France and Morocco are set to face each other once more on the World Cup stage, this time in the quarterfinals. The two nations previously clashed in the 2022 semifinal in Qatar, where France eliminated Morocco — who had made history as the first African country to reach that round. France is now chasing a spot in the final for the third consecutive World Cup, a feat only two other nations have ever accomplished. Adding to the intrigue, six Moroccan players were born in France, and the ties extend to club soccer as well. France captain Kylian Mbappé and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni are both Real Madrid teammates with Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
A trade sending Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors has been put on hold while the NBA investigates the Los Angeles Clippers over possible salary cap violations. The league launched its probe in September, centered on a $28 million endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC. The Raptors announced Thursday they are waiting for the investigation to wrap up before moving forward. The two teams had already reached a trade agreement earlier this month. Leonard, a seven-time All-Star who just completed his highest-scoring season, now waits in limbo with no set timeline for the investigation’s end.
Coco Gauff’s run at Wimbledon came to a painful end in a tiebreaker-filled semifinal loss to Karolina Muchova. Gauff squandered a match point in the deciding tiebreaker, and Muchova did the same before ultimately closing out the match 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10). Gauff admitted she “panicked” on the missed match point. Muchova will now face Linda Noskova in an all-Czech final on Saturday after Noskova defeated Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4. The men’s semifinals on Friday will feature top-ranked defending champion Jannik Sinner taking on seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, while French Open champion Alexander Zverev squares off against British wild card Arthur Fery.
U.S. soccer standout Christian Pulisic suffered a fractured right leg during the Americans’ World Cup round-of-16 defeat to Belgium and will be out of action for several weeks. The U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed Pulisic has a bone bruise along with a microfracture in both his tibia and fibula, a diagnosis reached through an X-ray and MRI on Tuesday. The injury occurred in the 52nd minute of Monday’s 4-1 loss in Seattle when Pulisic struck the leg of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot. He is expected to return to training before his club team AC Milan opens its season at Torino on August 23.
A federal judge in Ohio has granted a preliminary injunction allowing 24 college basketball players — both men and women — to remain eligible while their lawsuit against the NCAA moves forward. The athletes argue the organization’s new age-based eligibility model unfairly bars them from further competition. Judge Christopher Wagner ruled Thursday that the NCAA has applied its eligibility rules in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and his decision allows the players to enter the transfer portal. A conference has been scheduled for August 4 to prepare for trial. The attorney behind the suit has filed similar cases on behalf of nearly 30 other men’s and women’s basketball players.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker has been announced as the fifth participant in the upcoming Home Run Derby, set for Monday in Philadelphia. The 24-year-old joins Boston’s Willson Contreras, Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, and the New York Yankees’ Ben Rice in the competition, with three spots still to be filled. A first-time All-Star, Walker is in the midst of a breakout season, ranking fifth in the National League with 21 home runs. The 2020 first-round draft pick is batting .294 with an .889 OPS and leads all of Major League Baseball with 70 RBIs.
The Anaheim Ducks have decided to match the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson, retaining the young star at a significant price. The Flyers had extended a five-year, $90 million offer to the 21-year-old one week ago, making Carlsson the NHL’s highest-paid player under the deal. Carlsson had agreed to the offer sheet after a year of unsuccessful contract talks with Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek, whose firm negotiating stance ultimately backfired. The final contract value far exceeded what most observers expected for a restricted free agent.
Russia’s track and field federation has taken its fight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, seeking to overturn a World Athletics ban that has kept its athletes out of international competition since March 2022. World Athletics suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reaffirmed that ban at a council meeting last week. The appeal comes as the International Olympic Committee has recently eased its own restrictions on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games and encouraged other sports organizations to follow suit.
Los Angeles officials are using the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a proving ground for an ambitious plan to make the 2028 Olympics a largely car-free event. City leaders have encouraged fans attending World Cup matches to rely on public transit instead of driving, and the results have been notable. A recent game saw nearly 50,000 rides taken on rail lines, with more than 30,000 additional rides on special shuttles deployed by LA Metro. Transit officials are also in the process of building their own police force and are hopeful the World Cup has helped attract new regular riders while boosting the public’s view of the city’s transit system.
England defender Jarell Quansah has been handed a two-game suspension stemming from a red card he received during England’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Mexico. The ban will keep Quansah out of England’s quarterfinal against Norway on Saturday and the semifinal if Thomas Tuchel’s squad advances that far. Quansah was ejected in the second half of England’s 3-2 win over Mexico on Sunday after committing a dangerous foul on Jesus Gallardo.
