Inter Miami failed to return to winning ways despite Lionel Messi scoring his 14th goal of the season, losing 2-1 to Toronto FC at home on August 23, 2026. The Florida club, playing at Nu Stadium, suffered its fourth defeat in its last five matches. Toronto secured only its fifth win after 21 MLS matches.

Miami controlled possession and attacked more often throughout the match, but neither side scored in the first half. The home side’s defence faltered after the interval as American striker Josh Sargent and Derrick Etienne Jr. scored two goals within three minutes to put Toronto firmly ahead.

Miami pressed to get back into the contest, and captain Messi scored in the 82nd minute with a first-time finish from Rodrigo De Paul’s through pass. However, the hosts could not find an equaliser. Last season’s MLS Cup winners remain second in the Eastern Conference, but are now 10 points behind leaders Nashville SC and must monitor teams behind them to retain home-field advantage in the first playoff round.

The Argentine Football Association is preparing to appeal FIFA disciplinary sanctions linked to incidents during the World Cup, including a clash between Argentina and Spain players in the final. The FIFA Disciplinary Commission announced its rulings on Friday, and the AFA said it would seek reconsideration of bans and fines imposed on players and the federation. It has also left open the option of taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if necessary.

Argentina’s Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban, Nahuel Molina seven matches and Thiago Almada two matches. Roberto Ayala, a member of coach Lionel Scaloni’s staff, was banned for three matches, bringing the Argentine sanctions from the final incident to 22 matches. Spain’s Gavi received a one-match ban. Paredes and Molina were each fined $90,000, while the other three were fined $30,000 each.

FIFA also investigated allegations involving discriminatory chants and gestures, delayed kick-offs, security protocol breaches, thrown objects and inappropriate displays. The AFA was fined nearly €250,000 over conduct including a “Malvinas Argentinas” banner after the England semifinal. Argentina’s next two home matches must operate at 50% stadium capacity, and $100,000 of the fine must fund an anti-discrimination programme.

Australia ended the first day of the Mackay Test 101 runs ahead of Bangladesh after Bangladesh were dismissed for 64 and Australia reached 165 for eight. A total of 18 wickets fell during the day. Australia, having won the toss, chose to bowl on a fast, bouncy surface and dismantled Bangladesh’s batting lineup.

Mitchell Starc took six wickets for 12 runs as Bangladesh collapsed, with four of their first five batters dismissed without scoring. Shariful Islam was Bangladesh’s highest scorer with 14 runs from No. 10, including three boundaries, while no other Bangladesh batter made more than nine. Bangladesh had been reduced to 39 for nine before finishing on 64.

Shariful responded with a career-best six for 35, matching Starc’s wicket tally and providing Bangladesh some consolation. The left-arm pacer, who missed the first Test of the series because of injury, claimed his first five-wicket haul in Tests against Australia. Despite Australia’s sizeable lead, Bangladesh’s bowling effort kept the contest alive at the end of the opening day.

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam marked his return from injury with his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket during the second and final Test against Australia in Mackay. He produced career-best bowling figures in Australia’s second innings, taking six of the first eight wickets to fall. Shoriful completed his five wickets in 8.5 overs and later bowled Mitchell Starc to claim his sixth wicket.

Before this match, Shoriful’s best innings figures in Tests were three wickets for 28 runs, while his best match figures were five wickets for 56 runs across two innings. His performance against Australia surpassed both previous personal records in a single innings. He had missed the Darwin Test through injury, when Hasan Mahmud led Bangladesh’s pace attack alongside Ebadot Hossain.

Shoriful now holds Bangladesh’s second-fastest Test five-wicket haul by overs bowled. Taijul Islam remains first after taking five wickets in 6.5 overs against West Indies in Chattogram in 2018. Shoriful is also Bangladesh’s second fast bowler to take five wickets in a Test in Australia, following Hasan’s six-wicket haul in the Darwin Test.

Cristiano Ronaldo set a world record by scoring in 25 consecutive league seasons, beginning in 2002-03. The 41-year-old Portuguese forward achieved the mark on Friday as Al Nassr beat Al Riyadh 4-0 in the Saudi Pro League, scoring his team’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute.

Ronaldo started Al Nassr’s second match of the season on the bench and entered in the 62nd minute for Abdullah Al Hamdan. He finished Ayman Yahya’s pass from the middle of the box with his left foot. The previous record belonged to Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored in 24 straight league seasons from 1999-2000 through 2022-23.

The scoring run spans four countries and five clubs: Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr. The goal was Ronaldo’s 977th in official senior football, leaving him 23 short of 1,000. He has indicated that the 2026-27 campaign could be his final professional season, while his Al Nassr contract runs through the current season.

Bangladesh collapsed to 35 for six at lunch on the opening morning of the second Test against Australia in Mackay on 22 August 2026. After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, Bangladesh’s top and middle order were dismantled by Australia’s pace attack, led by left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc.

Starc took five wickets within the first four overs, reaching the five-wicket mark before lunch. The report said his pace above 140 kilometres per hour, swing and bounce forced repeated errors from Bangladesh’s batters. Difficulty handling extra bounce, edging balls played close to the body and weakness outside off stump were cited as major reasons for the collapse. Australia captain Pat Cummins took the other wicket.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Mushfiqur Rahim attempted to offer resistance after the early setbacks. However, Cummins bowled Mushfiqur when a good-length delivery moved inward and hit the stumps. Hasan Mahmud and Miraz then tried to see out the first session. Bangladesh entered the match after a historic nine-wicket win in Darwin, but now face a difficult task of building a substantial first-innings total.

A television sports schedule published on August 22, 2026 highlights the first day of the second Test between Bangladesh and Australia, scheduled live from 6am on Star Sports and Tapmad. The listing also includes the fourth day of the first Test between England and Pakistan, beginning live at 4pm on PTV Sports and Sony Sports.

Cricket coverage additionally features the 2026 CPL match between Saint Lucia and Jamaica, live from 5am on Star Sports and Fancode. The schedule presents a mix of international cricket and European club football across several broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Football fixtures include Espanyol against Real Madrid in La Liga, Hull City versus Manchester United and Brentford versus Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. Inter Milan play Monza in Serie A, while Borussia Dortmund face Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. Bayer Leverkusen’s German Cup match against Wiesbaden is listed on DFB Play.

Bangladesh’s Under-20 football team has cancelled a planned tour of Thailand for preparatory matches after visas were received late. The Bangladesh Football Federation will instead hold the team’s preparation camp in Dhaka ahead of the 2027 AFC Under-20 Asian Cup qualifiers, which begin in Uzbekistan on August 31.

The side plans to play two warm-up matches against Fortis and Police FC in Dhaka. Bangladesh has already completed a long-term camp at Shamsul Huda Academy in Jashore, while the youth team is now training at Kamalapur Stadium in Dhaka under English coach Gerard Jones. The squad includes five expatriate footballers.

Bangladesh is in Group B of the qualifying competition alongside hosts Uzbekistan, India and Syria. Its campaign opens against Uzbekistan on August 31, followed by Syria on September 3 and India on September 6. Bangladesh is targeting a place in the Asian Cup finals, with both the group champions and runners-up eligible to qualify for the main tournament.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided not to hold the Bangladesh Premier League this year after reporting major financial losses from the previous two editions. Speaking on Thursday, BCB president Tamim Iqbal said the board was working on a formula for the tournament and wanted to return with a newly planned BPL next year rather than rush an event.

According to the BCB’s calculations, organising the BPL over the past two years resulted in losses of about Tk 40 crore. Tamim said franchise cricket should generate profit for the board rather than sustained losses, and that staging the tournament before its problems are resolved is not important.

Tamim said the BPL is not being discontinued and that the board has a full intention to organise it. The BCB has begun contacting franchises and plans to address issues including outstanding dues and bank guarantees in stages. It aims to complete the franchise process by April or May next year, while prioritising proper cricket operations and the board’s reputation.

Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has dismissed reports that he converted to Islam following his marriage to Moroccan football agent Souhaila Al Tahiri. In an interview with Saudi daily Okaz, he said he has deep respect for Islam but that claims of his conversion are untrue. The report was published on August 20, 2026.

Carlos said he enjoys seeing his wife pray and holds the religion in the highest regard. Rumours had circulated on social media and in media outlets after images showed him attending a wedding ceremony conducted according to Islamic customs. Earlier reports also claimed he recited the kalima during a meeting with a leader of Brazil’s Muslim community.

He said the wedding included different religious arrangements to respect the beliefs of both families. Carlos said his family members are Catholic, while an Islamic-style ceremony was held for his wife and Muslim friends. Al Tahiri is a FIFA-licensed football agent, and Carlos said they met through a football-related business meeting and have worked together personally and professionally for about two years.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir completed the final and prize-giving ceremony of its July Martyrs Memorial Football Tournament 2026 on Wednesday at the A and AMS Ground in Lake City, Khilkhet, Dhaka. Narsingdi district branch defeated Noakhali city branch in the final to become champions of the competition organized by the group’s central sports department.

The tournament began on June 15 with participation from 138 branches nationwide under the theme, “July’s commitment, building a Bangladesh of justice.” It used a knockout format. Noakhali city branch reached the final after facing Dinajpur city branch in the semifinal, while Narsingdi district branch advanced after playing the Islamic University branch.

Central Shibir president Nurul Islam attended as chief guest and thanked participants in the organization’s month-long July-related programmes. He said the programmes aimed to ensure justice for killings associated with the July mass uprising. Champion Narsingdi received Tk50,000, while runner-up Noakhali received Tk30,000; both teams were also awarded medals and trophies.

Claims that Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has converted to Islam spread widely on social media, according to a report published by Amar Desh Online on August 19, 2026. Turkish outlet Daily Sabah said various sources were making the claim, which was amplified by Ali Sahin, an AK Party member of parliament from Gaziantep, after a visit to Brazil.

Sahin said he learned of the alleged conversion directly from Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, described as a prominent senior Islamic figure in Brazil. He said Carlos and Hammadeh had maintained positive contact for some time and met privately in Sao Paulo about four weeks earlier. According to Sahin, Carlos recited the shahada in Hammadeh’s presence during that meeting.

The report said Carlos has not issued any public video, social-media statement or formal announcement confirming the claim. As a result, the information cannot be presented as confirmed, and doubts about its reliability remain. Carlos, a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil and former Real Madrid player, has prompted extensive online discussion, with many Muslim fans offering congratulations.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has sharply criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s leadership and plans to sell ownership stakes or partnerships in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. In an interview with the BBC reported on August 19, 2026, Masters described the proposal as “self-destructive” and said FIFA should not have considered selling shares in the World Cup.

Masters said FIFA had created the problem itself and would have to find a solution. He argued that, as a non-profit body, FIFA should stage its competitions as a custodian for the long-term interests of world football rather than pursue the proposed arrangement. He called the idea a bad plan.

The report said criticism of Infantino has also come from other football bodies. UEFA has criticised his actions, while the English and Scottish football associations have withdrawn support for him. La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for Infantino to resign. Infantino is preparing to seek re-election as FIFA president next year, and Masters said a potential unity candidate should pursue FIFA reform and structural changes concerning the president’s role and powers.

FIFA has ended its working relationship with senior executive Kevin Lamour after he criticised president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell World Cup partnerships. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed the development in a statement, saying Lamour’s employment relationship with the organisation ended on August 17, 2026.

The report links Lamour’s dismissal to his opposition to the proposed sale of World Cup partnerships. It describes the FIFA proposal as highly controversial and says Lamour had criticised the plan advanced by the FIFA president.

Lamour lost his job less than three weeks after opposing the disputed proposal, according to the report. The FIFA spokesperson confirmed only that the working relationship had ended; the source provides no further details on the dismissal, the proposal’s status, or any next steps by FIFA or Lamour.

All first-day tickets for Bangladesh’s second and final Test against Australia in Mackay, Queensland, have sold out, Cricket Australia announced on social media. The match is scheduled to begin on August 22, following Bangladesh’s historic victory in the opening Test of the two-match series.

Bangladesh won the Darwin Test by nine wickets, a result described as a major and memorable achievement in the team’s Test history. Hasan Mahmud led the victory with nine wickets across the two innings, while Tanzid Hasan Tamim made a century and played an important role in the emphatic win.

The report says Bangladesh had entered the Australia tour after an innings defeat to Zimbabwe, prompting questions about whether the side could compete in the Test series. Their performance in Australia has since drawn praise across the cricket world. Interest among Bangladeshi expatriates in Australia has also increased ahead of the Mackay Test, reflected in ticket sales. Bangladesh now have an opportunity to win the series with another strong result in Mackay.