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The NFL has locked in its headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Puerto Rican trap and reggaeton musician Bad Bunny will take centre stage at Levi’s Stadium in California on 8 February, bringing Latin music to the NFL’s biggest spotlight. Last year, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show featuring SZA was viewed by a record 133.5 million people.

With three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys, Bad Bunny is one of the world’s most-streamed artists. 

He said in a statement: "What I'm feeling goes beyond myself. It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”

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Stat of the day

17
The consecutive number of games that the NRLW’s Sydney Roosters have won. In Saturday’s preliminary final, the reigning premiers just edged out the Cronulla Sharks 17-16, courtesy of a field goal from Jocelyn Kelleher. The result sees them advance to the 2025 NRLW Grand Final. In the season decider next weekend, they’ll take on the Brisbane Broncos, who defeated the Newcastle Knights 30-6 on Sunday.

Jocelyn Kelleher hits the match winning field goal (Getty)

Quote of the day

“That was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life. I can’t believe that putt went in. The Ryder Cup means everything to me.”
Irish golfer Shane Lowry after delivering the decisive putt to help Europe retain the Ryder Cup on Sunday at Bethpage Black in New York. The Ryder Cup pits the 12 best golfers from the U.S. and Europe against each other every two years. With the Americans mounting a furious comeback on the final day, Lowry drew his singles match with America’s Russel Henley and helped clinch the 14 points Europe needed to retain the trophy. It capped a weekend where Europe built a record seven-point lead and then held off the home side’s charge. The victory means Europe has now claimed 13 of 19 Ryder Cups since 1979, including five of the last 10 on U.S. soil.

Shane Lowry celebrates after sinking a putt to seal the Ryder Cup (Getty)

Random fact of the day

It wasn’t just the players putting in a big shift at the 2025 AFL Grand Final. Organisers estimate that the crowd at the MCG polished off 24,000 serves of hot chips, 12,000 pies, 7,000 hot dogs and 4,000 burgers. All washed down with 25,000 bottles of water.

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In case you missed it…

🏏 Australia lost their final warm-up match ahead of the women’s cricket World Cup warm-up to England in the Indian city of Bengaluru, losing by four wickets. Batting first, Phoebe Litchfield smashed 71 from 48 balls and Beth Mooney added 59 to help the Aussies post a total of 247. In reply, England recovered from 32-3 thanks to Alice Capsey’s unbeaten 88, with support from Sophia Dunkley (54) and Emma Lamb (60), to reach the target in the 45th over. Australia will look to regroup before its World Cup campaign begins next week.

England’s Alice Capsey in action during The Hundred earlier this year (Getty)

🏉 The Brisbane Broncos have ended the Penrith Panthers’ NRL dynasty with a stunning second-half comeback to reach the NRL Grand Final. The four-time defending premiers led 14-0 at half-time, but the Broncos stormed home with tries from Kotoni Staggs, Xavier Willison and Deine Mariner, sealed by an Adam Reynolds conversion in front of a record Suncorp crowd of more than 52,000. Meanwhile, on Friday night, the Melbourne Storm defeated the Cronulla Sharks 22-14 to advance to the Grand Final for the seventh time in the past twelve years. This year’s Grand Final will be played next Sunday in Sydney. 

Adam Reynolds celebrates a match-winning conversion (Getty)

🏉 The All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup with a 33-24 win over the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. New Zealand scrum-half Cam Roigard was the star, on return from injury, scoring twice and setting up another. The All Blacks win extends their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 52 games. The Wallabies showed fight, cutting a 17-point deficit to trail by just two, but Roigard’s second try sealed the series. In the other Rugby Championship match over the weekend, the Springboks thrashed Argentina 67-30. Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored 37 individual points, breaking the long-standing South African record held by Percy Montgomery, who scored 35 points against Namibia in 2007.

Cam Roigard of the All Blacks runs in for his second try (Getty)

🏉 England are rugby union world champions again after beating Canada 33-13 in front of a record crowd in London to claim their third Women’s Rugby World Cup. Alex Matthews scored twice as England produced their best performance of the tournament, extending their remarkable winning streak to 33 matches. It was England’s first World Cup title since 2014, ending a run of five defeats in six finals to New Zealand. England captain Zoe Aldcroft said lifting the trophy at home was “absolutely unbelievable.” On Saturday, New Zealand beat France 42-26 in the bronze medal match.

England celebrate winning the World Cup Final in front of a home crowd (Getty)

🚴‍♂️ Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar has defended his world championship road race title in Rwanda with a devastating solo attack. The 27-year-old broke clear of his competitors with more than 100km still to go and finished nearly 90 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel. Pogačar is just the second rider ever to win the Tour de France and world championship road race in back-to-back years. Ireland’s Ben Healy claimed bronze, while Australians Jai Hindley (16th) and Michael Storer (19th) battled into the top 20 on a brutal day where only 30 of 165 riders finished. In the women’s race on Saturday, Canada’s Magdeleine Valliere Mills won her first road race world championship. Bridie Chapman was the highest finishing Australian, coming in at 19th.

Pogačar cruises across the finish line as world champion (Getty)

🏍️ Spain’s Marc Marquez won his seventh MotoGP world championship, drawing level with Italian motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi. He sealed the season title with a second-place finish in Japan behind Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia. It’s Marquez’s first world championship title since 2019, after years of injuries and four arm surgeries. The 32-year-old broke down in tears as he crossed the line and was greeted by his brother Alex, his closest rival in the standings. With 11 wins this season and a 201-point lead, Marquez has reclaimed his place at the top of the sport.

Marquez celebrates becoming world champion (Getty)

Together with Samsonite

Game day, weekend getaway, or long-haul adventure – Samsonite’s got you (and your gear) covered

Samsonite has dropped fresh new arrivals that blend durability with style – Think the sleek Upscape set for maximum packing power, the eco-friendly Proxis™ Circular made from bio-circular materials, and the iconic C-Lite in a limited-edition Colourburst finish.

With lightweight designs, shock-absorbing wheels, and interiors crafted from recycled materials, these suitcases are built to go the distance. Whether you’re heading interstate for sport or flying further afield, Samsonite makes travel smooth, smart, and seriously stylish.

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The Lions celebrate their second straight premiership (Getty)

Brisbane Lions go back to back with dominant display over Geelong Cats

The Brisbane Lions have cemented their place as the AFL’s newest dynasty, becoming back-to-back premiers after beating the Geelong Cats by 47 points in Saturday afternoon’s Grand Final. Here’s what to know.

What happened

The first half saw a back-and-forth battle, which resulted in scores being level (36-36) for the first time in an AFL/VFL Grand Final since 1909. The second half saw the Lions unleashing a devastating blitz, piling on 13 goals to Geelong’s six and running away 122-75 winners in front of more than 100,000 at the MCG.

Charlie Cameron ignited the Lions’ run with four goals, while co-captain Lachie Neale, subbed in at half-time despite calf concerns, landed a booming goal to break the Cats’ resistance. 21-year-old Will Ashcroft wrote his name into history with a second straight Norm Smith Medal, the award given to the man of the match in the AFL Grand Final. 

For the Lions, it’s a fifth premiership of the AFL era (since 1990). With eight players aged 22 or under, the Lions look set to remain at the top of the mountain.

What they said

Ashcroft said: "Everything I do is to put myself in a position to be here and play my best. Everything I've done in my life, it's not something where I want to just contribute, I want to be a real difference maker.”

Lions coach Chris Fagan said: "I reckon it feels better than last year because it's bloody hard to do it two times in a row. All the obstacles we had to overcome this year to get to that point. Even the fact that Geelong beat us three weeks ago and we're able to turn the tables around, it was just so exciting."

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Paris hosted last year’s Paralympics (Getty)

The Paralympics has lifted its suspension on Russia and Belarus

Russian and Belarusian para-athletes will be eligible to compete under their home country’s flag at the next Paralympic Games. A partial ban was imposed in 2023 over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has now voted to lift it. 

However, individual sporting bodies’ own bans could still see athletes compete under neutral flags at the upcoming 2026 Winter Paralympics.

Initial Ban

Russia and Belarus were partially suspended in 2023 for breaching the IPC’s rules by using sport to promote Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Belarus has supported. 

The IPC had previously banned athletes from these countries from the 2022 Winter Paralympics, which were held soon after Russia’s invasion. 

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, athletes competed under neutral flags.

Voting

At the IPC General Assembly in Seoul, member organisations rejected a motion for a full suspension of Russia (111–55) and then voted against extending the partial suspension (91–77). Similar votes were held for Belarus. 

The result restores both countries’ full membership rights and allows them to return as national teams.

The IOC, meanwhile, is unlikely to follow suit. 

It has kept its policy that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only take part under strict eligibility rules. 

Earlier this month, the IOC confirmed Russian and Belarusian athletes will only be allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Games under the same conditions as Paris 2024: no flag, no anthem, and checks to exclude anyone linked to the war or military.

Comments

The Russian Paralympic Committee said: “This is an important contribution to the development of the international Paralympic movement and an example that the rights of athletes must be protected without discrimination on national and political grounds.”

A spokesperson for the UK government said: “Our unequivocal position remains that there should be no Russian or Belarusian state representation in international sport while the war against Ukraine continues given the breaches of the Olympic Charter.”

Implications

In theory, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be free to march under their own flags at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina and at Paris 2028. 

That being said, individual international sporting federations (e.g Para Athletics) still enforce their own bans, meaning the athletes may remain barred from doing so in some sports until those bodies follow the IPC’s lead.

Looking back…

NBL (Sunday)

Who: Sydney Kings v Cairns Taipans
Result: Taipans won 77-74

Who: Adelaide 36ers v Brisbane Bullets
Result: 36ers won 87-80

AFLW (Sunday)

Who: St Kilda v Port Adelaide 
Result: St Kilda won 53-42

Who: Adelaide v Sydney Swans
Result: Adelaide won 41-39

Who: Brisbane Lions v Richmond
Result: Lions won 54-20

Who: WC Eagles v GWS Giants
Result: Eagles won 75-33

WNBA Playoffs (semi-finals)

Who: Indiana Fever v Las Vegas Aces
Result: Fever won 90-83
(Series tied 2-2)

Who: Phoenix Mercury v
Minnesota Lynx
Result: Mercury won 86-81
(Mercury wins series 3-1)

Looking forward… (All times are AEST)

NFL (Week 4)

Who: Dolphins v Jets
Time: 9:00am tomorrow

Who: Broncos v Bengals
Time: 10:00am tomorrow

Where to watch: Kayo, Foxtel

English Premier League (Matchweek 6)

Who: Everton v West Ham
Time: 5:00am tomorrow

Where to watch: Stan Sport

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