AP – Sports
September 25, 2026
Matt LaFleur joins Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen on the early-season hot seat for NFL coaches
Matt LaFleur joins Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen on the early-season hot seat for NFL coaches. The Green Bay Packers are off to a 1-2 start following a lackluster performance in a 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in their home opener at Lambeau Field. Since losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL last December, the Packers are 1-7. The only victory came last week against the New York Jets, who helped give the game away. LaFleur’s offense has struggled without running back Josh Jacobs, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list. Jordan Love has been inconsistent behind a poor offensive line.
Europe’s top leagues add to pressure on Infantino by calling for FIFA reform
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Premier League and three other top European leagues have called for governance reform of FIFA following Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. A joint statement with leagues from Spain, Italy and Germany accused FIFA’s president of actively promoting “exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them.” The Premier League is soccer’s richest and most popular league. Its collaboration with Europe’s other leading leagues adds to the growing pressure on Infantino, who plans for stand for re-election despite losing the support of many national federation over his controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary.
Chinese swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo completes sweep of seven gold medals at the Asian Games
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Chinese freestyle swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo completed his sweep of seven gold medals at the Asian Games, taking the 400-meter freestyle in 3 minutes, 41.28 seconds on the final day of swimming at the Asian Games. His time on Friday was not far off the world record held by Lukas Martens of Germany. Zhang also won the 1,500, 800 and 200 free and added gold in three relays. He celebrated at poolside by sitting on the lane divider and counting the golds with his fingers.
A franchise-record 3rd straight postseason, and the Padres still want more
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The San Diego Padres are back in the postseason for a franchise-record third consecutive year. They clinched a playoff berth with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny Machado fielded the final out, sparking a celebration. The Padres have made history under rookie manager Craig Stammen, who was a surprise pick. Fernando Tatis Jr. extended his on-base streak to 18 games. The team has overcome challenges, including injuries to key pitchers. Ty France has been a standout addition, hitting a career-high 21 homers.
A’Ja Wilson and Aces to face Caitlin Clark and Fever in opening round of WNBA playoffs
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA playoffs will have a star-studded matchup between A’Ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, thanks to a massive comeback by Golden State. Down 10 with three minutes to go, the Valkryies went on a 14-0 run to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 76-75 and move into to the No. 2 seed on the final day of the regular season. Golden State’s win and Indiana’s loss to Minnesota sets up a best-of-three series between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever. The series that begins Sunday in Las Vegas will be a showcase between Wilson, the four-time WNBA MVP, and Clark, the 2024 rookie of the year and three-time All-Star. Golden State plays No. 7 seed Dallas, top-seeded Minnesota faces New York and No. 4 Atlanta plays No. 5 Washingon.
NFL offenses boost under-center snaps early this season, reversing the shotgun trend
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — NFL offenses have been shifting from shotgun to under center at a high rate this season. Through two weeks, 13 of the 32 teams have increased their rate of plays from under center by more than 10 percentage points, according to Sportradar, with the league-wide rate going from 34.7% last season to 42.3% so far this season. That’s a 48% increase from 2023, when the percentage of under-center plays reached a nadir.
Russell takes Azerbaijan GP pole after F1 leader Antonelli hits the wall
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — George Russell took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Formula 1 standings leader Kimi Antonelli hit the wall in qualifying. With his teammate Antonelli out of the running, Russell showed why Mercedes is such a dominant favorite at the Baku track. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was .837 of a second off the pace in second and Oscar Piastri was third-fastest for McLaren, .001 further back. Isack Hadjar was fourth for Red Bull on his return from injury and no one else got within a second of Russell.
Star-studded Czechia reaches Billie Jean King Cup final as Wimbledon champ Noskova seals win
SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova won their singles matches to lead Czechia to a 2-0 win over Spain and a shot at the Billie Jean King Cup title. The Czechs will face either Ukraine or two-time defending champion Italy in Sunday’s final of the competition previously called Fed Cup. Muchova who lost to Noskova in the Wimbledon final got Friday’s semifinal started with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The No. 6-ranked Noskova then defeated Cristina Bucsa 7-6 (5), 6-2 to seal the team victory for the 11-time champion Czechs. The Italy-Ukraine semifinal is scheduled for Saturday.
Paige Bueckers steps onto WNBA playoff stage as next step in growth of Dallas Wings star
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Paige Bueckers is getting ready for her WNBA playoff debut with the Dallas Wings on Sunday against the Golden State Valkyries. It’s the next step for the star guard who won a national championship at UConn a few weeks before the Wings drafted her No. 1 overall last year. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year has gone from learning how to cope with losing in much larger doses to helping lead a contender through the ups and downs of a season. The Wings finished the regular season strong after Bueckers went to Berlin and helped the U.S. women win gold in her first major tournament with the senior national team.
Florida embraces championship expectations that come with Chinyelu, Condon and Haugh back
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Todd Golden insists his team is ready for everything that comes with being the overwhelming favorite to win a second national championship. Pressure? No problem. Getting everyone’s best shot? Bring it. Needing to stay on edge for five months? That should be relatively easy given the way last season ended. Florida, which lost to ninth-seeded Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, returns four starters and is counting on guard Denzel Aberdeen getting a fifth year of eligibility through the judicial system. They are the betting favorite to win it all, mostly because All-SEC big men Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are back as seniors.
