Last updated: August 7, 2026, 2:41 AM ET
NFL Preseason Kicks Off with a Thriller
Undrafted rookie Haynes King ran in on the final play to give the Carolina Panthers a dramatic 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game that kicked off the NFL preseason. The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson that will make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Transfer Window Heats Up: Salah, Rodri, and Big-Money Moves
Mohamed Salah has joined Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor on a free transfer, trading the Premier League for Türkiye's fourth-most popular club. With time running out in the transfer window, his departure leaves Liverpool with a significant void to fill in their attacking lineup. Rodri has given Barcelona the go-ahead to begin talks with Manchester City as they try to beat Real Madrid to a deal for the midfielder, a source has told ESPN. Barcelona are set to approach Man City for the midfielder and are hopeful they can beat their LaLiga rivals to the signing of the Spain captain. The midfielder may have a huge decision to make this summer on whether to join Real Madrid or Barcelona, should he decide to leave Manchester City. Arsenal have agreed a £75m fee with Newcastle for their captain Bruno Guimaraes, opening direct talks to sign the Brazilian midfielder. The Gunners are pursuing the Newcastle captain, and it is easy to understand their interest in Guimaraes given his quality in the middle of the park. Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle says a decision about Bruno Guimaraes' future was "already made" by the time he first met the club's departing captain. Leeds United have signed goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City in a club-record deal. Hull City have signed Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiacos on a five-year deal for a club-record fee. Bournemouth announced the signing of right-back Juanlu Sanchez from Spanish club Sevilla in a deal worth up to £11.1m, while Birmingham City have signed France youth international Chancelle Effa Effa from Le Havre. Millwall have signed Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes on a one-year deal following the end of his contract with Charlton Athletic, and Swansea City signed free agent Ross Stewart on a three-year deal after his departure from Southampton. Wrexham have signed midfielder Ben Whiteman from Preston on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, while Cardiff City have signed Lincoln City midfielder Jack Moylan for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. Ipswich Town have completed the signing of Portuguese midfielder Florentino Luis from Burnley for an undisclosed fee, and Coventry City confirmed the permanent signing of 25-year-old goalkeeper Carl Rushworth from Brighton and Hove Albion. Crystal Palace are set to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free transfer following a successful trial and are considering a move for winger Solly March. Chelsea are set to clinch a deal to sign Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria for a fee of around £16.3m plus add-ons, and Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is set to seal a season-long loan to Strasbourg. Former Mexico star Hirving "Chucky" Lozano is finalizing a deal to join the LA Galaxy on loan from San Diego FC, sources told ESPN. Real Madrid are set to meet with Vinícius Júnior's representatives this week to resume contract renewal talks, and the Brazilian has signed a new six-year contract to end Arsenal's pursuit of the forward. Liverpool have explored the conditions of a deal for Paris Saint-Germain's teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye, and are prepared to make Bradley Barcola their third £100m signing. Micky van de Ven is close to agreeing a new five-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur, while Jeremy Doku is the latest Manchester City player to commit his future to the club after signing a new contract until 2031. Fenerbahce are prepared to break the bank for Marcus Rashford, and the Manchester United forward is expected to return to training in the coming days. Former AC Milan and Brazil forward Alexandre Pato is a member of a consortium which is set to buy a majority stake in Northampton Town, BBC Sport understands. Boreham Wood have rejected a £1m bid for one of their forwards, and West Ham co-chair Daniel Kretinsky has sold a small stake in the club in a move that could end Amanda Staveley's hopes of investment. The West Ham United Fan Advisory Board has called on David Sullivan not to attend the club's home matches, warning his presence could become a "distraction" and a potential security concern.
Preseason Friendlies: Arsenal Fuming, Chelsea Lose, Man City Win
Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal players were "fuming" after defensive errors saw them fall to a 3-1 preseason defeat to Real Betis in Dublin on Wednesday, a result that revealed a need for Bruno Guimaraes in the midfield. The Gunners produced a sloppy performance as they were beaten by the LaLiga side, with the manager revealing his players' frustration after the match. Chelsea failed to ramp up their pre-season preparations as Xabi Alonso's side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong thanks to Edon Zhegrova's stunning second-half strike, though Mykhailo Mudryk could return to action following 20 months on the sidelines after being named in the squad. Enzo Maresca won his first game in charge of Manchester City with a 3-1 win over the K-League All Stars in Seoul, with Reijnders and Semenyo shining in the Italian's interesting tactical set-up. Liverpool's time in the U.S. showed that coach Iraola & Co. still have a lot of work to do ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, as injuries and squad depth became concerns for the new boss. The Reds are short in a number of positions just three weeks out from their Premier League opener and seemingly no closer to bringing in any further additions this summer, with Dominik Szoboszlai playing down an apparent argument with team-mates over the captain's armband. Liverpool legend Ian Rush says new boss Andoni Iraola deserves time to succeed at Anfield but should target winning silverware in his debut campaign, while the club have also signed Spanish midfielder Natalia Ramos from CD Tenerife Femenino.
FIFA Crisis Deepens: Infantino Under Fire
The world players' union FIFPRO has condemned Gianni Infantino's "abuse of presidential power" and called for change at the top of FIFA following his botched World Cup stake sale plans, with UEFA's boycott of FIFA tournaments still standing. Under-pressure FIFA president Gianni Infantino will hold a crisis meeting with senior staff in Morocco, after facing more fierce criticism of his scrapped plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations. Two senior FIFA executives, coaching great Arsène Wenger and CEO-like secretary general Mattias Grafström, distanced themselves Tuesday from their boss's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup, while European soccer leagues called for governance reform of FIFA. Portugal great Luís Figo has joined calls for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down over his failed plan to sell off the World Cup to private investors, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer has confidence in the soccer leader. FIFA has been accused of blackmailing Jordan over World Cup money in return for their support for Gianni Infantino to stay on as president, while FIFA said it had apologized for errors made over the failed plan and that senior staff "reaffirmed their support" for him. The Argentine Football Association has announced 15 July as National Football Teams Day to mark Argentina's 2026 World Cup semi-final victory over England, and Spain "deserves" to host the 2030 World Cup final, according to the country's sports minister.
Scottish Clubs in European Action
Rangers' Europa League hopes were dealt a blow as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in qualifying, with new manager Derek McInnes saying his side were "guilty of beating ourselves" after conceding cheap goals. The Ibrox side gave a debut to new signing Daisuke Yokota, who completed his move from Hannover 96 and is targeting "special memories" at the club, while Rangers also rival Celtic for Fares Ghedjemis. Hearts endured a predictably bruising evening in Lisbon as their hopes of progressing to the Europa League were all but ended by a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Benfica, while Hibernian secured a vital win and Motherwell were held in Helsinki. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill remains in hospital after undergoing a "small procedure", the club announced, while the Scottish FA has scrapped its key match incident review panel. The opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership season featured four days, six matches, 18 goals, and one unmissable drama, with Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes saying he and his team-mates have a "chip on their shoulder" he believes can help them win the Championship.
Women's Football: New Managers, Big Transfers, and World Cup Focus
Manchester United have appointed Eva Olid as their new women's manager on a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months, less than a month out from the WSL season after swapping Marc Skinner for Olid in a strategic shift. Defender Gabby George has completed a move to Brighton from Manchester United before the start of the Women's Super League season, while Sacha Lewis, sister of England international Rico, has signed her first professional contract with Manchester City. Kerolin has left the Women's Super League as the English top-flight's most expensive export after joining Barcelona, and Everton have completed the signing of Denmark international Christian Nørgaard from Arsenal. Emma Hayes urged US Soccer to prioritize the U.S. Under-20 Women's national team at this year's World Cup to help American youth players match the development of top European teams, while midfielder Erica Meg Parkinson has been named in England's preparation squad for the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland. The National Women's Soccer League plans to begin its 2027 season on Feb. 11 in Los Angeles to coincide with the Super Bowl across town three days later, and Washington's loss to San Diego saw the Spirit surrender the No. 1 spot on ESPN's NWSL Power Rankings. The new season of Ted Lasso was filmed in the U.S. at a real-life NWSL club for a cameo that serves as a key plot point of the show, while our writers look at each WSL club's transfer business and propose a big question they should be asking themselves.
The Hundred and Other Cricket News
A Sikandar Raza masterclass inspired MI London to come away with the spoils to jump up to second in the table and condemn London Spirit to an early departure from The Hundred, while Melie Kerr's defiant half-century and decisive death bowling from Hayley Matthews helped MI London women to a belated first win of the season. Sun Risers Leeds posted 241-2, the highest score in the history of The Hundred, before cruising to a comfortable victory over London Spirit, while Trent Rockets extended their lead at the top of the table with a near-perfect performance. Trent Rockets went top of The Hundred women's table after a fourth win on the bounce against Birmingham Phoenix at Trent Bridge that all but assures them a spot in the latter stages of the tournament, and SunRisers Leeds kept their faint hopes of progression alive with a hard-fought five-wicket victory over London Spirit. Returning captain Joe Root and England have named their 16-man squad for the opening two Tests against Pakistan, with Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse recalled while Jacob Bethell will miss the entirety of the series. Ben Stokes has said he would "absolutely" love to coach England one day, as he also suggested Brendon McCullum would still be in charge of the Test team had he not announced his own international retirement, and Pakistan ended their eight-match away Test losing streak in emphatic fashion with an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies.
Tennis: Norrie Shines, Draper Tears, Alcaraz Withdraws
Five years on from winning his biggest title in Indian Wells, Britain's Cameron Norrie has found his form to dump out third seed Alex de Minaur and reach the fourth round of the National Bank Open in Montreal, a comeback victory that has made him a favourite for the title. British No 2 Cameron Norrie claimed a comfortable victory at the National Bank Open in Montreal to set up a third-round meeting with Katie Boulter's new husband Alex De Minaur, and Jack Draper was left in tears after losing to Terence Atmane as the Brit's long-term arm injury appeared to resurface. Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, increasing worries over his US Open title defence, which begins on August 30, and Emma Raducanu could benefit from ending her season early to focus on recovery and secure a protected ranking before making her return in 2027.
Boxing: Big Fights on the Horizon
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is still expected to be announced in August, even if the all-British heavyweight clash is relocated to America, according to Eddie Hearn, while Moses Itauma will fight for the vacant IBF world heavyweight title when he faces Filip Hrgovic in London on August 29. Aaron McKenna is not short of ambition as the Irish middleweight fights for the world title this Saturday, live on Sky Sports, and Jake Paul's rematch with Tommy Fury "makes most sense" as the American star targets a return to boxing. Former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker claimed a failed drugs test that resulted in him being suspended from boxing was caused by exposure to cocaine being used by his nutritionist, while Eddie Hearn believes Henry Pollock has the superstar status to awaken the sleeping giant that is rugby union. British boxer Raven Chapman underwent emergency surgery for a bleed on her brain after collapsing following a sparring session in Denmark, and Joe Ward had the world at his feet as an amateur boxing sensation until disaster struck over and over again.
Other Sports News: Rugby, Darts, Racing, and More
South African, New Zealand, Australian and Argentina Rugby and Sky Sports have agreed a deal for international rugby rights from 2026-2030, extending an over-three-decade-long partnership, and Tomas Albornoz has been suspended for four matches after being hit with a misconduct charge following Argentina's Nations Championship defeat against England. The Paddy Power PDC World Championship dates have been confirmed for Friday December 11 to Sunday January 3 with a record 180,000 tickets on offer, and Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors will make history in 2027 when they play the first-ever Super League fixture to be played in Ireland. Winger Harvey Barron scored a first senior hat-trick as Hull FC ended a seven-game losing run with a 32-18 comeback win at St Helens, and Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr will not be in attendance at the Hull KR game due to personal reasons. Riders at the Tour de France Femmes will be subject to extra clothing checks before Tuesday's stage following claims that some could be using extra padding in their bras to seek an aerodynamic advantage, and Charley Hull is buoyed by how well she has played this season but admitted injuries have prevented her from performing at her best. Max Verstappen has praised the "rock solid" performances that have taken Kimi Antonelli to the top of Formula 1's Drivers' Championship over the first half of the 2026 season, and Eve Muirhead has come out of retirement to chase another Winter Olympics gold. Several athletes are "unaccounted for" after the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, according to Police Scotland, while the qualifying process to make Luke Donald's 2027 European Ryder Cup team will start at the British Masters later this month.