Sports · Thursday, 1 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

Cristiano Ronaldo walks out of Portugal's camp after the new coach says he will start on the bench again

Coach Jorge Jesus says a 41-year-old cannot play every three days. Ronaldo, the men's record international scorer, left a day before Portugal play Denmark and says he will explain later.

4 in 11 days

matches Portugal play in this international break

Wales, Norway, Denmark, then Norway again in Porto on Sunday [6][2]

146

goals Ronaldo has scored for Portugal, more than any man for any country

he has also played a record 234 games for them [3][5]

3rd

time Ronaldo has sat on Portugal's bench for a whole match

the others were at Euro 2008 and in a friendly before Euro 2024 [2]

The lead story — what happened

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's training camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday, a day before a Nations League match against Denmark. [1][2] The Nations League is a competition between Europe's national teams.
He said on Instagram that he decided after the coach's press conference and a talk with Pedro Proenca, president of the Portuguese Football Federation. [2][7] He said he would tell people his reasons later. [1]
Earlier that day the coach, Jorge Jesus, said Ronaldo would start on the bench again. Goncalo Ramos would lead the attack instead. [1][8]
On Sunday 27 September Ronaldo sat on the bench for the whole of Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo. [7][9] Ramos, who plays for AC Milan, scored the winner. [7]
It was only the third time Ronaldo had been an unused substitute for Portugal. [2] He walked straight to the dressing room at the final whistle and did not train with the squad on Monday or Tuesday. [3]
The federation reported no injury. [3] Jesus said Ronaldo was doing his own gym work, and that he had not refused to train. [5]
Jesus gave his reason plainly. A 41-year-old is not like Joao Neves, who is 20 and can play every three days, he said. [3]
Portugal play four matches in 11 days in this break: Wales on 24 September, Norway on 27 September, Denmark on 1 October and Norway again in Porto on 4 October. [6][2]
Jesus called Sunday's decision a tactical choice. [4] He said he regretted making Ronaldo warm up for so long and then not using him, but added: "I can promise whatever I want, I'm the coach." [1]
Jesus coached Ronaldo for a year at Al Nassr, his club in Saudi Arabia, and they won the Saudi league together. [3] Jesus took over Portugal after this summer's World Cup. [6]
No man has played more games for his country than Ronaldo, 234, or scored more goals, 146. [3][5] In August he said he would probably retire from football at the end of this club season, next June. [3]
The federation said the squad will carry on preparing with its other 24 players. [2][7]

Who is involved

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's captain, 41, who plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia; he left the camp and says he will explain why later
Jorge Jesus

Portugal's coach since this summer, aged 72, who coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr; he left him out and says he will again
Pedro Proenca

president of the Portuguese Football Federation, which runs the national team; he met the two men this week
Goncalo Ramos

a 25-year-old striker for AC Milan in Italy; he scored the winner in Oslo and starts against Denmark

How it unfolded

Summer Jesus takes over Portugal from Roberto Martinez after the World Cup [6]
Thu 24 Sep Ronaldo starts a 1-0 win over Wales and is taken off for Ramos [3][6]
Sun 27 Sep He is an unused substitute in a 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo [7]
Wed 30 Sep Jesus says he will start on the bench again, and Ronaldo leaves the camp [1][2]
Thu 1 Oct Portugal play Denmark in Copenhagen, then Norway in Porto on Sunday [1][2]

Where this points

Watch whether Ronaldo gives the reasons he promised, and whether he is in the squad when the Nations League starts again in November. [1][4]

What is pushing on the whole day

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing today. The arrow is where it is heading. The evidence is in the stories below.

Matches every few days High→

Portugal play four matches in 11 days in this international break. [6] Baseball's first playoff round puts three games on three days in a row. [10] The White Sox's Peter Lambert pitched on just two days' rest. [12]

Court cases over money Building↑

Judges in New York threw out three lawsuits against Fanatics, which makes the official trading cards for three big US leagues. [19] Etihad, Manchester City's sponsor, says it will take legal advice about the Premier League. [20] The owners of baseball star Mickey Mantle's name sued a card maker for at least $750,000. [33]

Investors buying pieces of sport High↑

Novig, an app for trading on sports results, is raising money at a value of up to $2bn. [30] The owner of the Miami Dolphins is close to selling a fifth of Miami's Formula One race. [31] Three groups are bidding at least $12bn for a new NBA team in Las Vegas. [34]

The rest of the day

13 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

02
White Sox knock out the Astros

The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 in Houston on Wednesday to win their best-of-three baseball playoff series 2-0. [13] It is their first playoff series win since 2005, when they beat Houston in the World Series. [12] They lost 100 or more games in each of the last three seasons. [12] No team had ever reached the playoffs straight after two 100-loss seasons. [12] Chase Meidroth's three-run home run in the sixth inning settled the game. [13]

Why it matters — The White Sox play the Cleveland Guardians from Saturday. [12][14] Houston have now lost nine home playoff games in a row, and their manager, Joe Espada, is in the last year of his contract. [12][13]
03
Yankees beat the Red Sox 18-2 over two games

The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox again on Wednesday and won their series 2-0. [10] Over the two games the Yankees scored 18 runs to Boston's two, and had 26 hits to Boston's seven. [10] In the sixth inning Boston brought in Garrett Crochet, their best pitcher, in relief, which means part-way through the game. [10] He had not pitched in a game since 25 April, and he gave up four runs without officially getting anyone out. [10]

Why it matters — The Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays in the next round. [11] Boston scored 2.96 runs a game in September, and the playoffs were more of the same. [10]
04
Padres go through, Phillies force a third game

The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs for a second night running and are through to the next round. [10][15] Their 8-0 win on Tuesday meant their four best relief pitchers were not needed. [10] On Wednesday all four pitched, and gave up one hit in five and two-thirds innings. [10] In Atlanta, Alec Bohm's home run in the tenth inning beat the Braves. [10][15] So the Phillies and the Braves play a third and final game on Thursday. [10]

Why it matters — The Cubs scored more runs than any other team in the regular season. [10] Their two best hitters, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, went 0 for 15 between them in the series. [10]
05
Rival clubs want City punished this season

Senior figures in English football, including club officials, told BBC Sport that Manchester City's punishment should come before this season ends. [21] This week the Premier League announced that an independent panel had found City guilty of breaking its money rules from 2009 to 2018. [21] City have until Friday, 2 October, to appeal. [22] League rules say an appeal should finish within 12 weeks of being filed, with a decision within 30 days after that. [21][23] Some rival clubs are talking to law firms about claiming compensation. [22]

Why it matters — City are top of the league with 15 points from five games. [23] If the punishment comes after the season, clubs that finish below them could go to court over places they lost, the BBC says. [23]
06
City's sponsor Etihad turns on the league

Etihad Airways, an airline from the United Arab Emirates that has sponsored Manchester City since 2009, says it will take legal advice about the Premier League. [20][21] The panel found that City inflated their income with sponsorship deals that were secretly paid for by the club's owners. [20] Etihad is not named in the published report, where many names are blacked out. [20] It says the league never asked for its side, and it rejects any suggestion that it made improper deals. [20][21]

Why it matters — Etihad's name is on City's shirts and stadium. [20] A former chairman of Etihad's parent company sat on City's board from 2010 to 2021, The Athletic reported. [20] The Premier League declined to comment. [21]
07
The Knicks and the Rangers will split

Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns basketball's New York Knicks and ice hockey's New York Rangers, will split into two companies. [16][17] Its board approved the plan this week, and the two teams will trade as separate shares from 27 October. [17] James Dolan stays in charge of both. [17] The company is worth about $11bn on the stock market. [16] Sportico, a sports-business site, values the Rangers at $4.15bn and, in a count a year old, the Knicks at $9.85bn. [16]

$14bnThe two teams, valued apart
$11bnThe company, as shares
Sportico's separate values for the Knicks and the Rangers add up to about $14bn. The stock market values the company that owns both at about $11bn.

Why it matters — Sportico says investors have valued the company at less than private buyers would pay for its teams. [16] The split comes months after the Knicks won the NBA title in June. Their playoff run brought in $66.9m more than the year before. [17]
08
Three groups left in the race for Las Vegas

The NBA is close to choosing an owner for a new basketball team in Las Vegas, and three groups are left, ESPN reported. [34] One is Nancy Walton Laurie, daughter of a Walmart founder, and her husband Bill. [34] Another is Steve Apostolopoulos with Marc Lasry, and the third is Bill Foley, who owns Las Vegas's ice hockey team, with Jerry Colangelo. [34] Sources told ESPN the price for the team and a new arena is at least $12bn to $13bn. [34]

Why it matters — The league plans a formal vote on two new teams, in Las Vegas and Seattle, by the end of December. [34] Las Vegas comes first because more groups want it and they are offering more, and the losers may bid for Seattle. [34]
09
Judges throw out three cases against Fanatics

Federal judges in New York dismissed three lawsuits against Fanatics on Tuesday. [19] Fanatics is the biggest online seller of official sports clothing. [18] Since buying Topps in 2022, it has made the trading cards for baseball's MLB, the NBA and the NFL. [19] Card buyers said this let it raise prices and lower quality. [19] The judge said three Reddit threads and a podcast did not prove the buyers themselves had paid more. [18] A second judge threw out two cases about who may sell NFL goods, writing that the law protects competition, not competitors. [18]

Why it matters — Sportico says the rulings show a league can deal with only one partner without breaking competition law. [18] A bigger case brought by Panini, a rival card maker, goes on before the same judge. [19]
10
India chase 406 as Gill sets a record

India beat West Indies in Guwahati on Wednesday, scoring the 406 runs they needed with only two batters out and 39 balls to spare. [25] It was a one-day international, a cricket match between countries with 50 overs a side. [29] India's captain, Shubman Gill, made 223 not out and reached 200 in 117 balls, the fastest double hundred in these matches. [24][27] West Indies had made 405 for seven, their first total over 400, with three batters scoring hundreds. [26][29] Only South Africa, with 438 in 2006, have won a match chasing more. [24][27]

South Africa, 2006438 runs
India, 2026406 runs
Netherlands, 2025374 runs
The biggest totals made by teams that won batting second in one-day internationals. India's is now the second-biggest.

Why it matters — India now lead the series 2-0 and cannot be caught. [28] West Indies made their record less than a week after their players were told to take a 25% pay cut, the BBC reported. [29]
11
Novig's value set to quadruple

Novig, an app where people trade on the results of sports games, is raising money at a value of up to $2bn, Front Office Sports reported. [30] In February it raised $75m at a value of $500m. [30] Interest grew after the CFTC, the US regulator for these markets, approved it in June to operate across the country, one source said. [30] Novig confirmed it is raising money, but the amount and the investors are not known. [30]

February 2026$500m
New round, in talks$2,000m
Novig's value at its February funding round, and in the talks Front Office Sports reported. The new round has not closed.

Why it matters — Its two bigger rivals are worth far more: Kalshi is reported to be in talks at about $40bn, and Polymarket at about $21bn. [30] Novig also has a deal with baseball's New York Mets. [30]
12
Miami's Formula One race may sell a fifth

Stephen Ross, 86, who owns American football's Miami Dolphins, is close to selling 20% of the Miami Grand Prix, Front Office Sports reported last Thursday. [31] The likely buyer is Otro Capital, an investment firm that also owns part of the Alpine Formula One team. [31] No deal is final, and Ross does not plan to sell the whole race. [31] In 2024 he sold 13% of the Dolphins, their stadium and the race at a value of about $8.1bn. [31]

Why it matters — The race has sold out five years running and has grown into a week-long event. [31] Next year it is the sixth of 24 races, from 30 April to 2 May. [31]
13
The NFL keeps its 10% limit on investment firms

Owners in American football's NFL see no need to let investment firms buy more than 10% of a team, Front Office Sports reported last week. [32] Baseball's MLB raised its limit this summer from 15% to 20% for each firm, the same as basketball's NBA. [32] NFL rules also say a team's main owner must hold at least 30%. [32] No public company or government wealth fund may own any part of a team. [32]

Why it matters — The average NFL team is worth about $9.5bn by Forbes' count, so even 10% costs close to $1bn. [32] The Atlanta Falcons' sale of 10% to Arctos, an investment firm, could be approved when owners meet in October. [32]
14
Mickey Mantle's name owners sue a card maker

The company that owns the rights to the name and signature of Mickey Mantle, a New York Yankees star who died in 1995, has sued Cardsmiths, a trading card maker. [33] The case was filed in a federal court in New York last Thursday. [33] It says Cardsmiths copied Mantle's 1952 Topps rookie card without permission. [33] An original sold for $12.6m in 2022, the most ever paid for a baseball card. [33] The owners ask for at least $750,000. [33]

Why it matters — Cardsmiths declined to comment and will ask for the case to be thrown out. [33] Sportico says it may argue its card is protected under US free speech law. [33]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why a coach leaves out his oldest star when matches come every three days

Players need days to recover after a match, so when matches come every three days a coach must rest someone, and older players recover slowest.

The twist

Jesus pointed to the calendar. With four matches in 11 days someone had to sit out, and he said a 41-year-old cannot recover as fast as a 20-year-old, so the oldest star sat first.

The picture

1Wales, 24 Sep0 days
2Norway, 27 Sep3 days
3Denmark, 1 Oct7 days
4Norway, 4 Oct10 days

Portugal's four matches in this break, counted in days from the first. The gaps are three or four days.

How it works

A full match leaves a body needing days to recover
A short break packs matches three or four days apart
So nobody can start every match
The coach rests whoever recovers slowest, often the oldest
When that player is the most famous, the choice turns into a public row

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Padres go through, Phillies force a third game

The series is three games on three days in a row. San Diego's 8-0 win on Tuesday let its four best relief pitchers rest, so all four could pitch on Wednesday.
White Sox knock out the Astros

Peter Lambert pitched on Wednesday with only two days' rest. A series of three games on three days leaves a manager no time to wait for a fresh arm.

Where you've seen this

Hospital night shifts

a ward with a shift every night must leave some staff off, because tired staff make mistakes

Long-distance lorry drivers

rules on hours force rest breaks, so a firm with more loads than rested drivers leaves some for tomorrow

Singers on tour

shows on back-to-back nights mean resting the voice, so the hardest songs get swapped for easier ones

The catch

Rest may not be the only reason. Jesus also called Sunday's decision tactical, and Ramos scored the winner in Oslo.

And the whole of it

A fan watching one match only sees who is missing from it. The coach is planning four matches at once, and Ronaldo is thinking about what may be his last season.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

Portugal's new coach, Jorge Jesus, left Cristiano Ronaldo out of a match and said he would do it again. [1] Hours later Ronaldo left the camp, and he has not yet said why. [2] The federation's only public word so far is that the squad carries on with its other 24 players. [2]

Why it works on us — Ronaldo promised to tell the Portuguese people the truth later, which invites everyone to fill the gap with a story before he has told one. [2]

Who gains

Goncalo Ramos — He scored the winner in Oslo and starts against Denmark in Ronaldo's place. [1][7]
Fanatics — Three lawsuits are gone, and it keeps its deals to make the only official cards for MLB, the NBA and the NFL. [19]
Novig's early investors — A round at up to $2bn would value their shares at up to four times February's price of $500m. [30]
James Dolan — He runs both new companies, and Sportico says the old one was valued at less than its two teams. [16][17]
The Chicago White Sox — They won the series in two games, so they get days of rest before it starts in Cleveland on Saturday. [12][14]

Who pays

Portugal's squad — It prepares for Denmark a day after its captain walked out, with the federation's president flown in to meet him. [2][4]
Joe Espada, Houston's manager — His team lost nine home playoff games in a row, he is in the last year of his contract, and the owner has already fired the general manager. [12][13]
Card buyers who sued Fanatics — The judge said Reddit threads and a podcast did not show that they themselves paid more. [18]
Etihad Airways — It says the way the findings were made public harms it, though the report does not name it and the league never asked its side. [20]
West Indies' players — They made their country's first 400 in a one-day international less than a week after being told to take a 25% pay cut. [29]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

Why Ronaldo left.

He has not said. Jesus said there was no problem between them and nothing for the federation's president to settle. [1][7]
02

Whether the two men had made peace before he left.

Portugal's broadcaster RTP reported on Tuesday night that a second talk had settled it. [4] Less than a day later Ronaldo announced he was leaving. [1]
03

Whether Ronaldo plays for Portugal again.

He said in August he would probably retire next June. [3] The Nations League starts again in November, and nobody has said whether he will be picked. [4]
04

When Manchester City will be punished.

City must appeal by Friday, but the league has not said when the hearing on punishment will be, or whether it waits for the appeal. [22] Rival clubs want it settled this season. [21]
05

Whether Etihad will actually go to court.

It says only that it will take legal advice, and the Premier League declined to comment. [20][21]
06

What Novig's new round will raise, and from whom.

Front Office Sports reports talks at up to $2bn, expected to close this winter, but not the amount or the investors. [30]
07

Which group wins Las Vegas, and how much it pays.

ESPN's sources give three finalists and a price of at least $12bn to $13bn. The NBA has not announced a winner. [34]
08

Whether Fanatics' wins in court will last.

Panini's own case against Fanatics goes on before the same judge who threw out the card buyers' case. [19]

04 Hope carry this

The Chicago White Sox, who lost 100 or more games in each of the last three seasons, won their first playoff series since 2005 by beating the Houston Astros twice.

Also true today

Shubman Gill reached 200 in 117 balls, the fastest double hundred in one-day international cricket, as India chased down 406.
West Indies scored 405 against India in Guwahati, their first total over 400 in a one-day international, with John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo all making hundreds.