Sports
Host Mexico look to make history vs. England
June 30, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico; Mexico’s Julian Quinones is thrown in the air in celebration by teammates after the match as Mexico qualify for the round of 16 stage of the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Eloisa Sanchez-Reuters via Imagn Images A plethora of challenges face England as they battle host Mexico on Sunday night in what will surely be a raucous atmosphere at Mexico City.
The World Cup group of 16 match will be played at 7,200-foot altitude in possible treacherous weather that nearly led to the match being pushed up six hours.
There also is fear of not getting a good night’s sleep as Mexico fans staged a crazy noisy scene complete with fireworks outside Ecuador’s hotel the night before Mexico’s 2-0 victory on Tuesday.
Then there’s this: Mexico’s national squad is 70-2-17 all-time at Estadio Azteca since it opened in 1966.
“It is maybe one of the most beautiful fixtures, the most exciting fixtures that you can have, to play against Mexico in the Azteca,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “And there will be a lot of obstacles waiting for us, not to mention the altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It’s just impossible.”
England is coming off a tightly-contested 2-1 win over DR Congo on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions are taking aim at reaching at least the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup.
Mexico have their sights on reaching the quarterfinals for just the third time. They also advanced that far in 1970 and 1986.
But after outscoring opponents 8-0 over four World Cup matches, El Tri are optimistic the familiar surroundings can be the deciding asset.
“It’s a match everyone dreamed of — facing England in the Round of 16 in this stadium,” Mexico midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo said. “It’s probably one of the biggest games we are ever going to experience as players. We know they have good players; we know how they play. Their midfield is highly physical, above all. They have great players in every position. They are going to be great opponents.”
The Mexico defense will have to be keenly aware of Harry Kane’s whereabouts at all times.
The English star forward has scored five goals in this World Cup, tied for third with Norway star Erling Haaland entering play on Saturday. Argentina’s Lionel Messi leads the way with seven and France’s Kylian Mbappe is second with six.
Kane is aware the pursuit of victories only gets tougher the deeper you advance in the World Cup. He said it’s time for the club to dig down deep.
“There are still things to work on for sure and these rounds are just about getting through,” Kane said. “We are in the part of the tournament when you have to grind wins out, and that’s what we have done.”
Midfielder Jude Bellingham (two goals, one assist) is also enjoying a strong tournament.
Mexico doesn’t have a megastar like Kane but forwards Julian Quinones (three goals, one assist), Raul Jimenez (two goals) and Roberto Alvarado (three assists) are leading El Tri’s strong run.
“Our team is complete and competitive,” Quinones said. “We know what our goal is and we believe we can do it.”
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sharply criticized officials on Friday for considering moving up the time so he’s surely happy that the night-time kickoff stayed put.
But Tuchel and his club still need to worry about getting some sleep on Saturday night amid a possible loud congregation.
“We will expect that but what can we do?” said Tuchel, indicating earplugs will be part of the sleeping regimen.
The winner faces either Brazil or Norway in the quarterfinals.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 2 Alexander Zverev through to 4th round at Wimbledon
Germany’s Alexander Zverev in action against the United States’ Marcos Giron at Wimbledon on July 4, 2026. Alexander Zverev is showing no hangover effects after capturing his first Grand Slam event.
The French Open champion, who typically struggles on the grass at Wimbledon, reached the fourth round with a convincing 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Marcos Giron on Saturday at the All England Club.
The German served brilliantly, smashing 17 aces to only three double faults and won 54-of-70 first-serve points.
After a routine first set, neither player flinched in the second, leading to a tiebreaker. Zverev sprinted to a 6-2 lead in the breaker, but Giron held off three set points before succumbing on the No. 2 seed’s forehand volley winner.
“He (Giron) is somebody who plays fantastic on grass and he shows it every time he steps out on the surface,” Zverev said. “He has won tour-level events on the surface, I knew that I had to be 100% ready from the first point onwards and I am very happy to be through in straight sets.”
Zverev has never been past the fourth round in London. To do so, he will have to take out No. 13 seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, who edged Spain’s Jaume Munar, 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Lehecka blasted 52 winners in the four-set win and staved off six of Munar’s eight break-point opportunities.
Zverev is 1-1 versus Lehecka, but the two have not played since 2023.
No. 6 seed Taylor Fritz started slowly before notching a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. Both players hit 39 winners.
Fritz will face No. 10 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the fourth round. Bublik had a stunning 48-12 edge in aces while producing a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3 victory over No. 17 Frances Tiafoe. Bublik had 83 winners against 50 unforced errors and saved nine set points before winning the third set.
“We had a great battle,” Bublik said. “This match will stay with me forever.”
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov had 46 winners against 25 unforced errors while registering a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3 over Matteo Berrettini of Italy. Berrettini had 49 winners and 43 unforced errors.
Dimitrov will face Brit wild card Arthur Fery, who outlasted Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5). This marks the first time the London-born Fery has reached the round of 16 at a major and he also has cracked the Top 100 in the live rankings, now sitting at No. 91.
“It’s a really special moment. I can’t really fully process it yet,” Fery said. “When I’m playing this well and having these kind of results, it was only a matter of time till I broke the Top 100. It’s still a significant milestone. As I said, yeah, doing it here is incredibly special for me. It’s my home tournament. It’s where I grew up. So yeah, it’s very special.”
In another quadrant of the bracket, fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur outlasted Zachary Svajda 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and No. 9 Flavio Cobolli of Italy rallied to knock off Russia’s Karen Khachanov 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2.
The Australian took advantage of Svajda’s second serve, winning 35 of 50 points and converting eight break points. He also was efficient at the net, winning 22 of 27 while moving forward in the two-hour, 40-minute match.
“I feel great. I’m happy to get through the first week. This is the first goal of the tournament, obviously,” said de Minaur. “It’s getting down to crunch time, I guess. I’m happy with the way I have been playing. The body is feeling great. I thought today was probably the best I moved around the court.”
Cobolli, the French Open runner-up to Zverev, won only nine points in the first set. But after splitting a pair of tiebreakers, he flipped the early script and recorded 22 winners versus only 10 unforced errors.
Cobolli has dropped both matches against de Minaur, but the two hard-hitting baseliners have not played since 2024.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mariners hit three HRs, use Logan Gilbert's arm to demolish Blue Jays
Jul 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Logan Gilbert pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball and Randy Arozarena belted a grand slam as the Seattle Mariners routed the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 11-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Cal Raleigh hit a three-run homer and Dominic Canzone added a two-run shot as the Mariners won for the fourth time in their past five games and moved past Texas and into first place in the American League West.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson announced before the game the team was scrapping the scheduled piggyback with Gilbert (7-5) and Emerson Hancock for the day and the right-hander took advantage.
Gilbert retired the first 14 Blue Jays batters in order before Yohendrick Pinango blooped a single into shallow left field with two outs in the fifth inning, the ball falling between outfielders Victor Robles and Arozarena.
Gilbert retired the final eight batters he faced before exiting after 91 pitches. Gilbert didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven.
The Mariners opened the scoring in the second inning with a five-run rally after the first two batters were retired by Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber (0-1). Cole Young lined a double into right-center and Victor Robles singled to left, scoring Young. Colt
Emerson grounded a single to center, sending Robles to third, and J.P. Crawford walked to load the bases. Arozarena lined an 0-1 slider over the wall in left.
Seattle added to its advantage in the fifth as Arozarena drew a leadoff walk and Canzone followed with a homer to right to make it 7-0.
That was it for Bieber, who allowed seven runs on six hits in four-plus innings. The right-hander walked three and fanned three.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Emerson bunted for a single and, an out later, Arozarena reached on an infield single, with third baseman Kazuma Okamoto’s errant throw allowing Emerson to take third. Canzone grounded an RBI-scoring single to right and Raleigh followed with a towering blast off the facade of the second deck in right off Tommy Nance to cap the scoring.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kylian Mbappe's penalty lifts France past Paraguay into quarterfinals
July 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; France’s Kylian Mbappe scores their first goal past Paraguay’s Orlando Gill from the penalty spot. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot for his 19th World Cup goal and seventh of this tournament as France outlasted Paraguay to reach the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory on Saturday in a steamy round of 16 encounter.
With the penalty, earned by substitute Desire Doue’s slaloming run into the area, Mbappe pulled even with Argentina’s Lionel Messi atop the 2026 Golden Boot leaderboard and moved within one of the 39-year-old for the all-time World Cup goals lead.
It was all Les Bleus needed against a resilient but limited Albirroja side, who defended admirably in sweltering conditions with temperatures nearing 100 Fahrenheit while offering little going forward.
France advance to meet Morocco next Thursday in Foxborough, Mass., in a rematch of the 2022 semifinal that ended in a 2-0 French victory.
Paraguay shocked Germany on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 on Monday, a result that inspired president Santiago Pena to declare Tuesday a national holiday.
But the Albirroja still exited a round shy of their all-time best quarterfinal finish in 2010, which doubled as their last World Cup finals appearance.
The South Americans frustrated the two-time World Champions throughout the first half and well into the second, aided in part by the card-shy approach of Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev. When he did reach for his pocket, it was puzzlingly for three French offenders even though Paraguay led 12-9 in fouls.
But Paraguay had no solution for the injection of energy Doue brought after Didier Deschamps inserted him in the 61st minute for Bradley Barcola.
Moments after Tantashev waved off appeals for a foul on Mbappe just outside the box, Doue’s excellent incisive dribbling in from the left forced an awkward challenge from the left leg of Diego Gomez that required the referee to make another decision.
Initially he reached the same conclusion and held his whistle, only to be summoned to the replay monitor by his VAR lead Juan Lara. Eventually he saw Gomez’s clear foul.
After some delaying tactics by Paraguay on the spot, Mbappe neatly converted into the bottom right corner as goalkeeper Orlando Gill guessed in the opposite direction.
Clearly fatigued by the conditions and their 120-minute effort against the Germans, Paraguay tried at last to get numbers forward. Substitute Mauricio mustered their first effort on target in the 90th minute.
But it was France who looked more likely to add another goal, with Gill doing well to deny Mbappe a brace with one stop in the 89th minute and two more in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
