If your weekend calendar wasn’t full already, Aussie sport has taken care of that: The Socceroos’ men’s World Cup knockout, Australia in the women’s T20 World Cup grand final, Wimbledon, the Super Netball grand final, and the Wallabies’ long-awaited return.

Clear your schedule. Or don’t, and just pretend you had plans.

⚽ Matildas captain Sam Kerr says players are “having to leave” the A‑League Women as uncertainty grows around Central Coast’s women’s team and stalled investment in the competition. It comes almost three years after Australia hosted the World Cup.Earlier this week, U.S. club Gotham FC secured Kerr on a contract through 2030. At her Gotham FC signing press conference, Kerr called the situation “quite disappointing” with the Mariners and Canberra United were still without buyers. She added: “I wish there was more investment” to keep top‑level talent in Australia. Earlier this month, Kerr joined Gotham after leaving Chelsea earlier this month, ending a six-and-a-half-year stint with the English club. The move means the former Perth Glory star will remain in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

🎾 Maya Joint’s Wimbledon run has ended in the second round, with the Australian losing to Filipino player Alexandra Eala (3‑6, 6‑2, 6‑0). It comes after the 20-year-old ended Serena Williams' comeback earlier this week, defeating the champion in the opening round at Wimbledon. Kim Birrell also lost in straight sets to Sorana Cîrstea (6-3, 6-4), leaving Daria Kasatkina as the only Australian woman remaining before she meets Naomi Osaka tonight. Alex de Minaur will face world ranked No. 62 U.S. star Zachary Svajda tomorrow night.

🏆 U.S. Olympian David Hearn has been charged in Washington DC after allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool’s lining days after a Trump‑ordered refurbishment. Prosecutors allege he ripped up newly applied sealant in a series of “deliberate acts”. Hearn says he only examined what he believed was loose coating during a bike ride before being detained for five hours. His lawyers deny wrongdoing, arguing the administration is treating ordinary behaviour as criminal. He now faces a court challenge over a felony property destruction charge. Hearn competed in canoeing for the U.S. at three Olympic Games, finishing ninth at Atlanta 1996.

Talking points: The Thunderbirds and Vixens meet in Saturday’s Super Netball Grand Final after dominating the season, with Adelaide entering as favourites and Melbourne chasing back‑to‑back titles. The Vixens started the season with nine straight wins before a mid‑season slump, but their their Preliminary Final victory over West Coast Fever showed why they are defending champions.Vixens star Kiera Austin said: “There's a lot of hungry girls wanting to have a big Grand Final win.” The Thunderbirds have lost just once this season and beat Melbourne by 14 goals in the Major Semi Final.
How to watch: Fox Sports, Kayo, BINGE

Talking points: The Socceroos will continue their World Cup campaign against Egypt tomorrow at 4am AEST. Australia is ranked 28th in the world, with their best World Cup result reaching the Round of 16 in 2006 and again in 2022. Coach Tony Popovic’s 26-player squad includes 17 players making their World Cup debut. Egypt, ranked 26th in the world, also advanced after drawing 1-1 with Iran, securing their first-ever place in the World Cup knockout stage. Don’t forget to set your alarms with kick-off at 4am AEST tomorrow.
How to watch: Every match is live and free to watch in Australia on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Talking points: As soon as England defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the FIFA men’s football World Cup on Thursday, conversations started about the location of their next game. As a co-host of the tournament, England’s next opponent Mexico are on their home turf: Estadio Azteca, where they’ve lost twice across the last 89 senior competitive internationals. Azteca is more than 2,200 metres above sea level. At high altitude, the air is thinner, which basically means there's less oxygen in the air. With less oxygen available to breathe and to help your muscles, fatigue can set in much quicker than it would if you were playing closer to sea level. England coach Thomas Tuchel has said: “The altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days.”
How to watch: Every match is live and free to watch in Australia on SBS and SBS On Demand.

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Researchers at Australia's Garvan Institute are partnering with Claude to do what wasn't possible before: analyse genomic data at massive scale to understand how our genes cause rare diseases, and accelerate treatments to cure them. When science and AI come together, the future of human health gets a little brighter.

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