Sports, in brief

The College Football Playoff, the knockout tournament that decides US college football's champion, is close to a deal to grow from 12 teams to 24 from 2027. [1][2] Final approvals are still needed, and details of who gets in will come later. [2][3]

ESPN, the sports TV network owned by Disney, has confirmed it will keep the playoff and buy every extra game. [4] Its current six-year deal, signed in 2024, is worth $7.8bn, about $1.3bn a year. [3][1]

Analysts estimate the extra games will cost ESPN about $325m a year. [3] CBS Sports puts the figure at more than $320m. [2]

To make room, the conference title games will be scrapped, and the first weekend of December becomes a week off. [4][1] A conference is a group of colleges that play each other, like a league, and each ended its season with its own final.

Those title games are worth about $250m a year together, and the playoff asked ESPN for $70m to $80m more than that. [2]

The new games never went on open sale. ESPN had 30 days of talks to itself, then five more working days, so no other network got to bid. [1][3]

Places go to the champions of the four richest conferences, the best team from the smaller ones, and 19 teams picked by a ranking committee. [4] The top eight get a week off and then host a game on their own campus. [1]

Tony Petitti, who runs the Big Ten conference, proposed 24 teams in 2025, because many schools were spending tens of millions on players with little hope of a place. [1]

The last to agree was Greg Sankey of the SEC conference, who wanted the lost money from the SEC's own title game replaced. [1][2] He had said a bigger playoff would mean ending that game. [5]

Under 24 teams, last season's field would have included Notre Dame, BYU and Texas, and Georgia Tech for the first time ever. [6][7] By one count shared in Sports Illustrated, 80 different schools would have made it since 2014. [8]

Critics say the big games of the season will matter less. [9] Last season only one of the eight games from the first round to the quarter-finals was decided by fewer than ten points. [10] Sports Illustrated notes that fans seem to dislike the change. [11]

Fox, a rival network, loses a big night: last year's Big Ten title game, Indiana against Ohio State, averaged 18.33 million viewers on Fox. [3]

Why it matters. Watch for the official announcement, expected within days, and for how the four richest conferences split the extra money, since the Big Ten and SEC already take about 29% each. [3][2]

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, which runs world football, apologised to its 37-member council in Zurich on Thursday. [25][26] He said sorry for not consulting it about his scrapped plan to sell part of FIFA's business to investors. [26] He did not explain the plan and asked members to send their questions in writing. [26] England's FA chair, Debbie Hewitt, said that if he does not answer them, he is not fit to lead. [25] European officials want Arsene Wenger, FIFA's head of football development, to stand against him. [27]

Why it matters. Infantino stands for a fourth term in March, and rivals have until 18 November to enter. [27][28] A council member from Mauritania said most members want him to stay, and he is still the only credible candidate. [26]

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday to win their semi-final series 4-0. [29] They reach the World Series, baseball's final, for the first time since 1982. [29] The Dodgers had won the last two titles. [17] The Brewers spend about $146m to $155m on players, depending on how it is counted, the 19th-biggest bill of the 30 teams. [15][17] They face the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays from 23 October. [17]

Why it matters. Baseball's owners want a salary cap, a fixed limit on team pay, and say small-market success does not last. [17] Over the past decade, 85% of World Series teams came from the 15 biggest markets. [17] Sportico, a sports-business site, says the Brewers' run undercuts commissioner Rob Manfred's argument that the sport needs a cap. [15]

Fox, the US network showing the World Series, will have no team from New York or Los Angeles, the two biggest TV markets. [15] The Brewers' first semi-final game averaged 10.7 million viewers, the most for a first game of that round since 2005. [17] Teams ending long waits have drawn big audiences before: the Chicago Cubs' 2016 title series averaged 22.85 million. [15] Resale tickets for the first World Series game reached $2,058. [17]

Why it matters. Sportico expects a big audience if the series runs to six or seven games, even without the largest cities. [15]

Tarik Skubal, who pitched for the Dodgers this year, will be the top free agent this winter, free to sign with any team. [30] He has a 2.13 earned run average, runs allowed per nine innings, in eight play-off starts. [30] He would not talk about his future after the loss. [30] Veteran Miguel Rojas retired straight after the game. [31] Shohei Ohtani played with knee and arm pain that will be treated now the season is over. [29]

Why it matters. Skubal is expected to command a very large contract. [30] Owners are expected to lock the players out in December, when the current labour deal ends. [17]

FIFA's council put off a change that would stop a red card's automatic one-match ban from ever being suspended. [28] The change follows the World Cup, where US striker Folarin Balogun's ban was lifted after President Trump asked for a review. [25] Members got the wording less than 48 hours before the meeting and asked for more information first. [32][28] The council also approved $6.35bn for its members' football projects over four years, The Athletic reports. [26]

Why it matters. FIFA's own paper says the change is needed so teams can be sure which players may play. [32] The council next meets in Doha on 16 December, after nominations for FIFA's election close. [28]

Jon Rahm, a Spanish golfer, will leave LIV Golf without taking another dollar, under a deal filed in its US bankruptcy case. [33] LIV, the league once paid for by Saudi Arabia's state fund, owes him $7.47m in unpaid money. [33] He was also thought to be owed more than $100m in future payments, and gives it all up, with his 25% stake in his LIV team. [33] A court will be asked to approve the deal on 5 November. [33]

Why it matters. Once he is free of LIV, Rahm can talk to the PGA Tour, the main US tour, about coming back. [33] The court also let LIV cancel 20 more player contracts, including Bryson DeChambeau's. [33]

Bruce Brown, an NBA player trying to make the New York Knicks' team, said the league's 'second apron' hurts middle-earning players. [18] The second apron is a payroll level above the luxury tax, and teams that go over it lose trading and signing options. [18] The NBA replied that pay has risen about 30% for every kind of player. [18] Sportico's own count found pay for middle earners rose 57% and 59%, more than the stars' 43%. [18]

Why it matters. Brown is right that fewer teams use a set offer called the mid-level exception: 24 players signed with it last year, against 42 three seasons earlier. [18] Seven teams would have been above the apron in 2022-23, and only one was in 2025-26. [18]

The WNBA Finals, women's basketball's US title series, start on Saturday between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. [19][20] The cheapest ticket for Game 1 in San Francisco was $214 on Thursday, against $34 for last year's first game. [19] The Valkyries, in only their second season, have sold out every home game. [19] They are worth $850m by Sportico's count, and the Dream $280m, the lowest in the league. [20]

Why it matters. The Valkyries became the first women's team to bring in $100m in a year. [20] Five years ago the Dream were sold after their players campaigned against the team's then owner, a US senator. [20]

The Jacksonville Jaguars, an NFL team, play the Houston Texans at Wembley on Sunday, their second London game of the season. [34] The first, at Tottenham's stadium, was run by the NFL, so the team lost the money a home game in Florida brings. [34] The Wembley game is run by the Jaguars themselves, who keep the ticket and food money. [34] In 2022 their ticket money at Wembley was 40% higher than at a home game in Jacksonville. [34]

Why it matters. Since 2022 the NFL no longer pays teams back for a lost home game, because every team now gives one up in turn. [34] Josh Harris, owner of the Washington Commanders, said of his own team's London game: 'It's not good.' [34]

Stefan Milicevic, a Serbian player once ranked 1,338th in the world, has been banned from tennis until October 2050. [35] The International Tennis Integrity Authority, the sport's anti-corruption body, says he fixed six matches and tried to fix six more between 2022 and 2024. [35] It says he also recruited other players into a cheating network. [35] He was fined about 53,000 pounds too. [35]

Why it matters. The ban is longer partly because he ignored seven attempts to contact him. [35] In December a French player, Quentin Folliot, was banned for 20 years for his part in a similar network. [35]

Lisandro Martinez, a Manchester United defender, apologised on Thursday for criticising the club's leaders after Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid. [36][37] He had said he expected more from Jason Wilcox, the club's director of football, in signing players. [36][37] He is understood to have been fined, though the club will not say so in public. [37][36] United are 13th in the Premier League with two wins from nine games. [36]

Why it matters. A day earlier he had stood by his comments without saying sorry. [37] The Guardian's Jonathan Liew argues that Martinez pointed at a real problem in how the club is owned and run. [38]

Arsenal, England's Premier League champions, told staff this week that about 60 jobs could go. [24] The cuts follow a review by Boston Consulting Group, a firm hired to advise companies. [24] The club's last accounts, for 2024-25, showed 691m pounds of revenue but no profit. [24] The news came days after manager Mikel Arteta signed a new contract that almost certainly makes him the league's best-paid manager. [24]

Why it matters. A writer for The Athletic argues the club does not have to cut, because it is not struggling. [24] He compares the cuts with reserve signings, such as a goalkeeper bought as third choice. [24]

Picnic PostNL, a Dutch team in cycling's top series, has ordered an independent investigation into how it treats its people. [22] It follows a report by the Dutch broadcaster NOS and the site In De Waaier, which spoke to 71 past and present staff. [22] They describe a culture of fear, and former rider Martijn Tusveld said he thought about harming himself. [22] One rider said a team director told him he did not believe in psychologists. [22]

Why it matters. The team says riders have coaches, a rider committee and confidential advisers to turn to. [22] Many staff told the reporters they did not know who those advisers were. [22]

Arizona State University has parted ways with its ice hockey coach, Greg Powers. [23] He had been on leave since a military-style workout on 20 August left 21-year-old player Matthew Mayich on life support. [23] The university says it reached a money settlement with Powers but will not give the figure; he was paid $503,680 in 2024-25. [23] Dave Hakstol, a former NHL head coach, takes over. [23]

Why it matters. Mayich's family says the exit looks like a negotiated deal, and that the case is not closed. [23] The university has started an independent investigation, which lawmakers had backed. [23]

Top-level US universities paid $1.77bn directly to 34,915 athletes in 2025-26, Forbes reports. [12] It was the first year schools could share their money with players, after a court settlement known as House v NCAA. [12] Each school could pay up to about $20.5m, and many gave football and basketball the biggest share. [12] With extra scholarships and other benefits the total reached about $1.975bn. [12]

Why it matters. Schools can split the money as they like, so a quarterback usually gets more than a linebacker. [12] That spending is part of why the Big Ten's boss wanted a bigger playoff. [1]

Indiana, unbeaten national champions last season, host Ohio State on Saturday in the first game between two top-five teams at their stadium. [14] On Thursday the university put a sponsor's logo, Merchants Bank, on the shirts of all 24 of its teams. [14] The bank already pays $50m over 20 years to put its name on the field. [14] Athletic director Scott Dolson says fundraising, tickets and sponsor sales have soared, and costs have climbed fast too. [14]

Why it matters. Billionaire Mark Cuban, a former student, gave money for new players, and Indiana's intake of transfer players rose from 25th to eighth in the country. [14]

Brigham Young University (BYU), ranked eighth, hosts second-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday in its stadium's first meeting of two top-10 teams. [13] Last week BYU signed the largest money deal in its sports history, with PV3 Enterprises, a Utah investment firm. [13] It covers naming rights to the field, new football buildings and payments to some players. [13] BYU's player bill is about $20m to $25m, around 40th in the country, by The Athletic's estimate. [13]

Why it matters. Coach Kalani Sitake has spoken often about the money gap with richer rivals. [13] BYU has won the sixth-most games in the country since 2020, despite spending less than many of them. [13]

More than 100,000 US high school girls played flag football, a version of American football without tackling, in 2025-26. [21] That is almost 50% more than the year before. [21] Few big universities offer it, so students have been starting their own clubs. [21] In January NIRSA, a non-profit that runs college sport for fun, starts the first national club league for women, with 86 teams, paid for by an NFL grant. [21]

Why it matters. The NCAA, which runs US college sport, votes early next year on making women's flag football a championship sport. [21] Nebraska is the only big football school to announce a full team so far. [21]

Troy Aikman, ESPN's main NFL match analyst, said on Thursday he will be a free agent at the end of this season. [39][40] His partner of 25 years, Joe Buck, signed a six-year, $108m deal with ESPN last month. [39][40] Aikman says ESPN has not made him a formal offer. [40] He did not deny a report that the two argued before Monday's game. [39]

Why it matters. The pair are still due to call February's Super Bowl together on ESPN. [39] Forbes suggests Aikman's business interests outside TV may explain why the two were treated differently. [40]

Alex Scott, a former England defender and TV presenter, has left her job fronting Disney+ coverage of the Women's Champions League, Europe's top women's club competition. [16] Disney+ took the rights in 2025, and its coverage was criticised after technical problems in the first round. [16] One unplanned advert break cut into an Arsenal match for more than three minutes. [16] It is understood she chose to leave to focus on her own show. [16]

Why it matters. Scott said this month she did not agree with all of Disney's decisions and had tried to advise. [16]

Australia beat New Zealand 24-22 in Sydney on Thursday in the first game of the Rugby League World Cup. [41] More than 40,000 fans came, the biggest Test crowd in Sydney for 50 years. [41] Jack Bostock, playing his first game for Australia, scored three tries, including the winner in the last five minutes. [41][42] New Zealand's Kalyn Ponga scored twice but broke his arm. [43]

Why it matters. Ponga once played for Australia's junior team and switched to New Zealand this year, which new rules make easier. [44][43] The tournament has also been cut from 16 nations to 10 and from 31 games to 18. [44]

Spain has bid to host the men's Rugby World Cup in 2035, with the final planned at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium. [45] It would be the first final played in front of more than 100,000 fans. [45] Japan, and a group led by Argentina with Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, are also bidding. [45] World Rugby, which runs the sport, plans to name its preferred bid by mid-2027. [45]

Why it matters. Spain plays in its first men's World Cup since 1999 next year, and its federation wants to triple the number of players by 2035. [45]

Fewer than 20,000 people watched all five days of South Africa's first Test against Australia in Durban. [46] South Africa are the world Test champions, and Australia are ranked first. [46] Heinrich Strydom, head of the KwaZulu-Natal cricket union, has promised a review. [46] A football cup final across town during the match drew more than 50,000. [46]

Why it matters. Crowds for Test cricket, the five-day form, are falling in many countries, most of all South Africa and the West Indies. [46] Australia won by 214 runs and can take the series in Gqeberha from Sunday. [46]

Haas, a US-based Formula 1 team, has picked Rafael Camara, a 21-year-old Brazilian, to race for it in 2027. [47] Camara leads Formula 2, the junior series below F1. [47] He was the fastest of four drivers tested in older F1 cars, including the reigning F2 champion. [47] He takes the seat of Esteban Ocon, who leaves at the end of the year. [47]

Why it matters. Team boss Ayao Komatsu said speed was the deciding reason. [47] Haas says it plans to keep Oliver Bearman in its other car. [47]

Franco Colapinto, an Argentine Formula 1 driver for the Alpine team, has asked his fans to stop attacking other drivers online. [48] His teammate Pierre Gasly was targeted after blocking Colapinto's overtake in Madrid, and Gasly said his family was abused too. [48] Lando Norris was attacked after saying Colapinto did not deserve his place, a comment Norris later took back. [48]

Why it matters. Colapinto, in his first full F1 season, has a large online following. [48]

Blades Brown, a 19-year-old American golfer, has become the youngest player to earn a PGA Tour place through the Korn Ferry Tour, golf's second US tier. [49] He finished ninth, inside the top 20 who go up, and beat Jason Day's 2007 record. [49] Brown turned professional at 17 and skipped college. [49] He has won $1.8m in prize money so far. [49]

Why it matters. He called leaving school early a gamble, and it now gives him a full season on the main tour in 2027. [49]

Bournemouth beat Sturm Graz of Austria on Thursday in the Europa League, their first home game in Europe in the club's 127 years. [50][51] In 2008 the club was in administration and began a season 17 points below zero, at the bottom of England's league ladder. [50] Sunderland also won in Portugal, against Torreense, with a goal in stoppage time. [52]