Empire State lit up in 2026 World Cup hosts' colors 100 days befo… — and more

New York's Empire State Building was illuminated in the colors of the flags of 2026 World Cup hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States Tuesday as organizers marked 100 days until kick-off.

Organizers were joined by the tournament's three mascots, Canada's Maple the moose, Mexico's Zayu the jaguar and Clutch the American bald eagle for a ceremony at the 1,454 feet-tall Manhattan skyscraper.

A record 48 teams -- up from 32 in 2022 -- and millions of fans are set to descend on the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first ever World Cup shared by three nations.

Alex Lasry, CEO of the FIFA World Cup New York New Jersey host committee, told AFP "we're continuing our preparations, we are in the heat of it, but this is where it becomes fun right." 

Asked how the organizers would prepare for possible disruption from the war in the Middle East, Lasry said "our goal as the New York-New Jersey Host Committee is to be prepared to welcome the world to our region and we want to make sure that everyone who comes here has a safe and secure experience."

"You can kind of feel it -- it's starting to become a reality. And being 100 days out from the first ball being kicked is exciting," he said.

"It's supposed to be uniting and you know, we can't wait to welcome the world to our region to participate in what is going to I think be the biggest global sports and entertainment event that the world has ever seen."

The greatest footballing show on earth kicks off on June 11 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca and will conclude nearly six weeks later on July 19 at the 82,500-seater MetLife Stadium just outside New York.

A total of 104 matches will be played across 16 venues and four time zones, with the bulk of the action taking place in the United States, which will host 78 games.

gw/rcw

Cam Newton blames Arch Manning for the worst QB draft class in 20 years originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Cam Newton stirred debate about the upcoming NFL Draft class this week. The former NFL MVP argues that Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s decision to remain in college is a major reason the 2026 quarterback group lacks star power.

During a recent 4th & 1 podcast, Newton discussed draft prospects and called the 2026 quarterback class “the worst in the last two decades,” suggesting the absence of Manning at the top of the pool has dramatically changed how evaluators view the group.

“This is the actual worst quarterback draft class in the last two decades,” Newton said. “And you want to know who’s to blame? Arch Manning.”

Newton clarified his comments were not meant as criticism of Manning’s ability, but rather the immense expectations that surrounded the Texas quarterback entering his college career. Manning, the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, was widely viewed as a generational prospect.

Newton said many expected Manning to develop into a player who combined elite athletic traits with the football intelligence associated with the Manning family name.

More: Trent Dilfer says he was 'forced' to take UAB head coaching job

With Manning’s decision to return to Texas, all of that pushed expectations into the future.

When looking at the 2026 draft pool, Newton said the quarterback group, which includes Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Miami’s Carson Beck and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, lacks a clear franchise-level prospect.

“I don’t really see a franchise quarterback,” Newton said. “I just don’t see it.” 

More: Ohio State's Ryan Day faces backlash after NFL Combine

Newton added that Manning’s return could dramatically boost the following draft cycle. With prospects such as Manning, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, Trinidad Chambliss and Julian Sayin expected to headline the 2027 class, Newton predicted it could become one of the most talented quarterback drafts in recent memory.

Anyway you stack it, the group of elite quarterbacks will be fun to watch in the 2026 college football season. 

More college football news: 

• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Steve Sarkisian blasts Ohio State players for not going to class
• ESPN's Pat McAfee calls BS on Caleb Downs rumor from NFL Combine
• NCAA targets exposed calves in latest proposed college football rule change
• High school football recruits using AI-generated highlight tapes is on the rise

For the first time all week, the hometown hero Brad Gushue had the fans worried until the last stone.

Gushue did eventually lower the heart rates of the crowd with a 9-8 win in an extra end over Nova Scotia’s Kendal Thompson at the Montana’s Brier in St. John’s, improving his record to 5-0.

But the six-time Brier champion was nervous that his team almost let the game slip away after Thompson had control for most of the match.

“Oh my god [laughs], yeah, it was always in doubt. That was a scary game. We weren’t very sharp today,” Gushue said in his post-game interview. “We’re fortunate to win that one. We got very lucky with that miss in the ninth end and scary 10th end, scary 11th end. Yeah, pretty stressful game.”

It’s been a rough couple of days for Thompson and his Bluenose rink. On Monday night, Thompson made a questionable decision with the game on the line that ultimately cost him the match against Quebec.

The ninth end versus Gushue on Tuesday felt the same way.

Up to that point, Nova Scotia had been the better team in the match. And even though Thompson was being forced by Gushue with his final shot in the ninth, he was shooting an outstanding 92 per cent, and outcurling Gushue by a wide margin.

But on Thompson’s final stone, disaster struck again as he flashed the stone he was trying to hit and gave up a steal of two, putting Gushue ahead 8-6.

“I certainly didn’t expect when my last draw finished that we would be two up coming home. We expected him to make the shot for one or he may have actually hit and rolled out on purpose to try and keep the hammer coming home,” Gushue said. “Being up two wasn’t in the cards.”

Gushue wasn’t able to keep the momentum going, however, and an early miss from his team allowed Nova Scotia to score two and force the extra end. The 11th end played out the same way but Thompson wasn’t able to secure shot stone with his final throw, allowing Gushue to escape with the win.

While they got the win, Gushue and his teammates were a step behind in reading the ice most of the game. Speaking afterwards, Gushue said that having the rocks textured on Monday — which happens once a tournament to make the stones sharper to produce more curl — threw his team off.

“Our team, historically, has never adapted really well to the sharper rocks. And they keep doing it, and we keep not adjusting as well,” Gushue said. “You know we got burdened in the trials. We played great, and as soon as they textured the rocks, we lost from there on out. So, it just doesn’t suit our game, and it just seems to be the direction that these events are going. They want six feet plus of curl, which I’m not sure why, but it’s frustrating.”

For Gushue, there are two positives from this game. First, the texturing of the rocks happened early in the event, so the team should be able to adapt as the tournament moves along. Second, going through the entire round-robin until facing Brad Jacobs in his finale on Thursday with no challenges at all would’ve set Gushue up to fail. 

Brad Jacobs was also put to the test (sort of)

Jacobs and Team Canada also had a tougher outing on Tuesday when facing Quebec’s team led by skip Jean-Michel Menard.

In the first five ends, Quebec gave Canada everything they could handle and trailed just 4-3 with the hammer heading into the second half. Quebec, unlike other teams Jacobs has faced so far, was making the shots not only to keep up with Jacobs but also to put Canada in trouble a couple of times.

The sixth end and beyond was completely different, however. Quebec’s front three played well, but Felix Asselin, their fourth-stone thrower, wasn’t making the same shots anymore. 

Jacobs, on the other hand, did connect on his shots as Canada pulled away to an 8-4 victory.

For the fifth day in a row, Jacobs has only played one game, and with each one, he and his gold-medal winning teammates Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert have only looked better.

E.J. Harnden doesn’t look ready to retire

The curling world, especially Manitoba’s team Matt Dunstone, will miss playing with E.J. Harnden, who is set to retire at the end of this season.

Harnden, an Olympic gold medalist with Jacobs in 2014 and three-time Brier champion, has been one of the best seconds in the game for a long time. The level of intensity and passion Harnden brings to each game is unmatched and Dunstone will have a hard time finding a replacement.

That skill and passion were on full display in an epic shot by Harnden on Tuesday.

Only a couple of rocks into the second end versus Alberta’s Kevin Koe, Dunstone’s rink was in big trouble. Koe had two in the rings with two guards lined up perfectly and was set up to steal. 

Harnden knew he needed to make some granite move, but he did even more than that. He made a double runback double to eliminate all of Koe’s stones while rolling Manitoba’s own guard perfectly buried under their corner guard. Manitoba went on to score two.

It’s rare to say someone throwing second stones earned your team a deuce, but in this case, Harnden certainly did. Maybe he shouldn’t retire just yet.

Mike McEwen continues to look off

“Magic Mike” continues to find ways to earn wins at this year’s Brier, even though his play hasn’t been the best.

The latest win came in a wild one against British Columbia’s Cody Tanaka, with McEwen sneaking away with an 11-10 victory in 11 ends.

Saskatchewan was able to produce points, scoring two or more in four ends with the hammer, but sloppy half shots by McEwen allowed Tanaka to stay in the match.

Now sitting at 5-1 on the week, McEwen is in good shape, but the toughest part of his schedule is yet to come. Both of his remaining games are against Manitoba rinks in Braden Calvert and Dunstone. A loss to Calvert would hurt his playoff chances a lot.

—With files from Kristina Rutherford

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dylan Harper scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama needed only 10 to help the San Antonio Spurs bounce back from their first loss in 12 games and rout the Philadelphia 76ers 131-91 on Tuesday night.

The Spurs hit 18 3-pointers and wrapped their annual rodeo road trip with a 5-1 record. They had won 11 straight games overall before they lost Sunday to the New York Knicks.

No worries in Philly about a losing streak. San Antonio never trailed and led by 49 points at the end of the third quarter.

Devin Vassell hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Spurs.

Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points for the Sixers. They scored only 11 points total in the third quarter.

The 76ers played again without Joel Embiid as he sat out the second of a scheduled three straight games with a strained right oblique. The 76ers were also without the suspended Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness), which left them undermanned and greatly overwhelmed from tip against the superior Spurs.

The Sixers lost VJ Edgecombe after he had a hard landing on his back on a 3-point attempt in the first half.

The Spurs put on a show in front of Bob Costas, Doug Collins and more familiar broadcasters as part of a throwback night for NBC's NBA coverage.

The 76ers would like to throw this one back.

Carter Bryant buried a 3 for 60-36 lead in the first half and the Sixers were booed off the court headed into a timeout. Harper scored 14 points in the half to take a 78-53 lead — all done without forward Harrison Barnes, who had his 364 consecutive games played streak end when he woke up from a nap with a sore ankle.

Up next

Spurs: Return home for the first time since Feb. 21 when they play Detroit on Thursday.

76ers: Host Utah on Wednesday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA