The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9, with seven games capped off by the highly-anticipated United States vs. Mexico matchup at 8 p.m. ET.

Things get underway in Tokyo with South Korea and Australia facing off in a pivotal Pool C game. Midday games include Dominican Republic-Israel, Colombia-Panama and the final Pool B game for Great Britain and Brazil, both 0-3.

Unbeaten entering Monday, Cuba and Puerto Rico face off and Venezuela plays Nicaragua at 7 p.m ET before the USA-Mexico showdown at Daikin Park in Houston.

National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes starts for Team USA for Mexico, a WBC debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates ace. The top two teams from each of the four pools advance to the quarterfinals, which begin on March 13.

Here’s a look at the full slate:

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World Baseball Classic scores on March 9

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

6 a.m. – South Korea vs. Australia, Tokyo (Tokyo Dome) on FS1
12 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Israel, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on FS1
12 p.m. – Colombia vs. Panama, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS2
1 p.m. – Brazil vs. Great Britain, Houston (Daikin Park) on Tubi
7 p.m. – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS1
7 p.m. – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on FS2
8 p.m. – Mexico vs. USA, Houston (Daikin Park) on Fox

Australia controls its destiny vs. Korea

After an agonizingly close loss to defending champion Japan a day earlier, Australia can secure a spot in the WBC quarterfinals by defeating Korea in both teams’ final game in Pool C.

However, a win by Korea could cause chaos − and a three-way tie with Taiwan for the pool’s second berth in the next round. The tie would be broken by a formula of total runs scored in common games divided by defensive outs recorded. Entering the game, Australia projects to have roughly a four-run advantage in those calculations.

How the World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9 with Dominican Republic vs. Israel taking place in Miami at LoanDepot Park.

‘We haven’t achieved anything yet. Our goal is to win this tournament,’ Dominican manager Albert Pujols told reporters after his team’s win on Sunday. ‘When you get the trophy, then you can speak about the different matches and the emotions and stuff.

‘But so far, we have to face important teams, and our goal is to stay focused on winning and to obtain the victory for our country.’

Keep up with the latest scores and news all the way through the grand finale in Miami to decide the WBC championship. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter to get the biggest storylines straight to your inbox.

Here’s everything you need to tune into Monday’s action.

See the full tournament schedule here .

Buy 2026 WBC tickets

Dominican Republic vs. Israel: How to watch on Monday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 10:14 p.m.

Matchup: Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Miami (LoanDepot Park)
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX One App

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

How the 2026 World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.

He picked one with the boxing establishment a long time ago. Then he added fuel to the fire Sunday, March 8.

During a press conference after Jai Opetaia defeated Brandon Glanton by unanimous decision to become the first champion of White’s Zuffa Boxing, he belittled those running the sport as “rinky dink’’ and inept enough for him to make some startling predictions.

‘I’m going to sign everybody we think has the potential to be a world champion or that is potentially the best in the world,” he declared.

Lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, are they on that list, a reporter asked.

‘I’m going to (expletive) sign everybody,” White replied, later adding, ‘All the biggest guys are going to be here.”

As the UFC’s CEO, White already controls mixed martial arts. He clearly intends to do the same thing with boxing. Even though Opetaia is the lone star White has signed to date.

But remember, Zuffa Boxing is only four right into its existence. And White likely is working with a blank check after partnering with Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

Now about that rant, White said, ‘Listen, this sport is broken for a reason. Everybody is a bunch of rinky dink. I mean, it’s the most (expletive) rinky dink thing that I have ever seen in my life. I don’t know why I expected more from any of these people. But, boy, let me tell you what, (stuff’s) about to get good.’’

Zuffa Boxing is in good position thanks to its deal with Paramount+, which this year became the streaming home not only for the UFC, but also Zuffa Boxing. Which launched in January and only four fight cards into its existence.

Yet clearly White was irritated with the IBF – one of boxing’s four sanctioning bodies. On Friday, the IBF abruptly announced it was reversing its plan to sanction the fight between Opetaia and Glanton. Not only that, the IBF stripped its cruiserweight title from Opetaia. It looked like a low blow. Or in MMA vernacular, an eye poke.

The move seemed designed to undermine the value of Zuffa Boxing’s new belt, strapped around Opetaia after his victory Sunday. But maybe nothing more than another belt, further diluting world championships?

“I would say that’s ridiculous,” White said. ‘So what we’re doing is, all the guys that fight for us, that will be the belt. There won’t be any other belts. We’ll have some situations where Jai wanted to fight for the IBF (belt). But this is all just getting started.”

Just the beginning.

And the end White’s blast-boxing rant.

For now.

Multiple sources familiar with the Scarlet Knights’ search told USA TODAY Sports that Rutgers is planning to hire LSU assistant coach Gary Redus II. A deal could be finalized this week.

Redus, 36, has never been a head coach in Division I women’s college basketball before. He’s been on Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU since the 2022-23 season, which ended with the Tigers winning the national championship over Iowa.

From 2021 through June 2025, Rutgers’ president William F. Tate IV was the president of the LSU system. Additionally, Rutgers’ athletic director Keli Zinn was the deputy athletic director at LSU from 2022 through July 2025. Both Zinn and Tate had front row seats as Redus recruited high school All-Americans for Mulkey and helped build rosters that have piled up boatloads of wins. Since winning the national title, LSU has gone to back-to-back Elite Eights and is projected to be a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Rutgers’ search for a new head coach was a quick one. The Scarlet Knights fired former coach Coquese Washington last Monday after four seasons in which she accumulated a record of 42-84. This season’s 1-17 record in conference play was Rutgers’ worst mark ever in the Big Ten.

According to multiple sources, Rutgers had also been targeting Rhode Island head coach Tammi Reiss. A New York native, an All-American guard at Virginia, and a former Syracuse assistant coach, Reiss has a record of 138-72 in seven seasons leading the Rams. She’s guided Rhode Island to a pair of Atlantic-10 regular season titles and just won the A-10 Tournament on Sunday night. However, Reiss’ buyout at Rhode Island would be north of $600,000, according to a copy of her contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Sources also said one of the first calls Rutgers made was to Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, who declined to interview for the position. Thibault-DuDonis — the daughter of former WNBA head coach Mike Thibault who won a championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019 — has taken Fairfield to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and has won 79.4% of her games in four seasons there. The 34-year-old was previously an assistant at Minnesota and Mississippi State. She has turned down several Power 4 jobs in recent years.

Redus does not have a buyout of his contract at LSU if he leaves the Tigers for a head coaching job. He is represented by Klutch Sports, the agency founded by LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul.

Under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer — who retired in 2022 — Rutgers was a consistent winner in women’s basketball, going to two Final Fours and winning four Big East titles. Between 1998 and 2021, they went to 17 NCAA tournaments. Stringer also led the Scarlet Knights to a WNIT championship in 2014.

Before joining Mulkey’s staff, Redus previously worked as assistant at SMU, Vanderbilt and Division II Delta State. He played college basketball at South Alabama and professionally overseas for a few years. He is the son of a former MLB outfielder, Gary Redus Sr., who played 13 major-league seasons.

While he has never been a head coach, Redus has garnered a reputation as an ace recruiter, talent evaluator, and developer of guards. Last year, he helped LSU land four five-star recruits, a group that includes Grace Knox, Bella Hines and ZaKiyah Johnson, all key contributors to the Tigers this season. In 2020, while he was the recruiting coordinator for Stephanie White at Vanderbilt, he was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 30 under 30 list.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is reconsidering his plan to leave Team USA during the World Baseball Classic.
Skubal is torn between his commitment to the Tigers and the emotional experience of representing his country.
The two-time Cy Young winner is also weighing the decision ahead of becoming a free agent after the season.
Team USA teammates and officials have expressed their support for Skubal regardless of his final choice.

HOUSTON — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who originally was scheduled to leave Team USA and rejoin his Detroit Tigers teammates in Lakeland, Florida, remained in Houston on Sunday and attended USA’s workout.

He spoke late Saturday night with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, his agent, Scott Boras, and his family.

‘I don’t think anything has been determined …,’ Hinch told reporters Sunday. ‘He’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It’s a difficult time. It weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all.’

Skubal told FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal after throwing 41 pitches in Saturday’s 9-1 victory over Great Britain during the game that he’s not prepared to give an answer, and he reiterated his dilemma afterward to reporters outside the clubhouse.

‘This is going to be one of the toughest decisions I made in my career,’ Skubal said. ‘I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain, or my thoughts to differ. I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously.’

Simply, Skubal didn’t anticipate the flood of emotions being around his USA teammates, the patriotism, and the significance of representing his country.

‘It just changes your perspective a little bit, you know?’ Skubal said. ‘And how proud I am to be an American and go out there and pitch and compete. (Thinking about) the people that make real sacrifices for me to play a kids’ game. …

‘It’s just hard. When you get into these environments, when you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that.’

Team USA, which has won its first two games in the WBC, is expected to play a quarterfinal game Friday, March 13 at Daikin Park in Houston. If the U.S. wins, it would play in a semifinal game either Sunday, March 15 or Monday, March 16. The championship game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17.

It’s possible that Skubal could return to Tigers camp and pitch Thursday, March 12 against the New York Yankees in Lakeland, and then wait and see if he’d be needed to pitch in the WBC championship game.

Skubal said players have been supportive of him, whatever he chooses, completely understanding his predicament. He not only wants to be on regular rest and start the Tigers’ season-opener in San Diego on March 26, but he’s a free agent after the season, and in line to receive a contract in excess of $400 million, the largest contract by a starting pitcher in history.

‘The guys have been cool about it,’ Skubal said earlier in the week, ‘but I mean, obviously, like publicly, it’s a little bit different perception. But I think they understand what it means for me to be here. Obviously, I want to be in the room, you know, and that’s cool for them to even take that aside and be like, it’s awesome that you’re here.’

Whatever his decision, Team USA officials insist they understand, and he has the full support of his USA teammates.

‘He’s got the two Cy Young Awards, but this guy’s about to make half a billion dollars here in the next offseason,’ Yankees three-time MVP Aaron Judge said. ‘So, for him to put it all on the line for his country, and come out here and show up for us. … You know, maybe it is just one game, but you know there’s a risk with everything you do, and for him to take that risk and come out here and be with us, the boys love it.’

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Four days after a trade that sent him from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Los Angeles Rams, Trent McDuffie locked in even more certainty about his future.

McDuffie and the Rams on Sunday agreed to a four-year, $124 million contract extension, according to multiple reports, making the cornerback the highest-paid player at his position in league history.

His $31 million in average annual value rockets past the previous high of $30.1 million, which was set by Sauce Gardner last summer, when the Indianapolis Colts cornerback was still with the New York Jets.

McDuffie’s deal also includes $100 million guaranteed, per reports – more than $10 million higher than the next closest player in the Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. ($89 million).

The Rams sent a package of four draft picks – including the No. 29 overall selection this year – to the Chiefs in exchange for McDuffie. The swap can not become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

McDuffie, an All-Pro selection in 2023, had widely been expected to strike an extension with the Rams after news of the trade broke. The 2022 first-round pick had been set to play on his fifth-year option for $13.63 million.

In Los Angeles, McDuffie will be counted on to shore up the most glaring weakness for a team that general manager Les Snead is trying to make the most of its remaining time with reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles’ pass defense unraveled down the stretch, and the defense finished the year ranked 22nd in passing yards allowed per game (225.6).

Coco Gauff quickly went up a break on Sunday evening at Indian Wells, then she began to favor her left arm and her lead quickly came unraveled.

The 21-year-old, who is the top seeded American at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, was forced to withdraw in the second set, pushing 18-year-old sensation Alex Eala of the Philippines into the Round of 16.

It was just the second time in her career that Gauff has withdrawn from a match. The last time was in 2022 in Cincinnati.

‘I really didn’t want to win this way,’ Eala said after the match. ‘But this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium 1 at Indian Wells, against such a great competitor.’

Eala, who has attracted a massive crowd of followers at Indian Wells, had won the first set, 6-2, and was leading the second set, 2-0, before Gauff withdrew. It was Eala’s first career match on Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Eala will move on to play Linda Nosková of Croatia on Tuesday.

Gauff was leading 2-1 in the first set before the arm injury. Eala won the last five games to close out the set, then the first two of the second set before Gauff opted not to continue.

Eala’s first match, on Stadium 3 on Friday, was packed. The line to get to the general admission seating was more than 100 people long midway through the match.

On Sunday, Eala spent much of her post-match interview on the court thanking her parents and those who’ve helped her get to this point in her career so far. She seemed to really take in the moment and wasn’t overlooking how special it was to advance at such a big tournament.

‘I do my best to be humble and to keep my feet on the ground because I am surrounding by so many amazing players,’ she said. ‘Tennis is a really humbling sport because you really learn how to lose and learn to be self-aware.’

The man to do it was Ryan Blaney, the last driver to reach victory lane before Reddick’s streak. Blaney won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at the Avondale, Arizona track.

The Team Penske driver deftly navigated through the field multiple times throughout a caution-filled 312-lap race. His 49 passes got him to the front as the laps wound down, and he kept in front of Christopher Bell, who led 176 laps in Sunday’s race. Blaney led 28 laps, including the final 10.

Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was relieved to see the checkered flag.

‘I don’t know how many more laps I could’ve hold him off,’ he said. ‘Really proud of everybody at Team Penske.’

He was so focused on getting the win his No. 12 Ford wasn’t completely shut off during his post-race interview.

Bell was disappointed after leading the most laps all day and winning Stage 2.

‘You win some, you lose some,’ he said. ‘This one stings. But on a positive side, I’m really proud of our entire team. The pit crew did amazing … it’s something to build on. It was a day that we needed.’

Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five finishers.

Blaney’s win was significant for Team Penske. The motor sports titan swept two huge races at Phoenix with Blaney taking the checkered flag Sunday and Josef Newgarden winning Saturday’s IndyCar race.

‘Newgarden winning yesterday, us winning today, can’t wait to see Roger [Penske],’ Blaney said.

Here’s the highlights and final leaderboard from the Straight Talk Wireless 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway:

NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix highlights

NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix: Full results

Here’s how the field finished the Straight Talk Wireless 500:

Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Anthony Alfredo, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Jeremy Fears Jr. did it again.

This season, the Michigan State star guard has been at the center of a number of plays that border the line of dirty.

Early in Sunday’s game against Michigan, Fears once again lifted his leg after a foul call and kicked Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau in the groin.

‘We’d like a basketball game to break out at some point,’ Michigan’s Dusty May told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson during a first-half timeout.

After the officials reviewed the play, Fears was assessed a dead-ball technical foul.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did not hold back with his opinions of Fears’ technical foul when asked about it by Wolfson during the CBS broadcast.

‘It’s all because of what happened earlier and now the microscope’s on him. And I don’t like that,’ Izzo said.

He expanded on Fears’ foul in his postgame news conference following the Spartans’ 90-80 loss to the Wolverines on Sunday by saying that he’s ‘sick of it being one-sided,’ according to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Izzo also mentioned that after re-watching it on tape, Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau pushed Fears in the back.

Some other notable examples of similar plays include him kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin, for which he received a technical foul for in a 76-73 loss, and being called out by Michigan coach Dusty May for ‘dangerous’ plays in the first meeting between the two Big Ten rivals.

‘I go out every game and I play hard. I don’t intentionally try to hurt anyone,” Fears said after Michigan State’s game at Minnesota back in February, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. ‘I go out and play every game like it’s my last, because at one point it was my last. So I don’t take a game for granted. I don’t take a moment for granted. So I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can every possession, every game.

‘Like at one point, I had basketball taken away from me, so something I love to do, I couldn’t do it for a whole year. So most people wouldn’t understand that. And that’s on them, I guess. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change who I am or what I do. I’m just go out there and play 150(%) no matter what.’