Sports

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer The expanded World Cup in North America got even more supersized on Tuesday. The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event. By retaining

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer A person with a knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that quarterback Taylor Heinicke has agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth up to $20 million. The deal cannot be signed until the official start of free agency on Wednesday. It’s a homecoming for Heinicke, who

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears have added help on the defensive line, agreeing to a deal with former Tennessee Titans defensive end DeMarcus Walker. Walker tweeted that he has an agreement in place with Chicago. The Bears agreed to a two-year contract extension with fullback Khari Blasingame through

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis have given the Big Ten Conference a third straight year with multiple first-team Associated Press All-America picks, while Kansas had a second straight first-teamer in Jalen Wilson. The 7-foot-4, 305-pound Edey appeared on all 58 ballots as a first-team selection from AP

CHICAGO (AP) — Alejandro Zendejas says he is committing to the U.S. national team over Mexico. The 25-year-old forward made his U.S. debut in a Jan. 25 exhibition against Serbia but remained eligible to ask FIFA for a one-time switch of affiliation to Mexico. Zendejas started three matches for the U.S. at the 2015 Under-17

By KANTELE FRANKO Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider questions about the law known as Title IX in a case stemming from lawsuits over decades-old sexual abuse by the late team doctor Richard Strauss. The case affects whether more than 230 men can proceed

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in more than a decade, NCAA and college sports leaders are committed to a serious and thorough examination of expanding March Madness. The tournament generates hundreds of millions in revenue annually for the NCAA and its 1,100 member schools.

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — History is the light at the end of Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee’s tunnel vision. The 125-pounder has a chance to win his fourth national title this weekend at the NCAA championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and join an exclusive club with names he can recite in

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Catcher Keibert Ruiz gets a $3 million signing bonus as part of his $50 million, eight-year contract with the Washington Nationals, a deal that could be worth $76 million over 10 seasons if the team exercises a pair of options. Washington’s options are for $12 million in 2031 and

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer Jimmie Johnson had added the March 26 race at the Circuit of the Americas and the May 28 Coca-Cola 600 to his limited NASCAR schedule. Johnson returned to NASCAR this season after a two-year hiatus when he bought into the ownership group of Legacy Motor Club and signed on

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Corbin Carroll would make $134 million over nine years if the Arizona Diamondbacks exercise a 2031 option in his $111 million, eight-year contract. The deal for the 22-year-old outfielder, is the largest guarantee for a player with less than 100 days of major league service, topping Michael A. Harris’ $72 million,

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has a postgame workout routine that’s paying dividends even though he was recently sidelined. The 6-foot-2 guard is doing all he can to prolong his career even as lingering injuries creep in more often and demand management. The Warriors

FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — The Bundesliga’s longest serving coach is nowhere near finished yet. Freiburg says Christian Streich and his coaching team have extended their contracts with the club. It did not give the length of the new deals. But Streich has traditionally extended his contract by only a year every season since he took

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be re-elected this week to lead a richer-than-ever soccer body with an ambition to add new and bigger competitions despite growing wariness of him in Europe. FIFA has $4 billion in reserves after the World Cup in Qatar. It plans to

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — A man who racially abused Brentford striker Ivan Toney on social media has been banned from every soccer stadium in Britain for three years in what police described as a “landmark ruling.” Antonio Neill sent a racist message to Toney on Instagram after the striker scored two goals against Brighton in

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid got used to pulling off dramatic comebacks in the Champions League last season. Now it needs to avoid one to keep its title defense going. It will be Liverpool needing to do something magical at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Wednesday to reverse a