…to return to the lower tiers of professional tennis, where there are no free towels at tournaments and players often have to retrieve their own balls.But after years of injuries, that was where the Canadian headed in a bid to rebuild what had been such a promising career.Andreescu's US Open victory capped off a year th…

…didn't want anyone worrying about him," she explains. "He wasn't well throughout the tournament. I'm finding out more and more about it now that he's not here."It was not until the day after her Manchester United team won the FA Cup final at Wembley in May 2024 that she learned he was ill."I feel like every time I won…

…causing the football club to lose many of its players.Pachuca played their last tournament in the 'amateur era' of the Mexican game in 1922, with the original club folding soon after.A new version of the club was reformed in 1950, before folding once more and then reforming again in 1960.The club have since gone on to…

…question he was asked wasn't about the remarkable feat of the USA team reaching the tournament for the first time in four decades."Why aren't you playing basketball?" was directed at Armstrong, then a 25-year-old defender, who was about to become the first US-born black player to represent the United States at a World…

…that include televisions and solar-powered inverter systems to help residents follow the tournament."Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Haiti fans cheered on their team in a 2-1 defeat by Peru this monthWhile the players have not played at home since a 1-0 defeat by Canada in 2021, they have still enjoyed support…

…winning his first French Open in 2005, Nadal lost his sole grass-court match in his only tournament before Wimbledon, before suffering a shock second-round exit at SW19.Nadal did not practise on the grass after his maiden Roland Garros win - something he now regards as a mistake.Listen to Sporting Witness: Nadal on his…

…gathers pace, BBC Sport take a look at five talking points from the opening week of the tournament. What information do we collect from this quiz?Europe and South America won't have it all their own wayFigure caption, World Cup debutants Cape Verde hold on for draw against SpainBefore a ball had been kicked, there were…

…hosting the largest share of matches. He was in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar for the 2022 tournament.But that is an Americanism of its own, in a country where football isn't the national pastime and competes for popular attention with several other major sports, including baseball which is currently in season, and Ameri…

…nature of this World Cup, there is no problem with the competitive nature of the tournament either. Nine of the 24 matches have ended in a draw.The 37.5% draw ratio is actually the highest at this stage since 2010 - when it was the same - and has only been higher once since 1954.With the first round of games complete,…

…from every match, or go for a draw.PLAY WORLD CUP PREDICTOR HEREGROUP ASutton's pre-tournament picks: South Korea (winners) and Mexico (runners-up). Czech Republic to finish third and South Africa fourth.Czech Republic v South AfricaAtlanta / Thursday, 18 June / 17:00 BSTI left it late to make my prediction for this ga…

…who won his solitary US Open title in 2011."It was a day to keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here," added McIlroy, who opened with an 80 in 2018 as he went on to miss the halfway cut.McIlroy's playing partners Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood also en…

…making him look like an old man. Ayyoub Bouaddi is 18 and is the breakout star of the tournament so far. He plays for Lille, but soon he's going to be playing for one of Europe's elite clubs and they'll be paying plenty for him. Current price tag: £61m.Bouaddi has technique and vision. He made his Conference League deb…

…Tuchel, Fifa has altered its policy and put in place a compromise used at other tournaments. Photographers may be grouped in a huddle, potentially closer to the halfway line. The coaching staff will no longer be required to remain in front of the dugouts, instead they will be permitted to move to the left or the right…

…goalscorers are certainly taking their chance to shine.The goals are flying in at the tournament - 89 in 28 games in Mexico, Canada and the United States to date, while there have been two wonderful hat-tricks.Could some of those goalscorers move to the Premier League soon?After Lionel Messi, 38, turned back the clock…

…led to head coach Amir Ghalenoei saying they are the "most oppressed" team at the tournament following a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles in their opening game.In a statement, the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) said the travel restrictions they face are "inconsistent with the principle of providing equal c…

…40 years after playing in their first World Cup, secured their first-ever win at the tournament in emphatic fashion, thrashing Qatar 6-0 in front of a packed and loud Vancouver Stadium.They are almost certain of a place in the last 32. But celebrations were overshadowed by a dreadful injury to Ismael Kone.The incident…

…and where you can watch and listen to them in the UK. How to follow on the BBCDuring the tournament, 54 matches will be shown live on the BBC, including the final on 19 July, with 92 games on BBC Sounds and every single match covered on the BBC Sport website and app.Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026More on this…

…was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament," Kane said on the Lions' Den podcast."I know it's just the first game and we're not getting carried away, but just that emotional connection with the fans... We know how much it means to them."We have that connection right no…

…the name at the top of the list was not one many expected.The quickest player at the tournament so far was Australia defender Jordan Bos. According to Fifa's official physical tracking data, the Feyenoord left-back reached 36.7 km/h during his country's 2-0 opening-game win over Turkey, with only Norway striker Erling…

…with the World Cup since 1970 when they created the iconic Telstar match ball for the tournament.Florian Alt, their vice-president of marketing communications, brand and performance, said: "Our campaign, Backyard Legends, featured a scene familiar to anyone who has played football - a local pitch, an unbeatable crew an…

…reading books or doing his homework."He never had fast food, either. When we went to tournaments, he was the only kid who did not eat burgers or pizza."He's the same now as he was when he was 10."Additional reporting by Alex BysouthRelated topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026More on this storyPlay BBC Sport's new World Cu…

…minutes and 20 seconds per match. Or seven hours, 30 minutes and 40 seconds across the tournament.That's how much extra TV advertising some football fans around the world are watching during mandatory hydration breaks at the World Cup.While viewers in the UK watching on BBC and ITV are seeing players refuel and hearing…

…defence looked nervous at times but there is context. This is the first game of a major tournament and Croatia are ranked 11th in the world. They have troubled England before and they have medals from reaching the final and semi-final in the past two World Cups."You can pick holes in it tactically at the back, but the…

…making him look like an old man. Ayyoub Bouaddi is 18 and is the breakout star of the tournament so far. He plays for Lille, but soon he's going to be playing for one of Europe's elite clubs and they'll be paying plenty for him. Current price tag: £61m.Bouaddi has technique and vision. He made his Conference League deb…

Here are the highest goalscorers at the 2026 World Cup tournament, with just one game played so far by some of the countries in the tournament. The opening round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has immediately delivered on its promise of high-stakes drama, but it is a familiar face who commands the global headlines. Argenti…