AP National Sports

ZURICH (AP) — Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro and Dubai Harbour in the United Arab Emirates are among six locations worldwide revealed by FIFA to hold fan festivals during the World Cup in Qatar. Mexico City’s Plaza de la República, Anhangabaú Valley in Sao Paulo and downtown nightclub venues in London and Seoul also

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves made another investment in their future by signing rookie right-hander Spencer Strider to a $75 million, six-year contract. The move came one day before the Braves open their NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Less than two months ago, the Braves signed

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said he ran out of patience with Matt Rhule’s inability to get the franchise “over the hump.” Tepper fired his second coach in four years on Monday, dismissing Rhule five games into his third losing season. Rhule, the first NFL

PARIS (AP) — Formula One team Red Bull breached budget regulations last season. The series′ governing body says it is guilty of “minor” overspending. The FIA announced the results of its investigation into whether F1 teams violated last season’s spending regulations. Last year, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his first world title on the

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Looking to fix their defense, the Cleveland Browns acquired former Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Cleveland sent a sixth-round pick in 2024 to Atlanta for Jones, a six-year veteran, along with a seventh-round pick in two years. Jones opened

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The World Cup starts in Qatar on Sunday. It’s one of the most eagerly anticipated World Cups in memory as much for off-the-field reasons as those on it. It likely represents the last chance for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the tournament. Kylian Mbappé and France are

PARIS (AP) — Lionel Messi will miss Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League match against Benfica on Tuesday because of a minor leg injury. Messi sat out PSG’s goalless draw at Reims in the French league over the weekend because of the pain in one of his calves. Messi had first felt the discomfort in his leg

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians reliever Nick Sandlin will miss the rest of the postseason with a shoulder strain suffered in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. The team says Sandlin underwent an MRI that revealed the strain of his Teres major muscle. The right-hander will be shut down for up to six weeks,

LYON, France (AP) — Lyon coach Laurent Blanc was already in crisis management mode on his first day in charge at the French club. Blanc was appointed Sunday as the replacement for Peter Bozs following Lyon’s poor start to the season. Blanc met with his players on Monday to instill a sense of urgency to

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves made another investment in their future by signing rookie right-hander Spencer Strider to a $75 million, six-year contract. The move came one day before the Braves open their NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Less than two months ago, the Braves signed another rookie, outfielder Michael Harris II,

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Atlético Madrid has reached a deal with Barcelona to sign forward Antoine Griezmann on a permanent transfer. That frees the France international to play more minutes with the Madrid club. Atlético says Griezmann signed a contract with the club until June 2026. He was in the

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — A third cruise ship has been hired by World Cup organizers in Qatar to operate as a soccer fan hotel docked in Doha Port. It will add much-needed rooms for the tournament. Geneva-based MSC Cruises announced the agreement only six weeks before the World Cup is

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Jodi Ewart Shadoff can finally say she’s an LPGA Tour winner. The 34-year-old from England held on for a one-shot victory in the LPGA Mediheal Championship. She went wire-to-wire for her first win in her 246th start. But it wasn’t easy. Paula Reto made up the four-shot deficit in six holes

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich’s Oliver Kahn was known for his fits of rage when things weren’t going well for his team. The former goalkeeper was known as “The Titan” for his fearsome outbursts before he retired in 2008. Now he’s Bayern CEO and he showed Saturday that he

LONDON (AP) — British sprinter Chijindu Ujah has been banned for 22 months after testing positive for two prohibited substances during the Tokyo Olympics last year. Ujah tested positive for ostarine and S-23 after the final of the 4×100-meter relay in which Britain finished second. Ujah has already been stripped of his silver medal along

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Jon Rahm says it has taken time for him to adjust to changes in his personal life this year and that made it tougher for him to meet expectations on the course. Rahm won the Spanish Open on Sunday for his second victory of the year.

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball’s biggest spenders looked spent. The New York Mets enjoyed 175 days in first place, boosted by their billionaire new owner, confident Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer would lead them to glory, that Buck Showalter would make all the right moves.  All that blood, toil,

By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer Air Force has reached the halfway point of the season on track for its third straight national rushing title. Ohio State is on pace to be the top scoring team again. The Falcons are running for better than 352 yards per game and the Buckeyes are averaging nearly

PARIS (AP) — French league club Auxerre has issued an apology for its coach’s behavior after Jean-Marc Furlan made a rude hand gesture toward opposing fans during a match. Furlan was sent off deep in added time during Auxerre’s 2-1 loss at Clermont on Sunday. Furlan said he made the gesture after spectators insulted him.

BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has retired from soccer at the age of 24 because of a hereditary heart condition. The Premier League club says the health problem “would put Enock at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event.” Mwepu became ill last month on a flight to