GROUP J STANDINGS | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

 

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN WINS SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WORLD CUP SLALOM RACE

Dec 6, 2025; Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, CANADA; Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States during the PwC Tremblant alpine skiing World Cup at Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Mikaela Shiffrin put together a sparkling second run on Sunday to win her sixth consecutive World Cup slalom race.

Shiffrin conquered the choppy course in Semmering, Austria, in 53.58 seconds for a total time of 1:48.82. She edged Camille Rast of Switzerland by 0.09 seconds.

Shiffrin has won all five slalom races to start the 2025-26 season and also captured the final race of last season in March at Sun Valley, Idaho. The win on Sunday extended her record World Cup victories to 106.

The 30-year-old stood in fourth place at the end of the first run.

"Today was hard," she said. "And you can see the skiing from these women; it was really hard today. Tough conditions. ... I did my best, best possible run."

Shiffrin finished sixth in the giant slalom on Saturday.

She has found her winning form just weeks from the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where the women's Alpine skiing competition starts Feb. 8.

After being tabbed to ski in every eligible event in Beijing in the 2022 Games, she finished out of the medals. She has said that in these Olympics, she will focus on her best events, with slalom definitely one of them.

Before the Olympics, there are three more World Cup starts, beginning next week in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

--Field Level Media

2025/26 BIATHLON WORLD CUP OPENS IN ÖESTERSUND WITH UKRANIAN ATHLETES

In Östersund, Sweden, the first stage of the Biathlon World Cup season 2025/26 begins.

On December 3, the program features a men’s 20 km individual race with four shooting rounds.

Participants and organization of the race

At 16:30 the Ukrainian biathletes will line up: Artem Tyschenko (3rd starting number), Bogdan Tsymbal (23), Dmytro Pidruchny (28), Vitaliy Mandzin (41) and Anton Dudchenko (79).

103 athletes will participate in the race.

Recall that the sprints in Östersund will take place on December 5–6, with the pursuit races on December 7.

The next World Cup stage will be hosted by Hochfilzen (Austria) – December 12–14.

Fans are anticipating a tense battle on the tracks, and Ukrainian biathletes are set for high results in the season opener.

- Ukrinform

THE MAFIA HAS MADE PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS 'WORTH MORE THAN COCAINE'

Credit: The World Anti-Doping Agency

On a quiet street in Poland, a group of camouflaged police officers have gathered. They carry machine guns, apart from the man at the front, who is driving a handheld battering ram into an unmarked door.

The lock quickly snaps and the police pour inside. They have entered a laboratory, akin to the underground facility in Breaking Bad where the rogue schoolteacher Walter White cooked up his crystal meth. Yet the powders they are seizing are not recreational drugs, but performance-enhancing ones.

The raid captured on our video was the result of a two-year collaboration between the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and Europol – the European equivalent of Interpol – and it represents a new front in the war against PEDs.

Wada and Polish police raid an organised crime lab making PEDs in Poland

When we think of dopers procuring illicit steroids like boldenone, nandrolone or stanozolol, we usually imagine them sourcing the drugs from a dodgy doctor with a backstreet office: a one-man cottage industry.

Increasingly, though, such substances are being produced in high volume by organised crime gangs: the same sort of clans that might also be involved in gun-running, people-smuggling or money-laundering.

“These groups are very quick in adapting to gaps in the system,” said Günter Younger, a German former policeman who used to be Interpol’s head of drugs, and is now Wada’s director of intelligence and information (I&I).

“What they want is big profit, low sentence and low chance of detection. Which is why PEDs fit perfectly into their portfolio. The profit is the same as dealing in cocaine, or sometimes even bigger. Law enforcement usually is not very interested in doping, so it’s easier to stay out of trouble. And even if you do get caught, you’re likely to get away with a slap on the wrist.”

Günter Younger, using his expertise as Interpol’s former head of drugs, has transformed Wada into a force to be reckoned with - Reuters/Denis Balibouse

As so often in the field of anti-doping, the robbers got off to a flier, leaving the cops flat-footed on the start line. Wada’s research suggests that dozens of steroid labs have sprung up across Europe over the past decade, with Poland, Slovenia and Serbia among the preferred locations. As Younger puts it: “If you have a warehouse with several tons [of PEDs], you look for a country that has a lower legal framework to follow up on this.”

Paradoxically, though, success can be counter-productive in the world of organised crime. The more money the gangs derive from an activity, the more it attracts attention. In this instance, the wheel of detection has started to turn.

Over the past two years, Wada has collaborated with European law enforcement teams to raid 35 labs and confiscate 40 tons of PEDs – a figure which equates to around 800 million individual doses. Warsaw has been at the centre of several operations, as it seems to be a laboratory hotspot, but significant seizures have also been made in Portugal, Greece, Germany and North Macedonia. Thus far, Great Britain has only been tangentially involved.

Wada’s European project was only the first step in a three-phase plan which will move on to Asia and Oceania in 2026, with the final stage planned for Africa and the Americas after that.

The whole process is being steered by Younger: a tall and imposing 58-year-old with a shaved cueball head, whose police career covered a variety of fields from drugs to counterfeit currencies, cyber crime and terrorism. In 2016, he accepted a move from the Bavarian police force to Wada, having previously collaborated with them on the Lance Armstrong case among other scandals. But in his early days in his new office, he found himself hamstrung by his lack of executive power.

“One of my first cases that I had here involved the IBU, the International Biathlon Union, where we got an informant telling us that the former president had been corrupted by the Russians. It was then that I realised that, as a sport organisation, I can only do voluntary interviews. If I speak to you, and you say ‘I’m not comfortable anymore’, I can’t stop you from leaving.

“So my next idea was to reach out to law enforcement from Austria and from Norway, because Mr [Anders] Besseberg [the former IBU president who has since earned a prison sentence for accepting gifts such as watches, hunting trips and the services of prostitutes] is Norwegian. We met at Interpol and this is where my idea of collaboration started from.”

Since Younger’s arrival, Wada’s I&I department has expanded to reach its present figure of 15 employees, around half of whom have backgrounds in law enforcement. For context, Wada’s entire staff approaches 190 people, who are mostly devoted to the testing side of the operation. The organisation’s budget also skews heavily in that direction, with recent surveys suggesting that more than £200m was spent on global testing in 2019, the most up-to-date figures available.

But I&I could be the next potential growth area for the anti-doping industry. While testing is a useful deterrent, it also has its limitations, with fewer than one per cent of samples coming back positive – a ratio which fails to approach most experts’ estimates of actual wrongdoing. The system mostly picks up the less sophisticated cheats, or those who have genuinely fallen foul of accidental contamination – and it is almost impossible to tell one group from the other.

The really big scandals usually emerge via a tip-off, a raid, or an intervention from law enforcement, as we see in the cases of Armstrong, Balco, or the massive Sochi doping operation that was exposed by Russian dissident Grigory Rodchenkov.

Large-scale PED raids can be inefficient in a different way. If you take down a lab, and you gain access to their client list, you might hope to find professional athletes on the spreadsheet. However, Wada has yet to reveal how many anti-doping rule violations have resulted from the 11,500 names it gathered through its European raids. Perhaps it is too early: the process often takes years to finalise. Or maybe we are talking about a different sort of client: weekend warriors searching for an extra edge.

“Personally, I’m not so interested in who the athlete is,” Younger replied, when questioned on this point. “I’m interested in the coach and the doctor who gets the money out of the athletes’ health. Sometimes we learn that – as in Russia – when you want to be in the national team, you have to do what the coach says. If you don’t, then you’re out. So, for me, the bigger criminals are those that exploit the athletes’ health. Also, we find that today’s amateurs are tomorrow’s elite.”

Whether Wada’s operations are picking up Olympic prospects or not, there are other benefits to the process. For one thing, these chemicals are invariably injurious to health. For another, the trade in PEDs is funding some of the most anti-social criminal groups in Europe. And the volume of product being sold is startling.

The trade in PEDs is funding some of the most anti-social criminal groups in Europe

“It’s so easy for organised crime to sell PEDs,” said Younger, “because they can use the clearnet [a technical term for the freely available part of the internet]. You don’t even need to go to the dark web, which is what you have to do to buy a weapon or normal, recreational drugs. Go online and search for PEDs and you’ll see how many websites you get. Because of the size of the industry, we can shut down a guy producing a ton every month, and the market doesn’t even notice.”

In all probability, the 40 tons of PEDs collected by Wada to date represent no more than the tip of the doping iceberg. But as Younger and his team turn their attention to Asia – thus coming into contact with countries like China and India which produce vast quantities of steroids for the medical market – there is a sense of growing momentum behind their work.

“In 2016 especially, we had meetings where law enforcement said, ‘Wada, who is that?’” Younger explained. “Now they’re coming to us. They say, ‘Can you work with us on this case?’ Or ‘Can you identify whether this is a steroid lab?’ We are building a reputation, and we have so many operations going on that we can only focus on the high-level ones. If you have the right people around the table, you can achieve quite a lot.”

- Simon Briggs

AUSTRIA MAKES HISTORY VS. SAN MARINO

 

AUSTRIA MAKES HISTORY!  

They've recorded their biggest win ever, thrashing San Marino 10-0 in a World Cup qualifier! 

Marko Arnautovic netted four goals and became Austria's all-time leading scorer! 🔥

 #Austria #SanMarino #WorldCupQualifiers2026

MARC MARQUEZ FASTEST IN FIRST MOTOGP AUSTRIA PRACTICE

Marquez topped the first session in Austria - Credit: Ducati Media House

Marc Marquez continued his dominant form to once again top the timesheets in the first MotoGP practice at Austria.

The Spaniard produced a quick effort of 1.29.376s on the factory Ducati to start the weekend.

His closest challenger was his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who finished 0.3s adrift of the six-time MotoGP champion.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi continued his pre-break purple patch to finish the session in third place, an impressive start to the weekend given the nature of the stop-go Spielberg track.

Alex Marquez and Gresini secured fourth place, finishing quicker than VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli.

Joan Mir posted an impressive lap to secure sixth place for Honda, followed closely by Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin.

KTM rider Pedro Acosta slotted himself in ninth place, as Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini lapped 0.001s behind to round off the top 10.

Luca Marini and Alex RIns secured 11th and 12th for Honda and Yamaha, respectively, finishing faster than GP25 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Brad Binder posted a lap to see him 14th, lapping quicker than Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer and LCR rider Johann Zarco.

Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura secured 17th and 19th for Trackhouse Racing, with Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller lapping between the satellite Aprilia duo.

Maverick Vinales finished 20th on his rushed MotoGP return, finishing ahead of the second Pramac rider of Miguel Oliveira.

SLOVENIA VS. AUSTRIA | 2025 #MENSWORLD #IHF

 

SERGIO PEREZ LEFT RED-FACED BY TWO SACKED F1 DRIVERS AFTER :RAKING UP £3.7M BILL'

Sergio Perez's Formula One season hasn't gone anywhere near as well as his Red Bull partner Max Verstappen's, but the Mexican driver does top another table.

Sergio Perez tops all other F1 drivers when it comes to the cost of damages caused (Image: Getty)

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is credited with causing the most expensive crash damages in this Formula One season – even ahead of two axed drivers. Despite starting the term strongly alongside peer Max Verstappen, the Mexican star has suffered a monumental drop-off as rival teams upped their game. This has left him eighth on the Drivers’ Championship table and without a podium since April.

To accompany this dip, Perez has also racked up a significant bill for the damages he’s caused his team, with an unofficial table dubbed the ‘Destructors’ Championship’ placing the 34-year-old highest, above Logan Sergeant, the table’s topper in 2023, and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu- both of whom will be out of a seat come next year.

In fact, Sargeant has already been replaced at Williams by Franco Colapinto, meaning that the dismal Perez’s nearly £4million bill outweighs that of an already axed driver, increasing the mounting pressure on the Austrian team to find a replacement.

Though not an official source, the table reveals that Perez caused costly damages in China, Imola, Monaco, Canada, Austria, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Mexico. The estimated £3.7m in damages Perez accumulated, however, was largely due to his huge entanglement in Monaco, involving Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Niko Hulkenberg.

In the first lap, with cars bunching close, Magnussen caught Perez’s rear left and sent him spinning into the barriers. Both Magnussen and his peer Hulkenberg sustained significant damage, too, and their races ended prematurely. The bill assigned to Perez supposedly topped £2m.

"It's another accident in which Magnussen was involved. You should watch the replays carefully. Thank God it turned out well, but it was a very critical situation,” Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko told Sky Germany back in May when asked about the incident - which caused a 40-minute delay to proceedings.

"I was surprised how quickly they put this incident behind them. These are decisions that you can hardly influence. On the one hand, there is the danger and on the other hand, the damage is two to three million [euros]. With the budget regulations, that is a big handicap for us."

Another of Perez’s pricey collisions came in Azerbaijan, when, on the penultimate lap, the Mexican grappled with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, ending both of their races.

“It is a pathetic touch, an absolutely pathetic touch, with serious ramifications!” former F1 driver Mark Webber told Channel 4 when covering Perez and Sainz’s crash.

“Sergio is trying to get across into the tow. At this speed, it’s fine margins. Sergio’s repair bill this year is impressive. He’s got more of the Ferrari in view, when you’re [looking in] the mirror, you’re not quite sure where he should be. Sergio should have given him more room to get down that straight.

Next up on the calendar is the Las Vegas GP, where Perez will look to limit any further damages and embarrassment as his peer Verstappen looks to stamp down a decisive claim on what would be his fourth Drivers’ Championship title.

- BEN CRAWFORD

F1 MEDAL TABLE | FOR EVERY RACE IN F1 HISTORY

 

F1 ANNOUNCES SPRINT RACE CALENDAR FOR 2025, BELGIUM REPLACES AUSTRIA

 Brazil will host its fifth sprint race since F1 introduced the shortened-race format; Austria drops off schedule

XPBimages

Formula 1 has announced the six grand prix weekends that will feature sprint events in 2025, with Spa-Francorchamps reinstated as Austria drops off for the first time since 2021.

Five of the events on the sprint calendar remain the same from 2024's schedule; China and Miami will continue to host Saturday races, as will Austin, Brazil, and Qatar.

Belgium had previously held a sprint race in 2023, although this was omitted alongside the Azerbaijan sprint from this year's calendar as the returning Chinese Grand Prix and the Miami round were installed as new hosts.

The return of a sprint race to the Belgian Grand Prix weekend comes at the expense of the Austrian Grand Prix, which first hosted a sprint in 2022 and remained on the schedule for the next two seasons.

Having held a sprint in every season since the format was introduced in 2021, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix will continue to do so having produced a series of highly acclaimed shorter races.

Both Qatar and the United States Grand Prix were first introduced to the sprint calendar in 2023 when the number of 100km races was increased from three to six, and remain on the bill for both this season and next.

F1 has also revealed an increase in viewing figures for sprint weekends over 'normal' weekends featuring three practice sessions, underlining its decision to continue with the format.

It is expected that the current layout used in 2024, in which the sprint race takes place on Saturday prior to grand prix qualifying, will remain in place.

This had been changed for this season to allow parc ferme to open between the sprint race and qualifying proper, ensuring that teams could address any mistakes in set-up to account for the loss in practice time.

The changes ensured that the sprints became more of a standalone event, rather than directly affecting the full-length grand prix, and now does not penalise drivers for any set-up changes between the sprint race and the grand prix.

Due to the revisions to the 2025 calendar over 2024, this ensures that the China and Miami sprints are no longer in consecutive weekends, while all three sprint rounds following the summer break are also more spaced out.

2025 F1 sprint race calendar

Chinese GP - Shanghai International Circuit - 22 March

Miami GP - Miami International Autodrome - 3 May

Belgian GP - Spa-Francorchamps - 26 July

US GP - Circuit of the Americas - 18 October

Sao Paulo GP - Autodromo de Interlagos - 8 November

Qatar GP - Losail International Circuit - 29 November

- Jake Boxall-Legge

POL ESPARAGARO WILL MAKE HIS SECOND 2024 WILDCARD APPEARANCE

 BREAKING 🚨 Pol Espargaro will make his second 2024 wildcard appearance at the Austrian GP 🇦🇹

TOP 10 AT THE AUSTRIAN 🇦🇹 GRAND PRIX 2024

 

SO MUCH TALENT IN ONE PHOTO | #EURO2024 | #AUTFRA

 

MIXED NIGHT FOR KYLIAN MBAPPÉ BUT KANTÉ ROLLS BACK THE YEARS

Kylian Mbappe is always the headline act when he pulls on the France shirt, but an old campaigner shared top billing by rolling back the years as Austria were eventually overcome in Dusseldorf.

Mbappe's so far chequered relationship with the European Championship continues and was summed up in one eventful night as he carved out France's fortunate winner, missed a simple chance barely anyone in Dusseldorf Arena could believe, before finding himself covered in blood from a nasty nose injury following an aerial collision.

He even picked up a yellow card after what looked like a blatant act of gamesmanship from France as the blood-stained Mbappe, clearly unable to play on, went back on, dropping theatrically to the floor before being substituted, precious time wasted.

It was a needless caution that France will hope does not prove costly later in the tournament.

On this night, however, France can offer most gratitude to the peerless 33-year-old N'Golo Kante, who showed exactly why coach Didier Deschamps was so keen to name him in his squad for the Euros after a two-year exile from the international stage.

'Kante still ticks all the boxes'

Kante last played for France in a Uefa Nations League game against Denmark in June 2022 before making his comeback in the friendly against Luxembourg earlier this month.

He may now be plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad, but Deschamps knows rich pedigree and a proven winning record when he sees it and Kante still ticks all the boxes - despite being at the latter stage of a glittering career.

Kante won the World Cup with France in 2018, the Premier League with Leicester City and Chelsea and also lifted the Europa League and Champions League trophies while at Stamford Bridge.

And on the evidence he produced in the winning start that is always so vital in these tournaments, Kante is not on a sentimental journey here in Germany.

From the first whistle to the last in this 1-0 win, Kante showed he still possesses all the old instincts to sniff out danger, keep the midfield - and as a consequence the France team - ticking over and act as an impenetrable shield against any Austria threat.

It was summed up in one vital moment late on when, with Austria chasing an equaliser, substitute Patrick Wimmer broke clear and was racing towards France keeper Mike Maignan.

Kante was yards behind Wimmer but found the pace and positioning to overhaul him, then got in front of the Austrian to sweep the ball away before he could get his shot - and a potential equaliser - on target.

It brought a huge roar of approval from the massed ranks of France fans inside Arena Dusseldorf. It was a typical Kante moment that effectively sealed the win.

He was rightly voted man of the match, his value to Deschamps underscored. The great teams always like to have an Mbappe - but they also need a Kante.

Whether Kante can produce this standard regularly at the veteran stage remains to be seen, but his track record suggests you would not bet against it.

Mbappe was at the centre of the action throughout as he tries to fill the gap in his international collection after also winning the World Cup in 2018.

He has yet to score in the Euros, missing the decisive penalty when France lost to Switzerland in the last 16 of Euro 2020.

He saw an early chance turned into the side-netting by Austria keeper Patrick Pentz before showing searing pace after his sleight of foot left defender Phillipp Mwene trailing, his cross then being headed into his own net by Maximilian Wober.

Mbappe was always in the action, against demonstrating lightning speed to haul in Wober after the break before placing a shot wide with the goal at his mercy. He was not the only one inside the stadium left holding his head in disbelief, showing even the best are fallible.

It remains to be seen whether Mbappe's nose injury, sustained in a hefty aerial collision with Austria's Kevin Danso, keeps him out of Group D's big game when France meet the Netherlands on Friday.

Mbappe's bloody and painful end to the night was the only downside as France, while never at their best, showed their pace and threat in the shape of Ousmane Dembele and the enduring guile of Antoine Griezmann.

Kante outshone them all, looking at his best as he proved two years away from the France team and playing in the less-intense environment of the Saudi Pro League has not blunted his competitive edge or hunger for success.

- Phil McNulty, Chief football writer in Dusseldorf

EURO 2024 POWER RANKINGS: FRANCE TOPS, GERMANY BELOW ENGLAND

Kylian Mbappe's France are one of the favorites going into Euro 2024. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

 Euro 2024 kicks off on Friday when 24 teams will have the chance to get their hands on the iconic trophy. But how likely are each one to win the tournament?

The question seems simple enough, but it mixes in all manner of elements: Star quality, squad depth, national confidence, weaknesses, tactical approaches, injuries and -- perhaps most importantly for those below the top eight -- bracketology, too. Some nations have landed in really sweet spots with regard to a potential pathway into the round of 16 (or beyond).

So who are the favourites? Who's got no chance? We've ranked all 24 teams in Germany this summer. Let's dive in.

24. ALBANIA

This will be Albania's second European Championship, having qualified once before in 2016. They faced France in the opener that year and nearly pulled off an almighty shock, holding the hosts until the 90th minute before Antoine Griezmann broke the deadlock.

They'll need some more of that opening night spoiler energy if they're to make any waves at Euro 2024, as they've landed in a group with three heavyweights: Spain, Italy and Croatia. Under manager Sylvinho, Albania have tried to move toward a more attacking style, but they'll probably have to revert to the more-defensive approach of old given the calibre of their opponents. They have some experienced defenders, and a real talent in midfield in Kristjan Asllani of Internazionale, but this group looks borderline impossible to navigate for them.

23. ROMANIA

Romania are an intriguing, spritely team and, despite the fact they haven't won a game at a European Championship or World Cup since 2000, they will fancy getting something from a Group E containing Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine.

But they face two serious issues. First, a severe quality deficit compared to the rest of the finalists, as very few of their players play in a top league. Second, a few of their key performers have struggled for minutes at club level in 2024, suggesting a lack of sharpness. Romania will be free to play a counter-attacking style and try to catch their opponents on the hop, but there's no realistic hope of them stringing together a fairytale run deep into the competition.

22. GEORGIA

On paper, Georgia have all the pieces to enchant us with a fairy-tale run: First-ever appearance at the finals? Check. Good goalkeeper (Giorgi Mamardashvili)? Check. Rigid five-man back line? Check. A true difference-maker in attack (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia)? Check. And some fine talent sprinkled across the midfield to boot.

This team will defend as if their lives depend on it, then give the ball to Napoli winger Kvaratskhelia who will dribble, dribble and dribble some more -- no one completed more dribbles than him (44) during qualifying. It's a plan that depends on Kvaratskhelia's execution in the final third, not unlike Wales' Euro 2016 effort with Gareth Bale. It would be magical if Georgia could pull this off, but the reality is that it will be tough for them to repeat over and over, especially in a group containing Czechia, Portugal and Turkey.

21. SLOVENIA

Slovenia are one of the most traditional-looking teams heading to the tournament from a tactical perspective, playing a stout 4-4-2 formation that relies on difference-makers at both ends of the pitch.

Up front, they have RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who this week shunned the interest of multiple top clubs in order to stay at the Bundesliga outfit and continue honing his craft. The 6-foot-5 frontman is pretty much the leading light of this team, adding a dash of quality to an otherwise workmanlike outfit, ready and willing to make tackles and launch counters. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak of Atlético Madrid is a star between the sticks and should be kept busy too.

Slovenia scored more and conceded fewer than Denmark in qualifying but only took a single point in fixtures between them, and will meet them again in Group C. Serbia are even tougher opponents and England one step further, meaning their overall chances look slim.

20. CZECHIA

Czechia really are anyone's guess. Ivan Hasek was only appointed as coach in April after Jaroslav Silhavy's decision to quit at the end of qualifying in November.

Hasek, who captained the side in the 1980s and '90s, before coaching them in 2009, leads them into the tournament now, but he had just two tune-ups to put his stamp on the team before facing Portugal in the group opener.

That makes them almost impossible to rank. All we can do is measure their squad quality against their group opponents, and a conservative assessment places them below Portugal and Turkey, but above Georgia. In ranking them 20th, we're noting their top-level quality (Patrik Schick, Adam Hlozek, Tomás Soucek, Vladimír Coufal) but questioning their readiness for a tournament run.

Can Robert Lewandowski lift Poland past the group stage? Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images

19. POLAND

Given their undoubted star quality in certain positions, you may be shocked to find Poland ranked so low, but even top European footballers like Robert Lewandowski, Piotr Zielinski and Wojciech Szczesny have failed to bring this national team to life over the years. They were shocking to watch during the 2022 World Cup group stage and no better during qualifying for Euro 2024, having to settle for the playoffs despite being in a group with Albania, Czechia, Moldova and Faroe Islands.

Lewandowski is the difference-maker so many nations crave, but his record of six goals in 18 Euros/World Cup games is poor. Having only scored three in eight qualifiers, it's hard to believe the 35-year-old striker's fortunes will change this summer -- especially considering he's an injury concern and could miss one or two group games. His natural replacement, Arkadiusz Milik, is injured too. As a result, it's unlikely Poland will do much against Austria, Netherlands and France in Group D.

18. SERBIA

The local sentiment around this Serbia team is one of genuine fear and embarrassment, which is a huge shame given this is a stage they've been longing to return to for 14 years. Qualifying performances were poor -- manager Dragan Stojkovic admits as much -- and while things did perk up a little with a 3-0 friendly win over Sweden this month, it's tough to take too much from that.

There are huge concerns around a defence that conceded eight goals in three games at the 2022 World Cup. That unit looks no better and is now about to face England's Harry Kane, Denmark's Rasmus Højlund and Slovenia's Sesko, which is a truly torrid run of opposing strikers. Serbia obviously have quality, but the balance of the team is off and there's very little confidence in them overall.

17. SLOVAKIA

Slovakia are among a handful of teams hopeful of playing at least four games in Germany this summer. Qualification from Group E is achievable and would mean everything to them. They'll lean on a mean defence in their attempt to do it, with Paris Saint-Germain's Milan Skriniar, FC Copenhagen's Denis Vavro and Feyenoord's Dávid Hancko an underrated, stout group. Up front, Boavista striker Róbert Bozeník is a threat, while midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is a quality signal controller for both Napoli and his nation.

Is that enough to pip Romania and then tussle with Ukraine for qualification to the knockout rounds? Almost certainly, and then anything else is a bonus.

16. HUNGARY

Hungary enter Euro 2024 as one of the most settled teams, which certainly counts for something -- after all, the winners of the last edition, Italy, were similarly set and composed. That's not to say the team will be lifting the trophy on July 14, but in a group containing Scotland and Switzerland (as well as hosts Germany), they'll be eyeing qualification.

Manager Marco Rossi will use a stern, experienced, physical back three; flying wing-backs who cover loads of ground; a familiar midfield partnership to break up play; and then give Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and SC Freiburg's Roland Sallai the freedom to roam, get on the ball and make the difference.

It could well be enough to carry them into the knockouts, which would be a tremendous showing.

Will Scott McTominay be able to repeat his goal-scoring form for his country? (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

15. SCOTLAND

Scotland open the tournament against hosts Germany on Friday and will look to cause a stir. Given how stubborn a team they have proven to be under manager Steve Clarke, it's not out of the question that something special happens. Beyond that, they'll fancy themselves to get a win against one of Switzerland or Hungary, drawing upon a brilliant goal-scoring midfield powered by John McGinn and Scott McTominay.

A knockout berth is well within reach of the Scots -- something they have never achieved in their history. Anything beyond that might seem fanciful, but they won't care if they secure it.

14. SWITZERLAND

Many have been surprised that manager Murat Yakin remains in charge of Switzerland; the case for sacking him was there to be made after they won just four of 10 qualifying games against Romania, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra. But they've pressed on with him regardless, hoping the natural order will restore itself: Switzerland have made the knockout rounds in every tournament they've entered since 2014 and have landed in a workable Group A which involves Hungary and Scotland.

In Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Yann Sommer they have some of the best players heading to Euro 2024, but the question is about whether Yakin can patch up the side's fragile confidence levels and get them going again.

13. TURKEY

After the fiasco of Euro 2020 -- in which Turkey were tipped to go far but went on to lose all three group games and concede eight goals in the process -- it's natural to treat this team with caution three years on. But it's undeniably an exciting crop of players, headlined by Hakan Çalhanoglu of Inter Milan and spruced up by several attacking starlets including Real Madrid's Arda Güler.

Turkey finished top of a qualifying group that included Croatia and Wales, and they're threatening to play some pretty vivacious attacking football. No one is predicting much this time around, but they should expect to finish second in Group F and set up a thrilling round-of-16 tie with France.

12. UKRAINE

Ukraine squeezed into Euro 2024 via the playoffs, so you might be surprised to see them ranked above 12 other nations, many of whom qualified automatically. There's a good reason for this, though, and it's based on bracketology.

Simply put, Ukraine have landed in a group ripe for qualifying: against Belgium, Slovakia and Romania. Second place is there for the taking and that could set up a round-of-16 game against Austria or Netherlands.

Admittedly, Ukraine's qualifying results (P8, W4, D2, L2) don't exactly inspire confidence, but their unique circumstances must be considered and playing in neutral venues due to the ongoing war with Russia is never going to extract your best form. This is a good squad who have a desire to win and, in Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykhailo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk, they have a series of potential difference-makers.

11. DENMARK

Will it be a repeat of Euro 2020, where an emotional rollercoaster like no other (after Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in the opening game) saw Denmark reach the semifinals? Or a repeat of the 2022 World Cup where they fell flat? It is difficult to say.

Much of the team has remained the same over the past four years, meaning that many of the players are 30+ years of age and unable to replicate the intense style they thrilled us with in 2021. That threatens to make them just a little too old and slow to be a significant threat in Germany, but there's always something to be said for experience at a major finals.

Denmark are expected to qualify from the group, probably in second place behind England, but in doing so they'll set themselves up for a tough run of opponents -- possibly starting with Germany in the round of 16. That keeps them outside of the top 10 in this ranking.

David Alaba could be a big miss for Austria Christian Hofer/Getty Images

10. AUSTRIA

It's rare that you find perfect managerial fits for nations, but Ralf Rangnick and Austria feel like just that. Thanks to his Red Bull background he's played a part in so many of the players' careers he now directly manages, so it feels right he's the one who has been tasked with leading them into the European Championship.

Rangnick will have them pressing harder than any other team at Euro 2024, utilising a midfield full of energy to create turnovers and then share the goals out. That makes Austria's lack of a proven scoring No. 9 striker less of an issue, but perhaps won't fully mitigate the crucial loss of their best player, Real Madrid defender David Alaba, to injury.

Landing in a group with France and Netherlands is tough, but they have it in them to pip Poland to third and perhaps even beat the Dutch to second. If they do finish second, they'd land a very friendly round-of-16 tie (likely Slovakia or Ukraine), meaning that there could be a surprisingly clear path opening up for this team to have a run. Austria are definitely one to keep a close eye on.

9. NETHERLANDS

Be it over fitness or form, Netherlands seem to have question marks all over the pitch as they head into this tournament. How sharp will talisman Memphis Depay be? How will the left flank look? Can RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons replicate his club form for his country? And on the eve of the tournament, an absolute bombshell dropped: central midfielder Frenkie de Jong is injured and can't participate -- how will they cope?

That's a lot of questions to have hanging over your head, which probably explains the local pessimism. But this is a team that boasts Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries and Cody Gakpo -- that's true star quality -- and if Memphis can find fitness, it will start to look pretty dangerous once again. Their easiest fixture (Poland) comes first, perhaps giving them a little bit of time to figure things out.

8. CROATIA

Despite Croatia's recent international success, the European Championship remains a bit of a bleak spot for them and they've never even won a knockout game in four attempts. Will 2024 be fifth time lucky?

Some would argue they're caught between two generations; others could say they boast a nice blend of youth and experience. It's up to manager Zlatko Dalic to mix in the fresh faces responsibly and, perhaps, manage the minutes of the old-guard. Luka Modric will lead them out, aged 38, but is unlikely to last the full 90 minutes as he did so only five times for Real Madrid in 2023-24.

There isn't much room for error -- not with Spain and Italy in the same group -- and there are questions over whether this team can genuinely run such an intense seven-game gauntlet to the finish.

7. ITALY

Italy and Croatia were both in the running for seventh but, in the end, we gave a respectful nod to the defending champions -- although they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, were forced into a managerial change last year, and have suffered worse than anyone with regard to injuries, with the defensive line hit particularly hard.

That said, they are unbeaten this calendar year. In Gianluca Scamacca they have a striker in fine form, while the midfield unit led by Nicolò Barella (when fit) is both tremendously energetic and packed with quality. Italy have the strength to beat anyone on their day, but they just don't feel as overwhelmingly strong as the nations ranked above them.

6. BELGIUM

Belgium are one of the toughest nations to gauge (and therefore rank), as while some pre-tournament excitement has been building around them, it's not necessarily coming from their supporters. Perhaps that's because anyone who looks at a teamsheet and sees the names Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Jérémy Doku can't help but get excited. And remember that Lukaku scored 14 goals in qualifying, breaking the record.

Unfortunately for Belgium, there's problems at the other end of the pitch. Perhaps that's gone under the radar a little as they only conceded four during qualifying, but things aren't as rosy as they might seem. First off, you don't get to play Azerbaijan and Estonia at the Euros -- the opposition is a lot tougher than that. Second, Thibaut Courtois, arguably the world's best goalkeeper, is fit again after spending most of the season recovering from injury for Real Madrid but has been left at home after a public spat with Belgium's manager, Domenico Tedesco. Third, the defence is better than it was at the World Cup in 2022, but is still creaky and wants to lean on veterans Jan Vertonghen or Axel Witsel.

When Belgium face the best, will they stand up defensively, or collapse? Or will they simply outscore their opponents? Their ceiling is unclear, but they do promise to be tons of fun.

5. SPAIN

Spain won three straight international honours between 2008 and 2012, but have largely disappointed since then and have left us asking the same question over and over: Can you make your possession count?

The answer in 2018, 2021 and 2022 was no, playing better football than Russia, Italy and Morocco respectively but losing to each on penalties. But then in 2023 they won the UEFA Nations League, beating Croatia, which reacquainted them with success and could give them an edge this summer.

In measuring Spain against the rest of the top five in this ranking, there's not an awful lot in it, but they end up fifth because they're in the toughest group alongside Italy and Croatia. Of all the teams in this top tier, there's probably the most scope for things to go wrong early on.

4. GERMANY

Is it all coming together for Germany, just in time? They had a wretched 2023, losing five of nine friendlies and winning two, but since the turn of the year the mood has perked up significantly -- particularly after beating France and Netherlands in quick succession in March.

The emotional power of Toni Kroos' final goodbye before he retires could be enough to give them the extra edge. Add that to the home-crowd advantage; the talent of the likes of Ilkay Gündogan, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz; the fact that, for the most part, problematic positions of left-back and striker have sorted themselves out, and rivals will be wary.

Sentiment among the fans remains somewhat reserved -- likely due to the fact their last three tournament performances have been disastrous -- but given what's happened since March, this is a team that we need to take seriously.

3. ENGLAND

As has often been the case over the past three decades, England's big question is not one of quality it's one of mentality. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are world-class attackers who will undoubtedly lead the Three Lions safely through the group stage, but when the knockout rounds hit and it's time to face up against a team like France, can they get it done? And will a defence short of top names hold up?

England's unbeaten qualifying campaign proves they can handle anyone from Italy to Malta, from a quality perspective. What we don't know, though, is whether the last few years of England's players winning Champions League titles (with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City) has changed the mentality of this team in a way that will allow them to finally overcome a true giant.

This, plus the upheaval and uncertainty in the back line, holds them back when compared to a couple of other nations.

2. PORTUGAL

Portugal made light work of their qualifying campaign, winning 10 games out of 10, scoring 36 goals and conceding two. It should be noted, though, that it was a really weak group; for context, the team who finished second, Slovakia, are ranked 17th in this piece.

Still, you look at the squad and can't help but be impressed: Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias and João Cancelo all started eight or more qualifying games and remain at the heart of this team, then a series of other extremely talented players fill in the gaps as manager Roberto Martínez sees fit.

Portugal boast loads of goals, creativity and some great defenders, while physicality runs through the spine of the team. Plus, there's added tactical flexibility nowadays. Those are all the ingredients you need to win a tournament and the hype they are generating is well justified.

1. FRANCE

But for a handful of adjustments, France head into Euro 2024 looking like the same force that came within a penalty kick of winning the 2022 World Cup. They're still tactically disciplined, physical, stacked with quality and boast one of the world's best forwards in Kylian Mbappé. So, with that in mind, they're still favourites in our eyes.

Didier Deschamps' men will need to shake off the disappointment of a quarterfinal exit at Euro 2020, but you get the impression that, with Olivier Giroud back in and Karim Benzema back out, this team will hum a more familiar tune. That tune -- a cautious one that doesn't always excite -- isn't universally popular, but it has proven to be devastatingly effective.

France are not without their injuries and issues -- veterans Hugo Lloris and Raphaël Varane have departed the scene, while Lucas Hernández is injured -- but Les Bleus' incredible depth means they still look formidable, and their tournament record since 2016 marks them out as the team to beat.

- Sam Tighe

UEFA EURO 2024 | GERMANY

WOLFF SAYS HORNER CASE NEEDS TRANSPARENCY AND AN ISSUE FOR ALL F1

Reuters 

 Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said an inquiry into the conduct of Red Bull boss Christian Horner raised issues for Formula One as a whole and needed to be carried out rigorously and transparently.

Red Bull's parent company in Austria has launched an independent investigation into allegations against Horner, who denies any wrongdoing and is currently attending pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Neither the energy drink company nor the reigning champions have said what the allegations are, although media reports have spoken of inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards a female colleague.

No time frame has been given for an outcome, with the Formula One season starting in Bahrain on March 2.

"I think it's clear," Wolff told reporters at the Sakhir circuit on Wednesday in his first response to the turn of events.

"Formula One and what the teams do, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity and that's not only talking about it but living it day in, day out.

"These are the standards that we are setting ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sport platforms in the world and we are role models."

Wolff, whose intense rivalry with Horner has become a feature of the popular Netflix 'Drive to Survive' docu-series, noted considerable speculation surrounding the case in recent weeks and said it was important for there to be "a process with rigour".

BAYERN MUNICH'S GAME WITH UNION BERLIN CALLED OFF DUE TO SNOW CHAOS

AP Photo 

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich’s home game against Union Berlin was called off Saturday because of heavy snowfall.

Cold weather, snowfall and ice have caused transport chaos in Munich and southern Germany.

“It was decided not to play the game because of the security risks for all involved,” Union said in a statement 5½ hours before the Bundesliga game was due to start.

The German soccer federation said that stadium management had made the decision not to host the game "due to persistent heavy snowfall.”

AUSTRIA 🇦🇹 2-3 BELGIUM 🇧🇪 | QUALIFIER FOR #EURO2024

F1 RACE CLASSIFICATION | LAP 71/73 | SPIELBERG | #AUSTRIANGP