The sun shone and the tears flowed on an emotional day at Anfield as Liverpool said goodbye to two of their greats in Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.
With Champions League qualification never really in doubt, the focus throughout the draw against Brentford was on the pair, who went off in the second half and were given a guard of honour.
Nine years on, their chapter at Liverpool is over. As for Arne Slot, the next chapter may well define his own Liverpool future.
In his first interview as Liverpool head coach in June 2024, Slot was asked about the “few similarities”, external between his style of play and that of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
Slot spoke about how the Reds hierarchy did not want the exact same style but were looking for a similar approach, which was was one of the reasons why sporting director Richard Hughes opted to appoint him.
“We were all inspired by [Pep] Guardiola and Klopp and I think at a big club, which I worked in at Feyenoord as well, it is probably the only style you can play – to have the ball a lot, to have a lot of energy… there are comparisons between the club I left behind and the club I am going to work for now,” Slot said at the time.
“Both fans love to see a team that wants to do everything to win a game and if things are tough they try to do everything to turn the game around.”
In a stunning debut season, Slot’s Liverpool romped to the Premier League title, losing just two games before the trophy was sealed in April 2025.
In their first 34 league games, Liverpool averaged 2.4 points per game. The style was certainly not ‘heavy metal’, but they were measured in possession and experts in game management – winning 21 of the 23 games when they scored first.
By contrast, Liverpool have lost 12 league matches this season and 19 across all competitions in what has been a feeble title defence.
They may have secured Champions League qualification for next season, but fan discontent over the course of the campaign has been clear and it is a worrying direction of travel under the Dutchman. Across their 38 league fixtures, Liverpool averaged 1.6 points per game to finish with 60 – the joint-lowest total for any English side to qualify for the Champions League via their league position.
“I mentioned it many times, this has been the most challenging year in my career,” Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports. “It’s tough to take, and tough to go through that as a team but we are Liverpool and we come out of it stronger. That’s the main focus now.”
Slot insisted earlier this month that he has “every reason to believe” he will be the Liverpool boss next season, with his current deal expiring next summer. Liverpool are also closing in on appointing Slot’s former assistant Etienne Reijnen to their coaching staff – a move that would further underline their commitment to Slot.
There is of course credit in the bank and Liverpool are not traditionally a sacking club – but there is no disguising the fact that Slot’s relationship with the fanbase appears increasingly fragile.
On a number of occasions this season, Liverpool have been booed off at Anfield. Salah’s statement last week calling for a change in the style of play only added fuel to the fire – Slot did his best to downplay the situation but it certainly did not look great for him and the club. Sunday’s display was again mediocre.
“In my opinion, it should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play,” Slot said in January.
He will know that is an area in which his side must improve. Right now, there is none of the energy he mentioned in his first interview but at least Slot is aware, admitting he hasn’t liked a lot of what Liverpool have played this season.
And he insists that his side must find a way to evolve and a way to compete while also delivering a brand of football that Anfield can get behind.
Liverpool‘s average possession in the Premier League (59.4%) is second only to Manchester City over the season – but their football has been stale and without risk.
Against Chelsea earlier this month, supporters were heading for the exits well before full-time even though it was a Saturday lunchtime fixture.
Fundamentally, Liverpool fans want to see a team that does everything to try to win a game – as Slot alluded to in his first interview – and far too often this season, it has not seemed that way.
Slot often points to teams setting up in low blocks against his side and there are mitigating factors with the amount of injuries Liverpool have had and the emotional challenges they have had this season after the passing of Diogo Jota.
Come August, with the players at his disposal, Slot must get fans excited to watch Liverpool again and turn Anfield back into a place that the opposition fear. That alone is the bare minimum.
The second World Cup to be played in the U.S. will kick off in less than three weeks but apparently some people can’t wait since the American team’s tournament roster was leaked to The Guardian on Saturday.
The Athletic said it had independently confirmed the 26-player list with multiple sources. U.S. Soccer is scheduled to formally release the team in a nationally televised event in Manhattan this week. Contacted by The Times for comment Saturday a U.S. Soccer spokesman said, “What I can tell you is we will make the official announcement Tuesday.”
But it’s the roster, and not the way in which it was released, that is of most importance here and among the striking omissions are midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Diego Luna. Tessmann had been called into six training camps under U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and was seen as a potential starter for the U.S. before being shut down by his French club, Lyon, at the end of the season, leaving his fitness for the World Cup in question.
Luna, who plays in MLS for Real Salt Lake, also has been a regular under Pochettino, playing in 17 of the U.S. team’s 18 games in 2025, scoring four goals and contributing four assists. But he missed time earlier this season because of a knee injury and sat out his club team’s last two games with a muscle problem.
Thirteen of the 26 players who were selected — including midfielders Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie — were on the U.S. team in Qatar four years ago. They will be joined by defenders Miles Robinson and Chris Richards, who missed the last World Cup to injury, and forward Ricardo Pepi, one of the final cuts in 2022.
Richards was included on the roster confirmed by the Athletic despite tearing two ligaments in his left ankle in Crystal Palace’s penultimate Premier League match with Brentford last weekend. The final roster, which can include between 23 and 26 players, must be filed to FIFA by June 1. However teams can replace players up to 24 hours before their opening match in the event of injury or illness.
Reyna, one of the most gifted players in the U.S. talent pool, was named to the team despite having played just one full 90-minute game for club or country in the last four years. And in the last World Cup in Qatar, he was nearly sent home for a perceived lack of effort in training after he learned he wouldn’t be a starter in the tournament.
“No spot is guaranteed or safe,” he said of the World Cup during an interview earlier this month alongside his German club teammate Joe Scally, who also made the U.S. roster. “I want to be there. It’s a World Cup in your home country.
“It’s a dream come true.”
“It only happens every four years,” added Scally, who made the 2022 team but did not play in the tournament. “Everyone’s just super excited, especially to be in America. It’s going to be very special.”
Among the first-time World Cup selections are midfielder Malik Tillman, the German-born brother of LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman; Mexican-born attacker Alejandro Zendejas, who plays for Club América in Liga MX; and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, son of Gregg Berhalter, the U.S. coach in the last World Cup.
The inclusion of Zendejas on the roster was a bit of a surprise since his last appearance with the national team came in September but he has played well with América this season.
After Tuesday’s roster announcement in New York, the team will fly to Atlanta for training camp ahead of friendlies with Senegal in Charlotte, N.C., on May 31 and against Germany on June 6 in Chicago. The U.S. opens World Cup play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, facing Paraguay.
ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse) Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
MILWAUKEE — Teoscar Hernández backpedaled up the line as he watched the flight of his deep fly ball down the left-field line.
It clanged off the left-field foul pole to give the Dodgers the lead for the first time in a game they’d win 11-3.
“It was big,” Hernández said after going three for four with six RBIs, tying a career high. “We took the lead, and that was the best thing. We put less pressure on [starter Roki] Sasaki, so he could keep pitching the way he was pitching after the first inning. So it was a great [fourth] inning.”
The Dodgers’ offense, led by Hernández, came alive after a quiet first game of the series.
His heroics in the comeback victory — which also included a record-setting performance from the bullpen — were a high point in his offensive turnaround the last two weeks.
“I just think that he’s heightened his focus,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that his at-bat quality has been considerably better. I don’t think he’s wasting at-bats.
“For me personally, early on, I think that there was a couple of at-bats per night that he was just giving away. And now the last eight days, something like that, I don’t see him giving away any at-bats. And the production has reflected that.”
Hernández’ first hit of the game was made all the more dramatic by the rut the Dodgers started in.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws during the first inning of a win over the Brewers on Saturday in Milwaukee.
(Jeffrey Phelps / Ap Photo/jeffrey Phelps)
Sasaki, coming off his best start of his MLB career against the Angels last week, ran into trouble right away against the Brewers.
Six pitches in, he’d already given up back-to-back doubles en route to the first run. To make matters worse, his own error extended the inning. He got the Brewers’ Andrew Vaughn to chase a low splitter for a swinging bunt up the third-base line. Sasaki barehanded it cleanly but threw behind Vaughn. As the ball caromed off the retaining wall in foul territory, another run scored.
A fielder’s choice and a walk later, pitching coach Mark Prior strode out of the dugout for a mound visit. The Brewers played “Message in a Bottle” over the loudspeakers.
Sasaki answered his own SOS, with some help from his defense. He struck out Jake Bauers. And then in a 2-2 count to Sal Frelick, Sasaki threw a fastball up and out of the zone. Frelick got on top of it to line a single off the end of shortstop Mookie Betts’ glove as he leaped after it.
The single drove in a third run, but center fielder Andy Pages scooped up the ball and caught Gary Sánchez trying to go from first to third on the play, ending the inning.
Then Sasaki held the Brewers scoreless for the next four innings, retiring 10 straight as he bided time for the offense to make up the deficit.
The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman slides safely past the Brewers’ Gary Sánchez to score a run during the eighth inning Saturday in Milwaukee.
(Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
“It seemed a little like Groundhog Day that first inning, how it started,” Roberts said. “But for Roki to find a way to get out of it with three runs, and then settle in, settle down — his stuff got better in the third, fourth and fifth innings, and I told him that. Young pitchers, to understand that even if you get hit in the mouth early, you gotta find a way to keep going, so you don’t blow up your bullpen.”
Freddie Freeman got the Dodgers’ fourth-inning rally started with a leadoff double. Then Pages drove him in by roping his own double into the left-field corner, trimming the Brewers’ lead to two runs.
When Kyle Tucker drew a one-out walk, he gave Hernández the chance to put the Dodgers ahead with one swing. He took it.
“I’m just hitting the ball in the air, hitting it hard,” Hernández said. “That’s what you want as a hitter, and I think that’s what’s been the difference between the last two weeks [versus] the weeks before.”
He entered Saturday with a 1.001 OPS since the beginning of last homestand, compared to a .667 OPS up to that point.
Going into a three-city road trip last week, Hernández said refusing to dwell on poor results, especially in big situations, had been key.
“It was more like getting confidence and getting to trust myself again,” Hernández said. “And then just go out there and trust my swing, trust the work, and just trying to select better pitches to hit.”
In addition to coming up in the big situation, Hernández also contributed to the Dodgers’ late rallies, as they batting through the order in both the eighth and ninth innings to tack on seven runs.
The Dodgers’ bullpen shut down the Brewers for four innings. The performance from Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Tanner Scott and Jonathan Hernández extended the bullpen’s scoreless streak to 36 consecutive innings, eclipsing the Dodgers’ previous record of 33 innings in 1998.
“The biggest thing is that they’re attacking in the hitters, they’re pounding in the strike zone, and when they need a pitch for a double play, they executed really well,” Teoscar Hernández said. “In ‘24 they helped us a lot, ‘25 too, and this year is not going to be different. They’re built for this, and they’re ready for it.”
Injury update
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy’s right wrist was sore Saturday, as expected after he was hit by a 95.5-mph sinker the night before.
“We’re going to kind of give him a rest day to try to get that swelling out, and then see where he’s at [Sunday],” Roberts said. “And like I said, he’ll be down for the weekend, and then we’ll kind of see where we get to on Monday.”
Depending on how he’s recovering, the Dodgers could send Muncy to get a CT scan when they’re back in Los Angeles.
Dodgers utility player Kiké Hernández (left elbow surgery recovery) is expected to join the team Monday in Los Angeles. Roberts plans to write him into the starting lineup when Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland starts against the Dodgers.
Taylor returns
A day after word spread former Dodger Chris Taylor had opted to retire, he reportedly changed his mind and joined the Minor League Baseball injury list with a left forearm fracture.
If there’s one thing in American sports that’s going to get people to sit up, lean forward and engage, it’s the home run. We all dig the long ball.
If anything can get someone to run home and turn on a softball game, it’s a big-time slugger from a big-time school mashing homers like nobody before.
Heard about Grant? She’s the UCLA softball player who’s hit an NCAA-record 40 home runs (so far) this season.
UCLA senior Megan Grant leans over and holds her helmet between pitches during a super regional game against UCF on Friday at Easton Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Forty! In 147 at-bats! That’s a home run every 3.68 at-bats!
If you’re wondering, Mark McGwire hit a home run every 7.3 at-bats in 1998, the year he finished with 70. And Barry Bonds went deep every 6.52 at-bats in 2001, when he hit his MLB-record 73 home runs.
Whenever she gets asked about her historic home runs, the red-hot, red-haired hitter is like, shucks: “I mean, it’s incredible,” she said. “I’m just honestly blessed to be able to say the number 40. But, yeah, that’s all I can say.”
She just wants to be thought of as a hard worker and a good teammate. But what Grant is going to be remembered for most is as the founding member of softball’s 40-home run club.
Her 40th home run came in her 58th game this season and on her seventh career grand slam — Grant Slam? — in the Bruins’ NCAA regional final victory over South Carolina last weekend.
Forty, a round number of round-trippers with a ring to it. And a sweet echo coming so soon after the Bruins women’s basketball team won its first NCAA championship, history to which Grant also contributed as a reserve before softball beckoned.
Side quest completed, the left-handed-hitting senior stepped back into the box to help the Bruins chase a 13th championship on the softball field.
Grant is soaking up the experience, and encouraging her younger teammates to, too: “‘Enjoy this, it’s so rare to be here’ … and, ‘Hey, we can do this, we can do it together.’”
A .469 hitter, she leads the nation in slugging percentage (1.333), on-base percentage (.650) and OPS (1.983). She bats second in UCLA’s NCAA record-breaking lineup that shattered Oklahoma’s 25-year-old previous record of 160 home runs. UCLA hit seven home runs during two super regional wins against Central Florida this weekend to push that record to 200.
With a 9-1 win Friday and a 14-4 victory Saturday, the Bruins advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the 34th time and for the third time in Grant’s astounding tenure.
UCLA senior Megan Grant (43) high-fives teammates during a win over UCF Friday at Easton Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Tip your helmet and toss Grant her bouquets — flower power — because there she is popping up on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and on the MLB Network. One of three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, she’s got guys discussing her exploits on a dad pod otherwise dedicated to NBA takes. Fans dressed up as chefs as a tribute to her nickname, “Chef Megan.”
Star power, power broker. Grant is a lift-all-boats attraction for a sport that’s been steadily carving out space in the public consciousness.
All over the country, college softball teams have been breaking attendance records. And ratings are up, up, up; ESPN said this has been its most-watched college softball regular season since 2009, with games averaging 292,000 viewers. The MLB-backed Athletes Unlimited Softball League is entering Season 2; Grant was drafted No. 4 overall by the Portland Cascade.
“People will pay to see her play,” said Lisa Fernandez, UCLA softball legend and associate head coach.
Fernandez also is the general manager of the AUSL’s Utah Talons, for whom UCLA’s other senior slugger Jordan Woolery will play this summer.
The Bruins imported the latest in a lineage of Bay Area dynamic duos. The Oakland Athletics had the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire; the Golden State Warriors gave us the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And now UCLA has Walnut Creek’s Woolery and Grant, of San Bruno — the Bruin Bombers.
They’re the first teammates in NCAA history to each hit 30-plus homers in the same season, with 74 between them.
And, yes, chefs! Like Curry before her, Grant is cookin’ the competition, breaking the 31-year-old NCAA single-season home run record with No. 38 on May 9 against Nebraska.
Included among the record wreckage she’s leaving in her wake: Stacey Nuveman’s UCLA single-season record of 31 homers. For her career, Grant needs only one more to tie Nuveman’s Bruins record of 90.
But Grant’s got to get a pitch to hit first. After UCF walked her six times in two games, she has 74 walks this season and 69 base hits. She also has 13 hit by pitches.
“It’s very similar to Barry Bonds, right?” Fernandez said. “It’s either a walk or a home run. Like, you pick.”
The tale of the tape measure behind Grant’s greatness is the down-to-the inch precision of her preparation. The Mamba-esque magic is in the embracing behind-the-scenes monotony, powering through it.
“She was the hardest worker, always working. Never enough,” said Ray McDonald, Grant’s coach at the San Mateo-based Warrior Softball Academy since she was that kid with an electric, bat-busting swing. “It was eating and sleeping, hitting, and you know, shower. The essentials.”
“When we recruited her, Ray, he was like, ‘Coach, you better be ready to work,’” said Fernandez. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, I know how to work.’ And [then] I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, now I understand how people must have felt when I played.’
“There is an aspect of this game that people don’t realize unless you are in it. To be great, there’s a — for lack of a better word — monotony to the process. Can you master the same move over and over again? And she’s committed to it. To her drills, to the process, to her routine, all of it. There’s a lot of people who are committed to it when they’re not doing well: ‘Oh, got to get back to my drills.’ She has been committed to that process from the day she stepped on campus.”
The process includes working on her mind. That deep, deep breath before every deep, deep home run is a way to stay centered. To stay in the moment — and it is a moment.
For softball. For UCLA. For Grant, who, with all this power and responsibility, is hitting it out of the park.
Pack up the car and get ready for temperatures in the upper 80s this coming weekend in Clovis and Fresno, where CIF state championships will be held in track and field and boys’ volleyball.
Buchanan High School is the site Friday and Saturday for the track championships, where City Section record-holder Lawrence Kensinger will try to win a state title in the shotput after his astonishing mark of 65-11 at the City finals broke a record established in 1973. Running events begin at 5 p.m. Friday to qualify for Saturday’s finals.
Servite sprinters will try to put on a show in the 4×100 relay, the 100, 200 and 400 races. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame high jumper JJ Harel will try to defend his state title. At the Southern Section finals, he cleared a career-best 7-1.
Fresno City College is the site for the volleyball championships on Saturday.
Tickets are available only through gofan.co.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
The final episode of Football Focus was broadcast on Sunday, bringing to an end 52 years on the air.
It was an emotional episode as long-time pundit Garth Crooks returned to Focus, sitting alongside Alex Scott to reflect on the show’s past and preview the final day of the Premier League season.
Bob Wilson, the show’s first presenter, closed out the programme by saying: “All good things come to an end. Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years. We have had a ball.”
Launched in 1974, Football Focus provided fans with interviews, analysis and stories from across the game every lunchtime before the weekend’s fixtures begin.
The longest-running magazine show in the world began with a tribute to the programme, with its former presenters sharing their favourite memories from across the decades.
The programme’s old branding was used throughout in a nod to its history.
Crooks ended the show by presenting Scott with a picture of herself and Bob Wilson, on behalf of the “Football Focus family”.
Before handing over to Wilson, an emotional Scott said: “For 52 years, this show has done one thing. Week in, week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons. Whether it was Bob Wilson or any of the brilliant people who sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you – the fans.
“I won’t pretend this isn’t hard. What I know is, the football doesn’t stop, the stories don’t stop. The goals, the drama, the heartbreak, the magic, none of that stops. It just finds a new home.
“From everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you. Thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to. It has been an honour.”
If Tribe does realise his ambition and become the first Glamorgan player since Simon Jones in 2005 to play for England, it will have come off the back of a willingness to pack his bags and head for wherever there were opportunities to play and improve.
He had never played a game outside of Jersey until he left the island to study in Cardiff when he was 18, but joined Glamorgan on a rookie contract in 2023 before signing an improved deal last year.
Since then, his travels have taken Tribe to the National Cricket League in Texas, a stint in Adelaide playing Grade cricket, then onto a Nepalese T20 competition, before he was picked up by Paarl Royals to play in the South African T20 tournament last winter – as well as getting a deal to play grade cricket in Australia.
His stint with Paarl Royals in particular is bearing fruit, with Tribe having been able to tweak his technique ahead of this tour in South Africa.
“I have made a couple of technical changes and they have served me well here,” he said.
“I am now more side on and added a little trigger in there and made sure I have added a few other shots.
“So if the lads are missing slightly short on the off-side I can still punch that, and I’m trying to narrow the margin for error on the bowler’s side.
“My movement is a bit more precise and accurate as well.
“It has given me the ability to know what their bowlers do with the ball.
“It has definitely helped me against their skilful bowlers and has given me a clue on what they do.
“The reason we have this type of cricket where we play against the second team of other countries is that it is going to be a better standard that what we potentially face in the County Championship.
“In the Championship you talk about slightly slower bowling whereas on this wicket it has had more pace and bounce. It is different challenges.
“I like the idea we get the opportunity to play in these because if you are then exposed to Test cricket then it will be faster.”
Whether Tribe is on the fast track to an England cap remains to be seen, but the already much-travelled young player continues to do all he can to make his dream a reality.
Known for its crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches, Cape Verde is set to steal the spotlight for very different reasons this summer.
The archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean is making its football World Cup debut in North America, arriving at the global showpiece as one of 10 African representatives.
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Cape Verde’s fairy-tale qualification coincided with the its 50th anniversary of independence from Portugal, and the ‘Blue Sharks’ have the chance to give their fans even more to celebrate as they go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world.
Here’s everything you need to know about Cape Verde in Al Jazeera’s World Cup minnows series.
Cape Verde’s 600,000 inhabitants were given the day off to support their team on the final day of the CAF qualifiers for the World Cup [File: Cristiano Barbosa/AP]
How did Cape Verde qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
Cape Verde – or Cabo Verde as they are known in Portuguese – qualified directly after an excellent performance in the first round of CAF qualifying.
They topped a difficult group, alongside Cameroon and Angola, winning eight of their 10 games to punch their first historic ticket to a World Cup.
A 100% record in five home games, and not conceding a goal was pivotal to their progress.
On the final day of qualifiers, Cape Verde started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup final appearances are the most by any African country. But at the full-time whistle, Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who ultimately crashed out in the second round.
With around 600,000 inhabitants and only 4,000 square kilometres of land, Cape Verde is the third-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Curacao, which is also making its debut this year, and Iceland, which competed in 2018.
Has Cape Verde played in a major tournament?
Yes. Cape Verde have played at four Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s showpiece footballing event. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in their inaugural campaign in 2013 and at their last appearance in 2023.
They also came close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but were ultimately eliminated in the last match of the group phase.
What is Cape Verde’s FIFA ranking?
Cape Verde is ranked 69th, the second-lowest-ranked team among the 10 African representatives at the World Cup this year.
Who will Cape Verde face at the 2026 World Cup?
Cape Verde are in Group H with Spain, the 2010 champions and frontrunners for the 2026 title, former champions Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, who handed Argentina a shock defeat in the 2022 World Cup. All their group matches will be played in the US.
June 15: Spain vs Cape Verde – Atlanta Stadium
June 21: Uruguay vs Cape Verde – Miami Stadium
June 26: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia – Houston Stadium
Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky picks Cape Verde in the draw for the FIFA World Cup [File: Dan Mullan/Pool Photo via AP]
Who is Cape Verde’s head coach?
Bubista – whose full name is Pedro Leitao Brito – is a former Cape Verde international, who has been in charge of the national team for six-and-a-half years.
He played 21 times for his country in the early 2000s and enjoyed the limelight as captain before transitioning into coaching two years after his retirement. Twice serving as assistant manager, Bubista was named the Cape Verde head coach in early 2020.
Under his guidance, Cape Verde played at back-to-back AFCONs, reaching the knockouts both times, before pulling off the unthinkable by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The achievement also earned him the accolade of the CAF Coach of the Year 2025.
Bubista – whose nickname is derived from the Creole name of his birthplace, Boa Vista – has instilled an identity in the team that makes them hard to beat.
Bubista played for Cape Verde in the 1990s and early 2000s before taking over as coach in 2020 (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) (AP)
Who are Cape Verde’s key players?
Forward Dailon Livramento was Cape Verde’s highest scorer during qualification with four goals, while defender Diney, midfielder Jamiro Monteiro, and winger Willy Semedo bagged two apiece.
Captain Ryan Mendes, goalkeeper Vozinha and defender Roberto Lopes – also part of the team that fought for 2022 World Cup qualification – are the other key players.
Cape Verde has spread the national team net wide with starters based in several countries, including Portugal, the Netherlands, and the US.
How is Cape Verde preparing for the World Cup?
Cape Verde faced Chile and Finland in friendlies in New Zealand in March, as part of the FIFA Series, the sponsored biennial tournaments for mainly lower-ranked and lesser-financed nations.
They lost 4-2 to Chile but won 4-2 on penalties against Finland after being tied at 1-1.
What can we expect from Cape Verde?
While Cape Verde may be considered minnows at the World Cup, writing them off would be a mistake. The ‘Blue Sharks’ have built a reputation as potential giant-killers, and their impressive run through the African qualifiers only adds to their intrigue.
The spirit can be best described in coach Bubista’s words: “We’re a small country, but it’s only small on the map… a small country with a big heart”.
Fans celebrate after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in qualifying to clinch their World Cup place [File: Cristiano Barbosa/AP]
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings and real-time match results and schedules.
LAS VEGAS — Kelsey Plum scored a season-high 38 points, Erica Wheeler hit the go-ahead three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, and the Sparks defeated the Las Vegas Aces 101-95 on Saturday night.
A three-pointer by Wheeler capped an 8-0 run for the Sparks in the first minute of the fourth quarter that gave the Sparks a 80-73 lead. The Aces battled back and tied it at 90 on a jumper in the lane by Chelsea Gray and again at 94 on two free throws by A’ja Wilson.
Wheeler then took a pass from Plum and hit a 27-foot three-pointer with 1:15 remaining, giving the Sparks a 97-94 lead. The Aces missed a couple of three-pointers and a free throw on their final possessions while Dearica Hamby and Plum sealed the win with two free throws each.
Hamby and Cameron Brink each scored 16, Ariel Atkins had 11, and Rae Burrell added 10 for the Sparks (3-3). Wheeler had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Plum had nine assists.
Wilson scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Aces (4-2). Carter scored 23 points off the bench. NaLyssa Smith added 22 points, Gray 12 and Jewell Loyd 10.
A three-pointer by Smith gave the Aces a 57-48 lead early in the third quarter but Plum rallied the Sparks with five points and three assists as the Sparks surged ahead 60-57. Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the quarter and Las Vegas took a 73-72 lead to the final period.
Las Vegas, the reigning WNBA champions, saw a four-game winning streak end. The Aces had won 20 of their last 21 regular-season games after finishing the 2025 regular season on a 16-game winning streak.
Fans arrested in Morocco in the aftermath of the AFCON 2025 final returned on a humanitarian pardon by Moroccan king.
Published On 24 May 202624 May 2026
A group of Senegalese football supporters jailed following their country’s chaotic, violence-plagued Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Morocco in January have returned home after being pardoned by the Moroccan king.
King Mohammed VI granted the fans a pardon “on humanitarian grounds” on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Morocco’s royal court said on Saturday.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye welcomed the jubilant supporters on their arrival at the airport outside Dakar on Sunday.
“We’re very happy to have them back on Senegalese soil,” Faye, who donned a tracksuit for the occasion, told journalists.
He thanked Moroccan authorities for the pardon but, in what Morocco will likely perceive as a new dig, hailed the national team as “two-time African champions”, even though the January final is the subject of an ongoing dispute before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Senegal won the tumultuous continental final against Morocco in Rabat on January 18, but the match was later awarded on appeal to the hosts.
With the match tied at 0-0, after a penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time of the second half – just after a Senegal goal was disallowed – Senegalese fans tried to storm the pitch and hurled projectiles.
The Senegalese team left the pitch in protest against the penalty decision, halting play for nearly 20 minutes.
When they returned, they gleefully watched Morocco miss their penalty and went on to score a 94th-minute winner.
In February, Moroccan courts sentenced 18 Senegalese supporters held in Morocco since the final to prison terms ranging from three months to a year for hooliganism.
Three were released from jail in mid-April after completing their three-month sentences.
Following that release, another 15 Senegalese fans remained imprisoned after receiving sentences ranging from six months to one year.
The royal pardon applied to those 15.
Mending ties
The episode has strained relations between Morocco and Senegal, countries with a history of friendly ties.
But Morocco’s royal court said that in view “of the age-old fraternal ties” between the two countries “and on the occasion of the advent of Eid al-Adha”, which will be celebrated in the country on Wednesday, the king had “granted, on humanitarian grounds, his royal pardon to the Senegalese supporters”.
The Senegalese president had earlier welcomed the decision in a post on X.
“Our compatriots … are free. They will soon be reunited with their loved ones,” Faye wrote.
He thanked King Mohammed VI for the decision “imbued with clemency and humanity”.
According to the Moroccan public prosecutor’s office, the charges against the 18 football supporters were based mainly on footage from cameras at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Stadium, and on medical certificates for injured law enforcement officers and stewards.
Material damage from the violence was estimated at more than 370,000 euros (about $430,000).
At the end of January, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) imposed disciplinary sanctions on both national federations for unsporting conduct and violations of the principles of fair play.
After the CAF decided on March 17 to award the title to Morocco by administrative ruling, Senegal appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The two countries have a history of cooperation in sectors including tourism and energy, and share strong religious ties.
Senegalese make up the largest foreign community living in Morocco.
Clara Adams expected to win the 400-meter dash Saturday in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High. The Long Beach Wilson junior not only won, she broke the section record, circling the track in 51.98 seconds.
“To be honest, I did not expect a 51 today … that was my end goal and I got it before state,” said Adams, who topped the previous mark [set by Norco’s Shae Anderson in 2017] by one hundredth of a second. “It says a lot about my training and teammates who push me in practice every day. I’m ecstatic.”
Even better than breaking a section record is breaking a state record and Adams was smiling wider several hours later after she and teammates Brooke Blue, Brooklyn Fowler and Saniah Varnado did just that by clocking 3:33.83 in the 4×400 relay to obliterate the time of 3:35.49 set by Moore League rival Long Beach Poly in 2004. Rosary Academy was a distant second in 3:41.33.
“The 400 was our first race of the day, all of us ran it and we all qualified for state and that carries over to the rest of the day,” said Adams, who ran the third leg and widened the Bruins’ lead before handing the baton to Varnado for the anchor leg. “The state record is a bonus. We handled our business and now we have a week to prepare to go for the national record.”
Florida Montverde Academy owns the national record of 3:31.68, achieved at the 2024 New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Philadelphia, but Wilson’s foursome was content with the state record, at least for now.
“We already had a good lead when I got it but everyone was getting loud and I was pushing,” Varnado said. “I was thinking we could run in the high 3:30s. I’m proud of how well we did and hopefully we can do even bigger things at state.”
The CIF state track and field championships are next weekend (prelims Friday and finals Saturday) at Buchanan High in Clovis and as usual the Southern Section will be well-represented as numerous athletes met the qualifying standards.
After three-peating in the 1,600 and 800 one week before at the Southern Section finals, Corona Santiago senior Braelyn Combe won both events again Saturday, winning the 1,600 in 4:43.03, well off her 4:41.36 effort at the section finals but still more than two seconds faster than runner-up Reese Holley of JSerra. She won the 800 Saturday by about the same margin in 2:06.04.
Calabasas dominated at the section finals with four runners breaking the Division 3 record in the 100. They were back at it Saturday as last week’s champion Malia Rainey ran 11.33 to win the first heat. Devyn Sproles equaled Rainey’s 11.41 one week before to win the second heat and take second overall. Marley Scoggins (11.46) was third and Coyotes teammate Olivia Kirk (11.62) was fifth.
Tra’via Flournoy led off Rosary’s 4×100 relay, which won in 44.79 at the Masters Meet on Saturday in Moorpark.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Rosary’s 4×100 relay established itself as the favorite at state finals with a 44.79, more than a second faster than runner-up Canyon Country Canyon. The Royals’ foursome of Tra’via Flournoy, Justine Wilson, Pfeiffer Lee and Maliyah Collins is hoping to top the state-record (44.23) it set at Arcadia in April when it heads north for the state meet.
“It wasn’t a [personal record] but it was faster than last week,” said sophomore Collins, who ran the anchor leg. “This was a tuneup. Our handoffs were clean and we got the baton around the track. That was our main focus.”
West Ranch junior Tamea Crear (23.50), Kirk (23.54) and Rosary’s Wilson (23.61) and Collins (23.69) took the top four spots in the 200 meters.
San Jacinto Valley Academy sophomore Kaaliyah Lacy clocked 13.44 to win the 100 hurdles, one hundredth off her state-leading time that earned her the Division 4 section title one week ago. Varnado won the 300 hurdles in 41.53.
Irvine senior and Duke commit Summer Wilson, a three-time Southern Section champion in the 3,200, ran a new-season best (10:14.45) and shaved nearly 10 seconds off her time in the Division 2 sectional race.
Irvine’s Summer Wilson wins the 3200 meters in 10:14.45 at the Masters Meet after placing third last year.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
After sweeping the all three jumps events at the Division 3 section finals, Jurupa Valley senior AB Hernandez did the same Saturday, winning the long jump in 20 feet, 0.75 inches, the triple jump in 40-7 and the high jump in 5-8.
Los Alamitos senior Cassidy Nguyen cleared 13-2 to win the pole vault while Aliso Niguel was first in the discus (165-10) and shot put (49-0) after winning the Division I section crown in both last week.
Woodbridge junior Aidan Antonio won the 3,200 boys race in 8:55.30 while Sterling White of Oaks Christian became the first freshman in state history to break nine minutes, finishing seventh in 8:59.26 to break the ninth-grade record of 9:01.1 set by Eric Hulst of Laguna Beach in 1973.
Riverside King’s Maximo Zavaleta (4:06.30) and Antonio (4:06.54) battled all the way to the finish line to claim the top two spots in the 1,600.
Having won the Division 3 boys title in 38.39 one week earlier, Servite’s 4×100 relay won Saturday’s race in 40.17, followed by Moorpark (40.60) and Loyola (40.83).
“I like the first leg and coming out of the blocks because I get to see my teammates win,” said Jace Wells, whose exchange to Jorden Wells was smooth. Kamil Pelovello and Benjamin Harris ran the last two legs. The foursome set the state record (39.70) at Arcadia.
Harris won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.17 (one hundredth faster than his time in the Division 3 section finals last week), then won the 200 in 20.80 (31 hundredths slower than his winning time a week ago).
“It’s what I expected — I’m proud of it,” Harris said of his 100 time. “I just wanted to execute, win my race and move on. There’s more work to be done.”
Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes beats Servite’s Jaelen Hunter by 11 hundredths of a second in the 400-meter dash.
(Steve Galluzzo / For the Times)
In the most exciting finish of the day, Loyola senior Ejam Yohannes edged Servite sophomore Jaelen Hunter by 11 hundredths of a second in 46.40 in the 400 meters, one week after Hunter ran 46.36 to set a section Division 3 record. Johannes cut three tenths off his Division I winning time last week.
Upland (3:18.54) won the boys 4×400 and Gardena Serra (3:18.88) was second. Crean Lutheran’s Noah Richardson cleared 15-6 to win the pole vault while Redondo Union’s Bo Ausmus won the discus with a throw of 185-7 and the shot put with a mark of 61-9.
Having won the Southern Section Division 3 high jump crown in a lifetime best and state-leading 7-01 seven days earlier, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior JJ Harel still had the best height Saturday at 6-10, tied with Nathaniel Baca but winning on fewer misses. Harel aims to repeat as state champion.
Moorpark’s Davis Benson was first in the long jump Saturday at 22-11.75 (he won the Division 3 section crown with a leap of 23-5 last week), followed by Dane Malloy (22-10.5) and Harel (22-9.25). Paloma Valley senior Arthur Stringer won the triple jump in 47-4.5.
Long Beach Poly’s Lynnox Newton won the 110 high hurdles in 13.69, Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade (13.85) was second and Benson (13.94) third. Andrade (37.01) was second behind Palm Desert’s Kingston Penny (36.86) in the 300 hurdles.
Brunson scores 30 points as the Knicks beat the Cavs 121-108 to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Published On 24 May 202624 May 2026
The New York Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Finals since 1999 after a 121-108 victory at Cleveland stretched their playoff win streak to 10 games.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 30 points, OG Anunoby added 21 and Mikal Bridges contributed 22 on 11-of-15 shooting as New York pushed the Cavaliers to the edge of elimination on Saturday.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Brunson said. “I thought we fought, most importantly.”
The Knicks seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and could complete a sweep in game four on Monday in Cleveland.
No team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
“The series isn’t over,” Anunoby said. “Just keep our foot on their necks and just try to win the game.”
Brunson said the Knicks must continue to concentrate. “Just focus on one possession at a time.”
“The way we’ve been having that mindset these past couple [of] weeks, we have to continue it, if not actually better.”
The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals 27 years ago when they lost to San Antonio. They have not won the NBA championship since 1973.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals while Josh Hart added 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals for a Knicks team that has not been beaten in a month.
Brunson said, “Our mindset hasn’t changed.
“We’re trying to get better every single day. We’re trying to learn from winning.
“There’s a lot of things we can get better at. There’s a lot of things we can control, a lot of mental errors that we need to clean up, but we’re always just looking for ways to try and get better.”
Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 24 points, while Donovan Mitchell added 23 and James Harden scored 19 points.
The Cavaliers, who squandered a 22-point lead to lose the series opener, never led as New York seized command early and dominated.
“I guess you could say momentum carried over [from game one],” Anunoby said.
“We try to play the right way every game, but maybe that momentum carried over a little bit.”
New York started the game 10-of-13 from the floor to seize a 29-19 lead only 8:29 into the contest, Towns delivering 11 points in the run on the way to a 37-27 lead after the first quarter.
Cleveland trimmed New York’s half-time edge to 60-54, but the Cavs committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the third quarter.
The Knicks were ahead 91-82 entering the fourth quarter and stretched it to 110-93 in the closing minutes before completing their fifth triumph in a row.
“It’s just executing the game plan on both sides of the floor, playing the right way, moving the ball, then getting stops on defence,” Anunoby said of New York’s secret to success.
Mike Trout hit a two-run homer, Nolan Schanuel added an RBI double and the Angels clinched a series win with a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
Zach Neto walked to open the bottom of the first inning before Trout launched his 13th home run over the center-field wall for a 2-0 lead. Neto scored again in the fifth on Schanuel’s double to make it 3-1.
Schanuel exited after his hit with left calf tightness. Vaughn Grissom took over at first base.
Oswald Peraza added insurance in the eighth with a two-run single.
Walbert Ureña (2-4) threw five innings, yielding one run and five hits while striking out six. Kirby Yates earned his first save of the season by pitching a hitless ninth.
Nathan Eovaldi (5-5) gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings while striking out six for the Rangers.
Ezequiel Duran hit a sacrifice fly in the second for Texas’ first run, and Kyle Higashioka added his third homer in the seventh on a 395-foot shot to center.
The Angels had more hits (eight) than strikeouts (six) for the second consecutive game and have won two in a row for the first time since May 5-6.
CARSON, Calif. — Houston’s Guilherme Santos matched a first-half goal by the Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil and the Dynamo and Galaxy played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Paintsil staked the Galaxy to a 1-0 lead with an unassisted score in the 30th minute and Santos answered in the 41st with assists from Jack McGlynn — his fourth — and defender Antônio Carlos — his first.
It was the third goal this season for Paintsil after he found the net 10 times in each of his first two seasons.
Santos has eight goals in his first 14 appearances in the league.
Jonathan Bond finished with five saves for Houston (7-6-1). Bond made 89 starts with the Galaxy from 2021 to 2023.
JT Marcinkowski saved three shots for the Galaxy (5-5-5).
Houston had played a club-record 13 straight matches without a draw to begin a season.
The league takes a break for the World Cup and will return to action on July 16.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan – On a cold January morning, Anum Shakoor gallops across a field, wrapped in a black shawl that billows behind her as she charges forward, a 1.8-metre (6ft) lance gripped tightly in her hand.
The 30-year-old has already claimed her first peg. The second lies close ahead.
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Her horse tears across the dry earth, kicking up a cloud of dust that hangs in the air as she charges forward. A few metres out, Shakoor lowers the lance, steadying her aim and bracing for impact.
She misses by 2.5cm (1 inch).
A collective gasp ripples through the crowded bleachers. Many onlookers shake their heads. Some look away.
Shakoor exhales and slows her horse to a walk. Around her are the desolate, windswept fields on the outskirts of Rawalpindi in northern Punjab province.
And there are men, most of them wearing turbans. Men with “dhol” (drums) hanging from their necks. And men whose fathers had ridden before them and their fathers before their fathers. The men who take pride in the ancient sport, some of whom perhaps are not ready to accept that women are now participating in an overwhelmingly male “neza baazi”, or tent pegging, a high-stakes sport in which horse riders gallop across a field to pierce a buried wooden target.
Local political and feudal elites seen wearing traditional turbans at a tent pegging event near Rawalpindi [Mutee Ur Rehman/Al Jazeera]
The field is lined with thousands of male spectators, gathered to watch the teams of riders charging one after the other at a small wooden peg buried in the ground, trying to pierce it cleanly and carry it forward on their lance.
The event is known as a “mela” in Punjabi, a carnival-like competition typically held on the outskirts of the garrison city.
The beat of drums intertwined with the sharp bursts of the shehnai (oboe), traditionally played in weddings, pierces the cold winter air. Salespeople call out to the crowds from bustling stalls selling cardamom tea and varieties of fried fritters.
Before the competition starts, riders mount their adorned horses, some of which are dressed in embroidered velvet gowns. Others have braided manes or brass bells ringing softly at their necks.
One of the 74 teams competing in this year’s mela is Shakoor’s Bint-e-Zahra Club, Pakistan’s first female-only tent-pegging club. It has three other riders: Eshal Ibrahim and Noor un Nisa Malik, both 16, and Sehrish Awan, a 32-year-old mother of two competing for the first time in a mela.
Shakoor says the club was formed in 2025 after she reached a “frustrating realisation” that female riders practised and played only in mixed clubs. “We wanted to give women riders a stage for training so they can form a community,” she says.
The women are an unusual sight at a competition that has almost entirely male riding teams, mainly male fans and even male musicians.
So when Bint-e-Zahra’s members prepare to make their run, the audience is in for a rare sight. Photographers, vloggers and locals rush to film them, surrounding them from all sides.
Sehrish Awan straightens her lance at a competition organised by a US-based riding club [Mutee Ur Rehman/Al Jazeera]
Ibrahim is accompanied by her mother, who trails closely behind her, keeping a careful eye on her teenage daughter.
“I cannot even take pictures of her in the crowd,” says Fatima Adeel, who accompanies Ibrahim to every mela. “I am in charge of her. I cannot leave a teenage girl alone in a sea of men.”
Shakoor agrees.
“Any woman who wants to come in this sport should be encouraged so she can gain the respect she deserves in the sport,” she says. “Our society cannot bear a woman’s lead in any field.”
‘No concept of a player’
Several kilometres away, Ayesha Khan, 22, gallops on Sawa, the horse she has ridden since she was eight, for a practice run with her club.
She was 17 when her father encouraged her to try out for the women’s national team. A year later, she was the only woman selected for Pakistan’s under-21 mixed gender team and was sent to South Africa for a tournament to compete against a team that had four girls and one boy.
“I was hit with the realisation of how tent pegging is conditioned to appear masculine in Pakistan. But my father and brothers taught me riding when I was five. I used to be the only child riding a horse between adults,” Khan says, describing herself as “addicted” to riding.
Ayesha Khan picks up the first peg at the 2022 Grand Prix Tent Pegging Championship in Jordan [File: Courtesy of Ayesha Khan]
Khan joined the women’s team in 2022 and quickly worked her way up to becoming its captain. That same year, she took the women’s team to Jordan, where it competed against 13 countries.
“We came third,” Khan recalls proudly. “Yet that was the only trip that the Pakistani women’s team competed in internationally. Before that trip, never. After that, never again.”
In 2024, the International Tent Pegging Federation organised an open international competition in Jordan. Pakistan sent a men-only team although the event was open to women. It was simply assumed that only men would want to go.
“In Pakistan, we don’t have the concept of a player,” Khan tells Al Jazeera. “We have the concept of male and female. Unless there is a women-only event, our federation exclusively sends male teams.”
But Khan persisted. At 20, she became the first Pakistani woman to compete against and beat 70 male riders at a mela. Today, she captains Pakistan’s only all-women tent pegging team.
How women entered the sport
The event near Rawalpindi that Shakoor attended was organised by Samiullah Barsa, a 27-year-old United States national of Pakistani origin, as part of his wedding celebrations.
“No wedding is complete without neza baazi,” says Barsa, who is dressed in a blazing red waistcoat and cowboy boots.
His family emigrated in the 1980s from the Punjab city of Gujrat to the US state of Ohio, where they own a stable and host annual melas. Last year, their mela drew more than 2,000 visitors, Barsa says.
Barsa recalls the first time he saw women compete in tent pegging. In 2015, he attended a mela at Kot Fateh Khan in Attock district, an hour from the capital, Islamabad, and the hometown of Malik Ata, fondly remembered as “Baba-e neza baazi” (the father of tent pegging).
Ata was a politician who came from an influential feudal family in Kot Fateh Khan. He was also a legendary equestrian who organised grand melas and invited hundreds of teams from across Pakistan to compete in various equestrian sports, including neza baazi.
At the first such grand mela, Ata invited the Australian women’s tent-pegging team, setting the stage for Pakistani women to embrace the sport.
In 2021, the Equestrian Federation of Pakistan, established by Ata, sponsored six girls to train under a South African coach. Khan was among those who made the journey to South Africa. She credits Ata for laying the roots of female participation in Pakistani tent pegging.
A team of women at a practice session in Rawalpindi, Pakistan [Mutee Ur Rehman/Al Jazeera]
Barsa says Ata’s contribution to the sport cannot be denied and it was time for women to have their own teams.
“Everywhere along the world, women and men have separate competition. For instance, in football or in cricket, have you ever seen women competing against men?” he asks. “When female teams lose against male teams, they lose hope and don’t come forward.”
But has it been easy for women to pursue the sport?
Not really, both Khan and Shakoor say.
‘I never gave up’
Shakoor says there is tremendous social pressure on girls and women to conform to roles defined by the patriarchy.
“My mother has told me multiple times that I have to get married. But since I am part of such a manly sport, she worries how will I get good proposals. My sister did so too, but I never gave up,” she says.
“My brother stood up for me and told my mother that I am excelling in my passion. He asked her to let me live my life.”
Khan is relatively young, so marriage is not a concern for now. But she has heard relatives whisper to her mother: “It is probably just a phase. She should focus on her studies.”
A vendor serves tea and savoury food at a mela near Rawalpindi [Mutee Ur Rehman/Al Jazeera]
Before going to a mela, Khan tries to find out details about the organisers. With the events often spanning two or three days, she also asks whether there are separate enclosures for women. Most riding fields have none or few restrooms or spaces for prayers for women.
In Pakistan, tent pegging is mainly played in northern Punjab, where villages and spacious fields stretch along the Ravi River, allowing the horses to freely run.
Khan says many girls have reached out to her wanting to pursue tent pegging. But most of them don’t have family support. And then there are financial and structural obstacles, which compound women’s lack of access to the sport.
“Not everyone has the privilege of owning a horse, especially women, who are already restricted by society,” Ibrahim says.
Even if you are able to own one, there is a significant cost attached to their upkeep. A horse’s monthly feed averages 30,000 to 35,000 Pakistani rupees ($107 to $125), which is nearly the monthly minimum wage in Punjab. Caretaker fees and rental charges more than double that amount.
“It’s a class thing. Everything related to horses is,” Khan says. A sporting horse costs about $1,500 in Pakistan.
Ayesha Khan holding Pakistan’s flag at the Under-21 World Tent Pegging Championship 2023 held in South Africa. She was the only girl in a team of four boys [Courtesy of Ayesha Khan]
Shakoor agrees. She says she was able to buy a horse after saving from her monthly salary as a manager for a global microfinance network. “You can’t put a price on passion,” she says, using a Punjabi saying.
She says she puts her horse before everything, even her own meals or health. “If I am sick, I do not care about my medicine,” she says. “But I lose sleep if my horse is sick.”
But the high cost of the sport also means many opportunities are lost. Shakoor says she has missed several tent-pegging events because she could not afford to haul her horse across cities for multiple days of competitions.
“Had I had any financial support through sponsorship, I would not have missed those events,” she says.
For Barsa’s event alone, Shakoor’s team spent more than 100,000 rupees ($358), which included the cost of transporting five horses, their feed and lodging.
Similarly, at the national tent pegging trials, every rider must bring their own horse, a rule that shuts out anyone who cannot afford transport, let alone own a horse.
Awan, the 32-year-old mother of two children, used to ride horses as a hobby and began visiting melas to observe how tent pegging was played. Intrigued by the sport, she reached out to Shakoor on Instagram, asking to become a member of Bint-e-Zahra.
In recent years, videos featuring female riders have gained millions of views on Instagram and TikTok, sometimes surpassing their male counterparts. Khan and Zoya Mir, the vice captain of the national tent pegging team, run joint TikTok and Instagram accounts, Equestrians In Green, where they post about their sporting victories.
Some videos show the women playing neza baazi in slow motion, picking up a peg mid-gallop or emerging from clouds of dust dressed in their club’s gear, often set to trendy music and paired with captions that challenge the stereotypical association of horse riding with men. Some of these videos have millions of views.
But the social media visibility also comes at a cost.
Khan recalls a viral video of women riders wearing turbans at a mela, causing a backlash from veteran male riders who claimed “women were polluting the sport.”
The turban, traditionally worn by men as a mark of their social position as well as a defining part of a horse rider’s identity, takes on an added significance in neza baazi. For some, women wearing it is seen as a challenge to a space long associated with male authority.
But the riders at the Rawalpindi mela push ahead despite the vitriol. They wear their turbans with pride – Awan tying hers over a red niqab that covers half of her face while Shakoor has hers pulled low, the way her mentor taught her.
Shakoor pulls up a photo from her Instagram account, which has more than 8,000 followers. Two riders wearing turbans pluck a peg side by side. The dip of their lances, the slight sway of their bodies, the moment of lift are all nearly identical.
“This is a picture of me with my mentor Chaudry Nazakat Hussain, my true inspiration,” she says. “He encouraged me to create Bint-e-Zahra.”
Last year, a mela held in Jathli in Rawalpindi’s Tehsil Gujjar Khan had 50 participating teams with nearly 200 riders – all male except Shakoor, Ibrahim and Malik. Representing the Bint-e-Zahra Club, Shakoor fought her way into the last seven in the team captains’ round, which is a recent addition in melas in which the captain of each club runs for a position.
Shakoor, the only woman among the final seven qualifying riders, did not secure a position but considers being included a feat nonetheless. “In the captains’ round, horses are assigned to riders randomly. This minimises odds of performing better. A sportsman is known for their skill, not their horse,” she says.
Of all the lessons the sport has taught her, Shakoor says the most valuable has been courage.
“This is a sport of the brave. If you don’t have the heart for it, it’s not for you,” she says. “Passion and dedication have no gender. … We don’t want to prove we are better than men. We only want equal respect.”
UCLA captured its ticket to the Women’s College World Series, winning a best-of-three super regional over Central Florida with a 14-4 victory Saturday night at Easton Stadium. The Bruins also set a new NCAA record for WCWS appearances, reaching the double-elimination tournament in Oklahoma City 34 times.
Facing elimination, UCF threw five total pitchers at the Bruins’ lineup. None could silence UCLA’s bats.
While Megan Grant had another quiet night, working three walks, her presence in the box was enough to drive in a run. The right fielder worked a full count in the third inning. With the bases loaded, she hit a sac-fly to far right field. Only feet separated her from setting a new program career home-run record. The accolade still belongs to Stacey Nuveman (90 home runs).
A batter later, shortstop Aleena Garcia hit an RBI-single that bounced off the top of Evan’s glove to give UCLA the lead. Catcher Alexis Ramirez added a run to the momentum an inning later when she homered over the left field wall.
Meanwhile UCF’s starter Tori Payne consistently worked from behind the count and walked five batters. The righty’s pitch count topped 92 by the fifth inning. UCF coach Cindy Ball-Malone pulled Payne when she loaded the bases and gave up a run by hitting a pitcher.
Reliever Lena Elkins couldn’t work out of the jam without run damage. Ramirez doubled down the left field line, scoring two. The Bruins left two on base.
While UCLA didn’t fall behind after tying the score in the third inning, UCF challenged the Bruins’ ace Taylor Tinsley and the defense more than on Friday.
In the first, Tinsley left one bad pitch too far into the strike zone, and the Knights’ shortstop Aubrey Evans sent the ball flying over the center field wall. Tinsley then took a deep breath and continued. She struck out the next batter, and got a quick groundout to third base. When Tinsley ended the inning on a swinging strikeout, she ripped off her mask and screamed as her teammates poured out the dugout to give her high fives.
Tinsley held the Knights hitless until the fourth inning, where she gave up three singles. Kaniya Bragg saved the Bruins from any opposing runs when she trapped Sierra Humphreys’ single in the clay before it could reach the grass.
While Tinsley had struggled to find the zone that inning, she stranded the runners, striking out one batter and eliciting a groundout to short.
Her struggles to find the zone reappeared in the fifth, though she wasn’t the only one facing challenges. With two runners on the base, Ramirez tried to throw out a runner stealing second, but the ball slipped away from Bragg and trickled into the outfield grass. One runner scored and another advanced to third, later scoring on a foul out to left field.
Despite having two outs, Tinsley gave up two singles and an equal number of walks, loading the bases and giving up another run. Central Florida’s Coco Jaimes flew out to left to end the inning, but the Knights had scored three to close UCLA’s lead to 6-4.
UCF couldn’t enjoy the beginnings of a comeback for long. Garcia smashed a three-run homer over the right field wall in the sixth inning. Woolery tacked on an extra run on an RBI-double in the seventh and Garcia put the final nail in the coffin when she hit another three-run homer to nearly the same spot. Garcia’s seven RBIs are the most in a single game in program history. Bre Alejandre hit the final home run of the night, extending the Bruins’ single-season NCAA-record setting home run total to 200. With no one left to pitch, Ball-Malone put Payne back on the mound and she finished the game for the Knights.
Tinsley finished the game with 11 strikeouts, four earned runs, three walks and nine hits, marking her 24th complete game of the season and 32nd victory.
UCLA will play Alabama in the first game of the WCWS on Thursday.
Maggie Graham scored in stoppage time to lift host Houston past Angel City for the Dash’s first victory in 51 days.
Graham fired a shot from just outside the box after a series of one-touch passes up the middle of the field. Houston (4-5-2) ended a six-game winless streak.
Kat Rader put Houston on the board in the 17th minute. Angel City (4-5-1) tied it nine minutes later on Maiara Carolina Niehues’ penalty kick.
Houston was without goalkeeper Jane Campbell after she sustained a head injury Wednesday against San Diego. In her place, Caroline DeLisle made her first career NWSL start.
It will be JSerra taking on La Mirada for the Southern Section Division 1 softball championship next weekend in Irvine after both teams won their semifinal games on Saturday.
JSerra, behind 14 strikeouts from Liliana Escobar, defeated No. 2-seed Norco 2-0 to advance to its first championship game. Annabel Raftery hit a solo home run and Magenta De Arte added an RBI single.
Alison Ortega threw a complete game with seven strikeouts in La Mirada’s 5-1 win over La Habra. Freshman Rylee Thurmond had three hits.
Whittier Christian 11, St. Paul 8: A grand slam by Danni Lopez in the seventh powered the Heralds to victory in a Division 2 semifinal game. Whittier Christian will face Mater Dei in the final.
Mater Dei 4, San Clemente 2: Tulutululelei Salue hit a two-run home run and Aly Carrillo added a solo home run for the Monarchs in a Division 2 semifinal.
Great Oak 4, North Torrance 3: Regan Spillers delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in a Division 3 semifinal. Isabella Paun finished with three hits. Great Oak will face Riverside Prep, a 4-2 winner over Dos Pueblos.
Oxnard 1, Monrovia 0: Sophomore Destinee Herrera threw the shutout, striking out eight with no walks, in a Division 4 semifinal. Oxnard will face Mission Viejo, a 5-3 winner over Burbank Burroughs.
Mulivai Levu helped UCLA remain the comeback kings of college baseball, hitting a walk-off, three-run home run to seal a 7-5 win over rival USC on Saturday and a spot in the Big Ten tournament championship game.
It was No. 1 seed UCLA’s 27th comeback win of the season and the second consecutive game Levu’s hit sealed a victory during the Big Ten tournament played in Omaha, Neb.
On Saturday night, Levu hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to seal UCLA’s comeback 4-3 win over Purdue in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
UCLA improved to 50-6, a record that Levu said gives the team confidence it will find a way to win.
“It’s the power of friendship right there. We’re all well connected,” Levu said during an interview Saturday on the Big Ten Network. “… We just don’t give up. We’re never out of it, we’re never doubting ourselves. We know what kind of lineup we’ve got, we’ve just got to use it.”
USC’s Augie Lopez hit a double and the rest of the Trojans were active early, building a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Levu hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit. Dominic Cadiz had an RBI single in the fourth before pitchers held both teams scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.
Dean West hit a two-run home run in the seventh to give UCLA its first lead at 4-3, and both teams were scoreless in the eighth.
In the ninth, Adrian Lopez and Augie Lopez managed to score runs for USC, taking a 5-4 lead. Top Trojans reliever Adam Troy got No. 1 MLB draft prospect Roch Cholowsky to fly out.
Then Levu entered the batter’s box with two outs and hit the home run that sent USC (43-15) back to Los Angeles for a break before the NCAA tournament brackets are revealed Sunday night.
“They’re rivals on the field, but those are our boys off the field,” Levu said of the Trojans. “They’re good guys and they’re good team. We’ll probably see them again later on in the playoff run. Props to them, it was a great game, they made it very interesting. I’m just glad we won.”
The Pyramids of Giza loomed over a purpose-built open-air arena for one of boxing’s most unusual world title fights in recent memory.
A kickboxing heavyweight legend who ruled his sport for more than 4,000 days, Verhoeven sprinted to the ring at around 01:10 local time, flanked by performers dressed as Egyptian pharaohs, before Usyk emerged in a gladiator-style outfit complete with a golden helmet.
Verhoeven, who insisted his unpredictability could trouble Usyk, made a lively start with constant movement and energy, landing a solid right hand to the body.
Usyk responded with a sharp double uppercut in the second, but Verhoeven absorbed it well and fired back with two right hands of his own.
Boxing royalty including Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin and Anthony Joshua watched on from ringside, alongside Hollywood star Jason Statham – the man credited with helping to bring the fight together.
Another right hand from Verhoeven landed flush on Usyk in the third round.
Usyk – so often the sport’s master of patience – was forced to dig deep. He briefly responded in the fourth, hurting Verhoeven with a straight right and stinging left.
“Get back to your boxing, you’re getting too greedy, trying to land and getting caught,” Verhoeven’s trainer Peter Fury warned his man.
Verhoeven entered the sixth round for the first time in his fighting career – kickboxing bouts are capped at five rounds, and his only previous professional boxing fight ended inside two.
He stuck to the trainer’s instruction and a lethargic Usyk was rocked again in the eighth by a right hand, but the champion came alive in the 10th and 11th, unleashing a flurry of punches and repeatedly finding the uppercut – the shot that had given him his most success all night.
Verhoeven spat out his gumshield while Usyk immediately protested at the added time his opponent was given to recover.
Usyk surged again and sensed the finish. Verhoeven was visibly hurt and a stoppage may have come in the 12th round had the fight continued.
Arguably, Verhoeven should have been allowed the chance to see it through.
Instead, the referee stepped in and waved off what will go down as a contentious stoppage.
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