Anthony Dabbundo

The NFL’s quest to own not just Sunday, but every day of the week, becomes even more obvious once the calendar reaches Week 16. Even though the first round of the College Football Playoff features a Saturday triple-header, that will not stop the NFL from trying to steal with a double-header of its own—Eagles vs. Commanders and Bears vs. Packers.

It all comes down to this. Three division titles on the line, and plenty of implications for playoff seeding.

Six games to kick off the wide-open NFL playoffs. Here’s what you should play.

For the second consecutive World Baseball Classic, the United States walked off the field one run short, losing 3-2 in the final to a proud baseballing nation. Venezuela claimed its first WBC title, knocking off both Japan and the U.S. along the way and announcing itself as the sport’s newest powerhouse.

All of the people (and a robot) who will shape baseball this year, broken into 15 tiers

The U.S. men’s national soccer team enters the 2026 World Cup with both promise and pressure. The core of the roster is more accomplished at the club level than any generation in American history. Yet most U.S. soccer fans are tired of hearing about how talented this group is supposed to be. The national team has consistently underperformed expectations and failed to live up to its “golden generation” moniker that supporters spent years dreaming about. It’s time to turn potential into reality.

People often judge something the first time they see it. And while the United States men’s national team plays dozens of matches every year and regularly appears in tournaments like the Gold Cup, Nations League, and Copa América, those contests barely register for most of the American public. But every four years, the World Cup offers a chance to reintroduce the sport to millions of casual fans who are just waiting for a moment—and a national team—to latch on to.

The World Cup has reached the quarterfinals, which means the partying and celebration stage has been replaced by the tension of massive stakes and the weight of history.

For a few weeks, this World Cup belonged to the outsiders and newcomers. Cape Verde became the story of the tournament. Morocco made another run to the final eight. Nine of the 10 African teams advanced to the knockout stage. The expanded 48-team field produced more compelling underdogs, more competitive group-stage matches, and plenty of memorable moments. Even if none of the favorites were ever in serious danger, the opening weeks were like a party they were content to arrive late to.

Ranking all 32 teams from worst to best