Category: Sports Fox

With the 2026 NFL schedule now released, we know what the regular season will look like. But of course, we don’t know how it will end — or which 14 teams will make the playoffs. That’s what I’m here to tell you. And I’m not just here to tell you who will make the playoffs. Let’s also go through the postseason with a Madden-like simulation to imagine what might happen, from the wild-card games to the Super Bowl. I’m going to project the scores in every playoff game, because there’s no detail too small for a way-too-early playoff prediction bracket. This is the fun time of the year, when every team can win the Super Bowl. I’ll take a crack at predicting who will win. And how they’ll do it. AFC Playoff Standings The most obvious omission is superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. And my reasoning is fairly simple. First, Mahomes is coming back from an ACL injury that he suffered in December. Even if he returns in Week 1 (and I’m dubious), he won’t be the same player until late in the year — and maybe even 2027. Second, the AFC West is one of the best divisions in the NFL, especially because the Las Vegas Raiders should improve drastically this year. And third, the Chiefs’ roster sorely lacked talent last year, and you could argue they traded their third-best player, cornerback Trent McDuffie, this offseason. The AFC South feels like a coin flip between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. I’ll take the Jags, in large part because I trust coach Liam Coen, and because of Texans quarterback. C.J. Stroud’s playoff collapse. But Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and Coen figured something out last year, and I think they can sustain their success. The Bengals, meanwhile, invested in their defense this offseason and should see a real return on that investment. Their schedule is easy. They’ve assembled talent. All they have to do is avoid the slow start that has plagued them seemingly every year under coach Zac Taylor — and I like them to win at least three of their first five games going into their Week 6 bye. Don’t count me as a believer in the Pittsburgh Steelers — or Aaron Rodgers, if he returns. I have even less faith in the playoff-hopeful Indianapolis Colts and Daniel Jones, who’s returning from a torn right Achilles tendon. NFC Playoff Standings Every one of my NFC playoff permutations left out an elite team, which made for an impossible decision. In this case, it was the Green Bay Packers who didn’t make the cut. It genuinely pains me to leave them out, because they’re as good as any of the other teams in the NFC’s playoff pool. Also left out were the Washington Commanders, a team that, if quarterback Jayden Daniels is healthy, could see a real surge, particularly if all their new defensive pieces come together. Even after making the NFC Championship Game two years ago, they’re somehow a sleeper in their conference. Ultimately, I couldn’t bet against the Chicago Bears — which, admittedly, is a little bit crazy. They won several close games last season to finish at 11-6, and those sorts of teams tend to regress. But over the offseason, I spoke to head coach Ben Johnson about the team’s plan to fend off regression and I came away convinced that Chicago is here to stay. Johnson and third-year QB Caleb Williams should take a big step forward. But most importantly, I think defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit will improve drastically, which is what this team really needs in order to finish with a similar record as last season. As for the seeding order, the NFC West is about as hard to predict as can be. The 49ers get the edge because they have a weak schedule and they put together a solid free-agency class, which includes veteran receiver Mike Evans. But the NFC’s top seed could just as easily be the Rams or Seahawks (again). As usual, the NFC South is up for grabs. And as usual, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the consensus favorite. But the Saints have a hilariously easy schedule. In his first season at the helm, coach Kellen Moore got the New Orleans offense humming, admittedly against bad defenses last year. And given all that the Saints did to invest in their continued reboot, with receiver Jordyn Tyson, guard David Edwards and running back Travis Etienne, I think they could find themselves at the top of the division. AFC Wild-Card Round Bye: Broncos NFC Wild-Card Round Bye: 49ers Wouldn’t it be crazy to have a road-team sweep in the NFC? There’s no way the Saints advance. And the Lions will likely have a record that reflects their weak schedule, which could leave them ripe for an upset in Round 1, particularly when matched up against former Detroit OC Ben Johnson, who knows the team’s system and personnel inside and out. Even with the Lions executing a pair of 2-point conversions, Dan Campbell can’t take down the coach he mentored. On the AFC side, the Patriots won’t have the same endurance this year — despite getting better over the course of last postseason. They seem like a team that will regress, which will look like a one-and-done playoff appearance. The Bills are going to be a team with a new-ish identity, particularly on defense, and I think that could make them as dangerous as ever in the postseason, even if it means generating the final stop in a shootout with the Ravens. And remember: Josh Allen is 2-0 against Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. The Chargers get an upset, fueled largely by their run game, which new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is going to turn into something special. AFC Divisional Round NFC Divisional Round The Bengals were — just a few years ago — one of the best-built teams in the NFL and a few points away from a Super Bowl win over the Rams. A lot has changed since then. The quarterback, Joe Burrow, has not. This feels like the season when his love for football returns. This feels like the season when the Bengals support him. As a result, Burrow takes Josh Allen down to advance to the AFC Championship Game. In a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, the Rams get their revenge. L.A. was essentially one play away from beating the Seahawks in Seattle, and I think that the Seahawks would be lucky to see New Orleans in Round 1. Seattle looks bound for a regression year as it restocks the defense. (If the Seahawks saw anyone other than an NFC South team, they’d probably be one-and-done.) AFC Championship NFC Championship If quarterback Bo Nix didn’t break his ankle in the divisional round last season, the Broncos would have made the Super Bowl. They might have even made it if that crazy snow storm hadn’t blown into Denver so quickly and intensely. And it looked like, with Nix, the Broncos were the only great team in an otherwise unspectacular conference. So with the AFC still lacking (compared to the NFC), the Broncos get their second chance. And they’ll convert on it, taking care of Cincinnati, whose questions at cornerback might prove too severe to make a complete Super Bowl run. The Rams can’t quite make good on their second chance in the conference title game. Instead, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford watch as the 49ers eke out a win in San Francisco, in part because they have home-field advantage and in part because they earned the NFC bye. The 49ers are a deep team. They have elite players at premium positions. They have a relatively easy schedule outside their division. This could be their year. Super Bowl LXI What a strange matchup of quarterbacks: Nix and Brock Purdy. What a logical matchup of coaches: Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan. What an excellent matchup of defenses. It feels like Payton and Nix are only coming to understand each other better. It feels like Broncos OC Davis Webb will be the hot head coaching candidate next offseason. And it feels like former Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle is the perfect addition to the Denver offense. (Don’t sleep on rookie tight end Justin Joly either!) That offensive unit proves to be too much against the 49ers, whose age might start to show at this point in the postseason. Running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and receiver Mike Evans might all be among the best at their positions, but they have plenty of wear and tear. That’s how the Broncos find their advantage, with their young and fast defense taking care of Purdy & Co. Payton gets his second Super Bowl victory. And he does it by making Nix look a little bit like Saints legend Drew Brees, including on the game-winning drive when the Broncos convert a two-pointer, rather than settling for a tie (and, likely, overtime).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For over three decades, many of the NFL’s top regular-season matchups have taken place on FOX’s “America’s Game of the Week.” That will certainly be the case for the 2026 season, too. Several of the NFL’s best teams will be featured in “America’s Game of the Week” in 2026, with FOX Sports announcing the nine games that will be featured in that window as part of Thursday’s schedule release. Six of the matchups are between division rivals, including a rematch of one of last season’s epic playoff games. And this slate doesn’t even include what will happen on Thanksgiving Day, when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles on FOX, and Christmas Day, when the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams on FOX. So, as we now know where Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be spending several Sundays this fall, let’s take a look at the early storylines we’re watching for in each of the America’s Game of the Week matchups announced on Thursday: The season launches with two NFC East showdowns. The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders met twice in the final three weeks of the regular season last year, and they’re back at it in their 2026 opener. The Commanders actually opened last year 3-2 and then went 2-10 the rest of the way. Can a healthy Jayden Daniels get back to his phenomenal rookie form of 2024? Washington’s pass defense ranked 31st in average yards per pass play, so it’s a major test for them to open against an upgraded Eagles pass game, which will likely be without A.J. Brown but added first-round pick Makai Lemon and veterans Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown at wide receiver. Watch out for running back Saquon Barkley, who has averaged 143 rushing yards in his last three games against Washington, with a combined five touchdowns. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won more than one playoff game in any season for 30 years, but one thing they can hang their hat on is handling the Washington Commanders. They swept their divisional rival last year and have an 8-2 record since the start of 2021. Dak Prescott threw for 571 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions against Washington last year, and if the Commanders are to get back to anything closer to their 2024 breakout, they’ll need to hold their own in the division. Can rookie linebacker Sonny Styles lead a defensive bounce-back year for Washington? The Commanders ranked dead last in total defense and 31st in the red zone, and this is a chance to show what’s changed against a dangerous offense. The Green Bay Packers have been a wild-card team three years in a row, and a home division game like this is a must-win if they are going to catch the Chicago Bears for an NFC North title. The two games at Soldier Field last year were epic for Chicago’s Caleb Williams — rallying from 10 down with two minutes left to win in overtime in the regular season, then another comeback from 11 down with five minutes to play for a huge win in the playoffs. Jordan Love had three touchdown passes in last year’s win over Chicago at Lambeau Field. After 32 touchdown passes in his first year as a starter, Love has had 25 and 23 in the last two seasons. Can he find a connection with second-year receiver Matthew Golden to get back to his 2023 form? A healthy part of the Lions’ slide from 15-2 in 2024 to 9-8 in 2025 was going from sweeping the Lions to being swept. Detroit’s defense dropped from seventh in points allowed in 2024 to 22nd, and the Packers averaged 29 points in the wins over the Lions. Can a retooled offensive line get Detroit back into playoff form? New Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon should have Micah Parsons back healthy by this game, though starting the season without him could get Green Bay out to a slow start. Detroit’s health is a key, and you’ll see how they’re better with defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike back after missing all of last season. For the first time since he joined FOX Sports in 2024, Tom Brady is set to call a game featuring the New England Patriots. Brady is slated to be in the booth when the Patriots host the Packers in Week 9 in Foxborough. For Green Bay, it gets featured on America’s Game of the Week three times in a span of five weeks, this time going on the road to face the defending AFC champs. New England flipped so much from 2024 to last year’s breakout success, but that included going 1-4 against NFC teams in 2024 and then 5-0 in the regular season last year. Brady went just 4-3 against the Packers in his career — one of his least successful career records — playing long enough to lose to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers alike. Drake Maye was especially good against NFC opponents last year, with 11 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. New San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans is just 1-3 at AT&T Stadium with two touchdowns in his four games there. Can his playmaking ability take San Francisco’s offense to another level? The 49ers ranked fifth in red-zone efficiency and first on third downs last season, and Evans could help them end a surprising drought — San Francisco hasn’t had a receiver catch 10-plus touchdowns in a season since … Terrell Owens in 2002. (Tight ends have done so, but no receivers). Dallas had the NFL’s worst scoring defense last year, allowing 30 points per game, so rookie safety Caleb Downs will lead the efforts to improve there. The Cowboys had just 12 takeaways in all of 2025, the third-lowest total in the league. The NFC West has perhaps three of the top eight teams in the NFL. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks bookended their regular season with the 49ers, losing the opener and then winning in Week 18, followed by a 41-6 thrashing in the playoffs. Seattle’s home-field advantage isn’t what it once was. The Seahawks were 34-6 at home from 2012-16 in their “Legion of Doom” heyday, but they were 16-18 at home from 2021-24 before bouncing back with a 6-2 mark (plus two home playoff wins) last season. Will the NFC West powers beat each other up enough that the division doesn’t get the NFC’s top seed? If the division is to send a team to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years, they might have to be road warriors in January. Alas, the Cincinnati Bengals defense — over the last two seasons, Cincinnati has seven games in which it has scored at least 33 points and lost. No other team in the NFL has more than two such games in the same span. Will that be the case for Joe Burrow and friends in 2026?  The Bengals acquired defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and imported Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen for their defensive front. If they can just get a top-20 defense, that might be enough to get them into the playoffs. Can Patrick Mahomes have a healthy bounce-back season after going 6-8 as a starter and throwing only 22 touchdowns? By this game, Kansas City Chiefs rookie corner Mansoor Delane should have played enough to have confidence trying to cover another LSU standout in Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The Ben Johnson Bowl is back. Chicago went 11-6 and won the division last year despite Johnson getting swept by his old team, including a 52-21 drubbing in Week 2 in Detroit. This is a game that could have major playoff implications, in the division and the conference. Watch for Chicago’s two second-year pass-catchers to shine, with tight end Colston Loveland leading the team in receptions as a rookie last year and receiver Luther Bolden emerging in the final month of his first season. Which quarterback will throw more touchdown passes in 2026? It’s a close call between Detroit’s Jared Goff (who threw 34 last year) and Chicago’s Caleb Williams, who threw for 27 himself.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s time. Four years of preparation will culminate in 1,248 players across 48 countries getting the call every player dreams of to represent their nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer: Here is the full list of rosters for all 48 countries participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Roster to be released by June 1st. Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa), Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atlético de Madrid), Walter Benítez (Crystal Palace FC), Facundo Cambeses (Racing Club), Santiago Beltrán (River Plate) Defenders: Agustín Giay (Palmeiras), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atlético de Madrid), Nicolás Capaldo (Hamburger SV), Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint Gilloise), Lucas Martínez Quarta (River Plate), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolás Otamendi (SL Benfica), Germán Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique de Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Lautaro Di Lollo (Boca Juniors), Zaid Romero (Getafe CF), Facundo Medina (Olympique de Marseille), Marcos Acuña (River Plate), Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), Gabriel Rojas (Racing Club) Midfielders: Máximo Perrone (Como 1907), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Guido Rodríguez (Valencia CF), Aníbal Moreno (River Plate), Milton Delgado (Boca Juniors), Alan Varela (FC Porto), (Ezequiel Fernández (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolás Domínguez (Nottingham Forest), Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa), Valentín Barco (RC Strasbourg) Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás Paz (Como 1907), Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atlético de Madrid), Tomás Aranda (Boca Juniors), Nicolás González (Atlético de Madrid), Alejandro Garnacho (Chelsea), Giuliano Simeone (Atlético de Madrid), Matías Soulé (AS Roma), Claudio Echeverri (Girona FC), Gianluca Prestianni (SL Benfica), Santiago Castro (Bologna FC), Lautaro Martínez (Internazionale), José Manuel López (Palmeiras), Julián Álvarez (Atlético de Madrid), Mateo Pellegrino (Parma Calcio) Final Roster to be released on May 30. Roster to be released on June 1. Roster to be released on May 18. Roster to be released on May 15. Goalkeepers: Nikola Vasilj (FC St. Pauli), Martin Zlomislić (HNK Rijeka), Osman Hadžikić (Slaven Belupo) Defenders: Sead Kolašinac (Atalanta), Amar Dedić (Benfica), Nihad Mujakić (Gaziantep), Nikola Katić (Schalke 04), Tarik Muharemović (Sassuolo), Stjepan Radeljić (HNK Rijeka), Dennis Hadžikadunić (Sampdoria), Nidal Čelik (Lens) Midfielders: Amir Hadžiahmetović (Hull City), Ivan Šunjić (Pafos), Ivan Bašić (Astana), Dženis Burnić (Karlsruher SC), Ermin Mahmić (Slovan Liberec), Benjamin Tahirović (Brøndby), Amar Memić (Viktoria Plzeň), Armin Gigović (Young Boys), Kerim Alajbegović (Red Bull Salzburg), Esmir Bajraktarević (PSV Eindhoven) Forwards: Ermedin Demirović (VfB Stuttgart), Jovo Lukić (Universitatea Cluj), Samed Baždar (Jagiellonia Białystok), Haris Tabaković (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Edin Džeko (Schalke 04) Roster to be released on May 18. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Goalkeepers: Camilo Vargas (Atlas), David Ospina (Atlético Nacional), Álvaro Montero (Vélez Sarsfield), Kevin Mier (Cruz Azul), Andres Mosquera Marmolejo (Independiente Santa Fe), Aldair Quintana (Independiente del Valle) Defenders: Johan Mojica (RCD Mallorca), Álvaro Angulo (Pumas), Deiver Machado (RC Lens), Cristian Borja (Club América), Junior Hernandez (Deportes Tolima), Daniel Muñoz (Crystal Palace), Santiago Arias (Independiente), Andrés Román (Atlético Nacional), Edier Ocampo (Vancouver Whitecaps), Yerry Mina (Cagliari), Davinson Sánchez (Galatasaray), Jhon Lucumí (Bologna), Willer Ditta (Cruz Azul), Yerson Mosquera (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Carlos Cuesta (Vasco da Gama), Juan Cabal (Juventus), Jhohan Romaña (San Lorenzo) Midfielders: Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace), Richard Ríos (Benfica), Juan Camilo Portilla (Talleres de Córdoba), Nelson Deossa (Pachuca), Gustavo Puerta (Hull City), Kevin Castaño (Krasnodar), Jhon Solís (Girona), Jorge Carrascal (Dynamo Moscow), James Rodríguez (Minnesota United), Jhon Arias (Palmeiras), Juan Fernando Quintero (Racing Club), Yaser Asprilla (Girona), Sebastian Gomez (Coritiba), Juan Manuel Rengifo (Independiente Santa Fe), Jordan Barrera (Barranquilla FC), Wilmar Barrios (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Juan Cuadrado (Atalanta), Johan Rojas (Vasco da Gama) Forwards: Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich), Carlos Andrés Gómez (Vasco da Gama), Johan Carbonero (Racing Club), Jaminton Campaz (Rosario Central), Luis Suárez (Sporting CP), Jhon Córdoba (Krasnodar), Rafael Santos Borré (Internacional), Neiser Villareal (Millonarios), Kevin Viveros (Atlético Nacional), Edwin Cetre (Estudiantes de La Plata), Juan Camilo Hernandez (Columbus Crew), John Steven Mendoza (León), Sebastian Villa (Independiente Rivadavia) Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 15. Roster to be released on June 1. Roster to be released by June 1st. Goalkeepers: Lukas Hornicek (Braga), Martin Jedlicka (Banik Ostrava), Antonín Kinsky (Tottenham), Jan Koutny (Sigma Olomouc), Matej Kovar (PSV Eindhoven), Jakub Markovic (Slavia Prague), Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague) Defenders: Vladimír Coufal (TSG Hoffenheim), David Douděra (Slavia Prague), Matěj Hadaš (Sigma Olomouc), Tomáš Holeš (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranáč (TSG Hoffenheim), Štěpán Chaloupek (Slavia Prague), Václav Jemelka (Viktoria Plzen), David Jurásek (Slavia Prague), Ladislav Krejčí (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Karel Spáčil (Viktoria Plzen), Adam Ševínský (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitík (Bologna), Tomáš Vlček (Slavia Prague), Jaroslav Zelený (Sparta Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague) Midfielders: Lukas Ambros (Gornik Zabrze), Michal Beran (Sigma Olomouc), Pavel Bucha (FC Cincinnati), Lukás Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Krystof Danek (LASK Linz), Vladimir Darida (Hradec Kralove), Patrik Hellebrand (Gornik Zabrze), Adam Karabec (Lyon), Ondrej Kricfaluši (Banik Ostrava), Tomáš Ladra (Viktoria Plzen), David Planka (Banik Ostrava), Lukás Provod (Slavia Prague), Matěj Ryneš (Sparta Prague), Lukas Sadílek (Gornik Zabrze), Michal Sadílek (Slavia Prague), Hugo Sochůrek (Sparta Prague), Alexandr Sojka (Viktoria Plzen), Tomáš Souček (West Ham), Pavel Šulc (Lyon), Denis Višinský (Viktoria Plzen) Forwards: Adam Hložek (TSG Hoffenheim), Tomáš Chorý (Slavia Prague), Mojmír Chytil (Slavia Prague), Christophe Kabongo (Mlada Boleslav), Jan Kliment (Sigma Olomouc), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Vasil Kušej (Slavia Prague), Ondřej Mihálik (Hradec Kralove), Vojtěch Patrák (Pardubice), Václav Sejk (Sigma Olomouc), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Matej Vydra (Viktoria Plzen) Final Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 22. Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes) Defenders: Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal) Midfielders: Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), N’Golo Kante (Fenerbahce), Manu Kone (Roma), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain) Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) Roster to be released on May 21. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 15. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 16. Goalkeepers: Alex Padilla (Athletic Club), Antonio Rodríguez (Tijuana), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna), Carlos Moreno (Pachuca), Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol), Raúl Rangel (Chivas) Defenders: Bryan González (Chivas), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Eduardo Águila (Atlético de San Luis), Everardo López (Toluca), Israel Reyes (América), Jesús Angulo (Tigres), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Jesús Gómez (Tijuana), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Jorge Sánchez (PAOK), Julián Araujo (Celtic), Luis Rey (Puebla), Mateo Chávez (AZ Alkmaar), Ramón Juárez (América), Richard Ledezma (Chivas), Víctor Guzmán (Monterrey) Midfielders: Alexei Domínguez (Pachuca), Alexis Gutiérrez (America), Alvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas), Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul), Denzell Garcia (FC Juarez), Diego Lainez (Tigres), Efrain Álvarez (Chivas), Elias Montiel (Pachuca), Erick Sánchez (America), Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Gilberto Mora (Tijuana), Isaías Violante (America), Jeremy Márquez (Cruz Azul), Jordan Carrillo (Pumas), Jorge Ruvalcaba (NY Red Bulls), Kevin Castañeda (Tijuana), Luis Chávez (Dinamo Moscu), Luis Romo (Chivas), Marcel Ruiz (Toluca), Obed Vargas (Atlético de Madrid), Orbelin Pineda (AEK), Jesús Angulo (Toluca) Forwards: Alexis Vega (Toluca), Armando González (Chivas), César Huerta (Anderlecht), Germán Berterame (Inter Miami), Guillermo Martínez (Pumas), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah), Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Roberto Alvarado (Chivas), Santiago Giménez (Milan) Final Roster to be released on June 1. Roster to be released on May 21. Roster to be released on May 25. Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe (Millwall), Alex Paulsen (Lechia Gdańsk), Michael Woud (Auckland FC) Defenders: Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix), Francis De Vries (Auckland FC), Tyler Bindon (Nottingham Forest), Michael Boxall (Minnesota United), Liberato Cacace (Wrexham), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Finn Surman (Portland Timbers), Callan Elliot (Auckland FC), Tommy Smith (Braintree Town) Midfielders: Joe Bell (Viking FK), Matt Garbett (Peterborough United), Marko Stamenic (Swansea City), Sarpreet Singh (Wellington Phoenix), Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle) Forwards: Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest), Eli Just (Motherwell), Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers), Ben Waine (Port Vale), Ben Old (Saint-Étienne), Callum McCowatt (Silkeborg IF), Jesse Randall (Auckland FC), Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets) Roster to be released on May 21. Roster to be released on May 26. Goalkeepers: Roberto Fernández (Cerro Porteño), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gastón Olveira (Olimpia), Carlos Coronel (Sao Paulo), Santiago Rojas (Nacional), Juan Espínola (Barracas Central) Defenders: Gustavo Gómez (Palmeiras), Júnior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro), Fabián Balbuena (Gremio), Omar Alderete (Sunderland), Juan Caceres (Dynamo Moscow), Blas Riveros (Cerro Porteno), Alan Benitez (Libertad), Agustin Sandez (Rosario Central), Mateo Gamarra (Cruzeiro), Saul Salcedo (Newell’s Old Boys), Jose Canale (Lanus), Diego León (Manchester United), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres), Alcides Benitez (Belgrano), Ronaldo Dejesus (Lanus), Alan Nuñez (Nacional) Midfielders: Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United), Mathías Villasanti (Gremio), Kaku (Al Ain), Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Ramón Sosa (Palmeiras), Diego Gómez (Brighton & Hove Albion), Damián Bobadilla (Sao Paulo), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City), Matías Galarza (Atlanta United), Robert Piris Da Motta (Cerro Porteno), Alvaro Campuzano (Libertad), Diego Gonzalez (Atlas), Hugo Cuenca (Burgos), Mauricio Magalhaes (Palmeiras), Lucas Romero (Universidad de Chile), Enso González (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Ruben Lezcano (Olimpia) Forwards: Oscar Romero (Huracan), Ángel Romero (Boca Juniors), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Gabriel Avalos (Independiente), Carlos Gonzalez (Independiente del Valle), Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Adam Bareiro (Boca Juniors), Lorenzo Melgarejo (Libertad), Isidro Pitta (Red Bull Bragantino), Ronaldo Martinez (Talleres), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth), Robert Morales (UNAM), Adrian Alcaraz (Olimpia), Rodney Redes (LDU Quito) FInal Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 19. Goalkeepers: Shehab Elleithy (Al Shahania), Salah Zakaria (Al Duhail), Meshaal Barsham (Al Sadd), Mahmoud Abunada (Al Rayyan) Defenders: Boualem Khoukhi (Al Sadd), Pedro Miguel (Al Sadd), Sultan Al Brake (Al Duhail), Tarek Salman (Al Sadd), Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain (Al Arabi), Ayoub Al-Alawi (Al Gharafa), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al Duhail), Rayyan Al-Ali (Al Gharafa), Issa Laye (Al Arabi), Lucas Mendes (Al Wakrah), Mohammed Waad (Al Shamal), Niall Mason (Qatar) Midfielders: Ahmed Fathi (Al Arabi), Jassim Gaber (Al Rayyan), Assim Madibo (Al Wakrah), Abdulaziz Hatem (Al Rayyan), Karim Boudiaf (Al Duhail), Mohammed Mannai (Al Shamal), Homam Al-Amin (Cultural Leonesa) Forwards: Almoez Ali (Al Duhail), Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Tahsin Mohammed (Al Duhail), Edmílson Junior (Al Duhail), Ahmed Al-Ganehi (Al Gharafa), Ahmed Alaa (Al Rayyan), Sebastián Soria (Qatar), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al Sadd), Mubarak Shannan (Al Duhail), Mohammed Muntari (Al Gharafa), Yusuf Abdurisag (Al Wakrah) Final Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 25. Goalkeepers: Kristoffer Nordfeldt (AIK), Viktor Johansson (Stoke City), Jacob Widell Zetterström (Derby County) Defenders: Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Victor Lindelof (Aston Villa), Isak Hien (Atalanta), Carl Starfelt (Celta Vigo), ⁠Elliot Stroud (Mjallby ​AIF), Gustaf Lagerbielke (Braga), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United), Emil Holm (Juventus), Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley), Erik ​Smith (St. Pauli) Midfielders: Taha Ali (Malmo), Yasin Ayari (Brighton), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Jesper Karlstrom (Udinese), Ken Sema (Pafos), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg), Besfort Zeneli (Union St-Gilloise) Forwards: Alexander Bernhardsson (Holstein Kiel), Anthony Elanga (Newcastle United), Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal), Alexander Isak (Liverpool), Gustaf Nilsson (Club Brugge), Benjamin Nygren (Celtic) Roster to be released on May 20. Roster to be released on May 15. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released on May 26. Roster to be released by June 1st. Roster to be released by June 1st.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) — Pato O’Ward has famously found himself in contention to win the Indianapolis 500. He’s led during the last lap. But not at the finish line. O’Ward has led 95 laps in his six Indy 500 starts, and the Arrow McLaren No. 5 driver has nine career victories in the series. But none have come in the Indy 500. So what makes the Indy 500 so hard to win? “It goes greater than just driving the race car,” O’Ward told me and other reporters this week. “It goes through seven pit stops. It goes through an ever-changing strategy. It goes through the timing [of moves], the timing that I still have to get right. “And there’s so many things that are out of your control that can throw it upside down. But at the end of the day, it is up to us inside of the race cars to try and just get ourselves into that opportunity to make it happen.” An opportunity. That’s what the drivers seek at Indianapolis. And then they hope, in some ways, a little bit of racing luck falls their way. From driver to driver, they talk about how this race is different than any other. And it isn’t just the fact that more than 300,000 people will be at the track for the sold-out race on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX). For the last few years, drivers have not raced on an oval 1.5 miles or bigger. That makes the 2.5-mile IMS oval much larger than any other race they run all year. They don’t run 500 miles anywhere else, meaning more pit stops. So what they learn one year, they can’t apply to any other track, meaning it takes a year to learn. It took Josef Newgarden 12 starts in the race to win it — his 27th career victory in the series. The Team Penske No. 2 driver then won again in his 13th and appeared to be in position to win in his 14th last year before a mechanical issue ended his day. “If we get an opportunity like we did last year, I think we’ll be in a good spot,” Newgarden told me and other reporters this week. “Every year is different, though. There’s maybe not been as many changes year over year, but I think you’ve just got to be open to the possibility to that what worked last year might not work this year.” Alexander Rossi won as a rookie in 2016. He’s been trying to earn that second victory since then. [WHO TO ROOT FOR? Guide To Choosing Your Favorite INDYCAR Driver] What makes this race so hard to win? “You should ask Scott [Dixon] that,” Rossi told me and other reporters last month. “He’s one of the best drivers of our generation, and he only has one as well. There’s just so many variables and things out of your control and it’s a very particular race.” Scott Dixon has won the pole three times since his 2008 victory, which came in his sixth start. The Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 driver will make his 18th start this year in looking for that second win. Oh, and Dixon — the six-time INDYCAR champion — also has led more laps (677) than any other driver in race history. “Even if you have a perfect day, it only gives you a chance,” Dixon told me and other reporters. “It’s a longer race. Everybody’s pushing everything to the limit, whether that’s the driver or on the mechanical side, or on the engineering side, strategy side. “And then, like anything on ovals, it can be a, a late-race caution that could flip everything on its head as well. So some things are in your control and some things are out of your control. As far as you look at a three-hour, one-day event, it’s probably the hardest one.” Ovals. For drivers who grew up in the European formula system and move to INDYCAR, they don’t have much experience racing ovals. There are five oval tracks on this year’s schedule — Phoenix, WWTR Gateway (St. Louis), Nashville, Milwaukee and Indy. Christian Lundgaard won the race Saturday on the IMS road course. But the Arrow McLaren No. 7 driver isn’t considered a favorite this weekend because he is rarely a contender on ovals. Lundgaard told me and other reporters that his competitors have told him once it clicks for him on an oval, he will run better. “Phoenix was a big disappointment in many ways,” Lundgaard said about the March race. “The test [in February] was never really the same for me as the race was. “There’s no time out there where I’m uncomfortable. … It is just that feel of you need to be comfortable in the uncomfortable and just put the car in different positions and different places to really figure out what it’s doing. And I think some people are happier to do that than others.” [POWER RANKINGS: Christian Lundgaard Leaps After Sonsio Grand Prix Win] Helio Castroneves is more than happy to do that. He has won four Indianapolis 500s. He won his first two and then needed seven more races to earn a third and then 12 more to win a fourth. Driving an extra entry for Meyer Shank Racing, Castroneves looks to capture a victory on the sport’s biggest stage (by the way, he’s used to big other stages as a Dancing With The Stars winner in 2007). “I refuse to hear people say that you can’t do it, and I’m just going to work extremely hard and put all the little details together,” Castroneves told me and other reporters as he talked about what makes this race hard as he goes for a record fifth. “And I think that’s where I’m good at it.” Every driver says the issue is they can put all those little details together and still not win. Will Power won in his 11th start in 2018. This will be his eighth attempt at earning another and his first start for the Andretti Global No. 26 driver. “It’s so complicated with how much goes into it,” Power told me and other reporters last month. “You could name 10 different reasons why you didn’t win the past 10 races here. “It’s unpredictable. You never know what’s going to happen on race day. I think the lesson would be, is to be there at the end in that front group. That’s, if I was to tell myself something over the last 10 times I’ve done this, is you’ve got to get to the end and be at the front.” That’s exactly where four-time INDYCAR Series champion Alex Palou found himself last year. “You need to have a fast car, but only having a fast car doesn’t mean anything,” Palou told me and other reporters. “You need to have great pits, but only having that doesn’t mean anything. … It’s such a long race with so many pit stops and things that continue to change that you need to be able to react wherever you are.” Palou is used to winning by leading most of the laps in his Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10 car. At Indianapolis, in a 200-lap, 500-mile race, there will be times when a driver ends up outside the top-10. “It’s not like a straightforward race where you’re top-three and you do a good pit stop and you win,” Palou said. “It’s more of like, ‘Hey, you might be leading, but then you’re 15th four-wide on the outside, and you need to survive that. “There’s so many things that can go wrong, and as soon as one of those don’t go right, you cannot win.” Marcus Ericsson knows that. He won in his fourth Indy 500 start. But he has been close to winning two of the last three. His failure to win hasn’t come from a lack of effort. “There are so many things that you have to get right, and even when you do get everything right, it’s still not over until it’s over,” Ericsson told me and other reporters here at Indianapolis. “So it’s a tough race to win. “And it’s the race you work all year-round, or at least I do, to try and figure out how I can be better here, how I can execute better, how I can minimize mistakes — how I can just get back to Victory Lane, basically. So it’s what drives me, and I think many others.” Which brings us back to O’Ward, who, as the commercials have shown, has had his heart ripped out here at Indy. A driver can find himself in position and then must do everything right in the final laps. “[You must choose] when to make a pass, when you choose to back up to [someone] — and a yellow can come out because some other guy decided to put it in the wall,” O’Ward said. “Or you do [that move] too early, and they get you back. “I feel like I’ve had it all happen to me.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Do you want your favorite driver to be fiery, friendly or just consistent? Well, there are 25 full-time INDYCAR drivers in the series, so there are quite a few different personalities to choose from. But who should fans root for when the green flag drops for the fastest racing on Earth, the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 (12:45 p.m. ET live on FOX)? Before it’s time for drivers to start their engines, here’s some helpful nuggets about each driver to help pick a favorite as they race toward Victory Lane at The Brickyard. Mr. Consistent: Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10 Honda Who is he? Palou rarely seems to have a bad day. The 29-year-old Spaniard has been running at the finish in 54 of the last 57 races. In those 57 races, he finished in the top three 33 times (that’s good for 58 percent). No wonder he has won the championship the last three years and four of the last five — and has a big lead already as he eyes a fifth title. Fun fact: He is a passionate pickleball player. The Pop Star: Pato O’Ward Arrow McLaren No. 5 Chevrolet Who is he?  More than any other INDYCAR driver, Pato O’Ward has the strongest following — at least on social. It’s no wonder the Mexican driver has his country wanting to host an INDYCAR race. The McLaren driver has nine wins in 112 career starts. Fun fact: He considers himself a foodie. The Determined: Josef Newgarden Team Penske No. 2 Chevrolet Who is he?  The 35-year-old Newgarden has won 33 races over the last 12 INDYCAR seasons, including back-to-back Indy 500 triumphs in 2023 and 2024. The Penske driver seems to be one of the more emotional INDYCAR drivers when things go wrong and one of the most cold-blooded when he sees a chance to pounce. Fun fact: He has appeared on “American Ninja Warrior” and participated in the NFL Combine. Yes, really. The Champion: Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 Honda Who is he?  There are several drivers who have won titles, but Scott Dixon leads all active drivers with six championships and 59 victories. The 45-year-old New Zealander looks like he could race another 10 years for Ganassi, although we figure his career will end sooner than later. Fun fact: Appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. And Knighted last December. The Fiery: Will Power Andretti Global No. 26 Honda Who is he?  The 45-year-old Power is known to have emotional outbursts when someone angers him with a move or a decision. However, the Penske-turned-Andretti driver seems to get over it somewhat quickly — or at least much quicker than the highlight remains viral. Fun fact: Enjoys drumming and purchased his first drum set at the age of 15. The Curious: Mick Schumacher Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 47 Honda Who is he? The son of Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher, Mick had a brief tenure in Formula 1 before coming to INDYCAR this year as a rookie. He’s had some awesome and not-so-awesome moments. Fun fact: He is named after motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan. The Antagonist: Santino Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Racing No. 14 Chevrolet Who is he?  Santino Ferrucci gets under the skin of other drivers with what some would say are outlandish moves on the track. He only seems to care a little bit about that, though. The 27-year-old driver from Connecticut loves to race, so driving for A.J. Foyt seems appropriate. Fun fact: Was featured in GQ magazine as an 11-year-old karting prodigy. The Friend: Scott McLaughlin Team Penske No. 3 Chevrolet Who is he?  Scott McLaughlin brought his New Zealand spirit to the United States after winning three consecutive Supercar championships. His transition to INDYCAR wasn’t easy, but it’s still unknown whether the Penske driver will reach superstar results. Fun fact: Enjoys golf and plays regular rounds with Penske teammate and NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney. The Beachgoer: Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global No. 27 Honda Who is he?  Kyle Kirkwood lives in Florida. He likes his surfing. And fishing. And diving. Oh, and he can race, too. The Andretti driver won twice in 2023 and three times in 2025. Fun fact: Has a love for deep-sea fishing. The Zoomer: David Malukas Team Penske No. 12 Chevrolet Who is he? David Malukas is knocking on the door of his first win. But if there was a contest for the best social content creator in the garage, Malukas would win hands down. Fun fact: His favorite sports team is Chelsea. The Veteran: Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 15 Honda Who is he?  Graham Rahal is in his 20th year of full-time INDYCAR racing. The son of driver and team co-owner Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal has six career wins. Fun fact: he is a diehard fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Unintimidated: Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global No. 28 Honda Who is he?  Marcus Ericsson races hard and seems to just go about his business while on the track. The 35-year-old Swede has four career wins, but it’s been more than three years since his last victory in the 2023 season opener. He’s changed teams since then, going from Ganassi to Andretti before the start of 2025. Fun fact: Was once a youth hockey goalie before pursuing a racing career. The Frustrated: Alexander Rossi ECR No. 20 Chevrolet Who is he?  Rossi is in his 11th season in INDYCAR and in 2025 had a new firesuit as he joined Ed Carpenter Racing. This is his fourth organization. The 34-year-old Rossi has had plenty of highs and lows with eight victories and finishes as high as second in the standings and as low as 15th. He does a podcast each week, where he details the ups and downs of a driver who had just two podium finishes in the last three-plus years. Fun fact: Enjoys flying and has his private pilot’s license. The Nice Guy: Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 Honda Who is he?  Talk to people around INDYCAR and many say Felix Rosenqvist is one of the nicest people in the paddock. The Meyer Shank Racing driver appeared to be on the brink of a breakout season a couple of years ago but is still searching for it. Fun fact: Hobbies include skiing, skateboarding, hiking and video games. The Hot Seat: Nolan Siegel Arrow McLaren No. 6 Chevrolet Who is he? Nolan Siegel joined Arrow McLaren during the 2024 season and knows if he doesn’t consistently battle for a top-10 finish, he likely will need to find a new home for next year. Fun fact: He has his pilot’s license. The Young and Confident: Marcus Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 Honda Who Is he? The 25-year-old Marcus Armstrong had four top-five finishes in 29 starts over 2023-24 at Ganassi before moving to Meyer Shank last year. Fun fact: One of Armstrong’s favorite lines about NASCAR is that “Talladega Nights” is a documentary. The Upstart: Christian Lundgaard Arrow McLaren No. 7 Chevrolet Who is he? He’s the most recent INDYCAR winner, that’s who Christian Lundgaard is. He is in his fifth season of INDYCAR racing (he has two wins) and went from RLL to Arrow McLaren before the start of last season. Fun fact: He has a golf handicap of 3. The Underdog: Rinus VeeKay Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 76 Chevrolet Who is he?  VeeKay spent five years at Ed Carpenter Racing, went to Dale Coyne Racing last season and now is with Juncos Hollinger Racing. The 25-year-old has finished 12th to 14th in the standings each year at ECR but did not earn a podium finish in 2023 or in 2024. So the split from ECR is somewhat understandable but also was a little bit of a surprise, and he has been scrapping for a ride each of the last two years. Fun fact: Enjoys cycling. The Ready To Prove: Christian Rasmussen ECR Racing No. 21 Chevrolet Who is he? Christian Rasmussen, like Lundgaard, is from Denmark, and after doing 13 races for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2024 (he didn’t do four of the oval races), he ran well enough that he has been full time since 2025. Fun fact: Rasmussen has a passion for old cars. The Survivor: Romain Grosjean Dale Coyne Racing No. 18 Honda Who is he? Google Romain Grosjean’s name and you will see the fiery F1 accident he was previously in — you’ll be amazed that he is still racing. Fun fact: He started an esports racing team in 2020. The Improved: Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi No. 8 Honda Who is he? While still inconsistent, Kyffin Simpson is showing steady progress as he is now in his third season at Chip Ganassi Racing. Fun fact: He is from the Cayman Islands. The Doubted: Sting Ray Robb Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 77 Chevrolet Who are they?  Sting Ray Robb is in his fourth season in the series and second with Juncos Hollinger Racing with two top-10s over the last three-plus years. Fun fact: Robb’s unique name is from a combination of his ancestral roots in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and his grandfathers’ names. The Potential: Louis Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 45 Honda Who is he?  Louis Foster is finding his way in his second season as the reigning INDYCAR rookie of the year. Fun fact: Foster’s father is a former British Touring Car champion. The Prospect: Dennis Hauger Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 Honda Who is he? Denis Hauger is the defending Indy NXT champion and is an Andretti Global driver on loan to DCR for this season. Fun fact: Hauger wears an amulet, which he received from his grandmother, for good luck. The Unknown: Caio Collet A.J. Foyt Racing No. 4 Chevrolet Who is he? Collet finished second in the Indy NXT Series last year, his second season in the series after racing formula cars for several years. Fun fact: His father raced quadbikes and competed in the Dakar Rally.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

In 2024, when the Los Angeles Chargers created what became their viral “Sims”-themed schedule release video, several members of their social team sat in a room filming the New England Patriots matchup in the life simulation video game. The scene was a retirement home. At some point, something strange started to happen. “One of the Sims peed his pants because I guess we had him standing there for too long,” Megan Julian, the Chargers’ vice president of social media and digital marketing, told me. “And then he’d like go take a shower. We were all just sitting there, waiting for this little Sim [character] to go do his thing. Sometimes, this job and this process is such a ridiculous thing. “And then at the end, when everybody gets to see [the video] and my boss is yelling from down the hall, ‘Is it doing well? Do people like it?’” Julian added. “We’re reading the comments out loud. We’re looking at the Reddit threads to see what jokes people picked up on. I think it just brings us together in a really cool way before the season every year.” This is just one example of how big the schedule reveal has become in NFL culture. Over the past several years, schedule release day has become known as the Super Bowl for social media teams. Their videos are analyzed and ranked for the quality of jokes, nostalgic nods and pop culture references. Videos like the Chargers’ anime creation in 2022 and the Tennessee Titans’ 2023 reel, in which they quizzed people on Broadway Street in Nashville on the logos of their opponents that year, broke the internet. In 2019, the Atlanta Falcons’ schedule release video paid homage to “Game of Thrones” by using the cityscapes and mascots of their opponents. In 2024, the Patriots had Julian Edelman portray the title character in “Good Will Hunting” in a parody of the Oscar-winning movie set in Boston. That same year, the Los Angeles Rams had video game versions of Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and other star players recklessly drive around the cities of the team’s opponents in a takeoff on “Grand Theft Auto.” Ahead of Thursday’s 2026 schedule release, I spoke to leaders of the Chargers and Falcons’ content teams about what it takes to make a great schedule release video. Both franchises expressed an appreciation for the camaraderie and creative freedom involved. “It’s a chance for creative teams to kind of let their hair down. It’s a chance for all clubs to kind of use its proverbial one night to roast, and they roast and can be roasted and that’s just part of the fun of it,” Falcons chief marketing officer Shannon Joyner told me. “These videos really do kind of live on their own. … It’s truly just a creative exploration that doesn’t have any set rules or necessities that go along with it. I think that is what — in a positive way — lends to such a spectrum of 32 amazingly creative ideas that all have their own unique flavor.” The Chargers began working on their 2026 schedule release video in late January, not long after their opponents were finalized. Every year, their video and social teams get together for an initial meeting, where “upwards of 100” ideas are pitched, according to Julian. Nothing is ruled out early. This year, the Chargers pared their ideas down to five themes and then examined the constraints and opportunities for each potential concept. “You could almost say you’re burning a lot of time by doing that, but you almost need to be really exhaustive on the pre-production to really know that you’re hitting on the right idea,” Tyler Pino, the Chargers’ vice president of production, told me. “And so that process is probably the most painful of all this. “Then there always comes a moment when everyone in the room — you don’t even have to say it — is like, ‘This is it.’ … Then you just take off like a rocket ship,” he added. “From there, it’s like a Manhattan Project. The team is like ‘OK, like we gotta go.’” There’s a challenge of being “niche while also being broad” with the project, as Pino put it. The video should speak to your fan base, the NFL at large and broader pop culture simultaneously. Both teams acknowledge that there have been jokes in their schedule release videos that were completely missed. Some jokes, thrown in at the last minute, land better than expected. Others, which took a lot of time, don’t land at all. And some things that weren’t even intended to be jokes become ones. “I think that’s just the nature of the beast,” Julian told me. The Falcons, who also began their schedule release prep in January, have an initial meeting that is an “organizational open invitation,” according to Joyner — employees from the social media team to the stadium tours business participate. This year, Atlanta’s creative team involved the franchise’s new football regime — head coach Kevin Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham. “We do want to use this moment to tastefully call back to things or honor things, or that our fans will react to or that the internet will react to,” Ryan Delgado, the Falcons’ director of digital platforms, told me. “It’s important for us to kind of think through that lens, but realizing that everyone has a different version of that and how that comes across is always going to be kind of a challenge for sure. “It’s very difficult to stick to one thing and you put your head down and look up months later and be like, ‘Here it is.’ I mean, that’s just the way the internet works and how quickly things move and whatever the new moments are and if you’re able to integrate those in there, then great.” Organizationally, the schedule release video is “really important” to the Chargers, per Julian. There’s an understanding that it can help the team sell tickets and generate excitement. No other creative pursuit in the calendar year takes as much time. “Normally in social and video, we’re going really quickly,” Julian told me. The Chargers had meetings on the schedule release video five days per week dating back to February. That doesn’t include all the technical and creative work that employees put in on the project. “It’s like creating a sequel to anything: You want to make it bigger and better and subvert expectations of what people think we’re going to do,” Pino told me. “Every year we’re like, ‘How can we do this again?’ When you’re at the bottom of the mountain, it’s pretty daunting, especially when you don’t have the idea yet. You always have doubt of can we actually pull this off again? And then somehow, through us all just kind of being in rooms for hours and hours and hours and banging our heads against the wall, we usually get to a good result. “It’s definitely become a bigger thing than we’ve ever imagined.” Joyner called the schedule release “the ultimate brand and business moment.” “The floor has been raised so, so high for what clubs are doing and how you show up on this day, how you show up in this moment,” Delgado told me. “And you’re naturally going to observe all 32 clubs and kind of see what they did. Learn from it. Try to figure out, ‘How did that happen? How did that come about?’ You’re always going to be sort of a fan first or try to walk yourself through this and be able to watch all of them as much as you possibly can.” [Ranking the 10 Best Schedule Release Videos of All Time] Pino sees the schedule release video process as rewarding. At no other point in the year are there so many people working on one project. Before publishing their video each year, the Chargers find peace in the answers to a couple of questions: Did we like our process? Did we work as hard on this as we could to make it as good as it could have been? The work on the 2026 schedule release videos is now done. Tonight is the Super Bowl for social teams. “That last 15 minutes before we release the video, there’s always all of us in the room like really nervous,” Pino told me. “Like, ‘Oh, I don’t know about this year.’ It happens every year. And then you just have to kind of release it to the world and hope for the best.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The World Cup final is often a star-studded affair – and now this summer’s edition will have some of the biggest names in music joining the festivities. FIFA announced that the tournament’s final on July 19 will have a halftime show that will feature Shakira, Madonna and BTS with the show curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Shakira is set to release the official song of the World Cup, “Dai Dai,” later Thursday. The July 19 match will take place at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the halftime show aiming to raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to provide access to quality education and football for children worldwide. The 48-team tournament will begin June 11 and will be co-hosted by 16 cities spread across three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States. Mexico opens up the tournament on June 11 against South Africa in Mexico City, and will have opening ceremony headliners that include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla. An opening ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12 ahead of the USA’s opener against Paraguay will feature music acts like Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla. Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on the same day will feature performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. 2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19). The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) — Weeks of frustration turned into a sense of relief and, finally, a moment of levity Tuesday for Shohei Ohtani, who jokingly asked his teammates in the dugout for the home-run ball after he went deep for the first time since April 28. Lately, even brief spurts of joy and frivolity have come sparingly for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their extended offensive funk. On Tuesday, those moments were fleeting again as the Dodgers lost for the fourth straight day and the ninth time in their last 13 games. But Ohtani, who entered the night 4-for-38 over his past 11 games, reached base three times and ended his long-ball drought. Leading off the third inning, he took a sinker off the outer edge from San Francisco Giants starter Adrian Houser the other way with a 105.9 mph liner off the bat for a 398-foot home run. Amid the offense’s larger struggles, manager Dave Roberts felt like it might have been a turning point for his scuffling slugger, even if Ohtani couldn’t stop the spiral for the rest of a dormant lineup that has scored two runs or fewer over the past 13 games. If the two-way superstar hopes to build on his encouraging performance at the plate, though, it will have to wait. The Dodgers plan to give the four-time MVP a breather, holding him out of the lineup for the next two games amid his prolonged slump. “The pros are, taking the hitting part off his plate, letting his body recover a little bit as far as being a two-way player for a couple days, playing more of the longer view, potentially giving him a reset on the offensive side,” Roberts explained Tuesday afternoon, before Ohtani’s breakout night. “The con is just not being able to write his name in the lineup at the top of the order.” After already informing the player of his plan, Roberts wasn’t swayed by Ohtani’s slump-busting two-hit game. “I don’t like the bait and switch,” Roberts said. “To go back on a pact, a decision, that we came upon, or I came upon, I don’t like that.” The plan is for Ohtani to only pitch on Wednesday, marking the fourth time in his last five starts on the mound that he won’t be in the lineup. Ohtani is then expected to get Thursday off, too. When or if that happens, it will be the first time in Ohtani’s tenure with the Dodgers that he’ll be held out of the lineup in consecutive games despite being available to play. Ohtani is expected to be available to pinch-hit late on Thursday, but Roberts hopes that the superstar takes advantage of the extra rest and shows up a little later to the field. “For me, with any hitter, when the quality of at-bat starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a telling sign there needs to be a break,” Roberts said. Roberts told me that Ohtani hasn’t expressed that he’s dealing with fatigue, but it seems like it might be a factor in his at-bats of late as he assumes full two-way duties for the first time since 2023. Beyond the dip in surface-level numbers, Ohtani’s bat speed is down a tick from last season. He’s posting his lowest hard-hit rate since 2020, and his chase rate is the highest it’s been in the past six years. “I think the fatigue is bleeding into the mechanics,” Roberts said. “I think that most players get that towards the end of the summer. And now I’m learning, managing Shohei, it has probably shown itself a little earlier as far as the tax on pitching and all that comes with it to the hitting, too.” Dodgers pitching coach Aaron Bates told me that if Ohtani is dealing with any fatigue, it might be more mental than physical. If Ohtani is tired, Bates reasoned, he wouldn’t still be trying to steal bases, as he has done four times in his past 14 games. Bates believes Ohtani is capable of handling this workload. Roberts maintains that he is, too, but also acknowledged that the plan the Dodgers had for Ohtani before the season is “fluid” and requires reading and reacting. “We have an opportunity to do things the way we feel are best for him,” Roberts said. “So, no one thought it was gonna be easy. No one thought it was gonna be linear.” On the mound, Ohtani looks like a Cy Young contender. He has a 0.97 ERA and has gone at least six innings in each of his six starts. At the plate, Ohtani’s downturn is one of many problems for a Dodgers’ offense that ranks 18th in runs scored, 20th in home runs and 21st in slugging since April 18, a span of 23 games. But it’s a significant one. Even after his two-hit performance Tuesday, Ohtani is batting just .200 with two home runs over his last 17 games. His .796 OPS is the lowest it’s been through his team’s first 42 games since 2022. After going hitless in just 25.9% of his games last year, he has done so in 41% of his games this season. His 17 RBIs are also his fewest ever to this point of a season, and his seven home runs are his fewest through his team’s first 42 games since 2020. Often, Bates said, Ohtani’s misses are the same as they were last year, where he’s chasing balls in the dirt or hitting them too far out front and rolling over. “He would just mix in the homers between the misses,” Bates explained. “So, when you’re not necessarily hitting the homers, the rockets, the doubles, and you have the same misses, it looks probably worse than it is.” Ohtani has been adamant that he doesn’t think his pitching is impacting his hitting, but he has acknowledged that it’s more difficult in this current role to devote the time necessary to fix his swing when something is off. He has to keep his health at the forefront, which means balancing his workload and monitoring his repetitions while also trying to perform his Herculean tasks. Over the past week, for instance, he has hit on the field multiple times before games, a tactic he only tries when he’s searching for something at the plate. But he has had to work that batting practice around his bullpen sessions in preparation for his start on Wednesday. “It’s always a juggling act,” Bates said. “It’s just bandwidth, I think, pitching and hitting full season now. And also last year, he was doing really well when he started layering the pitching in, so you kind of had the hitting on, not autopilot, but he knew where he was at and what he wanted to do. I think this year, combining both those with the shortened spring training and the WBC, it’s been a lot of factors.” Tuesday was a giant step in the right direction, but it didn’t alter the Dodgers’ strategy. They still plan to hold him out of the lineup the next two games, according to Roberts, who did not express any concern that the decision might halt Ohtani’s positive momentum. “I just can’t take for granted what’s on his plate, so I’m trying to be sensitive to that,” Roberts said. “I’m learning that you have to be proactive because he’s always going to want to do more. He always has that sense of responsibility to his teammates that he wants to be out there both ways.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

What’s better than watching INDYCAR? Watching INDYCAR and winning money! You can partake in the best of both worlds while watching Indy 500 qualifying on May 16 and 17 with our free-to-play FOX Super 6 game. How do you play? Enter the Indy 500 qualifying contest by predicting the correct answers to six questions before qualifying starts on Saturday for your shot to win cash prizes. Fans can watch the action across the FOX family of networks (FOX, FS1 and FS2). All you have to do is finish in the top six to win a prize. It really is that simple, and again, it’s free. Remember, the quest for the Indianapolis 500 pole is as exciting as many automobile races. Who will win the pole Sunday to lead the field across the yard of bricks on May 24? Who will have to climb their way through the field? Oh, if you want to know how qualifying works, here’s some extra insight. And if you need a little help before heading to the app to make your picks, I have you covered this week. Read below for my thoughts on this weekend’s exciting Indy 500 qualifying event! 1. Which driver will earn the BEST INDY 500 STARTING POSITION? No. 5 Pato O’ Ward, No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood, No. 2 Josef Newgarden, No. 26 Will Power Power is the all-time leader in poles but has just one top-10 starting spot in the 500 in the last six years. Newgarden has one in the last six and Kirkwood has never started better than 11th. O’Ward has started in the top 10 in each of the last four years. And he’s in a Chevrolet, which still looks to be a little bit stronger. Prediction: O’Ward 2. Rank by avg. 4-lap speed (fastest to slowest) during full field qualifying on Sat 5/16 No. 10 Alex Palou, No. 7 Christian Lundgaard, No. 12 David Malukas, No. 28 Marcus Ericsson Palou is fast everywhere but Malukas is in a Penske Chevrolet, which likely will be stout. Ludngaard struggles a little on ovals. Ericsson has won one Indy 500 and some would argue he should have at least two. Prediction: Palou, Malukas, Lundgaard, Ericsson 3. Which group includes the POLE WINNER for the Indy 500? Palou, Lundgaard, EricssonO’Ward, Malukas, DixonNewgarden, Kirkwood, McLaughlinNone of the above This still very well could be a Team Penske weekend, so Malukas, Newgarden and McLaughlin will be strong. But do you ever bet against Palou anywhere at any time? Why, yes you do. Prediction: Newgarden, Kirkwood, McLaughlin 4. Which team will earn the BEST TWO COMBINED INDY 500 STARTING POSITIONS? Team PenskeArrow McLarenChip Ganassi RacingAndretti Global This whole bit is starting to have a Penske theme to it. But you can never count out Palou and Dixon at Ganassi. Beyond Pato O’Ward, don’t count on McLaren to be so strong that they certainly get more than one car in the final nine. Andretti Global is also possibly a tick behind when it comes to qualifying here. Prediction: Chip Ganassi Racing 5. Predict David Malukas’s starting position for the Indy 500 1-4, 4-8, 8-12, 12-33 Malukas qualified seventh in a Foyt car last year, so a top-four starting spot surely isn’t out of the question. He was 13th and 23rd when racing for Coyne. Prediction: 1-4 6. Will Alex Palou earn a TOP 3 STARTING POSITION for the Indy 500? Yes or No Palou hasn’t started in the top five in the last two years at Indy. But he was on the pole in 2023 and the front row in 2022. Prediction: Yes (but more likely third than first)​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) — Katherine Legge has a huge challenge ahead of her. Doing “the double” is no easy task. Scrambling to do the double is even more difficult. Doing both races with teams that don’t race full time makes it even a bigger mountain. But at 45 years old — 10 years older than any other driver who has attempted the double — Legge knows it could be now or never to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day. Only five drivers, and no woman, has ever competed in both. Only one has completed all 1,100 miles. “I’m excited, but I’m also a little apprehensive,” Legge said told me and other reporters Wednesday morning prior to Indy 500 practice. “It’s going to be a lot of driving. … I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to eat. I’m going to be hungry. All the things. How am I going to stay hydrated?” Legge, who consulted with Kyle Larson as Larson attempted the double the past two years, said the program came together in just the last week and as of Wednesday morning, they were still making final plans on helicopters and planes for her to compete in both the May 24 races. She should qualify for both events as neither likely will have more entries than spots available. She will have to fly to Charlotte on May 23 after the Indy 500 drivers meeting to practice and qualify the Cup car, then back to Indianapolis that night and then scramble from the end of the Indy 500 (approximately 4 p.m. ET) for the start of the Coke 600 (engines fired likely around 6:10 p.m.) with the trip likely taking at a minimum of 80 minutes. The fact she shouldn’t have to sweat qualifying should allow her to breathe a little bit more easily as both her HMD Motorsports team (as part of a partnership with A.J. Foyt Racing) for the Indy 500 and the Live Fast Motorsports team for the 600 don’t race full time in their series. “I knew that at some point in time, it would be something that we looked at doing, but I didn’t anticipate it being this year,” Legge said. “It’s a very cool opportunity that kind of came up — obviously Indy was first [to get done] and there was a lot of talk about it, and we thought, ‘Well, why not? It might be the only opportunity I get.’ “It might not be, but I might as well take it while the iron’s hot. It’s one of those really cool things that not many people get to do.” Only one of the five drivers — Tony Stewart — has finished on the lead lap in both races on the same day. That would be a tough ask for Legge, especially in the Cup car, as Live Fast typically doesn’t finish on the lead lap on 1.5-mile ovals such as Charlotte. Some of the attempts have been stymied by weather. Legge said the Indy 500 is the priority that day. But obviously she wants to accomplish the feat of both races. “The first thing is to finish both races,” Legge said. “I’m hoping to have a good result in Indy. Charlotte? It will be my first time there in a Cup car. I’m still relatively new on an oval. So to finish that race would be a result.” With sponsorship from e.l.f. Cosmetics, Legge knows that her double attempt will be scrutinized as her being the first woman to do it. “I always say, I just want to be a race-car driver, and it doesn’t matter whether I’m black, white, female, male, whatever it may be,” Legge said. “I think I’m probably getting the opportunity to do this because I’m female, so that does not escape me, and I’m very grateful for it.” The British driver is the first non-American to attempt the feat, which she said is cool. And I do think there was another factor on whether she would ever get the chance to do this again as well as how she performs. What about her age? “Sssshh,” she said with a laugh when I mentioned her age. “I think I’m as fit as I’ve ever been. I don’t think that should factor into it. “I’m just lucky that I am getting the opportunity to do it while I still have a career and I’m not too old and decrepit to do these things.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports