Is the Pope Catholic? Yes.

Is the Pope a Chicago White Sox fan? Also yes.

Last week, Robert Francis Prevost, who grew up in Chicago, was announced as the Pope of the Catholic Church (he has taken the name Pope Leo XIV).

Since then, Chicago’s baseball fans have been scrambling to claim his sporting allegiances.

Initially, the Chicago Cubs declared he was a fan. But that was disputed by his brother, who could confidently say he is a White Sox fan.

And when it comes to basketball, he goes for the Chicago Bulls (of course).

1.8%
The odds that the Dallas Mavericks were going to win the NBA Draft Lottery and secure the number one pick in this year’s draft, according to ESPN. The Mavericks did in fact win and are almost certain to pick Duke University’s star player Cooper Flagg. It comes after the Mavericks traded away the franchise’s former star player Luka Dončić in an unexpected move earlier this season. 

“The greatest national team in the history of football will now be led by the most successful coach in the world.”
A statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announcing that Italian Carlo Ancelotti will be the next coach of Brazil’s men’s football team. Ancelotti, who currently coaches at Spanish club Real Madrid, will begin his tenure as coach of the five-time World Cup winning nation this month. He will then be tasked with leading Brazil’s 2026 World Cup campaign, where it will be seeking its first tournament victory since 2002. Ancelotti is a highly decorated coach who has won five Champions League titles.

British motorsport legend Graham Hill is the only driver to have won the elusive 'triple crown' of a Formula One World Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hour and the Indy 500. Hill achieved this, amongst other things, even though he did not pass his driving test for a regular license until he was 24.  

🎾 Alex de Minaur is through to the Round of 16 at the Italian Open after beating Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). De Minaur is now set to face American 11th seed Tommy Paul. The Aussie has won all five of his matches against Paul, although they have not played one another since 2023. Meanwhile, world number one Jannik Sinner has continued his strong return to play, also advancing to the Round of 16 in straight sets. 

⚽ The Matildas have locked in four international friendlies to be played in Western Australia across June and July this year. The national side will take on Slovenia in a two match series at HBF Park in Perth on 26 and 29 June. A second two-match series against Panama will see one match played in Bunbury on 5 July and another match in Perth on 8 July. 

🏏 Australia’s team for the World Test Championship against South Africa has been named. The squad remains relatively unchanged to the one that beat India and Sri Lanka over the summer. Notably, it includes youngster Sam Konstas, all-rounder Cameron Green returning from injury, and spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who was reported by umpires for an illegal bowling action in February and subsequently cleared. Brendan Doggett, the Sheffield Shield player of the final, is the travelling reserve. The Championship begins on 11 June. 

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Welsh football team, Wrexham AFC, will play a series of friendlies in Australia and NZ this July. 

Wrexham will play against three A-League clubs: Melbourne Victory on 11 July, Sydney FC on 15 July, and the Wellington Phoenix on 19 July. 

Since Reynolds and McElhenney bought the club in 2021, it has gone from strength to strength. In its past three seasons, the club has been promoted from English football’s fifth league (the National League) to the second-highest league (the Championship league). 

After becoming the first club in the history of English football to secure three successive promotions, Wrexham is now just one rung below the top-flight English Premier League. 

The club’s success has been boosted by ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, a fly-on-the-wall style documentary produced by Reynolds and McElhenney, which has followed the club’s journey since its Hollywood takeover and attracted international fans.

In a statement, Reynolds and McElhenney said: "We could not be more excited to bring the Red Dragons to Australia and New Zealand, and we are particularly proud that this announcement features neither a Men at Work or Hugh Jackman joke. The latter of which took maturity and tremendous restraint.”

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Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket. Kohli’s announcement comes just days after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the Test format. 

Kohli took to social media to make the announcement. He said: "As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”

Kohli has already retired from international T20 and last played for India’s ODI side when they won the Champions Trophy last year. It seems he is yet to play his final ODI for India.

Kohli’s Test debut came against the West Indies in 2011. Over had a prolific Test career spanning 14 years and 123 Tests, he scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. That included 30 centuries, the fourth most for any Indian Test cricketer, and seven double centuries. 

As captain of the side, he won 40 of 68 Test matches. The number of wins ranks fourth for any captain in men’s Test cricket.  

The president of Indian cricket’s governing body, Roger Binny, said: "Virat Kohli’s name will be remembered alongside the finest ever to have graced Test cricket.”

Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar said: “Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport. What an incredible Test career you have had! You have given Indian cricket so much more than just runs – you have given it a new generation of passionate fans and players.”