Sports
Three ways the Champions League format could be fixed
We’re midway through Year 2 of the revamped UEFA Champions League, and already we’ve witnessed the dramatic impact of the 2024 switch to a 36-team, Swiss-model league phase unlike anything seen in Europe before.
To take one example, the final matchday of the league phase this year featured Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin delivering an iconic moment, as he scored a 98th-minute header against Real Madrid to stave off elimination and push the Portuguese club to the knockout rounds. On the flip side, the competition’s format is now so confusing that Trubin himself didn’t know how vital his goal was for Benfica’s Champions League hopes.
It’s clear that there’s no perfect solution, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try! With the knockout playoff round taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, we decided to ask our writers: How would you fix the Champions League format, within the bounds of what might be possible?
Here are three fascinating proposals from Mark Ogden, Gabriele Marcotti and Bill Connelly, ranging from innovative to subtly effective.
Two mini-leagues, one gigantic playoff round
UEFA has introduced several iterations of the Champions League since overhauling the old European Cup format in the early-1990s. Despite the tweaks and changes, the competition is still the pinnacle of club soccer, and they haven’t managed to break it just yet.
But the knockout stages are where the magic happens. That’s part of the problem UEFA must overcome, because no matter how many times they reboot the group stages, those early rounds will never have the jeopardy and excitement of classic two-leg, winner-take-all encounters.
The only reason Matchday 8 of the league phase was so enthralling was because it had a knockout feel to it, with Benfica’s 4-2 win against Real Madrid — courtesy of goalkeeper Trubin’s stoppage-time goal — as good as any knockout tie.
– Ogden: Real Madrid broke Mourinho. Now he could break them in UCL
– UCL knockout round analysis, predictions
– Best Champions League tifos, 2025-26: Bob Marley, Haaland as a Viking, more
With all that in mind, how do you fix the format to inject some sense of vibrancy to the group/league stage? We are never going back to straight knockouts from the first round — there’s too much risk and not enough guaranteed money for the top clubs to ever sanction that — so there has to be some form of group stage.
So why not split the league phase in two and have two leagues feeding into the knockout stages, in a similar fashion to the AFC and NFC feeding into the NFL playoffs? Instead of a bloated 36-team league, make it two 18-team sections with only the top two in each guaranteed a round of 16 spot. The remaining 24, 12 in each section, would go into a supersize playoff round — with an open draw!
1:41
Leboeuf: Benfica’s goalkeeper scoring was a Champions League miracle
Jürgen Klinsmann and Frank Leboeuf react to Anatoliy Trubin’s last minute goal to send Benfica to the Champions League playoffs.
Let’s ensure that only the best teams have an advantage, so if you finish outside the top two, you could face anyone in the playoff. You could end up playing Real Madrid or Bodo/Glimt, but it would be down to the luck of the draw rather than a position-based seeding. And all teams would still play eight league phase games, so there would be no reduction in match revenue
It still wouldn’t be an ideal format. Too many teams would still be able to qualify with a mediocre league phase, and you could argue there would be just as many relatively meaningless games, but I want Arsenal vs. PSG or Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich in November to matter more than they do right now. Having only two automatic spots available would sharpen the tension at the top, and what we all want to see is the big guns playing as though they mean it. — Mark Ogden
Clubs get to pick their opponents
We’re asked to be realistic here, so bear that in mind. We’re not going back to the one league/one team days, and we’re not going back to purely straight knockouts. (Besides, we effectively have a separate straight knockout tournament after the group stage anyway.)
I don’t think there’s much wrong with the current format, but rather, the main problem is with the seeding. Namely, that it’s not particularly meaningful!
Last year, Liverpool topped the group stage, and their “reward” for doing so was a showdown with Paris Saint-Germain, who finished 15th (and knocked the Reds out). Then there was Real Madrid, who finished 11th and ended up playing Manchester City (22nd). Sure, both teams underachieved, but that was “punishment” for both. Had Real Madrid finished just one place lower, they would have faced — no disrespect — Celtic. Who would you rather play?
When we rank teams in the group stage by single points (or, worse, goal difference), it’s not exactly a scientific assessment of their relative strength. So let’s make the seedings mean something: Let clubs pick their opponents.
How would it work? Real Madrid finished ninth, making them the top-ranked team in the knockout round playoffs. Instead of being forced to play the 24th team (Benfica), they can choose any playoff team. Next up, Internazionale in 10th … they too can pick their poison.
Maybe Real Madrid don’t want to see Jose Mourinho again so soon after the fact. Maybe Inter, who are matched up with Bodo/Glimt, don’t want to travel north of the Arctic Circle to play on a plastic pitch in February. Whatever the reason, it would give a club a meaningful reward for finishing higher, in addition to creating a TV event: Imagine giving a representative from each team 60 seconds “on the clock” to pick their opponent. Plus, it would naturally ensure the bigger, better teams are kept apart for as long as possible.
Then you’d repeat this in the round of 16: Arsenal get first pick, followed by Bayern Munich, and so on. While we’re at it, let the higher-ranked team decide if they want to play home or away first. We assume playing at home second is an advantage, but maybe some would rather not, whether due to fixture congestion or style of play or some other reason. Heck, let them decide if they want to play Tuesday or Wednesday, too.
These “sporting advantages” are things you can earn on the pitch and are actually meaningful. They make it less likely that late in the group stage, clubs are going to mail it in or settle for a draw, once they know they’re not making top eight. — Gabriele Marcotti
Actually, the new format is … mostly fine, but let’s make the seeding more concrete
Honestly, I think the biggest change we can make is one of mindset. A giant, eight-match league phase offers minimal jeopardy, yes, but that created some of the best stories of this season. With eight matches, Benfica and Bodo/Glimt were able to weather some early setbacks and play their way into the competition. Hell, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise nearly did the same. They played better as they got their footing, and that lack of jeopardy actually benefited us as viewers. Treating the league phase as a true season — albeit a small one — with time for twists and turns and late surprises makes this format awfully fun, even if we know no one’s going to be eliminated in October.
If we’re insisting on making changes, however, I have a couple of small ones.
First, for the countries that provide four or more competitors, I would allow for at least one match against a domestic opponent in the league phase. If we’re going to live in a world in which the Premier League makes all the money and can afford most of the best players, then it actually benefits them even further to not have to play each other. It certainly would have been trickier for Premier League teams to end up with five of the top eight spots in the table if, say, Chelsea had faced a trip to Arsenal, or Manchester City had to play its bogey team (Tottenham Hotspur). And hey, if we end up with a random extra El Clasico or Der Klassiker dropped into the November slate, who would complain?
Meanwhile, though there are plenty of Americanized touches getting proposed, I would actually go even further in one specific area. Forget getting rid of seeding — I’d hard-seed everything!
There’s a potentially huge difference between drawing, say, seventh-place Sporting CP (currently 16th in Opta’s power rankings) and eighth-place Manchester City (second) this year, or 17th-place Borussia Dortmund (19th) and 18th-place Olympiacos (45th). Last year, there was an immense difference in top-seeded Liverpool drawing 15th-place PSG instead of 16th-place Benfica, or 21st-place Celtic instead of 22nd-place Man City. There’s already quite a bit of randomness baked into how the final table looks — we don’t need one last burst of it with the draw. Let the table drive everything: In the round of 16, the first-place team plays the winner of No. 16 and No. 17, No. 2 plays the winner of No. 15 and No. 18, et cetera.
Those aren’t huge changes because, honestly, I don’t think much needs changing. We play a miniseason long enough to have serious plot twists and evolutions, we have a couple of wild matchdays at the end of the league phase, then we have a giant bracket leading us through a few months of action. The competition’s expansion was driven almost entirely by the endless quest for more money, but as tends to happen in this sport, the craven pursuit of cash has given us more fun soccer to watch. — Bill Connelly
Sports
Adam Copeland, Christian Cage snap 25-year drought, win AEW Tag Team Championship at Double or Nothing
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
NEW YORK – Adam Copeland and Christian Cage ended a 25-year drought of tag team titles on Sunday when they forced Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler to quit in their match for the AEW Tag Team Championship at Double or Nothing.
Cope and Cage and FTR battled in a brutal match that saw ladders, tools and even a flaming table be used. As the match got more and more brutal, none of the four men in the ring were immediately going to quit. Cage had his arm smashed multiple times, Wheeler had a piece of his nose nearly taken off and barbed wire scraped the skin of each competitor.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage win at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
FTR and Cage and Cope compete in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
Stokely Hathaway, the voice behind FTR, got involved in the match as well. But Beth Copeland, formerly known as Beth Phoenix, made a surprise appearance to even the odds. But she was taken out before she could make an immediate impact.
Harwood, meanwhile, set up a table and poured lighter fluid on it. He then set the table on fire as Wheeler got ready to spear Beth Copeland through it. However, Hathaway was pulled in front of Wheeler at the last second and he was speared through the table instead.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
FTR hits a Shatter Machine on Christian Cage at the AEW Double or Nothing event in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
Adam Copeland and Cage went to work on Harwood immediately after, tying him up like a pretzel in multiple submission maneuvers. Beth Copeland found a spiked bat and handed it to her husband, who added to Harwood’s misery.
Harwood said the dreaded words, “I quit.” It gave Copeland and Cage the titles.
Copeland and Cage are a legendary tag team, who won tag team titles seven times in WWE. But since they each joined AEW, nether had been able to get any kind of gold. But more than 25 years later, they are back on top of the tag team division.
Dax Harwood begs Adam Copeland for mercy at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The last time they were tag team champions was back in April 2001. They won the titles at WrestleMania X-7 in a tables, ladders and chairs match but lost it to Kane and The Undertaker just 16 days later.
Sports
Kyle Fletcher shows up to AEW Double or Nothing, beats down Konosuke Takeshita after international title win
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
NEW YORK – Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita finally butt heads in a long-awaited rematch from their bout in the Continental Classic semifinals at Worlds End in December.
The two Don Callis Family members had been at odds with each other for months. The highly competitive pro wrestling superstars were eventually put in a match at All Elite Wrestling (AEW)’s Double or Nothing on Sunday in New York for Okada’s International Championship.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Konosuke Takeshita wins the title at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
The match did not disappoint.
It was hard hitting and fast paced – almost tough to keep up with what was going on because neither Okada nor Takeshita would stay down for very long. The crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium chanted, “Fight forever!” as each man rained blows on each other.
Okada would nail a Tombstone Piledriver on Takeshita and then the patented Rainmaker. But Takeshita got back up after the referee counted to one. Takeshita reached down as far as he could inside of his soul and hit Okada with his own version the Rainmaker.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita compete in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
Takeshita finished Okada with Raging Fire and picked up the win to become the new AEW international champion. It’s the second time he’s won the AEW International Championship, which represents the only singles title he’s been able to attain at the company.
Takeshita’s joyous moment didn’t last too long. He needed to keep his head on a swivel. As it looked like the Don Callis Family was going to completely ruin his night, Kyle Fletcher’s music hit and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Fletcher walked down to the ring with everyone in Callis’ faction looking on to see what he was going to do. He embraced Takeshita, at first, and raised his hand in a congratulatory moment.
But it didn’t last long.
Fletcher clotheslined Takeshita and then hit him with the belt as Rocky Romero and Mark Davis held him up.
Kyle Fletcher during AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fletcher showed wear his loyalties lied and it appeared to be with the Don Callis Family.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing always delivers. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest motorsports event in the world, the racing is incredible and the winner’s life is forever altered.
Each Memorial Day weekend, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the legendary Indy 500, which has more than a century’s worth of champions. From Ray Harroun in 1911 to today’s speed demons, these drivers forever etch their names into history at the Brickyard.
Here’s a list of all those who have earned a spot on the celebrated Borg-Warner Trophy by winning the Indy 500.
Indy 500 Winners
Josef Newgarden after winning the 2024 Indianapolis 500. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
INDYCAR Sanction (2008-Present)
- 2026: Felix Rosenqvist (Meyer Shank w/ Curb Agajanian)
- 2025: Alex Palou (Ganassi)
- 2024: Josef Newgarden (Penske)
- 2023: Josef Newgarden (Penske)
- 2022: Marcus Ericsson (Ganassi)
- 2021: Hélio Castroneves (Meyer Shank)
- 2020: Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman)
- 2019: Simon Pagenaud (Penske)
- 2018: Will Power (Penske)
- 2017: Takuma Sato (Andretti)
- 2016: Alexander Rossi (Andretti-Herta)
- 2015: Juan Pablo Montoya (Penske)
- 2014: Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti)
- 2013: Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology)
- 2012: Dario Franchitti (Ganassi)
- 2011: Dan Wheldon (Bryan Herta)
- 2010: Dario Franchitti (Ganassi)
- 2009: Hélio Castroneves (Penske)
- 2008: Scott Dixon (Ganassi)
Dual Sanctioning (1996-2007)
Indy Racing League
- 2007: Dario Franchitti (Andretti-Green)
- 2006: Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske)
- 2005: Dan Whelson (Andretti-Green)
- 2004: Buddy Rice (Rahal Letterman)
- 2003: Gil de Ferran (Penske)
- 2002: Hélio Castroneves (Penske)
- 2001: Hélio Castroneves (Penske)
- 2000: Juan Montoya (Chip Ganassi)
- 1999: Kenny Brack (A.J. Foyt)
- 1998: Eddie Cheever Jr. (Cheever)
- 1997: Arie Luyendyk (Treadway)
- 1996: Buddy Lazier (Hemelgarn)
CART Sanction (1979-1995)
- 1995: Jacques Villeneuve (Green)
- 1994: Al Unser Jr. (Penske)
- 1993: Emerson Fittipaldi (Penske)
- 1992: Al Unser Jr. (Galles-Kraco)
- 1991: Rick Mears (Penske)
- 1990: Arie Luyendyk (Doug Shierson)
- 1989: Emerson Fittipaldi (Patrick)
- 1988: Rick Mears (Penske)
- 1987: Al Unser (Penske)
- 1986: Bobby Rahal (Trusports)
- 1985: Danny Sullivan (Penske)
- 1984: Rick Mears (Penske)
- 1983: Tom Sneva (Bignotti-Cotter)
- 1982: Gordon Johncock (STP Patrick)
- 1981: Bobby Unser (Penske)
- 1980: Johnny Rutherford (Chaparral)
- 1979: Rick Mears (Penske)
CART = Championship Auto Racing Teams
USAC Sanction (1956-1978)
- 1978: Al Unser (Chaparral)
- 1977: A.J. Foyt (A.J. Foyt)
- 1976: Johnny Rutherford (Bruce McLaren)
- 1975: Bobby Unser (All American Racer)
- 1974: Johnny Rutherford (Bruce McLaren)
- 1973: Gordon Johncock (Patrick)
- 1972: Mark Donohue (Roger Penske)
- 1971: Al Unser (Vel’s Parnelli Jones)
- 1970: Al Unser (Vel’s Parnelli Jones)
- 1969: Mario Andretti (STP Corp)
- 1968: Bobby Unser (Leader Cards)
- 1967: A.J. Foyt (Ansted-Thompson)
- 1966: Graham Hill (Mecom)
- 1965: Jim Clark (Lotus)
- 1964: A.J. Foyt (Ansted-Thompson)
- 1963: Parnelli Jones (JC Agajanian)
- 1962: Rodger Ward (Leader Cards)
- 1961: A.J. Foyt (Bignotti-Bowes)
- 1960: Jim Rathmann (En-Paul)
- 1959: Rodger Ward (Leader Cards)
- 1958: Jimmy Bryan (George Salih)
- 1957: Sam Hanks (George Salih)
- 1956: Pat Flaherty (John Zink)
USAC = United States Auto Club
AAA Sanction (1909-1955)
- 1955: Bob Sweikert (John Zink)
- 1954: Bill Vukovich (Howard B Keck)
- 1953: Bill Vukovich (Howard B Keck)
- 1952: Troy Ruttman (JC Agajanian)
- 1951: Lee Wallard (Murreil Belanger)
- 1950: Johnnie Parsons (Kurtis Kraft)
- 1949: Bill Holland (Lou Moore)
- 1948: Mauri Rose (Lou Moore)
- 1947: Mauri Rose (Lou Moore)
- 1946: George Robson (Thorne)
- 1945: N/A*
- 1944: N/A*
- 1943: N/A*
- 1942: N/A*
- 1941: F Davis – M Rose (Lou Moore)
- 1940: Wilbur Shaw (Boyle)
- 1939: Wilbur Shaw (Boyle)
- 1938: Floyd Roberts (Lou Moore)
- 1937: Wilbur Shaw (Wilbur Shaw)
- 1936: Louis Meyer (Louis Meyer)
- 1935: Kelly Petillo (Kelly Petillo)
- 1934: Bill Cummings (HC Henning)
- 1933: Louis Meyer (Louis Meyer)
- 1932: Fred Frame (Harry Hartz)
- 1931: Louis Schneider (BL Schneider)
- 1930: Billy Arnold (Harry Hartz)
- 1929: Ray Keech (MA Yagle)
- 1928: Louis Meyer (Alden Sampson II)
- 1927: George Souders (William S White)
- 1926: Frank Lockhart (Peter Kreis)
- 1925: Peter De Paolo (Duesenberg)
- 1924: L.L. Corum and Joe Boyer (Duesenberg)
- 1923: Tommy Milton (HCS Motors)
- 1922: Jimmy Murphy (Jimmy Murphy)
- 1921: Tommy Milton (Louis Chevrolet)
- 1920: Gaston Chevrolet (William Small)
- 1919: Howdy Wilcox (IMS Corp)
- 1918: N/A*
- 1917: N/A*
- 1916: Dario Resta (Peugeot)
- 1915: Ralph DePalma (EC Patterson)
- 1914: Rene Thomas (Louis Delage)
- 1913: Jules Goux (Peugeot)
- 1912: Joe Dawson (National Motors)
- 1911: Ray Harroun (Nordyke & Mermon)
*Racing paused due to WWI
**Racing paused due to WWII
AAA = American Automobile Association
Who Has Won The Most Indy 500s?
Four racers share the record for the most Indy 500 victories with four. Below is a list of drivers with two or more wins:
- Hélio Castroneves (4)
- A.J. Foyt (4)
- Rick Mears (4)
- Al Unser (4)
- Dario Franchitti (3)
- Louis Meyer (3)
- Wilbur Shaw (3)
- Mauri Rose (3)
- Johnny Rutherford (3)
- Bobby Unser (3)
- Emerson Fittipaldi (2)
- Gordon Johncock (2)
- Arie Luyendyk (2)
- Tommy Milton (2)
- Juan Pablo Montoya (2)
- Josef Newgarden (2)
- Takuma Sato (2)
- Bill Vukovich (2)
- Rodger Ward (2)
- Dan Wheldon (2)
- Al Unser Jr. (2)
How To Watch The 2026 Indy 500
The 2026 Indy 500 will air on FOX at 12:30 p.m. ET with the pre-race show set to begin at 10 a.m. ET on FOX. You can stream the race and coverage surrounding it on FOX One.
- Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
- Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
- TV channel: FOX
- Streaming: FOX One, FOX Sports app and FOXSports.com
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN
Adam Copeland, Christian Cage snap 25-year drought, win AEW Tag Team Championship at Double or Nothing
Bracket set, regionals begin May 29
A Swimmer Broke a World Record at the “Steroid Olympics”
-
Tech1 week agoWhy Is Your Grill So Dumb? The Best Grills Set Temp Like an Oven
-
Tech1 week agoThis Solar-Powered Smart Sprinkler Keeps My Lawn Watered Without Any Power Cables
-
Fashion5 days agoUS cotton planting advances to 41%, concerns persist in Texas
-
Fashion4 days agoICE cotton sees mixed trend as rain forecasts weaken sentiment
-
Sports5 days agoTodd Monken says Shedeur Sanders has ‘come miles’ as Browns quarterback competition heats up
-
Fashion1 week agoTurkiye’s current account deficit expected to widen in 2026: Minister
-
Entertainment1 week agoPrincess of Wales praised as ‘step ahead’ of royal family
-
Fashion1 week agoIndia’s Pearl Global’s FY26 revenue crosses $521 mn milestone