CNN – Sports

By Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN (CNN) — Soccer star Lionel Messi published a farewell letter to his father, Jorge Messi, who died Saturday at 68, in which he expressed all his pain and revealed details of what he experienced during the World Cup. “Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather,

By Aleks Klosok, CNN (CNN) — For Omar Abdulkadir Artan, it promised to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Following a decade of breaking new ground and inspiring a generation of African referees, an appearance on the biggest stage of all – the World Cup – was set to be the high point of his

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Amid swathes of criticism and calls for him to resign from his role as FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has now received public backing from a familiar friend in US President Donald Trump. With the walls seemingly closing in on Infantino, Trump posted a message on Truth Social Monday night

By Dana O’Neil, CNN (CNN) — The NCAA on Monday will announce a collaboration with the FBI designed to educate college athletes on how to confront, prevent and respond to sexual exploitation on the internet, sources familiar with the announcement told CNN Sports. A growing number of college athletes have been subjected to what’s commonly

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — It may be a new week, but it must feel like Groundhog Day for FIFA President Gianni Infantino as he wakes up to yet another round of criticism. The latest development comes from an open letter signed by the presidents and general secretaries of European soccer governing body UEFA,

By Emile Nuh, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s note: Watch CNN Original Series “Decades in Sports” on the CNN app. Across six episodes, the series explores the defining moments, athletes and cultural shifts that shaped sports over the past six decades, from the television revolution and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, right up to the

By Uriel Blanco and Federico Jofre, CNN en Español (CNN) — Jorge Messi, the father and longtime representative of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, died Saturday at the age of 68, according to Sanatorio Centro, the medical center in Rosario, Argentina, where he was receiving care. In a statement, Dr. Carlos Mackey, the hospital’s medical

By Dana O’Neil, CNN State College, Pennsylvania (CNN) — The FedEx driver rolled up to campus and realized he had a problem, a delivery man’s version of Chief Brody realizing he was going to need a bigger boat in “Jaws.” He called Ben Herman, the Penn State assistant athletic director for equipment operations, and shared

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — If Gianni Infantino thought FIFA’s apologetic statement on Wednesday would quell calls for him to resign, then he would have been firmly mistaken. Just a day after senior officials threw their support behind the FIFA president following a crisis meeting in Morocco, Infantino is still facing a firestorm of

By David Close, CNN (CNN) — Despite growing calls for Gianni Infantino to step down as FIFA president following his controversial high-profile proposal to sell off commercial and operational rights to ​the World Cup, he retained the backing of FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and other members of FIFA management, according to a statement released

By Hannah Keyser, CNN Seattle (CNN) — Scott Harris, the president of baseball operations for the Detroit Tigers, has at least one thing in common with Riley Greene, the team’s 25-year-old former first round draft pick and three-time All-Star outfielder. “I hate selling with every fiber of my body,” Harris told reporters a little more

By Issy Ronald, CNN (CNN) — Soccer legend Luis Figo has publicly said beleaguered FIFA President Gianni Infantino “must go,” piling the pressure on the sport’s chief administrator as he holds a crisis meeting with top FIFA officials on Wednesday after scrapping a hugely controversial plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup and

By Maya Baylis, CNN Swedish mountain biker Alma Wiggberg, 23, maneuvers her bike up some winding stairs and onto a roof of a building in Groningen in the Netherlands. The roar of 20,000 spectators rises from the Dutch market square 50 feet below her. Her mind blank, she does a final exhale, a head shake,

By Emile Nuh, Kaitlan Collins, CNN (CNN) — More than 1,200 players represented their countries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and among those, perhaps none will remember the tournament more fondly than Spain forward Ferran Torres. Every kid who falls in love with the Beautiful Game dreams of scoring the winning goal in a

By Jill Martin, CNN (CNN) — While it took an extra day, it was worth the wait for Alexandra Eala. The 21-year-old became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level title, coming back from a set down to defeat American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 at the DC Open on Monday.

By Ainsley Flood, CNN (CNN) — In every World Cup, there’s an underdog. It’s always a memorable storyline, but in 2026, Cape Verde stole the show. The island nation off the west coast of Africa has a population of about half a million and was ranked 67th in the world. It is the second-smallest country

By Emile Nuh, CNN (CNN) — Watch CNN Original Series “Decades in Sports” on the CNN app. Across six episodes, the series explores the defining moments, athletes and cultural shifts that shaped sports over the past six decades, from the television revolution and Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, right up to the impact of

By Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — European soccer’s governing body UEFA declared it has lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino, piling pressure on the beleaguered sporting chief despite the organization dropping a hugely controversial plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup and other top tournaments. In a blistering statement released Saturday morning,

By Emile Nuh, CNN (CNN) — Just over four years ago in May 2022, 10-year-old Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Sasha Paskal and her mother, Maria, were enjoying some time together in the scenic seaside village of Zatoka in the Odesa region of southwestern Ukraine. It was a sunny day and they were getting ready to head