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Club Championship finals set for second weekend of Esports World Cup in Riyadh

Four championship titles will be decided on the second weekend of the Esports World Cup. (EWC)
Four championship titles will be decided on the second weekend of the Esports World Cup. (EWC)
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Club Championship finals set for second weekend of Esports World Cup in Riyadh

Club Championship finals set for second weekend of Esports World Cup in Riyadh
  • Saudi鈥檚 Team Falcons could end the weekend in first place, with rosters competing in 4 competitions

RIYADH: As the second weekend of the Esports World Cup finals in Riyadh beckons, the Club Championship has already started to take shape.

So far Gen.G Esports, Team Heretics, DetonatioN FocusMe, BMW M Team Redline, Red Bull Sim Racing and VK GAMING are the sides out in front, each with 1,000 Club points.

However, their positions could still come under threat in the coming days. 黑料社区鈥檚 Team Falcons might end the weekend in first place, with rosters competing in multiple games in the coming days.

But with Gen.G a firm favorite in League of Legends, they too are in a strong position to stand alone at the top of the table come Monday. With plenty more Club Championship points on offer, it is still anyone鈥檚 game.

League of Legends

One of the biggest titles to take place during the EWC is underway, and an incredible knockout competition is expected.

The first day of League of Legends action had two sides head home: North American Cloud9 and Vietnamese team GAM Esports.

While many teams have clawed their way through to the knockout stage, 2024 Esports World Cup Champions T1 will join the fray on July 18 to defend their title, and truly test the mettle of their rivals.

Aside from T1, the only side that finished in the top four in last year鈥檚 competition and is represented this year is Europe鈥檚 G2 Esports. The League of Legends EMEA Championship team secured a spot in the knockout stage after a 2-0 finish on day one.

With some exciting matchups ahead of the final this weekend, there are many upsets expected.

Dota 2

Dota 2鈥檚 epic two weeks of action finally conclude this weekend with a $3 million prize pool on the line.

Team Spirit and PVISION are locked in for the semifinals after victories in the quarterfinals, with more teams set to join them in the coming days. But some big names are already eliminated.

The 2024 champions Gaimin Gladiators have fallen in fifth to eighth place, meaning a new champion will be crowned in 2025. And with all the top seeded teams qualifying for the playoffs, the title race is wide open.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women鈥檚 Invitational

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women鈥檚 Invitational concludes this week on July 19.

At the end of play on July 16, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere PH, ONIC Pertiwi Team, and Team Vitality have secured their slots in the playoffs. With just two days of competition, things are moving fast, with eight sides knocked out.

Now in its second year as a part of the EWC roster, the MLBB MWI features a $500,000 prize pool and presents a truly massive stage for women stars.

Team Vitality have been the most impressive, not dropping a single game so far. They also set a record for the fastest game in MWI history with 9 minutes, 38 seconds, but NAVI topped them by 1 second a few days later.

Free Fire

Mobile title Free Fire at the 2025 Esports World Cup kicked off with six fast-paced maps, setting the tone for what is shaping up to be a wide-open fight for the championship.

After day one, Team Falcons lead the standings with the Thai roster showcasing dominance, but a resurgence from the Brazilian teams including paiN Gaming and Fluxo mean everything is still in play.

However, as with Apex Legends in week one, anything can happen when it comes to battle royale titles and one good day is not enough to secure a trophy.

With the action closing on July 20, there is plenty of time for more surprises and upsets. And with Free Fire players known for their brash antics, there could be some drama in the closing stages.


Napoli sign Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca

Napoli sign Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca
Updated 18 July 2025

Napoli sign Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca

Napoli sign Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca
  • The deal is costing Napoli 35 million euros including nine million for the initial loan
  • Lucca, 24, the scorer of 12 league goals for Udinese last season

ROME: Italian champions Napoli completed their latest signing on Friday with the arrival of Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca.

Lucca鈥檚 move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona comes 24 hours after the Serie A club secured Dutch attacker Noa Lang from PSV Eindhoven.


鈥淣apoli announces that it has loaned Lorenzo Lucca with a purchase obligation,鈥 the club confirmed.

Local media report that the deal is costing Napoli 35 million euros including nine million for the initial loan, for the forward who earned the first of his five caps for Italy last October.

Lucca, 24, the scorer of 12 league goals for Udinese last season, will be competing for a place alongside Romelu Lukaku, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone, and Noa.

He joined Udinese in 2023 after spells with Palermo and Pisa in Italy and Ajax in the Netherlands.


2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation

2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation
Updated 18 July 2025

2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation

2031 Ryder Cup to be hosted in Girona, Spain, says Catalan golf federation
  • The choice of Girona was first reported by Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia
  • 鈥淎ny announcement in relation to future editions of the Ryder Cup will be made in due course,鈥 Ryder Cup Europe said

BARCELONA: The 2031 Ryder Cup will be held in northeastern Spain, the president of the Catalan golf federation has told The Associated Press.

Ramon Nogu茅, president of the Catalan golf federation, told the AP by phone Friday that 鈥渘ext week it will be official鈥 that Girona will be announced as the host of the golfing event between the best male players of Europe and the United States.

The choice of Girona was first reported by Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

鈥淎ny announcement in relation to future editions of the Ryder Cup will be made in due course,鈥 Ryder Cup Europe said.

This will be the second time for Spain to host the Cup after Valderrama in 1997, and just the fourth time it will be played in continental Europe after Le Golf National outside Paris in 2018 and Marco Simone outside Rome in 2023.

The Ryder Cup is closely tied to Spain because of European team stalwarts Seve Ballesteros, Jos茅 Mar铆a Olaz谩bal and Sergio Garc铆a.

This year鈥檚 Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in New York in September. The next one staged in Europe is in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland.


McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open
Updated 18 July 2025

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open
  • Home favorite Rory McIlroy was level par at the turn and one-under for the tournament at Royal Portrush
  • World number one Scottie Scheffler is among the later starters and could face rainy conditions in the afternoon

PORTRUSH, United Kingdom: Rory McIlroy continued to battle driving woes during a topsy-turvy front nine of his second round at the British Open on Friday, as 2023 champion Brian Harman moved into the lead at Royal Portrush.

Home favorite McIlroy was level par at the turn and one-under for the tournament, five strokes behind Harman, as he continues his bid for a second Claret Jug.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, one shot off the overnight lead of four-under, is among the later starters and could face rainy conditions in the afternoon.

Harman, who won by six shots at Hoylake two years ago, started with consecutive birdies before another on the par-five seventh hole took him into the outright lead.

The American reached six-under for the tournament through his first 11 holes, one shot clear of Tyrrell Hatton, Danish youngster Rasmus Hojgaard and Harris English.

McIlroy delighted the crowds surrounding the opening hole with a birdie to immediately move to two-under after his first-round 70.

The world number two, who only found two of 14 fairways on Thursday, leaked a drive on the second well right but still saved par despite having to take a penalty drop.

His roller-coaster tournament continued with bogeys on the third and fifth holes sandwiching another birdie on four, as his errant driving prevented him from taking advantage of excellent scoring conditions.

Justin Rose, who lost to McIlroy in a play-off at the Masters in April, made his first bogey of the tournament on the sixth hole but was three-under overall after his front nine.

McIlroy鈥檚 playing partner Tommy Fleetwood bounced back from an opening 73 with three straight birdies to start his second round, moving to two-under for the tournament through nine.

Robert MacIntyre, hoping to become the first Scottish major champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999, surged into contention with three birdies in his first seven holes to reach three-under.

Two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau bounced back from his disastrous first-round 78 with three birdies on the outward half to give himself an outside chance of making the cut.

Joint overnight leader Jacob Skov Olesen hit two shots out of bounds off the first tee and made a quadruple-bogey eight.

Scheffler also battled struggles off the tee in his opening round but still managed to fire a three-under 68.

The PGA Championship winner will have his eyes firmly set on the top of the leaderboard when he gets his second round under way at 3:10 p.m. local time (1410 GMT).

鈥淲hen it鈥檚 raining sideways, it鈥檚 actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway,鈥 he said on Thursday.

Other afternoon starters including Matthew Fitzpatrick and Li Haotong, who were both tied for the overnight lead on four-under par.

Reigning champion Xander Schauffele resumes his title defense on even par, while Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry, the 2019 winner at Portrush, will be looking to improve from one-under.


Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports
Updated 18 July 2025

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports
  • Liverpool are preparing to launch a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike after missing out on Newcastle鈥檚 Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday

LONDON: Liverpool are preparing to launch a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike after missing out on Newcastle鈥檚 Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday.
The Premier League champions have switched their focus to Ekitike following Newcastle鈥檚 refusal to sell Sweden striker Isak, who is valued at around 拢150 million ($201 million) by the Magpies.
The Reds are trying to complete a deal for France international Ekitike by this weekend after he reportedly indicated he was willing to move to Anfield.
Liverpool are set to offer over 拢70 million ($94 million) for Ekitike, who has also attracted interest from Newcastle and Manchester United.
The 23-year-old scored 22 goals in all competitions for Frankfurt last season after joining the Bundesliga club from Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool have an opening in their forward line after Diogo Jota鈥檚 recent death in a car crash in Spain.
The Reds are also believed to be willing to sell Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, while Colombia forward Luis Diaz has been the target of a rejected bid from Bayern Munich.
Liverpool have already splashed out 拢116 million on Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, as well as signing defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also linked up with Arne Slot鈥檚 side since the end of last season after agreeing his move from Valencia in 2024.


Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday鈥檚 fight against Barrios will reveal all

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday鈥檚 fight against Barrios will reveal all
Updated 18 July 2025

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday鈥檚 fight against Barrios will reveal all

Pacquiao is back, but how back is he? Saturday鈥檚 fight against Barrios will reveal all
  • It will be Pacquiao鈥檚 first fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas nearly four years ago
  • Pacquiao: I鈥檓 going to prove to everyone that I鈥檓 in great condition
  • Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, is a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to spoil Pacquiao鈥檚 return

LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao insisted he was back, and from a purely technical standpoint, he was correct.

Back in the ring. Back as a headliner.

But back to what he was when Pacquiao was one of the planet鈥檚 most dominant fighters, building a massive fanbase and a gold-standard resume that put him in the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month? That is the real question.

He will get a chance to answer it Saturday night when the 46-year-old from the Philippines will try to take the WBC welterweight belt from Mario Barrios. It will be Pacquiao鈥檚 first fight since losing by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas nearly four years ago. His last victory occurred in 2019, a split decision over Keith Thurman.

鈥淪aturday night, it鈥檚 going to be a great fight,鈥 Pacquiao said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a while that I鈥檝e been out of the ring, but I鈥檓 still active and exercising all the time. I鈥檓 going to prove to everyone that I鈥檓 in great condition.

鈥淚鈥檝e been enjoying training camp like I did in the past, just like when I was 26 years old. The discipline is still the same. Even with my layoff, my passion is still there.鈥

Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, is a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to spoil Pacquiao鈥檚 return. But he needs to bounce back from a split-decision draw on Nov. 15 against Abel Ramos that dropped his record to 29-2-1, 18 wins by knockout.

鈥淢anny is one of a kind,鈥 Barrios said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not an easy style to copy in training camp. We鈥檝e gotten a lot of different southpaw looks, so I鈥檓 feeling extremely comfortable.

鈥淚t feels amazing to be in this position. I poured everything into this sport since I was (a) kid, and now I get to walk the (Las Vegas) Strip with my family and see my name all over. It鈥檚 something that I鈥檝e always dreamed of. Now it鈥檚 my job to show why I鈥檓 going to continue to be the champion.鈥

The buildup to this bout hasn鈥檛 come with the usual forced hatred that envelops many title fights. The combatants even chatted during the standard face-off pose at Wednesday鈥檚 news conference and then broke into laughter.

Hard to imagine that happening at a Gervonta Davis presser.

Barrios cautioned not to read too much into the mutual respect and admiration when it comes to what the action in the ring might look like, that each boxer would bring his all.

Pacquiao enters with a resume that includes 12 world championships in eight divisions as well as a 62-8-2 record with 39 KOs. He鈥檚 considerably older and gives away about seven inches in height to the 6-foot Barrios.

Pacman is back, but how back he truly is will be revealed Saturday night.

鈥淚鈥檝e been a challenger many times and it鈥檚 always the same feeling,鈥 Pacquiao said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to take the belt. He鈥檚 a good fighter also, but our job is to entertain the fans. We鈥檙e going to give them a real fight.鈥

In the co-main event, WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 14 KOs) will face Tim Tszyu (25-2, 18 KOs). Fundora emerged with a split-decision victory over Tszyu on March 30, 2024.

The WBO stripped Fundora of his belt for taking the rematch rather than face mandatory challenger Xander Zayas.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what happened in the first fight because we have the second fight coming up,鈥 Fundora said. 鈥淭une in Saturday, because it鈥檚 going to be another great war.鈥