ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Welcome Aboard, Champs

NFL Champs on "Hard Knocks": The Seahawks will be on this summer's edition of HBO's "Hard Knocks," marking the first time since the show's inaugural season in 2001 that it will feature the defending Super Bowl champions.

The runner-up Patriots will appear on next year's edition.

The 2010 New York Jets reached the AFC Championship (lost to the Steelers). No Hard Knocks team has ever reached the Super Bowl.

Here's how each featured team performed in the season they appeared on the show:

• 2001 Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 (Lost Divisional Round)

• 2002 Dallas Cowboys: 5-11 (Missed playoffs)

• 2007 Kansas City Chiefs: 4-12 (Missed playoffs)

• 2008 Dallas Cowboys: 9-7 (Missed playoffs)

• 2009 Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6 (Lost Wild Card)

• 2010 New York Jets: 11-5 (Lost AFC Championship)

• 2012 Miami Dolphins: 7-9 (Missed playoffs)

• 2013 Cincinnati Bengals: 11-5 (Lost Wild Card)

• 2014 Atlanta Falcons: 6-10 (Missed playoffs)

• 2015 Houston Texans: 9-7 (Lost Wild Card)

• 2016 Los Angeles Rams: 4-12 (Missed playoffs)

• 2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-11 (Missed playoffs)

• 2018 Cleveland Browns: 7-8-1 (Missed playoffs)

• 2019 Oakland Raiders: 7-9 (Missed playoffs)

• 2020 Los Angeles Rams: 10-6 (Lost Divisional Round)

• 2020 Los Angeles Chargers: 7-9 (Missed playoffs)

• 2021 Dallas Cowboys: 12-5 (Lost Wild Card)

• 2022 Detroit Lions: 9-8 (Missed playoffs, but strong turnaround year)

• 2023 New York Jets: 7-10 (Missed playoffs; Aaron Rodgers injury early)

• 2024 Chicago Bears: 5-12 (Missed playoffs; rough rookie season for Caleb Williams)

• 2025 Buffalo Bills: 12-5 (Earned No. 6 AFC playoff seed)

Playoff success is rare: When teams do make it, they rarely advance far (only a handful of playoff wins total).

In-season Hard Knocks (a newer format, like 2024's AFC North edition) is different—it follows teams in the mid-season and doesn't have the same preseason "distraction" narrative.

CHARLOTTE over Phoenix by 8

Two of the NBA’s top cash machines collide in Charlotte tonight, with the Hornets looking to sting back after a 12-point loss in Phoenix. The Buzz Boys have been money all season, rolling in at 46-25-2 ATS, including a stout 24-11 ATS inside the Hive. Phoenix has kept pace overall at 44-27-2 ATS, but here’s the hangnail: the Suns are just 3-9 ATS in games following a Bulls’ revenge clash – a flat spot for sure. When push comes to shove, look for the Hornets to shove the Suns aside tonight.

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Get ready. It’s coming.

The 2026 World Cup begins on June 11, with co-host Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City. The winners of Tuesday's finals will slot into the World Cup groups assigned in December's draw.

After nearly three years of qualifiers, the 2026 World Cup field of 48 teams will be set with six winner-take-all matches on Tuesday to decide the final participants for this year's tournament.

Four European berths were decided in the early evening Eastern time, with Turkey, Czechia, Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina grabbing the last of the 16 UEFA spots for the World Cup. The final two countries will be decided in FIFA’s intercontinental playoff finals: DR Congo vs Jamaica and Iraq vs. Bolivia, both being played in Mexico.

As of yesterday, these are the teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

• Host nations: Canada, Mexico, United States

• Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan, *Iraq

• Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

• Concacaf: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama

• Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey.

• Oceania: New Zealand

• South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

Word has it if the United States and Canada were not ‘host’ countries, they’d be on the outside looking in at this year’s event. Here are the current odds on each team:

Odds vary slightly across sportsbooks (e.g., FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, FOX Bet), but the consensus top contenders are:

• Spain: +400 to +450 (favorite; implied probability ~18-20%)

• England: +550 to +650

• France: +550 to +650

• Brazil: +750 to +850

• Argentina (defending champions): +750 to +850

• Portugal: +1000 to +1200

• Germany: +1200 to +1400

• Netherlands: +1900 to +2000

• Norway: +2500 to +2800 (longer shot with standout talent like Erling Haaland)

• Belgium / Colombia / Morocco: +3000 to +4000 range

Further down the board, the United States (co-host) sits around +5000 to +6500, with Mexico and Canada at +7000 or longer

Spain enters as European champions with a youthful, high-possession squad featuring stars like Lamine Yamal. They have dominated recent qualification and sit atop many power rankings.

England and France follow closely due to squad depth and talent (e.g., Mbappé for France), while traditional powers Brazil and Argentina remain strong but face questions over consistency.