Sports News: 30 October 2026

England's Red Roses beat the United States 55-12 in New Jersey to end two consecutive losses in the WXV Global Series. Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scored four tries as England extended a 35-year winning streak against the USA, which last won in the 1991 Rugby World Cup. The United States scored two tries through Hope Rogers and Kate Zackary, but England controlled the second half.

Aston Villa said they will initiate legal action against Jamie Carragher over what chairman Nassef Sawiris called unacceptable insults about the club and its fans. Carragher told Villa supporters to shut up after suggesting manager Unai Emery might want the Manchester United job, saying Aston Villa will never be Manchester United. Carragher said the remark was a joke and that he considers Emery the best manager in the league.

Alex de Minaur defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 at the Vienna Open to record his 350th tour-level win and reach the semi-finals. The 27-year-old became the ninth Australian man to reach the milestone and will face world No 1-elect Alexander Zverev on Saturday. De Minaur saved a set point in the first-set tiebreak before taking control after Berrettini missed a simple put-away and an air-shot.

Kadeena Cox set a world record of 1 minute 9.545 seconds to win C4 1km gold at the Para Cycling Track World Championships in the Netherlands. The 35-year-old five-time Paralympic gold medallist took her seventh world title and first since 2024. James Ball and Aaron Pope won men's tandem B 1km gold, with Ball securing his eighth world title.

Sheffield United beat Wrexham 1-0 in the Championship, winning against the Welsh side in the league for the first time since October 1982. Ben Brereton Diaz turned home a saved effort from Jordan Ayew for his third goal in three appearances against Wrexham. The win moved the Blades to within a point of the play-off places in 10th, while Wrexham remain in 17th and extended their winless away run to five games.

Sun Goddess won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland, giving trainer Aidan O'Brien a 22nd Breeders' Cup winner and more than any other trainer. The two-year-old, ridden by Ryan Moore, drew stall nine and moved to the inside before Moore kicked clear early in the straight. Joseph O'Brien's Green Empress chased her home, while Curracloe finished third and Amusingly fourth.

Fallon Sherrock beat Luke Littler in a single leg at the live Beat Luke Littler event in Manchester to win a prize of £501,000. She pulled ahead on the scoreboard, landed a 180 and finished on double 20. The event saw 20 players of varying levels take on Littler over one leg, with the first to beat him winning the prize.

Leicester won 22-16 at Bristol to take maximum points and move to the top of the Premiership, leapfrogging Gloucester before Saturday's fixtures. Freddie Steward, Adam Radwan, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Jamie Blamire scored, with Billy Searle setting up three tries and converting two. Louis Rees-Zammit opened the scoring for Bristol, but the hosts were reduced to 13 men in the second quarter and could not recover.

Nikita Kucherov, 33, has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The reigning Hart Trophy winner told teammates on the team plane that he wants to play elsewhere after contract talks remained far apart. He is in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million contract and is due for a massive raise, potentially more than double his current $9.5 million annual value.

Los Angeles Lakers owner Mark Walter and Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner have agreed on all outstanding terms of the team sale at a $12.5 billion valuation. The two met in person Thursday at Walter's home in Florida and are expected to sign the formal agreement soon. Kushner has assured Walter he has raised all the money necessary to complete the sale. The NBA will review the deal after it is signed.

Charles Leclerc was fastest in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli is poised to clinch the world title on Sunday, needing only a top-nine finish to secure the championship. Most teams used the session for mandatory rookie runs, with only Ferrari fielding both regular drivers.

Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli both made weight for their WBC super-middleweight title fight in Riyadh on Saturday, with Alvarez at 167.6lb and Mbilli at 167.8lb. The bout follows two ballistic missiles intercepted over the Saudi capital, with the UK advising against all but essential travel to the whole of Saudi Arabia. Alvarez is fighting for the first time since losing to Terence Crawford in September 2025.

Alexander Zverev defeated Britain's Arthur Fery 6-0, 6-2 in 59 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Vienna Open. The German, who is set to become world number one on Monday, will face either Matteo Berrettini or Alex de Minaur. In the other quarter-final, Daniil Medvedev beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 to secure a place at the ATP Finals.

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev said his next fight will be one of the last of his career. The 35-year-old, who is 29-1 and has won 17 straight UFC fights, wants to face the winner of Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. The interim bout is set for 30 January, but accounts differ on whether Makhachev will fight the winner then in Toronto or wait until after Ramadan.

UConn coach Dan Hurley signed a two-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2031-32 season and maintains his annual salary of roughly $8 million, the school announced Friday. The fourth-ranked Huskies open the season against Gardner-Webb on Monday. Hurley is 199-75 in eight years at UConn and is one of three coaches to win consecutive national titles since the John Wooden era.

South Africa were bowled out for 387 on day four of the third Test at Cape Town, with Ryan Rickelton scoring 101 and Wiaan Mulder 115. The hosts, who had been effectively 40 for four, finished 251 runs ahead, leaving Australia needing 288 to win on the final day. A successful chase would be the second-highest fourth-innings chase at Newlands, with the series level at 1-1.

Jai Moondra took 6 for 26 as Ireland beat Namibia by 130 runs in Windhoek, levelling the five-match series at 2-2. The figures are the best ever for an Ireland bowler in one-day internationals, surpassing Josh Little's 6 for 36 against Zimbabwe in 2023. Tim Tector scored 73 on his ODI debut, while Curtis Campher added 66 before Namibia were bowled out for 168.

Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix is expected to be out until January after suffering a serious hamstring injury during Wednesday's Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool. The 26-year-old France international has started all but one of Chelsea's 11 matches this season. Manager Xabi Alonso said Lacroix will be a few weeks out and that the team has alternatives in the centre-back group.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant will be out for at least four weeks after sustaining a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Thursday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The injury is a setback for the team, which is 3-1 and has the NBA's third-best offense. Morant, who has averaged 15.8 points and 5.5 assists in his first four games with Portland, will miss at least the next 15 games.

Demarcus Henry, the No. 2 senior in high school basketball, announced his commitment to North Carolina, giving first-year head coach Michael Malone a statement win. Henry, a 6-foot-7 small forward, chose the Tar Heels over Arkansas, Louisville, and Kentucky. He is the program's highest-ranked recruit since Cole Anthony in 2019 and had a phone conversation with Michael Jordan during his official visit.

Tyler Ulrich, a college football player for Southern Nazarene University, died from a traumatic brain injury and brain bleed, according to a coroner's report. Ulrich, 21, was hospitalized on October 10 after a helmet-to-helmet hit during a game and died five days later. He is the second college football player to die this season due to a game-related incident.

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi says James Maddison is available to face Crystal Palace on Saturday after limping off in the 2-0 win at Chelsea. The 29-year-old fractured his shoulder in the opening weekend defeat at Brentford and missed the majority of last season with an ACL injury. Maddison has scored 17 goals and provided 21 assists in 85 appearances for Tottenham, who are 14th in the Premier League.

Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter said quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to return for Sunday's game at the Buffalo Bills. Jackson has missed the past three games with a high sprain in his left ankle and was a full participant in every practice this week. The Ravens are 1-2 without him and sit last in the AFC North, where all four teams have winning records.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are signing forward Ochai Agbaji to fill an open roster spot after starting wings Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace suffered major injuries. Williams has a fractured fibula and dislocated left ankle, while Wallace has a torn labrum in his left shoulder; both need surgery and face several months of recovery. Agbaji, 26, was waived by the New York Knicks in final roster cuts this month.

Bo Bichette will exercise his $42 million player option to remain with the New York Mets for 2027, a source told ESPN. The 28-year-old, who batted .260 with 18 home runs in 160 games, also holds a $42 million option for 2028. The Mets finished 74-88 and missed the playoffs for a second straight year despite carrying the second-most expensive payroll in the majors.

Dwyane Wade said he consented to a new head being made for his statue outside the Miami Heat arena after criticism that the original face bore little resemblance to him. The work was completed in the past few days and revealed on Friday, with Wade saying the team listened and made adjustments. The statue depicts a 2009 game-winning moment when Wade hopped onto a courtside table as fans chanted This is my house.

Yiech Pur Biel, who ran in the first Olympic refugee team at Rio in 2016, will lead the first refugee team at the Youth Olympics as chef de mission. The six-athlete team will join almost 3,000 competitors in Senegal, where Saturday's opening ceremony will launch the first Olympic sporting event on African soil. Biel said the Games are a chance for the team to tell the world that refugees still need help.

Hooker Kepu Tuipulotu is a doubt for England's Nations Championship campaign after a knee injury in national training, and will not be in the squad for the opener against Australia on 8 November. The uncapped 21-year-old had been tipped to make his England breakthrough this autumn. Scrum-half Archie McParland is also an injury concern, while fly-half Fin Smith is a major doubt for the Wallabies fixture.

Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince says the club has launched legal action against Peterborough United over its approach for former manager Robbie Savage. Savage left Forest Green on 2 October to join Peterborough, after Vince said he was initially blocked but later forced to agree when he was approached directly. Peterborough had denied making an illegal approach.

The Tennessee Titans traded defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said the offer was too good to pass up, noting that receiving two first-round picks for a defensive tackle had never happened in the common draft era.

Simmons, who was signed to a three-year, $105 million deal in June, was surprised by the move.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has overturned the IIHF's ban on Russia, allowing Russian teams to compete in the 2026-27 season, including the men's and women's World Championships. CAS said the IIHF's safety and security arguments were not supported by sufficient evidence after an in-person hearing in Lausanne. The IIHF expressed disappointment, while the Russian Ice Hockey Federation said it welcomes the decision.

Mikel Arteta has told Max Dowman that Arsenal is not Disneyland after the 16-year-old was sent off in the Carabao Cup loss to Fleetwood Town. Dowman was dismissed for violent conduct after reacting to a challenge by Harrison Neal, and Arsenal's appeal against a three-match ban was rejected. Arteta said he warned Dowman before the game and that he must earn the right to play.

Milwaukee's Brewers celebrated their first championship with a raucous parade on Friday, as thousands lined the streets and Gov. Tony Evers declared the day Won Our Way Day. Evers joked that residents could show his proclamation to bosses as an excuse to get away from work, while Milwaukee Public Schools closed for the day. The event followed the team's World Series win on Wednesday night.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will leave the conference to take a job outside college sports, with the board formalizing his departure terms on Friday. He plans to stay through January, and the league will launch a national search for a sixth commissioner. Kansas chancellor Doug Girod said Yormark's navigation of the Big 12's television deal with ESPN and Fox will be his legacy.

Carolina has relieved Ejiro Evero of defensive coordinator duties after a 27-19 loss to Green Bay, with longtime defensive line coach Todd Wash named interim for the rest of the season. Evero's unit ranked 30th in rushing defense through seven games and allowed 354 net yards and four touchdowns in Thursday's defeat. The Panthers are also moving on from passing game coordinator Jonathon Cooley.

A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge denied the NCAA emergency relief, allowing 38 student-athletes to compete during the 2026-27 season while the case continues. The athletes include Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos and Louisville football players Jabari Mack and Kalib Perry. A three-judge panel will still consider the NCAA's request, after a lower court granted a temporary injunction on 16 October.

Wales head coach Tom Brindle has made two changes for the final 2026 Rugby League World Cup match against Australia on Sunday, 1 November. Ffion Lewis replaces Amberley Ruck at stand-off, with Carys Marsh moving from the interchange bench to starting hooker. Wales have lost both opening Pool A games, falling 70-6 to England and 76-0 to Samoa, while Australia are chasing a fourth straight title.

England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong but are on the brink of a first Rugby League World Cup group-stage exit. They led 22-0 after four early tries but made 21 errors and allowed two tries from Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro. They needed a margin of 68 or 70 points, depending on the accounts, to overtake Samoa on points difference, so qualification now depends on Tonga beating Samoa by more than 46 points.

James Anderson says he is sad and shocked by Lancashire's decision not to renew his contract, and has not decided whether to continue. The 44-year-old, England's leading wicket-taker, took 50 wickets in the County Championship and captained Lancashire last season, but the club finished second bottom in Division Two. He said the decision made him question whether something was fundamentally wrong with him.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Al-Nassr beat Al-Kholood 5-3 in the Saudi Pro League, taking the 41-year-old to 985 career goals. He scored three times in 15 second-half minutes after the match was 2-2, with Joao Felix providing four assists. It was his 67th career hat-trick as he chases the 1,000-goal milestone.

Wales aim to complete a double over Japan on Saturday after winning 17-0 in Tokyo last weekend, with coach Sean Lynn making five starting changes. The side have won two of three WXV Global Series matches and are favourites, though Lynn says Japan are efficient and hard to break down. A victory would extend a revival for a team that previously went nine Test matches without a win.

Christian Pulisic has signed a new AC Milan contract through June 2031, with a sizable raise. The deal was announced before Saturday's derby against Inter Milan and less than a day after the clubs announced a record naming rights deal for their new stadium. Milan value his ability to play deep as a playmaker and also stretch teams as a winger.

Fifa is set to fall short of the prize-money parity ambition set by president Gianni Infantino for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The women's pot is understood to be about a third of the men's $655m fund, with the pot targeted to rise from $110m in 2023 to $220m. No decision is expected until December's Fifa council meeting.

Harriet Dart came back from a set down to beat fifth seed Paula Badosa 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the Guangzhou Open and reach a second WTA Tour semi-final. The 30-year-old, who came through qualifying and beat second seed Janice Tjen, will face Claire Liu or 16-year-old Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran on Saturday. Badosa, ranked 61st, saved a match point in the deciding set before Dart won the next service game to love.

Caf will hold the Africa Cup of Nations every two years after reversing a December decision to move to a four-year cycle. Caf said the change aims to protect African football and its 54 member associations, while an African Nations League was planned as a biennial alternative but would need several years to become self-sufficient. The next Afcon is set for 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with editions in 2028, 2031 and 2033.

England lost 24-6 to Samoa in Wollongong and finished third in Group A with two points, ending a campaign that had included a 70-6 win over Wales. Freedom Crichton Ropati scored a first-half hat-trick and Mercedez Taulelei-Siala added a second-half try before Evie Cousins scored England's only try. The defeat, their second in a row, denied Stuart Barrow's side a place in a third consecutive World Cup semi-final.

Canelo Alvarez will face WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli on Saturday in Riyadh, in a fight that could see him win back a title lost to Terence Crawford in September 2025. Mbilli is unbeaten with one draw and has not fought for a world title since being elevated from interim champion in January.

Novak Djokovic's hopes of a record 19th ATP Finals appearance were dented by a surprise defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 39-year-old lost 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), the first time he has been beaten by Struff in nine meetings. The result leaves the 24-time Grand Slam winner 11th in the standings and 319 points behind Rafael Jodar for the final qualifying spot, although he has the Paris Masters to climb.

Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 has never had anyone like him in its 70 years and reaffirmed his determination to keep racing into his mid-forties. The seven-time world champion, who is third in the drivers' championship, said he should be considered a special case as he chases a dream of racing in Africa. F1 has signed a 10-year deal with Rwanda starting in the early 2030s, which will be a first race on the continent since 1993.

Kevin Durant has reflected on his time in Oklahoma City and the Thunder's 2025 championship in an exclusive interview for ESPN's E60 documentary. The 19-year veteran, now in his second season with the Houston Rockets, said he is grateful to be a Thunder alumnus and still has a soft spot for the state. The Rockets play the Thunder on 31 October in their first meeting of the season.

World No 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew injured from her Pan Pacific Open quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez before a point was played. The Canadian advanced to the Osaka last four, where she will face Kamilla Rakhimova for a final place. Rybakina said she had been struggling with a little injury and that it was difficult to play at 100 per cent before an important tournament.

Karl Vilips shot a nine-under 62 to take the first-round lead at the Mexico Open. The 25-year-old Australian made five straight birdies on the back nine and finished with four in a row. Kensai Hirata of Japan was a stroke back, while Ben Griffin, Marco Penge, Garrick Higgo, and Jeffrey Kang were at 64.

England began their wheelchair Rugby League World Cup title defence with a 98-18 win over Wales in Wollongong. Rob Hawkins scored 11 tries and four conversions for 52 points, while Nathan Collins added four tries. The victory is a step towards group qualification and retaining the crown, with Ireland also beating the United States 110-10.

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said Jake Paul could beat Anthony Joshua if he prepares with a real training camp a second time. Paul lost to Joshua in a sixth-round stoppage last December, when Joshua broke his jaw and he had teeth removed and two titanium plates put in his mouth. Paul has announced he will return against an unnamed opponent in Dubai on Christmas Eve, with Darren Till among possible opponents.

Australia coach Les Kiss says veteran playmaker Kurtley Beale is in consideration for Australia's Rugby World Cup squad after his shock recall for the spring tour of the UK. The 37-year-old, who has 95 caps, was called up after Hunter Paisami dropped out for personal reasons and will face England, Scotland and Wales before the inaugural Nations Championship finals from November 21 to 23.

Kiss said Beale is not joining for fun and is in the camp to perform.

Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and Josh Jacobs scored twice as Green Bay withstood three turnovers to beat Carolina 27-19 on Thursday night. Christian Watson hurt his chest on a 53-yard catch, was taken to a local hospital, and returned late in the third quarter after being passed fit. Watson finished with 113 yards on eight receptions, while Bryce Young threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker to cut the lead to 27-19.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs said his end zone celebration after scoring the first of two touchdowns against Carolina was an ode to the gospel song Break Every Chain. The gesture went viral because Jacobs had been arrested earlier this year and charged with misdemeanor battery and destruction of property after an incident with a woman at his home.

Jacobs said several teammates made the same gesture and that the media connected it to his arrest.