LIV Golf events will be extended to 72 holes from 2026, putting them in line with the sport’s established tours.
The Saudi Arabia-backed circuit began in 2022 with 54-hole events and the unconventional format of events played a role in players being denied official ranking points.
Most LIV events have been played from Friday to Sunday but will now be contested from Thursday of tournament weeks – apart from a Wednesday start for February’s LIV Golf Riyadh.
“LIV Golf is a player’s league,” said the former world number one. “We are competitors to the core and we want every opportunity to compete at the highest level and to perfect our craft.
“Moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and, if the growing galleries from last season are any indication, delivers more of what the fans want.”
Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points play a key role in determining entry into golf’s four majors.
LIV Golf players have slid down the rankings with Rahm now 71st in the world while Dustin Johnson, another former world number one, is 604th.
“Playing 72 holes just feels a little more like the big tournaments we’ve all grown up playing,” said Johnson. “I’ve always liked the grind of four rounds.”
Bryson DeChambeau, who is also on the LIV tour, added: “Everyone wants to see the best players in the world competing against each other, especially in the majors, and for the good of the game, we need a path forward.”
For each regular season event, the individual competition will be decided over 72 holes of stroke play.
The team competition will continue to run concurrently, with each team’s cumulative individual stroke play scores determining the team result.
“The move to 72 holes marks a pivotal new chapter for LIV Golf that strengthens our league, challenges our elite field of players, and delivers more of the world-class golf, energy, innovation and access that our global audience wants,” said LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil.
“The most successful leagues around the world – IPL, EPL, NBA, MLB, NFL – continue to innovate and evolve their product, and as an emerging league, we are no different.”
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 is hosted by Qatar and will kick off on November 3, with the final on November 27.
The tournament will start with two matches: South Africa vs Bolivia, and Costa Rica vs the United Arab Emirates.
The U-17 World Cup final will take place at Doha’s 45,000-seat Khalifa International Stadium.
All matches until the final will be played across eight pitches at the Aspire Zone complex in Al Rayyan.
The U-17 World Cup 2025 is the first to be played in the 48-team format instead of the previous biennial 24-team tournaments.
The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups for the tournament, with 104 matches in total.
The group stage will run until November 11, with the 32-team knockout stage scheduled to begin on November 14.
Here are the details on the teams, groups, format, match fixtures, kickoff times and venues for FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025:
Groups and teams
⚽ Group A: Qatar, Italy, South Africa, Bolivia ⚽ Group B: Japan, Morocco, New Caledonia, Portugal ⚽ Group C: Senegal, Croatia, Costa Rica, United Arab Emirates ⚽ Group D: Argentina, Belgium, Tunisia, Fiji ⚽ Group E: England, Venezuela, Haiti, Egypt ⚽ Group F: Mexico, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Switzerland ⚽ Group G: Germany, Colombia, North Korea, El Salvador ⚽ Group H: Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Zambia ⚽ Group I: USA, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Czechia ⚽ Group J: Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Panama, Ireland ⚽ Group K: France, Chile, Canada, Uganda ⚽ Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia
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Format
The top two nations in each group automatically qualify for the knockout rounds, while the eight best third-place teams will also proceed further.
Winners of the last-32 advance to the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.
In knockout fixtures, if a game is level at the end of normal playing time, no extra time shall be played, with a penalty shootout determining the winner.
Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiti, a former Qatari footballer, shows a result paper bearing the name of Portugal during the U-17 World Cup draw in Doha, Qatar, on May 25 [Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
Match schedule
⚽ Group Stage
3 November
Group A: South Africa vs Bolivia (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group C: Costa Rica vs United Arab Emirates (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group C: Senegal vs Croatia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Group B: Japan vs Morocco (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group D: Argentina vs Belgium (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group B: New Caledonia vs Portugal (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group A: Qatar vs Italy (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group D: Tunisia vs Fiji (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
4 November
Group F: Ivory Coast vs Switzerland (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group H: Brazil vs Honduras (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm /12:0 GMT)
Group F: Mexico vs South Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Group E: Haiti vs Egypt (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group G: Germany vs Colombia (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group E: England vs Venezuela (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group G: North Korea vs El Salvador (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group H: Indonesia vs Zambia (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
5 November
Group I: Tajikistan vs Czechia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group J: Panama vs Ireland (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group J: Paraguay vs Uzbekistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00pm/13:00 GMT)
Group L: Austria vs Saudi Arabia (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group L: Mali vs New Zealand (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group I: USA vs Burkina Faso (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group K: France vs Chile (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group K: Canada vs Uganda (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
6 November
Group A: Bolivia vs Italy (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group B: Portugal vs Morocco (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group B: Japan vs New Caledonia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Group D: Argentina vs Tunisia (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group D: Fiji vs Belgium (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group C: United Arab Emirates vs Croatia (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group A: Qatar vs South Africa (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group C: Senegal vs Costa Rica (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
7 November
Group E: England vs Haiti (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group G: El Salvador vs Colombia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group G: Germany vs North Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Group E: Egypt vs Venezuela (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group F: Mexico vs Ivory Coast (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group F: Switzerland vs South Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group H: Brazil vs Indonesia (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group H: Zambia vs Honduras (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
8 November
Group I: Czechia vs Burkina Faso (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group K: Uganda vs Chile (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group L: Mali vs Austria (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Group K: France vs Canada (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group I: USA vs Tajikistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group J: Paraguay vs Panama (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Group J: Ireland vs Uzbekistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group L: Saudi Arabia vs New Zealand (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
9 November
Group D: Fiji vs Argentina (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group D: Belgium vs Tunisia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group B: Portugal vs Japan (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group B: Morocco vs New Caledonia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group C: United Arab Emirates vs Senegal (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group C: Croatia vs Costa Rica (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group A: Bolivia vs Qatar (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group A: Italy vs South Africa (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
10 November
Group F: Switzerland vs Mexico (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group F: South Korea vs Ivory Coast (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group G: El Salvador vs Germany (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group G: Colombia vs North Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group H: Zambia vs Brazil (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group H: Honduras vs Indonesia (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group E: Egypt vs England (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group E: Venezuela vs Haiti (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
11 November
Group K: Uganda vs France (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group K: Chile vs Canada (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Group J: Ireland vs Paraguay (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group J: Uzbekistan vs Panama (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Group I: Czechia vs USA (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group I: Burkina Faso vs Tajikistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Group L: Saudi Arabia vs Mali (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Group L: New Zealand vs Austria (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Rest days on 12 and 13 November
The FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy on display during the FIFA U-17 World Cup Finals draw [Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
⚽ Round of 32
14 November
Match 1 (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Match 2 (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Match 3 (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Match 4 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Match 5 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Match 6 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Match 7 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Match 8 (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
15 November
Match 9 (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Match 10 (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
Match 11 (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)
Match 12 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)
Match 13 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)
Match 14 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)
Match 15 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
Match 16 (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)
27 November (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)
⚽ Final
27 November
Final (Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, 9pm/18:00 GMT)
The U-17 final will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 45,857 and was one of the main venues for the Qatar World Cup 2022 [Lintao Zhang/Getty Images]
The picture for the FIFA World Cup 2026 became a lot clearer on Tuesday when a number of top teams across the continents booked their place at football’s global showpiece.
The number of confirmed teams has now risen to 28 following the latest round of qualifiers, with another 20 still to be filled by various confederational playoffs, intercontinental playoffs, and – in Europe’s case – the main qualifying stage, which still needs to be completed.
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England, South Africa and Qatar were among the headline names to book their place at the tournament on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the tournament that the nations around the world are all vying to reach.
When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, US, on July 19.
Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.
When will we know all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs will be the last chance saloon for teams around the world to reach next summer’s event. The finale of that route will be on March 31, 2026, less than three months before the World Cup kicks off. The European qualification process runs until March, but most of the remaining confederations will have finished their continental qualification processes long before then.
What are the FIFA intercontinental playoffs?
Once the respective confederations finish their qualification process, FIFA offers two final spots to be contested by the best-placed team from each of the six continental routes that have not already qualified.
When is the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Although we will not know the full list of teams for the event until the end of March 2026, the draw will take place on December 5, 2025.
Where will the draw be held for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The draw will take place in the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. US President Donald Trump confirmed the location while speaking in the Oval Office at the White House, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. He did not rule out overseeing the draw itself.
What will the format be for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
With the expansion to 48 teams, the World Cup will now feature 12 four-team groups. That in turn will lead to a round of 32, an extra knockout round to previous editions.
Indeed, the tournament has doubled in size since it was staged in the US in 1994, when only 24 teams competed.
Can Trump move games at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Trump has been quite clear and consistent on the staging of games within the US, saying he will move the games from any cities that he deems to be unsafe.
On September 26, when Trump was asked about games being moved, he warned: “Well, that’s an interesting question … but we’re going to make sure they’re safe. [Seattle and San Francisco are] run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing.”
How will the FIFA World Cup 2026 game staging be split between the hosts?
The US will stage games in 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York (joint host region), Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
Canada will host 13 games in total, split between Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will also get 13 games, which will be played in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Where will the FIFA World Cup 2026 final be staged?
Argentina won the last edition of the FIFA World Cup, beating France in the final of Qatar 2022.
With the game level at 3-3 after extra time, Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2.
Will the weather affect games at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was staged in the US, and the heat and resulting thunderstorms proved to be a huge problem for the tournament.
Three stadiums – in Arlington, Atlanta and Houston – have retractable roofs that are expected to be closed due to the summer heat, while Inglewood and Vancouver have fixed roofs.
Which teams have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
After the latest round of qualifying matches, here is a breakdown of the confirmed contenders from each of the six regions:
Hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
Which teams can still qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Africa: Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Nigeria will play off for the final intercontinental spot from the continent. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced November 13 for the first matches, followed by a deciding match three days later.
Asia: UAE and Iraq will vie for one intercontinental playoffs spot when they compete over two legs in the final stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers on November 13 and 18.
Europe: 53 of the 54 European teams vying for 16 qualification spots can still confirm their berths, alongside England, as their first-round matches will run until November 18. European qualification will run until March, just before the intercontinental playoffs begin.
North, Central America and the Caribbean: Three spots remain up for grabs, given the World Cup hosts take up three spots already. Bermuda, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago have all advanced to the third round, with the winners to be decided by November 18. The three second-placed teams from each group will then fight for the intercontinental playoffs spot.
Oceania: New Caledonia have qualified for the intercontinental playoffs.
South America: Bolivia have qualified for the intercontinental playoffs, having missed out on one of the six automatic qualifying positions.
NEW YORK — If Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vaults into national prominence as a Democratic leader, he may one day look back at Thursday as a key step in that direction.
SiriusXM announced that it was giving Beshear’s new podcast a national platform starting this month, along with featuring him in a regular call-in show on its Progress network.
President Trump’s appearances on podcasts were a pivotal media strategy in his successful 2024 Republican campaign. Moving forward, mastering a personal podcast could replace soft-focus biographies or wonky books as a way for politicians to increase their profiles.
Beshear said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this summer that he will “take a look” at running for president in 2028. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also in the circle of potential presidential nominees, started his own podcast earlier this year.
Speaking to the anxiety of Americans
In an interview, Beshear said a motivating factor in his own podcast was people who have come up to him, especially during the Trump administration, to talk about their anxieties.
“That’s how Americans feel,” he said. “They feel like the news hits them minute after minute after minute. And it can feel like chaos. It can feel like the world is out of control. With this podcast, we’re trying to help Americans process what we’re going through.”
He’s already done nearly two dozen podcasts, with his audience heavily weighted toward Kentucky residents. His guests have included some potential Democratic presidential rivals, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban, former Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari and Kentucky-born actor and comic Steve Zahn have also appeared.
Beshear, the son of a former governor who’s been leading Kentucky since 2019, talks issues himself. Two of his friends, a Republican and a Democrat, are regular guests, and his 16-year-old son helps Dad navigate some youthful lingo.
Newsom attracted attention — some of it negative among Democrats — for interviewing conservative guests Steve Bannon, Michael Savage and Charlie Kirk on his podcast.
“I did disagree with him on certain guests because I don’t like to give oxygen to hate,” Beshear said. “But Gavin is out there really working to communicate with the American people, and he deserves to be commended for it.”
Newsom’s podcast started slowly in the marketplace but has caught fire in recent weeks, his regular audiences jumping from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands, said Paul Riismandel, president of Signal Hill Insights, an audio-focused market research company.
The California governor’s increased visibility, particularly on social media, is likely a factor in the growing popularity of the podcast, Riismandel said. But it’s also a function of how podcasts often catch on: Many tend to be slow burns as audiences discover them, he said.
Learning to master the format of podcasts
Whether ambitious politicians start their own podcasts or not, they’re going to have to be familiar going forward with what makes people successful in the format.
“With a podcast, the audience expects a more unfiltered, authentic kind of conversation and presentation,” Riismandel said. If politicians come across as too controlled, looking for the sort of soundbites that will be broken out in a television appearance, it’s not likely to work, he said. They have to be willing to open up.
“That is something that is probably new for a lot of politicians,” he said, “and new for their handlers.”
Beshear’s first podcast for SiriusXM will feature an interview with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), conducted in the company’s New York studio and debuting Sept. 10. The Progress network will air Beshear’s podcasts regularly on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The first live call-in show will be next Tuesday at noon, with Beshear joined by Progress host John Fugelsang.
Beshear stressed that his work for SiriusXM is “not just aimed at a Democratic audience.”
“We’re aiming,” he said, “at an American audience.”
The NBA’s quest to “create an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and our players can be proud of” continues in earnest and with a new partner.
NBC joins the effort to inject life into what has become a moribund endeavor. Under the NBA’s new broadcast deal, the network will air the Feb. 15 game that will be hosted by the Clippers at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Silver and others in the know floated a trial balloon Wednesday evening, revealing that the 2026 All-Star Game is likely to be a round-robin tournament consisting of three eight-player teams — two comprised of U.S.-born players and one of players from other countries.
The NBA and the players’ union presented the format to the league’s competition committee on Wednesday and the response was positive, according to several media outlets.
Silver admitted that the convoluted format used this year “was a miss.” Three eight-man all-star squads and a fourth team of rookies and sophomores played a tournament of untimed games to a target score of 40 points.
Pitting U.S. All-Stars against those from other countries has long been an appealing concept to Silver. However, the league is about 70% American and 30% international, complicating a traditional one-game All-Star format. Creating two teams of eight U.S. all-stars and one team of eight from other countries would solve the numbers issue. The three teams would play each other in 12-minute quarter round-robin games.
The impetus to devise a new All-Star Game format escalated when the final score in 2024 was a ridiculous 211-186. There was no defense for a game in which nobody played any defense.
Asked about the lack of effort in preventing the other team from scoring, then-Lakers center Anthony Davis shrugged and said, “It’s an All-Star Game.”
The simple East-West format of that game was an effort to get away from the musical performances, prolonged introductions and rosters drafted by team captains that had plagued the event for years.
Silver was searching for a way to generate effort from the players and excitement from the crowd, saying before the game, “we’re not necessarily looking for players to go out there as if it’s the Finals, but we need players to play defense, we need them to care about this game. And the feeling was that maybe — and I’ll take responsibility for it; as you know, I used to run something called NBA Entertainment — that we’d gotten carried away a little bit with the entertainment aspect.”
A combined 397 points didn’t cut it, especially the part about playing defense. The format tried in March was a flop, with Silver admitting, “We’re a bit back to the drawing board.”
Should the competition committee green-light the new format, fans in L.A. will be able to decide in February whether the NBA has finally created an All-Star event that appeals to players enough for them to make an effort.
Television ratings might increase simply because the All-Star Game will be aired on NBC during the Milan Winter Olympics. The game will be played in the afternoon rather than the evening and is expected to be followed by NBC’s daily Olympics prime-time show from Milan.
“[The Olympics] present an enormous opportunity for us to do something with an international competition instead of the traditional All-Star formats that we’ve used,” Silver said last spring.
THE US Open mixed doubles tournament is getting a revamp this year, with some of the best singles players in the world stepping on court.
Instead of doubles happening at the same time as singles – like at the other three Grand Slams – the 2025 mixed doubles tournament at Flushing Meadows will take place a week before the singles tournament.
1
Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will be playing as a team
The change has caused some controversy, as 2025 Wimbledon mixed doubles champ Sem Verbeek branded it “a shame“.
Who’s playing in the 2025 US Open mixed doubles?
There are eight teams confirmed for the US Open mixed doubles.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz will team up with British No. 1 Emma Raducanu – who won the singles tournament in 2021.
Earlier this year, they sparked romance rumours after being spotted at each other’s matches at Wimbledon and Queen’s.
Other confirmed teams include World No 1 Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, Brit No 1 Jack Draper and Spain’s Paula Badosa, and all-American duo Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula.
Two more teams will receive a wildcard in the coming weeks. Among the favourites to receive the final wildcards are Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, plus British No 2 Katie Boulter and her fiance Alex de Minaur, who tweeted: “Katie and I would like to ask for a WC pretty pretty please”.
What is the draw for the US Open mixed doubles?
Top Half
(1) Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper vs Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz
Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic vs Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev
(3) Iga Siwatek & Casper Ruud vs Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe
Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils vs Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti
Bottom Half
Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner vs Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev
Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton vs (4) Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune
Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka vs Karolina Muchova & Andrey Rublev
Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori vs (2) Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz
When does the US Open mixed doubles tournament start?
The revamped US Open mixed doubles championship will take place over two days, on August 19 and 20.
The first and second rounds will start at 11am New York time (6am BST) on August 19, and the semi-final at 7pm (2pm BST) the following evening – with the final set to begin soon after.
The US Open as a whole will last three weeks, and will finish with the men’s singles final on September 7.
How much is the US Open mixed doubles prize money?
The 2025 mixed doubles champions will receive $1 million (about £740,000) in prize money.
This is five times as much as last year’s $200,000 (£148,600) prize money, won by Italy’s Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori – who have received a wildcard into this year’s tournament.
What is the controversy behind the 2025 US Open mixed doubles?
The new US Open mixed doubles format has sparked controversy for taking away opportunities from players who specialise in doubles.
Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands told BBC Sport that his “heart is bleeding” at not having the chance to play.
His doubles partner at Wimbledon, Czechia’s Katerina Siniakova – currently the world No 2 in doubles and an Olympic gold medallist – added: “I think it’s a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.”
Last year’s US Open mixed doubles champions, Errani and Vavassori, echoed their feelings.
“We see it as a profound injustice that disrespects an entire category of players,” the Italian duo said in a joint statement.
Where can I watch the US Open mixed doubles?
All the US Open action – singles and doubles – can be streamed in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports.
Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Sem Verbeek says his “heart is bleeding” over a change in format at the US Open that means he and partner Katerina Siniakova will be unable to play there together.
The duo beat Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) in the final on Centre Court on Thursday.
The US Open will hold its mixed doubles competition as a standalone event before the start of the Slam from this year onwards in an attempt to attract top singles players to participate.
Several eye-catching partnerships have been announced for the new-look event, including British number one Emma Raducanu teaming up with two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
But it means the vast majority of doubles specialists will miss out on playing in the mixed competition in New York.
“It’s a shame they decided to do it,” Czech Siniakova, the world number one in women’s doubles, told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.”
Dutchman Verbeek agreed, adding: “As two athletes that would love to play it, it’s a shame to obviously know that we can’t.
“I’m not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there’s going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public.
England will look to hold on to their crown when the 14th edition of the UEFA European Women’s Championship, or Women’s Euro 2025, begins in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The continent’s top nations will compete over the course of the 26-day tournament across eight host cities.
Here’s everything you need to know about the championship:
When and where is Euro 2025?
Switzerland is playing host to the Women’s Euro for the first time.
The tournament begins in Thun on Wednesday, July 2 and concludes in Basel on Sunday, July 27.
How many countries are participating in the Women’s Euro 2025?
Of the 51 national women’s bodies associated with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), 16 have qualified for the championship.
They will be divided into four groups:
Group A
Switzerland
Norway
Iceland
Finland
Group B
Spain
Portugal
Belgium
Italy
Group C
Germany
Poland
Denmark
Sweden
Group D
France
England
Wales
Netherlands
Which teams are favourites to win Women’s Euro 2025?
Apart from holders England and world champions Spain, former Olympic gold medal winners Germany are firm favourites to lift the trophy. Here’s a brief look at each team’s pedigree:
England: The defending champions will gain confidence from their top rank in UEFA’s rankings heading into the tournament. Under the leadership of their trusted coach, Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses enter the tournament on the back of mixed results in their UEFA Nations League matches. The young-looking squad will lean on the experienced Lucy Bronze, who will be playing in her fourth Euro, as they look to build on the success of their predecessors.
Spain: Arguably the most exciting women’s team to watch thanks to their prowess in front of the goal, Spain are the current world champions. The women in red and gold would like to one up their men’s team of the early 2010s by winning the Euro on top of a World Cup title. La Roja have won five of their six competitive matches in 2025, scoring 21 goals in the process.
Germany: Germans are the undeniable queens of European football, having won the tournament on a whopping eight occasions, including six consecutive titles from 1995 to 2013. Also the world champions twice, they are another in-form team, having won five of their six games in 2025 with 26 goals scored and only three conceded.
Spain will be favourites to add the European title to their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 win [File: Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]
Will Aitana Bonmati play in Euro 2025?
Up until Friday, Bonmati’s participation in the tournament was unquestionable as the superstar midfielder is the centrepiece of the Spanish side. However, the 27-year-old tested positive for viral meningitis and was hospitalised in Madrid.
The Spanish football federation, RFEF, however, is hopeful that the star player will return to the squad in a few days despite not being part of the contingent travelling to Switzerland on Sunday.
“After several days hospitalised with viral meningitis, Aitana Bonmati has been discharged from the hospital and will join the Spanish national team in the coming days,” RFEF said in a brief statement.
The Barcelona player, winner of the Ballon d’Or award in 2023 and 2024, posted a photo from her hospital bed on social media on Sunday, giving a thumbs-up and stating: “Fortunately, everything is going well. I hope to return soon.”
Bonmati has been pivotal for Spain, scoring 30 goals in 78 appearances and helping them win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and last year’s UEFA Nations League.
Gracias a tod@s por los mensajes recibidos y a l@s que me habéis ayudado estos días. Afortunadamente todo va bien, espero volver pronto. 💪🏼⚔️🧠
— Aitana Bonmatí Conca (@AitanaBonmati) June 29, 2025
Who are the key players to watch at Euro 2025?
Ewa Pajor (Poland): The Barcelona forward is ranked among the world’s top strikers and has scored 43 goals in her 45 appearances for the club in the past season. She has won more than 100 caps for her country, scoring 68 goals in the process and has been named the nation’s top women’s player on five occasions. The tournament debutantes will rely on Pajor’s red-hot form to see them through to the knockouts and beyond.
Alexia Putellas (Spain): Arguably one of the greatest women to play the game, Putellas will be the mainstay of Spain’s midfield and attack as the world champions seek a third title. The Barcelona player had another incredible season for the Spanish champions, scoring 17 goals in 25 appearances to add to her control of the team’s midfield. Putellas missed out on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 and would like to make up for it with a Euro win.
Klara Buhl (Germany): The German winger has been playing for the European giants Bayern Munich since 2020 and has made 102 appearances. Making her international debut in 2019, Buhl has scored 28 goals for Germany in 67 games. She will be among the top young players at the 2025 championship.
Lauren James (England): Another bright young European footballer, James has swiftly climbed up the ranks in Wiegman’s squad. The 23-year-old will have plenty of eyes on her as she leads England’s attack in Switzerland. She scored 22 goals for Chelsea in the last season and has seven goals in 27 international appearances.
Ewa Pajor was instrumental in Poland’s qualification for the Euro championship [File: Lisa Leutner/Reuters]
Who are the past winners of the Women’s Euro championships?
1984: Sweden
1987: Norway
1989: West Germany
1991: West Germany
1993: Norway
1995: Germany
1997: Germany
2001: Germany
2005: Germany
2009: Germany
2013: Germany
2017: Netherlands
2022: England
Germany have won the Women’s Euro a record eight times, with their last win coming in 2013 [File: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]
Where are the Women’s Euro 2025 venues?
From stadiums located in the heart of Switzerland’s main cities, to picturesque arenas sitting in the lap of the Alps, these are the eight venues hosting the championship:
Basel (St Jakob-Park): The venue in Switzerland’s most populous city will host five games, including the home team’s opener, the last quarterfinal and the final. The 35,000-capacity stadium was opened in March 2001 and is the home ground for the city’s eponymous team in the Swiss league.
Bern (Stadion Wankdorf): The 32,000-capacity home of the Young Boys football club was rebuilt on the site of the 1925-built Wankdorf Stadium, which hosted the famous “Miracle of Bern” FIFA World Cup 1954 final between West Germany and Hungary. It will host four Women’s Euro 2025 fixtures, including the third quarterfinal.
Geneva (Stade de Geneve): The venue was one of the co-hosts for the UEFA Euro 2008 and has also held rugby games. In the Women’s Euro 2025, the 30,000-capacity stadium will host five matches, including the first quarterfinal and the first semifinal.
Lucerne (Allmend Stadion): The glittering golden structure of the Swissporarena stands out in the city of Lucerne and is home to its Swiss Super League side. It will host three group-stage games during the tournament.
St Gallen (Arena St Gallen): The venue in the northwest of Switzerland can host close to 20,000 football fans. It will also host three group-stage games.
Sion (Stade de Tourbillon): A picturesque football venue, the Stade de Tourbillon sits amid the Alps, overlooked by two prehistoric castles. It is the smallest venue by capacity, 9,570, and will host three group-stage games.
Thun (Arena Thun): Spectators will have a view of a football match on the field and the Alps in the background when they attend one of the three group-stage games in Thun.
Zurich (Stadion Letzigrund): The Stadion Letzigrund in Switzerland’s largest city will host three group-stage fixtures, as well as the second quarterfinal and the second semifinal. The home ground for two of the city’s football clubs has a capacity of more than 24,000.
A drone view shows the picturesque Arena Thun, one of the venues for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 [File: Denis Balibouse/Reuters]
What is the prize money for the Women’s Euro 2025?
According to UEFA, the total prize pot for the tournament is 41 million euros ($48m), more than double the 16 million euros (about $19m) given in 2022.
The champions can get a maximum of 5.1 million euros (about $6m) if they also win all three of their group-stage matches.
All 16 teams will receive a participation fee of 1.8 million euros ($2.1m).
How to buy tickets for the Women’s Euro 2025?
Tickets for all games go on sale at 09:00 GMT on every match day from the group stage up until the knockouts. They will be available on the UEFA ticketing website and start from 22 Swiss Francs ($27.5) and go up to 90 Swiss Francs ($112).
How to watch Euro 2025?
The tournament will be streamed live on the UEFA.tv website, as well as regional broadcasters and streaming services.
Al Jazeera Sport will provide live text and photo commentary stream for a selection of knockout matches, including the final.
Hosts England won the Women’s Euro 2022 by beating eight-time winners Germany at Wembley Stadium in London on July 31, 2022 [Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo]
What is the format and full match schedule of the Women’s Euro 2025?
Format: All four teams in each of the four groups will play each other once, and the top two teams will progress to the knockout stage, which begins with the quarterfinals.
⚽ Women’s Euro 2025 group stage schedule
Wednesday, July 2 Group A: Iceland vs Finland (16:00 GMT, Thun) Group A: Switzerland vs Norway (19:00 GMT, Basel)
Thursday, July 3 Group B: Belgium vs Italy (16:00 GMT, Sion) Group B: Spain vs Portugal (19:00 GMT, Bern)
Friday, July 4 Group C: Denmark vs Sweden (16:00 GMT, Geneva) Group C: Germany vs Poland (19:00 GMT, St Gallen)
Saturday, July 5 Group D: Wales vs Netherlands (16:00 GMT, Lucerne) Group D: France vs England (19:00 GMT, Zurich)
Sunday, July 6 Group A: Norway vs Finland (16:00 GMT, Sion) Group A: Switzerland vs Iceland (19:00 GMT, Bern)
Monday, July 7 Group B: Spain vs Belgium (16:00 GMT, Thun) Group B: Portugal vs Italy (19:00 GMT, Geneva)
Tuesday, July 8 Group C: Germany vs Denmark (16:00 GMT, Basel) Group C: Poland vs Sweden (19:00 GMT, Lucerne)
Wednesday, July 9 Group D: England vs Netherlands (16:00 GMT, Zurich) Group D: France vs Wales (19:00 GMT, St Gallen)
Thursday, July 10 Group A: Finland vs Switzerland (19:00 GMT, Geneva) Group A: Norway vs Iceland (19:00 GMT, Thun)
Friday, July 11 Group B: Italy vs Spain (19:00 GMT, Bern) Group B: Portugal vs Belgium (19:00 GMT, Sion)
Saturday, July 12 Group C: Sweden vs Germany (19:00 GMT, Zurich) Group C: Poland vs Denmark (19:00 GMT, Lucerne)
Sunday, July 13 Group D: Netherlands vs France (19:00 GMT, Basel) Group D: England vs Wales (19:00 GMT, St Gallen)
⚽ Women’s Euro 2025 quarterfinals
Wednesday, July 16 Winners of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B (Geneva, 19:00 GMT)
Thursday, July 17 Winners of Group C vs Runners-up of Group D (Zurich, 19:00 GMT)
Friday, July 18 Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A (Bern, 19:00 GMT)
Saturday, July 19 Winners of Group D vs Runners-up of Group C (Basel, 19:00 GMT)
⚽ Women’s Euro 2025 semifinals
Tuesday, July 22 Winners of quarterfinal 3 vs winners of quarterfinal 1 (Geneva, 19:00 GMT)
Wednesday, July 23 Winners of quarterfinal 4 vs winners of quarterfinal 2 (Zurich, 19:00 GMT)
⚽ Women’s Euro 2025 final
Sunday, July 27 Winners of semifinal 1 vs winners of semifinal 2 (Basel, 19:00 GMT)
When you watch “The Matrix” at Cosm, you’re essentially seeing a film within a film. A shot inside an apartment becomes a glimpse into an entire complex. A fight scene on a rooftop is now one small part of a giant cityscape. Look to the left, and a once off-screen helicopter is suddenly entirely visible.
Cosm has won attention and a fan base for its focus on sports programming. A domed, 87-foot-diameter wraparound screen surrounds audiences at the Inglewood venue, creating an illusion of in-the-flesh presence. Can’t make it to that NBA Finals or World Series game? Cosm wants to be your fallback plan, combining front-row-like seats with unexpected views.
And now, Cosm aims to redefine the moviegoing experience. A revival of “The Matrix” opens Thursday in what the company calls “shared reality,” a marketing term that ultimately means newly created CGI animation towers, over, under and around the original 1999 film. Cosm has in the past shown largely short-form original programming, and “The Matrix” marks its first foray into feature-length films.
Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix,” which is opening at Cosm with newly created CGI that surrounds the original frame.
(Cosm )
The hope is to not only see the film with fresh eyes but to create a sensation of being in the same environment as Keanu Reeves’ Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity and Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus. “The Matrix” is an ideal film for this experiment, its anti-AI message decidedly topical while its themes grapple with dual visions of reality.
There’s been a host of so-called immersive ambitions to alter the moviegoing experience over the decades, be it the on-and-off flirtation with interactive cinema, a brief trend in the ’90s that recently lived again on Netflix (see “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”), to more recent 4-DX theaters with movement-enabled seats (see the light, water and wind effects of “Twisters”). Cosm, like the bigger, more live music-focused Sphere in Las Vegas, seems to have a different pitch: an all-encompassing screen that can provide previously unexplored vantage points, even at times creating a theme park ride-like sense of movement.
Cosm’s interpretation of “The Matrix,” a collaboration with experiential creative agency Little Cinema, envelopes audiences from its opening action sequence when a nighttime view of a city skyline seemingly places us on a rooftop. Elsewhere, Neo’s office building becomes a maze of cubicles. The film’s centerpiece red pill versus blue pill moment centers the frame among oversized, glowing capsules. When Neo awakens, we are lost amid mountainous, industrial pods.
The challenge: To not make it feel like a gimmick, yet to also know when to pull back and let the film stand for itself. “The No. 1 core principle was to enhance and don’t overshadow,” says Jay Rinsky, founder of Little Cinema. “Metaphorically for us, the movie itself is the lead singer and we are the backing band. Let the movie be the star. Let it sing. And basically follow the key beats — follow the sound design, the emotional moments and enhance the action.”
The red versus blue pill scene in “The Matrix” is framed with newly created animation.
(Cosm)
The accompanying images get more aggressive as the film races toward its climax. The animations are most effective when they’re expanding the screen rather than echoing the action — showing us the viewpoint of a careening helicopter for instance, rather than repeating or mimicking a beat of the film. Having seen “The Matrix” before, I know the story and its cadence, and was perhaps more willing to turn my attention away from the film, which is placed in the center of the screen and often set within a picture frame.
In turn, I was dazzled by the scenes shot inside Morpheus’ hovercraft the Nebuchadnezzar, in which the vessel’s surroundings — its buzzing, electrical core and its assortment of monitors — are fleshed out around the screen. Film purists, I wonder, may balk at seeing images beyond the director’s vision — Rinsky says he hasn’t been in touch with directors Lana or Lilly Wachowski — but I found it could help build a world, especially for revival cinema on a second or third viewing.
A scene of “The Matrix” starring Carrie-Anne Moss is surrounded with an all-surrounding view of a skyline.
(Cosm)
Expectedly, the film’s final act becomes a bevy of secondary action. Bullets that fly off the frame of the film now find a landing spot, as building walls shatter and crumble around us. Cosm’s screen is crisp and encompassing enough that it can mimic movement or flight, and thankfully this is used sparingly, twisting only when the film’s characters take to the skies.
When Cosm opened last summer Chief Executive Jeb Terry stressed the venue wasn’t in the business of showing films, wanting to focus on sports or original programming. “We’re not a first-run theater,” said Terry. “We’re leaning into the experiential side.” Seemingly, “The Matrix” fits this plan, as the accompanying CGI images have been in the works since about August 2024, says Rinsky, with the bulk of the heavy lifting beginning in January.
Rinsky acknowledges “The Matrix” fits the format particularly well because it “plays in a realm of fantasy that allows you to change environments around,” but is quick to add that Cosm and Little Cinema hope to expand the program of enhancing Hollywood products. “It is a bit of a mission and a philosophy,” he says. “Every film in every genre has its own unique propositions and can be adopted and suited well. We’re excited about horror, and we’re excited about comedy.” Future projects have not yet been announced.
Cosm also has a venue in Dallas, with spots in Atlanta and Detroit on the way. Rinsky’s hope, of course, is that Cosm someday has enough market penetration that filmmakers can create the format from the ground up.
“I’m really bullish about this being the new cinema,” Rinsky says. “I think in five to 10 years, there will be 100 of these around. Once it hits scale, then big studios will have releases created specifically for this format.”
It’s an optimistic view of the future that’s arriving at a time of disruption in Hollywood, from shake-ups due to the streaming market to artificial intelligence. For Cosm, it’s the early days, but it’s a vision that needs neither a red nor blue pill. Its outlook is much more rose-colored.
Who knows if Kendrick Lamar will sit for a formal deposition in Drake’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, after Lamar flambéed him on “Not Like Us.” But at SoFi Stadium on Wednesday, Lamar and his co-headliner SZA had a great recurring bit imagining what might happen.
In a fake video montage played between set changeovers, Lamar responded to mock-questioning like, “When you said you want the party to die, was that a metaphor or are you serious?” and “Don’t you think disappearing is a form of attention-seeking?” by blowing him off and phoning in a big order of takeout. SZA then lighted up an enormous joint in the lawyer’s office.
The pair’s Grand National Tour is a triumph of the unbothered. Wednesday’s set — the first of a three-night SoFi stand — was a bountiful, meticulous three-hour show that centered on the camaraderie between two of the most important acts in contemporary music. They had a wicked sense of humor about the performance too. At one point, SZA seduced a giant, slicked-up praying mantis dancer. If only we all had the same leeway when deposed.
Lamar, coming off a pair of Grammy wins for “Not Like Us” and a gleefully petty Super Bowl halftime show, is at perhaps the peak of his career. So it’s worth noting how inspiringly egalitarian this hometown show was — a hierarchy-free split with former TDE labelmate SZA, often fully meshing their sets together for their on-record collaborations. The format brought new energy and understanding into their catalogs, all while the pair gassed each other up as virtuoso live performers.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA at the 2016 Grammys.
(Lester Cohen / WireImage)
On Wednesday, SZA arguably made the most of the stadium-sized opportunity. SZA is a powerhouse vocalist and musical omnivore with a stoner’s comic timing (most recently seen in the charming comedy film “One of Them Days”). But she’s now honed her stagecraft to be on par with any pop royalty. Between “Snooze” and “Crybaby,” she was lifted on wires, revealing a gauze train in the shape of a chrysalis, to spellbinding effect. It took some real mettle to then perform her ballad “Nobody Gets Me” midair.
A surprise cameo from Lizzo paid alms to their long friendship, and a bawdy slice of her verse from Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy” proved she can own even a nemesis’ material with her charisma. When she spun “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” into “Kitchen,” the dancers’ delightfully goopy, insectoid costumes and monolithic ant sculpture felt like H.R. Giger taking mushrooms on a warm afternoon in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.
When she and Lamar shared the stage, as on the Oscar-nominated “All the Stars,” “30 for 30” and their respective solo cuts “Doves in the Wind” and “LOVE.,” there was an alchemy between two superfans, their physical presence across the diamond-shaped catwalks reinvigorating this long-beloved music.
At this point, Lamar’s case for being the best rapper alive is fully closed. Of course he is. Even if you thought the title was a little wobbly after the knotty, skeptical “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” the acid-bath of “Not Like Us” and the L.A-embodying surprise release “GNX” slammed the debate shut as it spun off hit after hit. Who else could make a pitch-perfect indictment of the current American political climate onstage at the Super Bowl halftime show, while needling his most loathed enemy and spinning off memes with just a quick grin in bootcut jeans?
At SoFi, a few miles from his old Compton backyard, he drew from that monumental catalog and recontextualized it for this club-ready, venom-streaked era. The show’s format covered more than 50 songs between the two artists, so even when he only got to a verse or two, there was always something new or bracing. Here, “m.A.A.d. city,” one of his hardest and cruelest street cuts, became a meta-R&B number that made the song even more eerie. On “Humble.,” he was flanked by female dancers posing in vicious geometric forms, physically embodying the ego-check of the song’s chorus.
The Drake flame-war material was delicious fun, from the shots-fired kickoff verse on “Like That” to the relentless, merciless taunts on “Euphoria.” But the “GNX” segments, like the Tupac-conjuring “reincarnated” and the ice-cold “peekaboo” (and, obviously, the great Mustard-y howl of “tv off”) made the case for how this album will continue to reveal new textures and resonate in L.A. lore. There wasn’t room for a five-times-reprised “Not Like Us” like at his history-making 2024 “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” set. But when he did play it, it was less about his archenemy than about L.A., a city with a new song in the canon, a definitive “Us” who were all alike in screaming it.
It felt poignant that Lamar and SZA reunited again for the set’s closers, the unexpectedly relentless Hot 100 fixture “luther” (now at 13 weeks at No. 1) and “gloria,” Lamar’s bait-and-switch about his complicated relationship to his own writing process. With SZA as his Greek chorus, he ended the night on a note about how all this relentless work was worth it to arrive at real self-understanding. An ally that will never fail, no matter who out there is deposing you.
