AP National Sports

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Any downtime at the World Cup may mean study time for young Spain defender Hugo Guillamón. The 22-year-old Guillamón is heading to Qatar for his first World Cup while still attending university and studying biomedical engineering. The Valencia player said that luckily there won’t be any

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies announced that guard Desmond Bane has sprained his right big toe and will miss at least two to three weeks. Team officials said a further evaluation showed Bane has a Grade 2 sprain. He was hurt during a win over Minnesota on Friday night. Bane will be re-evaluated

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Dalano Banton scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 20 as the short-handed Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Detroit Pistons 115-111. O.G. Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, which played without Fred VanVleet (non-COVID illness), Pascal Siakam (abdominal strain)

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO GONCALO, Brazil (AP) — Vinicius Jr. was still a teenager when he took his first winners’ medal to his hometown outside Rio de Janeiro. A place where drug gangs and vigilantes fight for control. The now 22-year-old Real Madrid winger is a key figure for Brazil’s national team

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A show of prison artwork by a Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WBNA star Brittney Griner has opened at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. The exhibition at the

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino has urged world leaders to call for a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the World Cup that starts later this week. It came after he asked World Cup teams this month to avoid political and human rights issues swirling around

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Americans will bet $1.8 billion on the World Cup this year, according to the casino industry’s national trade group. The American Gaming Association estimates that 20.5 million American adults plan to bet on the biggest soccer tournament in the world, legally or otherwise. The survey

By HANK KURZ Jr. and BEN FINLEY Associated Press CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Three University of Virginia football players killed in an on-campus shooting are being remembered by head football coach Tony Elliott as “incredible young men with huge aspirations and extremely bright futures.” Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry were returning from

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A University of Virginia spokesperson has confirmed that a student who went on a field trip to see a play with classmates is the one suspected of opening fire inside the bus they were riding in when the group returned to campus. Spokesperson Brian Coy says

LONDON (AP) — The Netherlands will host the Solheim Cup for the first time after being chosen to stage the biggest team event in women’s golf in 2026. Organizers say Bernardus Golf will host the event. The course is in Cromvoirt, a village in southern Netherlands close to the historic cathedral city of Den Bosch.

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Rafael Nadal’s error-strewn performance has badly damaged his chances of adding the ATP Finals trophy to his glittering list of titles. The top-seeded Nadal lost 6-3, 6-4 to tournament debutant Felix Auger-Aliassime to leave him with two straight defeats in Turin. The 36-year-old Nadal has now lost four straight matches for

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen has become the latest Bundesliga club to criticize the World Cup in Qatar by describing the decision to award the tournament to the country as “scandalous.” Leverkusen says “Football culture does not exist in Qatar.” Leverkusen referred to widely reported issues of homophobia, the lack of freedom of expression

By The Associated Press The LPGA Tour and European tour wrap up their seasons. Only one of them takes an extended break. The LPGA Tour has the CME Group Tour Championship with a $7 million purse and a record $2 million going to the winner. The field is the leading 60 players available from the

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian shops in Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar and elsewhere across the country closed their doors Tuesday amid protests gripping the nation, as two prominent soccer stars also announced they would not be attending the upcoming World Cup over the demonstrations. The shop closures came

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) — Clubs from soccer’s richest continent Europe are providing 73% of players called up for the World Cup. That’s despite Europe providing just 40% of the World Cup teams. It has 13 teams in the 32-nation lineup in Qatar. Research by European soccer consultants LTT Sports

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer Cristiano Ronaldo knows a thing or two about World Cups. He has played in four of them and is about to make it to a record-tying fifth this month in Qatar. Ronaldo also knows when he sees something promising and he believes this time there is reason to feel

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea has hired another member of Brighton’s technical staff to continue the overhaul under its new ownership. Two months ago Chelsea hired manager Graham Potter from Brighton and now has gone back to its Premier League rival to entice the person who built a strong reputation at the south-coast club for finding

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer MUNICH (AP) — The NFL wants to keep its European tour going now that Germany has joined Britain in hosting games. Spain and France are atop the league’s wish list as it continues to look internationally for revenue growth. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 on

By JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH Associated Press MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — George Weah never got to play at the World Cup despite being one of soccer’s greats. He’s making sure he doesn’t miss his son’s opportunity. Weah is now the president of Liberia and is planning to be at the World Cup in Qatar to hopefully watch