World Cup 2026 betting tips: Harry Kane to score first; Morocco to sink Scotland
Now then now then. What a time to be alive.
The World Cup is up and running and it’s hard to explain the joys of watching Haiti vs Scotland in your pants at 2am to non-football fans.
Also, someone in the pub the other day asked me to name three Qatar players? “Not a problem,” I replied. “Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Noel Gallagher.”
Read on for a breakdown of the best bets from this week’s World Cup 2026 group games – including England’s opener against Croatia on Wednesday night - courtesy of Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate, The Bookie Basher.
Cricket betting tips: Best value bets for England vs New Zealand and India vs Afghanistan
England host New Zealand in the second Test of their three-match series, while India look to wrap up their ODI series against Afghanistan in Lucknow this week.
Here, Sports News Blitz cricket expert Himanshu Sharma breaks down the best bets, value plays, and key betting angles for this week’s fixtures.
Royal Ascot 2026 guide: When is it, times, big races, trainers, jockeys and more
Royal Ascot is the biggest Flat race meeting in the world, attracting the best horses, runners and of course, royalty.
Sports New Blitz has all you need to know about the famous event.
Royal Ascot is a huge five-day festival of racing starting on Tuesday, June 16 and ending on Saturday June 20.
It crams in eight Group 1 races across the week, and there's hardly time to take a breath.
Royal Ascot 2026 news: What are the most valuable races at Ascot Racecourse this week?
Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious Flat-racing festivals on the British horse racing calendar. Raced over five days, from Tuesday June 16 to Saturday June 20, this meeting stands out from the crowd as boasting the biggest prize purses in UK Flat racing.
The festival is broadcast worldwide in almost 200 nations and this year it has a record prize pot of £10.65 million. Indeed, several of the Group 1 races at Royal Ascot are among the richest Flat races in horse racing. Here, Sports News Blitz writer Scott Allen explores the most valuable races to look out for on your racecards.
Royal Ascot 2026: Irish horses favourites to lift Gold Cup
The centrepiece of the flat racing season is here, with Royal Ascot ready to welcome some of the world’s premier horses to Berkshire.
Starting on 16th June and offering five days of early summer racing, the meeting is one of the major landmarks of the British social calendar.
For the trainers, owners and jockeys, however, Royal Ascot offers the chance to collect some of the most prestigious trophies in British racing.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton secures maiden Ferrari win at Barcelona GP as Kimi Antonelli forced to retire
Lewis Hamilton secured his maiden Ferrari win at the Barcelona Grand Prix on Sunday as Mercedes’ winning streak came to an end after Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired and George Russell finished in P2.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the key takeaways from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Manchester City's New Chapter: What to Expect in the 2026/2027 Premier League Season
How Pep Guardiola’s departure and Enzo Maresca’s arrival could reshape Manchester City in the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
A look at tactics, rivals, and title chances.
The deals that set the price of football in 2026
The 2026 transfer market is moving around Liverpool’s record spending, striker fees, Premier League timing, and verified deals.
Clubs can announce deals before the window opens, but the previous cycle’s record spending still shapes the confirmed high-fee market.
Fees changed. Liverpool reset the board with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, while Hugo Ekitiké, Benjamin Šeško, Victor Osimhen, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Viktor Gyökeres sit near the top of Transfermarkt’s current fee list.
World Cup 2026 betting tips: Lionel Messi to lead Argentina to glory (again)
“USA! USA! USA!”
The time for talking is almost over. All eyes will be on North America over the next month or so as the great and the good of the beautiful game gather for the World Cup and a tournament that will be shared between Canada, Mexico and the USA.
There aren’t many bigger punting events than the World Cup so read on for a breakdown of the best outright bets from this summer’s tournament courtesy of Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate - The Bookie Basher.
Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 betting tips: Australia face strong challenge from England and India
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 gets underway on June 12 in England.
The tournament expands from 10 to 12 teams for this edition.
Ahead of the competition, Sports News Blitz cricket writer Himanshu Sharma identifies the leading contenders and explores where the betting value may lie.
World Cup 2026 betting tips: Who gets the Golden Boot? And can Argentina retain their crown?
Everything is massive in America. Coffee arrives in buckets, and the supermarkets are so big you need Google Maps to navigate a path from the Meat & Fish aisle to the Frozen Foods section.
So naturally, the 2026 World Cup - which the USA is co-hosting - is the biggest ever. For the first time, 48 teams will compete over 39 days to find out who the best team in the world are.
Argentina are defending champions, but Spain are favourites with the bookies to lift the famous old trophy for the first time since 2010.
Here, for your bawdy enjoyment, is the definitive Golden Boot gambling guide courtesy of Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate - The Bookie Basher.
Cricket news: Ben Stokes under pressure - five contenders for the captain’s role
England men’s cricket captain Ben Stokes has been in the press for all the wrong reasons since Sunday night, alongside team-mate and bowler Gus Atkinson.
Following this, it remains unclear as to whether Stokes will continue as England captain.
He has been left out of the 15-man squad for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, with former captain Joe Root set to lead the side.
Without an obvious successor, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert takes a look at five candidates to take over as England captain if Stokes’ time comes to an end.
ITV horse racing tips and best bets for York, Sandown and Chester on Saturday, June 13
Royal Ascot is just around the corner and Sports News Blitz racing tipster Jeff Mexico has spent all week looking for a new frock and hat. Luckily, Farm Foods does an amazing range of clothing (it’s somewhere near the back by the spoon meats), and Jeff is now all kitted out for a busy week in Royal Berkshire.
He’s hoping to get an invite to the Royal Procession or even better be interviewed by Raceday TV about his stunning outfit – his black bin bag ensemble and potato sack fascinator will go down a storm no doubt.
WWE news: Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker’s exits open up King of the Ring tournament
Two major exits within the space of a week have left WWE’s King of the Ring tournament unpredictable, with the finals at Night of Champions on June 27 now a mystery.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu explains how WWE have thrown massive curveballs to open up proceedings.
World Cup 2026 news: Five records that could be broken at the FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, the biggest festival in football, kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico this week, and one thing is sure: old records will disappear, and new ones will emerge.
As the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaches, it will be one of the biggest tournaments in FIFA history.
This year's tournament structure has been revamped, with teams participating from 32 to 48, and the number of matches will automatically increase from 64 to 104.
This summer could bring the breaking of numerous records, from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's last World Cup preparations to Kylian Mbappe breaking Miroslav Klose's record for goals scored.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Varun Sarwate takes a look at five records that could be broken at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Cricket news: Who is Manav Suthar? The left-arm spinner who took seven wickets on debut for India
Shubman Gill’s India side dominated the recent contest with Afghanistan to win by an innings and 300 runs in Mullanpur, with the visitors’ return to Test cricket lasting a little less than three days.
When a youthful Afghan team played their first Test in India eight years ago, the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja completely destroyed them. Almost 10 years later, Afghanistan were defeated by spin once more, this time by a youthful Indian side led by debutant Manav Suthar, writes Sports News Blitz’s Varun Sarwate.
Sponsorship news: Horsforth Hawks Reds dig deep but fall to defeat by Idle Red Kites
The Sports News Blitz-sponsored Horsforth Hawks Reds rounders fell to a first defeat of the 2026 season on Monday night - but showed true grit in the second innings to keep morale high.
The Hawks went into the game with fierce rivals the Idle Red Kites having won their opening three matches (the first game by default), so confidence was high in the squad.
But the Red Kites are an experienced team and displayed some ruthless rounders in the first innings - before the Hawks Reds dug deep to make the score respectable at the end.
Test cricket analysis: Five talking points from England’s Test win over New Zealand
England wiped away their winter blues as they started the Test summer with a victory over New Zealand at Lord’s.
The Three Lions won by 115 runs across just four days, despite persistent weather delays, with less than 170 overs played in the match.
Performances from the likes of Emilio Gay, who top scored in the match with 57, plus Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson (both of whom getting 5-fers) led much of the conversation.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Hibbert looks at five talking points from the match which marked the start of the three match Test series.
F1 analysis: Silent winners and main characters in Monaco - Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli and more
The Monaco Grand Prix is often characterised as a challenging and demanding circuit with its tight corners and close proximity barriers, writes Sports News Blitz’s Mukonazwothe Mamphitha.
But beneath that, the 2026 Formula 1 circuit crafted a group of drivers who took to the track and quietly optimised an eventful Sunday and one driver who owned the weekend.
While Monaco focuses on Kimi Antonelli's dominance, the story of the circuit runs deeper.
For drivers like Oscar Piastri and Alexander Albon, damage limitation turned into strong results.
Padel news: Rafa Nadal’s everyday side takes center stage in Playtomic’s new campaign
The platform unveils a new campaign featuring the Mallorcan champion, using humor and authenticity to show how padel has become part of the everyday lives of millions of players around the world.
The campaign continues the collaboration between Rafa Nadal and Playtomic, where the tennis legend has served as both shareholder and ambassador since 2024.
Playtomic, the world’s largest racquet sports community for players and clubs, has launched a new digital campaign starring Rafa Nadal, the company’s ambassador and shareholder.
The campaign adopts a light-hearted and relatable tone to showcase everyday situations that any padel player can identify with.