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Major League Soccer will play a February-to-May campaign in 2027 to transition into a season schedule that aligns with most football leagues worldwide, organisers announced on Thursday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday underlined the body's commitment to making sure the World Cup goes ahead "as scheduled" with "all teams" taking part amid doubts about Iran's presence at the tournament.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 Major League Baseball season after his appeal of the 162-game doping ban failed, ESPN reported on Thursday.

The UN's maritime body called Thursday for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Iranian attacks on the world's largest LNG plant in Qatar and refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sent shock waves through energy markets Thursday as the United States said there was no deadline to end the Middle East war.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday startled Japan's prime minister by mentioning the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, a seemingly light-hearted remark sure to elicit unease in a country now a firm US ally.

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it was monitoring the impacts of the war in Iran on global inflation and output, but that no countries had so far approached it for emergency assistance related to the conflict.

The Middle East war could weigh heavily on already slowing global trade, potentially threatening global food security, the World Trade Organization warned Thursday.

Cade Cunningham, who has sparked the Detroit Pistons to the NBA Eastern Conference lead, will miss at least two weeks with a collapsed left lung, the team announced on Thursday.

Belarus freed 250 political prisoners on Thursday following negotiations with the United States, while Washington agreed to remove sanctions on several Belarusian companies in return, a US official said.

Iranian attacks on the world's largest LNG plant in Qatar and refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sent shock waves through energy markets Thursday as the US said there was no time frame to end the Middle East war.

Enzo Fernandez has told Liam Rosenior he is happy at Chelsea and "how passionate he is for this football club" after the midfielder made comments earlier this week suggesting he may not be Stamford Bridge next season.

Former Nazi concentration camps should be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, a group preserving the memorials urged Thursday, warning that "democracy can no longer be taken for granted".

English cricket chiefs Rob Key and Richard Gould will speak to the media at Lord's on Monday regarding a post-Ashes review into the team's series loss in Australia.

The European Space Agency announced Thursday it has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu talked of how his country is "challenged by terrorism" as he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday as part of his state visit to the UK.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said out-of-form Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade's lack of goalscoring impact was because he is being played in the wrong position at club level.

Wimbledon's controversial expansion plan received a major boost Thursday after a judge at London's High Court ruled the proposed development of the current site is not subject to restrictions on how the land cam be used.

EU leaders failed to persuade Hungary's Viktor Orban to lift his block on a massive loan to support Ukraine's war effort at summit talks on Thursday, leaving the much-needed funding in limbo.

Morocco's new head coach Mohamed Ouahbi congratulated his country on Thursday on CAF's "well-deserved" decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title in favour of his new side.

The Senegalese Football Federation announced Thursday it has instructed its lawyers to lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the national team were stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations title.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said he was "mixing things up" by banking on flexibility as he announced his squad for the March friendlies on Thursday, three months out from the 2026 World Cup.

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will take to the track in Torun, Poland, this weekend aiming to nab an elusive world indoor 800m title off the back of a new world record.

The European Central Bank warned Thursday that the energy shock unleashed by the Middle East war would sharply push up inflation and hit the eurozone's growth this year.

Cristian Romero has dismissed talk about a post-season transfer move, saying his priority is ensuring Tottenham Hotspur remain in the Premier League.

Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis will head into the world indoor championships, which run from Friday to Sunday, confidently eyeing a fourth pole vault title, but there is a rival lurking in the wings potentially capable of springing a suprise.

Kylian Mbappe, who has only just returned to action after a knee injury, will lead the France squad into friendly matches this month against Brazil and Colombia in the United States.

A pro-democracy research group said Wednesday that freedom in the United States has declined to its lowest level since it started assessments, as President Donald Trump aggressively wields executive authority.

Four teams out of six eliminated, with a total of 28 goals conceded over the two legs -- it has been a chastening week for most of England's representatives in the Champions League knockout phase.

UK health authorities are probing 27 cases linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak believed to have spread at a nightclub in southeast England.

Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl received a first Germany call-up while his injured club teammate Jamal Musiala missed out after coach Julian Nagelsmann named his 26-man Germany squad on Thursday.

Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers -- most of them Iranian -- have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces blocked the crucial trade route in the Middle East war.