Sports · Monday, 19 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

Kyle Larson crashes at Phoenix and his 49-point lead in NASCAR's Chase shrinks to five with three races left, as Tyler Reddick wins

A flat tyre sent the runaway leader of NASCAR's end-of-season play-off into the wall, and five drivers are now within 49 points of him with three races to go.

49 to 5

points between Larson and second place, before and after Phoenix

Larson scored 3 points on Sunday and Bell scored 49 [2][1]

34th

where Larson finished after a flat tyre put him into the wall

his average finish in the first six Chase races was 2.83 [3]

points Joey Logano collected by winning both stages

he still finished the race only sixth [1]

races left: Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead-Miami

the season ends on 8 November [3]

The lead story — what happened

Tyler Reddick won NASCAR's Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona on Sunday. [1] NASCAR's Cup Series is the top level of US stock-car racing, and this was the seventh of ten races in the Chase, its end-of-season play-off. [2][1]
Kyle Larson started the day 49 points ahead of Denny Hamlin, in second, with four races left. [3][4]
Larson's average finish over the first six Chase races was 2.83, the best start to a play-off since the Chase began in 2004, AP reported. [3]
On Saturday he qualified only 22nd, while the five drivers closest to him took the first five places on the starting grid. [5]
In the race he fell a lap behind the leaders, then a right-front tyre went flat and he hit the wall with about 30 laps left. [6][1]
Larson finished 34th and scored 3 points. Christopher Bell came fourth and scored 49. [2]
Larson now leads Bell by five points, by ESPN's count, with Chase Briscoe 24 behind, Hamlin 31 and Ryan Blaney 40. [1]
NASCAR pays points at the end of each of a race's stages as well as at the finish. Joey Logano won both stages on Sunday for the maximum 20 points, though he finished sixth. [1]
Reddick took only two fresh tyres at his last stop, passed Briscoe with 18 laps left and beat Blaney by 0.801 seconds. [6][7]
It was Reddick's sixth win of 2026 and his first since April, yet he is still seventh in the Chase, 56 points back. [6][7]
Before the race, a data analyst quoted by The Athletic said that if Larson matched his usual results, only a crash or a breakdown would let anyone catch him. [8]
The Chase goes to Talladega next, then Martinsville, and ends at Homestead-Miami on 8 November. [3][1]

Bell5 pts

Briscoe24 pts

Hamlin31 pts

Blaney40 pts

Logano44 pts

Reddick56 pts

How far each driver is behind Kyle Larson after Phoenix, in points. Before Sunday's race, the closest of them was 49 points back.

Who is involved

Kyle Larson

a two-time Cup Series champion who drives for Hendrick Motorsports; he led the Chase by 49 points before Sunday
Tyler Reddick

a 30-year-old driver for the 23XI Racing team; he won at Phoenix, his sixth win of the season
Christopher Bell

a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing; fourth on Sunday, and now the closest man to Larson
Joey Logano

a three-time champion who drives for Team Penske; he won both stages and had called his position 'pretty desperate'

How it unfolded

Sat Larson qualifies 22nd and Ryan Blaney takes pole position [4]
Sun, mid-race Larson falls a lap behind the leaders [6]
Sun, ~30 laps left a flat tyre sends Larson into the wall [6]
Sun, 18 laps left Reddick passes Briscoe and goes on to win [6]
Next Sunday the Chase goes to Talladega [1]
8 Nov the title is decided at Homestead-Miami [3]

Where this points

Watch Talladega next Sunday: The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi said there is a high chance a title contender has a race-wrecking problem there, so a five-point gap could change hands. [8][1]

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.

Leaders losing their grip High↑

Kyle Larson's 49-point lead in NASCAR fell to five after one bad race. [1] The Los Angeles Rams, the favourites for the Super Bowl before the season, lost at home to a team that started as 13.5-point underdogs. [9] Monaco lost for the first time this season, and five clubs now share the top of France's league. [10]

Big teams losing week after week Building↑

The Philadelphia Eagles lost a fourth game in a row, the longest run under their coach Nick Sirianni. [11] Manchester United have gone six games without a win, their worst run since 2018-19. [12] Crystal Palace lost 5-0 at Brighton, and their manager said he did not know if he would keep his job. [13]

Players getting hurt High→

Ben Simmons, a former NBA All-Star, tore his Achilles tendon three days before the season starts. [14] The New Orleans Saints' quarterback has been playing with two broken bones in his left hand. [15] The Rams' new kicker hurt his knee making a tackle minutes into his first game. [16]

Games played far from home Building↑

The NFL says its first regular-season game in France will go ahead near Paris next Sunday. [17] The Houston Texans won the last of this year's NFL games in London, at Wembley. [18] Spain's Eugenio Chacarra won a European tour golf event in New Delhi, India. [19]

The rest of the day

37 more stories on this beat.

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

02
Rays one win from the World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in Cleveland on Sunday to lead baseball's American League final 3-2. [20][21] Drew Rasmussen pitched seven innings and gave up one run. [21] He has pitched more playoff innings than anyone this year, 21, with an average of 1.29 runs allowed per nine innings. [22] Game 6 is in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday, and a Game 7, if needed, on Tuesday. [23]

Why it matters — The winner meets the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series from Friday 23 October. [23] The Rays are known for winning on little money with new ideas, such as not letting a starting pitcher face the same batters a third time. [22]
03
NFL keeps its Paris game after a weekend of riots

The NFL said on Sunday that the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers will still play at the Stade de France, near Paris, on 25 October. [17][24] It will be the first regular-season NFL game ever played in France. [25][24] On Saturday about 550,000 people marched in France against rising living costs and run-down schools, and some protests turned into riots and looting. [26][27] President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that everyone felt anger and shame. [26] The Saints were due to fly to France on Sunday night, straight after beating the New York Giants. [25][24]

Why it matters — The Saints are listed as the home team, and their stadium in New Orleans has only a small youth event booked that day, so the game could move there. [28] It is the sixth of nine NFL games abroad this season, after Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and three in London. [29]
04
Ben Simmons tears his Achilles

Ben Simmons, an Australian basketball player, tore his right Achilles tendon in a Sacramento Kings practice on Sunday. [14][30] The Achilles tendon joins the calf muscle to the heel. Simmons, 30, is a three-time NBA All-Star who missed the whole of last season with back and leg injuries. [14] He signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Kings last month, and was due to start on Wednesday's opening night. [14][31] He will have surgery and is likely to miss the season. [30]

Why it matters — A one-year deal was his chance to show teams he could still play, and he now loses that season. [14] He posted that the injury is another chapter in his story, not the end of it. [30]
05
Cardinals stun the Rams with six kicks

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 in Los Angeles with six field goals by Chad Ryland, the last as time ran out. [32][18] A field goal is a kick between the posts worth three points. The Cardinals started as 13.5-point underdogs, the biggest upset of the NFL season so far. [9] The Rams were favourites to win the Super Bowl before the season, and are now 2-4. [18][9] Their new kicker, Blake Grupe, hurt his knee making a tackle in his first game. [16]

Why it matters — A late penalty on the Rams' Josh Wallace moved the Cardinals into kicking range, and Mike Pereira, the TV broadcast's rules analyst, said it did not need to be called. [33] Rams coach Sean McVay said there was nothing positive he could say about the day. [34]
06
Davidovich Fokina wins his first big title

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain won the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, beating Rafael Jodar 1-6 7-6 6-4. [35] A Masters event is one level below tennis's four Grand Slams. Davidovich Fokina was seeded 25th, and he had lost the first five finals of his career, including the Monte Carlo Masters in 2022. [35] He came back from a set and a break down. [35] He had also come from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in the semi-final. [35]

Why it matters — It is his third title of the year and his biggest. [35] Jodar, 20 and seeded 12th, needed treatment on his right thigh and twisted his foot in the final set. [35]
07
Chacarra goes top of golf's Race to Dubai

Eugenio Chacarra of Spain won the India Championship in New Delhi by two shots on Sunday, on 21 under par. [19][36] It was his third win of the season on the DP World Tour, Europe's main men's tour. [37] It also put him top of the Race to Dubai, the tour's season-long points table, ending Patrick Reed's seven months in first place. [37] Rory McIlroy, who has won the table for the past four years, finished 4 under and stays third. [37]

Why it matters — Three events are left, and Chacarra, 26, could become the third Spaniard to top the table, after Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm. [37][36] He used to play on the LIV tour, and won his first European tour title only in 2025. [19]
08
Chiefs stay unbeaten as Chargers fall to 0-6

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6 to stay unbeaten at 5-0. [18][38] Patrick Mahomes reached 100 regular-season wins in his 131st start as a starting quarterback, equalling Tom Brady's record. [18] The NFL was averaging 18.8 million TV viewers a game through its first five weeks, the most on record, and a Chiefs game drew its biggest audience, 28.5 million. [38] The Chargers have lost all six games. [39]

Why it matters — Asked whether Mike McDaniel would keep calling the Chargers' attacking plays, coach Jim Harbaugh said the team would look at everything. [39] McDaniel was hired this year, and the Chargers now have a week off with no game. [40]
09
Eagles lose a fourth game in a row

The Philadelphia Eagles lost 25-14 at home to the Carolina Panthers, a fourth defeat in a row and the longest losing run under coach Nick Sirianni. [11] They played without quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is out for at least four games with a blood clot in his calf. [32] Their backup, Tanner McKee, threw 45 passes. [32] Sirianni said that everything was on the table. [11]

Why it matters — The Eagles reached three Super Bowls and won two between 2017 and 2024. [41] Pressure is growing on Sean Mannion, the first-year coach who calls their attacking plays. [11]
10
Brighton beat Palace 5-0, and Sage fears for his job

Brighton beat Crystal Palace, their nearest rivals, 5-0, with Palace three goals down after 10 minutes. [42][13] Diego Gomez scored one of the goals from the halfway line. [42] It equalled Brighton's record win over Palace, from 1956. [42] Palace's manager Pierre Sage, appointed in the summer, apologised to the fans and said he did not know whether he would get time to fix things. [43][13] Palace are 14th and have let in 17 goals, the most in the Premier League. [13]

Why it matters — Under Sage's predecessor, Oliver Glasner, Palace won the FA Cup in 2025 and the Conference League in May. [13] Two earlier Palace managers lost their jobs soon after losing to Brighton. [42]
11
Manchester United's winless run reaches six

Manchester United drew 1-1 at Leeds, so they have gone six games without a win, their worst run since 2018-19. [12] They have seven points from seven Premier League games and one league win, against Ipswich in August. [44] Bryan Mbeumo scored United's goal, his fourth of the league season. [12] During the week the defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club's signings under Jason Wilcox, its director of football. [44]

Why it matters — Coach Michael Carrick said the draw felt like a fresh start. [44] United play Bournemouth, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool next. [44]
12
Arsenal win at Forest with one shot on target

Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 away, with Noni Madueke's 80th-minute shot deflecting in off a defender. [45] It was Arsenal's only shot on target. [45] Madueke had come on at half-time. [45] Forest have still not scored at their own stadium this season. Under their new manager, Oliver Glasner, they have gone five home games without a goal. [45]

Why it matters — Arsenal had won only one of their previous five visits to Forest's ground. [45] Their travelling fans sang 'one-nil to the champions'. [45]
13
Kartal loses the final but becomes British No 1

Sonay Kartal, ranked 170th, lost the Wuhan Open final in China to Maja Chwalinska of Poland, 2-6 6-4 6-2. [46][47] The Wuhan Open is a WTA 1000 event, the level just below tennis's Grand Slams. [48] Kartal was the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at that level since it began in 2009. [46] It was only her third event back after six months out with a stress fracture in her back. [48]

Before Wuhan170
After Wuhan50
Kartal's world ranking before and after her week in Wuhan. A lower number is better.

Why it matters — Her ranking now jumps to 50th, which makes her Britain's No 1 for the first time. [46] Chwalinska, 25, won the first WTA title of her career, after reaching the French Open final this year as a qualifier. [46]
14
Celtic beat Hearts 7-1

Celtic beat Hearts 7-1 at Celtic Park in Glasgow and are now four points clear at the top of Scotland's top division. [49] Hearts finished second last season and came in third, seen as possible title challengers. [49] Hearts gave away two goals from set pieces in the first 10 minutes. [50] It was Celtic's biggest win since manager Martin O'Neill returned last year. [49]

Why it matters — Celtic had lost four of their previous six games, and some fans have protested against the club's major shareholder. [49] O'Neill said a four-point lead is nothing this early in the season. [49]
15
Rodgers rallies Pittsburgh, then attacks the field

Aaron Rodgers, 42, led the Pittsburgh Steelers back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime. [51] His two touchdown passes took him to 539, level with Peyton Manning for third on the NFL's all-time list. [51] Afterwards he called the Buccaneers' grass field one of the worst in the league, and said he had been hurt on it twice before. [52] The stadium shares its field with a local college team. [52]

Tom Brady649
Drew Brees571
Aaron Rodgers539
Peyton Manning539
Most touchdown passes in NFL history. Rodgers drew level with Manning on Sunday.

Why it matters — The NFL players' union has pushed for better playing surfaces since 2020. [52] The Steelers' coach Mike McCarthy hurt his ankle at half-time after being stepped on, and came back for the second half. [53]
16
Colts lose at home to the winless Titans

The Indianapolis Colts led the Tennessee Titans 13-0 at half-time and then gave up 20 points in a row to lose at home. [54] The Titans had lost all five of their games before Sunday. [55] The Colts gained 399 yards to the Titans' 189 and still lost. [54] The Colts are now 2-4. [55]

Why it matters — The team's owner, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, said before the season that the urgency on coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard had never been higher. [54] Writers who cover the Colts for SI now argue that Ballard, who picks the players, should be fired during the season. [55]
17
Packers beat Cowboys as the NFC East goes winless

The Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on Sunday night, their third win in a row. [56][57] Matthew Golden caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. [56] The Cowboys lost KaVontae Turpin, the league's top kick returner, to a rib injury on the first play. [58] All three NFC East teams that played on Sunday lost. If Washington lose on Monday, it will be the first division since 1970 to go two weeks in a row with every team playing and none winning. [59]

Why it matters — The NFC East is a group of four teams, and the New York Giants still lead it despite losing. [59] The Eagles and the Cowboys meet next Monday night. [59]
18
Giants bench Winston, and McCarthy sets a record

The New Orleans Saints scored 34 points in a row and held on to beat the New York Giants 34-27. [60] With 11 minutes left the Giants replaced quarterback Jameis Winston with J.J. McCarthy. [61] McCarthy threw for 243 yards, the most in an 11-minute span in NFL history. [62] The Giants got him from the Minnesota Vikings last month for a fifth-round draft pick. [62] The Saints' Tyler Shough threw three touchdown passes with two broken bones in his left hand. [60][15]

Why it matters — Running back Cam Skattebo, who has fumbled four times this season, was not given the ball once. [63] Coach John Harbaugh said that was not by design. [63]
19
Falcons' home crowd drowned out by Bears fans

The Atlanta Falcons lost 31-23 at home to the Chicago Bears, after trailing 31-7. [32] The Falcons had to use a silent count at their own stadium because of the noise from Chicago's fans. [64] A silent count is a hand signal to start a play, used when players cannot hear the quarterback. Visiting teams usually need it, not the home team. [64] Coach Kevin Stefanski said they knew they would likely have to use it. [64]

Why it matters — The Falcons are 2-4. [64] Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels was taken off on a stretcher, but was conscious and could move his arms and legs. [64]
20
Texans win at Wembley with the last kick

The Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 at Wembley Stadium in London. Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 49-yard field goal as time ran out. [32] It was the last of this season's NFL games in London. [18] The Jaguars stayed in London after winning there against the Philadelphia Eagles the week before. [18] C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes. [32]

Why it matters — The Jaguars are 4-2 and still lead their division by two games. [65] The Texans and the Colts are both 2-4. [65]
21
Browns top their division with a weak offence

The Cleveland Browns beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 to go 4-2 and share the top of their division, the AFC North. [66] The Browns gained only 253 yards, and they were 29th of 32 teams for yards gained per game before Sunday. [66] Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 164 yards. [66] Coach Todd Monken said he did not want to watch the film of his attack. [66]

Why it matters — Only three teams had scored fewer touchdowns before Sunday. [66] Counting only their running backs, the Browns would be last in the league for rushing yards. [66]
22
Bills safety sent off for spitting

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a Buffalo Bills safety, was sent off in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders for spitting at their tight end Brock Bowers. [67][68] Spitting means an automatic ejection in the NFL. [67] Last season the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase was suspended for one game for spitting. [67] Gardner-Johnson said he let his emotions get above him and hurt his team. [68] The Bills still won 33-30. [32]

Why it matters — It is the second ejection of his career, and the NFL may now suspend him. [67] Buffalo is his sixth team. [67]
23
Two interceptions wiped out by one rule

Two interceptions in Week 6 were cancelled by roughing-the-passer penalties, one against the Chiefs and one against the Packers. [69][56] An interception is a pass caught by the defence. The rule protects quarterbacks from hits that can cause serious injuries. [69] Many fans said the contact in both plays was slight. [69]

Why it matters — Each call handed the ball back to the attacking team. [69] The penalty against the Packers came late in their win over Dallas. [56]
24
Bournemouth win at last, and Sunderland slide

Bournemouth beat Sunderland 2-0 for their first Premier League win of the season, and their manager Marco Rose's first. [70][71] Sunderland's Kevin Danso was sent off after 17 minutes. [70] Both clubs are also in the Europa League, Europe's second club competition, and played on Thursday. [70] Sunderland have lost four league games in a row and are second from bottom. [71]

Why it matters — Last season Sunderland reached Europe in their first year back in the top division. [71] Their defender Nordi Mukiele said maybe the team had become arrogant. [71]
25
Chelsea beat Spurs 6-1 in the WSL

Chelsea beat Tottenham 6-1 in the Women's Super League, England's top women's league, with two goals each from Lauren James and Ellie Carpenter. [72] Tottenham equalised just before half-time, before Chelsea pulled away. [72] Two Chelsea substitutes, Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano, also scored. [72] Tottenham had lost 6-1 to London City Lionesses earlier this month. [72]

Why it matters — The win keeps Chelsea close to Manchester City at the top of the league. [72]
26
Five clubs level at the top in France

Lyon came from behind to beat Nice 2-1 with 10 men and went top of France's Ligue 1. [10] Monaco lost for the first time this season, 1-0 at Lorient, so five clubs now have 14 points. [10] In Spain, Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1, with two goals from Kylian Mbappe. [73] Madrid are six points behind Barcelona, who have won every league game, a week before the two meet. [73]

Why it matters — Real Madrid fans chanted for Javier Tebas, the head of Spain's league, to resign. [73]
27
One English win in Europe's rugby opener

Northampton beat Cardiff and were the only English club to win in the first round of the Champions Cup, Europe's top club rugby competition. [74] Six other English clubs lost, and Gloucester drew. [74] Leicester lost 41-17 at Pau, who earned a bonus point by scoring five tries. [75] A try is rugby's main score. A bonus is an extra reward in the league table for a big win or a close defeat. Toulouse beat Exeter with 14 men, and Exeter's Henry Slade missed a late penalty that would have drawn the game. [76]

Why it matters — Northampton scored four tries but did not earn the bonus. [74] Pau kept scoring after the result was safe, with 17 points in a row at the end. [75]
28
New Zealand's women escape Fiji

New Zealand came from 12-4 down to beat Fiji 18-12 in the women's Rugby League World Cup in Newcastle, Australia. [77] Fiji were playing at their first women's World Cup. [77] New Zealand have reached the final of all six women's World Cups, winning the first three and losing the last three to Australia. [77] Their coach Ricky Henry called the game a wake-up call. [77]

Why it matters — New Zealand are seen as the second favourites. [77] Fiji scored their first ever women's World Cup try. [77]
29
New Zealand beat Australia at netball

New Zealand beat Australia 56-50 in Auckland in the first of four netball matches for the Constellation Cup. [78] New Zealand won the Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, where Australia took bronze. [78] Grace Nweke scored 40 goals from 41 attempts. [78] Australia are ranked No 1 in the world. [78]

Why it matters — If New Zealand win all four matches, they will take the world No 1 ranking for the first time since 2013. [78]
30
Track worlds end with Irish gold

Ireland's Lara Gillespie won the points race on the last day of the track cycling world championships in China. [79] She is world champion for the second season in a row. [79] The championships were held in Shanghai. [80] Britain's Emma Finucane took bronze in the keirin, a sprint race, 14 thousandths of a second off gold. [80] She also won silver in the team sprint and the sprint. [80]

Why it matters — Great Britain topped the medal table with 12 medals. [80] Finucane said the team is now aiming at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. [80]
31
Vijay Singh wins at 63

Vijay Singh of Fiji won the SAS Championship in North Carolina on golf's PGA Tour Champions, the tour for players aged 50 and over. [81] He beat Ernie Els by two shots. [81] At 63 he is the second-oldest winner on that tour, after Bernhard Langer, who won at 67. [81] It was Singh's first title in just over three years. [81]

Why it matters — He had not finished in the top 10 all year before Sunday. [81] He has 34 wins on the main PGA Tour. [81]
32
Trump to close a public golf course for 15 months

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he will close East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, DC, for 15 months from 15 November and rebuild it. [82] The course is 106 years old and open to people of all incomes. [82] A judge last week stopped the work until at least 26 October, after trees were cut down over a holiday weekend. [82] Trump wants it to host events such as the US Open and the Ryder Cup. [83]

Why it matters — Opponents say the plan would make the course less affordable. [82] Congressman Don Beyer said it would close roads and paths that local people use for walking and cycling. [83]
33
Air Force officer dies before a college game

A US Air Force officer died after falling while rappelling from the rafters of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, before a college football game between UTSA and Navy on Saturday. [84][85] Rappelling means sliding down a rope. He was one of four officers taking part in a pre-game salute to the armed forces. [84] He lost control on the way down and hit the field, and later died in hospital. [84]

Why it matters — The Air Force has not named him, and the death is under investigation. [84] The kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes and the game was played. [84]
34
Miami top the college poll for the first time since 2002

Miami are No 1 in the AP Top 25, a weekly ranking of US college football teams, for the first time since 2002. [86] They replaced Georgia, who fell to No 5 after losing to unranked Auburn. [86] BYU rose from No 8 to No 2, their highest ranking since their 1984 title. [87] Five of the top seven lost on Saturday, which had never happened since the poll began in 1936. [87]

Why it matters — The Big 12, one of the main college conferences, now has five teams in the Top 25, its most this season. [88]
35
A cricket rule change brings back swing

One-day international cricket changed a rule in July 2025. After 34 overs, the fielding captain now picks which of two balls to use for the rest of the innings. [89] An older ball can swing late in the opposite direction to normal, which is called reverse swing. [89] Since the change, half of fast bowlers' full balls in the last 10 overs have swung by more than one degree, against 35% before. [89] In the last five overs, batters now score 7.95 runs an over, down from 8.40. [89]

Before the change8.4 runs
Since the change7.95 runs
Runs per over scored off fast bowlers in the last five overs of a one-day international, before and after the rule change.

Why it matters — Hitting out at the end of an innings is harder, BBC Sport's figures show. [89] The effect has been biggest in England and smaller in South Africa, where most of next year's World Cup will be played. [89]
36
Three-a-side football for the youngest players

The Football Association, which runs football in England, cut the smallest format of children's football from five-a-side to three-a-side last month. [90] It is for children under seven, and has no goalkeepers and no referees. [90] The change followed two years of research with Liverpool John Moores University, which studied more than 400 youth games. [90] The FA says players who touch the ball more stay more involved. [90]

Why it matters — Some coaches say it needs more pitches and more adults to watch them. [90] One under-7s coach said he sometimes has to watch three games and nine children at once. [90]
37
Thunder sign Cason Wallace for $139m

The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed a five-year, $139 million contract extension with guard Cason Wallace on Sunday night, ESPN reported. [91] It came a day before Monday's 5pm deadline for such deals. [91] An extension of this kind is a new deal agreed before a player's first contract runs out. Wallace was picked 10th in the 2023 draft and made the league's second All-Defensive team. [91]

Why it matters — The Thunder have already signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams to maximum deals. [91] That keeps most of the team together into the 2030s. [91]
38
A Belfast club wins its first title

St Brigid's, a south Belfast Gaelic football club founded in 1998, won its first senior county title in Antrim on Sunday. [92] Gaelic football is an Irish sport played with a round ball, by hand and foot. They beat O'Donovan Rossa 0-21 to 1-16 in their first ever county final. [92] JJ Higgins, who turned 19 on Friday, scored seven points. [92]

Why it matters — Fans ran onto the pitch at the end. [92] A club stalwart said they had waited 28 years for it. [92]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why visiting fans can outshout a team at its own stadium

A home game's seats go to whoever buys the tickets, so the people in the ground may be the other team's fans, or nobody's.

The twist

A home team is a name on the fixture list. The crowd is made of whoever bought the tickets. In Atlanta on Sunday, enough of them were Chicago fans that the Falcons had to start plays by hand signal.

How it works

Every game on the fixture list names a home team
The game is played at that team's ground, or one the league chooses
Each seat goes to whoever buys the ticket for it
Away fans buying many seats, or a game moved to another country, changes who sits in the ground
The label stays the same, but the noise can now help the other side or neither

The same force, elsewhere today

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

Falcons' home crowd drowned out by Bears fans

Chicago fans held enough seats in Atlanta's stadium that the home team used the silent count that visiting teams use.
NFL keeps its Paris game after a weekend of riots

The Saints are listed as the home team, but the league moved the game to a stadium near Paris, so the seats go to buyers far from New Orleans.
Texans win at Wembley with the last kick

The Jacksonville Jaguars played two Sundays in a row at Wembley in London, so the people in the seats were Londoners and visitors, not a Jacksonville crowd.

Where you've seen this

Cup finals at a neutral ground

each club gets a share of the tickets, so neither side plays in front of a home crowd

Concerts on tour

a band plays to whoever bought a ticket in that city, not to the fans from its home town

A cafe on a tourist street

it is in a neighbourhood, but most of its customers are visitors

The catch

A crowd is only one reason teams do better at home. Travel, rest and knowing the ground also matter, so changing who is in the seats does not remove all of the home team's advantage.

And the whole of it

Every fan who sells a ticket on, every visiting fan who buys one, and every league that takes a game abroad changes the crowd a little. None of them decides it as a whole, and the players only find out once the noise starts.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

Kyle Larson built a 49-point lead over six strong races, and one flat tyre at Phoenix cut it to five, because NASCAR hands out points at the finish of every race and at the end of its stages, two of them on Sunday. [1][2] Sunday was also a day of favourites losing: the Los Angeles Rams to a 13.5-point underdog, Monaco for the first time this season, and Crystal Palace 5-0 at Brighton. [9][10][42]

Who gains

Christopher Bell and the other chasers — Points paid at stages and at the finish gave Bell 49 on Sunday against Larson's 3, putting him five behind. [2][1]
The NFL — Its games were averaging a record 18.8 million viewers through five weeks, and a winning Chiefs team brings its biggest audiences. [38]
The Tampa Bay Rays — A team that wins on little money with new ideas is one win from the World Series. [22][21]
Sonay Kartal — Reaching the Wuhan final lifts her ranking from 170th to 50th and makes her British No 1. [46]
J.J. McCarthy — His record 11 minutes against the Saints may win him the Giants' starting job. [62]

Who pays

Kyle Larson — One flat tyre cost him 44 points of a 49-point lead with three races left. [1][2]
Ben Simmons — His one-year deal was his chance to prove he could still play, and the injury takes that season away. [14]
Pierre Sage — A 5-0 loss to Palace's biggest rivals has put the job he took in the summer in doubt. [13]
Cam Skattebo — After four fumbles he was on the field for six plays and never given the ball. [63]
Public golfers in Washington — East Potomac would close for 15 months, and opponents say the rebuilt course would cost more to play. [82]

What nobody knows yet

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

01

Exactly how big Larson's lead now is.

ESPN says five points and Reuters says six. The race points SI published, 3 for Larson and 49 for Bell, fit ESPN's five. [1][6][2]
02

Whether the Paris game will really be played there.

The NFL says preparations go on, and the Saints' stadium in New Orleans is almost free that day. France's prime minister holds a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday. [17][28][26]
03

Whether Ben Simmons can come back from a torn Achilles at 30, after already missing a season.

The Kings have given no timeline, and his one-year deal ends with this season. [14]
04

Whether the NFL will suspend C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Spitting brings an automatic ejection, and last year Ja'Marr Chase was suspended for one game after the league reviewed it. [67]
05

Whether Crystal Palace give Pierre Sage more time.

Sage said it is not his decision, and The Guardian reports disagreements behind the scenes since he arrived. [43][42]
06

Whether the Chargers take play-calling away from Mike McDaniel during their week off.

Jim Harbaugh said only that the team would look at everything. [39]
07

What went wrong in the Alamodome rappel.

The Air Force has not named the officer, and its investigation has not reported. [84]
08

Whether reverse swing will change next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Only three one-day internationals have been played there since the rule changed. [89]

04 Hope carry this

St Brigid's, a south Belfast club founded in 1998, won its first ever Antrim senior Gaelic football title, and its fans ran onto the pitch at the final whistle.

Also true today

Six months ago Sonay Kartal could not brush her teeth without pain from a stress fracture in her back. In her third event back she reached a WTA 1000 final, and on Monday she becomes Britain's No 1.
Vijay Singh won on golf's over-50 tour at the age of 63, after a year in which he had not finished in the top 10 once.
Lara Gillespie of Ireland won the points race at the track cycling world championships and is world champion for the second season in a row.
Maja Chwalinska of Poland, who reached this year's French Open final as a qualifier, won the first WTA title of her career in Wuhan.