Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo says 2026 World Cup ‘definitely’ his last
RIYADH: Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday said next year’s World Cup would be his last as he winds down one of the all-time great careers.
The 40-year-old forward, with more than 950 club and international goals, also said he would retire from football in “one or two years”.
“Definitely, yes,” he told a Saudi forum by video link, when asked if 2026 would be his final World Cup. “I’m gonna be 41 years old and I think it will be the moment.”
Ronaldo, who began a lucrative stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in 2023, also elaborated on comments last week when he said he would retire “soon”.
“Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years, I’ll still be at the game,” he said.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is hoping to play at a sixth World Cup next year. He came closest to lifting the trophy on debut in 2006, when Portugal lost to France in the semi-finals.
Portugal have yet to qualify for the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, but can secure their spot if they beat Ireland on Thursday.
Last month, Ronaldo became the top goalscorer in World Cup qualifying history when he netted twice against Hungary to reach 41 goals, overtaking retired Guatemalan international Carlos Ruiz’s 39.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus forward is also the all-time leading international goalscorer with 143 strikes.
During an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored last week, Ronaldo opened up further about the realities of his looming retirement.
“It will be difficult? Yes. Probably will cry, yes. I’m an open person. It will be very, very difficult, yes,” he said.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr after leaving Manchester United for a second time in late 2022, a move that heralded an influx of late-career stars to the oil-rich kingdom.
Ronaldo initially signed for 200 million euros a year, according to a source close to Al Nassr at the time, and inked a two-year contract extension in June.
Last month, he was named by Bloomberg as the sport’s first billionaire, and topped the Forbes list of highest-paid footballers for the sixth time in a decade.
With on-and off-field earnings of an estimated $280 million, Ronaldo will earn more than double that of second-placed rival Lionel Messi during the upcoming season, according to Forbes.
Saudi Arabia, which is spending big on sports and entertainment as part of its economic diversification plan, was named as host of the 2034 World Cup last December.
Sports
Bill Belichick tries to cool Giants head-coaching rumors
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Bill Belichick did his best to cool rumors of his alleged interest in the New York Giants’ head-coaching job as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ season heads into the final stretch.
The rumor mill linked Belichick’s name to the coaching vacancy almost immediately as the team dismissed Brian Daboll earlier this week. He was asked about the job during his media availability on Tuesday afternoon.
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Then-defensive coordinator Bill Belichick of the New York Giants, circa 1985. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
He said his focus was on Wake Forest.
“I mean, I’ve been asked about it from time to time,” he told reporters. “Look, I’ve been down this road before. I’m focused on Wake Forest. That’s it. And that’s my commitment to this team. And next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. But I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”
Belichick is considered to be one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator of the Giants under Bill Parcells.
BILL BELICHICK VOWS HE’S ‘FULLY COMMITTED’ TO NORTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL DESPITE SPLIT RUMORS

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick smiles as he walks the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
NFL writer Gary Myers, the author of “Once a Giant” and “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate,” had previously suggested that Belichick would go to great lengths to get the Giants job.
“… He’d walk from Chapel Hill to East Rutherford for this job, I really believe that,” Myers said, via OutKick.
“I think [Belichick] desperately wants the 15 victories to pass [Don] Shula [as the winningest coach of all time] and he desperately wants to win a Super Bowl without [Tom] Brady.”
Still, the Giants should have plenty of suitors to choose from. The team has a highly touted quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a smashmouth running back in Cam Skattebo, a leading wide receiver in Malik Nabers and the NFL’s current sacks leader in Brian Burns.

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick greets a recruit on the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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The ingredients are there for a winning roster. The right coach would need to put it all together.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Green questions Warriors’ commitment to winning
OKLAHOMA CITY — In the aftermath of a sixth consecutive road loss for the struggling Golden State Warriors, their outspoken power forward, Draymond Green, was asked about the biggest difference between how they played last season following the Jimmy Butler trade and now.
“I think everybody was committed to winning [back then] and doing that any way possible,” Green said. “Right now, it doesn’t feel that way.”
After trading for Butler in February, the Warriors went 23-8 to finish the regular season. This season, they opened with a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers and sprinted to a 5-1 start.
But a condensed, road-heavy portion of the schedule has fatigued the veterans and exposed flaws, most recently in a 25-point blowout loss to the Nuggets in Denver and Tuesday night’s 126-102 blowout loss at Oklahoma City, leading to Green’s comments.
“I think everyone has a personal agenda in this league,” Green said. “But you have to make those personal agendas work within the team confines. If it doesn’t work, you kind of got to get rid of your agenda or eventually the agenda is the cause of someone getting rid of you.”
When ESPN approached Green after his postgame news conference for more clarity, he said “everyone” has to shoulder a share of accountability for the recent slump.
“That’s what this road trip is for,” Butler said. “Everybody has to be honest with themselves. Everybody has to be honest with everyone else.”
When the term “agenda” enters the mix, the attention tends to shift toward two of the Warriors’ youngest core members who have been outspoken about their desire for more — third-year guard Brandin Podziemski and fifth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Podziemski made a number of comments in the lead-up to the season about his long-term career ambitions, including a news conference answer to a question about whether he wanted to be as great as Steph Curry. Podziemski said he “wants to be better than him,” an answer that elicited some eyerolls and continued references from several within the organization. Podziemski’s numbers (12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists) are relatively stable from a season ago.
Kuminga’s contract dispute hovered over the franchise all summer. During that time, Kuminga made clear his ambition for a more consistent and higher-usage role. Through 12 games, he has played the most total minutes on the team: 348.
Everything was humming for Kuminga during the 5-1 start, leading Warriors coach Steve Kerr to label him an entrenched starter because of his defensive activity, rebounding and improved passing. But Kuminga, like a chunk of the roster, has stumbled during the first 11 days of November.
Ball security has been a particular issue. Kuminga had five turnovers in 24 minutes in the loss to the Thunder, his fourth game of at least four turnovers in the past seven. Kerr and Butler identified the teamwide turnover numbers as a major issue.
“Myself, I can’t have turnovers,” Butler said. “JK can’t have turnovers. … We’re the ones that have to keep our turnovers down.”
“I think everyone has a personal agenda in this league. But you have to make those personal agendas work within the team confines. If it doesn’t work, you kind of got to get rid of your agenda or eventually the agenda is the cause of someone getting rid of you.”
Draymond Green
But the state of the Warriors often comes back to the state of Curry. His mini-slump and recent illness kick-started this skid. He made only 16 of his 42 shots in road losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. After that trip, he contracted an illness that forced him to sit out three games.
Curry returned against the Thunder but acknowledged his rhythm and conditioning were compromised. Curry went 4-of-13 shooting in 20 ineffective minutes against the defending champions and committed five fouls, including the first flagrant foul of his 17-year career.
“I kind of fell into [the agenda thing] a little bit myself,” Curry said. “Trying to get myself going. But the bigger issue when you lose is you start to look around and figure out what’s the issue. Commitment to winning is just running the floor, rebounding, taking care of the basketball. It’s not really about shots going in or not.”
The schedule doesn’t lighten for the Warriors. They had a late-night flight to San Antonio for the second half of a back-to-back to face the surging Spurs on Wednesday.
Kerr said Green was “banged up” and might not play. Curry’s status is also in question, though he said he was pushing to be out there. It is the second game of a six-game trip.
Sports
Josh Harris might have to choose between Trump and an angry fan base
The Washington Commanders might now have the toughest assignment in football.
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