Lewis Hall agrees long-term Newcastle deal, Chelsea buy-out close: football news – live

The Guardian

⚽️ News and updates before the weekend’s football action
⚽️ Premier League: 10 things to watch out for | Mail Tom

Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Reports suggest the left-back, 22, has agreed a two-year extension to his original deal that would take his contract up to 2031.

September 11th 2026, 4:46 am

Sports quiz of the week: Monza drama, US Open heroics and unusual side hustles

The Guardian

Test your knowledge of the big stories in football, tennis, cricket, rugby union, F1 and more

September 11th 2026, 4:46 am

Five-set tennis is under attack. Killing it would be a colossal unforced error | Andrew Lawrence

The Guardian

Five-set matches are physically punishing, occasionally absurd and increasingly under threat. They also produce much of what makes grand slam tennis great

Tuesday night’s quarter-final match between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz had everything a US Open spectacle could ask for: huge stakes, knife-edge drama, top-shelf competition and an American hero who comes through in the end. The only fault to find was really the matter of time. The first ball wasn’t struck until 11.05 in the evening, and Shelton’s clinching ace didn’t come until 3.33 in the morning – marking, after a total of 4hr 28min on court, the latest-ending US Open match by a whopping 43 minutes.

Somewhat predictably, the discourse among media and fans following the late-night match has swiftly moved on from the USTA’s misadventures in scheduling to a referendum on the five-set match and whether it should be put out to pasture. For the record: that would be a colossal unforced error.

September 11th 2026, 4:46 am

Solheim Cup golf 2026: Europe v USA, day one – live

The Guardian

⛳️ Solheim Cup updates from 6.40am BST at Bernardus Golf
⛳️ Live scores | And send any thoughts to Scott via via email

Europe do indeed escape from their travails on 1 with a half. Alison Lee leaves her birdie putt short, and Nanna Koertz Madsen tidies up. But the USA strike back on 2, Nelly Korda wedging close with her approach on the par five, and Lottie Woad can’t save the day with her 15-foot right-to-left putt. All square in the opening two matches.

Corpuz/Korda A/S Hull/Woad (2)
Koerstz Madsen/Boutier A/S Coughlin/Al. Lee (1)

September 11th 2026, 4:46 am

Crowd of 100,000 laps up relentless sensory experience as NFL woos Melbourne | Jack Snape

The Guardian

The morning kick-off provided ‘incredible’ vibes for a sell-out crowd clearly different to that which attends AFL and cricket games at the venue

At 9am on a Friday, Melbourne’s tongues would usually be tinged with toothpaste. Beer, however, was the flavour craved by this throng of bros brought together by the visit of one of the United States’ great institutions.

Dressed in San Francisco 49ers red, LA Rams blue and every other colour of the 32-team NFL rainbow, the 100,021 fans had come to the competition’s first regular season match in Australia. They were there in droves, and 90 minutes from kick-off their thirst had already forced the closure of the pop-up pub adjacent to the MCG.

September 11th 2026, 3:30 am

Champions League: Bayern break down Bodø/Glimt, Como put four past Leipzig

The Guardian

• Bayern Munich 5-0 Bodø/Glimt, Como 4-1 Leipzig

• Lens win 3-2 at Slavia Prague with last-gasp double

Bayern Munich opened their Champions League campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Norway’s Bodo/Glimt.

The six-times winners were frustrated before half-time by Bodo/Glimt but cruised once Jamal Musiala smashed in the opener two minutes into the second period and the floodgates opened.

September 11th 2026, 12:29 am

49ers rout Rams behind Purdy’s three TDs as NFL draws 100,000 to Melbourne

The Guardian

• Purdy throws three TDs in dominant 27-7 victory

• Crowd of 100,021 packs Melbourne Cricket Ground

• Stafford held to 155 yards as Rams offense sputters

Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel caught touchdown passes from Brock Purdy, and the San Francisco 49ers routed the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 Friday in the first NFL regular-season game in Australia.

Purdy passed for 205 yards against the Rams’ ineffective defense at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 100,021 fans, the seventh-largest regular season crowd in NFL history.

September 11th 2026, 12:29 am

Elena Rybakina rallies to beat Coco Gauff and book US Open final with Aryna Sabalenka

The Guardian

• Second seeded Kazakh comes from set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

• Sabalenka awaits in title decider after blitzing Jessica Pegula

One set may have already passed in her first US Open semi-final, but Elena Rybakina still had not arrived inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. While an inspired Coco Gauff blew through the first stanza covering every inch of the acrylic surface as their 22,000-strong audience screamed for the Kazakhstani’s blood, Rybakina was wild and erratic from the baseline and her peerless serve was nowhere to be seen.

Nobody reaches the summit of professional without being able to problem-solve through difficult days on courtthough, and Rybakina gave a brilliant showcase of the underrated toughness at the heart of her success as she coolly recovered from a set down to overpower Gauff and seal her spot in her first US Open final with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.

September 11th 2026, 12:29 am

Aryna Sabalenka on brink of US Open trifecta after blitzing Jessica Pegula

The Guardian

• Sabalenka defeats Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in semi-final

• Champion extends US Open winning streak to 19

• Belarusian faces Rybakina or Gauff on Saturday

Aryna Sabalenka’s grip on the US Open showed no sign of weakening on Thursday night as the two-time defending champion swept past Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to move one win from a third straight title.

The top-seeded Belarusian star finished with 29 winners to Pegula’s 12, her relentless aggression turning what had been a 50-50 fight deep into the opening set into a one-sided affair that marked her 19th consecutive victory at Flushing Meadows.

September 10th 2026, 11:15 pm

US Open tennis 2026 women’s semi-finals: Sabalenka v Pegula, Gauff v Rybakina – live

The Guardian

Meet the US Open’s fascinating ambidextrous talent
Tiafoe v Shelton semi-final a legacy of departing Monfils
Semi-finals begin at 7pm ET. Email Ella with any thoughts!

Also notable about this year’s tournament: the men’s and women’s semi-finals will both feature two Americans.

Tumaini Carayol has a good read on Frances Tiafoe v Ben Shelton, the marquee All-American men’s semi-final:

September 10th 2026, 6:43 pm

Sesko soars as Manchester United surge past Sabah on Champions League return

The Guardian

It was a night for romance given the astonishing story that Sabah brought with them to Old Trafford for their Champions League debut. This is a club that did not even exist a decade ago and nobody saw their bolt to the title in Azerbaijan coming last season; in 2024-25, they had finished 41 points off the top. The job that their manager, Valdas Dambrauskas, has done since taking over in the summer of last year is extraordinary.

It was also a night for cold, hard reality. Manchester United were back in Europe’s elite competition after a two-year hiatus and in need of something to soothe them after the trauma of their last-gasp coughing up of two points in Sunday’s Premier League draw at Everton. And ahead of the extremely serious business of Sunday’s derby here against Manchester City. They got it on the back of a first-half performance that burned slowly before catching fire.

September 10th 2026, 5:27 pm

Clearlake Capital close on buying out Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter

The Guardian

• Deal would value club at around £5bn

• Walter is seeking to raise funds to pay off insurers

Chelsea’s majority owners, Clearlake Capital, are closing in on an agreement to buy out co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter in a deal that would see the pair make a profit on their investment and value the club at around £5bn.

On-off discussions between the two ownership groups over a potential sale have been taking place for the last two years, but intensified last month as a result of Mark Walter seeking to raise funds to pay off insurers following a US federal investigation over alleged tax fraud.

September 10th 2026, 5:27 pm

Glowing javelins and a $10m prize fund usher in a brave new world for track and field

The Guardian

The Ultimate Championship aims to revolutionise the sport with promises of bigger prize money and a greater role for athletes

Track and field’s brave new world begins in Budapest on Friday night. The action will be fast-paced and slick, with augmented reality showing athletes’ win percentages and javelins and hammers that glow, making them easier to see on a black infield. In the space of 48 hours, a top sprinter could earn $337,500 (£250,000) for just over a minute’s work.

It is all part of the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship, a three-day event with a prize fund of $10m which is designed to pit the best against the best, and kick off a minor revolution in the sport.

September 10th 2026, 2:27 pm

Manchester United v Sabah: Champions League – live

The Guardian

⚽️ Champions League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off
⚽️ Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And mail Daniel

We live in a world eager to issue commands about all the things we need – chief among them money, not one we often contest. But it is unarguably the case that the world’s resources are bountiful enough for every person in it to live in comfort and luxury … if only our species was pleasant enough to deem that essential.

The problem is that for some people, it’s not about having, but about having more. Take Manchester United, for example: we’re currently being told that they need to be in the Champions League because the financial disadvantage of being out of it is so extreme that it’s impossible for them to compete with the clubs that are involved.

September 10th 2026, 1:57 pm

Why Kai Havertz’s dummy was perhaps more pleasing than a Lionel Messi waltz | Max Rushden

The Guardian

The Arsenal striker reminded us grace can exist in the non-stop pace of football with his involuntary noise-provoking act

During Covid, when sport was back but behind closed doors, I hosted a number of strange online shows to fill the void of real life. The highlight was chatting to Darren Gough about a lifesize bronze rhinoceros for 45 minutes to 15 small boxes on a Zoom call. I don’t recall who it was for and where the rhinoceros came from – but it might be in his garden.

I ended up doing virtual pre-match corporate Zoom calls for Heineken before Europa League games. It was the wifi version of Club Wembley: a Q&A happening on stage between a generic host and some random ex-pro while you’re trying to chat to your mate and eat an unidentified square of meat with some dauphinoise potatoes.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

French FA accuses Infantino of ‘seriously damaging’ football as it withdraws support

The Guardian

• ‘Image and unity’ of game affected, FFF president says

• It will consult sacked former Fifa official Kevin Lamour

The French Football Federation’s president, Philippe Diallo, said Gianni Infantino had “seriously damaged the image and the unity of football” as he announced the end of France’s support for the Fifa president’s re-election.

The FFF’s executive committee unanimously voted on Thursday to withdraw its backing, which had been formalised at the end of June. Diallo referred to “events during the World Cup” which had “flagrantly gone against the way we believe our sport should be run” and to Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan, which was revealed in July and scrapped after a widespread backlash.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

Why David Beckham will have my vote for the US Soccer Hall of Fame | Pablo Iglesias Maurer

The Guardian

The Englishman has gotten no shortage of recognition, but his contributions to the American game deserve an official title

• Sign up for our free newsletter here

Next spring, when the US Soccer Hall of Fame welcomes its newest class, there will be pomp and circumstance. The hall, which sits in a corner of Toyota Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas, will feature the enshrineds’ signature red jackets. There will be glad-handing and speeches from players and coaches, misty-eyed reflections on their upbringings and their careers.

Many involved will be American-born soccer legends, of course. Yet every once in a while, a player whose footprint extends well beyond the borders of the United States graces the stage. Such may be the case next year when the hall potentially welcomes English legend David Beckham into the fold.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

Two forehands, no backhands: meet the US Open’s fascinating ambidextrous experiment

The Guardian

Teo Davidov doesn’t hit backhands. He serves from both sides. The 16-year-old from Denver is treating the tennis world to a wildly unorthodox style – and proving it’s more than a parlor trick

Teo Davidov always has the upper hands. An amiable junior prodigy from Denver, the 16-year-old was the oddest sight at this year’s US Open, the only player in the tournament – man, woman or junior – who hits only forehands. To be clear: it’s not that he doesn’t have a backhand or can’t hit a backhand. He’s ambidextrous and so he doesn’t bother with them.

It’s nothing personal. “To be honest, I like the traditional backhand-forehand,” he says. “I like the classiness of it. I like hitting backhands myself just to play around, just for fun.” He hits those from both wings, too.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

Hamilton confirms no rules of engagement at Ferrari despite Monza clash with Leclerc

The Guardian

• ‘When I was at Mercedes we had written rules’

• British driver held positive talks with teammate

Lewis Hamilton has said there remain no rules of engagement between the drivers at Ferrari, despite the 41-year-old calling for the team to employ them after he clashed with his teammate, Charles Leclerc, at the last round in Monza.

Hamilton was forced wide by Leclerc at turn two on the opening lap at the Italian Grand Prix, which he felt had been unacceptable. Speaking before the first meeting for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid this weekend, Leclerc admitted he had been at fault and Hamilton said the pair had talked frankly and cleared the air in a forthright fashion.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark celebrate their ‘chemistry’ as USA advance to Fiba World Cup semis

The Guardian

• Fiba World Cup: USA 108-56 Hungary

• Reese and Clark have been portrayed as fierce rivals

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’ s interactions are a subplot of the women’s Fiba World Cup, the WNBA season and if you spend enough time on social media, a divided United States. Clark and Reese have shown their relationship on the court is thriving, and they both excelled in USA’s 108-56 quarter-final win over Hungary on Thursday.

In Thursday’s game, the growing chemistry showed. The pair had a nifty pick-and-roll to end the first quarter that ended with a layup by Reese. The Atlanta Dream forward returned the favor hitting Clark on a fastbreak for an easy lay-up later in the game.

September 10th 2026, 1:43 pm

Chelsea’s 2016-17 Premier League title should be given to Spurs, says Pochettino

The Guardian

• Former manager says Chelsea should be stripped of title

• ‘The title should be for the team that was second’

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea should be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title for financial rule breaches and the honour retrospectively awarded to Tottenham, who he led to second place that season.

Chelsea were fined £10m by the Football Association in July and given a suspended two-window transfer ban for multiple violations of the rules during the Roman Abramovich era. They were also fined £10.75m by the Premier League in March.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

Declan Rice shrugs off Arsenal concerns and says 60 games a season is sustainable

The Guardian

• Arsenal are monitoring midfielder’s workload

• Rice received painkilling injections last season

Declan Rice has insisted his body can sustain more than 60 appearances again this season, despite Arsenal’s concerns after he played through pain at the World Cup.

Rice racked up 69 appearances last season for Arsenal and England but admitted during the World Cup he had been receiving pain-killing injections to manage neural back and hamstring pain a hamstring injury in December. It is understood Arsenal are monitoring the 27-year-old’s workload closely after he had only three weeks off before returning to training a week before the Community Shield last month.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

Protesters outside Portsmouth hotel mistake Pakistan U19 cricket team for asylum seekers

The Guardian

• Reform councillor said he urged activists to stand down

• ECB checks on young players’ welfare

A group of masked agitators gathered outside a four-star hotel in Portsmouth after reports a group of asylum seekers had been taken there, when it was in fact Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team on a tour.

George Madgwick, a Reform councillor called to the hotel to mediate between staff and the assembled crowd, said it was a “massively unfortunate incident”.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

‘The Jackie Robinson of golf’: the forgotten story of Black pioneer Ted Rhodes

The Guardian

The man mentioned by Tiger Woods after his first Masters win paved the way for generations of Black golfers, reintegrating the US Open and challenging the PGA

How good a golfer was Ted Rhodes? At the 1948 US Open, he finished the first round just three shots behind the leader – and eventual winner – Ben Hogan. But there’s more to the story: Rhodes was the first Black competitor in the tournament in its modern era, during a time of widespread segregation in American sport.

Rhodes is the subject of a new book by sports historian Dan Taylor, Out of the Rough: Ted Rhodes and His Fight against Golf’s Color Barrier. The author aims to change what he sees as mainstream unfamiliarity with Rhodes, even among golf enthusiasts.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

‘Football saved Dad’s life’: meet the coach of the England women’s Parkinson’s team

The Guardian

It began with getting her dad into walking football after his diagnosis – now Gemma Darvill is taking a national team on tour to Canada

When Gemma Darvill’s dad, Les, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease aged 58, joining a walking football team stopped him from confining himself to his own home, and she believes the game saved his life.

What she could never have foreseen was that, eight years later, she would find herself coaching the first England women’s Parkinson’s team, helping transform the lives of women with the disease from all across the country. She is set to embark on a journey to Toronto to help spread awareness of the ways in which walking football can help put the brakes on the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

Saloons, school and specialty coffee: NWSL players enjoy new era of side hustles

The Guardian

Five years ago, stars in the league packed Amazon boxes or drove for DoorDash to make ends meet on meager salaries. A new CBA opened doors for off-field pursuits in line with their passions

On a cold winter night in Ketchum, Idaho, Chicago Stars midfielder Bea Franklin was pulling off a different sort of physical feat than what she usually does on the soccer field. Under the eyes of taxidermied animals at the Pioneer Saloon, she deftly balanced martinis as a cocktail waitress, wearing cowgirl boots and ensuring the olives didn’t drip when she walked down stairs.

Franklin did not take a second job as a cocktail waitress in a Rocky Mountain ski resort town not out of necessity, but as a way to think about more than just the sport that has dominated much of her life.

September 10th 2026, 7:56 am

Seahawks pick off Patriots’ Maye three times to stage comeback in Super Bowl rematch

The Guardian

• Backup quarterback engineers late Seattle rally

• Seahawks intercept Drake Maye three times in fourth

• Sam Darnold exits opening drive with hip injury

Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seattle Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to starter Sam Darnold and beat the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night in a Super Bowl rematch.

The Seahawks were held to just a field goal through three quarters as Lock and the offense struggled to move the ball after Darnold injured his hip on the opening drive.

September 10th 2026, 12:40 am

Cole Palmer powers Chelsea to comeback win over Leeds in nine-goal epic

The Guardian

Where’s the fun in doing it the easy way? Chelsea remain chaotic at the back but can drag their opponents into horrible places. It helps, mind you, to have some assistance from the referee. Jarred Gillett and Cole Palmer? They made for a killer ­combination as Chelsea swerved embarrassment and treated Stamford Bridge to one of life’s rarities: a classic in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Gillett, a referee who always seems to be guessing when he makes key calls, was the villain as far as Leeds were concerned. They had just gone 2-0 up when Gillett altered the flow of the tie by pointing to the spot after Pep Chavarría made the most of slight contact from Daniel James. The subsequent conversion from Palmer was inevitable and from there so was the comeback from Chelsea, who rattled through four goals in 12 minutes before eventually reaching the last 16 by winning 6-3.

September 10th 2026, 12:40 am

Coco Gauff draws on Tiafoe and ‘delusional’ self-belief in US Open escape

The Guardian

• American rallies from brink to defeat Andreeva

• Gauff survives 12 double faults in three-set escape

Coco Gauff has played far cleaner matches than on Wednesday afternoon. But few players today on the women’s tour have become better at finding answers on the fly when almost nothing is working for them.

The 22-year-old American’s serene march through the US Open women’s draw hit extreme turbulence early in her quarter-final clash with fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. She dropped the first four games before surrendering the opening set in 26 minutes, ending a streak of 20 consecutive sets won dating back nearly a month. She piled up 12 double faults and 42 unforced errors, the majority off a forehand in open revolt. She found herself one point from defeat not once but twice during a hairy second-set tiebreaker.

September 10th 2026, 12:40 am

Infantino installs loyalist to oversee Caribbean as he splits Fifa management

The Guardian

• Critics view Fernandes job as move to shore up position

• Fifa says change is designed to make sport ‘truly global’

Gianni Infantino has separated Fifa’s management of the Caribbean countries from the rest of Concacaf in a move widely regarded by his opponents as an attempt to split the alliance to remove him from office.

Concacaf covers North and Central America as well as the Caribbean and was previously managed as one bloc. But the Guardian has learned that the former Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes, an Infantino loyalist, has been appointed as the director of member associations for the Caribbean, in addition to his position looking after Fifa’s African members.

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Ultrarunner Megan Eckert shatters US men’s and women’s records with 636 miles in six days

The Guardian

• Distance tops US men’s mark by more than 30 miles

• Eckert also beat women’s world record she set last year

While some teachers spent the second week of September easing into their school routines, Megan Eckert was making more ultrarunning history.

The New Mexico middle school math teacher shattered the six-day women’s world record and the American men’s record by running 636.482 miles, completing her feat on Wednesday morning in Balatonfüred, Hungary.

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Alexis Mac Allister makes his point as Liverpool fight back to defeat Atlético

The Guardian

It was the time and place for Alexis Mac Allister to do his talking on the pitch and the disgruntled Liverpool midfielder delivered on cue. “Very sad” over Liverpool’s refusal to offer him a new contract, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were getting theirs, Mac Allister made Anfield very happy with a match-winning display against Atlético Madrid.

The Argentina international, one of five World Cup finalists involved in an absorbing, delicately-poised contest, vented his frustrations in the best possible and most professional way – from behind an immaculate 20-yard strike into Jan Oblak’s goal rather than a microphone. Mac Allister believes he is playing for a new deal this season and promised to give “100% to my last day” at the pre-match press conference. He was true to his word to extend Atlético’s winless sequence against English opposition in the Champions League league phase to 11 matches.

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Men’s Ballon d’Or 2026 power rankings: will there be an English winner for the first time in 25 year

The Guardian

We assess the standing of the players on the shortlist for the award before the winner is announced in October

1) Harry Kane (England/Bayern Munich)

Even adjusting for the goal-drunken Bundesliga, his 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern last season undersells his all-around impact, considering his playmaking and hold-up skills. Kane was gameplanned out of England’s later games at the World Cup, but he was unstoppable through the last 16 to close out the finest year of his career to date. If not now, when?

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Ødegaard ‘edge’ delights Arteta as Arsenal secure narrow win at Napoli

The Guardian

After their record-breaking feats last year in the Champions League, Arsenal are at it again. But having been delayed along with hundreds of travelling supporters by travel chaos on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta’s side had to bide their time against Napoli until Martin Ødegaard continued his rich vein of goalscoring with the crucial strike 15 minutes from full time.

Perhaps it was the fact that, at Uefa’s insistence, they were forced to wear red shorts for the first time since a Premier League game against Watford in 2022 that Arsenal were not quite at their flowing best here and missed a hatful of chances.

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Rybakina sinks Zheng to grab No 1 spot and set up US Open semi-final with Gauff

The Guardian

• Rybakina into semis after 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory

• Coco Gauff battles back to beat Mirra Andreeva

Elena Rybakina will become the No 1 woman in the world for the first time after orchestrating a supreme recovery to reach the semi-finals of the US Open with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

By becoming just the 30th player in the history of the WTA to reach the No 1 ranking, Rybakina ends Aryna Sabalenka’s extended spell at the top. The Belarusian has held the position for 99 successive weeks, the sixth-longest consecutive reign in history, and 107 weeks in total.

September 9th 2026, 7:28 pm

Liverpool v Atlético Madrid, PSG v Slovan Bratislava, Chelsea v Leeds United – live

The Guardian

⚽ Champions League and Carabao Cup match updates
⚽ Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And mail Daniel

Also going on…

Not bad, eh?

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

‘The heartbeat of game day’: how NWSL fans in Boston built culture from the ground up

The Guardian

Through the loss of one franchise, name controversies and stadium changes, Legacy supporters have created an environment of advocacy and belonging

More than two years of work had led to this moment for the Boston Independent Supporters’ Association (ISA). Even before Boston’s new NWSL team had a name, a mascot or a roster, there were fans organizing, ready and waiting to embrace the franchise.

On 14 March 2026, it finally paid off. The Boston ISA members marched into Gillette Stadium for the Legacy’s opening match, following behind the marching band from Boston Public Schools and holding their “Up the Swans” scarves over their heads. The group arrived at their seats in the supporters’ section behind the north goal and unfurled the tifo they had spent many hours diligently painting.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

Vuelta a España: Matthew ⁠Brennan rounds off famous five with sprint success

The Guardian

• Young British rider squeezes out Meeus and Cort Nielsen

• Mas moves step closer to landing first Grand Tour victory

Matthew Brennan claimed a fifth Vuelta a España stage victory on Wednesday as the young British rider edged a bunch sprint in Seville to win the 17th stage. The 21-year-old Grand Tour debutant crossed the finish line ahead of Jordi Meeus and Magnus Cort Nielsen.

The general classification leader, Enric Mas, moved one step closer to claiming a first Grand Tour victory as he maintained his 2min 6sec lead on Felix Gall, with four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic a further four seconds behind.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

Circus or spectacular? Either way, NFL’s exercise in cultural exchange has gripped Melbourne | Jack

The Guardian

Friday’s game between the 49ers and Rams at the MCG is almost sold out with millions more set to watch on Netflix

The assembled press kept asking, but the American would not give them what they wanted. Just what does San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan think of Melbourne?

“I haven’t left the hotel, except to come to this practice, for five days or however long we’ve been here,” he said at a training session on Wednesday, admitting to jet lag that has woken him at 1am all week.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

US Open 2026: Rybakina beats Zheng to take world No 1 spot, Andreeva v Gauff coming up – live

The Guardian

Quarter-final updates from Flushing Meadows
Shelton wins after night of sweat and tears
Get in touch: email Niall | Follow us on TikTok

Rybakina has won four of her five meetings with Zheng, including two three-set victories this year. But Zheng was earlier in her comeback from elbow surgery then, the 2024 Olympic champion is a totally different proposition now, carrying the momentum of seven successive match wins in New York having come through qualifying - and the belief she can turn around any deficit after coming from 5-0 down in sets against both Madison Keys in the third round and Iga Swiatek in the last 16.

Here come Zheng and Rybakina, Zheng stepping on to court wearing headphones, not that there’s much noise to drown out yet at 11.35am New York time. Both already look extremely focused with their game faces on.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

McIlroy warns tours have ‘decisions to make’ as LIV Golf exodus edges closer

The Guardian

• ‘I would predict that you’ll see some guys leave’

• LIV bankruptcy will invalidate deals with players

Rory McIlroy believes traditional tours will soon have “decisions to make” as a player exodus from LIV Golf edges closer. LIV filing for bankruptcy in the United States on Tuesday means its deals with several high-profile golfers will soon be invalid, leaving them free to negotiate a route back to the PGA and DP World Tours.

When asked whether remaining with LIV in its planned, far-less lucrative form would hold appeal, McIlroy was characteristically candid. “I’m not in their shoes but LIV at the start looked a lot more attractive than what LIV 2.0 might be from a financial standpoint,” said the Masters champion.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

Napoli v Arsenal: Champions League – live

The Guardian

⚽ Champions League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off
⚽ Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And email Scott

Fancy a deeper dive into Napoli’s dispiriting defeat to Inter last weekend? Nicky Bandini has all the details.

Arsenal make four changes to their starting XI following the 2-1 victory over Chelsea. Typically, having just posted a large picture of Kai Havertz, he’s one of four players stood down, along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christos Tzolis and the increasingly influential Riccardo Calafiori. Piero Hincapié, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyökeres – the latter making his first start of the season – are in.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

Ben Shelton wins on a night of vomit, sweat and home hopes at US Open

The Guardian

The 23-year-old’s epic win over Carlos Alcaraz means there is a real chance of an American man winning the US Open for the first time since 2003

In yet another graveyard shift at the US Open, Ben Shelton showed he can hang around late, ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in a quarter-final that started on Tuesday night and finished on Wednesday morning. When Shelton fired the final ball out wide for his seventh ace of the night, the clock on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court read 3.33am. It was the latest-ever finish at the Open and the fifth-latest finish in grand slam history.

After embracing Alcaraz at the net, he pumped his fists and greeted his coach’s box with a primal scream. Parents have a name for this: the zoomies. Then Shelton looked to the stands and gestured at his mother and his girlfriend, soccer star Trinity Rodman. In his on-court interview, he asked that his sister, Emma, be given the day off. She had spent the entire night and much of the early morning watching her little brother play.

September 9th 2026, 2:43 pm

NFL 2026 season predictions: which teams can bring down the Rams juggernaut?

The Guardian

The new season kicks off on Wednesday night. Our writers have their say on the MVP, rookies to watch and the disasters waiting to happen

Quarterbacks living under center. The NFL has developed into a shotgun league, where most quarterbacks take the majority of their snaps three to seven yards away from the center. But the increase in efficiency when it comes to snaps taken right behind the center should have coaches directing their quarterbacks to do more of it. Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, and Sam Darnold led the way in 2025, and others will follow. DF

September 9th 2026, 8:12 am

‘A dream come true’: behind the scenes with Wolves Women as they enter new era

The Guardian

The Guardian joined Wolves at the start of their first season as a fully professional side, determined to show they’re no pushovers

Suddenly the bustling classroom at the back of the Guru Nanak Satsang Sikh Gurdwara falls almost silent and all eyes are on Dan McNamara. The Wolves head coach, experiencing a wrestling lesson, is engaged in a tense tussle. He twists, panting and heaving, eventually ends up on top of his opponent, and the room erupts. Compared with some of the challenges McNamara and Wolves have grappled with during his eight and a half years coaching the team, this exercise was child’s play.

Wolves, promoted to Women’s Super League Two in May, are visiting the gurdwara – which became Wolverhampton’s first in 1966 – as part of an afternoon city tour which has also included a trip to the historic The Halls music venue and a walk in the centre, as some of their new signings acquaint themselves with the area before the club’s first season as a fully professional women’s team, and their first WSL2 home match, against Sheffield United, on Sunday.

September 9th 2026, 8:12 am

Vuelta a España: Matthew Brennan follows Van Aert’s lead to complete four-timer

The Guardian

• Briton powers to victory in sprint finish on stage 16

• Mas remains in red jersey as race enters final week

Matthew Brennan enhanced his status as the standout sprinter at the Vuelta a España by winning a fourth stage on his Grand Tour debut.

The 21-year-old British rider was delivered to the front of the bunch with 100 metres left by an ideal leadout from Wout van Aert, his star teammate at Visma-Lease a Bike who had already won two stages at this race.

September 9th 2026, 8:12 am

Ben Shelton dethrones Carlos Alcaraz in five-set thriller after latest US Open finish

The Guardian

• Winner claims 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) victory

• Epic quarter-final ends after 3.30am in New York

As the official 10th day of play in New York moved deeper into the remote hours of the new morning, every passing game imbued Carlos Alcaraz with greater despair. From his focused start, Alcaraz’s intensity had flatlined and he could barely put a ball in court. He lost nine consecutive games against Ben Shelton and seemed to have nothing left.

Instead, the defending champion improbably dragged himself back into a contest that soon developed into one of the most remarkable matches of the year. The latest attempt by Alcaraz, the second seed, at orchestrating a monumental comeback was denied by a brave, defiant Shelton, the eighth seed, who refused to be shaken by his legendary rival or the looming prospect of securing the greatest win of career.

September 9th 2026, 8:12 am

An embattled Donald Trump is increasingly using sports as prop | Leander Schaerlaeckens

The Guardian

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred terms

Lately, it seems Donald Trump’s scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can’t.

Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University.

September 9th 2026, 8:12 am

Dani Olmo: ‘Winning the World Cup changes you, it changes your life’

The Guardian

One of Barcelona’s eight World Cup winners reflects on how Spain’s triumph is inspiring them in the Champions League

Dani Olmo nods towards his right arm. “Look: goosebumps,” he says. The Spain midfielder is sitting in a back room at Barcelona’s Joan Gamper training ground trying to pinpoint the moment he knew he was a world champion. “There’s an image in my mind with Ferran [Torres]’s mum: hugging her, the two of us in tears,” he says. “‘What your son just did … what we all did … this is historic.’ And that’s when you start to feel it. In those final minutes of the game it’s impossible, impossible, but when the referee blows, the thought enters your head: ‘Have we done it?’ ‘Are we …?’ There, you feel it a little bit. When you lift the cup, a little bit more. And then when you see the families, when I see the reaction from my brother, my partner, my dad. I’m not one to cry, but …”

But then Olmo knew, felt it: Spain were world champions. It was 19 July in New Jersey and it was real: Spain had beaten Argentina and nothing would be the same again.

September 9th 2026, 3:52 am

More than a game: NFL hopes Melbourne visit will advance case for Olympic flag football

The Guardian

• NFL executives use this week to push for inclusion at Brisbane 2032

• Possibility a key reason Melbourne secured Rams v 49ers match

The NFL’s regular season debut in Australia will deliver a significant commercial return for the league and its clubs, but the league’s takeover of Melbourne this week is about more than money.

The scheduling of Friday’s match at the MCG is also designed to help secure a place for flag football – a non-contact version of American football – at the Brisbane Olympics.

September 9th 2026, 3:10 am

Tiafoe stages epic comeback to break Michelsen’s heart in US Open classic

The Guardian

• No 11 seed rallies for 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win

• Tiafoe into third US Open semi-final in five years

• American will play Alcaraz or Shelton in last four

At the end of more than four and a half hours of escalating drama inside the world’s biggest tennis stadium, a devastated Alex Michelsen fell into Frances Tiafoe’s arms just outside the tramlines, sobbing uncontrollably. Tiafoe took his younger countryman in an embrace and held him there for 23 seconds, the victor consoling the vanquished in the aftermath of an extraordinary comeback that had carried him, somehow, into the US Open semi-finals.

Only a couple of hours earlier, the 28-year-old Tiafoe had been two sets down and two points from elimination in the third set, with Michelsen within touching distance of the biggest victory of his young career. Instead, Tiafoe roared back from the brink to win a quarter-final that will be long remembered in New York, outlasting Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Tuesday afternoon to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the third time in five years. Now he will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Ben Shelton on Friday for a place in his first grand slam final.

September 9th 2026, 3:10 am

US Open 2026 quarter-final: Ben Shelton v Carlos Alcaraz goes to deciding set – live

The Guardian

• Shelton and Alcaraz meet for spot in US Open semis

• Tiafoe breaks Michelsen’s heart with epic comeback

• Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email

First set: Shelton 3-2 Alcaraz* (*denotes next server)

An even breezier service game from Shelton, who holds to love. During the changeover, the cameras pan to a few of the celebrities in the audience. There’s Kevin Hart taking it in from a suite. And, of course, there’s USA and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, Shelton’s girlfriend, watching from his player box. We’ve also heard Simone Biles is in the building somewhere.

September 9th 2026, 3:10 am

Real Madrid cling on to beat Inter on Mourinho’s big Champions League night

The Guardian

Sometimes football is silly and sometimes it is more fun for it. On a night when there were 37 shots and the goalkeepers shared thirteen saves between them, some of them absurd, José Mourinho’s Real Madrid found a way to beat his former team Inter in his first Champions League night of his second spell. Just don’t ask exactly how. Except perhaps to cite Thibaut Courtois, whose astonishing save in the 89th minute saw them hold on to a 2-0 first-half lead given then by goals from Kylian Mbappé and Fede Valverde themselves. You would say that they had shot themselves in the foot, only if they tried, Courtois would probably save that too. This wasn’t always good, in fact at times it was terrible, but they had got through somehow.

You would say that they had shot themselves in the foot, only if they tried, Courtois would probably save that too. This wasn’t always good, in fact at times it was terrible, but they had got through somehow. When Madrid scored the first, this grand arena cheered but they might as well have laughed too. That Madrid led really didn’t make much sense; not when it came to the goal and not when it came to the game either. It had taken Madrid four minutes to get a meaningful hold of the ball, and by then Courtois had already made a superb save from Marcus Thuram. But now, somehow, they led. Ninety minutes later, they still did.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Belichick denies he has lost control of UNC football program amid off-field turmoil

The Guardian

• Former general manager has resigned post

• Belichick’s son Steve is on medical leave

• School has launched investigation into program

North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said on Monday he believes his program “totally” has an atmosphere of following rules amid an investigation into its conduct.

“Obviously everybody’s responsible, including me, for doing things properly,” Belichick said. “And we intend to do that.”

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Fake wide receivers to undercover stings: did the 49ers have the wildest NFL preseason of all time?

The Guardian

A large part of San Francisco’s summer was a literal car crash. On the positive side, they have so far avoided their usual list of crushing injuries

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have trekked to Australia for this week’s NFL season opener in Melbourne. The flight time from California to Victoria is nearly the same for both teams – roughly 16 hours – but their journeys to the start of the season couldn’t be more different.

It’s been smooth sailing for the Rams, with their collection of playmakers growing by the day. It’s a very different story for the 49ers: facing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, not to mention the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, at least twice this season is the least of their problems. Their offseason has been more than lightly turbulent: it’s been batshit crazy.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

MLS’s transfer window and the spending line that keeps going up

The Guardian

Summer spending across the league’s 30 clubs has ballooned. Here are three takeaways from the league’s transfer window

With the shadow of the 2026 World Cup hanging over the league and a potential set of rule changes looming, Major League Soccer’s summer transfer window was one defined by uncertainty, diverse strategies and record spending. It was the fourth transfer window since MLS allowed clubs to purchase players from other clubs using traditional transfer fees rather than general allocation money (GAM), the intraleague currency system. The new rule, which is now being used more frequently, has helped account for rapid growth in league expenditure, as has increased GAM allotted to each club.

These trends have been seen broadly over the last two seasons, but this past window took it to a new level, smashing the previous record for summer spending. This summer, MLS teams spent 65% more year-over-year, with a total of nearly $190m spent, accounting for 45% of the 2026 total. The above factors combined to create one of the most consequential transfer windows in MLS history, which may give a glimpse into the league’s future trajectory.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Iowa marching band member taken off life support after collapse in extreme heat

The Guardian

• Derek Phillips suffered cardiac arrest at football game

• Temperatures reached 94F in Iowa City on Saturday

• University has not said whether heat caused collapse

A University of Iowa marching band member has been taken off life support after collapsing during extreme heat at the Hawkeyes’ season-opening football game on Saturday, his family said.

Derek Phillips, a third-year student from Dubuque, Iowa, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest shortly before the band was scheduled to perform its half-time show against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium, according to a message posted to his Instagram account by his family.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

LIV Golf files for bankruptcy protection as it looks to ‘begin the next chapter’

The Guardian

• Saudi investors stopped backing LIV this year

• Rahm and DeChambeau may still be involved

LIV Golf, the breakaway tour that spent billions luring top players away from the PGA Tour, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, it announced on Tuesday.

Launched in 2022, free-spending LIV caused shockwaves and bitter divisions in the golf world, before losing the backing of its deep-pocketed Saudi investors this year, prompting a scramble to stay afloat.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Haaland double gives Manchester City ideal Champions League start in Porto

The Guardian

Enzo Maresca admitted a liking for the “boom-boom” of house music, then oversaw a gritty performance that ended with Manchester City enjoying the sweet notes of victory.

They had lost six of their past nine away games in the competition and also lost the 2021 Champions League final at this venue, so to beat Porto and claim three points is a fillip for the manager’s nascent project.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Man City-bound 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan is MLS’s chaotic revelation

The Guardian

The Philadelphia Union midfielder has gotten his longest run of game time since turning pro, and the data is tantalizing

There’s a video from a United States U-15 camp three years ago that will make your head spin. It’s a routine training session for the boys on the pitch except one, a head shorter and a year or two younger than the others, who’s practicing with the national team for the first time.

Is the boy nervous? He is not. A pass floats into the box and he checks his run, tries to get under it, but the ball is too high for his 13-year-old head to reach. He doesn’t even jump. As the cross sails over him, he flings himself forward like Superman and flicks a heel up behind his back, catching the ball with a scorpion kick that bounces straight into the path of a teammate for a cartoon assist.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

US Open 2026 quarter-finals: Tiafoe v Michelsen after Sabalenka edges out Noskova – live

The Guardian

Sabalenka shows spirit to deny Noskova and reach semis
Will influencers bring down US Open? | You can mail Katy

First set: Sabalenka* 3-1 Noskova (*denotes next server)

At 30-all, Sabalenka is applying more pressure on Noskova’s serve, but Sabalenka smacks a backhand return into the net and Noskova can breathe a little at 40-30. And the Wimbledon champion gets her side of the scoreboard moving when Sabalenka again errs with her return. The Arthur Ashe crowd – perhaps only about a half full so far – cheer loudly. They’re not against Sabelenka – as they were in the previous round when she played the American Taylor Townsend – but of course they want a close match.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham have been stalked. They’re far from alone in the WNBA

The Guardian

Players generally welcome interacting with their fans. But as the league’s popularity surges, there are dangers to be aware of

Caitlin Clark spent most of the 2025 WNBA season sidelined with a series of injuries that forced her to miss more than 30 games. But she also spent part of the season (and the preceding offseason) quietly navigating a tumultuous and scary reality: a 55-year-old man was stalking her, and he was convinced they were in a relationship.

That man, Michael Lewis, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison last July. Lewis sent Clark “hundreds” of messages – many of which were “threats and sexually explicit” – between 12 December 2024 and 11 January 2025. Lewis, who is from Texas, was arrested at a hotel in Indianapolis, where Clark plays for the Indiana Fever. The case took a toll on Clark: she said she feared for her safety and had changed her appearance in public.

September 8th 2026, 6:26 pm

Kim Milton Nielsen’s 1998 memories: ‘Hey, you are the man who sent off Beckham’

The Guardian

In an extract from a new book, the Danish former referee recalls sending off the England midfielder for his infamous kick on Diego Simeone

At half-time on 30 June 1998, Kim Milton Nielsen stepped into the changing room at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Étienne. The air reeked of wet towels. He hugged his assistants. They’d just taken charge of the best half of football they’d ever officiated.

Argentina v England. World Cup round of 16. Michael Owen had terrorised Argentina with blistering runs and his breakout goal. A clever free-kick had outsmarted the English defence. Nielsen had awarded two penalties. He couldn’t wait for the second half, but he didn’t know what was coming.

September 7th 2026, 1:38 pm

Fitter, happier, more productive: Arsenal could hardly have started better | Jonathan Wilson

The Guardian

It’s still very early but Mikel Arteta’s side are playing with an authority and freshness that eluded them at times last season

• Sign up for our free newsletter here

Three league games played, three games won. For Arsenal this season could only have started better if Manchester City, who look like being one of their two most serious challengers, had dropped points. But it’s not just about results: Arsenal have been comfortably the better side in each of those three games, approaching each of them in very different ways.

After the controlled victory over Coventry City and the tight game against Aston Villa that was won thanks to ratcheting up the pressure in the 15 minutes after half-time, came success in a far more open game in which they conceded for the first time this season. Chelsea tested Arsenal on Sunday, went ahead, and yet Mikel Arteta’s side still always looked like they would win – even if it did take a superb late save from David Raya to keep out an Estevão shot. But the goalkeeper too is part of their strength; even if an opposing team can work a shooting opportunity, Raya has the capacity for spectacular saves that can dispirit opponents.

This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here.

September 7th 2026, 1:38 pm

Chelsea’s midfield a headache for Alonso after Arsenal press advantage | Jacob Steinberg

The Guardian

There was a gulf between the teams in the middle of the park, with Moisés Caicedo’s absence hurting the visitors

There have been seasons when Chelsea have turned up at the Emirates Stadium and parked the bus. “You know, I think 10 years without a title is boring,” José Mourinho said in response to criticism from Arsenal fans after a stultifying 0-0 draw in April 2015. On Sunday, though, there was no holding back from Chelsea. “I want to compete in the best possible way to win,” Xabi Alonso said after seeing his new side edged out by Arsenal in a breathless encounter. “Today we didn’t want to sit deep from the first minute. We wanted to be active.”

The plan worked at times. Chelsea maintained their habit of scoring early goals, going ahead through Morgan Rogers, and created further openings. But they were facing the champions and do not have Arsenal’s completeness. Shortcomings were exploited, particularly in midfield. Declan Rice romped through the middle at one point and the winning goal owed much to Reece James losing track of Martin Ødegaard as Arsenal’s captain strode through to fire past Emiliano Martínez.

September 7th 2026, 1:38 pm

US Open tennis 2026: Swiatek v Zheng, Osaka v Rybakina and more on day nine – live

The Guardian

Will influencers and weed smokers bring down US Open?
Send your thoughts to Daniel via email

Back on Armstrong, we’re still level but at 4-4, Potapova playing with confidence and poise. She holds to 30, and Andreeva must now serve to stay in set one.

Zheng and Swiatek are out on court; Zheng, the Olympic champion, had to come through qualifying after missing time with an elbow injury, but two weeks of competition have brought her into the main event nicely loose. I’d be surprised if she finds a way to win here, but she did at those Olympics, so knows she can.

September 7th 2026, 1:38 pm

‘Relief’ of Premier League title has given Arsenal confidence, says David Raya

The Guardian

• Keeper says Gunners ‘can beat anybody in this league’

• Arteta’s side have started title defence with three wins

David Raya says Arsenal are playing with greater confidence after the “relief” of winning the Premier League. The champions continued their perfect start to the defence of their crown with the 2-1 home win over Chelsea on Sunday, making it nine points out of nine.

It was a powerhouse performance coloured by a freedom of expression, which stood in contrast to the nerviness of the final months of last season when the team laboured under a weight of pressure and expectation before they beat Manchester City to the title. That was Arsenal’s first triumph since 2004 and followed three consecutive runners-up finishes.

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

WSL talking points: Palace result in doubt after substitution nightmare, Arsenal signings shine

The Guardian

Promoted side’s thrilling win may be overturned after they used four substitutions windows while Georgia Stanway show the way for Gunners

Kirsty Howat’s 60-second cameo deep into injury time could ruin what was a memorable day for Crystal Palace on their return to the top flight. An impressive 1-0 victory over Everton was celebrated emphatically by Jo Potter and her players but that joy would have been replaced by concern and frustration not long after. On Sunday evening WSL Football revealed that there had been a breach of the rules – the Eagles used four different substitute windows rather than the regulated three – which had not been picked up by either the coaching staff or the match officials. An investigation has now been launched with punishment to be decided (there is a potential for the result to be overturned). The needless error has put a dampener on what should have been a positive afternoon thanks to England Under-23s forward Lexi Lloyd-Smith’s winner on her WSL debut. Sophie Downey

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

‘Like an AI agent’: Wolff hails Antonelli’s Italian GP victory in title charge

The Guardian

• Mercedes principal likens 20-year-old to F1 greats

• ‘No stopping him when a driver and car are one’

Toto Wolff has compared Kimi Antonelli to the greats of Formula One after the Mercedes driver’s remarkable victory at the Italian Grand Prix where he came back to take the flag from 19th place on the grid.

The Mercedes team principal cited the win as similar to some of the best made by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and said that Antonelli would likely remember the race as one of the greatest of his career.

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

Will hordes of influencers, weed smokers and mid-point talkers bring down the US Open?

The Guardian

This year, the noise at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has officially become A Problem. But changing it would mean changing society

The first thing you notice while sitting in the upper tiers of Arthur Ashe Stadium is the noise. A persistent exterior hum filters up from ground level, fed by the massive ventilation and cooling units that sit outside the stadium, the clack of the Long Island Rail Road to the north, and the forklifts receiving goods from the refrigerator trucks that keep the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center flush with its essential supplies of Evian, champagne, and premium IPA. Overhead, planes descending toward LaGuardia airport ensure the auditory assault takes place by land and air simultaneously. In the lower rakes of the stadium, the babble of the spectators is incessant; it’s not unusual to overhear full-volume conversations on various non-tennis topics – work, family, romance, last night’s dinner – that continue without interruption for the duration of an entire match.

New York is famously noisy, and the US Open, as the most glamorous annual sporting event in town, has always been loud in sympathy with its environment. Indeed, the brashness of the American grand slam has historically been its major selling point, the signature that distinguishes it from the Australian Open (the “happy slam”), Wimbledon (strawberries and cream, all-white attire, the home of tennis), and the French Open (French). People have been complaining about the volume of the New York crowd for decades. But this year the noise at the US Open feels different. This year noise at the noisy slam has become A Problem.

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

For baseball’s Black and Latino players, it’s always 1926 somewhere

The Guardian

From home-run celebrations to tilted caps, players embracing joy continue to collide with an old guard devoted to Dust Bowl grimness

Over the last several years, simultaneously lauded and paralyzed by its ironclad traditions, baseball has undergone various forays into reinvention, trying to free itself from its unwritten rules of retaliation, its seeming aversion to joy, its demand that every generation of player of every culture and background play the game with the grimness of a Dust Bowl farmer.

The sport even attempted to change those customs by promoting a cultural shift with an industry-wide motto: Let the Kids Play. But in a time of intense division within the aggressive backdrop of Trumpism, the result is a racial clash that is actually a generational and cultural one that predates current politics by a century.

Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Full Dissidence: Notes from an Uneven Playing Field, and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. He writes at Substack.

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

CBS’s Champions League studio panel are back and ready to irritate each other

The Guardian

Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards discuss their oft-viral approach to covering soccer for a US audience

It takes something special for a sports broadcast to outshine the action on the field. Yet that is often what happens on CBS Sports, where the Champions League studio show has struck a rare chord with viewers, most often broadcast on streaming branch Paramount+.

The usual group (Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards), have become fixtures on the American TV circuit, thanks in large part to their on-air chemistry. Scott guides the show expertly – all with with a mass of banter and ribbing along the way.

September 7th 2026, 9:08 am

Wild opening salvo against Chelsea hints at exciting times for Arsenal fans | Barney Ronay

The Guardian

The home side’s response to Chelsea’s early goal was to play breathless attacking football

We’re back, baby. So, so back. Well, OK, not exactly back. But back down the time tunnel, for a while at least, as on a powder blue afternoon at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal and Chelsea produced an opening half-hour that felt like a throwback to prime Barclays of the early 2000s.

In that period this really did feel like a twist on a classic: spells of midfield murder-ball, stretched and flustered full‑backs, players hurling themselves at the defensive lines like the fall guys in a cowboy western being tossed out through the saloon-bar doors.

September 6th 2026, 11:41 pm

Carlos Alcaraz takes it up a level as he reaches US Open quarter-final

The Guardian

• Reigning champion beats Tommy Paul in straight sets

• Sabalenka and Noskova to clash in last eight

The straightforward scoreline at the end of Carlos Alcaraz’s third-round win over Wu Yibing did not quite reflect the Spaniard’s slight irritation with one aspect of his game. Alcaraz felt he had missed a few too many forehands, and almost immediately after departing Arthur Ashe Stadium, he reappeared on the practice court pounding forehands in the afternoon heat.

Two days later, the extra care Alcaraz put into his game was reflected in a statement performance driven by his peerless forehand as he rose to the occasion in the biggest challenge of his comeback so far, dismantling the 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to continue his title defence by returning to the quarter-finals of the US Open.

September 6th 2026, 11:41 pm

US overcome poor shooting and Italy’s eye-poke claims in edgy Fiba World Cup win

The Guardian

• USA edge into quarter’s with nervy 55-52 win

• Cecilia Zandalasini claims she was poked in eye

• Caitlin Clark shoots 0-6 from the field

Jackie Young had a big fourth quarter and Breanna Stewart made her only basket of the game to put ⁠the United States up for good, helping the Americans escape with a 55-52 win over Italy in the Fiba Women’s World ⁠Cup on Sunday.

The ​US (2-0), who clinched a quarter-final berth with the victory, led only 42-39 after three quarters and fell behind by two points on three occasions in the fourth. Stewart’s jumper, assisted by Young, gave the Americans a 51-50 lead with 3:20 to go, and Young hit a ⁠floater on their next possession. Chelsea Gray made a pull-up with 1:07 left for an ​important cushion, but Italy hit a quick ‌two-pointer in response to ‌cut it to 55-52. Gray missed a shot on the next US trip but Young ‌corralled the rebound to help her team bleed more clock.

September 6th 2026, 11:41 pm

‘Exceptional performance’: Arteta hails fightback win and says best yet to come

The Guardian

• Manager delighted by reaction to Chelsea’s opener

• Alonso says his side must be ‘tighter’

Mikel Arteta warned that Arsenal are capable of hitting even greater heights after the Premier League champions sent a statement to their title rivals by fighting back from a goal down to beat Chelsea on Sunday.

Arteta’s side were under pressure after conceding for the first time this season when Morgan Rogers struck early at the Emirates Stadium, but the response to the setback was outstanding. Kai Havertz equalised before conjuring a brilliant dummy for a rejuvenated Martin Ødegaard to make it 2-1, ensuring that Arsenal moved level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

September 6th 2026, 11:41 pm

‘What are we doing?’: Brennan’s anger at racing in 44C heat as Van Aert wins shortened stage

The Guardian

• ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if some got heatstroke’

• Spain’s Enric Mas retains leader’s red jersey

Britain’s Matthew Brennan expressed his disbelief at the extreme heat riders had to endure on Sunday during stage 15 of the Vuelta a España. His Visma Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert took a sprint win in Córdoba after the stage was shortened because of high temperatures.

“It’s 41 degrees average,” Brennan said. “When I was on the climb at the start it was 44, and at that point you start thinking: ‘What are we doing?’ A normal office person has to have the temperature set at 20 degrees or whatever, and I’m sure that the UCI [cycling’s governing body] office will have their 20 as well.”

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Embattled Fifa president Infantino declares intention to stand for re-election

The Guardian

• Infantino is under pressure to resign after sell-off plan

• Uefa has led calls for president to quit

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has reiterated his desire to stand for re-election next year despite the continuing controversy surrounding his leadership.

Infantino refused to answer questions about his future when asked by reporters at the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland on Saturday. The 56-year-old Swiss is under severe pressure to resign after trying to sell stakes in Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Canadian skyrunner goes missing during training session for Matterhorn record attempt

The Guardian

• Kalie McCrystal was hoping to break record in Alps

• Athlete was last seen on Tuesday afternoon

Canadian athlete Kalie McCrystal has gone missing during preparations for a record attempt in the Alps.

McCrystal, from Squamish in British Columbia, was on a “reconnaissance/training session” in the run-up to her attempt at ascending and descending the 14,692 ft (4,478m) Matterhorn on the Swiss-Italian border.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Ødegaard fires winner as Arsenal complete comeback win over Chelsea

The Guardian

The first heavyweight encounter of the Premier League season was previewed in some quarters as the immovable object versus the irresistible force. Arsenal do not give an inch. Chelsea have been fun and free-scoring under Xabi Alonso. Yet that overlooked something pretty fundamental. The percussive force of Arsenal’s game when they have the ball and want to make something happen.

Chelsea landed a significant blow after 77 seconds when Morgan ­Rogers put them in front with a nicely executed volley from the edge of the area. It was not only the first goal that Arsenal have conceded this season but one with rich narrative strands. Rogers was chased by Arsenal over the summer only to join Chelsea for £117m.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Lewis Hamilton rules out world title challenge after Italian Grand Prix setback

The Guardian

• Briton finishes sixth after clash with teammate Leclerc

• Hamilton questions Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur’s strategy

Lewis Hamilton has conceded the Formula One world championship this year is all but out of reach after a bruising Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s afternoon included a clash with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, which he thought was the result of the team’s failure to listen to his entreaties to manage their drivers and execute races better.

The race at Monza was won by Kimi Antonelli after a remarkable comeback by the Mercedes driver from 19th on the grid. Hamilton could manage only sixth. Having been 59 points back he now trails Antonelli by 76 with 10 meetings remaining and he felt that Ferrari not prioritising his title chances, coupled with operational failures, had finally cost him a shot at the drivers’ championship.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

16-year-old Cavan Sullivan welcomes LeBron James to Philly after scoring: MLS roundup

The Guardian

• Teenager welcomes LeBron to 76ers

• Vincent Janssen scores Timbers’ first MLS hat-trick

• Embolo scores, Messi assists in charged match

Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history ⁠to record a five-match goal contribution streak on Saturday.

At 16 years and 342 ⁠days old, ⁠Sullivan ​scored in his third consecutive MLS match on Saturday when he tallied in the ⁠75th minute of the Union’s 2-0 victory over CF Montreal. He has three goals and ⁠three assists during his past five league matches.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

US Open tennis 2026: Alcaraz sees off Paul in straight sets, Sabalenka and Noskova win on day eight

The Guardian

• The latest fourth-round updates from Flushing Meadows

• You can mail Daniel here

We’re 4-4 in the doubles and knocking up on Ashe. Thinking more about the match, I’d expect Townsend to use top spin to hit cross at Sabalenka’s backhand, taking her outside the lines if possible. She’ll also try and slow the game down, I think, and frustrate the champ, who doesn’t enjoy the wind-ups.

Townsend comes out wearing a coat that wouldn’t be out of place in the Night’s Watch, photo to follow but, in the meantime:

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Roger Goodell’s NFL reign to reach 24 years after new contract extension

The Guardian

• NFL owners approve deal for league commissioner

• Revenues and team values have soared under leadership

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed on a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 league season, ending on 31 March 2031.

In a memo sent to NFL owners on Sunday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said: “We believe we are very fortunate to have Roger at the helm for the next four years.”

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

‘No excuses’: Moyes says transfer troubles will not hurt Everton after United draw

The Guardian

• Manager praises team’s resilience after late equaliser

• ‘Everyone has to find a way of making it work’

David Moyes praised Everton’s resilient response to a troubled week after his side twice came from behind to salvage a point against Manchester United through Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s long-range strike.

The deadline-day signing, who was introduced in the 77th minute after James Garner pulled up with cramp, preserved Everton’s unbeaten start to the season with a 25-yard effort in the 96th minute.

September 6th 2026, 5:07 pm

Brighton v Arsenal: Women’s Super League – live

The Guardian

• Minute-by-minute updates from 12pm (BST) kick-off

• WSL transfer talking points | Email Rob

Let’s looks at those teams then. For Brighton Lia Walti comes straight into the team after her move from Arsenal so will be highly motivated. Arturo Ruiz has decided to leave fellow new signing Gabby George on the bench.

Arsenal have four new signings in their starting XI. Misa Rodriguez goes straight into goal, while Ona Batlle, Georgia Stanway and Lisa Baum bolster a strong looking lineup with Alessia Russo as the focal point in attack while Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey pull the strings.

September 6th 2026, 6:45 am

Michigan deny minnows Western Michigan with controversial last-second Hail Mary

The Guardian

• Underwood throws for for 47-yard winning score

• Officials put one second back on clock after review

• No 16 Wolverines survive in Whittingham debut

Given an unlikely second chance at a game-ending Hail Mary, Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that lifted No 16 Michigan over Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday night.

The Wolverines were 27-and-a-hakf-point favorites in coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut. The Broncos thought they’d secured a historic upset when Underwood’s first Hail Mary sailed out of bounds with the clock expired.

September 6th 2026, 4:24 am

Premier League buildup to Arsenal v Chelsea, plus Everton v Manchester United and WSL – matchday liv

The Guardian

• Buildup, news and discussion before Sunday’s games

• This weekend’s fixtures | Mail us with your thoughts

Judging by my social media feed, Russell Martin’s popularity ratings at Leicester are close to absolute zero.

Leicester’s stuttering start to life in League One continued with a 4-0 home defeat by Oxford.

The Foxes, like their opponents relegated from the Championship last season, were looking to build on their first league win in midweek, but fell behind to an early goal from Mark Harris.

With work already under way on Liverpool’s summer transfer targets – including the signing of Bradley Barcola in a £123m deal – and Hughes enjoying a close working relationship with the new head coach, Andoni Iraola, it was agreed he would continue in the role until the end of the transfer window.

Liverpool say no approach was received from Al-Hilal for Hughes to start work with them this summer and are satisfied the sporting director worked for them alone throughout this period.

September 6th 2026, 4:24 am

Katie Taylor bows out from boxing as undisputed champion after dominating Flora Pili

The Guardian

• Irish fans dazzled by showcase of skills in huge points win

• Scorecards read 110-90, 110-90 and 98-91 in her favour

Katie Taylor signed off her storied career in style by outclassing Flora Pili on points as an 80,000 crowd at Croke Park celebrated her fairytale farewell.

With the gaze of Ireland upon her, the country’s great became a three-time undisputed world champion by overwhelming the previously unbeaten Frenchwoman 100-90, 100-90, 98-91 on the scorecards.

September 5th 2026, 11:23 pm

Arteta v Alonso, part one: a desire for control and the theory behind the chaos | Jonathan Wilson

The Guardian

Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso prepare for an intriguing tactical battle in the first Premier League meeting between old friends

Control v chaos. On the one hand, the forces of order, regimented, playing in precise patterns and, on the other, something darker, more visceral, a method that acknowledges the imperfection of the human soul, the unknowability of football in all its randomness; better, that second way says, to attempt to ride the fury than to believe it might be harnessed.

When it began, a decade ago, that’s how the Pep Guardiola v Jürgen Klopp rivalry appeared. Apollo v Dionysius. Two fundamentally opposed ways of seeing the world. But in time, the two crept towards each other. Klopp moved away from the heavy metal of his Borussia Dortmund years to something more conservative. Guardiola experimented in multiple directions, slowly abandoning the possession-oriented idealism of his past to something less radical but also less predictable.

September 5th 2026, 11:23 pm

Francisco Cerundolo roars back from brink to stun home hope Taylor Fritz at US Open

The Guardian

• Argentinian beats No 9 seed 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

• Fritz had three break points for chance to serve for match

As his last, desperate backhand soared far past the baseline inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Taylor Fritz instantly held his face in his hands, unable to hide the agony of squandering such a great opportunity.

For much of his afternoon, Fritz was cruising. He had established two sets to love lead against Francisco Cerundolo before breaking serve in the opening game of the third. One unfocused service game was enough to shift the momentum and once Fritz had lost control, he spent another two hours failing to retrieve it. His US Open ended with an excruciating 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 third-round defeat by a courageous Cerundolo.

September 5th 2026, 11:23 pm

High-flying Hull maintain unbeaten start by holding off Aston Villa in stalemate

The Guardian

It’s never dull in Hull, as the saying goes in these parts, and after just three games the Premier League is proving to be quite some ride for Hull City supporters.

Having embarrassed Manchester United here on the opening day and won at Coventry last weekend, this deserved point and clean sheet will have reinforced Sergej Jakirovic’s belief that his men can beat the drop.

September 5th 2026, 2:53 pm

Pierre Gasly takes shock pole for F1 Italian GP as Alpine stun big guns

The Guardian

• Landmark for Frenchman at his 190th meeting

• Russell on front row, Hamilton fifth on grid

Pierre Gasly has run the gamut from bitter disappointment to absolute elation in the past two days, and there is surely no better pick-me-up than claiming an extraordinary first Formula One pole position at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, one of the sport’s greatest venues.

What it meant to the Frenchman was clear. “Nine years I’ve been in Formula One, I’m trying to give my best every single weekend. It’s not every time we get a car to fight for pole position,” he said. “Today was the case. I’m really happy, really proud to have seized this chance and made it work. It was a hell of a lap.”

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

Haaland edges Manchester City past Coventry as Fernández sparkles on debut

The Guardian

Enzo Fernández started for Manchester City after Nico O’Reilly’s back injury during the warm-up and sparkled to show why the club paid a British record-equalling £125m for the midfielder.

The winner, for a stuttering home team, came courtesy of Erling Haaland’s 300th club goal and Fernández had a key cameo, feeding Antoine Semenyo, whose cross from the right was crashed home.

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

US Open tennis: Fritz and Keys in action after Potapova beats Anisimova on day seven – live

The Guardian

• The latest third-round updates from Flushing Meadows

• You can mail Niall and follow us on TikTok and Bluesky

Last night Serena and Venus Williams – with their combined age of 456 - blew a five-point lead in the deciding tie-break as their return to the grand slam doubles stage ended in defeat, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint. Serena must be sick of the sight of Joint – given her singles comeback was also halted by the Australian in the Wimbledon first round this summer – but having come so close to victory in both matches, she may well be encouraged enough to continue. Serena and Venus chose not to do a post-match media conference last night – so it’s not clear what their next plans are.

A big cheer on Grandstand – despite the fact Zheng is facing an American – as she holds at the start of the second set. Anisimova is still a break down, 3-2, against Potapova, while Taylor Fritz – the pick of the American men in the first week - is warming up on Arthur Ashe against Francisco Cerundolo, the 24th seed from Argentina.

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

Hull City v Aston Villa: Premier League – live

The Guardian

• Updates from 5.30pm BST kick-off at MKM Stadium

• Live scoreboard | Clockwatch | Mail Billy

4 min: Hull settle into some possession. The place is bouncing.

2 min: Jackson heads wide! Early chance for Villa as Maatsen crosses from the left, Jackson rises between the Hull centre-backs and heads it back beyond the near post.

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

Mali shock Spain for historic second win at Women’s Basketball World Cup

The Guardian

• Kone has 19 points and 10 rebounds in 82-73 upset

• Hungary hold off Nigeria 71-67 for long-awaited win

• Mali improve to 2-10 all-time at World Cup

Mali pulled off the first stunner of the Women’s Basketball World Cup by shocking Spain 82-73 on Saturday.

It was only the second win ever in tournament history for the African country, who beat Senegal in overtime in 2010.

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

Tottenham fire blanks in draw at Nottingham Forest after Williams goal ruled out

The Guardian

For the third successive league match, Tottenham failed to score and this time they did not even muster a shot on target. Excluding a 5-1 win against a Charlton B team in the Carabao Cup, their season so far reads: five goals against and none scored. For a couple of minutes Nottingham Forest thought they had added to that goals-against tally but Neco Williams was adjudged to have handled when stooping to head in on the goalline as Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke attempted to prevent Morgan Gibbs-White’s deflected effort bobbling into the net.

The mood music surrounding Roberto De Zerbi has been overwhelmingly positive since the Italian arrived at the end of March and led the rescue mission; see the Birra Moretti-themed flag on show in the away end here. But Spurs, for whom Mykhailo Mudryk arrived as a late substitute for his first competitive appearance for 645 days, still struggled in front of goal. Dominic Solanke, another late sub, headed on to the roof of Matz Sels’s net on 88 minutes and that was as good as things got for the visitors. Where was all the firepower? Last season’s top goalscorer, Richarlison, is training separately from De Zerbi’s first team after rejecting an offer from Everton and was not in Spurs’ 25-man squad.

September 5th 2026, 1:40 pm

Formula One 2026: Pierre Gasly takes shock pole in Italian Grand Prix qualifying – as it happened

The Guardian

• Russell second, with Piastri third and Leclerc fourth

• Hamilton fifth, Verstappen sixth; Norris struggles

OK, some proper action. Verstappen fastest at present with 1:22.631, ahead of Hamilton, Piastri and Leclerc. But Norris has a breaking problem and goes straight through at a chicane.

Bad news for Tsunoda, Ted Kravitz reports: he has a fuel leak. Still, seeing as he was summoned back to F1 from the beach for Zandvoort, it could be worse.

September 5th 2026, 11:52 am

Jacob Ramsey comes in from the cold as Newcastle peg back Bournemouth

The Guardian

Just as Bournemouth’s Alex Scott seemed to have succeeded in building a personal playground by the Tyne, another midfielder emerged from the shadows and stripped the shine from his afternoon.

Since Matthias Jaissle succeeded Eddie Howe as Newcastle’s manager Jacob Ramsey has been largely shunted to the margins but the home substitute’s superbly executed 88th-minute equaliser ensured Scott and his teammates needed to settle for a point.

September 5th 2026, 11:52 am