Sports

By Dana O’Neil, CNN University Park, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Shortly after arriving at Penn State, Matt Campbell instituted a team competition that served him well in his days at Iowa State. Intended to build camaraderie, the concept was simple enough: Divide the team into small groups, each headed by one OG Penn State player and

By Andrew McNicol, CNN (CNN) — Cape Verde’s fairytale run in the 2026 World Cup caught a lot of people by surprise – but not Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo. The tiny island nation’s success encapsulated Africa’s record-breaking outing in the tournament – nine out of the 10 competing African nations advanced to the knockout

CNN By Andrew McNicol, CNN (CNN) — Cape Verde’s fairytale run in the 2026 World Cup caught a lot of people by surprise – but not Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo. The tiny island nation’s success encapsulated Africa’s record-breaking outing in the tournament – nine out of the 10 competing African nations advanced to the

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