Rarely does Juan Soto, armed with one of the best hitter's eyes in MLB, look at a pitch go by for a called strike. Generally, the pitches he takes are out of the zone, and if the offering is in the zone, he's probably swinging at it.

This was surprisingly not the case during his first at-bat of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Facing Reds lefthander Nick Martinez in the bottom of the first inning, Soto took the first pitch for a ball, then declined to swing at a cutter inside and at the letters, thinking it was ball two. Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez, however, called it a strike.

Soto fouled the next two pitches off to make the count 1-and-2, then was called out on strikes on a sinker up in the zone. Soto, who had briefly said some words to Gonzalez after the first called strike, simply stared off into the distance as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza barked at Gonzalez from the dugout.

Gonzalez, who has been an umpire since 2010, has rated among the most accurate ball and strike callers in MLB this season, per Umpire Scorecards. In this particular instance, it seems that he missed the call.

سقط فريق آرسنال في فخ التعادل مع تشيلسي، بهدف لمثله، خلال مباراة الفريقين بقمة مباريات الأسبوع في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وحل آرسنال ضيفًا على تشيلسي في إطار مباريات الجولة الثالثة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”، على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج”.

وشهدت المباراة حالة طرد في صفوف تشيلسي لـ مويسيس كايسيدو في الدقيقة 38، وأشهر الحكم البطاقة الحمراء للاعب بعد العود لتقنية الفار بسبب خطأ على ميكيل ميرينو لاعب آرسنال.

اقرأ أيضًا | ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد فوز ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي وتعادل آرسنال وتشيلسي

وتقدم تشيلسي بهدف أول في الدقيقة 48، بعد ركنية نفذها ريس جيمس عرضية وصلت إلى تشالوباه الذي لعب كرة رأسية هزت الشباك. هدف تشالوباه في مباراة تشيلسي وآرسنال

على الرغم من النقص العددي… تشلسي يتقدم على أرسنال برأسية تريفوه تشالوباه#الدوري_الإنجليزي_الممتاز#EPL pic.twitter.com/e4ij8nMPZ1 — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 30, 2025

وفي الدقيقة 59، أدرك آرسنال التعادل بعد كرة عرضية من بوكايو ساكا، وصلت إلى ميرينو ولعب رأسية من داخل منطقة الجزاء سكنت شباك تشيلسي. هدف ميرينو في مباراة تشيلسي وآرسنال

ميكيل ميرينو يعيد آرسنال إلى المباراة ويسجّل هدف التعادل!#الدوري_الإنجليزي_الممتاز#EPL pic.twitter.com/rsZ5KVPEth — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) November 30, 2025

لم تشهد المباراة مزيدًا من الأهداف، وانتهت بتعادل إيجابي بهدف لمثله، وأصبح رصيد آرسنال 30 نقطة في الصدارة، ويأتي مانشستر سيتي ثانيًا بـ25 نقطة، وتشيلسي في المركز الثالث بـ24 نقطة.

Thomas Frank enjoyed a rip-roaring start to life as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs looked a great deal more organised, shipping just four goals in their first six Premier League games and keeping five clean sheets in their first seven fixtures across all competitions.

Yet, despite maintaining their clean sheet against Everton a week ago, there is a sense that Frank still hasn’t got the fans on side.

They have kept a clean sheet in only two of their last eight games and have won just two of those encounters too.

While a more trigger-happy Daniel Levy may no longer be chairman, the pressure is still on Frank to improve.

The way in which the Lilywhites lost to Chelsea on Saturday, tasting a 1-0 defeat, was alarming.

The hosts only managed an expected goals tally (xG) of just 0.10, they gave the ball away on countless occasions and were subsequently booed off the pitch at the full-time whistle after making a mess of a late free-kick.

Guglielmo Vicario decided to take it short, much to the dismay of the home support and indeed Jamie Carragher who simply said: “You have been awful today Spurs”.

So, why are things going wrong?

Spurs' biggest underperformers against Chelsea

Despite his bizarre set-piece late in the fray, the only player in white to come away with any credit was that man Vicario.

Without him, the scoreline would have been far worse as he made a whopping eight saves, denying a combined xG of 2.17.

He was made to work hard due to the efforts of the players in front of him, notably the defence.

Both Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven combined in dismal fashion to give the ball away in the build-up to Joao Pedro’s goal.

The likes of Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso did not cover themselves in glory either. Porro notably gave the ball away in the first half which led to a Pedro chance, while Danso was also given a rough time by the Brazilian. It was no surprise to see Cristian Romero come on for him in the 60th minute as the centre-back made his return from injury.

Danso has had a few encouraging displays of late but this was not one of them, notably allowing Chelsea’s main man in attack to get past him easily towards the end of the opening 45 minutes.

In attack Spurs were dry. The defence didn’t do their bit but those in front of them failed to ever relieve the pressure.

They did not create a single big chance and had just 15 touches in the opposition’s box. For context, Enzo Maresca’s men managed 36.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It was a tale of woe for many of the club’s summer signings. Randal Kolo Muani cut an isolated figure up top but not much of the blame can be handed to the French loanee who was starved of service.

That fell at the door of Mohammed Kudus, who despite completing 96% of his passes, failed to create a goalscoring opportunity and failed with all six of his crosses.

Perhaps the biggest concern, however, was the display of marquee arrival Simons.

Spurs' biggest concern after Chelsea

Frank will have been hoping for a straightforward first transfer window at Spurs but it’s safe to say he did not get that.

With Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison out long-term with injuries, the club’s hierarchy knew they needed to bring in more creativity. They tried extremely hard to do so.

For all the world it looked as though they were going to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.

A secret release clause was allegedly activated only for Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, to threaten legal action against the north Londoners. Gibbs-White ultimately stayed at the City Ground and signed a new contract in the process.

Spurs moved on to Eberechi Eze but were again fruitless in their efforts. The England playmaker looked set to sign, a deal had been agreed with Crystal Palace only for Arsenal to gazump their rivals at the 11th hour.

An injury to Kai Havertz meant that the Gunners needed more cover in their attack and there was only going to be one ending once Eze’s boyhood club came to the table.

As a consequence, Frank and Co turned their attentions to Simons. Before arriving in England, the 22-year-old was seen as one of the most sparkling jewels on the continent.

Once of La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy, Simons has long been highly thought of and had made a living off scoring and assisting goals regularly.

In his two seasons with RB Leipzig in Germany, the creative midfielder scored 22 goals and supplied 24 assists in 78 matches. At Spurs, however, that ability to influence games has waned.

Like another Bundesliga import in the shape of Florian Wirtz, he looks lightweight in the Premier League and has really struggled to get going. The Dutchman has a solitary assist and no goals to show for his efforts from 12 contests to date.

Simons’ worst performance to date arguably came in that 1-0 loss to Chelsea, so much so that he was substituted on and back off.

The Netherlands international initially wasn’t pencilled in to start but after young Lucas Bergvall suffered a first-half injury on just seven minutes, Spurs’ big-money summer signing was introduced to the action.

His influence on proceedings was near non-existent. Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold handed the midfielder a dismal 3/10 rating post-game, aptly summing up his performance by writing: ‘Other than a couple of nice touches the Dutchman was a passenger against the team he was linked with all summer.’

Simons gave the ball away on several occasions, 14 in total, and never really looked like providing a much-needed spark. He didn’t have a single shot and didn’t provide a key pass either.

His display was summed up abysmally when he was asked to defend. The former Leipzig man sold Van de Ven short in the build-up to the goal and was shown a late yellow for a desperate lunge on Alejandro Garnacho in the second period.

For a player who cost £51.8m in the summer, more is expected. At the moment, he’s heading into the Richarlison and Tanguy Ndombele categories.

Ndombele was another talented midfielder when he joined. The Frenchman had bags of talent but failed to ever extract it.

As the Daily Mail’s Dan Ripley put it in September 2020, he was a signing that should have ‘at the very least cemented Tottenham Hotspur’s place inside the top four for another season.’

It was a signing that, after reaching the Champions League final, really excited Spurs fans.

The parallels with Simons are strikingly scary. Spurs’ big addition after getting to a European final and indeed winning the competition, the Dutchman is here to take Frank’s side up a level, just as Ndombele was supposed to do six years ago.

However, for whatever reason, he’s simply failed to do that. Like Ndombele, he’s enduring a nightmare first campaign in English football and it’s difficult to see him extracting his full potential anytime soon.

He is yet to play a full 90 minutes for his new club and hasn’t lasted past the 78th-minute mark in any game he’s played in.

Frank may well be struggling to get a tune out of the Netherlands star but he’s going to have to if Spurs are to cement themselves as genuine top four contenders.

Sadly at the moment, Simons is becoming another Ndombele. He’s a talented midfield player and was deserving of his price tag at the time. Unfortunately, he is not deserving of it right now.

Chelsea made it back-to-back league wins at the expense of managerless Wolves on Saturday night as the Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory on home turf. The win lifted the west London side up into second and closed Arsenal's lead at the top to six points. The result, meanwhile, leaves Wolves rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from the opening 11 games.

Chelsea looked threatening early on, with captain Enzo Fernandez at the heart of everything for the Blues in the first half. The Argentine forced Sam Johnstone into action in the third minute as the midfielder's free-kick looked to be looping into the far corner.

Johnstone was required again minutes later, this time to deny Alejandro Garnacho after the winger was played in brilliantly by compatriot Fernandez. The former Manchester United winger should have perhaps done better as Chelsea pushed for the breakthrough.

And it was Fernandez again who was playing a central role for the west London side, this time as he came close to scoring an Olimpico. Johnstone was left stranded as the 24-year-old's corner lofted over the Wolves shotstopper, and it took a Toti Gomes clearance off the line to prevent a stunning opener.

Chelsea continued to push for the opener, and finally found the breakthrough shortly after the restart. Garnacho worked the ball onto his right and played an inch-perfect cross from the left for Gusto to head in his first ever senior goal. 

Midway through the second half and Joao Pedro doubled Chelsea's advantage. Estevao, who'd been on the pitch for 68 seconds, played a low cross into the box that was deflected into the path of Pedro, who made no mistake from close range.

Garnacho was again involved in Chelsea's third as the Argentine broke down the left. The summer signing sped away from two Wolves defenders before presenting Pedro Neto with a simple finish for the Portuguese winger to net his third league goal of the season.

Chelsea could ultimately have put up a big score against Wolves as Marc Guiu missed a couple of late chances but the Blues will have been thrilled with what proved to be a comfortable home win.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Robert Sanchez (6/10):

Rarely called upon against a blunt Wolves attack but made a couple of solid claims.

Malo Gusto (8/10):

Granted the license to get forward and it paid off. Headed past Johnstone early in the second half to break the deadlock with what was his first ever senior goal.

Wesley Fofana (7/10):

Carried out his defensive duties with ease. Distribution vital as the Blues dictated the play against the Premier League's basement boys.

Trevoh Chalobah (7/10):

Another solid if unspectacular showing from the defender. Tidy on the ball as Chelsea dominated possession. Made a key clearance from a Hugo Beuno cross that was destined for Jacob Strand Larsen after the Blues had gone ahead.

Marc Cucurella (7/10):

As Chelsea focussed their attacks down the left, he linked up well with Fernandez and Garnacho.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Moises Caicedo (7/10):

Fairly wasteful in possession but made up for it by protecting the backline well.

Enzo Fernandez (8/10):

Forced Sam Johnstone into action with an early free-kick that was destined for the top corner. Provided a fine pass for Garnacho in the 12th minute that the winger failed to convert. Almost scored an Olimpico midway through the first half.

AFPAttack

Pedro Neto (8/10):

A regular thorn in the side of the Wolves backline. Bagged Chelsea's third with a comfortable finish.

Joao Pedro (7/10):

Settled nerves as he scored Chelsea's second midway through the second half.

Alejandro Garnacho (9/10):

Should have done better when played in by Fernandez early on. A regular threat down the left, it was his inch-perfect cross for Gusto that provided the breakthrough. Provided the assist for Neto's first and Chelsea's third.

Liam Delap (5/10):

Didn't get sent off, which is a marked improvement on his last showing against Wolves. 

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AFPSubs & Manager

Estevao (7/10):

Replaced Liam Delap midway through the second half. Made an immediate impression as his low cross was deflected to Pedro to double Chelsea's advantage. Played a fine cross late on that Guiu couldn't connect properly with.

Marc Guiu (5/10):

Missed a fairly easy chance shortly after coming on. Should have scored during his short time on the pitch

Reece James (6/10):

Kept things simple after his introduction

Jamie Gittens (N/A):

Replaced Pedro in the 83rd minute.

Andrey Santos (N/A):

Came on for Fernandez late on.

Enzo Maresca (9/10):

Made a couple of personnel changes following the midweek draw with Qarabag and his selections paid off as Chelsea dominated.

Australian power-hitter belts five sixes before Welsh Fire mess up chase of 130

ECB Media20-Aug-2025A 19-ball half-century from Hilton Cartwright led Southern Brave to victory over Welsh Fire in a tight game in The Hundred.Cartwright made an unbeaten 51 to help Brave rally to 129 for 8, before Brave’s bowlers closed the game out with the ball in a topsy-turvy chase.Electing to bowl first in helpful conditions, Welsh Fire’s new-ball pairing of David Payne and Matt Henry were exceptional, bowling 20 of the first 25 deliveries.Henry in particular was relentless, dismissing Leus du Ploy and Jason Roy on the way to a remarkable return of 2 for 5 from 20 balls – the second-most economical figures in the short history of the Hundred.Brave skipper James Vince dug in, helping his side recover to 53 for 3 at halfway before eventually falling when he pulled a short ball from Chris Green straight down Saif Zaib’s throat at deep midwicket for 29.Enter Cartwright. The Aussie big-hitter went on the attack immediately, hitting five sixes, mixing power and innovation, as he reached a 19-ball half-century, finishing 51 not out as the Brave made 129 for 8.Jonny Bairstow’s lively start was not enough for the Fire•ECB/Getty ImagesIn the run chase, Jonny Bairstow came out swinging, hitting Craig Overton for two fours and a six in the first set. He then smashed Reece Topley for two fours as the Fire raced to 23 for 0 from the first 10 balls before he fell for 22, skying Overton to du Plooy in the ring.The chase ebbed backwards and forwards and with 20 balls left, Fire needed 27 to win with three wickets in hand and just the tail for company for Tom Kohler-Cadmore.Five wides from Jordan took some of the pressure off before four were taken from Jofra Archer’s final five, including Laurie Evans putting down David Payne behind the stumps to leave 16 required off 10.Kohler-Cadmore (25) then found Cartwright in the deep off Coles, leaving Payne and Henry – Fire’s heroes with the ball at the top of the day – to find the crucial 12 runs to take Fire to victory, from final five to be bowled by Jordan. He delivered a fine last five to ensure it was the Brave who got over the line.”That was an absolute thriller. It ebbed and flowed that whole second innings. The crowd got a bloody good game tonight,” Cartwright said. “I took the game on and it paid off, thankfully… It was an all-round team effort tonight. I thought the bowlers did an outstanding job to defend a small total.”

The incident that caused the probe happened during Pakistan Shaheens’ tour of the UK

Danyal Rasool07-Aug-2025Pakistan batter Haider Ali has been placed under criminal investigation by the Greater Manchester Police, and has been provisionally suspended by the PCB pending the outcome of the inquiry. While no details about the nature of the criminal offence have been released, ESPNcricinfo understands Haider is not currently in custody in the UK, but was interviewed under caution by GMP.The PCB issued a statement it had been “made aware” of the investigation, with the incident in question occurring during Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England, which concluded on Monday. The PCB has confirmed it is providing Haider legal support “to protect his rights throughout this process”.”The PCB has been made aware of a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the Greater Manchester Police involving cricketer Haider Ali,” the PCB statement said. “The investigation pertains to an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England.”The PCB fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the United Kingdom and acknowledges the importance of allowing the investigation to run its due course. Accordingly, the PCB has decided to place Haider Ali under provisional suspension, effective immediately, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation. Once the legal proceedings are concluded and all facts have been duly established, the PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary.”Haider, 24, has played two ODIs and 35 T20Is for Pakistan, and was a senior player on the Shaheens’ UK tour. He played all three 50-over games against a first-class XI, as well as two three-day games.

Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in the UAE in October, shortly after the conclusion of the Asia Cup on September 28.The T20Is are on October 2, 3 and 5 in Sharjah while the ODIs are on October 8, 11 and 14 in Abu Dhabi.ESPNcricinfo understands the Bangladesh squad could stay back in the UAE after the Asia Cup to play the bilateral series. Both teams are part of Group B in the Asia Cup, along with Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, and play each other on September 16 in Abu Dhabi. Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Fours stage of the tournament. India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE are in Group A.The Afghanistan-Bangladesh bilateral series is the second part of what was supposed to be an all-format tour in July 2024, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. The schedule was revised to include only white-ball matches while that series, due to be played in Greater Noida in India, was postponed due to weather conditions and Bangladesh’s packed schedule.The two teams have a rivalry brewing. Bangladesh and Afghanistan have played four bilateral ODI series, with the head-to-head record level at 2-2. Bangladesh won in 2016 and 2022, while Afghanistan won the two most recent series in 2023 and 2024. It’s level in bilateral T20I series too, with Afghanistan winning in 2018, Bangladesh in 2023, and a tied series in 2022.

When Ruben Amorim stood and spoke to a disgruntled Old Trafford arena at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, he promised things would improve at Manchester United.

They had to, right? A 15th-place Premier League finish and defeat in the Europa League final had put a cold dampener on any optimism that might have been eked from Erik ten Hag’s dismissal only in October 2024.

But things are improving. Three wins (including the victory at Anfield) and a draw in the top flight have renewed United’s hopes of getting a foot back through the European door. There’s a long way to go, but many players are standing up where they languished before.

The summer recruits have been impactful, but one of the most intriguing stories of the season is the resurgence of Casemiro.

Casemiro is revived in midfield

Man United probably haven’t received bang for their buck since signing Casemiro from Real Madrid for a fee in excess of £70m in 2022.

The 33-year-old has ebbed and flowed, ebbed and flowed, and the brunt of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher’s infamous monologue toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

But he’s been increasingly influential under Amorim’s wing, with reporter Alex Turk even going as far as to call him “the soul of this team”. He is playing like he’s regained a few years, having won 58% of his duels and averaged two tackles per game (as per Sofascore).

Partly, this is because Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are such mobile and athletic forwards. They will drop into deeper areas and connect with their midfielders, thus limiting the amount of ground the Brazilian veteran needs to cover each game.

Casemiro is becoming undroppable in the engine room, but he pockets a staggering £350k-per-week salary and is out of a deal at the end of the campaign, albeit with an option to extend for a further year.

Sourcing a replacement will not be easy, but Carrington graduate Kobbie Mainoo would fancy his chances, even having played such a paucity of football under the Portuguese tactician’s management.

There may, however, be another academy star looking to wedge his way into the senior set-up.

Man Utd's next Casemiro

Manchester United have long boasted one of the richest and most impressive academy systems in world football. And with Marcus Rashford having divorced from the Theatre of Dreams, it might be that a new homegrown hero is needed to add a dimension to Amorim’s reign.

Well, that player could come in the form of U21 starlet Sekou Kone, who, aged 19, has been enjoying himself in Darren Fletcher’s set-up after leaving Malian side Guidars FC for around £1m plus add-ons in 2024.

The robust, rangy midfielder has not featured this season after a horrific collision suffered against Tamworth in August, but he made 14 appearances for the U21s last term and produced some stunning performances, with scout Antonio Mango even claiming he has the skillset to become “a beast under Amorim”.

Aggressive and powerful, analyst Ben Mattinson has noted that Kone is “uber composed on the ball and so press resistant.” Furthermore, it has been said that he has a tireless engine and a range of skills that could see him play that Casemiro-esque role down the line. Elements of this can be traced back to last season, when he shone for the youth side during a 4-1 loss against Huddersfield.

During that heavy EFL Trophy defeat, he only played 42 minutes before picking up an injury, but made a real impression all the same.

Vs Huddersfield (EFL Trophy)

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

42′

Pass accuracy

82%

Interceptions

2

Ball recoveries

3

Dribbled past

0x

Ground duels won

2/4

Tackle success rate

100%

Stats via Sofascore

It’s important to note that Kone has weathered his share of adversity at this early-career stage. He has the minerals to succeed at a great club like the Red Devils, and he has bags of talent besides.

Casemiro may extend his stay at Old Trafford for another year, but he’s getting old and will only last for so long.

15-year-old forward JJ Gabriel has been included in a number of first-team training sessions this season, and Amorim is willing to welcome up-and-coming talents up to the senior fold if he feels they have the right skillset to make a difference.

Kone certainly does at that, and if he manages to find form and fluency over the coming months, there’s every chance that the boss could view him as a left-field option to help fill Casemiro’s big boots.

Related Carrington's "best talent" is a big Sesko upgrade in the making at Man Utd

Manchester United could yet improve further in attack under Amorim’s wing.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 3, 2025

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has been offered an eye-watering amount of money to leave Anfield, it has been claimed.

Salah has been alarmingly out of form by his world-class standards, but he returned to somewhere near his best on Saturday evening, opening the scoring in the Reds’ 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

It was a special night for the 33-year-old, who became just the third player in Liverpool’s history to score 250 goals for the club, joining Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in the process. Speaking after the Villa game, he admitted his delight at achieving such a great feat.

“It’s very important. We had a few losses in the Premier League and Champions League but I’m glad we start to come back on track now. It’s a good plus before very important games against [Real] Madrid and City. It’s a very important win for us. It’s a great feeling to score goals and win trophies for such a big club. It’s something I don’t take for granted. I’m so proud and so happy about that achievement.”

For Salah, it’s now a case of kicking on and returning to the form everyone knows he can achieve on a consistent basis, inspiring Liverpool’s changes in fortunes this season. He is contracted at Anfield until the summer of 2027, but now a shock exit rumour has emerged.

Liverpool legend Salah offered £132m-a-year to leave

According to a huge report from Spain, an unnamed club have offered Salah £132m per year in wages in order to tempt him away from Liverpool.

Per year

£132m

Per month

£11m

Per week

£2.5m

Per day

£361,000

Per hour

£15,000

It would be a huge surprise and shame to see Salah leave Liverpool before his recently-signed new deal expires, even though he clearly hasn’t been at his best of late.

He was much-improved against Villa, and remains a hugely influential figure for the Reds, with Arne Slot waxing lyrical over his star attacker after the game.

“It is almost unbelievable if you score 250 goals, let alone 250 goals for one club. You don’t see that much in football any more. Apart from the goal he had a very good performance. When we had to play long, we mainly played to him and he held the ball and the team could come to him. What I liked was that he also helped the team defensively as well.”

Dominik Szoboszlai shows why he is now Liverpool's "most important player"

He was outstanding in the win over Aston Villa

ByHenry Jackson Nov 2, 2025

Salah is now undoubtedly one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history, and while such a huge amount of money could turn the head of any player, the hope is that he wants to spend as long at Anfield as possible.

Where does Mo Salah rank among Liverpool's highest-earning players?

This marks an increase of almost four times the money awarded in the 2022 World Cup, which had an overall pool of USD 3.5 million

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2025

The upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup will have a prize pool of USD 13.88 million. This marks almost a fourfold rise from the previous ODI World Cup, held in New Zealand in 2022, which had an overall pool of USD 3.5 million, and also marks a significant increase from the USD 10 million pool for the Men’s ODI World Cup in India two years ago.This World Cup, the 13th edition, will have the highest prize money for the winners of a women’s global tournament: USD 4.48 million, a 239 percent increase from the USD 1.32 million awarded to Australia in 2022. The runners-up will receive USD 2.24 million – an increase of 273 percent in comparison to the USD 600,000 England won three years ago. The losing semi-finalists will receive USD 1.12 million each – up from USD 300,000 in 2022 – while the group-stage participants are guaranteed to earn USD 250,000.For each group-stage win, teams will earn a further USD 34,314. At the end of the group stage, the teams that finish fifth and sixth will be awarded USD 700,000 each, while those who finish seventh and eighth will earn USD 280,000.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Our message is simple, women cricketers must know they will be treated on par with men if they choose this sport professionally,” Jay Shah, the ICC chair, said in a statement. “The uplift [in prize money] underscores our ambition to deliver a world-class ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and to inspire the next generation of players and fans. Women’s cricket is on a remarkable upward trajectory, and with this step we are confident the momentum will accelerate.”This edition of the World Cup will take place in India and Sri Lanka from September 30. Though the opening match of the tournament, between India and Sri Lanka, is less than a month away, tickets are yet to go on sale. However, the ICC has said that tickets are expected to go on sale online this week.The tickets for the 2022 World Cup were available six months ahead of the tournament.