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San Diego FC will face Pumas UNAM in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup group stage, standing as the sole match between Liga MX and Major League Soccer in the first round of the international tournament after Tuesday’s draw.The upcoming edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup is set to run from February to May, with the winner of the competition becoming one of the confederation’s four regional representatives at the 2029 Club World Cup.27 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean will compete in the five-round tournament, concluding with a single-match final.MLS boasts nine participants: Seattle Sounders FC, Inter…

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will miss the ceremony to award her the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Wednesday, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said.Machado last appeared in public 11 months ago. Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken told public broadcaster NRK the Venezuelan opposition leader was not in the Norwegian capital on the day of the ceremony and her daughter will accept the prize on Machado’s behalf.The institute did not immediately respond to emails or calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. On Tuesday, a news conference that Machado was expected…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations which target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium, which local organizers say will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.” In Egypt, the soccer federation issued a statement late Tuesday saying it sent a letter to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.”Seattle…

BANGKOK (AP) — Paramount Skydance says the Chinese gaming and social media giant Tencent Holdings withdrew from its bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery to avert a possible national security review. Paramount’s revised filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of its takeover bid said the Chinese company had dropped its $1 billion financing commitment out of concern, since it would be a “non-U.S. equity financing source,” that its bid might be subject to a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS. That was even though approval by CFIUS or by the…

ISTANBUL (AP) — The close relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brought the countries closer to resolving issues that led to Turkey being kicked off the F-35 fighter jet program, the United States ambassador to Ankara said Wednesday.“The positive relationship between President Trump and President Erdogan has created a new atmosphere of cooperation, which has led to the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade,” Ambassador Tom Barrack wrote in a social media post.During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed NATO ally Turkey from the next-generation fighter…

Joey LynchCloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.Dec 9, 2025, 08:02 PM ETAustralia’s game against the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup won’t be the biggest game that the Socceroos have ever played at the global footballing showpiece.In all honesty, between round-of-16 appearances against eventual champions Italy and Argentina, the drought-breaking win over Japan in 2006, the knockout-stage-securing win over Croatia in that same tournament, or group-stage games against defending champions such as France and Spain,…

The Washington Spirit are committed to keeping free agent forward Trinity Rodman on the team and are continuing to work with the NWSL and Rodman’s representation despite the turbulent turn the negotiations took last week, the team’s leadership said Tuesday.Haley Carter, the team’s new president of soccer operations, and general manager Nathan Minion said the negotiations with Rodman and the league continue and that there is no real deadline. Rather than being discouraged, both feel all the parties are working to come up with a solution.Editor’s Picks2 Related”I think the league is committed to working with us, and we’re committed…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:56 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.MILAN, Italy — Rarely has a throw-in been celebrated with so much fervor. When Alexis Mac Allister went to ground to see the ball out of play in the dying seconds of stoppage time at San Siro, the traveling Liverpool fans greeted the tackle with the same sense of elation that would normally be reserved for a goal.It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the quiet, battling brilliance of the Reds’ UEFA Champions League 1-0 victory over Internazionale, with…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:23 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Liverpool coach Arne Slot questioned whether Mohamed Salah should be the one to initiate a conversation with him following his explosive interview at the weekend.Salah was omitted from Liverpool’s squad for their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League Tuesday after he claimed Liverpool had thrown him “under the bus” following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday. The forward also said his relationship with Slot had broken down, with the Liverpool boss admitting on…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:23 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Liverpool coach Arne Slot questioned whether Mohamed Salah should be the one to initiate a conversation with him following his explosive interview at the weekend.Salah was omitted from Liverpool’s squad for their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League Tuesday after he claimed Liverpool had thrown him “under the bus” following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday. The forward also said his relationship with Slot had broken down, with the Liverpool boss admitting on…