The NBA names Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction-market partners and signs an information-sharing pact with the US futures regulator, leaving the NFL the last big holdout

The rest of the day

36 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or

   Harry Kane, England's captain, won the Ballon d'Or on Monday, the yearly prize for the world's best men's footballer. [9][11] It is chosen by 100 journalists for France Football, a French magazine. [11] He is the first Englishman to win since Michael Owen in 2001. [9] Kane, 33, scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich, the German champions, and 73 in all, counting England games. [10] He won it without a Champions League or World Cup, losing both semi-finals. [10]

   Kane for Bayern61 goals

   Next best in Europe's top five leagues42 goals

   Why it matters — The award usually goes to a player who won one of football's two biggest trophies, so Kane's win rests on goals alone. [10] Kylian Mbappe was second and Lamine Yamal third. [10] The Guardian says the result may upset Barcelona and Real Madrid, whose players finished behind him. [12]

2. 03

   Putellas wins a third Ballon d'Or

   Alexia Putellas of Spain won the women's Ballon d'Or for a third time on Monday, equalling the record held by her teammate Aitana Bonmati. [13][15] She is the first winner from a club in the Women's Super League, England's top division. [13] She led Barcelona to the Champions League before joining London City Lionesses this summer. [14] She tore a knee ligament in 2022, an injury that can end careers. [14]

   Why it matters — Spanish players have now won the prize six years running. [14] London City's American owner, Michele Kang, spent heavily this summer to sign Putellas and other stars. [13]

3. 04

   Ballon d'Or site names three winners early

   The official Ballon d'Or website published stories naming Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal each as the winner, hours before Monday's ceremony. [16][17] The stories appeared about two and a half hours before the start in London and were taken down. [16] A spokesperson said profiles had been written for every nominee in advance and were published by mistake. [17] The voting had closed at the end of September. [17]

   Why it matters — Stories had been written for the women's nominees too, including Putellas, who did win. [17] The mistake set off hours of rumours before the ceremony. [16]

4. 05

   Two Chinese brands drop Mbappe

   Two big Chinese companies ended their sponsorship deals with Kylian Mbappe, the French footballer, on Tuesday. [18] Dongpeng, an energy-drink maker, and Mengniu, China's biggest dairy company, said he had offended Chinese national feeling. [18] In a video, he said his favourite meme put his face on a man he called a Chinese dictator, taken to be Mao Zedong, China's founding leader. [18] AFP's fact-checkers could not yet say whether the video was real. [18]

   Why it matters — Both firms said they have zero tolerance for anything that offends Chinese national feeling. [18] Mbappe had finished second in the Ballon d'Or the night before. [18]

5. 06

   Brewers one win from their first title

   The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday to lead baseball's World Series, the best-of-seven final, by three games to none. [19][22] They scored eight runs in one inning with seven hits in a row. [19] Rookie pitcher Robert Gasser allowed one hit in six innings. [19][22] Only one of 43 teams that fell 3-0 behind has come back, the Boston Red Sox in 2004. [19] Game 4 is on Tuesday in Florida. [19]

   Why it matters — Jackson Chourio, 22, had four hits; in 2023 the Brewers gave him $82m over eight years before he had played a major-league game. [20] Brandon Woodruff, back from a shoulder injury in July, pitched the last inning. [21]

6. 07

   Milwaukee lifts the World Series TV audience

   Game 1 of the World Series drew about 12.2 million viewers on Fox and Univision, a first estimate. [23] Last year's Game 1 averaged 13.3 million. [23] Milwaukee is the smallest TV market in baseball, yet 70% of TVs switched on there watched the game. [23] In Tampa the cheapest resale ticket for Game 3 fell 45%, to $422, and thousands of Brewers fans travelled there. [24]

   Why it matters — Fox and baseball had hoped the audience would hold up despite two low-spending teams, and Milwaukee's fans are a big part of why it has. [23] Final ratings are due late on Tuesday. [23]

7. 08

   A hurricane-hit stadium hosts the World Series

   Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays' home, hosted a World Series game on Monday, two years after Hurricane Milton tore its roof off. [25] The city of St Petersburg owns the building, and it cost $60 million to repair. [25] The Rays spent the 2025 season at a spring-training ground. [25] A new owner bought the team for $1.7 billion, and a new stadium is due in 2029. [25][24]

   Why it matters — The repair kept baseball in the city while the new stadium is built. [25] The Rays also had the biggest rise in crowds in the league this year. [25]

8. 09

   Cowboys hand the Eagles a fifth straight loss

   The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 on Monday Night Football, the NFL's weekly prime-time game. [26][27] Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes and Javonte Williams ran for 155 yards. [26] The Eagles, last season's division champions, are 2-5 after five losses in a row, their worst run since 2016. [28] Their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is expected to miss the rest of the season with blood clots in his lungs. [26]

   Why it matters — Injuries are the main reason for the slide, and the Eagles' backup quarterback could not keep up. [28][26] The Cowboys, at 3-4, stay in the race for their division. [26]

9. 10

   Thunder lose two starters to surgery

   Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder broke his fibula, a bone in the lower leg, and dislocated his ankle on Sunday. [29] He needs surgery and may miss the whole season. [29] Teammate Cason Wallace tore cartilage in his shoulder in the same game and needs surgery too. [29] Wallace had just signed a five-year, $139m extension. [31] The Thunder won 64 games last season, mostly without Williams. [29]

   Why it matters — This summer the Thunder traded Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to stay under the second apron, the NBA's top spending line. [30] Almost a third of the league's players cannot be traded until December or January. [30]

10. 11

    Jay-Z will play the Super Bowl

    The NFL named Jay-Z, the rapper, as the halftime act at the Super Bowl, its final, on 14 February 2027 in California. [32][33] His company, Roc Nation, has produced the halftime show with the NFL since 2019 and is in charge of choosing who performs. [32][33] This time it chose him. [33] Roger Goodell, the NFL's commissioner, said he asked for this when the deal was signed. [33]

    Why it matters — Roc Nation has helped choose the act since 2019, and this is the first time Jay-Z will perform at the show. [34][33] The show carries Apple Music's name as its sponsor. [32]

11. 12

    INEOS puts Lausanne-Sport up for sale

    INEOS, Jim Ratcliffe's company, which owns teams from cycling to football, has put Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss top-division club, up for sale. [35] INEOS bought it in 2017 and also owns nearly 29% of Manchester United. [35] Lausanne is bottom of its league and likely to lose about 5m pounds this season. [35] INEOS is also trying to sell OGC Nice in France and has cut its asking price there. [35]

    Why it matters — It is the latest step back for an owner that has left sponsorships with the All Blacks and Tottenham. [35] A sale leaves Lausanne needing new sponsors as well as a new owner. [35]

12. 13

    LIV's bosses were paid as the money stopped

    Court papers in LIV Golf's bankruptcy show its chief executive, Scott O'Neil, got a $6.375m bonus to stay in June. [36] That was weeks after reports that the Saudi-funded tour might not finish its season, while vendors went unpaid. [36] On Monday Graeme McDowell, a former US Open champion, became the latest star to leave. [38] Saudi Arabia's wealth fund, its biggest creditor, decides by 30 October whether LIV carries on. [37]

    Scott O'Neil, chief executive$6.38m

    Finance chief$3.36m

    Legal chief$2.61m

    Why it matters — Only about 15 golfers have tentatively signed up for a new version of the tour, according to the Financial Times. [37] A court hearing on 5 November should show whether it survives. [37]

13. 14

    Doubles players fight cuts to their events

    On Monday 137 current players, 28 former greats and 20 national federations signed an open letter to the ATP, which runs men's tennis. [39] It asks the ATP to drop plans to shrink doubles. [39][40] The plans would halve doubles draws from 2028 and cut doubles' share of prize money from 20% to 10%. [39] The players say that moves about $20m of prize money to singles. [40] The ATP's board will vote at the ATP Finals in Turin next month. [39]

    Doubles share now20%

    Proposed share10%

    Why it matters — The ATP says its figures on costs, revenue and viewers show that big doubles events strain tournaments. [39] Doubles specialists say fewer places would end many of their careers. [40]

14. 15

    Brazil's betting ban gets closer

    Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, plans to ban online sports betting and casino games across the country. [41] He made it a campaign theme, and Sunday's vote keeps him in office. [41] Brazil's betting industry was worth about $5.7 billion a year in net revenue when he announced the plan in September. [41] Firms such as Entain, Bet365 and Flutter, which owns FanDuel, would be hit. [41]

    Why it matters — To undo the ban, the industry must now win in Brazil's Supreme Federal Court or its Congress. [41] An analyst said betting shares had already priced in the risk. [41]

15. 16

    Baylor fires its football coach

    Baylor, a Texas university, fired its football coach Dave Aranda on Sunday after a 40-40 record over six seasons. [43] He had won the Big 12, one of the top college conferences, in 2021. [42] Joe Klanderman will coach for the rest of the season. [43] Robert Griffin III, the school's only Heisman Trophy winner and now a TV analyst, said he would be interested in the job. [42][43]

    Why it matters — Griffin has never coached, but Colorado hired Deion Sanders, a famous former player, and he is still there. [43] NC State, which also needs a coach, is considering its former quarterback Philip Rivers. [42]

16. 17

    Dante Moore's season ends, and so may his draft value

    Oregon's quarterback Dante Moore will not play again this season after a concussion from a late hit on 26 September, his coach said on Monday. [44] Moore chose to stay in college rather than enter the 2026 NFL draft, where he was tipped as a top pick. [45] A first pick gets a four-year deal worth about $54.4m. [45] At 25th, where one ranking now places him, it is $18.7m. [45] Oregon also removed its offensive coordinator's play-calling duties. [46]

    First pick$54.40m

    25th pick$18.70m

    Why it matters — NFL rookies are paid by the order they are picked, so a slide down the draft costs Moore about $35.7m. [45]

17. 18

    Valkyries one win from the WNBA title

    The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 64-55 on Monday to lead the WNBA Finals three games to two. [47] Atlanta became the first team to score under 60 in a Finals game since 2021. [51] Hours before, the league moved Game 6 to 12:30pm on Thursday so Atlanta can play in a 17,000-seat NBA arena. [48] The arena's NBA team, the Hawks, has its own game there that evening. [48][50]

    Why it matters — The midday start is hard for working fans to watch, though 10,000 tickets sold in two hours. [49] The Valkyries are in only their second season. [47]

18. 19

    England under-15s walk off over alleged racism

    England's under-15 football team walked off in the last minute against Ireland at the FIFA Under-15 World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday. [52][53] An England player said an opponent had used a racist slur. [52] The referee abandoned the game with Ireland leading 4-1. [52][53] FIFA, which runs world football, said it would send the case to its independent disciplinary committee. [53]

    Why it matters — The committee will decide the result and any punishment. [53] England's Football Association said it was waiting for more information and supporting its players. [52][53]

19. 20

    England's cricket tour may reach free TV

    TNT Sports is close to buying the UK rights to England's eight-match white-ball tour of Australia next month, the Guardian reports. [54] Channel 5, a free channel, is in talks to show one of the five T20 games live. [54] The first, in Melbourne on 21 November, starts at 8.15am on a Saturday in the UK. [54] No England match abroad has been on free TV since 2021. [54]

    Why it matters — TNT Sports and Channel 5 are both owned by Paramount Skydance, a US media company, and the Guardian says they may work together more on sports rights. [54] Sky and DAZN had also shown interest. [54]

20. 21

    Smotherman wins a weather-cut tournament

    Austin Smotherman won the Bermuda Championship, a PGA Tour event, in a play-off against Ireland's Seamus Power on Monday. [55] Bad weather wiped out the final round, so the two leaders after 54 holes played extra holes instead. [55] Smotherman won on the third. [55] It is his second win in two starts, after his first title in Utah this month. [55]

    Why it matters — Officials scrapped the final round because more bad weather was forecast, so three rounds decided the title. [55]

21. 22

    The NFL moves four games between channels

    The NFL used its flex rule, which lets it move games to better TV slots, for four games on Monday. [56] Raiders against 49ers moves from CBS to Fox's late-afternoon national slot on 8 November. [56] Lions against Dolphins also moves to Fox. [56] On 22 November the Buffalo Bills move from Fox to CBS. [56] It is only the second time this season the league has done this. [56]

    Why it matters — The NFL sells its Sunday games to two networks, and the flex rule lets it send the bigger matchups where the most people will see them. [56]

22. 23

    Sinner plans his return in Riyadh

    Jannik Sinner, the world number one in men's tennis, will return at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 27 December. [57] He has not played since winning Wimbledon because of a knee injury. [57] The event was moved from October after a Houthi attack on Riyadh's airport killed 12 people. [57] Sinner won $6m there last year. [57]

    Why it matters — He had said earlier this month that his 2026 season was over so his knee could be treated. [57]

23. 24

    Tom Brady questions the referees

    Tom Brady, a Fox commentator and a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, strongly criticised several referees' calls during Sunday's Packers against Lions game. [58] He said one roughing-the-passer penalty was wrong. [58] Fox's rules expert, Dean Blandino, agreed. [58] As an owner, Brady works under limits on what he may say about officials. [58]

    Why it matters — The rules for owners limit what Brady may say on air, which is why his words stood out. [58]

24. 25

    A 1am alarm shows tennis's drug-test rules

    Lorenzo Musetti, an Italian tennis player, had to ask for his phone during a match at 1am in Lyon, France. [59] He had set a one-hour slot for drug testers to find him at his hotel. [59] Players must say where they will be each day, and three missed tests bring a ban. [59] The International Tennis Integrity Agency says the rules get stricter for top players from 2027. [59]

    Why it matters — Musetti updated his slot in time, won the match and then the tournament, his first title since 2022. [59]

25. 26

    A racecourse is fined over a horsebox

    Sedgefield racecourse in County Durham, England, was fined 6,500 pounds after a hurt jockey was taken to hospital in a horsebox. [60] All the ambulances had left by the time a doctor sent him to hospital. [60] The British Horseracing Authority, which runs the sport, found five breaches of its rules. [60] The jockey had hurt his collarbone and shoulder in a fall in March. [60]

    Why it matters — The rules say an injured rider must go to hospital with trained medical staff, not be followed by a car. [60] An inspection in April found significant progress. [60]

26. 27

    Surrey's coach leaves for the IPL

    Gareth Batty has left Surrey, the English county cricket club, to be an assistant coach at Chennai Super Kings. [61] Chennai play in the Indian Premier League, a T20 competition. [61] As head coach, Batty led Surrey to three County Championship titles in a row, the first team to do so in nearly 60 years. [61]

    Why it matters — His move ends a 21-year link with Surrey, as a player and then a coach. [61]

27. 28

    Furlong cited over an alleged groin grab

    Tadhg Furlong, Ireland's prop, has been cited over an alleged groin grab during Leinster's win over Munster on Saturday. [62] The video referee could not find the incident during the match. [62] A citing means a disciplinary panel will review it. [62] In 2025 a South African player was banned for nine matches for the same offence. [62]

    Why it matters — A ban could keep Furlong out of Ireland's matches against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa. [62]

28. 29

    Bristol sign a forward Saracens sacked

    Bristol Bears have signed Totoa Auvaa, a 21-year-old Samoan forward, two weeks after Saracens sacked him. [63] He had been in a nightclub fight with England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in June. [63] Police are investigating a later incident. [63] Bristol's coach, Pat Lam, said Auvaa deserves a second chance. [63]

    Why it matters — Lam says the club will give him mentoring and structure off the pitch. [63]

29. 30

    Boxers push for an inquiry into safety

    Paul Smith, a former British boxer, says fighters are being hurt and forgotten by a failing system. [64] He is part of the Global Fighters' Association, set up last year to act like a union. [64] It plans the biggest inquiry yet into health and safety in combat sports. [64] It wants fair contracts, insurance and pensions. [64]

    Why it matters — The group calls it a failing that fighters such as Lee Reeves have had to raise money to pay for care after serious injuries. [64]

30. 31

    Lancashire may give Anderson a farewell

    Lancashire, the English county cricket club, will look at a farewell for James Anderson after members protested at a meeting on Monday. [65] The club released Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, last week. [65] He is 44 and took 50 wickets last season. [65] Paul Farbrace, the new director of cricket, said Anderson was not part of the club's four-year plan. [65]

    Why it matters — Members said the decision gave fans no chance to thank him. [65] Several other counties are interested in signing him. [65]

31. 32

    Two England players up for world award

    Zoe Harrison and Megan Jones of England are among four nominees for World Rugby's women's player of the year. [66] Harrison kicked 88 points for England this year. [66] Jones, the captain, was nominated last year too. [66] The winner will be named after this weekend's final WXV matches. [66]

    Why it matters — England had gone 41 matches unbeaten before two losses to Canada this month. [66]

32. 33

    Heat lose a fourth game as Flagg returns

    The Miami Heat lost their fourth game in a row to start the season, 113-109 to the Dallas Mavericks. [68] Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. [67] Cooper Flagg scored 29 for Dallas, back after missing Saturday's game. [67][68]

    Why it matters — The Heat added Antetokounmpo this summer, and they play Atlanta, Indiana and the Lakers next. [68][67]

33. 34

    Rockets 4-0 as the Wolves lose

    The Houston Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-110 to start 4-0 for the first time in 12 years. [69] Alperen Sengun, their centre, had 29 points, nine assists and six steals. [69] The Minnesota Timberwolves lost for the first time this season, in overtime at Cleveland. [70] It was the second game of two on back-to-back nights. [70]

    Why it matters — Seven teams started 0-3, including the champion New York Knicks, so the early table is wide open. [74]

34. 35

    Kings end the Rangers' perfect home start

    The Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 in hockey's NHL on Monday. [71] It was the Rangers' first home loss of the season and their third loss in a row. [71] Artemi Panarin, who used to play for New York, had two points on his return. [71]

    Why it matters — The Rangers changed goalkeepers after one period and still could not catch up. [71]

35. 36

    Sports backers stand to gain from Anthropic

    Several people and funds tied to sports teams invested in Anthropic, the AI company that filed papers on Monday to sell shares, Sportico reports. [72] They include Saquon Barkley, an Eagles running back, and Eric Schmidt, an investor in the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Commanders. [72] Schmidt's stake could be worth more than $10 billion. [72] General Atlantic, the NFL's private-equity partner, also invested. [72]

    Why it matters — Sportico lists funds tied to the Charlotte Hornets, Chelsea Women and Angel City FC among the backers. [72]

36. 37

    Asics opens a lab at Michigan

    Asics, the Japanese running-shoe maker, is putting 25 million dollars into a research centre at the University of Michigan. [73] It links six of the university's labs, including robotics, to turn research into products for runners. [73] It is Asics' first lab of this kind with a university. [73]

    Why it matters — Asics has run its own sport science institute in Kobe, Japan, since 1985 and is now adding labs abroad. [73]