Scale of Socceroos’ challenge comes into focus as Turkey complete daunting World Cup group | Jack Snape - The Guardian

There is just over one year to go until the men’s Rugby World Cup, the world’s third best-attended sporting event, kicks off. It promises to be an international celebration that also unites Australia, and an opportunity to bury the memories of Jonny Wilkinson from 2003. Size alone cannot guarantee its success, however, and the coming week’s main release of tickets will be a litmus test for the expanded 24-team format. Will the tournament’s 52 matches in seven cities – from the mouth-watering pool match between the hosts and the All Blacks to the less-than-traditional rugby clash between Chile and Hong Kong – sell out? And will those without the sponsor’s credit card have the chance to buy tickets at all? Organisers predict 250,000 international visitors will travel to Australia for the tournament in 2027, around five times the number who came for the Lions tour last year, and around four times the visitors for the 2003 edition. Next year’s anticipated combined stadium attendance of 2.5 million is behind only the men’s Fifa World Cup and summer Olympic Games among major sporting events, although the Tour De France is estimated to pass 10 million supporters along the roadside.

The situation in the Middle East remains volatile with WWE Crown Jewel 2026 now less than three weeks away. On October 18, the US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs issued a new security alert advising that Americans in the region should “exercise heightened vigilance” due to the ongoing complex security environment. The alert urged […]