Sports - Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Here are all the key stats and trends you need to know before the opening puck drop.

Marco Silva agrees to become Benfica's new head coach as the Portuguese club formalises Jose Mourinho's departure for Real Madrid.

With a World Cup winner at the helm in Fabio Cannavaro, the White Wolves make their tournament debut This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading...

Serena Williams has returned to the sport -- what does Tuesday's match indicate about her comeback?

England beat Ukraine 3-0 on Tuesday night but it did not matter what they did as automatic qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup was out of their hands.

Atlético bite back at references in Real statement Benfica say José Mourinho going to Real for €15m fee Real Madrid have revealed they have had a €150m (£129.4m) bid for Julián Alvarez rejected by city rivals Atlético Madrid. The Argentina striker has scored 49 goals in 106 appearances for Atlético since joining from Manchester City in 2024. The 26-year-old, whose contract runs until 2030, reportedly wants to leave and has been linked with Arsenal and Barcelona. Florentino Pérez vowed before his reelection as Real’s president to submit a club-record offer for an unnamed “great player”. Continue reading...

Bryce Harper or Freddie Freeman? Ben Rice or Nick Kurtz? Here's our one-month-out look at who will make it to Philadelphia.

Real Madrid scout Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori, Tottenham consider Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, Manchester United chase Newcastle's Lewis Hall, plus more.

Are Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold headed for big extensions? When will Fernando Mendoza start?

Lancashire Lightning, Essex and Northants Steelbacks all pick up wins in the T20 Blast.