Category: 6. Sports

Neymar’s chances of appearing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are looking slimmer by the moment. 

Once a stalwart for Brazil’s squad, the 33-year-old was left off manager Carlo Ancelotti’s 23-man roster for the Seleção‘s final two World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia next week.

It now extends Neymar’s absence from international duty to nearly two years.

Ancelotti cited a leg muscle injury sustained last week as the reason for Neymar’s latest omission. Brazil have already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup.

The former Barcelona and PSG superstar, who now plays at boyhood club Santos in Brazil, last donned the iconic yellow jersey in October 2023. Numerous knee injuries have seen plagued his comeback attempts.

“Neymar sustained a minor injury last week. This will be the final two matches of the qualifiers and it will be very demanding, so we need players in their prime conditions so we can perform at the highest level,” Ancelotti said Monday.

The Italian coach, who has previously expressed his commitment to getting Neymar match-ready for the 2026 World Cup, opted for caution over the 33-year-old’s fitness. 

“We don’t need to evaluate Neymar, we all know who he is and what he is capable of. We need him in peak condition so he can help the national team the way we all know he can,” the former Real Madrid and AC Milan coach said. 

The squad features a blend of established stars like Alisson, Marquinhos and Casemiro alongside emerging talents including Chelsea teenager Estevao and the comeback of West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, as Brazil look to end their qualifying campaign on a high note. 

Ancelotti’s list:

GOALKEEPERS: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al-Nassr), Hugo Souza (Corinthians).

DEFENDERS: Alexsandro Ribeiro (Lille), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Caio Henrique (Monaco), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Fabricio Bruno (Cruzeiro), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Vanderson (Monaco), Wesley (Roma).

MIDFIELDERS: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Joelinton (Newcastle), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham).

FORWARDS: Estevao (Chelsea), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham).

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

---

---

LAHORE: The women’s national selection committee on Monday announced a 15-member Pakistan squad for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, to be held from Sept 30 to Nov 2 under a hybrid model.

Led by Fatima Sana, the side will play all its group-stage matches — and, if qualified, the semi-final and final — at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Though the tournament is officially being staged in India, Pakistan’s fixtures were shifted to Sri Lanka after both boards refused to tour each other’s country.

The same squad will also feature in the three-match One-day International series against South Africa at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from Sept 16 to 22, with the tourists arriving on Sept 12.

Uncapped batter Eyman Fatima, who recently made her T20I debut against Ireland, earned a call-up to the ODI squad. Fatima Sana,

who represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the World Cup, will lead the team in the global event for the first time, having earlier captained the successful qualifying campaign in Lahore this year.

Six players are set to make their maiden ODI World Cup appearance; Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Syeda Aroob Shah. Among them, Aroob (21), Shawaal (20) and Eyman (20) were part of Pakistan’s squad at the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2023.

Two changes have been made from the side that featured in the World Cup Qualifier, with Eyman and Sadaf replacing Gull Feroza and Najiha Alvi. Gull and Najiha join Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar as non-travelling reserves.

The PCB said the 15 selected players and five reserves will undergo a 14-day pre-series training camp from Aug 29 under head coach Mohammad Wasim, featuring practice sessions and 50-over warm-up matches.

Squad: Fatima Sana (captain), Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (vice-captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah.

Non-travelling reserves: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar.

Pakistan vs South Africa series (all ODIs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore):

Sept 16: First ODI

Sept 19: Second ODI

Sept 22: Third ODI

Pakistan’s World Cup fixtures:

Oct 2: vs Bangladesh

Oct 5: vs India

Oct 8: vs Australia

Oct 15: vs England

Oct 18: vs New Zealand

Oct 21: vs South Africa

Oct 24: vs Sri Lanka

(Semi-final: Oct 29, Final: Nov 2)

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025

*1 Countries and regions where PlayStation services are provided and where Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. has jurisdiction. Please see the terms of participation for details.

*2 VTuber stands for virtual YouTuber, which refers to YouTubers who produce and share videos they appear in as virtual characters and avatars generated using computer graphics.

*3, 4, 5 “PlayStation,” “PS5,” and “PS4,” “Gran Turismo,” and “GT” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
Gran Turismo 7: © 2025 Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc.
Manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game in some cases include trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Any depiction or recreation of real world locations, entities, businesses, or organizations is not intended to be or imply any sponsorship or endorsement of this game by such party or parties. “Gran Turismo” logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

*6 A bakery and cake shop located at 17-30 Minamijima-cho, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture. The company’s owner, Dominique Douce, visited Japan in 1987 at the request of Honda for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix. Since then, the shop has become a favorite among F1 drivers and people involved in F1, and has since expanded within Japan.

*7 As of July 24, 2025.

*8 18 years of age or older on the first day of the Grand Final, except for residents of South Korea (19 years of age or older), and residents of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or the United Arab Emirates (21 years of age or older).

Reading time: < 1 minute

Five members of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa men’s volleyball team competed in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Men’s U21 World Championship in Jiangmen, China.

Rainbow Warriors Trevell Jordan, Tread Rosenthal and Kainoa Wade were selected to the U.S. team. Jordan and Wade recently competed for the U.S. in the Pan American Cup, where they captured the gold medal. Rosenthal has been a member of the U21 squad for two years and helped the Americans capture gold at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship.

Additionally, Adrien Roure represented France and Quintin Greenidge played for Canada. Greenidge helped the Canadians take silver at the Pan American Cup earlier this month and was named the tournament’s Best Libero and Best Receiver. Roure helped France capture gold at the U21 European Championships last year.

Jordan and Greenidge will be entering their first season at UH Mānoa. Rosenthal has started all 61 matches in his two seasons with the ’Bows and last season was named first-team All-American. Roure also earned All-America status last season in his rookie season and was named the Big West Championship Most Outstanding Player. Wade appeared in 30 matches as a true freshman last season.

Read more at Hawaiiathletics.com.

Venus Williams made a spirited return to the US Open after a year away, taking a set off No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova before falling in the first round.

Muchova proved to be too much for the seven-time Grand Slam champion, closing out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory in exactly two hours Monday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It marks Venus’ fourth consecutive first-round exit in New York, where she’s a two-time singles champion.

More to come…

On an unforgettable evening in New York, Venus Williams offered yet another demonstration of her perpetual greatness as she battled into the night with Karolína Muchová, making the 11th seed’s life difficult across an intense two hours before falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.

As Williams took the familiar walk through the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium and on to the court, the 45-year-old’s latest appearance at her home grand slam tournament occurred on a notable date. On 25 August 1997, exactly 28 years ago, this stadium opened for the first time. Later that day, a 17-year-old Williams was one of the first players to compete on the court as she made her long-awaited US Open debut there, the start of her monumental run to the final.

So much has changed in the three decades Williams has spent playing professional tennis, yet at 45 years old her passion for the sport is undimmed. Here she was again, just as determined to give her all. She found herself in a difficult match up against the 11th seed Muchová, a semi-finalist last year. Things have not been easy for Muchová recently and she is still trying to find her form after a left wrist injury that sidelined her for months but she is one of the most talented players in the sport.

Despite a full crowd inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world, the opening games played out to an awkward silence due to Williams’ unforced errors. She looked more than a step slow to every ball and her timing was off. Down 0-2, 0-40, things looked grim.

Then, suddenly, Williams came to life. She found destructive first serves and eviscerated the ball off both wings, pinning Muchová far behind the baseline and putting her under relentless pressure. She kept on moving forward, always looking for opportunities to snatch a trademark drive volley out of the air. Every successful point was punctuated by a roar from the New York crowd, which did not always support her during her prime years.

Even though her second serve betrayed her towards the end of the first set, Williams entered the second emboldened by how her game measured up against one of the best players in the world, and she performed at a brilliant level. With age, certain parts of her game have naturally deteriorated, but the fundamentals endure: big serving, relentless, attacking shotmaking and her determination to close down the net. Muchová eventually recovered in the final set, forcing Williams into defensive positions more frequently as she closed out the win.

Afterwards, Williams expressed pride at her performance and she felt her inability to maintain her strong level due to her lack of recent match practise. “I love playing,” she said. “The level of my game has come up so much since [last month]. I tried as hard as I could to throw off any rust, but at the end of the day, there’s only so much that can really be accomplished in three or four matches. There were just some shots I missed – those kind of shots are about feel and less about training, and those are the kinds of things that I just couldn’t stave off today.”

When Williams first announced her return, many people were sceptical about whether the 45-year-old could be competitive with elite tennis players. After such a positive performance, the majority of Williams’s press conference focused on whether she would actually be willing to compete more frequently. Williams does not intend to play after the US Open or outside the United States but she has not ruled out competing next year. “Are there any tournaments in the States? Can someone move a tournament here? I don’t know that I’m willing to travel that far at this stage in my career to go play,” she said.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Williams recently revealed that she has struggled with fibroids for many years, tumours that develop in and around the uterus causing significant pain and heavy bleeding, which has had a significant impact on her playing career. Her health problems made this particular match-up even more symbolic. “When I think about the match I played against [Muchová] in 2020, I was so uncomfortable,” said Williams. “I wasn’t well. I was in so much pain. Today it’s night and day how much better I felt, so I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in feeling better, and at that rate, have a real chance.”

Last year, Williams underwent an open myomectomy surgery to remove the fibroids, a major surgery that was the source of significant concern for her beforehand. Part of her motivation for continuing to compete at her advanced age was simply being able to experience playing the sport she loves without being in pain.

“What did I prove to myself? I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too,” said Williams, her eyes welling up with tears. “So … it was nice to be freer.”

Daniil ­Medvedev is expecting a big fine after a meltdown at match point incited the US Open crowd and delayed the former champion’s five‑set defeat by Benjamin Bonzi.

The Russian was incensed when, with Bonzi serving at 5-4 and advantage in the third set, a cameraman walked on to the court between the Frenchman’s first and second serve, causing a brief delay that the umpire, Greg Allensworth, deemed merited a retake of Bonzi’s first serve.

Medvedev went immediately to Allensworth to protest against the decision and whipped up the ­booing crowd, shouting: “Are you a man? Why are you shaking? He wants to go home guys, he doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”

Although Medvedev then returned to the baseline, he continued to encourage the reaction of the crowd and it was more than six minutes before Bonzi finally hit his serve.

Medvedev went on to win the point, that set, and the next, to pull himself back into the contest only for Bonzi to repeat his Wimbledon victory against the Russian, who has now lost in the opening round of a grand slam tournament for the third time in a row.

Medvedev placed the blame on the crowd after the 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 defeat, which finished in the early hours, saying: “What I say and what I do, in my head, I want to do worse, and I cannot because there are rules, because we’re on a tennis court.

“So I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much, and it was fun to witness.”

The 29-year-old also repeatedly yelled out: “What did Reilly Opelka say?” – the American player called Allensworth the worst umpire on tour after an incident in a match ­earlier this season. Medvedev declined to speak more about Allensworth, saying: “I’m ­getting a big fine enough, so if I speak, I’m in big trouble, so I’m not going to speak. Not everyone knows what I talked about when I said Reilly. Reilly got fined big-time for this, so I’m going to get a big fine too.”

Bonzi was unhappy with the behaviour of Medvedev, saying: “Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire. He went crazy with the crowd. Honestly, I never saw that.”

It appeared that the incident would help Medvedev to avoid another shock defeat, but it was Bonzi who managed to emerge the stronger player in the fifth set, with his Russian opponent sitting disconsolately in his chair at the end of the contest and ­smashing his racket repeatedly.

Bonzi, who is ranked 51, said: “I’m very proud of myself, the scenario of the match, the match point in the third. Then Daniil playing great and taking full advantage in the fourth. I was not in my best physically in the fifth. I tried to fight very hard to give all I had. I saw that he was not maybe at his best, too. It’s kind of crazy, this match. For me, it’s my best victory ever. It’s very special to do it here.”

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus stuck to the players who did duty for the team in their opening two Rugby Championship matches against Australia for their tour to New Zealand, where they will play back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks.

 

A total of 36 of the 38 players in last week’s squad retained their places in the group for the second leg of their campaign.

 

The Boks will battle it out with the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, 6 September, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington a week later on 13 September in matches that will be crucial as the team seeks to defend the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title they won for the first time since 2019 last season.

 

With wings Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe injured, Makazole Mapimpi, who joined the team in Cape Town last week, will make the trip down under, while the only forward from the squad that faced Australia to miss out on selection was utility forward Cobus Wiese, who has been placed on standby.

 

The squad contains 20 forwards and 16 backs. No.8 Jasper Wiese, however, is still currently serving a suspension and will only be eligible for selection for the second encounter in Wellington.

 

“This group of players has been working hard together since our first training camp in June, and most of them have been playing together for years, while the newer players in the squad showed in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and in the last two matches against Australia that they are ready for this challenge,” said Erasmus.

 

“Siya (Kolisi, Springbok captain), Pieter-Steph (du Toit), Willie (le Roux), and Jan-Hendrik (Wessels) have been medically cleared from their niggles, while all the players who faced Australia in Cape Town have received a clean bill of health and will be ready to face the All Blacks.”

 

Erasmus expected a tremendous test against the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington, but he was excited about the challenge ahead.

 

“The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is still wide open with all four teams having won a match in the first two rounds, so this tour is going to be vital for us, and we’ll certainly take confidence from the win against Australia last week when we board the plane,” said Erasmus.

 

“Facing the All Blacks in New Zealand is a massive challenge, but all the teams in this competition are ranked among the top sides in the world, and each one has the potential to beat one another on the day.

 

“In the last two months alone, Australia defeated us at Ellis Park and went down narrowly in their British & Irish Lions Series defeat, while Argentina defeated New Zealand last weekend and the British & Irish Lions, so we are not paying much attention to our historic records in New Zealand.

 

“We learned valuable lessons from our first game against Australia, and we know exactly what we have to do to reach our standards and improve as the competition progresses, and I don’t think we need more motivation than that.”

 

Erasmus added: “We are under no illusions that both games are going to be massive, and every match against the All Blacks is epic given the rivalry between the teams.

 

“We won our last four matches against them dating back to 2023, which marked only the the second time in history that we defeated them four times in a row, and there is no doubt that will motivate both teams.

 

“So, we need to ensure that we build on what we’ve been working on this year in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and Castle Lager Rugby Championship and take another step-up before facing them in two weeks.

 

“We are travelling to New Zealand tomorrow, which will give us sufficient time to acclimatise to the time zone, so we believe we will be settled and ready for the task ahead by the time we take the field.”

 

The Springboks play New Zealand on consecutive Saturdays – 6 and 13 September – in Auckland and Wellington, with both Tests kicking off at 09h05 (SA time).

 

Springbok squad for The Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand:

 

Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

 

Backs: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

Reading time: < 1 minute

Two former University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa All-America women’s volleyball players competed with their national teams in the 2025 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World Championship in Thailand.

Emily Maglio played for Canada in the world championships, and Amber Igiede was selected to the U.S. roster for the 20th edition of the event.

Igiede played in three weeks of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) earlier this summer and led the team with 21 blocks. During her time at UH Mānoa, she was an All-America third-team pick in her junior and senior seasons and ranks fourth in program history with 528 total blocks.

Maglio also played in the VNL for Canada and ranked eighth in the tournament with 33 blocks. She was an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention selection as a Rainbow Warrior junior and made the third team in her senior season.

The FIVB world championship will be decided on September 7.

Read more at Hawaiiathletics.com.