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#FIFA #World #Cup #million #tickets #requested #Infantino">FIFA World Cup 2026 — More than 500 million tickets requested for WC: Infantino FIFA President Gianni Infantino said demand for tickets to the 2026 World Cup had reached unprecedented levels, with 500 million requests already recorded for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“You’ve heard, there were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup,” Infantino said at the FIFA Congress on Thursday. “We had 500 million ticket requests — 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had 50 million ticket requests. Here, 500 million.”
Infantino said FIFA had already sold the vast majority of tickets released so far.
“We’ve sold 100 per cent of the inventory that we’ve put on the market, which is, more or less, 90% of the global inventory so far,” he said. “And of course, we are always putting tickets on the market.”
Ticketing has emerged as a sensitive issue in the build-up to the tournament, with concerns raised about affordability and access for local fans.
“There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets,” Infantino added.
Football’s global governing body is expected to continue releasing batches of tickets in phases, a strategy designed to manage demand while maximising revenue for what is set to be the most lucrative World Cup in history.
Published on May 01, 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said demand for tickets to the 2026 World Cup had reached…
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#Deadspin #FaZe #Clan #slip #BLAST #Rivals #Spring #playoffs">Deadspin | FaZe Clan slip into BLAST Rivals Spring playoffs
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.
Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.
In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.
The $350,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.
All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive $125,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.
On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.
Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.
Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.
Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.
France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.
Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.
The remaining schedule:
Quarterfinals, Friday
–GamerLegion vs. Astralis
–G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan
Semifinals, Saturday
–Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner
–Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner
Final, Sunday
–Semifinal winners
BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings
Group A
1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18
2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1
3. Astralis, 1-1, -1
4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18
Group B
1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20
2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9
3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5
4. FURIA, 0-2, -16
BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool
1. $125,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens
2. $75,000
3-4. $40,000
5-6. $25,000
7-8. $10,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA
–Field Level Media
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.
Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.
In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.
The $350,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.
All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive $125,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.
On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.
Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.
Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.
Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.
France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.
Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.
The remaining schedule:
Quarterfinals, Friday
–GamerLegion vs. Astralis
–G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan
Semifinals, Saturday
–Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner
–Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner
Final, Sunday
–Semifinal winners
BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings
Group A
1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18
2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1
3. Astralis, 1-1, -1
4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18
Group B
1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20
2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9
3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5
4. FURIA, 0-2, -16
BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool
1. $125,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens
2. $75,000
3-4. $40,000
5-6. $25,000
7-8. $10,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA
–Field Level Media
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images FaZe Clan eked out a 2-1 win over FURIA in the Group B elimination match on Thursday, earning the last playoff berth at the BLAST Rivals Spring event in Fort Worth, Texas.
Natus Vincere finished atop Group B by sweeping GamerLegion 2-0.
In Group A, Team Vitality squeezed past G2 Esports 2-1 in the winners match, and Astralis ousted FUT Esports in the elimination match.
The $350,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament began with eight teams divided into two double-elimination groups for the initial stage. The group winners move directly to the semifinals of the single-elimination playoff. The group runners-up go to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and the teams that finish third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds.
All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship team will receive $125,000 and two BLAST Frequent Flyer Tokens.
On Thursday, FaZe Clan opened with a 13-4 victory on Dust II before FURIA captured Mirage 13-7. On the decisive third map, Nuke, FaZe Clan powered to a 13-3 win.
Slovakia’s David “frozen” Cernansky, France’s Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Latvia’s Helvijs “broky” Saukants each logged 37 kills for FaZe Clan. broky had a team-best plus-8 kill-death differential. Kazakhstan’s Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis both had 42 kills for FURIA.
Natus Vincere downed GamerLegion 13-10 on Mirage and 13-4 on Ancient. Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov produced 46 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential for Natus Vincere. Sweden’s Fredrik “REZ” Sterner registered 30 kills and an even K-D differential for GamerLegion.
Team Vitality took Mirage 16-13 in overtime, but G2 Esports bounced back to claim Overpass 13-11. Team Vitality wrapped up the series win by a 13-3 count on Dust II.
France’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut recorded 56 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Team Vitality. Spain’s Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia amassed 52 kills and a plus-6 K-D differential for G2 Esports.
Astralis knocked out FUT Esports 13-5 on Mirage and 13-10 on Nuke. Denmark’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen totaled 38 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential for Astralis. Kosovo’s Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija ended up with 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for FUT Esports.
The remaining schedule:
Quarterfinals, Friday
–GamerLegion vs. Astralis
–G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan
Semifinals, Saturday
–Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion/Astralis winner
–Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports/FaZe Clan winner
Final, Sunday
–Semifinal winners
BLAST Rivals Spring final group-stage standings
Group A
1. Team Vitality, 2-0, +18
2. G2 Esports, 1-1, +1
3. Astralis, 1-1, -1
4. FUT Esports, 0-2, -18
Group B
1. Natus Vincere, 2-0, +20
2. GamerLegion, 1-1, -9
3. FaZe Clan, 1-1, +5
4. FURIA, 0-2, -16
BLAST Rivals Spring prize pool
1. $125,000, two BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens
2. $75,000
3-4. $40,000
5-6. $25,000
7-8. $10,000 — FUT Esports, FURIA
–Field Level Media
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World…
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#NBA #Playoffs #York #Knicks #advance #51point #rout #Minnesota #Timberwolves #enter #Conference #Semifinals">NBA Playoffs: New York Knicks advance with 51-point rout; Minnesota Timberwolves also enter Conference Semifinals
OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2.
It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and the 51-point margin of victory their largest in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on January 21.
The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956.
New York, which produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, along with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter.
Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98
Elevated into the starting lineup of a heavily depleted backcourt, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a career-playoff-high 24 points to help Minnesota close out Denver in Game 6 in Minneapolis.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves advance to face the second-seeded Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday in San Antonio.
Without All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards (knee), Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles), Game 4 hero Ayo Dosunmu (calf) and veteran Kyle Anderson (illness), the Timberwolves turned to Shannon — who did not play in the first three games of the series. He stepped up, capping his 9-of-20 performance shooting from the field with a crucial three-point play that ignited a game-ending 10-1 run for the Timberwolves.
Jaden McDaniels scored a game-high 32 in the win. Nikola Jokic helped keep the Nuggets within striking distance, finishing with team highs in points (28), assists (10) and rebounds (nine).
76ers 106, Celtics 93
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points as surging Philadelphia beat visiting Boston again, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their first-round series.
The second-seeded Celtics led the series 3-1 following a 32-point win in Philadelphia on Sunday, but the seventh-seeded Sixers rebounded to post double-digit wins in Games 5 and 6. The teams will reconvene Saturday for Game 7 in Boston, where the Sixers will aim to complete a 3-1 series comeback for the first time in franchise history.
Paul George added 23 points for Philadelphia, while Joel Embiid had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his third game since returning from an emergency appendectomy. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points but also committed five of his team’s 13 turnovers.
Published on May 01, 2026
OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2.
It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and the 51-point margin of victory their largest in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on January 21.
The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956.
New York, which produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, along with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter.
Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98
Elevated into the starting lineup of a heavily depleted backcourt, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a career-playoff-high 24 points to help Minnesota close out Denver in Game 6 in Minneapolis.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves advance to face the second-seeded Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday in San Antonio.
Without All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards (knee), Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles), Game 4 hero Ayo Dosunmu (calf) and veteran Kyle Anderson (illness), the Timberwolves turned to Shannon — who did not play in the first three games of the series. He stepped up, capping his 9-of-20 performance shooting from the field with a crucial three-point play that ignited a game-ending 10-1 run for the Timberwolves.
Jaden McDaniels scored a game-high 32 in the win. Nikola Jokic helped keep the Nuggets within striking distance, finishing with team highs in points (28), assists (10) and rebounds (nine).
76ers 106, Celtics 93
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points as surging Philadelphia beat visiting Boston again, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their first-round series.
The second-seeded Celtics led the series 3-1 following a 32-point win in Philadelphia on Sunday, but the seventh-seeded Sixers rebounded to post double-digit wins in Games 5 and 6. The teams will reconvene Saturday for Game 7 in Boston, where the Sixers will aim to complete a 3-1 series comeback for the first time in franchise history.
Paul George added 23 points for Philadelphia, while Joel Embiid had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his third game since returning from an emergency appendectomy. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points but also committed five of his team’s 13 turnovers.
Published on May 01, 2026
OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting…
