Sports

Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, on December 5, 2025, at the draw for the 2026 World Cup groups in Washington, United States. MANDEL NGAN / POOL VIA REUTERS In 10 years as the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino has become a wealthy man. His reign is set to reach its peak during the expanded 2026 World Cup, now featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. Since he was elected president of football's global governing body in February 2016, Infantino's earnings have soared at a remarkable rate. Evidence of this financial gain can be found in the "Form 990" tax declarations that FIFA, a Swiss-registered non-profit organization exempt from US taxes since June 1994, is requ...

France's Yannick Agnel in Bellerive-sur-Allier, France on July 3, 2016. THIERRY ZOCCOLAN / AFP French double Olympic swimming gold medallist Yannick Agnel will face trial on charges of rape and sexual assault after his appeal was rejected on Thursday, January 15. In May, the Frenchman's lawyers appealed the decision for the 33-year-old to face the charges but the appeals court in Colmar, northeastern France, turned down the claim and ordered the trial to proceed. Agnel, who won two golds at the 2012 London Games, is suspected of having had a relationship in 2016 with Naomé Horter, the daughter of his coach, who was 13 at the time. Agnel has always insisted the relationship was consensual and loving. According to prosecutors, ...

Nigeria's Akor Adams, left, and Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui fight for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, January 14, 2026. YOUSSEF LOULIDI / AP Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty and Yassine "Bono" Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday, January 14. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved one but was bettered by Bono in the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 with extra time in front of 65,458 mostly Morocco supporters in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. "We played with 12 (players)," Morocco coach Walid Regragui said of the fans. There were so...

France's Loïs Boisson at the French Open in Paris on June 5, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP French Open semifinalist Loïs Boisson has withdrawn from the Australian Open. "I tried everything to be ready on time," she said in a message posted on Instagram on Monday, January 12. "But I know that rushing can harm my body and my health in the long term especially." The 22-year-old Boisson has been struggling with injuries since a deep run at Roland-Garros last year in her Grand Slam main draw singles debut. She has not played since the end of September and the No. 35-ranked player said she took the decision to skip the Australian Open to be able to compete "at 100% for the rest of the season." In Paris, Boisson beat top-10 players Jessica Pegula ...

The portrait of Morocco's King Mohammed VI displayed during the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match between Cameroon and Morocco in Rabat, January 9, 2026. MOSA'AB ELSHAMY / AP His absence has been particularly noticeable. Since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicked off on December 21, 2025, for four weeks in Morocco, King Mohammed VI has not made any appearances at any of the six stadiums hosting the competition. During the tournament's opening ceremony, the host country's monarch did not kick off the 35th edition of AFCON. Rather, his eldest son, Moulay Al-Hassan, greeted the crowd with raised arms from the center circle of the main stadium in Rabat. At every pivotal moment in the Atlas Lions' journey, it was the 22-year-old c...

The LA28 Olympic cauldron is lit during a ceremonial lighting at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, ahead of the launch of ticket registration for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, January 13, 2026. FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP Nadia Comaneci, Apolo Ohno, Bart Conner and Cullen Jones were among the more than 300 Olympic and Paralympic athletes who gathered Tuesday, January 13, under the peristyle at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Summer Games will open in 2028. In an effort to promote Wednesday's registration launch for tickets to the Los Angeles Games, the athletes representing 28 different Olympics dating to 1960 joined Janet Evans, chief athlete officer for the LA28 organizing committee, in a short countdown to the lighting of the ...

Rolland Courbis in Bordeaux, France, on January 31, 2016. NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP Rolland Courbis, a former French player and coach often called in to rescue teams from relegation who became an outspoken media pundit, has died aged 72, his employer RMC said on Monday, January 12. Courbis won the French title three times as a player, with Marseille in 1972 and then Monaco in 1978 and 1982. He spent two years as coach of Marseille during a colorful career in which he coached for more than 500 games in Ligue 1 and went to jail twice over financial issues at his club at the time. Courbis also managed Toulon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Montpellier, ending his coaching career at Caen in 2019. By then he had become a well-established media co...

Spanish coach Xabi Alonso in Talavera de la Reina, Spain on December 17, 2025. SUSANA VERA / REUTERS Real Madrid said on Monday, January 12, that coach Xabi Alonso has left the Spanish giants by mutual consent, to be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa. A day after the team lost the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona, the club parted ways with the Basque coach eight months after his arrival and immediately appointed former Madrid player Arbeloa, who was coaching the reserve side. "Real Madrid announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to bring his tenure as first-team coach to an end," said the Los Blancos – Real Madrid's nickname – in a statement. In a separate statement, Madrid then announced Arbe...

Paris FC's French midfielder #14 Jonathan Ikone (C) fights for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain's Portuguese midfielder #10 Vitinha (2R) and Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder #03 Senny Mayulu (R) during the French Cup round of 32 football match between between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Paris FC at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on January 12, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP Paris Saint-Germain academy product Jonathan Ikoné came back to haunt his old club on Monday as he scored the only goal in Paris FC's 1-0 win over their city rivals to reach the last 16 of the French Cup. Substitute Ikoneé stabbed home in the final 20 minutes to surprise the dominant record 16-time winners and current champions at the ...

Senegal's forward Iliman Ndiaye celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) quarter-final football match between Mali and Senegal, at the Grand Stadium in Tangiers, on January 9, 2026. ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP Recalled striker Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangiers on Friday, January 9, in the first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final. The only goal followed a blunder by Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, who then made a string of superb saves to prevent Senegal from increasing their lead. Senegal's team now faces defending champions Côte d'Ivoire or record seven-time winners Egypt, who meet in the semi-finals on Saturday. ...