Kelly Cates, Joe Hart and Danny Murphy discuss why Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is “the favourite” to be in the starting XI for England in this summer’s World Cup.
It is a first title of the year for Sinner, who had his Australian Open title defence ended by Djokovic in a thrilling five-set semi-final in January.
Sinner also extends his head-to-head record against Medvedev, having won nine of their past 10 meetings.
Despite the loss, Medvedev will re-enter the top 10 when the rankings are updated on Monday.
The former US Open champion almost missed the tournament, having been stuck in Dubai because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
After arriving in the USA, Medvedev showed why he was previously at the top of the men’s game, with a fine semi-final victory over world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
However, it was Sinner who edged the tight moments on Sunday, helped by his imperious serve.
Sinner won 43 of 47 first-serve points, hit 10 aces and won 60% of points behind his second serve to remain in control of the match.
Medvedev saved the only two break points of the final and came close to forcing a third set when he went 4-0 up in the tie-break.
However, Sinner reeled off seven points in a row to close out the match and win back-to-back Masters 1,000 titles without dropping a set.
Elsewhere, world number three Djokovic has withdrawn from this week’s Miami Open with injury.
The Serb great has won the title six times and finished runner-up to Jakub Mensik last year.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said a right shoulder injury had stopped him competing at the hard-court event, which begins on Monday.
Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney describes Max Dowman becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history as a “moment he’ll never forget” and argues it will bring those connected to Arsenal closer together, seeing an academy graduate make his mark on the first team.
INDIAN WELLS — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the Indian Wells final Sunday for her first title at the tournament.
Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and ‘25, finished off the win at the BNP Paribas Open with a big serve that Rybakina hit long. It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s.
The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.
This marked the 16th time the two players have met, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 advantage. Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open two months ago. She also edged Sabalenka in the finals at Indian Wells in 2023.
“What a day,” Sabalenka said after the match.
In the men’s final later Sunday, Daniil Medvedev faces Jannik Sinner, who has won eight of his last nine matches against Medvedev.
The fixture, part of the Qatar Football Festival, has been cancelled amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.
Published On 15 Mar 202615 Mar 2026
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The ‘Finalissima’ match between Spain and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar later this month has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East, UEFA said in a statement.
“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement on Sunday.
The US-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forcing several sporting events to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The contest between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.
UEFA said they held discussions with the organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.
The Spain vs Argentina game was part of the Qatar Football Festival, as promoted by local organisers.
The five-day festival also included Egypt vs Saudi Arabia and Qatar vs Serbia on March 26; Egypt vs Spain and Saudi Arabia vs Serbia on March 30 and Qatar vs Argentina on March 31.
Serbia will now play Spain away instead.
“Serbia will face the current European champions, Spain, on away turf on March 27, and four days later they will host the Saudi Arabian national team,” the Football Association of Serbia said in a statement.
UEFA said they explored other feasible alternatives to play the Finalissima but they proved to be ‘unacceptable’ to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).
UEFA first offered to stage the match at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 50:50 split of supporters in the stadium.
A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs – at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America.
However, the AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.
“Ultimately, UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March… or on the alternative date of 30 March. This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.
The 2022 edition of the Finalissima was held at Wembley Stadium in London where Argentina beat Italy 3-0.
BBC Sport has contacted the Argentine FA for comment.
Uefa said: “Argentina made a counter suggestion to play the game after the World Cup but, as Spain has no available dates, that option had to be ruled out.”
The Spanish FA said, external it had “worked intensively” to get the game on in any format possible, whether in Spain or at a neutral venue.
It said: “Spain was prepared to play as it has always been stated. They set no conditions.
“Spain, together with Uefa, has offered all possibilities.”
On Saturday the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grands Prix due to be held in April were cancelled.
Formula 1 said it is not safe to stage the races because of the conflict across the region.
The Finalissima, which is staged every four years and is organised by Uefa and the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), was last won by Argentina at Wembley in 2022.
Former referee Nigel Owens looks at whether France’s Oscar Jegou was lucky to escape a red card after appearing to gouge Scotland’s Ewan Ashman in their Six Nations game at Murrayfield.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor says he believes the club will be able to avoid relegation from the Premier League, insisting “the moment will pass” after watching his side lose 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace, a result that leaves them one point above the relegation zone.
Match of the Day will bring you all the best of the action and talking points from the Premier League on BBC One on Wednesday 4 March at 22:40 GMT.
The BBC Sport website will feature highlights of every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season.
At weekends, these will be available on the BBC Sport app, website and iPlayer on Saturdays and Sundays – ordinarily from 20:00 GMT.
If there is an evening match, highlights from all matches that day will be available 30 minutes after the final game of the day finishes.
Highlights of weeknight matches will be published at 22:30 GMT.
You can join Alex Scott and guests every week on Football Focus (Saturday, 11:30 GMT) for all the big talking points, reaction and interviews with players.
Don’t miss any of the goals as they go in on Final Score – starting on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Red Button from 14:45 GMT and BBC One at 16:30 GMT on Saturdays.
SCREAMING matches, tears and table mutiny is what you expect from Christmas Day with your in-laws – not at the Brit Awards.
But this year’s swanky ceremony in Manchester’s Co-op arena was a hotbed of misbehaving drunk stars, disgruntled execs who weren’t dished up their puddings and desperate agents who, on the night, were still begging organisers to get their A-listers into the label after-parties – with one Hollywood actor being repeatedly turned away because “they’re known for being a nightmare”.
The 2026 Brit Awards, hosted by Jack Whitehall, saw tears, tantrums and furious guests complaining about delays and meagre portion sizesCredit: GettyMaya Jama broke the ‘no vaping’ rule inside the venueCredit: Shutterstock EditorialThe Love Island host was seen holding a pink vape in the arenaCredit: The Sun
On Saturday night, over 1,000 of the biggest names in music and entertainment descended on Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena floor to enjoy a swanky three-course meal before Harry Styles opened the Brits.
The delay in proceedings ended up causing chaos before the show had even begun, and later, angry guests were overheard moaning about the meagre portion sizes and a Manchester tart pudding, which, for hundreds of guests, failed to materialise.
One top celebrity agent moaned to me: “A table costs £25,000, but four bits of celeriac, a tiny bit of venison and no pudding is outrageous.
“Everyone on my table wanted tequila shots, but when we went to order them, the staff said they couldn’t serve them straight.
“Then, because Robbie’s rehearsal messed with timings, there wasn’t time for the puddings to come out before the show started.
“Some tables got their tarts, others got absolutely nothing – and there was no apology. We were all starving.
“The service felt like we were at a badly organised wedding.”
On the floor, music and acting royalty, including Jeff Goldblum and Oasis legend Noel Gallagher, mingled amid discontent – before acts including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean and Mark Ronson put on epic performances.
As the ceremony got started, not everyone was having fun.
One well-respected publicist told me during the night: “It was like sitting next to the Flying Scotsman sitting near Lola Young.
“She was exhaling these huge plumes of vapour. It was ignorant and arrogant.
“And don’t get me started on Bez – he’d had so much to drink he looked like he was struggling to stand.
“He was dressed like a court jester, and he tried to introduce himself to Alex Warren, who looked totally baffled by the entire interaction.
“Alex was totally polite, but he didn’t have a clue who this seemingly mad man was who was trying to shake his hand.
“Eventually, someone he was with got Bez away from him so he could carry on watching the show.”
Guests, who paid £25,000 for a table and a swanky three-course meal, were hastily ushered out because Robbie Williams still needed time to rehearseCredit: GettyVIPs with tables on the arena floor had to wait longer than expected while Robbie rehearsed his awards speechA well-respected publicist said being near Lola Young was like ‘sitting next to the Flying Scotsman’ due to her vapingCredit: GettyToni Laites and Cach Mercer had a screaming match mid-way through the show – leaving them on the brink of a splitCredit: Getty
Censoring was a big point of contention on the night too, with Jack Whitehall’s funniest quips – including a gag about Peter Mandelson – and Geese drummer Max Bassin’s shout of: “I just want to say: free Palestine and f*** I.C.E,” all edited out by ITV.
“It was bizarre,” another publicist quipped to me the following day.
“Noel Gallagher shouted ‘Up the f***ing blues,’ and rather than just beeping out the swear word, they decided to lose the entire sentence – meaning anyone watching at home just suddenly heard him being booed by Manchester United fans in the arena.
“The BBC totally botched up the Baftas, so maybe ITV were scared of getting it wrong.
“But it meant that some of the editing didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
“Why are you letting one of the night’s biggest stars get loudly booed with zero context?”
It was like sitting next to the Flying Scotsman sitting near Lola Young.
As the clock ticked closer to 11pm, stars keen to get out of the arena and to after parties thrown by major labels including Warner and Sony, found themselves being blocked by security.
“People just wanted out towards the end,” one of the on-site crew explained.
“The floor usually is chaotic towards the end of the ceremony because people are drunk, but you can’t have half the tables suddenly going missing.
“Vernon Kay and Sharon Osbourne managed to evade capture, but security were trying to turn most people back to their tables.”
The rush to the after-parties made sense, given how tight the guest lists were.
Amber Gill was pictured in tears at Warner’s Brit Awards after-partyCredit: The SunNoel Gallagher shouted ‘Up the f***ing blues’ but ITV edited it out – so people watching at home only heard him being booed with zero contextCredit: Reuters‘Furious’ Selling Sunset star Breana Tiesi, pictured right, was left shivering on the pavement outside of Warner Music’s bash after not being allowed back inCredit: GettyThe Brits 2026 at Manchester’s Co-op Live ArenaCredit: Getty
I’m told one major Hollywood acting agent was ringing around organisers on the day to try and get their client, who is a household name and has been in massive films, into a bash.
“The guest list is full, that’s the party line,” one insider told me.
“But basically, if your client is a nuisance, they aren’t getting in.
“This actor is known to party hard and can be a nuisance. His agent was begging him to be allowed into the parties, but everyone kept saying no.
“In the end, he didn’t bother coming, which was a relief. But there was no way this agent would have let their Hollywood client slum it on the pavement outside.”
Out in the cold
As stars and execs jostled to get into the parties, Selling Sunset star Breana Tiesi was left shivering on the pavement outside of Warner Music’s bash after briefly stepping outside the event and being told she wasn’t allowed back in.
“Bre was furious,” one onlooker told me. “She was an invited guest and had been inside.
“But she stepped out and wasn’t allowed to get back inside again.
“They kicked up a massive stink, and it eventually got sorted. But it wasn’t a good look.
No major league team has won more than 116 games. The Dodgers had yet to play an exhibition game last spring when former Times columnist Dylan Hernández declared they could win 120.
Not to be outdone, the Dodgers were one week into the season when Bill Plaschke posted a column with this headline: “Who says the Dodgers can’t go 162-0?”
“I don’t know what’s realistic,” he said. “We win a lot of games. Honestly, we showed last year that the regular season certainly does matter but, at the end of the day, you’ve got to be playing your best baseball at the right time.”
During the Dodgers’ 13-year playoff run, they‘ve won 100 games five times. When doing that, they‘ve made it to the World Series once, losing to the cheating Houston Astros. In 2023, they won exactly 100 games in the regular season and exactly zero in the playoffs.
It is one of baseball’s eternal verities that wins and losses in spring training do not matter.
“It’s always fun to win,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “That is always way more fun than losing. But so much of spring training is, just don’t get a call from our trainer. Keep guys healthy.
“That is far and away the biggest priority: get guys ready for the season and keep them healthy.”
Noah Miller runs the bases during a spring training game against the Angels on Feb. 21.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
If winning in spring training is not predictive, neither is it irrelevant. For an organization that would rather prime a pitcher for the postseason than dare use him for 200 innings in the regular season, and juggle a roster spot all summer so Kiké “Mr. October” Hernández can be available in the postseason, depth is critical.
“While there is no direct correlation between that and how you are going to do in the regular season, I do think it is some kind of proxy for the depth that you have,” Friedman said. “After three or four innings, there is a line change, and minor league players are coming in. I think being able to maintain a high level of play in these back-side innings speaks to depth.”
Friedman is no great fan of the Cactus League grind.
“So much of spring training, it feels like, is just downside,” he said. “You’re just waiting for that phone call [from the trainer]. You’re doing everything you can to stave that phone call off.”
The upside is on the business side. As of Thursday, tickets for Saturday’s exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs started at $97. The starters are likely to play half the game. Shohei Ohtani is in Japan, preparing for the World Baseball Classic.
So, to the point: It does not matter that the Dodgers are undefeated in spring training, and they’ll probably win somewhere around 100 games. They did, after all, repair their two glaring weaknesses by committing $300 million to All-Stars in the prime of their careers: outfielder Kyle Tucker and closer Edwin Díaz.
Baseball Prospectus projects the Dodgers to win 104 games. Fangraphs projects 99.
But this is the season of hyperbole, so the Dodgers still have a chance to go 194-0 between the Cactus League and the regular season.
I had to ask Roberts how good he thought the Dodgers’ chances would be this season if they never lost.
Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney believes Tammy Abraham’s arrival at Aston Villa could be key to Ollie Watkins rediscovering his form, as the pressure of competition for his place in the starting line-up is something “he has to respond to”.
