Sports
Team Falcons, Nigma Galaxy win groups at Esports World Cup
The 2026 Esports World Cup will be hosted in Paris, making it the first edition of the EWC to be held outside of Riyadh. Team Falcons and Nigma Galaxy finished atop their groups on Saturday to advance to the Dota 2 playoffs at the Esports World Cup in Paris.
Team Falcons (4-0-1) posted a 2-0 sweep of Xtreme Gaming to complete the round-robin action in Group A, winning in 59 minutes on red and 42 minutes on green. Nigma Galaxy (4-0-1) swept PlayTime to wrap up Group B, winning in 66 minutes on red and 44 minutes on green.
Team Falcons and PARIVISION stand alone atop their groups, while 1w and Team Yandex share first place and Aurora Gaming is tied with Nigma Galaxy after Thursday’s action at the Dota 2 event of the Esports World Cup in Paris.
The Dota 2 event at the Esports World Cup is the final championship of the ESL Pro Tour, now in its fourth season. The tournament has a $2 million prize pool, with $750,000 and 1,000 club points going to the first-place team.
The format consists of three phases: a group stage (through Sunday) of four groups of six teams competing in a round robin, a survival phase (July 14-15) formatted into a single-elimination bracket that will see four teams advance, then a final playoff stage (July 16-19), which is single elimination.
All matches in Phase 1 are two games, while the matches in Phases 2 and 3 are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final.
The four group winners advance directly to the playoffs. Teams finishing second, third and fourth in each group move to the survival stage, with the remaining teams eliminated.
Also Saturday in Group A, BetBoom Team (3-0-2) swept GamerLegion (1-3-1) and Rune Eaters (1-1-3) did the same to Poor Rangers (0-4-1). In Group B, Aurora Gaming (3-0-2) and Team Liquid (2-1-2) tied while Level UP (1-4-0) swept L1 Team (0-4-1).
The Esports World Cup features competition in 25 titles and a $75 million prize pool. This week’s events also include Valorant, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Upcoming events include League of Legends, PUBG, EA Sports FC, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2 and Fortnite.
Sunday’s schedule:
Group C:
–PARIVISION vs. Team Spirit
–MOUZ vs. Vici Gaming
–REKONIX vs. Team Nemesis
Group D:
–1w vs. Team Yandex
–OG vs. Virtus.pro
–LGD Gaming vs. Inner Circle x Insanity
Dota 2 Esports World Cup group-stage standings (match record W-L-T, map record):
Group A
1. Team Falcons, 4-0-1 (9-1)
2. BetBoom Team, 3-0-2 (8-2)
3. Rune Eaters, 1-1-3 (5-5)
4. Xtreme Gaming, 1-2-2 (4-6)
5. GamerLegion, 1-3-1 (3-7)
6. Poor Rangers, 0-4-1 (1-9)
Group B
1. Nigma Galaxy, 4-0-1 (9-1)
2. Aurora Gaming, 3-0-2 (8-2)
3. Team Liquid, 2-1-2 (6-4)
4. PlayTime 1-2-2 (4-6)
5. Level UP, 1-4-0 (2-8)
6. L1 TEAM, 0-4-1 (1-9)
Group C
1. PARIVISION, 4-0-0 (8-0)
2. Team Spirit, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. Vici Gaming, 2-2-0 (4-4)
4. MOUZ, 1-1-2 (4-4)
5. Team Nemesis, 0-3-1 (1-7)
6. REKONIX, 0-4-0 (0-8)
Group D
T1. 1w, 3-0-1 (7-1)
T1. Team Yandex, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. OG, 1-1-2 (4-4)
T4. LGD Gaming, 1-2-1 (3-5)
T4. Virtus.pro, 1-2-1 (3-5)
6. Inner Circle x Insanity, 0-4-0 (0-8)
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lottie Woad leads Evian; Nelly Korda misses 1st cut in 2 years
Jun 25, 2026; Chaska, Minnesota, USA; Lottie Woad hits her tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Lottie Woad of England carded a 7-under-par 64 on Friday to secure a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Woad collected eight birdies against one bogey at the Evian Resort Golf Club to move to 11-under 131 at the fourth of this season’s five majors.
While Woad shot up the leaderboard, World No. 1 Nelly Korda saw her streak of 34 cuts made in official LPGA Tour events come to a halt on Friday. The four-time major winner’s bid for a birdie on the final hole fell inches short, putting her at 2-under 69 on Friday and 1-over 143 for the tournament.
Korda’s last missed cut was the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Woad caught fire on the back nine, highlighted by a run of birdies on Nos. 11-13 as well as birdies on the par-5 15th and 18th holes.
“Yeah, I think I just kept on giving myself chances. I mean, at the start I hit a lot of good approaches on one and two and didn’t make them,” Woad said. “On the back nine seemed to make most things.”
Woad is one shot ahead of first-round leader Aki Iwai (69 on Friday) of Japan. Iwai recorded five birdies, however a bogey on No. 17 and a double-bogey on the par-4 sixth hole soured her round.
Mao Saigo (68) of Japan benefited from a bogey-free round to join Haeran Ryu (68) of South Korea in third place, three strokes behind Woad.
Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul tallied an eagle on No. 7 and five birdies to card a 64 on Friday. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner resides in a four-way tie for fifth place at 6-under.
“Like I wanted to hit it on the fairway because I know if I hit on the fairway I might have a chance to go two to the green. Even I have to hit 3-woods,” Thitikul said of her approach on the par-5 seventh hole.
“But like it had a chance, because yesterday I miss by a tad bit to the left so I don’t have a chance to go to the green. So I had like over 40 feet putt and it just luckily went in.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper in HR Derby
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts with first baseman Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Phillies will be well represented in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Philadelphia.
Kyle Schwarber announced Friday that he is joining Phillies teammate Bryce Harper in the exhibition at Citizens Bank Park.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras also have been confirmed to participate.
Schwarber, who leads the majors with 32 homers this season, reached the finals of the Home Run Derby in 2018. The then-Chicago Cubs slugger lost to Harper, who was then a member of the Nationals and the All-Star festivities were held in Washington.
Schwarber’s last foray in the Home Run Derby didn’t go so well. He lost in the first round in 2022.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tim Merlier sprints to victory at Stage 7 of Tour de France
Trek’s Mads Pedersen celebrates on the podium wearing the green jersey after stage 7. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes It was a vintage performance for 33-year-old Tim Merlier, who won Stage 7 at the Tour de France on Friday as he burst from the pack near the finish line at Bordeaux, France.
A native of Belgium, Merlier won his fourth career stage in his third appearance at the Tour de France. It was the 24th stage victory all time by a Belgian rider in Bordeaux.
Merlier was clear by a full bike length at the finish ahead of Soren Waerenskjold of Norway and Binian Girmay of Eritrea in the sprint finish, while Max Kanter of Germany finished fourth and 10-time stage winner Jasper Philipsen of Belgium was fifth.
Despite Merlier’s victory in the sprint, Mads Pedersen of Denmark remained in the green jersey to mark the overall sprint leader through the first week of the three-week grand tour race. Pedersen finished ninth in Stage 7 after winning Stage 4 on Tuesday.
Philipsen’s Alpecin-Premier Tech team was well organized into the final kilometer as Stage 7 finished along the Garonne River. Philipsen was near the front with 500 meters to go then charged into the lead at the 200-meter mark but was tracked down quickly by Merlier, his former teammate.
The bunch finish in the sprint stage meant that there was no change in the overall lead.
Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia remained in the overall leader’s yellow jersey, with rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark in second, 2 minutes, 42 seconds off the pace. Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico is in third place, followed by Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Juan Ayuso of Spain.
Just behind the top five is 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas, who is the youngest competitor in the field.
Saturday’s Stage 8 will be another flat route for the sprinters with the 180.4 kilometer course extending from Perigueux to Bergerac.
–Field Level Media
Lottie Woad leads Evian; Nelly Korda misses 1st cut in 2 years
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper in HR Derby
