 to reach the final.

India successfully chased 196 against the West Indies on Sunday on the same ground.

South Africa were the only unbeaten team in the tournament, while New Zealand had edged into the semifinals on net run-rate.

McConchie struck first in the second over with his off-spin to send back Quinton De Kock for 10 and Ryan Rickelton next ball, but Dewald Brevis avoided the hat-trick.

Aiden Markram was reprieved on three when Ravindra dropped him at midwicket off pace bowler Lockie Ferguson.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra made amends when he had the South Africa captain caught in the deep by Daryl Mitchell for 18.

David Miller was dropped on three by Glenn Phillips but fell for six to Ravindra five balls later, with Mitchell again taking the catch at long-on.

South Africa had lost half their side in 10.2 overs when Jimmy Neesham cut short Brevis’s knock on 34.

Ferguson bowled Stubbs but Jansen hit him for six to reach his fifty.

Pace bowler Matt Henry, who arrived back only on Tuesday night after going home for the birth of his child, took 2-34.

The bowling figures for South Africa will be ones to quickly forget, as the figures to focus on – and the moment to remember – belonged to Allen.

“You take the positives from this game, celebrate little moments of success,” Allen added “Then we have a final to play on Sunday and we look forward to that.”

Defending champions India take on ‌twice champions England in the second semi-final in Mumbai ‌on ‌Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s final.

With England needing 43 from the last 18 balls to beat New Zealand on Friday, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed put on an unbeaten partnership of 44 from 16 balls to secure the win.

In the previous two games, England made a below-par 146-9 against Sri Lanka only to dismiss their co-hosts for 95 to secure victory, and were 58-4 against Pakistan before Brook himself hit a stunning century.

Those three victories followed a group stage where England struggled to beat Nepal, Scotland and Italy and were beaten by West Indies.

Their success also follows the dismal Ashes tour of Australia in Test cricket.

“I don’t believe we need a perfect game to win the competition,” said Brook, who is leading England for the first time at a World Cup.

“We’ve won those tight games which in World Cups prove to be very important and we’ve got a lot of confidence going into the deeper parts of the game.

“We’ve got a lot of competitive lads. Everybody wants to win, which is a given really, but even off the field when we’re playing golf, playing cards, whatever, everybody is always really competitive and they always have that slight edge and they take it out into the cricket as well.”

Brook said he expects Thursday’s atmosphere to be “awesome”, with the match to be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in front of 33,000 spectators.

England resisted naming an XI before the toss, but seam-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton appears likely to replace leg-spinner Ahmed.

India were the overwhelming pre-tournament favourites but have also stuttered at times in the competition.

They were given a scare by the United States in the group stage and were well beaten by South Africa in the Super 8s.

“I said the other day there’s a lot of pressure on both sides, potentially more on them going into here with the crowd and the disappointment they had against South Africa as well,” Brook said.

“But we’re just going to go out there, stick to what we know and assess conditions as quickly as possible and give it real good fight.”

Donald’s reappointment always felt like a no-brainer – certainly from the perspective of the European Ryder Cup committee trying mastermind another home victory, the players who adore and admire the Englishman, and the thousands of European fans who jubilantly chanted “two more years” as they partied at Bethpage.

The only one who seemed to need convincing was Donald himself.

Donald has thrown everything into the role – arguably more than any other captain in the 99-year history of the iconic event. So it is no surprise he wanted to take his time over the decision whether to continue or not.

On the morning after Europe clung on to victory, Donald looked exhausted when he sat down for a BBC Sport interview.

It was not a hangover from the celebrations. It was a hangover from the mental and physical exertions spent over the whole Bethpage cycle.

What Donald had to weigh up was whether he had enough energy to go through another 18 months of meticulous research, preparation and implementation.

His leadership has been characterised by warm man-management and attention to detail.

How many captains regularly message a wide pool of playing candidates in an attempt to make each one of them feel integral to the team?

How many captains have asked for cracks in hotel doors to be covered because they let too much light into the rooms and could disrupt sleep?

Minor moves in a macro machine. That is what Donald has built his Ryder Cup dynasty on.

In the midst of the beer-swilling the Bethpage shindig, Shane Lowry remarked that whoever follows Donald – whenever that might be – will have to fill a void as big as the one left by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

If Donald manages to complete a rare Treble, like Fergie did in 1999, his place in the pantheons of British sporting leaders will also be secured.

League One strugglers Port Vale cause a cup upset as they beat Championship side Bristol City 1-0 in extra time at Vale Park to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in 30 years.

MATCH REPORT: Port Vale 1-0 Bristol City

Available to UK users only.

US President Donald Trump has said he “does not care” if Iran take part in this summer’s 2026 World Cup.

Trump’s comments come amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has responded by launching attacks on US-allied states in the Gulf in an escalating conflict.

The US is co-hosting the World Cup which takes place between 11 June and 19 July, along with Canada and Mexico.

“I really don’t care,” Trump told Politico, external about Iran playing in the tournament.

“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment.

Brazil’s Real Madrid forward Rodrygo called it “one of the worst days of my life” after he was ruled out for the rest of the season and 2026 World Cup with a serious knee injury.

The 25-year-old’s club said, external he had “been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and a rupture of the lateral meniscus of his right leg”.

An ACL injury often leads to footballers missing most – and sometimes all – of a season and recovery can sometimes take even longer.

Rodrygo appeared as a second-half substitute for Real in their defeat by Getafe on Monday, completing the game after coming on in the 55th minute.

It was his first appearance since a late substitute outing for the La Liga club at the start of February.

“One of the worst days of my life, how much I always feared this injury,” Rodrygo wrote in a social media post., external

“Maybe life has been a little cruel to me lately, I don’t know if I deserve this, but what can I complain about? How many wonderful things I’ve experienced that I didn’t deserve either.”

Rodrygo made five appearances for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He added: “A major obstacle has arisen in my life, in my career, which prevents me from doing what I love most for a certain period of time.

“I’m out of the rest of the season with my club and out of the World Cup with my country, a dream that everyone knows how much it means to me. And all I can do is be strong as always, this is nothing new.

“Even though it’s a very difficult time, I promise not to stop here, I believe I still have many incredible things to experience and bring joy to everyone who trusts me.”

South Africa captain Aiden Markram says his team’s win over New Zealand in the group phase will count for nothing in the T20 World Cup semifinal, which will be a “completely fresh start”.

The two teams clash at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in the first semifinal on Wednesday, with both having never lifted a cricket World Cup in either the 20-over or 50-over formats.

South Africa are the only unbeaten side in the last four, and are trying to rid themselves of a reputation for choking in the final stages at World Cups.

They have been the team to beat in this edition and got the better of New Zealand by seven wickets in a group game in Ahmedabad on February 15.

“We had a good run against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then,” Markram told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s a completely fresh start [on Wednesday] and it being a semifinal, which is exciting as well.

“I don’t think it’s as straightforward as just being able to repeat that. We’ll try to bring our best game to the front again.”

South Africa suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India in Barbados, when they needed 30 off 30 balls with six wickets and lost by seven runs after a clatter of wickets.

The Proteas beat India and the West Indies in the Super Eight to have many marking them down as the favourites to lift the trophy.

“With regards to being favourites or not, that’s all different people’s opinions,” said Markram.

“Us as a team really just try to focus on putting good games of cricket together and playing that exciting brand that we’ve been trying to play for the last 18 months or so.”

Markram has led South Africa from the front with 268 runs, including three half-centuries and a top score of 86 not out in seven matches.

He holds an impressive captaincy record of 15 wins in 16 T20 World Cup matches, with the only defeat in the 2024 final.

“The senior guys in the team, we lean on them a lot. They help guide you and lead you when you have a few doubts,” said Markram.

“I think because of that and a really strong group of players over the years, we’ve developed that. Fortunately, it reflects well, but it’s definitely a reflection on the group as a whole.”

New Zealand ‘back themselves’ as outsiders for T20 World Cup

Underdogs New Zealand, meanwhile, back themselves against anyone in “one-off games”, according to captain Mitchell Santner.

Santner admitted that Markram’s unbeaten South Africa were “very good”.

New Zealand have lost twice at this edition, also falling to England in the Super Eight, and squeaked into the semifinals on net run-rate ahead of Pakistan.

“Whether you want to call us the underdogs or not, I think for us it is everyone’s goal throughout the tournament to get to this stage,” Santner told reporters at Eden Gardens.

“We are here now, and we back ourselves on one-off games against most teams, being able to adapt as quick as we can to what’s in front of us.

“South Africa look like a very good outfit as they have shown.

“I guess they are in the same boat as us now, it is one game, and you are into the final,” said the left-arm spinner.

New Zealand will be playing their fourth semi-final in the last five T20 World Cups. They reached the final in 2021 but lost to Australia.

“It is probably two teams that have been in and around it for a long time. We know the heartbreak of South Africa two years ago,” Santner added.

“It is whoever turns up on the day, whoever sees the conditions the best.”

New Zealand are the only semifinalist to lose more than once in the tournament and defeated only two Test-playing nations on the way to the last four – Afghanistan and cohosts Sri Lanka.

“We haven’t played the perfect game throughout this tournament,” said Santner.

“That’s a good thing for us. If we can put it all together, it can put us in a pretty good position.

“There is no real hiding or secrets about what South Africa are going to bring.

“We know they are probably going to roll out the same team and a very good team.”

New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry returned home for the birth of his second child after the defeat to England in Colombo on Friday.

Santner said the bowler would arrive back later Tuesday night.

“He’ll obviously have a little run around in the morning to see if he’s ready to go.”

With 100 ⁠days to go until the tournament kicks off, appetite for tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is reaching fever pitch despite eye-watering prices that have fans crying foul amid global unrest after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

In addition ⁠to the war against Iran – a country scheduled to play its World Cup group stage games in the US – the heavy-handed immigration crackdowns in the US and the violence that erupted near host city Guadalajara after the death of Mexico’s most-wanted drug cartel leader are causing concern for fans.

“I’m afraid I might not ⁠be allowed into the country. I’ve decided to fly to Canada at most but not to the USA,” German football fan Tom Roeder told the Reuters news agency

“I hope that at least the issue of war with Iran does not reach North America, at least not in a way that affects us personally.”

FIFA, which did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment, has said nearly 2 million tickets were sold in the first two sales phases and demand was so intense that World Cup tickets were oversubscribed more than 30 ‌times.

The most expensive tickets for the opening game are going for almost $900 and more than $8,000 for the final while tickets in general cost at least $200 for matches involving leading nations. The cheapest tickets for the final cost $2,000 and the best seats $8,680 – that is before taking into account FIFA’s official resale site, where one category three seat for the game in New Jersey on July 19 was being advertised for an eye-watering $143,750, more than 41 times its original face value of $3,450.

Political and social tensions surrounding host nations are nothing new for the World Cup.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said there was “no risk” for fans coming to the country, and Adrian Nunez Corte, leader of Unipes, a fan association in Spain, said the situation has not affected willingness to buy tickets.

“Obviously, it is causing concern, but some Spanish fans living in the area have helped to calm things down after the initial hours of alarm,” Corte said.

“There is no alarm regarding US immigration policy, but people are taking preparation of the necessary visas seriously to avoid problems, especially since some fans will be travelling between the US and Mexico due to the match schedule.”

The buzz around the tournament in North America is unprecedented.

“The demand for the 2026 World Cup ⁠in the USA, Canada and Mexico is the strongest I’ve ever experienced,” said Michael Edgley, director at Australia’s Green and ⁠Gold Army Travel.

“I think FIFA will make record amounts of money. There’s no question.

“This World Cup will be a massive financial success, and the beneficiaries will be the member federations.”

But such popularity comes with a price.

Geography adds another layer of complexity as the tournament spans 16 host cities across three countries, making it more challenging and expensive for fans wanting to follow their teams.

“The price of ⁠tickets has been a major drawback, particularly affecting the number of matches each fan will attend, as well as the distances between venues and the costs involved,” Corte said.

Secondary ticket market soars

The sticker shock is even more pronounced this year, especially with ⁠a huge resale market in which tickets are sold at above face value, which is legal in the ⁠US and Canada.

FIFA defended the ticketing model.

“Unlike the entities behind profit-driven third-party ticket marketplaces, FIFA is a not-for-profit organisation,” a spokesperson said.

“Revenue generated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket sales model is reinvested into the global development of football. … FIFA expects to reinvest more than 90 percent of its budgeted investment for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game.”

Mehdi Salem, vice president of the French football fans association Les ‌Baroudeurs du Sport, said its members are seeing more than a 200 percent increase on what they were told would be the prices in 2018 by the French federation and FIFA.

The pricing pain is so acute that Salem’s association, which boasts about 400 members, will have only 100 attend the tournament – a dramatic drop that he attributed to ticket prices ‌and ‌the political landscape in the US.

“We feel like this World Cup will not really be a people’s World Cup but rather an elitist World Cup,” Salem added.

James has not played since the Switzerland win because Seattle Reign’s National Women’s Soccer League campaign ended in November, although she was involved in pre-season before joining up with Wales last week.

James also struggled for game-time after returning to her club following Euro 2025.

Even so, the 31-year-old says she is in a good place as she prepares to win her 140th cap.

“I worked so hard in the off-season to make sure that I’m ready for Wales and Wales always comes first in my eyes,” James said.

“So if I knew that I had to be ready for this game, I’ll make sure that I am at the best I can be for this game.”

When asked about her lack of minutes for Reign in the autumn, James added: “I think there’d be something wrong if I didn’t think about it.

“Do I want to play more football? Of course I do. And am I going to push to play more this year? Yeah, I am.

“So I’m in a good place and hopefully I can go back and hit the ground running after two games here with Wales.”

Despite any talk of top-order frailties, India remain a frightening T20 team.

Yes, they were well beaten by South Africa and given a scare by USA but there is a reason they came into this tournament as overwhelming favourites.

Between the end of the last T20 World Cup in 2024 and the start of this, India won 33 of their 41 matches making them the most consistent team cricket’s most inconsistent format has seen.

With the bat, they started slowly in this tournament but gained momentum by scoring 256-4 against Zimbabwe in the penultimate match of the Super 8s.

They scored 69 runs in the final four overs that day – something that is becoming a clear strength.

India are only the 10th fastest-scoring team in the middle phase of an innings but have hit more boundaries than anyone else at the death. They have hit 57 boundaries in the last four overs compared to England’s 44.

And while India have not lost a T20 at the Wankhede since 2017, it is a ground with bad memories for England.

It is where they lost to West Indies in the group stage, were beaten by a record 150 runs by India last year – Abhishek scored 135 from 54 balls that day – and lost to South Africa in their largest one-day international defeat in terms of runs at the 2023 World Cup.

That day, England wilted in the Mumbai heat and temperatures are forecast to hit 39 degrees during the daylight hours on Thursday.

It will not be much cooler when the match begins at 19:00 local time.

Rhian Wilkinson intends to continue rotating her goalkeepers during Wales’ Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Wales kick off their bid to reach the 2027 World Cup in Brazil when they face the Czech Republic at the City Stadium in Uherske Hradiste on Tuesday.

Wilkinson has regularly switched between her two frontline keepers, Olivia Clark and Safia Middleton-Patel, during her time as Wales head coach and says that approach will continue.

“Both of them have performed for Wales but I don’t feel either of them really grabbed the jersey yet and so I try not to make it [so] that it’s a combative environment,” Wilkinson said.

“They know before they come in which games they’re going to be playing, so I try to tell them that you have just got to perform in your game.

“If they can do that consistently, they’ll grab the number one, but I do not feel one of them has taken that number one role yet.”

The president of Iran’s soccer federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the United States following the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised the risk of regional instability.

Iran has been drawn in Group G at the World Cup and is scheduled to play in Los Angeles — where it faces New Zealand and Belgium on June 15 and 21, respectively at SoFi Stadium — before it plays Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

The United States is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19.

Fans from Iran were already banned from entering the U.S. in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.

FIFA did not immediately reply to an email from The Associated Press over the current situation regarding Iran’s participation in the World Cup.

Samson hits 97 not out, West Indian bowling flounders in Kolkata as India set up World Cup semifinal against England.

Sanju Samson produced one of the calmest innings under the pressure of a run chase to send India into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup with a five-wicket win over the West Indies in Kolkata.

Samson, who returned to the Indian playing XI in the previous match after being overlooked for the three games prior to it, remained not out on 97 as India pulled off an impressive win in front of a packed Eden Gardens crowd on Sunday.

The wicketkeeper-batter was the only Indian player to score more than 30 runs as the defending champions faced the Maroons in a winner-takes-all Super Eight game.

In the process, Samson recorded the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup run chase, going past Virat Kohli’s 82 against Australia in 2016 and Pakistan in 2022.

The cohosts will now face England in the second semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday, while New Zealand and South Africa will meet in the first last-four match on Wednesday in Kolkata.

Samson’s cool demeanour in the face of a high target and an expectant home crowd laid the foundation of India’s chase after they lost star batter Abhishek Sharma in the third over.

The 31-year-old from southern India then took control of the innings, hitting regular boundaries in his 50-ball knock. Samson’s 97 not out came off 12 fours and four sixes.

While he enjoyed brief support from India’s top and middle order batters, none crossed the 20-run mark until Tilak Varma scored 27 off 15 balls in a 42-run partnership with Samson.

India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and Hardik Pandya (17) were the other contributors to the total, which was sealed with two boundaries off Samson’s bat in the last over.

West Indian pacers Shamar Joseph and Jason Holder picked up two wickets apiece as their teammates struggled to control the flow of runs off Samson’s bat.

Earlier, a 68-run opening partnership between captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase gave the West Indies a swift start to their innings.

Chase, who scored 40 off 25 balls, was the more aggressive of the two openers as he made the most of his dropped catch by Abhishek Sharma to take on Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah in the first six overs.

Hope was dismissed for 32 after a sluggish innings and replaced by in-form batter Shimron Hetmyer.

The cricket tournament’s fifth-ranked leading run-scorer sped his way to 27 off 12 balls before falling caught behind to Bumrah.

India looked to be in control soon after as the West Indies were reduced to 119-4 in the 15th over. But a strong finish from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder took the 2012 and 2016 champions to 195.

Powell was unbeaten on 34 and Holder on 37 off 22 balls as they looked to put the pre-tournament favourites under pressure in front of a packed Eden Gardens.

Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers with two crucial wickets off his four overs.

Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy picked up the other two West Indian wickets.