Author: Tristan Wells

Sales have been poor. The same tickets for the opening game between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Al Ahly of Egypt sold for £258 each in December were slashed to 16 per cent of that price just last week. Broadcasters have been even less enthusiastic. After the BBC and ITV both declined to air it, DAZN purchased the exclusive rights to all 63 games in a deal worth $1bn which saw it sublicense its coverage to 60 broadcasters worldwide, including Channel 5 in the UK. That was in December, two months before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns…

Mexico kick off proceedings for 2025 in the biennial international tournament for the best teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, plus invited nation Saudi Arabia, hosting Group A rivals the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.Mexico are record nine-time winners of the Gold Cup, having taken back the trophy from the USA two summers ago after edging past Panama in the final in LA.Javier Aguirre’s side are the favourites to win it again this summer, with the United States coming in off the back of a tough start to the Mauricio Pochettino era that…

The World Cup of Darts is back for another instalment, heading back to Frankfurt in Germany. Taking place from June 12 to June 15, the team event will see 40 nations battle it out to become world champions on the oche. It is the 15th edition of the competition, which began back in 2010 as part of PDC chairman Barry Hearn’s plan to expand professional darts.England are the defending champions and come into this tournament as very heavy favourites.They defeated Austria 10-6 in the final at Eissporthalle, knocking Wales off their perch and breaking a new record, with a fifth…

This is the very first edition of FIFA’s revamped tournament as the number of teams competing has been expanded to 32, thus turning it into a month-long summer event.Teams from the six confederations – UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC and OFC – are taking part in the United States over the next four weeks with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami getting things underway.The MLS outfit – co-owned by David Beckham – qualified for the tournament thanks in part to FIFA designating one slot for a team from the host nation as well as their performance in the 2024 regular season as…

The headline fight in New York sees Hitchins defend his IBF light-welterweight title for the first time.The 28-year-old comes into the bout undefeated in 19 professional fights. He won by split decision last time out after going the distance with Australia’s Liam Paro in Puerto Rico, becoming a world champion for the first time.He will defend that belt this weekend as he meets Australia’s Kambosos Jr. The 31-year-old is the more experienced contender, having won 22 of his 25 fights and previously reigned as unified lightweight champion.The pair have exchanged choice words in the build-up to the fight. Hitchins labelled…

This Group A showdown pits the dominant force of African football against a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise that has garnered attention across the globe due to being co-owned by David Beckham and the signing of Lionel Messi.That’s not to say the Herons aren’t here on merit. Their performance in the 2024 MLS regular season as well as winning the Supporters’ Shield saw them qualify for the tournament after FIFA had designated one slot for a team from the host nation.However, they are facing an Al Ahly side that has won the CAF Champions League in three of the last…

Kamaru Usman will return to the ring tonight for the first time since 2023 as he faces Joaquin Buckley in the octagon.The former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru has not entered a fight since losing by split decision to Khamzat Chimaev two years ago, but will make a dramatic return on Sunday.He has not chosen an easy opponent in Buckley, who is undefeated in six welterweight bouts, with his full career record sitting at 21-6.The 31-year-old St Louis native is now eleven years into his career and has not tasted defeat since December 2022. His last fight came as he headlined…

Leinster are in search of a record-extending ninth title on home soil this weekend, having finished top of the table and then defeated Scarlets 33-21 in a quarter-final tie at the Aviva Stadium.Leo Cullen’s side then brushed aside defending champions Glasgow Warriors at the same venue as they ran in six tries during a dominant 37-19 semi-final victory last weekend.Now the Bulls stand between Leinster and a first championship in the current URC format, with Jake White’s team having finished eight points behind their opponents in second place before dispatching both Edinburgh and South African rivals the Sharks.Leinster go into…

Hitchins comes into the fight undefeated in his 19-bout career and will defend his IBF light-welterweight title for the first time.He won that title by beating Liam Paro in Puerto Rico in his previous fight, and will now look to preserve it just a few miles from where he grew up.Kambosos Jr is the more experienced fighter, having entered six more bouts than Hitchins, but has a far from perfect record. He has lost on three occasions, once by knockout.The pair are not on strong terms ahead of their meeting. Hitchins branded his opponent a ‘D-class’ fighter in the build-up,…

Bath come into the tie chasing their seventh Premiership crown while Leicester eye their 12th, but the odds are not in their favour.The final will be the third meeting between the sides this season, and the tale of the tape does not make pretty reading for the Tigers: Bath have won both of the previous meetings by an aggregate score of 63-30.As they look to overturn that head-to-head, head coach Michael Cheika said Leicester will need full focus: “The objective is to get us into the frame of mind where we go into the game with a strong belief that…