Who: Fulham vs Arsenal What: English Premier League Where: Craven Cottage in London, United Kingdom When: Saturday, October 18, at 5:30pm (16:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 2:30pm (13:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will be the heavy favourites when they travel to Fulham on Saturday, but London derbies usually give the underdogs more than a fighting chance, as former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger always used to bemoan.
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The Gunners, who have finished second in the table for the last three seasons, have not won the league since Wenger’s era. Fulham, meanwhile, have hit a blip and languish in 14th position.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game where the west Londoners will hope to upset the formbook against their north London visitors.
How have Arsenal fared this season?
Arsenal opened their season with an unconvincing 1-0 win at a surprisingly dominant Manchester United, and have rarely looked back. The Gunners have won eight of their 10 matches in all competitions this season; the only times they have failed to win in the league were the narrowest of 1-0 defeats at defending champions Liverpool and a 1-1 home draw with Manchester City, although that did require a 90th-minute leveller from Gabriel Martinelli.
The Gunners are yet to concede more than one goal in a game this season, and have only conceded twice in their last seven games. At the other end, 20 goals have been scored in their 10 games.
How have Fulham fared this season?
After a bright start, the west Londoners have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League. One defeat and four wins in their seven games so far, continued the feel-good factor that manager Marco Silva has brought to the Cottagers. Two of the four wins this season have come in the League Cup, but back-to-back league wins, either side of the latest cup win, had appeared to kickstart Fulham’s season.
Both recent defeats, by Aston Villa and Bournemouth, did come on the road, and Fulham remain unbeaten in five matches on home soil this season, where they have only dropped points once – and that after a fine second-half display against Manchester United in their first home game of the campaign.
When did Arsenal last win the Premier League?
The Gunners last lifted the Premier League trophy in 2004 when Wenger’s side were dubbed the “Invincibles” as they went unbeaten through the English top-flight season.
How many times have Arsenal won the Premier League?
The Gunners have lifted the league title in England on 13 occasions, with their first top-flight trophy coming in 1931. They would go on to win the title three times in the four seasons that followed. Wenger’s era was the most successful thereafter, with the Premier League trophy lifted in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Premier League action returns this week 🤩@Arsenal are currently on top of the table, for the first time since April 2024 📈 pic.twitter.com/02Tkxse4Aq
Fulham have never lifted the English top-flight title and are one of a limited number of teams in the two top divisions in England to have never lifted a major trophy. The highest domestic title the Cottagers have claimed is the second-tier title, which has been won on three occasions – the last being in 2022. Fulham have also been runners-up in the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League in 1975 and 2010, respectively.
What happened the last time Fulham played Arsenal?
Title-chasing Arsenal beat Fulham 2-1 at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League in April in the last meeting between the clubs. Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka gave the Gunners a two-goal lead before Rodrigo Muniz’s 90th-minute strike set up a nervy finish.
What happened in the corresponding fixture between Fulham and Arsenal last season?
The Premier League game at Craven Cottage last season ended in a 1-1 draw in December. Raul Jimenez gave the home side the lead in the 11th minute, but William Saliba cancelled that out seven minutes into the second half of a game short on chances but heavily dominated by the Gunners’ possession of the ball.
Head-to-head
This is the 66th meeting between the Londoners, with Arsenal winning on 43 occasions and Fulham emerging victorious nine times.
Fulham’s last win against Arsenal came at Craven Cottage in December 2023, with Raul Jimenez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid turning the game in the home side’s favour after an early strike from Bukayo Saka.
It was the second Premier League meeting between the teams that season, with the reverse fixture ending 2-2 in north London.
It also marked Fulham’s first win in 12 matches against the Gunners.
Fulham team news
Midfielder Sasa Lukic has been an ever-present for Fulham in the Premier League this season, but picked up an adductor injury in the Cottagers’ final match before the international break.
The Serbian international is likely to be out for at least two more weeks and joins Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz on the sidelines, the latter pair having knee and hamstring problems, respectively.
Raul Jimenez missed the defeat at Bournemouth before the break after sustaining an injury in the defeat at Villa, and the striker is a doubt for the visit of Arsenal. Samuel Chukwueze also picked up a knock in Nigeria’s win against Benin on Tuesday, but the extent of the injury is not yet fully known.
Arsenal team news
Martin Odegaard remains sidelined with a knee injury, but it is hoped the playmaker may return to face Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.
Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke are both also expected to return from knee injuries for that game, but the Fulham match comes too soon.
Gabriel Jesus could be back before the turn of the year – he, too, has a knee problem; Ben White is a minor doubt after missing training on Thursday. Piero Hincapie is expected to return from a knock.
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.
The latest round of qualifiers around the globe for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has seen the number of entrants rise to 28.
Published On 14 Oct 202514 Oct 2025
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Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at some of the best photos from the nations that confirmed their qualification on Wednesday for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Qatar’s defender Assim Madibo, left, drops to the floor to celebrate with Qatar’s Spanish coach Julian Lopetegui after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match against the UAE [Karim Jaafar/AFP]Qatar’s players celebrate at the full-time whistle against UAE as they reached a World Cup final for the first time through the qualification route [Karim Jaafar/AFP]Qatar’s players celebrate their achievement with fans at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha [Karim Jaafar/AFP]South Africa fans celebrate after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup following their victory against Rwanda [Esa Alexander/Reuters]A South Africa fan holds a scarf with his national’s football team’s nickname, Bafana Bafana, on it [Esa Alexander/Reuters]Another South Africa fan made sure she dressed for a party as the team secured qualification for the 2026 finals [Esa Alexander/Reuters]South Africa’s Evidence Makgopa celebrates scoring their third goal against Rwanda with teammates, a strike that was enough to put one foot in the finals for Bafana Bafana [Esa Alexander/Reuters]England captain Harry Kane looks towards the fans after the team’s victory in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match in Latvia clinched their place at the 2026 finals [Carl Recine/Getty Images]Ivory Coast celebrate qualifying for the World Cup following their win against Kenya at Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast [Luc Gnago/Reuters]A sea of orange will descend on the 2026 finals when Ivory Coast fans travel to support their team [Luc Gnago/Reuters]Saudi Arabia’s sport minister, Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, celebrates after Saudi Arabia qualified for the FIFA World Cup following their victory against Iraq [Reuters]Saudi Arabia players celebrate after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup at King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [Reuters]Senegal’s Sadio Mane, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s first goal during their World Cup group B qualifying win against Mauritania [Misper Apawu/AP]Senegal’s supporters cheer during the World Cup group B qualifying match against Mauritania at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Dakar, Senegal [Misper Apawu/AP]A Senegal supporter supplies another example of the sights that will be on display at next year’s FIFA World Cup [Misper Apawu/AP]
Qatar are the headline news in the latest group of confirmed entrants for next year’s FIFA 2026 World Cup following the most recent round of qualifying matches.
The hosts of the 2022 edition of the global showpiece event reached the finals for the first time through the qualification route, when they beat the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
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South Africa also clinched a tight group, with fellow African giants Nigeria pushed to the playoffs, on a tense final day of group stage qualifiers on the continent. This came a day after Cape Verde’s first qualification for the World Cup finals.
The European teams still have some way to go to finish their qualifying groups, but the picture has become far clearer with some progress already made.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a close look at how the qualifying process stands around the globe:
Which teams are in 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, United States
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
Who 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 yet to announce the dates for those matches.
Asia: The 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 in November.
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.
North, Central America and the Caribbean: With the World Cup host nations taking three spots, only three are left up for grabs. They will be decided on November 18. Bermuda, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago have all advanced to the third round. 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.
Which major teams have been eliminated from qualification?
Peru and Chile, who were third-place finishers in 1962, were the biggest names to miss out from the South America qualifiers, where Venezuela were also eliminated.
Although not considered a powerhouse in Asia, China will be disappointed not to reach their first finals since 2002.
Angola, Libya, Mali and Namibia will be among those disappointed to be eliminated from the African qualification.
Indonesia were hoping to reach only a second World Cup, and made a valiant run to the fourth round of AFC qualification. But they will be disappointed not to have gone one step further following their Dutch recruitment drive, which included their coach, Patrick Kluivert.
Bahrain, who topped their 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage ahead of South Korea, only to be eliminated by Japan in the round of 16, will be deflated to have missed out on the chance to showcase their skills on the global stage. Palestine were only seconds away from reaching the fourth round of the AFC qualifier and, following their historic run to the knockout stage of the last Asian Cup, will also be disappointed not to have at least gone one step further in their continental qualifiers.
When will all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026 be confirmed?
European qualification rounds stretch beyond the current group stages to March, while the intercontinental playoff final is scheduled for the same month, so the final 48 teams for the World Cup will not be known until less than three months before the tournament. March 31, 2026, is when all qualification will come to an end.
When and where is the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The World Cup draw, as revealed by US President Donald Trump in August, will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports, I guess,” said Trump, who made the announcement in an Oval Office event where he was joined by Vice President JD Vance and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Trump also did not rule out overseeing the draw himself.
When is the FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduled?
The tournament begins in Mexico City on June 11, and ends with the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Who: India vs Australia What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 group stage When: Sunday, October 12 at 3pm (09:30 GMT) Where: Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 07:00 GMT before our text commentary stream for the action.
India will hope for a quick return to winning ways when they meet defending champions Australia in a blockbuster clash at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 on Sunday.
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Both teams began the tournament as favourites, but Australia hold a definite edge in the match as record seven-time world champions and the only undefeated team after the first three group-stage matches.
Meanwhile, India were handed their first loss of the World Cup when South Africa pulled off a stunning turnaround in a three-wicket win on Thursday.
All 15,087 tickets for the eagerly awaited clash were sold out earlier in the week, indicating huge interest in what is now seen as one of the top rivalries in women’s cricket.
India vs Australia rivalry ‘continues to grow’
Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy admitted the interest in the Australia-India rivalry “continues to grow”, and that Australia will be taking on the “sleeping giant” of women’s cricket.
“They’ve [India] been a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time,” Healy said on Saturday.
The wicketkeeper-batter highlighted the role of the Women’s Premier League T20 franchise tournament in helping India unearth talent and figure out a style of play that suits them.
While Australia haven’t lost a match in the tournament, they have recovered from wobbly situations to post two wins in their two completed matches.
“You’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times,” Healy explained.
“We’re allowed to lose games of cricket and be put under pressure in World Cups, and I really back the depth in our side,” she said when asked to comment on Australia’s batting slump against Pakistan on Wednesday.
“We’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team.”
Despite their unmatched record in women’s cricket, Healy said India will be “a real threat” playing in their home conditions.
India beat Australia in the semifinal of the Women’s World Cup 2017 in England [File: Rui Vieira/AP]
India not dwelling on loss
India’s all-rounder Sneh Rana believes her team can bounce back quickly after the loss to South Africa, as they don’t dwell on losses and focus on the next challenge instead.
“We regroup, we study the match, plan how to improve, take the positives, and look forward to the next game,” Rana said on the eve of the Australia match.
She termed the Australians “one of the strongest competitors” but was quick to highlight the fact that India have beaten the world champions in the (2017) World Cup as well as their recent bilateral series.
For the hosts, one of the major areas of concern will be the lack of big scores from their top-rated batter Smriti Mandhana.
The left-handed opener has scored a world record 972 runs in women’s one-day internationals (ODIs) in 2025, but her top score in the tournament stands at 23.
In fact, none of India’s top batters feature among the tournament’s top five run-scorers thus far, with wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh in fourth spot with 131 runs.
Rana, however, said the team is not worried about the lack of runs from the top.
“We have some of the best batters in the world, and it’s just a matter of one good knock [before they score big].”
Smriti Mandhana has scored 54 runs in her three innings in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 [Anupam Nath/AP]
India vs Australia: Head-to-head in ODIs
Despite the relatively low frequency of women’s international matches in past decades, India and Australia have faced each other in 59 ODIs.
Australia dominate the head-to-head count with 48 wins compared with India’s 11.
Form guide: India
The hosts won their first two matches of the World Cup comprehensively before crashing to a loss against South Africa. Their pre-tournament form has been mixed, with a series loss to Australia at home and an away series win against England.
Last five matches (latest result first): L W W L W
Form guide: Australia
Australia have won two of their three matches in the World Cup, with their fixture against Sri Lanka abandoned due to poor weather.
Apart from the one loss against India in September, Australia have not lost an ODI since September 2024.
Last five matches (latest result first): W W W L W
Team news: India
India may want to swap a spinner for a pace bowler, in which case Shree Charani could make way for Renuka Singh Thakur.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations is “prepared to move now” and deliver food, water, medical, and other assistance to Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
Mattel announced Monday that it had assembled a team of four international rugby athletes to help encourage girls to embrace their confidence and stay in sports. The new “Team Barbie” campaign is to celebrate International Day of the Girl, which is Oct. 11.
“We all doubt ourselves at times, myself included,” Maher said in a statement. “If sharing my story can inspire other young girls to believe in themselves the way I have, then I’ll have truly made an impact. Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn’t something to shy away from, but something to own.”
Also part of Team Barbie are Ellie Kildunne from the U.K., New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Nassira Konde from France.
A breakout star at the 2024 Paris Olympics even before the rugby sevens team’s historic bronze medal, Maher became known for her social media videos that offered a humorous glimpse into the day-to-day life of an Olympic athlete. She has also used her platform to empower women, champion body positivity and help raise the profile of rugby in the U.S.
The Barbie doll versions of international rugby stars Ellie Kildunne, left, Ilona Maher, Nassira Konde and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.
(Mattel)
“As women, a lot of times our body has been this object to be looked at and to be objectified, and I hate that there’s girls out there that feel like they don’t have a purpose for their body, and so they want to change it constantly,” Maher told The Times last year. “To get into sports and a sport like rugby, a sport like canoe, and track and field gives your body a purpose, shows what it can do and what it’s capable of. It’s not just something that is for others to judge.”
As part of its campaign, Mattel conducted a study to try to better understand why girls tend to stop participating in sports. The research found that only 53% of girls ages 6 to 14 feel confident while playing sports and that 1 in 3 girls stops playing sports by age 14 “primarily due to body confidence concerns, self-doubt, and a lack of visible female role models.”
“At Barbie … [w]e’re committed to breaking down the barriers — from gender stereotypes to self-doubt — that hold girls back from realizing their limitless potential,” Krista Berger, the senior vice president of Barbie, said in a news release for the new campaign. “By showcasing the stories of incredible role models whose confidence has fueled groundbreaking success, we’re showing girls that the future of sports — or wherever their passion takes them — is theirs to claim, with Team Barbie cheering them on.”
Other female athletes Barbie highlighted last year included tennis player Venus Williams, soccer stars Christine Sinclair and Mary Fowler, boxer Estelle Mossely, gymnasts Alexa Moreno and Rebeca Andrade, paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez, swimmer Federica Pellegrini and track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Basketball season is a month away, and the big question is did everyone learn something from the football scandals this fall?
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The Southern Section has made more than 40 fall athletes ineligible for two years for violating CIF bylaw 202, which involves providing false information on transfer paperwork. The majority are football players. Players have left California to play elsewhere. Bishop Montgomery, which had 24 transfers declared ineligible, has seen students move to Arizona and Florida. A Long Beach Millikan player also left for Arizona.
Athletic directors will soon start submitting transfer paperwork for numerous basketball players. How many will try to gain immediate eligibility with a valid change of residence? How many will seek sit-out period eligibility? How many will be declared ineligible because of undue influence, otherwise known as illegal recruiting?
Southern Section commissioner Mike West has received support from some football coaches for having his assistant commissioners enforce and uncover rule violations among transfers. But there’s lots of skepticism whether basketball will face the same scrutiny since powerful programs have been relying on transfers for years and one of the continuing public perception issues, right or wrong, has been “unequal” enforcement of rules.
West has insisted the Southern Section is committed to using its new investigative tools to determine the accuracy of transfer paperwork submitted by schools as filled out by parents, so athletic directors and principals have been put on notice to investigate before making a decision to send in the paperwork.
If there are lots of sit-out period athletes, it will mean teams won’t be at full strength until Dec. 26, the day the sit-out period ends for boys and girls basketball. And, as shown during football season, just because the Southern Section initially approves or denies a transfer, it doesn’t mean the athlete’s status won’t change when additional facts are brought forward.
Call it Crampgate. While Sierra Canyon rolled to a 30-0 victory over Gardena Serra, a controversial decision by the Trailblazers to purposely fake cramps in retaliation for what it thought was Serra’s repeated issues with cramps caused quite a debate. Here’s the story.
There were a number of losses by top 25 teams. No. 8 Orange Lutheran lost 25-10 to No. 4 Mater Dei. No. 9 Vista Murrieta lost 28-20 to Chaparral. No. 10 Servite lost 17-7 to No. 6 Santa Margarita. No. 11 Damien lost 24-22 to Rancho Cucamonga. No. 12 San Juan Hills lost 33-10 to No. 17 Corona del Mar.
Leuzinger defeated Inglewood 43-32 for the first time since 1999 in a Bay League showdown. Next up is another great league matchup, with Palos Verdes playing Leuzinger on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at SoFi Stadium.
Mary Star took control of the Camino Real League with a 21-12 win over St. Genevieve. Sophomore running back Johnny Rivera, with nearly 800 yards rushing, has provided a big boost this season.
Corona Centennial coach Matt Logan (right) receives trophy from athletic director Tony Barile after 300th coaching win.
Crenshaw wide receiver Deance’ Lewis (11) celebrates his touchdown with tight end De’Andre Kirkpatrick (10) against Dorsey.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Crenshaw continues to make strides, knocking off rival Dorsey 12-8 in a game that featured a halftime concert by Mustard. Here’s the report.
The Western League began with the expected wins by Hamilton, Venice and Palisades. Hamilton won’t find out where it stands until facing Palisades on Oct. 24 and Venice on Oct. 30. The big matchup is on Friday when Venice hosts Palisades.
Van Nuys defeated Sylmar for the first time in more than 30 years 49-46. Coach Ken Osorio credited his offensive line that features right tackle Ernesto Gomez, right guard Jiancarlos Lopez, center Omar Hernandez, left guard Angel Avendano and left tackle Eli Taitz. Quarterback Carlos Herrera ran for four touchdowns and threw another.
Gardena began Marine League play with a 29-6 win over Banning. Quarterback Kevin Martinez had two touchdowns passing and two touchdowns running.
Eagle Rock handed Marshall its first defeat 41-7 in a Northern League opener.
Quarterback Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park, The Times’ reigning player of the year in Southern California, suffered a torn ACL knee injury on Friday night against Santa Barbara, ending his high school career, his father, Joe, said. He’s committed to Michigan and will undergo surgery.
Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel suffered a torn ACL injury to his knee on Friday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
He came into this season with 11,222 career yards passing and 147 touchdowns. This season, in six games, he passed for 1,624 yards and 15 touchdowns.
From the moment I saw Brady Smigiel as a freshman in a summer passing tournament, I was convinced he had the ability to be a top quarterback. He got better every season. A leader. A fighter. To see him and his father together for four years was special at Newbury Park.
His work ethic combined with surgery should allow him to have a complete recovery. He will go down as one of the most prolific football players in Ventura County history.
JSerra quarterback Kate Meier reaches across the goal line for the winning touchdown an instant before her flag is pulled.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
The showdown between No. 1 Orange Lutheran and No. 2 JSerra turned out as fun as expected, with JSerra winning 18-7 on the strength of four interceptions. Here’s the report.
Dos Pueblos quarterback Kacey Hurley and coach Doug Caines bump fists.
It was a big week for Sierra Canyon. The Trailblazers went to five sets to win their Mission League showdown against Marymount 25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 25-27, 15-11.
Then Sierra Canyon won the Mira Costa/Redondo Union tournament championship over Archbishop Mitty, which pretty much makes the Trailblazers the top team in Southern California and perhaps the state.
Shalen Sheppard has left Brentwood for Crossroads.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Shalen Sheppard, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who was expected to be the standout basketball player at Brentwood, has transferred to rival Crossroads. Brentwood coach Ryan Bailey developed him into one of the top freshman players last season. …
Tyran Stokes from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Brandon McCoy from Sierra Canyon have signed NIL deals with Nike. …
Tajh Ariza of St. John Bosco, last season’s co-City Section basketball player of the year at Westchester, has committed to Oregon. …
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Melissa Seidemann is the new girls water polo coach at Orange Lutheran. Here’s the report. …
Adam Goldstein was named baseball coach at Agoura. …
Junior lacrosse player Brody Booen of Santa Margarita has committed to Virginia. …
Tight end Keawe Browne of Corona Centennial has committed to Boise State. …
San Pedro softball player Caroline Baker has committed to Louisiana Tech. …
Quarterback Kade Casillas of Lakewood has committed to Wayne State. …
Former Crespi and UC Riverside basketball player Kyle Owens has died after a bout with cancer. He was 24. …
Pitcher Abby Ford of JSerra has committed to Washington for softball.
From the archives: Romeo Doubs
Green Bay Packers’ Romeo Doubs.
(Morry Gash / Associated Press)
Former Jefferson High standout Romeo Doubshas become a standout receiver in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. His is a great story to tell, having been a double-wing T quarterback at Jefferson in the City Section. He got a scholarship to Nevada and kept improving as a receiver.
From Substack, a story on former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame star Giancarlo Stanton.
From the Washington Post, a story on a high school football team with two former Super Bowl winners on the coaching staff.
From the Orange County Register, a story on former Loyola linebacker Scott Taylor contributing for UCLA as a freshman.
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Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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From tournament format to venues and top players to watch, here’s Al Jazeera’s guide to the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Published On 29 Sep 202529 Sep 2025
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Women’s cricket will take centre stage when eight nations compete in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s World Cup 2025 in India and Sri Lanka from Tuesday.
Australia are the defending champions and record seven-time winners of the one-day international (ODI) competition , but in-form India are favourites to break their World Cup drought at home.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament:
When are the first match and final of the Women’s World Cup?
The World Cup begins when India host Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday and will conclude with the final on Sunday, November 2.
Why will some World Cup games be played in Sri Lanka if India is the official host?
While India was confirmed as the tournament’s official host earlier this year, Sri Lanka was added as a neutral venue for games involving Pakistan.
It came as a result of an ICC-brokered agreement between India and Pakistan that allows both countries the option of playing their games at a neutral venue for a tournament hosted by either South Asian nation. The neighbours have not visited each other for a bilateral cricket competition in 13 years and shared an intense four-day military and aerial conflict in May.
Guwahati is set to host the first semifinal but the venue will change to Colombo if Pakistan qualify for the last four.
Navi Mumbai will host the second semifinal, which will be India’s designated last-four clash if they qualify.
The venue for the final can also be moved to Colombo should Pakistan enter their first Women’s World Cup final.
Where are the venues of the Women’s World Cup?
Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai, India
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, India
Holkar Stadium, Indore, India
Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Which teams are in the Women’s World Cup, and how did they qualify?
Australia
Bangladesh
England
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
South Africa
Sri Lanka
India qualified on the basis of their hosting rights, while Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka qualified as the top five teams in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.
Bangladesh and Pakistan entered the tournament by finishing first and second in the World Cup qualifiers.
Chamari Athapaththu will have her eyes on the prize when she leads Sri Lanka at the World Cup at home [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
When and where is the India vs Pakistan match in the Women’s World Cup?
The archrivals will face-off on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
India have beaten Pakistan in all ODI matches played between the two nations since 2005, with their last win coming at the ICC World Cup 2022 in South Africa.
What’s the format and schedule of the Women’s World Cup?
The tournament’s main round will be played in the round-robin format between September 30 and October 26.
The top four teams at the end of the group stage will qualify for the semifinals on 29 and 30 October.
The final will be played on November 2.
The updated match schedule for #CWC25 is out now 🏆
Which teams are favourites to win the Women’s World Cup?
Australia: The Southern Stars’ supremacy in women’s cricket is undeniable, with their record seven titles in the ODI World Cup and six in the T20 World Cup proof of their status as the world’s best team. Alyssa Healy’s team is packed with the world’s top batters, bowlers and all-rounders and will be the favourite to defend the title they won in South Africa.
India: The hosts came very close to lifting their first World Cup trophy in 2017, when they lost the final to England, and will look to go one better on home turf. India enjoy the services of arguably the world’s best batter in Smriti Mandhana, as well as some in-form bowlers and all-rounders. They have won 10 of their last 14 ODIs, including three against higher-ranked opponents.
Who are the players to watch at the Women’s World Cup?
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Deepti Sharma (India)
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Sophie Ecclestone (England)
Megan Schutt (Australia)
Ellyse Perry (Australia)
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
Sidra Amin (Pakistan)
Nahida Akter (Bangladesh)
Smriti Mandhana has scored four ODI hundreds in 2025 [File: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
Which are the five best group-stage matches of the World Cup?
India vs Pakistan on October 5 at 09:30 GMT
India vs Australia on October 12 at 09:30 GMT
India vs England on October 19 at 09:30 GMT
Australia vs England on October 22 at 09:30 GMT
Australia vs South Africa on October 25 at 09:30 GMT
Who are the past champions of the Women’s World Cup?
1973: England
1978: Australia
1982: Australia
1988: Australia
1993: England
1997: Australia
2000: New Zealand
2005: Australia
2009: England
2013: Australia
2017: England
2022: Australia
What’s the prize money for the Women’s World Cup?
Total prize money for the tournament: $13.88m
Champions: $4.48m
Runners-up: $2.24m
Losing semifinalists: $1.12m each
Fifth and sixth place finishers: $700,000 each
Seventh and eighth place finishers: $280,000 each.
How can I buy tickets for the Women’s World Cup?
Tickets for all group-stage games are available on the ICC’s ticketing website, and prices start at $1.
Schoolchildren gather around the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Trophy in Colombo [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. If all goes as expected, Matt Logan of Corona Centennial will earn career victory No. 300 on Thursday night, becoming the 15th coach in state history to achieve that mark, according to CalHiSports.com records.
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Corona Centennial coach Matt Logan is in his 29th season.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
It’s going to be party time in Corona on Thursday night when Centennial hosts Eastvale Roosevelt. Centennial will be a heavy favorite to deliver win No. 300 for coach Matt Logan, who has made his program one of Southern California’s most consistent and perhaps the top public school football program in his 29th season.
Centennial is the last team to win the Southern Section title in 2015 other than St. John Bosco and Mater Dei. His teams have won 10 Southern Section titles and a state title in 2018. His influence has been immense.
Twenty-two former Centennial players have reached the NFL, including five on current rosters. More than 250 players have reached the college ranks. He became a trendsetter with his quick tempo, no-huddle offense that required officials to be in good shape because of the speed in which the Huskies would snap the ball after the whistle had been blown. He became the coach not afraid to play anyone, scheduling home and away games with Mater Dei, playing Florida’s IMG Academy and playing three Trinity League opponents this season.
Through the years, any time there was an opening at a top private school, Logan’s name got mentioned as a candidate. But the Norco High graduate was never going to leave the community he grew up in.
“I don’t think our school district and our area would be recognized without him,” said Anthony Catalano, a former quarterback and current assistant coach. “It changed the outlook of our community and kept a lot of people home. It set the standard for what our expectations are.”
One moment that is always most memorable comes at the end of the final game or final practice. The whole team lines up to salute every senior. Logan gives a hug to each senior offering words of appreciation and encouragement. That embrace to a teenager preparing to become an adult makes them Matt Logan fans for life.
Quarterback Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica had four touchdown passes in 42-14 win over Hamilton.
(Craig Weston)
The Trinity League begins football action this week. Get ready for a five-week grind that ends on Halloween, with St. John Bosco hosting Mater Dei. On Friday, St. John Bosco is at JSerra, Mater Dei is playing Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College and Santa Margarita is playing Servite at Santa Ana Stadium.
All six teams remain in contention for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The key will be how many teams are chosen for Division 1. Corona Centennial, Mission Viejo and Sierra Canyon are certain selections. If the Southern Section only goes with eight teams, then one Trinity League team won’t make it. Last season there were 10 teams selected. Los Alamitos is 7-0 and a contender going into its three league games against Edison, San Clemente and Mission Viejo. The rankings are done by hsratings.com.
Monrovia has lost sophomore quarterback Jesse Saucedo for the rest of the season after a knee injury.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame unveiled 6-foot-8 basketball star Tyran Stokes at receiver. Here’s the report.
Los Alamitos earned a long-deserved break after improving to 7-0 with a win over Calabasas. The surprising Griffins don’t play again until their league opener on Oct. 16. They can become a Division 1 playoff team by beating Edison, San Clemente and Mission Viejo over their final three games. Quarterback Colin Creason was 17 of 19 passing for 296 yards and three touchdowns against Calabasas. Talented tight end Beckham Hogland had seven catches for 140 yards.
Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica has 19 touchdowns in his last three games after a 42-14 win over Hamilton. Here’s the report.
The City Section is closing in on booking L.A. Southwest College to host its Open Division championship game on Nov. 29. Birmingham would host championship games on Nov. 28.
Last week, L.A. Jordan (0-6) forfeited its game to Fremont because of lack of healthy players and first-year coach James Boyd is out. Boyd was a former Jordan standout. Leonard McConico was named interim coach. Also Dymally has officially canceled its season.
Carson had a breakthrough nonleague win over St. Pius X-St. Matthias. Sophomore defensive end Kingston Sula had four sacks.
Palisades receiver Go Moriya makes a sliding catch in the second half of Friday night’s 35-28 intersectional win.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Palisades improved to 5-0 by rallying to beat Mary Star 35-28. Here’s the report.
Birmingham begins West Valley League play this week against El Camino Real and has a 49-game winning streak against City Section opponents.
Crenshaw hosts Dorsey on Friday night in a big Coliseum League game that will decide the main challenger to King/Drew.
Marshall is 6-0 after a 42-18 win over Jefferson. Junior quarterback Nathaniel Cadet has been a key player for the Barristers. Marshall will find out where it stands in a Northern League opener against Eagle Rock on Friday night.
Elyjah Staples is a star junior defensive end for Marquez and also straight-A student.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
It’s a tradition for the Marquez High football team to raise a black Gladiators flag up the stadium pole after each victory.
Imagine how often that flag could be raised each time Elyjah Staples, the school’s star outside linebacker, earned an A on his report card? That’s the only grade he’s gotten in three years of classes, no matter taking Chemistry, Algebra 2 or advance placement U.S. History.
It’s the game of the year in high school flag football.
On Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. at Orange Lutheran, the unbeaten Lancers (18-0) take on unbeaten JSerra (19-0) in a game that should attract a large crowd and produce a memorable matchup.
Orange Lutheran and quarterback Makena Cook are the defending Division 1 flag football champions. JSerra, bolstered by a group of talented freshmen, have been surging and preparing for this showdown. Freshman quarterback Katie Meier and freshman receiver Ava Irwin get to test themselves on a big stage.
LIONS POSTGAME: Junior G.G. Szczuka produced five catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman quarterback Kate Meier threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score, as the JSerra Girls Flag Football team improved to 19-0 on the season with a 34-19 victory over… pic.twitter.com/QKUaOyreon
Venice continues to be a City Section title contender in girls volleyball, handing Palisades its first defeat in Western League play, 25-23, 22-25, 12-25, 25-21, 15-9.
Mira Costa came through with a win over rival Redondo Union to go to 4-0 in the Bay League and 14-7 overall.
Marymount hosts Sierra Canyon on Monday night in the first of two Mission League matches.
San Clemente athletic trainer Amber Anaya helped save a soccer assistant coach who went into cardiac arrest.
(San Clemente HS)
For those high schools in California that still don’t have an athletic trainer, what happened at San Clemente High was another reason why they are so valuable for the safety reasons. And also proven was the requirement that coaches be certified in CPR every two years.
Calabasas senior Elie Samouhi took out his electric guitar and played the national anthem before the Calabasas-Los Alamitos football game last week. What a performance. You can hear it here.
Basketball
Fall basketball is picking up steam more than a month away from the official start of the season.
Former St. John Bosco guard Brandon McCoy made his fall debut for Sierra Canyon, which has a number of transfer students that still need to be cleared by the school and Southern Section.
In fact, most of the Mission League is loaded with transfers, and if they’re eligible, it will be quite a league season ahead.
Freshman Nico Mecilli should be a contributor for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame might start a little slow with several players on the football team, including standout Tyran Stokes, but that will only give the newcomers the opportunity to play, such as 6-foot-5 Bishop Gorman transfer Ilan Nikolov and 6-5 freshman Nico Mecilli.
Three of the big risers have been 6-7 junior Kevin Keshishyan of Los Altos, 6-9 junior Nick Welch Jr. of Rolling Hills Prep and senior guard Josiah Johnson of Mayfair.
In girls basketball, Etiwanda and Ontario Christian are gearing up to be the top teams again, but watch for big improvement from Troy, where future Hall of Fame coach Kevin Kiernan has returned after being at Mater Dei and not coaching last season. Oak Park could be on the rise with several transfer students.
Transfer warning
Southern Section commissioner Mike West (left) addressed the Southern Section Council on Thursday.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
I’ve been trying to find a way to educate parents, fans, coaches and players about the ongoing crackdown of Southern Section transfer rules, and commissioner Mike West made a brief presentation at the Southern Section Council meeting to provide an update.
In the latest development, five Long Beach Poly football players and one volleyball player have been declared ineligible for two years for violating CIF bylaw 202, which involves providing false information. Also Victor Valley lost four football players to two-year punishments. Pacific in San Bernardino lost two football players for one year.
Notes . . .
Chris Huber is the new girls lacrosse coach at Newbury Park. . . .
Tressa Beatty of Bonita has committed to Azusa Pacific for women’s basketball. . . .
Softball standout Mireya Gonzalez of La Mirada has committed to Connecticut. . . .
Emilia Krstevski, a 6-4 center at Sierra Canyon, has committed to play women’s basketball at Oregon. . . .
Rio Hondo Prep and Brentwood have moved their football game to SoFi Stadium on Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m. . . .
Outfielder James Tronstein of Harvard-Westlake has committed to Vanderbilt. . . .
Junior outfielder/pitcher Carson Richter of Newbury Park has committed to Michigan. . . .
Junior Ivy Burnham of St. Anthony has committed to Stanford softball. . . .
South Hills softball standout Charli Moreno has committed to Washington. . . .
Junior pitcher Andrew Carlson from Trinity Classical Academy has committed to Texas Christian. . . .
Junior pitcher Tate Belfanti of Cypress has committed to Texas Christian. . . .
Pitcher Owen Shannon of Mater Dei has committed to Pittsburgh. . . .
Adam Goldstein, who has been an assistant baseball coach at Agoura, has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant head coach position. . . .
Former standout offensive line Mark Schroller from Mission Viejo has medically retired from football at UCLA. . . .
Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame takes off on a touchdown run against Culver City.
(Craig Weston)
Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has committed to West Virginia. . . .
Linebacker Glenn Baranoski of Newport Harbor has committed to San Diego.
From the archives: Peyton Woodyard
Peyton Woodyard during his St. John Bosco days in 2022.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Freshman safety Peyton Woodyard, a St. John Bosco grad, is making an impact at Oregon.
It’s no surprise, since Woodyard was a key contributor for St. John Bosco over three seasons.
From the San Diego Union Tribune, a story on Torrey Pines having the best girls golf team in the nation.
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The next Servite phenom. 6-4 freshman Tetairoa McMillan. Starter in basketball and volleyball. Football coaches drooling over his potential. pic.twitter.com/tOQA2W4Xvi
I’m so passionate about covering high school sports that I’ve spent 49 years doing it. But some are taking it too seriously. It’s not college, it’s not pros. No matter how angry you get, you can’t change the mission it will always be about _ to prepare teenagers for adulthood.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Who: India vs Pakistan What: T20 Asia Cup 2025 final When: Sunday, September 28 at 14:30 GMT Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
India and Pakistan will face off in a high-stakes Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday, with political and on-field friction overshadowing their first title clash in the regional tournament.
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Pakistan secured their place in the decider after edging past Bangladesh by 11 runs on Thursday, setting the stage for a blockbuster meeting with their neighbours and archrivals India.
Defending champions India were the first team to book a place in the final following their win over Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Suryakumar Yadav’s team finished their Super Fours campaign in a thrilling Super Over win over Sri Lanka on Friday.
Here’s what you need to know about the Asia Cup 2025 final:
What has caused the recent tension between India and Pakistan?
The showdown comes months after an intense four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have not played a bilateral series in more than a decade.
What happened in the last India vs Pakistan match?
Their most recent meetings in the group stage and Super Four round of this Asia Cup saw India win both matches, but their skipper Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with counterpart Salman Agha.
Players from both sides also skipped post-match handshakes after both fixtures.
What is India’s form at the Asia Cup?
They have won all six of their matches in this 17th edition of the Asia Cup, played in the T20 format, and are chasing a record-extending ninth title.
Opener Abhishek Sharma has been in scintillating form with successive half-centuries, while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav leads the bowling charts with 12 wickets.
But their fielding has been suspect, with 12 dropped catches in the tournament so far.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy blamed the “ring of fire” created by the stadium’s 350 floodlights for the butter-fingered display.
“We have to pick up our fielding, and definitely, the fielding coach has a lot to say,” Chakravarthy said.
India’s Hardik Pandya in action in the Super Fours meeting with Pakistan [Satish Kumar/Reuters]
What are Pakistan’s chances of beating India in the final?
Pakistan, two-time Asia Cup champions, will rely on their pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rauf to provide early breakthroughs, while spinners Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz will aim to contain India’s powerful batting lineup.
Their batting, however, remains a concern after collapsing to 49-5 against Bangladesh before recovering to post 135-8, which proved to be a winning total.
Suryakumar downplayed the on-field rivalry after hammering Pakistan for the second time in the tournament, but coach Mike Hesson believes his team can throw up a challenge to the number one-ranked T20 side.
How many times have India and Pakistan won the Asia Cup?
Pakistan have lifted the trophy on two occasions – in 2000 and 2012 – and qualified for the final five times.
India are seven-time Asia Cup champions, with 11 appearances in the final.
When was the last time Pakistan beat India?
Pakistan’s last Asia Cup win over India came in the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71 runs in the Super Four clash, but it was Mohammad Nawaz’s 20-ball 41 that saw Pakistan home.
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is
Since the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the countries have met in 15 T20Is. India have won 12 times, including the first match in 2007, which was tied and then decided in a Super Over.
Two of Pakistan’s three wins came in Dubai.
Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi in action against India in the Super Fours match [Satish Kumar/Reuters]
Players to watch: India
Abhishek Sharma: The fact that the young top-order batter has managed to carve a spot in a highly competitive T20 Indian batting lineup marks Sharma as one to watch in the Asia Cup. The 24-year-old boasts the highest career strike rate of 198 among all batters in T20s, and backs it up with two centuries and five half-centuries in the format – three of those coming in his last three innings, including the Super Fours win against Pakistan.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Shaheen Shah Afridi: The former Pakistan captain has returned to form for his country and was the star turn in the crucial victory against Bangladesh. Although going wicketless in the two games against India at the tournament, the 25-year-old left-arm quick has taken eight wickets in the other three games, including his Player of the Match performance against the Tigers following figures of 3-17.
Form guide: India
India are unbeaten in the Asia Cup and have not lost a T20 series since winning the World Cup in June 2024.
Last five results (most recent first): W-W-W-W-W
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan’s form in T20s has been mixed for some time but at this edition of the Asia Cup, their only defeats have come against India, with four wins recorded overall at the tournament.
Last five results (most recent first): W-W-L-W-L
Team news: India
The holders are expected to go back to the same team that beat Pakistan in both the group and Super Fours stages.
Pakistan are expected to field the same XI that beat Sri Lanka.
Pakistan predicted line-up:
Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
How can I follow and stream the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final?
Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up ahead of our comprehensive photo and text commentary stream of the final from 09:30 GMT.
The match will be shown live on terrestrial and satellite channels, as well as live-streaming platforms across the world.
How can I buy tickets for the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final?
While tickets for the general stands are sold out, some are still available in the hospitality sections of the stadium, starting at $991 and can be purchased at the tournament’s official ticketing website.
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid What: Spanish La Liga Where: Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain When: Saturday, September 26, at 4:15PM (14:15 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:15pm (13:15 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Real Madrid have made a perfect start to the season under Xabi Alonso, but their new coach warned against complacency on Friday before his first Madrid derby in charge of La Liga’s leaders.
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Alonso spent five seasons as a player with Real but now takes his team to the Metropolitano stadium to take on Atletico in his latest role with his side in impressive form.
Real have won all six league matches, conceding three goals, and hold a two-point advantage over champions Barcelona.
“We’ve only played six and got full points, but some games were a real struggle, so we can’t get overconfident,” Alonso told reporters before Saturday’s game.
“You can’t think that just by stepping onto the pitch you’ll win because of the badge you wear or the squad we have. I believe the more we educate ourselves to come out switched on for any match at any ground, the more games we’ll win.
“And if we win a lot of games, if we have that natural activation, we can pick up a lot of points. But we mustn’t relax because a lapse can cost you.”
Is Real Madrid’s trip Alonso’s first to Atletico as a manager?
Alonso has faced Atletico as manager when in charge of Bayer Leverkusen – drawing 2-2 in Madrid in 2022 shortly after taking over the German club and losing 2-1 away last season – but going there with Real is a very different prospect.
“It’s definitely different going to the Metropolitano with any other club than with Real Madrid,” Alonso said.
“Because of the healthy rivalry, and I think that’s something beautiful, something that’s been enjoyed for many years, and hopefully, we can keep enjoying it tomorrow, as well.”
How Atletico Madrid shape up before Real visit?
While Alonso’s Real are flying high, Diego Simeone’s Atletico have won two of their six league games, which leaves them already trailing their Madrid rivals by nine points, but those numbers are not so relevant at this stage.
Real have also failed to beat Atletico in the league over the last two seasons.
“The standings don’t say much right now,” Alonso said.
“Sure, we could extend the lead, but the match is going to be tough; it’s going to be tight. Winning at the Metropolitano isn’t easy; we’re going to have to work for it.”
Alonso impressed by Simeone but setting no targets
Simeone has been in charge at Atletico for 14 years, but 43-year-old Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in June, is not looking that far ahead.
“What Simeone has done over these 14 years at Atletico is very important, not just what he’s achieved,” Alonso said.
“I’m just starting out, so I like to take things step by step. I don’t set such long-term goals.
“The beginning has been good, and there’s a long road ahead, so we will see.”
What happened the last time Real Madrid faced Atletico?
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone famously hates to deviate from the here and now, but when his team host Real, it is difficult not to look both forwards and backwards.
The last time these teams met was in March in the Champions League last 16, when Atletico were eliminated after Julian Alvarez’s controversially disallowed shootout penalty.
The Rojiblancos seethed for weeks about the incident, with Alvarez ruled to have double-kicked the ball, and their season rapidly flew off the rails. Perhaps they have never fully recovered since.
Atletico spent big in the summer, signing Alex Baena, David Hancko and Thiago Almada among others, for a total of more than 175 million euros ($204m).
“We want to recover in the best way we can,” said Simeone after his team came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in a thrilling clash on Wednesday.
“We will have a really hard, difficult game against a side that has been winning all their games, and who have a tonne of very good players in their squad.”
What is Simeone’s record at Atletico?
Simeone this week became the coach who has spent the longest time in charge of a La Liga club, having arrived in December 2011.
Helping Atletico to reach two Champions League finals, both lost against Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016, as well as winning two La Liga titles, Simeone has taken the club to their very best moments.
Unfortunately, over the past few seasons, since they won La Liga in 2021, the team have fallen from their peak.
“The team needs to evolve to the height the club has,” admitted Simeone in August.
What is Real Madrid’s form before the derby?
Alonso can match Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s record of seven straight league wins at the start of a season set in 2005, if Real emerge on top this weekend.
The main force behind Madrid’s excellent results is superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who leads the scoring charts with seven. The France international ended last season in rich form and has continued that into the new campaign.
What has been Atletico’s biggest struggle?
Atletico, by contrast to Real, lacked finesse in front of goal until Alvarez netted the first hat-trick of his career against Rayo to climb to four league goals.
“Julian is the best player that we have. We need to look after him, so he stays many years here at Atletico,” said Simeone.
“He has to help us and we have to help him, so he gets even better than he currently is. Each time he scores, he makes the difference, he helps us so much.”
Who and when do La Liga champions Barcelona play?
Second-placed Barcelona host Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium, hoping Real Madrid drop points so they can close the two-point gap to the top.
Atletico Madrid team news
Spanish international Alex Baena returned from injury to start on the bench on Wednesday, while Alexander Sorloth is back from suspension.
Jose Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada, however, all remain absent due to injuries.
Real Madrid team news
Alonso refused to give any clues away over his starting lineup, but said Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga were fit enough to start after recently returning from injury and playing as substitutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger all remain sidelined by injury.
The Dodgers are not the norm in baseball. For the majority of teams in the major leagues, the last week of the regular season is the last week until spring training.
As the Angels played out their final week, the Angel Stadium store featured a “Thank You Fans” sale, with up to 50% off caps, T-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, even authentic Mike Trout jerseys.
Inside the clubhouse, the reminders for players had the feel of the final week of school: return your team-issued iPad; order your gloves for next season; take your exit physical.
As the Dodgers play out their final week of the regular season, on the road, the Dodger Stadium store is stocking up on blue “October Baseball” T-shirts, the same ones the players wore last week, when they clinched a postseason spot.
On Thursday, the Dodgers clinched the National League West, again. On Tuesday, the Dodgers will make their 13th consecutive postseason appearance, one shy of the major league record. Only once in those 13 seasons did the Dodgers fail to win the NL West: in 2021, when they won 106 games and the San Francisco Giants won 107.
For the Angels and their decorated closer, and for 17 other teams, Tuesday will be the second day of the offseason. That is the norm in baseball, at least outside Chavez Ravine, the Bronx, and recently Milwaukee.
Kenley Jansen played October baseball for the Dodgers from 2013-21, and for the Atlanta Braves in 2022.
In 2023, the first time in 11 years Jansen did not appear in the postseason, his family alerted him that the Dodgers’ playoff opener was on television, with good friend Clayton Kershaw pitching.
Jansen had no interest in watching.
“I’m like, guys, I’m not on the Dodgers anymore,’ ” he said this week at Angel Stadium.
He wanted to be around his family. His friends and family members wanted to be around him, which they assumed meant around baseball.
“I get it,” he said. “I still feel like I’m going to get those calls: Did you watch that game?”
He appreciates how difficult it is to get to the playoffs. In his first two full seasons, the Dodgers vs. the rest of the league at Dodger Stadium was a sideshow to the main event: Frank McCourt vs. Major League Baseball in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del.
“We went from the bankrupt Dodgers to getting into the playoffs every year,” Jansen said. “I think it was the core group, the leadership that we had, plus the front office and the ownership wanting to win a championship every year. They make it competitive.
“They’ve got to keep that train going.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, center, celebrates with teammates in the locker room after the Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday to clinch the NL West division title.
(Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
In Anaheim, for the first time in 50 years, the Angels are bound for a second consecutive last-place finish. Their last postseason appearance: 11 years ago. Their last winning record: 10 years ago.
This playoff drought included the stretch in which Trout and Shohei Ohtani played together. The Dodgers are more — much more — than Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
“For me, on the other side now, I see how hard it is to get in the playoffs,” Jansen said. “It’s not easy. You’ve got to have depth — not only here in the big leagues, but depth in the system — to give yourself a chance to win the division.”
Jansen has a 2.64 ERA this season, and he has converted 28 of 29 save opportunities. He hasn’t given up a hit in more than a month.
But the Angels didn’t sell at the trade deadline, declaring they were in serious contention without buying any serious upgrades.
Dodgers fans should take it from Jansen: Don’t take this golden era for granted. Take a few days to appreciate it. On Wednesday, Jansen said, he’ll start his offseason workouts.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers will start the playoffs, trying to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years. The percentages are not in their favor: As of Thursday, Baseball Prospectus gives the Dodgers a 9.6% chance to win the World Series, a smaller chance than the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners.
The Angels have been so bad for so long that a division championship would be cause for great celebration. The Dodgers have been so good for so long that nothing but a World Series championship would suffice.
And so, on Tuesday, the days of gratitude can end, and Dodgers fans can resume reflexively criticizing their manager and grimacing about whether they can trust anyone in their bullpen.
That was among the first things Tim Skipper said this week, the interim UCLA football coach’s opening remarks part introduction, part pep rally, part ritualistic cleansing.
The Bruins needed drastic change after an 0-3 start led to the dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster, and Skipper provided a promising start. He was engaging, energetic and about as insightful as one could possibly be only four days into the job.
It was a refreshing departure from a predecessor who displayed little of the enthusiasm that he preached.
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In perhaps the most encouraging early sign, Skipper disclosed that there had been no immediate player defections, though that could change given that everyone on the roster has 30 days to enter the transfer portal. Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s mutually agreed-upon departure was certainly a blow, but the team is finalizing the addition of veteran assistant Kevin Coyle — a former longtime college and NFL defensive coordinator — to help coach the defense for the rest of the season.
The strain of the previous week was apparent in the words of offensive tackle Garrett DiGiorgio, who spoke glowingly of both Foster and Malloe while discussing the players’ role in the struggles that led to the coaching change.
“I think he could tell that we all felt that way,” DiGiorgio said, referring to the team’s brief farewell meeting with Foster, “like we knew we had responsibility as a team and we knew that it wasn’t all on him.”
Skipper acknowledged the need to change the style of play for a team that has been badly outperformed on both sides of the ball. He said the Bruins must play harder, faster and more physical, with coaches helping to make that possible by simplifying schemes so that players could perform without having to do so much thinking.
The new man in charge has considerable experience making the best of a bad situation. Skipper guided Fresno State to a victory over New Mexico State in the 2023 New Mexico Bowl while filling in for sidelined coach Jeff Tedford, and then helped the Bulldogs reach the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last season after Tedford had to step down because of ongoing health problems.
But Skipper has never stared down a schedule such as the one he faces, with games against Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana just part of a punishing Big Ten slate that starts with a road game against Northwestern on Saturday.
A win over the Wildcats could do far more than reengage fans; it could also prevent a rash of players from using their available redshirt and sitting out the rest of the season. Sticking around to play out the season at 0-4 might feel far less enticing than preserving additional eligibility. Players will need to decide soon because they cannot play in five games and redshirt.
For all his admirable traits, the 47-year-old Skipper is probably not a serious candidate to land the permanent job unless the Bruins go unbeaten the rest of the way. But he’s already shown a willingness to embrace these difficult circumstances, a strong showing undoubtedly putting him in the running for a head coaching job somewhere.
“There’s still nine games left,” Skipper said. “You know, there’s a lot to be motivated about.”
Recruiting fallout
Six high school players backed out of their nonbinding verbal commitments to UCLA in the wake of Foster’s dismissal, including four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones.
That left 16 players committed to the Bruins as part of a 2026 high school class that dropped to No. 52 nationally in the 247Sports.com rankings.
What will be the recruiting approach of a staff that might need to seek new jobs as soon as the season ends?
“We have a whole recruiting staff and this is where they’re going to make their money,” Skipper said. “So, they’re in communication with those guys, and they know this is a great place to be. It’s a tradition-rich university, so we’re just gonna keep on sending the message. But ultimately, when everybody turns on the TV and our style of play looks the way that everybody wants it to look, they’ll want to be here.”
In the good news department, teams can restock rosters quickly because of the transfer portal and the tendency of coaches to bring a good chunk of their old team with them to their new destinations. The elimination of the spring transfer portal window will place increased significance on the 10-day window that starts Jan. 2, 2026.
Heard on campus
On the same day that UCLA fired Foster, a group of about 100 former Bruins players representing multiple eras met with athletic director Martin Jarmond via Zoom.
The point of the meeting wasn’t to weigh in on the coaching change or to make suggestions for Foster’s replacement — it was to vent.
According to two people on the call who spoke with The Times on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private, the players talked about getting back to the days when football mattered at the school.
There was also sentiment expressed about feeling shut off from the program, largely as a result of practices established under former coach Chip Kelly. One former player said it was difficult to get a field pass for games and asked how can players give back to a program that makes it hard to be around? The same player noted that at USC, it’s easy for alumni to go back and feel like part of the program.
Another former player who said he was around the program almost daily last season said he would suggest transfer prospects who wanted to come home to Southern California and could be impact players but received no follow-through. Some of those players went on to start at Alabama, Utah and USC.
Jarmond told the former players he appreciated the feedback and provided his email address. Former player James Washington, who helped organize the meeting, said there would be future meetings to keep the discussion going.
Among those on the Zoom — first reported by the website Last Word on College Football — were Cade McNown, Troy Aikman, Donnie Edwards, Dennis Keyes, Bruce Davis II, Datone Jones, Audie Attar, Matt Stevens, Joe Cowan and Ben Olson.
Olympic sport spotlight: Men’s soccer
Maybe UCLA football can follow the model of this team.
After a winless start to the season, the Bruins men’s soccer team defeated Northwestern in its Big Ten opener and is now 2-0 in conference play after a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin on Friday.
Forward Sergi Solans Ormo, who scored the only goal during UCLA’s 1-0 triumph over Northwestern, gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with a shot into the bottom right of the goal in the second half against Wisconsin. Forward Francis Bonsu added an insurance goal about eight minutes later.
Once saddled with an 0-3-2 record, UCLA (2-3-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) has some significant momentum going into another conference game on the road Friday against Indiana.
Opinion time
Who would you rather have as UCLA’s next football coach?
An exciting lower-level coach such as Tulane’s Jon Sumrall?
A rising star such as Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein?
An existing Power Four coach such as Arizona’s Jedd Fisch?
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Shedeur Sanders had been considered by many to be a potential first-round pick before plummeting to the Browns at No. 144 overall, after Cleveland had already selected former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Baltimore Ravens had planned on drafting Sanders with the No. 141 overall pick until he let them know that he didn’t want to sit on a roster behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is a two-time league MVP and only 28 years old.
Last week, former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said on his podcast “4th&1 ” that he had heard that the Philadelphia Eagles had also wanted to draft Sanders at some point. Like the Ravens, however, Philadelphia also has a superstar quarterback who may not have even reached his prime in 27-year-old Jalen Hurts, who was named the MVP of Super Bowl LIX in February.
Deion Sanders, an NFL legend who coached his son at Colorado, seemed to confirm all of that during an appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, which was published Monday.
“Philly called us on draft day. They didn’t mention that. I just let a cat out of the bag,” Coach Prime told the Kelce brothers. “Philly called. Who [else] was it? Baltimore and the Browns. … I played for Baltimore, so me and [Ravens executive vice president of player development] Ozzie [Newsome] are cool … and he wanted to talk to Shedeur as well as he wanted to talk to me.
“I put Shedeur on the phone. And Shedeur — I don’t want to say it went, but how in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, ‘Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years?’ Like, who comes in with that mindset?”
Sanders added: “Where do these guys come from, that sit on these platforms and say, ‘Oh, you should have sat in behind and learned the game and been what they developed.’ When have the pros ever developed anybody? By the time you get to the NFL, they expect you to know what you need to do and to do it, or somebody else gonna get in there and do it.”
The 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee summed it up this way: “I’ve never sat on a bench and said, ‘Well, I learned a lot today.’ Who learns sitting on the bench?”
Sanders said he’s been preaching patience and preparation to his 23-year-old son, who currently sits behind 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco and 24-year-old Gabriel on the Browns depth chart and has yet to see the field during the regular season.
“Be patient and be ready,” Sanders said he’s told Shedeur. “They call your name and you ain’t ready — we ain’t built like that. Sanders, we ain’t built like that. We always ready. We don’t have to get ready. And I want you to be patient. You don’t force nothing that ain’t that it may not be time [for].”
Sanders also said he has a feeling that patience will pay off for his son sooner rather than later.
“It’s coming up,” he said. “I got a prediction. I ain’t telling nobody. I got a feeling when it’s gonna go down. But it’s gonna go down this year. He gonna get a shot.”
Who: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka What: T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours When: Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT) Where: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 11:00 GMT ahead of our comprehensive text commentary stream of the match.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet in their Super Fours match at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 knowing that a loss in Abu Dhabi could jeopardise their place in the tournament.
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Both former champions have lost their opening games in the second phase of the regional competition, and the match on Tuesday will offer them a chance to revive their campaign for the final.
The top two teams from the round-robin style Super Fours will qualify for the final in Dubai on Sunday.
Bangladesh and India, the other Super Fours teams, each have two points on the board after their respective wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Six-time winners Sri Lanka were edged by the Tigers by four wickets in a closely fought match on Saturday, while Pakistan were handed a second defeat in eight days at the hands of India on Sunday.
Charith Asalanka’s team were unbeaten in Group B and will start as favourites against Pakistan, whom they have beaten in their last five T20 international (T20I) meetings.
For two-time champions Pakistan, the match will offer a chance to restore some pride after their two heavy losses against archrivals India.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Fakhar Zaman: The veteran batter has made a return to the team after a long, injury-forced layoff. And while he hasn’t posted big scores on a consistent basis, Zaman is known to demoralise opposition bowlers once he gets in the flow. The longer the opener stays at the crease, the better Pakistan’s chances of posting a big target or chasing one down.
Abrar Ahmed: The bespectacled leg-spinner has been Pakistan’s most economical bowler in the tournament despite picking up only four wickets in his four Asia Cup games so far. His tight spells often force opposition batters to attack the other bowlers and lose wickets at the other end, making Abrar a key figure in Pakistan’s lineup.
Players to watch: Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka: The Sri Lankan opener is enjoying an exceptional run of form and has scored a minimum of 30 runs in 16 of his last 25 innings in T20Is at a strike rate of 124. At the Asia Cup 2025, Nissanka is second on the run-scoring charts with 146 runs in four matches, 27 runs behind India’s exceptional batter Abhishek Sharma.
Wanindu Hasaranga: Hasaranga’s place in the Sri Lankan side has been blighted by frequent injuries, but the leg-spin bowling all-rounder remains a key member of the team. He has taken five wickets in five Asia Cup 2025 matches at an economy rate of under six. Hasaranga enjoys playing against Pakistan and has taken 14 wickets and scored 61 runs in his five matches against the 2012 Asian champions.
Super Fours points table and qualification scenario
India sit on top of the Super Fours table with two points and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.689, followed by Bangladesh, who have the same number of points but an NRR of 0.121.
The winner of Tuesday’s match could rank anywhere from first to third, based on their NRR, and the losing team, while still not out, must win their last match by a big margin and hope the other results go their way.
While Pakistan lead Sri Lanka in their overall T20I results, the Lions have been the dominant team in the format in the past six years.
Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka 13 out of 23 times, but their last T20I win against the Lions came in 2019.
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan have blown hot and cold in the T20 Asia Cup, having won against lower-ranked teams Oman and the UAE while losing both their matches against defending champions India.
As always, it is difficult to predict which Pakistan team – hot or cold – will turn up on match day.
Last five results (most recent first): L W L W W
Form guide: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka beat all three of their Group B opponents prior to the Super Fours loss against Bangladesh, but have had a mixed bag of results in T20Is in 2025. They beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in their bilateral series but lost 2-1 to Bangladesh a few weeks earlier.
Last five results (most recent first): L W W W W
Team news: Pakistan
Pakistan have, predictably, made a few changes to their playing XIs over the course of the tournament, and not all of them have paid off.
Belligerent batter Hasan Nawaz’s exclusion from the team that faced India on Sunday was met with criticism, especially as the player replacing him – Hussain Talat – did not improve on Nawaz’s performances.
Salman Agha’s team have also switched between playing two spinners and pace bowlers.
Nawaz and spinner Sufiyan Muqeem could return against Sri Lanka.
Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Hasan Nawaz/Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi/Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem
Team news: Sri Lanka
Lower-order batter Kamil Mishara’s spot in the playing XI will be under scrutiny, given his low strike rate and scores in the last three matches. Janith Liyanage could replace Mishara on Tuesday.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. After five weeks of high school football, you think you know who’s good and who’’s not. Guess again. The sit-out period for transfers is ending, and the cavalry is about to arrive to change the fortunes of teams.
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Here comes help
The sit-out transfer period ends for City Section players Thursday and for Southern Section players on Sept. 29. Some teams will be getting better.
Carson is adding receiver Jordin Daniel (Dominguez) and defensive lineman Tion Marshall (Gardena). King/Drew is picking up several players that will boost its chances of winning the Coliseum League.
Cathedral, which started the season as a top 25 team, is 1-4. A group of linemen become eligible to help protect quarterback Jaden Jefferson and add to the defensive front. Linebacker Daequan Jeffes from Loyola and lineman Mike Watson (6-4, 265 pounds) from Warren will help immediately on defense.
Unbeaten Sierra Canyon adds talented kicker Carter Sobel, who was a standout at Chaminade. Orange Lutheran’s running game will get a big boost with the arrival of Sean Morris, a transfer from Loyola. Corona del Mar adds standout lineman William Herrington from Newport Harbor.
Offensive lineman Saik Fiataugaluia, a transfer from Santa Margarita, becomes eligible at Corona Centennial. He’s 6 feet 5 and 350 pounds. Cornerback Jacob Whitehead, who was a star at Inglewood, joins an already talented St. John Bosco secondary. Cornerback Khalev Patrick Hall joins Mater Dei from Crean Lutheran. Richard Dunn, who was a standout at Hamilton last season as a freshman,, becomes eligible at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. He’ll play on the defensive line.
Murrieta Valley will get two new defensive starters in linebacker Erick Romo from Orange Vista and defensive end West Gomes from Vista Murrieta.
There’s dozens of players becoming eligible around the Southland, so prepare for some new names to be heard on the public address system at games.
Chris Henry Jr. of Mater Dei prepares to make touchdown catch against Corona Centennial.
(Craig Weston)
It was gut-check time for Mater Dei in its trip to Las Vegas to face Bishop Gorman. The Monarchs were facing the possibility of losing two games for the first time since the 2013 season.
They came away with a 27-24 victory to resurrect their season behind tight end Mark Bowman, receiver Chris Henry Jr. and quarterback Ryan Hopkins. Here’s the report.
Highlights from Sierra Canyon’s dominating 41-9 win over Orange Lutheran courtesy Interscholastic Films. A trick play, a sack, a punt return, an interception. pic.twitter.com/rTPvzO7dNI
Sierra Canyon stayed unbeaten and earned respect with a dominating win over Trinity League power Orange Lutheran. Here’s the report.
Freshman quarterback Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan passed for 508 yards and nine touchdowns in a 63-0 win over Cabrillo. That’s a freshman record for touchdown passes.
Verbum Dei won its first game since the 2022 season with a victory over Belmont. Here’s the report.
Rocco Thomkins had 16 tackles and sophomore quarterback Gino Wang rallied JSerra to a 39-35 win over Leuzinger.
There’s plenty of parity at the top in the City Section. Birmingham, Carson, San Pedro and Banning continue to lose to Southern Section teams, so it leaves lots of questions when league play begins.
Carson lost in double overtime to North Torrance 42-35. Birmingham lost to Calabasas 49-38. San Pedro lost to El Modena 34-14 at SoFi Stadium. Banning lost to Palos Verdes 52-0. They’re all following the Birmingham example that losses to Southern Section opponents can turn out to be victories by preparing teams for City Section play.
Elyjah Staples of Marquez had four touchdown catches and two sacks in a win over La Puente.
Quarterback Liam Pasten of Eagle Rock was 17 of 19 passing for 309 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-21 win over Taft.
Junior quarterback Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica has 15 touchdown passes in his last two games.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
“Wait your turn.”
Those three words are repeated again and again by parents trying to teach their young sons and daughters good manners, whether it’s at the dinner table, the amusement park or the ice cream shop.
So why do parents suddenly forget or ignore their words of wisdom when their kids become teenagers, find themselves in sports competitions, lose out on a starting job or don’t receive the attention they think they deserve and decide to flee rather than “wait your turn.”
Two of the top quarterbacks this season, Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo and Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica, waited their turn and are thriving. Here’s the report.
Basketball standout Tyran Stokes of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame made his first appearance in a football uniform on Monday.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
On Monday, the No. 1 high school basketball in the country for the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, started practicing with the football team. He’s 6 feet 8, 245 pounds and will play receiver. He needs 10 days of practices before he can play in a game.
With an injury at quarterback, Camarillo turned to its best athlete, Mya Rei Smith, to move from receiver to quarterback, and she has adjusted as if she’s been playing the position all season. She’s the starting point guard for the basketball team and is receiving lots of interest from college programs. Camarillo is 16-1.
One of the top flag football teams is Camarillo, led by basketball point guard Mya Rei Smith, the quarterback. Athlete. This is what happens when you get your top girl athletes out for flag football. Camarillo is 16-1. pic.twitter.com/eEUoUe3i2R
Orange Lutheran’s Makena Cook passed for a season-high 410 yards and seven touchdowns in a 46-20 win against Aliso Niguel. Orange Lutheran is 17-0 and begins league play on Thursday against Mater Dei.
Other top teams are JSerra (18-0), Newport Harbor (16-1) and Dos Pueblos (16-1).
In the City Section, Panorama has won its first 16 games. Quarterback Yadhira Hermenegildo has thrown 41 touchdown passes.
Girls volleyball
Middle blocker Elle Vandeweghe of Marymount.
(Steve Galluzzo )
There was a terrific national tournament in Las Vegas, the Durango Classic, and Marymount emerged as champion by knocking off No. 1 Sierra Canyon in the final. Redondo Union, Mater Dei and Mira Costa were also in the tournament.
“Elle Vandeweghe was awesome,” coach Cari Klein said.
Vandeweghe had eight kills in the 21-25, 25-15, 25-12 win over the Trailblazers. Teammate Sammy Desler was named tournament MVP.
Thousand Oaks won the Chatsworth tournament, defeating Palisades in the semifinals and Canyon Country Canyon in the final.
Senior setter Hailey Lauritzen of the Lancers was named tournament MVP.
Cross-country
The Woodbridge Classic brought out lots of top runners from outside California. Here’s the report.
Ivy League play begins
Former St. John Bosco quarterback Caleb Sanchez is playing for Columbia in the Ivy League.
(Columbia Athletics/Stockton Photo)
Former St. John Bosco quarterback Caleb Sanchez has returned for his second season playing in the Ivy League for Columbia. The season began last week, and there’s 39 former Southern Section players on rosters.
In an interview with NBC Los Angeles, former Bishop Montgomery football coach Ed Hodgkiss said he was approached before the season to change the philosophy of the football program.
Last December, according to Hodgkiss, he met with Bishop Montgomery’s now former President Patrick Lee and two others, who previously worked for football powerhouse St. John Bosco.
“They approached me and said we can do the same thing at Bishop Montgomery,” Hodgkiss said, adding the three men had planned to hire a new coaching staff, build a new stadium and bring top players to the Torrance high school. Hodgkiss ended up being fired and the school canceled its varsity season after an Archdiocese investigation and CIF penalties that resulted in 24 players being declared ineligible.
Also the high school association that runs Arizona passed an emergency bylaw to disallow out-of-state transfers to play who transfer in the middle of the season. At least four former Bishop Montgomery and one Long Beach Millikan football player have transferred to Arizona after being declared ineligible for two years in California. They transferred before the bylaw went into effect and are eligible. . . .
Sage Hill standout guard Amalia Holguin has committed to Texas for women’s basketball. . . .
Pitcher Noah Darnell of Santa Margarita has committed to Harvard. . . .
Junior pitcher Sean Parrow of Sierra Canyon has committed to LSU. . . .
Delan Grant, who played basketball at St. Francis until transferring this year to Sierra Canyon, has committed to New Mexico State. . . .
Junior softball player Mattea Stern from Garden Grove Pacifica has committed to Arizona. . . .
Infielder Tate Hammond from Long Beach Poly has committed to UCLA. . . .
Pitcher Mason Sims of Corona.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Junior pitcher Mason Sims of Corona has committed to Texas. . . .
Former Sierra Canyon quarterback Wyatt Becker will be enrolling at Princeton in 2026. He’s taking a Catholic mission this year. . . .
Maddie Smith from Flintridge Prep has committed to Yale for women’s basketball. . . .
Junior softball catcher Riley Hilliard of La Mirada has committed to Oklahoma. . . .
Junior pitcher Ben Lewis of Corona Santiago has committed to Oklahoma State. . . .
Chadrack Mpoyi, a 6-foot-11 center at Crean Lutheran, has committed to Minnesota. . . .
Gardena Serra baseball coach AJ Perry will become the school’s athletic director. He will be replaced by Ryan Odums. . . .
Jordan Myrow is the new baseball coach at Palisades. He played at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles. He has a tough task because the campus baseball field is gone for several years while temporary bungalows are used because of damage from the Palisades fire. . . .
From the archives: Robin Yount
The best baseball player in Taft High history is Robin Yount, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame who turned 70 years old last week.
He had a 20-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers playing mostly shortstop. He got his 3,000th career hit on Sept. 9, 1992. He made his major-league debut as an 18-year-old.
High school transfer rules are simple. You can move and show legitimate telephone, power and cable services bills with the whole family unit. Or you come up with a fake address, get caught and be declared ineligible for two years. Maybe schools should do a better job checking.
QB Jake Garcia is now at Michigan. He should write a book about his many travels. He’s been to Miami, Missouri and East Carolina and was originally committed to USC. In high school, he was at LB Poly, Narbonne, briefly at La Habra, then moved to Georgia for two high schools.
Gold medals for Harvard-Westlake freshmen Louis Lappe and Mateo Mier for USA 15U national team. Now back home to hit the books and get ready for high school baseball. pic.twitter.com/cUqFZhz9rG
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Who: Arsenal vs Manchester City What: English Premier League Where: Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom When: Sunday, September 21, at 4:30pm (15:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:30pm (12:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Manchester City will try to finish a challenging week unblemished when they visit an Arsenal side hoping to see some of its injured stars return to match fitness.
City were dethroned as champions by Liverpool last season, following four successive title wins, while the Gunners have finished second in the Premier League for three consecutive years.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at another early-season title showdown in the English top flight.
How are Man City shaping up in the Premier League this season?
After a difficult start to the season, City (2-2-0, 6 points) returned from the September international window in impressive form.
Last weekend, Erling Haaland’s brace propelled City to a 3-0 home win over Manchester United, a result that halted a two-match Premier League losing streak.
Then on Thursday night, Haaland and Jeremy Doku scored after halftime in a 2-0 home victory over reigning Serie A champions Napoli to open their UEFA Champions League campaign.
City are nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who beat Everton on Saturday, in the early standings as manager Pep Guardiola’s reworked squad begins its bid to win another league title.
Guardiola, however, is still placing the most importance on his squad’s overall development at the moment, rather than the match-by-match results.
“Seeing the team growing up, that is my only concern right now, making a step forward,” he said on Friday. “We are not going to win the Premier League on Sunday, and we are not going to lose the Premier League on Sunday.”
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scores their second goal against Manchester United [Phil Noble/Reuters]
Man City points to irony of Arsenal’s investment drive
Guardiola has suggested Arsenal’s spending has not been held to the same level of scrutiny.
Arteta’s Arsenal side were bolstered by a close-season outlay exceeding 250 million pounds ($337.3m), while champions Liverpool spent more than 400 million ($538.6m), including more than 100 million ($134.7m) each on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
“The only thing I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta is, if he wins the title, it will be just because he spent money, not because he worked hard or because of his players,” Guardiola said tongue in cheek of his former City assistant coach.
“It’s like Liverpool, too. If Arne [Slot] wins it again, it will be because he spent a lot of money, right? Because it’s not just Man City that [spend], right?
“For many, many years, every club can do whatever they want, you know? I know how they’ve been treated is completely different [to City], but what they want to spend is because they want it and it’s fine.”
City spent about 150 million pounds ($202m) in the close-season transfer window, adding to the 180 million ($242.4m) they invested in January.
What happened in last season’s corresponding Arsenal-Man City clash?
City suffered a 5-1 defeat at The Emirates last season, and Guardiola said his team face a stiff challenge on Sunday against an Arsenal side bolstered by the close-season signings of Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and Martín Zubimendi.
“They spent what they believe they can to compete against the best teams in the Premier League and Europe, and they’ve reached that level,” Guardiola said.
“[Arteta] found the club in a [certain] way and step-by-step, window-by-window, Arsenal are getting better.
“Last season in Europe, they made an incredible step forward, and they are for me the most solid team,” he added, referring to Arsenal reaching the Champions League semifinals.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland looks dejected after Arsenal’s Thomas Partey scores their second goal in the match at Emirates Stadium last season [Peter Cziborra/Reuters]
How are Arsenal shaping up in the Premier League this term?
Arsenal’s only defeat so far came at Liverpool at the end of August in a tightly contested 1-0 reverse decided by Dominik Soboszlai’s brilliant late free kick.
That is the only goal Mikel Arteta’s Gunners (3-1-0, 9 points) have conceded this season. They rebounded from the defeat with a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest in the league last weekend and a 2-0 Champions League victory at Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain, on Tuesday.
Arsenal seek to keep their cool for Man City’s visit
Arteta expects Arsenal to learn from Myles Lewis-Skelly’s provocative celebration against Manchester City last season when the title rivals clash for the first time in this campaign.
Arsenal defender Lewis-Skelly mocked City striker Haaland by copying his zen goal celebration after scoring in the Gunners’ 5-1 rout of Guardiola’s side in February.
With Arsenal falling just short in title fights with City in 2023 and 2024, the rivalry between the clubs has grown increasingly acrimonious.
Haaland had taunted Arsenal boss Arteta by urging him to “stay humble” following a stormy 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium earlier last season.
Teenager Lewis-Skelly, who has not started a game for Arsenal this season, was criticised for his inflammatory celebration.
Asked if he had spoken to his players about their goal celebrations before Sunday’s showdown, Arteta told reporters, “Well, that was done, and that’s part of it.
“There have been a lot of celebrations or non-celebrations in the past from a lot of teams. The experience is to learn and grow as well, and we certainly learnt from that.”
Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly clashes with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, second right, during the meeting in Manchester last season [Molly Darlington/Reuters]
Arsenal team news
There is a chance that forward Bukayo Saka, midfielder Martin Odegaard and defender Ben White could all participate this weekend for the Gunners after recent injuries.
“Everything has been modified so far for them [in training],” Arteta said of the trio. “There are still a few things to clear, and [Saturday,] we’ll have more information on whether they are part of the squad or if they have a chance to be part of the squad.”
Saka, who scored 47 Premier League goals across the previous four seasons, has not played since the second weekend due to a hamstring issue. However, Arsenal’s reinforcements have helped weather his absence, including striker Gyorkeres, who has a team-high three league goals so far.
Gyokeres is expected to be available after needing stitches for a head injury sustained following a clash of heads with teammate Gabriel Magalhaes. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz remain sidelined.
Man City team news
England international John Stones could return to the back line following muscular discomfort that has kept him out of the side.
Rayan Cherki remains out with muscle issues, while Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are also absent.
Who: India vs Pakistan What: T20 Asia Cup Super Fours When: Sunday, September 21 at 14:30 GMT Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
It will be a case of “here we go again” as bitter rivals India and Pakistan meet on the cricket field for the second time in eight days at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.
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The stakes will be higher this time as their clash on Sunday takes place in the Super Fours stage, and the winning side will take one step closer to the final, while the losers will move further away from the tournament decider.
India will start as favourites for multiple reasons, not least their seven-wicket thrashing of Pakistan in their Group A match on September 14.
In addition to their status as the ICC’s top-ranked men’s T20 team, Suryakumar Yadav’s side are the tournament’s defending champions and the reigning T20 champions.
For Pakistan, a lot more than two points will be on the line as they will look to put aside not only the embarrassing defeat but also events that transpired following their thumping loss, as India’s players walked off the field without partaking in the customary post-match handshake.
Here’s what you need to know about the match:
What happened in the last India vs Pakistan match?
India stamped their authority on the match with the first ball, as Pakistan’s opener Saim Ayub Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling and wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.
It wasn’t until Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over and finished at 128.
The target was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup, and opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls.
Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament.
India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match.
Abhishek Sharma was India’s star batter in the match against Pakistan [Raghed Waked/Reuters]
What happened after the match?
Yadav walked off the field alongside his batting partner, Shivam Dube, without approaching the Pakistani captain and team for the traditional post-match handshakes.
Pakistan’s players trudged off in a group and waited for the Indian squad and support staff to come out and shake hands, as is the norm at the end of cricket matches.
However, the Indian contingent only shook hands with each other before walking into their dressing room and shutting the door as the waiting Pakistan players looked on.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, left, and batting partner Shivam Dube, right, leave the field after their win in the Asia Cup cricket match against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium [Fatima Shbair/AP]
Why did India’s players not shake hands with the Pakistani team?
“A few things in life are above sportsman’s spirit,” India’s captain Yadav said when asked to clarify his team’s actions.
“We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and with their families, and dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor.”
Yadav was referring to the Indian armed forces’ multiple missile attacks on six locations inside Pakistan.
How did Pakistan respond?
Pakistan’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a protest against the Indian cricket team’s actions with Pycroft, who is an ICC accredited match referee.
Additionally, Pakistan captain Agha did not speak at the post-match captain’s chat with the host broadcaster, in a mark of protest.
Three days later, Pakistani officials deliberated pulling out of the tournament as a mark of protest, causing a delayed start to their match against the UAE.
Pakistan’s players arrived late for their match against the UAE [Altaf Qadri/AP]
Why is India ‘hosting’ the Asia Cup in the UAE?
India was slated to host the tournament as per the hosting rights schedule, and while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the official host of the tournament, it is being played in the UAE due to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
What’s the weather forecast for India vs Pakistan in Dubai?
The weather forecast for Sunday is hot and humid, with highs of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) and partial cloud cover.
It will get slightly cooler in the evening as the match will start just after sunset, and the temperature will drop to 31C (88F).
India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to face each other only at neutral venues [File: Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]
How many times has Pakistan won the Asia Cup?
Pakistan have lifted the trophy on two occasions – in 2000 and 2012 – and qualified for the final five times.
India are seven-time Asia Cup champions, with 11 appearances in the final.
How many times has India beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup?
In their 20 clashes in the Asia Cup, India have beaten Pakistan 11 times and lost to their neighbours on six occasions. Three matches, including the group-stage match in 2023, were abandoned due to poor weather.
When was the last time Pakistan beat India?
Pakistan’s last Asia Cup win over India came in the 2022 edition in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71 runs in the Super Four clash, but it was Mohammad Nawaz’s 20-ball-41 that took Pakistan over the line in the run chase.
Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer in Pakistan’s win over India in 2022 [File: Satish Kumar/Reuters]
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is
Since the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the countries have met in 14 T20Is. India has won 11 times, including the first match in 2007, which was tied and then decided in a Super Over.
Two of Pakistan’s three wins came in Dubai.
Players to watch: India
Abhishek Sharma: The fact that the young top-order batter has managed to carve a spot in a highly competitive T20 Indian batting lineup is enough to mark Sharma as one to watch in the Asia Cup. The 24-year-old boasts the highest career strike rate of 198 among all batters in T20s and backs it up with two centuries and half-centuries in the format.
Varun Chakaravarthy: The 34-year-old leg-spin bowler’s second foray into the Indian side has reaped him big rewards as he has taken 35 wickets in 20 T20I matches.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Hasan Nawaz: Pakistan have often been criticised for their batters’ inability to match modern-day T20 batting strike rates, but in Nawaz, they seem to have found a solution to this problem. The 23-year-old has a strike rate of 174, with a T20 hundred and two fifties in his 16 matches.
Sufiyan Muqeem: The left-arm wrist spinner has taken 27 wickets in his 19 T20Is since making his debut less than two years ago and has become a mainstay of the bowling lineup in limited-overs cricket.
Sufiyan Muqeem has become a mainstay of Pakistan’s bowling attack in T20Is [File: Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]
Form guide: India
India are unbeaten in the Asia Cup and have not lost a T20 series since winning the World Cup in June 2024.
Last five results (most recent first): W-W-W-W-W
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan’s form in T20s has been mixed of late and but they head into the marquee clash with a series win in the bag.
Last five results (most recent first): W-L-W-W-L
Team news: India
After resting a couple of their star bowlers in the game against Oman, the holders are expected to go back to the same team that beat Pakistan in the group stage.
Despite the loss on Sunday, Pakistan are expected to field the same XI and will hope the result goes their way this time.
Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Where can I buy tickets for India vs Pakistan?
A selection of seats, starting at $95 apiece for the general stand and going up to $8,767 for a four-person hospitality box, is still available on the tournament’s official ticketing website, Platinumlist, and at the stadium’s ticketing office.
