If you’re suffering from sports fan heartbreak (e.g. your cricket team has just gone down 2-0 in the Ashes, or your favourite race car driver has missed out on a world title in 2025), here’s my recommendation.

Like any good investor, it’s time to diversify your portfolio. For example, if you’re an English cricket fan, a tough weekend of spectating may have been made a little brighter by seeing Lando Norris win the F1 Drivers’ Championship.

Food for thought? Yes. Financial advice? No.

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The margin by which Australian athlete Jess Stenson beat Sinead Diver’s record for the fastest marathon by an Australian woman. Stenson finished the Valencia Marathon in Spain in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds, setting a new Australian record and finishing fifth in the race. The 38-year-old said: "I just got off the phone to Sinead, she called me right away and we just cried. She was so happy for me, and it was so nice to connect with her after the race. I'm so delighted and so satisfied.”

“Thank you guys. Oh my god. You’ve made a kid’s dream come true.”
British racing driver Lando Norris speaking to his team over the radio after claiming his first Formula One world championship, despite finishing third at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race was won by the Netherlands’ Max Verstappen, while Australia’s Oscar Piastri finished second. Norris’ third-place finish ensured he finished atop the 2025 Drivers’ Standings on 423 points. Verstappen finished on 421 points, and Piastri ended the season on 410 points. The 24-year-old Aussie, who won seven races this season, said: “On a personal level, it’s obviously not quite the ending that I wished for but I think when you look at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve been able to put in”.

Groundhopping is a hobby where football fans try to visit as many different stadiums as possible. One of the ultimate goals for groundhoppers is to join the 92 Club. To become a member, one must attend a competitive match at the home ground of all 92 teams in the top four tiers of English football (Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two). If a team changes grounds, membership is revoked until the member has attended a match at the new ground. 

🏉 The NRL’s Wests Tigers are facing more administrative chaos, with the club’s CEO Shane Richardson informing staff today he is walking away less than 18 months into his tenure, according to AAP. His sudden resignation follows the controversial sacking of four independent directors last week, including chairman and former state premier Barry O’Farrell. The club is now effectively leaderless, threatening to derail the promising on-field progress that has been made under coach Benji Marshall. The board has approached former Manly boss Tony Mestrov to step in, according to the SMH. 

⛳ Aussie golfer Cameron Smith fell narrowly short in his quest for an Australian Open title at Royal Melbourne yesterday. Tied for the lead on the final hole, the Australian looked poised for victory when his opponent, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, hit a wayward shot into the rough. However, the Dane produced a stunning chip and superb 10-foot putt to record a par. Under immense pressure, Smith faltered, three-putting for bogey to hand Neergaard-Petersen a dramatic one-shot victory and automatic qualification to next year’s Masters (one of golf’s four majors). Tournament drawcard Rory McIlroy finished well back in a tie for 14th.

🏉 The Australian women’s rugby union 7s team has exacted sweet revenge on arch-rivals New Zealand, claiming gold in Cape Town with a dominant 26-12 victory in the final early this morning. After losing to the Kiwis in Dubai last week, the Aussies flipped the script in this week’s final, racing out to a 26-0 lead thanks to tries from the Levi sisters (Maddison and Teagan) and co-captain Isabella Nasser. It wasn't as happy a hunting ground for the Aussie men, who finished seventh while hosts South Africa claimed the title.

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Australia has taken a commanding lead in the 2025/26 Ashes series, defeating England by eight wickets in the second Test at the Gabba. 

The day-night clash ended with Steve Smith smashing the winning runs, leaving England under pressure heading into the third Test in Adelaide.

Here’s what to know.

On Sunday, England entered the fourth day of the Test with only four batters left and a score of 134, still behind Australia’s first-innings total. 

English Captain Ben Stokes and teammate Will Jacks fought hard, adding nearly 100 runs together, but Australia’s Michael Neser prevailed. The veteran paceman's five-wicket haul virtually ended the fight as he left Australia needing just 65 runs to win. 

Smith and Jake Weatherald chased down the target in less than an hour, securing a dominant victory. 

English captain Ben Stokes admitted his side had been outplayed, saying: “When the pressure is on, Australia keep outdoing us.” 

Smith said afterwards that he sensed an English comeback: “They’re going to come back hard, whether they play really aggressive, or take the foot off the pedal a little bit, we’ll wait and see.”

The series now shifts to Adelaide for the third Test starting on 17 December. England must win to keep the Ashes alive; however, no English team has recovered from 2-0 to win the Ashes in Australia.

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The Socceroos have landed in Group D for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup, setting up a blockbuster clash with co-host nation and world No.14, the United States.

Meanwhile, FIFA has awarded U.S. President Donald Trump a new ‘peace prize’. 

Trump has already been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Alongside the U.S, Australia has drawn South American grit in Paraguay (world No.39) and a European wildcard in the winner of UEFA Play-Off C. 

The European wildcard will be whoever qualifies out of Türkiye (25th), Romania (47th), Slovakia (45th), and Kosovo (80th).

The schedule is travel-friendly, keeping the team on the west coast of North America. Australia kicks off its campaign against the European play-off winner in Vancouver on 13 June. They then head to Seattle to face the U.S. on 19 June, before finishing the group stage against Paraguay in San Francisco on 25 June.

Head coach Tony Popovic admitted there are "unknowns" regarding their first opponent but welcomed the challenge. 

"Finding out exactly who we will be playing... makes it all feel a lot more real. Now the real planning can begin," he said.

This tournament marks the biggest shake-up in World Cup history, expanding from 32 to 48 teams. The nations have been split into 12 groups of four (Groups A to L).

To survive the group stage, teams must finish in the top two or be one of the eight best third-placed sides. This leads into a new Round of 32, adding an extra knockout layer before the traditional Round of 16. 

The field isn’t yet complete — six spots remain open and will be decided in March next year via the final European and inter-confederation playoffs.

Before the groups were drawn, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize." 

The new annual award, a large gold-plated globe, was created to recognise individuals who "unite people and bring hope."

A video montage played at the ceremony credited Trump with negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas,  and working to end the war in Ukraine. 

Trump told reporters he didn't “need prizes," because he had "settled eight wars" and saved millions of lives during his first 10 months in office.