Category: Sports

The 2026 UFL season opened Friday with new teams, new coaches, new players, new uniforms and new rules.

[2026 UFL: Everything To Know About the 2026 UFL Season]

Kicking things off on FOX UFL Friday, the beloved Birmingham Stallions escaped a close one against the Louisville Kings — one of the league’s three brand-new franchises. 

Up first on Saturday, it was a battle between two familiar faces, as the St. Louis Battlehawks took down the defending champion DC Defenders. Later that afternoon, the Dallas Renegades, who relocated from Arlington this season, crushed the Houston Gamblers, who reverted to their original name from the legacy USFL this season.

Closing things out Sunday, two new teams will go head-to-head, as the Columbus Aviators face the Orlando Storm.

Here are the results from Week 1:

Key players: Stallions QB Matt Corral (21-for-30 for 208 yards, one touchdown), WR Jaydon Mickens (9-for-9 for 108 yards); Kings QB Jason Bean (14-for-27 for 226 yards, one touchdown).

Game recap: The Kings immediately turned the ball over on their first drive of the game, which led to a quick touchdown by the Stallions to make it 6-0. The Kings fired back with a touchdown drive of their own to regain the lead 7-6 late in the first quarter. Birmingham added a field goal midway through the second quarter to lead 9-7 at halftime. 

The Stallions had the ball for nearly eight minutes to open the second half and ended up turning things over on downs late in the frame. That allowed Louisville to kick a field goal and take a narrow 10-9 lead into the fourth quarter. After the Stallions turned the ball over on downs yet again to open the final frame, the Kings went up 13-9 with another field goal. Just when it looked like things were over for the Stallions, they scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining to take a 15-13 lead. Louisville turned the ball over on an interception on its next drive, sealing the win for Birmingham.

Up next: In Week 2, the Stallions face the Gamblers and the Kings take on the Storm.

Key players: Battlehawks QB Brandon Silvers (16-for-28 for 198 yards, one touchdown), OLB Pita Taumoepenu (6.0 tackles, 2.5 sacks); Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu (9-for-16 for 123 yards), WR Seth Williams (3-for-4 for 51 yards).

Game recap: The first points of the game were historic for the league, as Defenders kicker Matt McCrane connected on a 60-yard field goal — marking the first four-point field goal in UFL history. The Battlehawks responded with a field goal of their own from 58 yards to make it a one-point game early, 4-3. The Defenders fired back with a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that ended with a goal-line rush to make it 10-3. 

The second quarter was chaotic — a flurry of punts, interceptions and missed field goals — before the Battlehawks connected on a short field goal just before halftime to close the gap slightly, 10-6. The Defenders never found a rhythm in the second half. They finished the game with three more punts, an interception and a missed field goal, while the Battlehawks added a score late in the third and a field goal early in the fourth to seal a 16-10 win at home.

Up next: In Week 2, the Battlehawks face the Renegades and the Defenders take on the Aviators.

Key players: Renegades QB Austin Reed (26-for-40 for 376 yards, three touchdowns), WR Tyler Vaughns (7-for-9 for 144 yards, one touchdown, WR Greg Ward (3-for-3 for 93 yards, one touchdown); Gamblers QB Hunter Dekkers (19-for-29 for 227 yards), WR Jontre Kirklin (4-for-4 for 60 yards).

Game recap: The Renegades’ first drive ended with a missed field goal, but they turned things around quickly. Dallas picked off Gamblers QB Nolan Henderson at Houston’s 30-yard line, returning it for the first pick-six of the season. The Renegades turned the ball over on downs near midfield late in the frame, allowing the Gamblers to get a quick field goal to pull within three, 6-3, heading into the second quarter. The Gamblers’ second quarter was riddled with mistakes, while the Renegades came up with back-to-back scores and a field goal to make it a 23-3 game at halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Renegades picked up right where they left off. They scored on the first play from scrimmage of the second half; Reed found WR Greg Ward for a monster 66-yard touchdown to open the frame. (In a surprising move, Dallas revealed this week that Reed secured the starting job for Week 1, relegating longtime starter Luis Perez — who led the UFL in passing yards the past two seasons — to the bench.) With that, it was a 30-3 game, but that was short-lived. The Gamblers answered by running the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown. Dallas added two more field goals, and Houston scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter before things ended.

Up next: In Week 2, the Gamblers host the Stallions and the Renegades host the Battlehawks.

Key players: Storm QB Jack Plummer (17-for-22 for 245 yards, one touchdown), WR Elijhah Badger (4-for-4 for 132 yards), K Michael Lantz (1-for-1 from 55 yards); Aviators QB Jalan McClendon (21-for-32 for 212 yards), RB Zaquandre White (48 yards, one touchdown).

Game recap: The Aviators fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a quick scoring opportunity for the Storm. With that, it was a 6-0 game after just over a minute into things. Columbus added two first-quarter field goals to tie the game headed into the second quarter. After a field goal from the Storm, the home team took a 9-6 lead into halftime.

Orlando came out swinging in the second half, starting with back-to-back third-quarter touchdowns to make it a 23-6 game. The Aviators added a field goal early in the fourth quarter, followed by a touchdown midway through the frame to keep things competitive, 23-16. However, it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback, and things ended there.

Up next: In Week 2, the Aviators host the Defenders and the Storm host the Kings.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) — Walking the streets of Georgia’s stately capital on Saturday, shortly before the United States men’s national team’s World Cup warm-up against Belgium, the excitement among the home team’s fans was palpable.

Under a cloudless sky, supporters of all ages wore those swanky new USA jerseys and ear-to-ear smiles. Inside “The Benz,” a packed house of nearly 67,000 danced in the stands and mugged for the Jumbotron just before kickoff.

Some 85 minutes later, though, the mood among the faithful that had packed the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United had shifted completely. Down four goals to FIFA’s ninth-ranked team, entire sections of seats emptied as thousands of those same fans headed to the exits in droves before Patrick Agyemang pulled back a late consolation tally for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.

After the final whistle in the 5-2 drubbing mercifully sounded, the dejected American players struggled to explain what had just happened. But they also vowed to try and make it right, right back here on Tuesday, when a stout Portugal side comes to town for the second of the Stars-and-Stripes’ two games this month.

– 4 Takeaways after USA’s Loss to Belgium
– Color Clash? How USA-Belgium jersey combo irked players

They’d better. After all, the United States’ co-hosting duties (alongside Canada and Mexico) for this edition of the 48-team World Cup – the largest ever in history — is now just over two months away.

“We have another opportunity against a strong team on Tuesday,” U.S. headliner Christian Pulisic told FOX Sports and other outlets following Saturday’s debacle. “We want to get a good result and feel good going into the World Cup.”

“We’ll go back over video, and we’ll see what we lacked, or where we could have done better, and then prepare,” said star midfielder Weston McKennie, scorer of the Americans’ first goal.

“We have an important game against Portugal,” added winger-turned-fullback Tim Weah. “We just have to get back into training and work on some stuff. We have to bounce back.”

It doesn’t matter that all involved agreed that the result was closer than that scoreline would indicate. The hosts took the lead against Belgium and nearly went into the locker room at halftime up by one, only to concede a preventable equalizer mere seconds before the break.

The visitors then bagged two more before the contest reached the 60-minute mark, including a penalty that Pochettino insisted shouldn’t have been awarded. At that point, though, the outcome was probably inevitable.

Against the Portuguese, the U.S. must keep the score close.

It’s a realistic aim. Roberto Martinez’s side, which defeated Spain to win the UEFA Nations League title last summer, were held without a goal in Mexico City later on Saturday at the re-opening of the mythical Estadio Azteca.  Ultimately, Portugal settled for a scoreless tie with fellow World Cup co-hosts El Tri despite possessing the ball for a whopping 67 percent of the match.

Portugal, even without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, figures to be a lot better in Atlanta. The U.S. will have their hands full with the likes of Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and PSG’s Nuno Mendes. To have any chance of avoiding another embarrassment, they’ll need to play a much more complete match.

“I want to watch [the Belgium loss] back and see how we can position ourselves a bit better when we are attacking as a group, to sustain attacks a little bit longer, and not have problems in transition,” said Pulisic, who hasn’t scored for the national team since 2024 or for his club, AC Milan, since November. 

On Saturday, Pulisic squandered a golden opportunity just before Belgium took a lead they’d never relinquish, one of several key moments that could’ve gone differently. 

More than anything, though, the USA can’t afford to let their resistance drop midway through a second consecutive outing. Against FIFA’s No. 6-ranked side, any let-off in effort promises to be once again punished with ruthless efficiency. Just as it will be if and when Pulisic & Co. come up against any other heavyweight foe during the main event’s knockout rounds this summer.

“One of the things that we can work on,” McKennie said, “is being able to stay consistent in how we start the game to how we finish it with the same intensity.”

For a game that won’t count in the standings, the pressure not to lay another egg in front of a huge, pro-American audience is obvious.

“We all have to look into the mirror,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said after Saturday’s loss. For him and the rest of his teammates, Tuesday’s match can’t come soon enough.

“We know we can do better,” McKennie reiterated. “We know what went wrong, but we also know and believe fully that we can play with teams of this caliber.”

They’ll soon get another chance to prove it and, in the process, give the diehards in the stands some renewed optimism rather than another dose of dejection. 

“We want to get a good result on Tuesday,” Pulisic said. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”

It was an uphill battle for UConn on Sunday. The second-seeded Huskies started the game going 1-for-18 from 3-point range and trailed top-seeded seed Duke by double digits with 6:37 remaining in the second half. That’s when things took a turn for the better. 

UConn pulled off a stunning comeback, thanks to its gritty culture, which has been curated since the preseason and developed to come through in moments like Sunday’s Elite Eight 73-72 win over the Blue Devils. 

“It takes a strong team … a tough team … tough men,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said in the postgame press conference. “We run a very intense program. We’re on these guys. We stress them in practice. 

“We put a lot of pressure on them on a daily basis, to do the right things, to do everything at game speed, to do everything hard, to do everything tough [and] to be prepared — because that’s what it takes to win games like this.”

[March Madness: 4 Takeaways From the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight]

UConn went down early, falling behind 40-21 in the first half while Duke “punched us in the mouth,” according to Hurley. Duke freshman Cameron Boozer was dominating the game on both sides, and the Blue Devils took a 15-point lead into the break. The Huskies cut the margin to single digits with 6:07 remaining in the second half when Silas Demary Jr. knocked down back-to-back 3s. Demary epitomized the “tough men” Hurley was referring to, as he sustained a high-ankle sprain in the Big East Tournament and returned less than two weeks later. 

Tarris Reed Jr. scored a layup, then dished a sweet pass to Solo Ball for another layup before Ball converted a three-point play that cut the margin to two. Duke answered, extending the margin to five and taking a two-point lead into its final possession. The Blue Devils just needed to get fouled and convert at the line to seal the game. Instead, UConn’s ball pressure flummoxed Duke. 

Instead of letting himself get fouled, Cayden Boozer tried to escape pressure with a pass over the top of two defenders. Demary tipped it, Braylon Mullins collected it and passed it along to Alex Karaban, who gave it right back, deferring to the freshman for the decisive shot. 

“It’s still a loss of words, still processing all [that] just happened,” Mullins said after the game. “I had the ball, and I know [Alex Karaban] had just hit one. So I threw him the ball with four seconds left, and he just threw the ball back to me. 

“I knew I had to put one up. Man, I’m just happy that’s the one that went down tonight.”

Mullins, like his teammates, had struggled from 3-point range earlier in the game, missing his first four attempts from deep. However, he made the one that counted most. That’s what UConn did collectively Sunday — showed up when it counted. 

In what Hurley called “another epic chapter in the UConn-Duke NCAA Tournament dramatics”, the Huskies stuck with it and came out on top. “You’re having a really bad shooting night … but what kicks in is just a bunch of strong men, a strong team, players that let their coaches coach them hard and prepare them for tough moments,” Hurley said.

Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin have had some notable Martinsville Speedway battles, but the one Sunday came down to pit strategy.

Elliott got track position by pitting earlier than most in the final stage and having the lead when the caution came out with 88 laps remaining. He then outlasted Hamlin, who had dominated the first 300 laps of the race, for the victory.

Back in 2017 at Martinsville, Hamlin spun Elliott in an incident that Elliott fans don’t let Hamlin forget. However, today, there were no fireworks or drama between the two. It was just Elliott with the stronger car at the end.

“How about that?” Elliott, the 2020 series champion and the sport’s most popular driver, said in his interview on the FS1 telecast. “That was awesome.”

Here are my takeaways:

1: Elliott Earns Needed HMS Win

Hendrick Motorsports badly needed a win after getting shut out in the first six races. 

Just how uncommon is that? Hendrick had gotten a win in the first three races in each of the last five years.

So when Elliott won, it allowed the entire organization to breathe a sigh of relief.

“There are high expectations within our walls,” Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon said on the FS1 telecast. “Rick [Hendrick] always talks about you build it from the inside. You can’t tear it down from the outside, you can tear it down from the inside.

“In these moments, I’ve been around long enough where I’ve seen us struggle. These guys, they know how to utilize their tools, stick together, work together, share information, get back to the basics. That’s what the discussions have been here recently.”

2: What Happened To Hamlin?

Hamlin sat on the pole and led 292 of the first 317 laps but couldn’t rally to catch Elliott over the final 69-lap green-flag run.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, a 61-time race winner, said in his FS1 interview after the race he believed one of his wheels might have been lose over the final run.

“Either way, these are just some of the races that get away from you in your career,” he said. “This one is certainly one of them.”

3: Wallace Frustrated

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace appeared to take out frustration on Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar in turning him and causing a multicar wreck with 76 laps left in the race.

Wallace, in his FS1 interview, said he was frustrated with Hocevar for making it three-wide earlier, but he just misjudged the corner. Hocevar’s team, on its in-car radio, indicated Wallace was frustrated and just dumped Hocevar, who won’t be getting any benefit of the doubt after a start to his career where many view him as being overly aggressive.

“We can win Saturday in practice, just don’t show up on Sunday,” said Wallace, who dropped from third to 11th in the standings. “I hate it for our team. Just frustration.”

4: Nice Logano Rebound

Joey Logano rebounded from an awful 33rd-place finish at Darlington to finish third at Martinsville.

A three-time Cup champion, Logano knows that there will be occasional bad days.

“Weekends like last weekend you start to question everything,” he said in his FS1 interview. “Nice to have a good rebound, solid car.”

4 ½: What’s Next

The Cup Series gets one of its two weekends off as it takes a break for the Easter weekend.

There is still some NASCAR national series racing next weekend. The truck race Friday at Rockingham Speedway and the O’Reilly Series races Saturday at the 1.016-mile oval. 

The Cup teams better rest up. After next weekend, they have 16 consecutive weekends of racing.

Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke on Sunday, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit.

The Blue Devils led by three before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer‘s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.

[Highlights: NCAA Men’s, Women’s Basketball Tournament]

It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament. The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year’s national semifinals.

UConn missed 18 of its first 19 attempts from 3-point range and finished 5 for 23. The fifth will be remembered in Connecticut for generations.

The men’s Final Four is now set, with UConn joining No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 1 seeds Arizona and Michigan. 

Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. 

Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, followed closely by Michigan — coming off a 95-62 drubbing of Tennessee on Sunday. Mullins, who grew up just outside of Indianapolis, will return home looking for more magic. This is the third trip to the Final Four in four seasons for UConn (33-5), which won it all the last two times it made it.

Arizona (36-2) is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2001 and hasn’t won the title since 1997.

Michigan (35-3) is in search of its second title — the other came in 1989.

lllinois (28-8) has never won it all; the Illini last made the Final Four in 2005.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Lauren Betts had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks to help UCLA rally from a rare halftime deficit and beat Duke 70-58 on Sunday, advancing to the women’s Final Four for the second straight season.

The top-seeded Bruins will play either Texas or Michigan in Phoenix on Friday in the national semifinals. UCLA is two wins away from the program’s first NCAA title.

[Live Updates: NCAA Men’s, Women’s Basketball Tournament]

Third-seeded Duke tested UCLA (35-1) like few teams had done this season. The Bruins struggled to get going offensively or contain the Blue Devils (27-9), who reached their second straight Elite Eight on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Ashlon Jackson against LSU in the Sweet 16.

Taina Mair scored 21 points to lead Duke, which also lost in a regional final last year.

Trailing by eight at the half, Bruins veterans Betts, Angela Dugalic and Gianna Kneepkens played with more urgency, not wanting their season to end short of the Final Four.

UCLA was down 45-41 midway through the third quarter before using a 10-2 run to take its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game. Kneepkens’ 3-pointer gave the Bruins a 47-45 advantage.

Defensively, UCLA stymied Duke, not allowing the Blue Devils a basket for the final 6:12 of the period. That drought didn’t end until Mair hit a 3-pointer 1:30 into the fourth quarter that got Duke within 56-50. That was the Blue Devils’ first 3 of the game after they missed their first 10 shots from behind the arc.

They got no closer the rest of the way. Betts was too much as the Bruins won their 29th consecutive game.

Duke came out attacking UCLA offensively and double-teaming the All-American Betts on the defensive end. Betts didn’t get her first points until she hit two free throws with 1:21 left in the first quarter. She scored the last six points of the quarter for UCLA, which trailed 21-17 at the end of the period.

Mair and Riley Nelson continued the offensive onslaught in the second quarter as the Blue Devils took a 39-31 lead into the half.

It was only the second time that the Bruins trailed at the half this season. The other time was in their only loss, to Texas in a November tournament in Las Vegas.

UCLA and Duke also met in that tournament and the Bruins won easily without Betts. This Duke team came together soon after that defeat to win 24 of its last 27 games after starting 3-6.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 27 points, Elliot Cadeau had 10 assists and Michigan rolled into the Final Four, overwhelming Tennessee for a 95-62 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Morez Johnson Jr. added 12 points for top-seeded Michigan, which posted its 11th victory this season by at least 30 points. Aday Mara had 11 points and blocked two shots in the Midwest Region final.

Making the most of its size and athleticism on both sides of the court, Michigan (35-3) advanced to its first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall. The Wolverines will face Arizona in Saturday’s national semifinals.

[Live Updates: NCAA Men’s, Women’s Basketball Tournament: Who’ll Advance to Final Four?]

“We always wanted to play against them, that team,” Lendeborg said. “They’re a really, really good team, so it’s going to be a super fun matchup.”

Under second-year coach Dusty May — who took FAU to the Final Four in 2023 — the Wolverines became the first school to win at least four games in an NCAA tourney by double digits while scoring at least 90 points in each.

Lendeborg, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player, was 10 for 19 from the field. He became the first Michigan player to score at least 23 points in three consecutive NCAA Tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in four straight in 1994.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting for Tennessee (25-12), which lost in the Elite Eight for the third straight year under Rick Barnes. The 71-year-old coach reached his only Final Four in 2003 with Texas.

Felix Okpara finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers, who shot just 32% (24 of 76) from the field. Each team had 42 rebounds — a major problem for a Tennessee team that usually enjoys an advantage on the glass.

Michigan grabbed control with a 21-0 run in the first half, going from a 16-14 deficit with 11:22 left to a 35-16 lead with 6:10 remaining.

“That’s when our defense started clicking,” Lendeborg said. “We started running out on the break and started doing what we do best, and once that happened, man, I think the game was pretty much called right there.”

Once again, Lendeborg was the conductor of an offensive show for the Wolverines. The 6-foot-9 forward switched hands on a slick reverse layup, then made a no-look pass to Roddy Gayle Jr. for a 3-pointer on a fast break. Then he set up a 3 by Cadeau with 7:52 to go.

After Tennessee made a push to get back in the game, Lendeborg scored on a fast break and found Trey McKenney for a 3 at the end of a 7-0 run that made it 48-26 at halftime.

It was more of the same in the second half. Mara, a 7-foot-3 center, stepped outside for one of the Wolverines’ 10 3-pointers. The Michigan portion of the United Center crowd cheered wildly when seldom-used reserves Charlie May — the coach’s son — and Oscar Goodman entered for the final few minutes.

Goodman scored with 2:32 left and May made a 3 with 1:02 remaining for Michigan’s final basket.

“Just playing together and understanding that we all need each other to be successful,” said Nimari Burnett, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. “So making that extra pass, that unselfish play that leads from a good shot to a great shot, I feel like we had a lot of that, especially in the first half that built that lead.

“We like where we are right now at the end of the game.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

After a couple of races away from the winner’s circle, INDYCAR’s most dominant driver has picked up another win. Alex Palou raced to victory at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, getting his second victory in four races in the 2026 INDYCAR season.

Palou dominated Sunday’s race, leading for 79 of the 90 laps. He finished just over 13 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Christian Lundgaard, who was also the runner-up at last year’s Alabama Indy Grand Prix. 

This marks Palou’s second straight victory at Barber Motorsports Park. He actually won last year’s race in slightly more dominant fashion, leading that race for 81 laps before beating Lundgaard by over 16 seconds. 

Graham Rahal finished third in Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park. It’s his best finish in a race since 2023. 

Here’s the full top 25 from the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix: 

1. Alex Palou

2. Christian Lundgaard

3. Graham Rahal 

4. David Malukas

5. Kyle Kirkwood

6. Marcus Armstrong

7. Scott Dixon

8. Santino Ferrucci

9. Marcus Ericcson

10. Josef Newgarden

11. Alexander Rossi

12. Will Power

13. Felix Rosenqvist

14. Rinus Veekay

15. Romain Grosjean 

16. Scott McLaughlin

17. Pato O’Ward

18. Nolan Siegel

19. Christian Rasmussen

20. Kyffin Simpson

21. Caio Collet

22. Sting Ray Robb

23. Dennis Hauger

24. Mick Schumacher

25. Louis Foster

Igor Tudor has been sacked by Tottenham after just seven games across 44 days at the helm, with his forgettable spell as interim boss being brought to a close.

The former Juventus and Marseille manager was appointed by Spurs on February 13 as successor to Thomas Frank, but has been moved on with the threat of Premier League relegation continuing to loom over the north London outfit.

Tudor’s record as Spurs boss: One Premier League point

Decisive action has been taken at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with seven fixtures in the 2025-26 campaign remaining. Spurs are perched just one place and solitary point above the drop zone following a worrying run of form.

Tudor picked up just one point from his five Premier League matches at the helm – in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool – and also oversaw a last-16 exit from Champions League competition following a 7-5 aggregate defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Spurs announce Tudor’s departure

Spurs have decided that another change in the dugout is required, as they face tumbling into the Championship, with Tudor’s deal — that was due to run until a permanent appointment was sought in the summer — being brought to a premature conclusion.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for Head Coach Igor Tudor to leave the Club with immediate effect. Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of Goalkeeping Coach and Physical Coach.

“We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly. We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time. An update on a new Head Coach will be provided in due course.”

When will Tottenham appoint a new manager?

According to The Athletic, “Spurs expect to appoint a new coach in the coming days, in time for the majority of the first team squad’s return to the training centre after the international break”. They go on to state that “the plan is for Tudor’s successor to have 10 days to prepare for their next fixture, away at Sunderland on April 12″.

Before another manager is acquired, Tudor’s former assistant Bruno Saltor “will lead training for the few players who have remained at Hotspur Way during the three-week hiatus between games”.

A 3-0 defeat to fellow basement dwellers Nottingham Forest proved to be the final straw for Tudor, with that reversal — which was endured on home soil — seeing Spurs slip to 17th in the Premier League standings.

Who will become Tottenham’s third manager of the season?

Tudor’s short reign at Spurs opened with three successive defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace — making him just the second head coach in Tottenham’s history to open with such a run, following Martin Jol enduring the same fate in November 2004.

A third manager of the season is now being lined up, with 2022-23 the last time that happened — when Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason all passed through the dugout.

The Athletic are among those to have claimed that former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who is out of work after leaving French giants Marseille, has been identified as a top target by Tottenham’s board.

He would, however, prefer to make a return to coaching in the summer — rather than join a late-season rescue mission — and has been the subject of objections from three Tottenham fan groups following his support of ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood during his spell at Marseille.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ATLANTA) — Christian Pulisic wants this responsibility. The one that requires him to carry the pressure weighing on the U.S. men’s national team as it embarks on what is expected to be a historic World Cup on home soil this summer.

Pulisic, 27, has been in the senior national team for 10 years. He entered as a 17-year-old “next big thing” and has morphed into the face of the program. He’s seen unprecedented success playing in Europe, and at one point this season was AC Milan’s scoring leader.

But on Saturday, following Belgium’s 5-2 dismantling of the American squad in a World Cup tuneup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Pulisic was forced to once again explain a poor performance from the U.S.

“I think we played well for big stretches of the game, but it’s just fine margins,” a frustrated Pulisic told a group of reporters. “I mean, I have to be a bit more clinical and, yeah, defend. I mean, overall, it’s a tough result for us, but I don’t feel like it was a 5-2 game necessarily. So there are some things that we can definitely take positives from. But some things for sure we have to work on.”

The Americans were actually the better team for most of the first half against Belgium. Weston McKennie, who has been close friends with Pulisic since their youth soccer days, scored the first goal in the 39th minute off a corner from Antonee “Jedi” Robinson to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Belgium quickly responded, equalizing moments before halftime. 

Pulisic had scoring chances early. There was a header that soared over the top of the goal in the seventh minute, and he looked dangerous when a low shot went wide in the 14th. In the 52nd minute, Tim Weah did the dirty work and beat Maxim De Cuyper deep near the right corner of the field and flicked a pass with the outside of his left foot to Pulisic near the box. Pulisic dribbled inside with excitement and speed, but couldn’t get the ball exactly where he wanted and skied his shot over the crossbar.

Less than a minute later, Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana gave Belgium a 2-1 edge when he needed just one touch to slip a strike past U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner. Eventually, the game got out of hand and fans found the exits before the final whistle.

Pulisic doesn’t need to be reminded of the importance of finishing chances. No one is more disappointed than him when he doesn’t. He expects more from himself. He knows the U.S. will need to beat talented teams like Belgium in order to go far in the World Cup, and he will have to play a major role in that.

“If we score there, we’re talking in a different way,” U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said after the game. “2-1 or 3-1 to us, we get the result. But sometimes you get what you want or you get things you don’t like. If you remember, the next section we concede [a goal]. 

“To feel the pain sometimes is good.”

There is a silver lining following Saturday’s result. The squad gets right back to it with another match Tuesday vs. Portugal, a World Cup dark horse. Regardless of how that game shakes out, there’s still time for the U.S. to get things right before the tournament begins — its first match vs. Paraguay is on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

There have also been similar situations in the past where the U.S. hasn’t played well enough in one game and made adjustments quickly. In 2024, Colombia thrashed the team 5-1 in a friendly ahead of Copa América. A few days later, the squad regrouped and drew Brazil, 1-1, and Pulisic scored the equalizing goal. Last year, the squad was embarrassed by both Türkiye and Switzerland in friendlies before the Gold Cup, but then made a run to the tournament final.

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Pochettino himself has said on multiple occasions that it’s more important for the team to play its best during the World Cup and not peak in matches beforehand. He never wants to lose and has often stated he wants players to believe and dream that they can win the World Cup. He’s still in the process of whittling the player pool down to a final 26-man roster, which will be announced on May 26, so these matches are also important for him to get last looks at different player combinations. At some point, he’ll have to work on building chemistry with more specific lineups. 

All of that is to say, losing now is not necessarily indicative of how the team will perform this summer.

Even so, Pulisic is the team’s biggest star, and it needs more from him. He has been in a scoring drought for the national team – his last goal came in 2024, and he hasn’t scored for AC Milan yet in 2026. He started his club season in fine form, scoring eight goals between August and December, but has hit a speed bump. 

He’s motivated to turn things around and has more to give. He’ll recover, watch film, and do everything possible to be better next time.

“We have to take this on the chin,” Pulisic said. “It was a tough loss. It’s a very good team, but in a lot of ways there’s things that we can do better. 

“I have to improve. The team has to improve. All we can do is go push and try to get a result.”