DP World International League T20 4th season to start on UAE National Day

Dubai Capitals players celebrate with the trophy after winning the final of the DP World ILT20 against the Desert Vipers at Dubai International Stadium. (Deepak Malik/ILT20)
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Updated 14 May 2025
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DP World International League T20 4th season to start on UAE National Day

  • Khalid Al-Zarooni, ILT20 chairman and Emirates Cricket Board vice chairman, says the new season will start on Dec. 2

DUBAI: Season four of the DP World International League T20 tournament will start on Dec. 2 — UAE National Day — it has been announced.

The six-team, 34-match tournament will conclude just over a month later, with the final taking place on Jan. 4, 2026.

The biggest T20 league in the Gulf region has moved out of its traditional January-February window as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled for February-March 2026.

ILT20 chairman ILT20 and Emirates Cricket Board vice chairman, Khalid Al-Zarooni, said: “We are delighted to confirm that the DP World International League T20 season four will commence on the UAE National Day — Eid-Al-Etihad — which is one of the most important days on the UAE calendar.

“The UAE National Day is the day where we celebrate the United Arab Emirates, which is home to people from around the world including millions of diehard cricket fans. It is a real honor for us to join the nation in the UAE National Day 2025 celebrations with the launch of the region’s biggest T20 league on the same day.”

DP World ILT20 CEO David White added: “The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in early February; hence it was important for us to start and finish season four well before the tournament as it will allow the players playing both the DP World ILT20 and the T20 World Cup to prepare for national duty. In addition, we feel the December-January window will provide the teams the best opportunity to access a bigger pool of players.

“Season three was a big success with outstanding broadcast and digital numbers as the fans enjoyed a step up in the quality of cricket. The teams gave their absolute all across the hugely competitive 34 tournament matches, which concluded with a nail-biting final. We are now fully focused on making an even bigger impact as we turn our attention to Season 4.”

Season three featured major T20 stars including Nicholas Pooran, Sam Curran (player of the tournament — red belt winner), Shai Hope (most runs in the tournament — green belt winner), Fazalhaq Farooqi (highest wicket-taker — white belt winner), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, Alex Hales, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson, David Warner, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, James Vince, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Tim Southee, Tim Seifert, Matthew Wade, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa.

The Dubai Capitals won the trophy, edging out the Desert Vipers in a thrilling final which was played in front of a full house at the Dubai International Stadium.


Schauffele starting with blank canvas for Open defense

Updated 5 sec ago
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Schauffele starting with blank canvas for Open defense

  • The 31-year-old produced a blemish-free final-round of 65 at Royal Troon last year to win his second major title to go along with his gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics
  • With the perils of a links course’s sloping greens, cavernous bunkers, knee-deep rough and the wild weather associated with Britain’s coast, it is hardly surprising that defending the title is treacherous

PORTRUSH: Xander Schauffele is super-excited at the prospect of trying to defend his British Open title at Royal Portrush this week but says he will have to come up with a different plan to the one that took him to victory 12 months ago.

“I think a blank canvas is a great place to start. You can paint many different pictures to win a tournament. You’ve just got to do the right one,” the American told reporters on the County Antrim coast on Tuesday after practice.

The 31-year-old produced a blemish-free final-round of 65 at Royal Troon last year to win his second major title to go along with his gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics.

He was the third American in four years to win golf’s oldest major but while that experience will hold him in good stead for the days ahead, he said Portrush’s Dunluce Links will throw up a completely new test of his renowned links golf skills.

“It’s an interesting thing just because my thoughts of playing really well were at Royal Troon,” he said.

“Coming here, I feel like I’m trying to re-learn this golf course, get comfortable with certain sight lines, some blind tee shots. If I can get myself in the mix, that’s when I think I would have an advantage. That’s where my biggest edge would be.

“I can lean on experience at other points in time, but I think the most fun and the biggest advantage I would have is coming down the stretch if I can get close to that lead.”

With the perils of a links course’s sloping greens, cavernous bunkers, knee-deep rough and the wild weather associated with Britain’s coast, it is hardly surprising that defending the title is treacherous.

The last player to do so was Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in 2008 and Schauffele knows the luck of the draw and getting lucky with the weather could be vital this week.

“This week is a pretty good example of having to deal with a wave. There’s typically a good wave and a bad wave in an Open Championship,” he said. “You just keep your fingers crossed that you’re in the good wave and try and play well.

“If you’re not, fight for your life and make the cut and then try and do something on the weekend.”

For a player who grew up in San Diego, it might be surprising how he has embraced the challenge of links golf.

But he said 16-hour trips in the car with his dad as a youngster helped him learn to be creative.

“We drove up to Bandon Dunes from San Diego. It took about 16 hours. I was 13 years old,” he said. “We played three or four days in a row. I think it was just Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes at the time. We got the real weather. My rain gear stopped working. It was that much wind and rain.

“I had a blast. As much as it was nice to look forward to a hot shower at the end of the day, I had so much fun for some reason trying to figure out how to play golf in that weather.”

With wind and rain expected to batter Portrush at times over the next five days, he will draw on those experiences again.


Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

Updated 15 July 2025
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Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

  • The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups
  • The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar

MUSCAT: Oman hired Carlos Queiroz as their national-team coach Tuesday ahead of autumn games that will determine if the country advances to the World Cup for the first time.

The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and will take over with immediate effect.

Oman and five other countries — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar — have reached the fourth round of qualifying. From groups of three, the two winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The fourth-round draw will be on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The matches are in October. After those, there’s one additional round — the second-place finishers square off in November for a spot in a playoff tournament.

“This comes as part of efforts to improve the team’s performances for upcoming games,” the Oman Football Association said in a statement.

Queiroz replaces Rashid Jaber, who led Oman to a fourth-place finish in the third round to keep qualification hopes alive.

The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar.
Queiroz was fired as Qatar coach in December 2023 after 11 games in charge.


Barcelona star Yamal faces backlash for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism for birthday party

Updated 15 July 2025
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Barcelona star Yamal faces backlash for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism for birthday party

  • Yamal, 18, could face an investigation for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism
  • Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights said such hirings ‘take us back to the Middle Ages’

BARCELONA: Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has been criticized and could face an investigation for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers during his lavish 18th birthday party this weekend.
Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights has asked prosecutors to open a probe into the hiring and exposition of the entertainers. Ministry director Jesús Martín Blanco told Europa Press that such hirings “take us back to the Middle Ages.”
A local association for people with disabilities had already condemned the alleged hirings, saying it would take action “legally and socially” against those responsible for promoting such actions.
Spanish radio station RAC1 published an interview with one of the entertainers who said he was in the party. The man said they were all treated with respect. He complained about the reaction against Yamal for hiring them.
Yamal celebrated his birthday with a party filled with celebrities. It also included some of his Barcelona teammates.
In May, Yamal signed a contract extension to stay at Barcelona until 2031. He helped the Catalan club clinch a domestic treble — La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. His big season came after he helped Spain win the European Championship in the summer of 2024.


South African Mokwena to coach Algerian champions Mouloudia

Updated 15 July 2025
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South African Mokwena to coach Algerian champions Mouloudia

  • His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca
  • Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premiership coaches in the Algerian championship

JOHANNESBURG: South African Rulani Mokwena was named coach of Algerian champions Mouloudia Alger on Monday, ending weeks of speculation as to where the 38-year-old would work in the 2025/26 season.

His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca. He left after finishing third in the national league and failing to qualify for the CAF Champions League.

Here, AFP Sport also reports on a setback for Sudanese giants Al Hilal as they chase a place in the forthcoming Champions League in the latest football news across Africa.


Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premiership coaches in the Algerian championship.

German Josef Zinnbauer, the former Orlando Pirates tactician, guided JS Kabylie to second place behind Mouloudia last season and qualification for the Champions League.

Another German, Sead Ramovic, led Chabab Belouizdad to third place and entry to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup. His previous clubs include TS Galaxy in South Africa.

Young Orlando Pirates forward Mohau Nkota is joining Saudi Pro League club Ettifaq, the Soweto club announced.

Last season was his first with the Buccaneers first team and he scored 12 goals in 39 appearances, including three in Champions League victories over Belouizdad and Mouloudia in Algeria.

The 20-year-old will join fellow African Wissam Chaouali, a Tunisian defender, at a club that finished seventh in the Pro League last season, 33 points behind champions Al Ittihad.

Al Hilal, who have featured in every Champions League since 2004, suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for the 2025/26 edition of the premier African club competition.
The Sudan Elite League pacesetters lost 1-0 to Al Amal Atbara in the fourth round of a mini-league and remain top of the table only on goal difference from Al Zamaleh Umm Ruwaba.

Only two points separate seven of the eight contenders and 16 matches have produced just 18 goals as clubs chase top-four finishes and places in the Champions League and Confederation Cup.

Angolan champions Petro Luanda have hired 48-year-old Spanish coach Franc Artiga as they prepare for their Champions League campaign.

Former Angola forward Flavio Amado had been in charge of the record 19-time national champions, but lacks the necessary coaching qualifications for Confederation of African Football competitions.

Petro have twice reached the Champions League semifinals, losing to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in 2001 and Wydad Casablanca three years ago.

Namibia, one of many African countries lacking a FIFA-approved stadium, will play their remaining 2026 World Cup home qualifiers against Malawi and Sao Tome e Principe in neighboring Botswana.

The matches in September are earmarked for Francistown, 440 kilometers (274 miles) northeast of the capital Gaborone. They previously hosted qualifiers in Soweto near Johannesburg.

Namibia are unbeaten in Group H after three victories and three draws and lie second, four points behind six-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia.


Turki Alalshikh announces tickets for blockbuster Canelo vs. Crawford fight

Updated 15 July 2025
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Turki Alalshikh announces tickets for blockbuster Canelo vs. Crawford fight

  • Riyadh Season event features 2 of boxing’s biggest names of a generation on Sept. 13
  • Tickets go on sale July 18, with the bouts set to stream on Netflix

LAS VEGAS: Two of boxing’s most dominant forces, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) and undefeated four-division superstar Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) are set to face off in a Riyadh Season fight for the unified super middleweight championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sept. 13, with tickets to go on sale later this week.

Start of ticket sales were announced Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, who is collaborating with UFC President and CEO Dana White and Sela to promote the highly anticipated showdown.

Canelo is looking to add Crawford to his legendary resume. Capturing a multitude of titles across multiple weight divisions, and defeating the likes of Shane Mosley, Gennady Golovkin and Miguel Cotto, Alvarez has done more than enough to solidify himself as one of the best to ever do it. The proud native of Guadalajara, Mexico, now turns his attention to the undefeated challenger, Terence Crawford, to cement his legacy even further.

Omaha, Nebraska’s Crawford, meanwhile, is setting out to show why he believes he’s the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world with a defining win against Alvarez. The current WBA and interim WBO middleweight champion, Crawford has become a household name by defeating Ricky Burns, Jose Benavidez Jr., Amir Khan, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr. After moving up in weight to 154 pounds against Israil Madrimov, Crawford now sets his sights on Canelo to secure the biggest win of his career.

Canelo vs. Crawford tickets will go on sale July 18 and are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight per person. Presales will begin July 17.