The first tennis major of the calendar year is upon us.

The 2026 Australian Open gets underway this weekend and the biggest tennis stars in the game, including American Coco Gauff, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, are set to serve up intense competition after the draw was held. The tournament runs from Jan. 18 through Feb. 1.

Italian Jannik Sinner is the two-time reigning champion on the men’s side of the draw after defeating German Alexander Zverev in straight sets, while American Madison Keys looks to defend her title on the women’s side after denying Sabalenka’s quest for an Australian Open three-peat.

A record $74.9 million in prize money is up for grabs, including $2.79 million for both the men’s and women’s singles champions. Who has the easiest path to the title? Let’s break down the draw:

Coco Gauff could face Venus Williams in second round

Gauff won the second major of her career at the 2025 French Open, but her serving and forehand woes snuck up on her toward the back half of the season. Gauff finished the 2025 season with a total of 431 double faults, the most among WTA Tour players. Gauff started working with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, who helped correct world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s serve, and Gauff’s progress was on display in Team USA’s quarterfinal run in the United Cup, where she breezed past Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek to open 2026.

Gauff is looking to keep up that momentum as the No. 3 seed at the Australian Open. She could face Venus Williams in the second round, with a potential third-round matchup against 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušova. In the fourth round, Gauff will likely meet fellow American Emma Navarro, who has defeated Gauff in their past two matches, including a win at the 2024 US Open. Gauff would have to get past No. 8 Mirra Andreeva or No. 12 Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals to get out of her quarter of the bracket. Gauff is on Sabalenka’s side of the draw, setting up a potential 2025 French Open final rematch in the semifinals.

Madison Keys’ title defense starts with tough draw

Eight years after making her first Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open, Keys finally broke through and won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. Keys defeated five seeded opponents in her title run and will need to muster up a similar performance to successfully defend her title after a challenging draw.

Keys will face Oleksandra Oliynykova in the first round and will likely meet No. 22 Leylah Fernandez in the third round, before things get a little more difficult. Keys drew a potential fourth-round matchup against No. 6 Jessica Pegula or No. 25 Paula Badosa. Keys leads the head-to-head against both players. If she advances to the quarterfinals, Keys could potentially run into No. 4 Amanda Anisimova or No. 27 Sofia Kenin. No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 10 Belinda Bencic are on Keys’ side of the draw and could present a challenging semifinal matchup.

Carlos Alcaraz goes for the career Slam

The Australian Open is the lone title the six-time major champion hasn’t won. Alcaraz is one Australian Open victory away from becoming the ninth man to complete the career Grand Slam and the first since Novak Djokovic in 2016, but Alcaraz hasn’t found success on the Australian Open’s fast hard court. He’s failed to advance to the semifinals in Melbourne, with his best finish coming in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025.

Alcaraz’s first Australian Open semifinal appearance may be near after a favorable draw. He begins the tournament against Australian Adam Walton and will likely meet No. 19 Tommy Paul in the fourth round, who he’s defeated four matches in a row. Alcaraz could potentially face No. 6 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals and, should he advance to the semifinals, Alcaraz could meet a familiar foe in No. 3 Alexander Zverev. The head-to-head between Alcaraz and Zverev is tied 6-6, with Alcaraz taking their last meeting at the 2025 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati semifinal.

Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic in same half of draw

Sinner and Djokovic could potentially meet in the semifinals. Sinner leads the head-to-head with Djokovic 6-4 and has won the last five matchups against the 24-time major winner, including a semifinal win at the 2024 Australian Open. Djokovic would have to get past a potential quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 9 Taylor Fritz or No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas, which should be doable considering Djokovic has a combined 32-3 record against the three players. Sinner’s biggest challenge in the draw should come from No. 8 Ben Shelton, who he’ll meet in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold.

Best first-round matchups

The first round of the Australian Open features some compelling matchups. Australian Alex de Minaur will face Australian Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in the first round. Berrettini leads the head-to-head, 3-2. On the women’s side, No. 32 seed Marketa Vondrousova will face off against Hailey Baptiste in the first round. The two have never played each other, but Baptiste had a great year after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at the 2025 French Open. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, made her way through qualifying and will also present a first-round challenge.

How to watch the Australian Open

The Australian Open will be broadcast across ESPN and ESPN 2. You can also stream on Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users.

When is the Australian Open? Dates and schedule

Round 1: Jan. 18-20
Round 2: Jan. 21-22
Round 3: Jan. 23-24
Round of 16: Jan. 25-26
Quarterfinals: Jan. 27-28
Women’s semifinals: Jan. 29
Men’s semifinals: Jan. 30
Women’s final: Jan. 31
Men’s final: Feb. 1

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It’s not bold to say the NBA’s intrigue in Europe is large right now. Fifteen percent of players currently in the NBA are European. Furthermore, three of the league’s top-five preseason MVP favorites were European — Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. I haven’t even mentioned San Antonio’s young superstar Victor Wembanyama.

All this is to say that it should come as no surprise that the NBA is looking to enter the European market. In December, the NBA, alongside FIBA, announced that they are moving forward with plans to introduce a new league in Europe as early as 2027, claiming that they would begin speaking with teams and owners interested in joining the league in January.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to the NBA to get updates on the unnamed European league. Here’s what to know:

What will the league entail?

Leah MacNab, NBA Senior Vice President and Head of International Strategy, told USA TODAY Sports, ‘We are planning to launch a 16-team league with 10 permanent teams and at least four rotational spots.’

MacNab expanded, claiming that the rotational spots will work similarly to the relegation system many European soccer leagues use.

‘It is a very European system,’ said MacNab. ‘We want to introduce a merit-based pathway into the league so that even teams in lower leagues can have the opportunity to play at the highest level of competition.’

According to MacNab, the 10 permanent teams will never fall out of the league. The rotational spots, meanwhile, will give more teams and players the opportunity to play on the largest stage, which will help expand the basketball market and share the rising interest with other teams that normally wouldn’t get such exposure.

Are there any teams currently lined up?

Not currently.

Although early reports claimed that the NBA would start speaking to teams and owners this month, MacNab claims that no such conversations have happened. MacNab even claimed that if the NBA had already begun speaking with teams, it would have been ‘unlawful.’ The process for finding teams to fill the league will begin soon, but has not begun.

Why are they choosing to start this league now?

Basketball is growing in popularity in Europe. That’s the bottom line. According to National Media Partnerships and International Communications Lead Mark Pozin, basketball has become the second-most popular sport in Europe with over 270 million fans across the continent. Furthermore, the top two most-viewed players globally on NBA social media are European: Luka Dončić (Slovenia; 845M+ views; 1st overall) and Victor Wembanyama (France; 708M+ views; 2nd overall).

Pair those popular players with the NBA playing two games in Europe as well, and there’s plenty of reason to believe the NBA could expand its market substantially with a league across the Atlantic.

Will we see NBA teams in Europe soon?

MacNab was intrigued by this idea but said that such a concept is still a long ways away. The league is not considering that an option for the near future. That said, even Americans have become more intrigued with international basketball. After all, this year’s All-Star Game bears the theme of USA vs. the world.

As it stands, future plans including more international preseason games, with potential matchups between NBA squads and teams in the newly formed European league. MacNab also hinted that tournaments between the two leagues could be in play as well, although details on the tournament, such as time of year, format, etc. are still in the works.

Will this affect NBA teams’ ability to sign international players?

It does not appear so. According to MacNab, most of the systems currently in place will remain in place until further notice. When asked whether or not an NBA-backed league in Europe could persuade some players to remain home rather than travel to the United States to play in the NBA, MacNab admitted that it was a possibility.

Per MacNab, the salaries in the NBA will still be larger, which will likely push many players into the NBA, but ultimately it will be up to the player to determine what they want from their basketball career and whether or not staying in Europe is in their best interest.

One of the projected top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft is staying in school.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that he’s remaining with the Ducks for the 2026 season rather than heading to the NFL, where he was widely viewed as a top-five selection in a thin class at the position.

Moore’s decision has significant ramifications not only for the NFL, where quarterback-needy teams like the New York Jets may have to look elsewhere for their future signal-caller, but college football.

In his first season as a starter for Oregon, Moore was one of the best quarterbacks in the sport, accounting for 3,721 total yards and 32 touchdowns while helping lead the Ducks to a 12-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. With his return, Oregon will be one of a handful of national championship favorites heading into the 2026 season.

He’ll be returning to a quarterback room that’s just a little more crowded than it was a few days ago.

While Moore was weighing his draft decision, the Ducks landed a commitment on Jan. 12 from Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit who was the Cornhuskers’ starter each of the past two seasons.

What could Moore’s return to Oregon mean for Raiola?

What does Dante Moore’s return mean for Dylan Raiola?

Moore’s return to college football gives Raiola several options.

The first, and perhaps more likely, scenario would involve Raiola sticking with his commitment to the Ducks and backing up Moore for a year. Oregon continued to recruit Raiola out of the transfer portal with the understanding that Moore could still be with the program for the 2026 season, indicating that they knew he might be a backup for a season.

It wouldn’t be unheard of for that program, either. Just look at Moore, a former five-star recruit himself who played one season at UCLA before transferring to Oregon. Once in Eugene, he backed up Dillon Gabriel for a season before assuming the starting role for the 2025 season.

Moore spoke about that possibility when asked about Raiola on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Wednesday, shortly after announcing his choice to stay at Oregon.

“He’s a great dude,” Moore said. “Of course, we haven’t talked much, but just seeing him and how he just competes, I know when he comes here, he’s going to be a great guy for the quarterback room. I want to make sure I give him my ideas and thoughts, like Dillon Gabriel did for me, and make sure I give him the resources to make sure he’s better on his game. I know when he comes here, he’s not going to fall and not push me. I know he’s going to push me, compete and have fun.”

Being a backup for a year could be helpful not only for Raiola’s development, but his health. He suffered a season-ending broken fibula in a Nov. 1 loss to USC and underwent surgery on it days later. Without the looming pressure of being the Ducks’ starter, Raiola could get additional time to recover from his surgery and get back to full strength.

If he transferred to Oregon on the assumption that Moore was off to the NFL and is looking to go elsewhere, he’ll have some options if he wants to jump back into the portal. Several major programs are still in search of a starting quarterback for next season, namely Miami and Tennessee. 

Dylan Raiola age

Raiola is 20 years old.

Dylan Raiola eligibility

Raiola played in 13 games as a freshman in 2024 and nine games as a sophomore in 2025, giving him two seasons of eligibility remaining.

FBS coaches voted unanimously on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to adjust the sport’s redshirt rule so that players can play in up to nine games without burning a year of eligibility, though it’s unclear whether that change, if passed, could be applied retroactively.

Dylan Raiola 247

Coming out of Buford High School in Georgia, Raiola was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

As a transfer, he was rated by 247 as the No. 15 overall available transfer and the No. 5 quarterback.

SACRAMENTO, CA — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson left Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings after tweaking his ankle.

Brunson rolled his ankle on a non-contact play during the first quarter against the Kings.

He was sizing up Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud and as Brunson got into his dribble package − a hesitation, between the legs dribble − and looked to make his move, he rolled his ankle and fell on the ball before passing it to a teammate.

Brunson limped to the locker room after exiting the game. He did not return, the Knicks ruling him out with a right ankle injury.

Game recap

Sacramento jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the game and maintained it through the first quarter behind 10 points each from Precious Achiuwa, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

The Kings led 32-17 after the first period.

Sacramento maintained its lead going into the second half. The Kings led 56-42 at halftime after a LaVine 3-pointer with three seconds left. Knicks guard Josh Hart made a layup as the buzzer sounded.

Sacramento continued to pour it on in the third quarter. Achiuwa continued to dominate with his effort and energy. He had nine rebounds and two steals and two blocks. He added 17 points for the Kings as he helped to build a 20-point lead.

Sacramento won 112-101.

FIFA said on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer.

Per FIFA, an average of 15 million ticket requests were made each day from when the 33-day World Cup ticket application window opened on Dec. 11 until its closure on Jan. 13. FIFA boasts that the ticket demand sets ‘a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport.’

‘Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement. On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response,’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement released by the organization.

Aside from the three host nations, the highest number of World Cup ticket applications came from residents in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.

The ticketing update also included fascinating data for which games are the most requested. These are the top five most-coveted 2026 World Cup matches, according to FIFA:

Colombia vs. Portugal in Miami, Saturday, June 27
Mexico vs. South Korea in Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 18
Tournament final in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 19
Mexico vs. South Africa, the tournament opener in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11
Round of 32 match in Toronto, Thursday, July 2

The full 104-match schedule for the 2026 World Cup — which will feature 48 teams for the first time — was set during the draw on Dec. 5, with 16 cities in three countries hosting matches.

The ticket process for the upcoming World Cup has had its detractors. Soccer fans around the globe have lodged their complaints about the high prices for tickets. Even U.S. national teamer Tim Weah voiced his concern about the high costs to get into games.

‘It is too expensive,’ Weah said. ‘Football should still be enjoyed by everyone. It is the most popular sport. This World Cup will be good, but it will be more of a show.

‘I am just a bit disappointed by the ticket prices. Lots of real fans will miss matches.’

In an effort to make some reasonably priced options available, FIFA provided a selected number of tickets — ‘supporter entry tier’ tickets — to national federations of the participating countries for them to distribute to loyal fans who have previously attended their nations’ matches.

Dallas Mavericks rookie star Cooper Flagg looked to be in considerable pain as he limped to the locker room after appearing to roll his ankle during the first half of Wednesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.

Flagg was defending Denver’s Peyton Watson, moving laterally to his left when he rolled his ankle. He shuffled back to the locker room and it appeared that Flagg’s evening might be done.

But the top pick of the 2025 NBA Draft reemerged and was back on the court before the first half was even over.

When the second half started, though, Flagg was not on the court and the Mavericks announced that he would not return due to a left ankle sprain.

Flagg finished with six points on 3-for-9 shooting and added a rebound and assist. He played 15 minutes.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team ‘decided to hold (Flagg out) for the second half,’ according to DLLS Sports’ Ron Harrod Jr. Kidd noted that Flagg also had twisted his ankle in the Mavericks’ last game on Monday.

Kidd did not know if Flagg would play on Thursday when the Mavericks take on the Utah Jazz.

Spurned by Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox pivoted to a different offseason plan, agreeing to terms with left-hander Ranger Suárez on a five-year, $130 million contract on Jan. 14.

A baseball official with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Suárez and the Red Sox are in agreement. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been finalized.

Suárez, 30, was a clutch regular season and playoff performer for the Philadelphia Phillies, earning an All-Star nod in 2024 and posting a 3.38 career ERA while starting 119 career games.

Suárez played key roles in helping the wild card Phillies eliminate the division champion Atlanta Braves in both 2022 and 2023, and along with Framber Valdez was the most desirable left-handed starter on the market.

In Boston, he provides the No. 2 starter the club professed to desire since the start of winter, aligning behind fellow lefty and Cy Young Award runner-up Garrett Crochet and alongside trade acquisition Sonny Gray.

His signing pushes talented right-hander Brayan Bello to the No. 4 slot, though Gray’s pending free agency after this season ensures the Red Sox have strong pitching depth in coming years. The Red Sox also acquired right-hander Johan Oviedo from Pittsburgh last month, and he figures to get the first crack at the No. 5 starter job; additionally, the club saw encouraging signs from rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early after their debuts late last season.

They may need to be a pitching-centric squad in 2026; Bregman’s defection to the Chicago Cubs leaves the lineup, for now, minus a massive bat. The club is expected to continue pursuing help at both second and third base.

An NCAA Tournament for women’s flag football is closer to becoming a reality.

In Washington, D.C., on Wednesday at the annual NCAA Convention, the Division I cabinet approved the addition of flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program. This comes as several schools across the NCAA landscape have added flag football as a women’s varsity sport in recent years. The sport will make its Olympic debut in 2028.

The NCAA recommended adding flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program last February. The program, which started in 1994, has had success in converting sports like rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling and beach volleyball into varsity women’s sports across the NCAA. Most recently, women’s wrestling was granted widespread varsity status and will hold the sport’s first sanctioned NCAA championship this year in Coralville, Iowa.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced it will launch a women’s flag football league with a $1 million investment from the Jets through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. The league will begin play in next month. 

A handful of Division I schools have launched or announced plans to start a varsity women’s flag football team. That group includes Alabama State, Long Island, Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary’s, UT Arlington and Cal Poly. Many others in the Division II and III ranks also have varsity teams.

Last year, the Division III Atlantic East Conference held a full varsity season of women’s flag football capped by a conference championship, becoming the first NCAA league to do so. Jacqie McWilliams-Parker — commissioner of the CIAA, a Division II HBCU conference — said last year that she hopes to have flag football as a varsity sport in the league during the 2026-27 academic year. Division I commissioners like Sherika Montgomery of the Big South and Jim Phillips of the ACC have said on the record that they’re paying attention to the rise of women’s flag football.

While women’s flag football now has status in the Emerging Sports for Women program, there are still milestones the sport needs to meet before reaching championship status and an NCAA Tournament.

According to data published by the NCAA last year, about 65 schools had flag football teams at the varsity or club level. But to be considered for championship status at least 40 NCAA programs will need to sponsor women’s flag football as a varsity sport within 10 years. Those 40 teams would also have to meet minimums in games played and player participation.

The NFL has estimated about 20 million people across 100 countries are playing flag football or some variation of it. In the U.S., the National Sporting Goods Association said from 2022 to 2023, girls participating in flag football increased by 55% to 1.6 million.

Heading toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL is signaling it is heavily invested in seeing the sport grow. It ran commercials promoting flag football during the 2025 Super Bowl and has had an active hand in helping colleges start teams. The NFL has also pivoted to flag football at the Pro Bowl, with 4.7 million people tuning in to last year’s game, a figure that was in the same ballpark as the NBA All-Star Game.

Notable changes are coming to men’s and women’s college basketball.

The NCAA announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that the Division I Cabinet approved the immediate implementation of a 15-day transfer window in women’s and men’s basketball that will begin the day following both sports’ respective NCAA Tournament championship games.

The NCAA Women’s Tournament championship will take place on Sunday, April 5, while the men’s title game will take place on Monday, April 6, this season. Previously, the portal opened in March, during the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. The change in the transfer portal window was recommended in November by the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees.

There is also a change to the transfer window that opens for players following a head coaching change.

For players impacted by a head coaching change, they will be able to enter the transfer portal during a 15-day period that will open five days after the new head coach is hired or publicly announced. Should a hire not happen or be announced within 30 days of the previous head coach’s departure, a 15-day window will open then as well.

This is the second notable change to the transfer portal window for college athletics, as college football is in a new 15-day transfer window after the season. College football’s transfer window has a soft close on Friday, Jan. 16 — as it will remain open five additional days after the CFP Championship game for Indiana and Miami — after opening on Friday, Jan. 2.

The news release also mentioned that midyear transfers won’t be eligible to compete at a different school ‘if they enrolled at an NCAA school during the first academic term, regardless of whether they competed there.’

The other change announced on Wednesday came from the Division I Business Session and impacts the performance units and funds for college basketball with the NCAA Tournament. In other words, these are the financial rewards teams receive for their performances after reaching their respective Final Four.

‘As a conference which does not have the benefit of national football revenue but has had a school playing in either the Men’s or Women’s Final Four seven times in the last nine years that the tournament has been conducted, the Big East is very grateful for this change,’ Big East commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement. ‘We’re very glad that every team that advances to the championship game from here on out will benefit from this logical adjustment to our national revenue distribution policy.’

Added NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt: ‘Today’s vote emphasizes the importance of rewarding schools who invest in the development of their basketball programs and reach not just the Final Four but ultimately achieve the pinnacle of success in this sport by competing for and winning the national championship.’

The units earned during the tournaments are paid out to conferences on a rolling basis, per the NCAA. For men’s basketball, units are distributed over six years, while in women’s basketball, which began implementing units last year, the units are distributed over three years.

‘The expansion of these funds also continues to increase financial support to members during this pivotal time in college sports in which student-athletes are receiving unprecedented benefits from their schools,’ Gavitt continued.

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