Yahoo Sports AM: Why chaotic Copa doesn’t (necessarily) spell doom for 2026 World Cup

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🚨 Headlines

⚽️ Record ratings: Sunday’s Euro (6.43 million viewers) and Copa América finals (6.02 million) were Fox’s most- and second-most watched non-World Cup soccer broadcasts ever.

🏈 Aiyuk requests trade: 49ers star WR Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade amidst stalled contract talks. Here are five likely landing spots if the Niners oblige him.

⚾️ Little Papi: With the 567th pick in the draft, the Red Sox selected infielder D’Angelo Ortiz, the 20-year-old son of franchise legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz.

🎾 Nadal wins in return: Rafael Nadal won on Tuesday in his first singles match since his early French Open exit. And speaking of famous sons, his opponent was Leo Borg, son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Björn.

⛳️ Woods fires back: Tiger Woods shot back at Colin Montgomerie on Tuesday, days after the former Ryder Cup champion suggested Woods should retire: “As a past champion, I’m exempt [from The Open] until I’m 60. Colin’s not. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt.”

💔 RIP, Mr. Bryant: Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe’s father and an eight-year NBA vet, died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke. He was 69.

⚽️ Why the chaotic Copa doesn’t (necessarily) spell doom for the 2026 World Cup

The chaos that enveloped much of Copa América, which crescendoed in an ugly scene before Sunday’s finale, left many wondering whether it spelled doom for the 2026 World Cup, also hosted by the United States. The answer? Not necessarily.

From Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell:

It was billed, enthusiastically, as a World Cup warm-up. The 2024 Copa América, staged in the United States, was seen by some as a dress rehearsal. It arrived, audaciously, in Atlanta, then Dallas, then 12 other U.S. cities, as a fútbol fiesta. It also felt like an appetizer for the grandest sporting event on Earth — the men’s World Cup, which is coming to North America in 2026, bigger and more bombastic than ever.

But over four messy weeks, the Copa América unraveled. On Sunday, it collapsed into chaos. And so, rather than whet American soccer appetites, it sparked all sorts of questions and concerns about the country’s readiness for 2026.

The concerns are wide-ranging and understandable. The 2024 tournament, a pan-American championship, was dogged all along by heat, empty seats, criticism of fields, unprofessional quirks and, in the end, disorder. A semifinal ended in a player-fan brawl. The final, delayed by security failures, left thousands of fans suffering — at a 2026 World Cup venue, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

But no, the events of the past four weeks don’t necessarily spell doom for 2026.

This was a slapdash tournament shoddily organized by CONMEBOL, the South American soccer confederation. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has already spent far more time and money and manpower planning the 2026 World Cup — the first that it will manage entirely on its own, rather than by delegating that responsibility to a local organizing committee.

Keep reading.

🌎 The world in photos

Arlington, Texas — The AL resumed its winning ways with a 5-3 victory over the NL thanks to Jarren Duran’s tiebreaking two-run homer, which earned him MVP on an electric night in which Paul Skenes tossed a scoreless inning and Shohei Ohtani, naturally, blasted a three-run bomb.

Madrid — Real Madrid officially introduced Kylian Mbappé to over 80,000 fans on Tuesday at the Bernabéu. The French superstar, who signed a five-year deal with the Spanish giant, said he “spent endless nights dreaming about playing for Real Madrid, and today I am one happy guy.”

Washington, D.C. — The USWNT played Costa Rica to a scoreless draw in their last Olympic tune-up, battling scorching heat in the nation’s capital that was “perfect preparation for Marseille,” said head coach Emma Hayes of the sweltering city where they’ll play the group stage.

Troon, Scotland — The pot bunkers at Royal Troon are no joke.

🏀 Reed Sheppard, the Summer League’s breakout star

Reed Sheppard may have been the third player off the board at last month’s draft, but so far in Summer League the Rockets prospect looks like he could be the NBA’s top rookie.

Great first impression: The 6-foot-3 guard out of Kentucky is averaging 20 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3 steals and a block while shooting 49% from the field and 38% from deep in his first three games with Houston. And more than the numbers, he simply looks like he belongs.

What they’re saying: “He’s a guy that makes all the right plays,” Rockets forward Amen Thompson told Yahoo Sports after watching Sheppard out-duel No. 2 pick Alex Sarr in Sunday’s win over the Wizards. “He’s a really good passer, can shoot it and defend. I’m excited.”

Was this expected? Well, yes and no. He was the No. 3 pick for a reason, and he shot a blistering 52% from three last season for the Wildcats. But he rarely started, and generally played more off the ball alongside Rob Dillingham, who went five picks later to the Timberwolves.

• He wouldn’t be the first Kentucky draftee to make a leap in the NBA after more modest stats in college, though, as the Wildcats’ perennial depth sometimes made former coach John Calipari get creative with his lineups.

• Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker, for example, each played just 21 minutes per game in their lone season in Lexington — the same season, in fact — before quickly becoming NBA superstars.

The last word: “Sheppard could end up being a franchise starting guard with how well he’s playing and his immense versatility on both ends of the court,” writes Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek. She continues:

Summer League is always a time to assess new players and see how they fare in their first taste of the NBA. League executives and scouts watch other teams to see who potentially hit or missed on certain prospects. It’s safe to say the Rockets got a good one with Sheppard, and he’s proving to be a player who can come in right away and contribute in his first year.

More Summer League: Five standouts who could make a fantasy impact | No. 2 pick Alex Sarr posts 0-15 shooting night

📆 July 17, 1941: DiMaggio’s streak ends

83 years ago today, Joe DiMaggio’s record 56-game hitting streak finally came to an end as the Yankee Clipper went 0-3 with a walk in a win over the Indians.

By the numbers: DiMaggio went 91-for-223 (.408) with 21 walks and just five strikeouts during the streak (yes, he struck out five times in 56 games, and just 13 times all season!). But one of my favorite bits of baseball trivia is that Ted Williams — who famously hit .406 that year — had a higher batting average than DiMaggio during his streak (.412).

More on this day:

*All-time walks leaders: Barry Bonds (2,558), Rickey Henderson (2,190), Ruth (2,062), Williams (2,021).

📺 Watchlist: First-half finale

The WNBA’s first half concludes tonight in Dallas (7:30pm ET, ESPN), where the last-place Wings host Caitlin Clark and the streaking* Fever in the final game before the All-Star break.

Where it stands: If the season ended today, these eight teams would make the playoffs: 1. Liberty (21-4), 2. Sun (18-6), 3. Storm (17-8), 4. Aces (16-8), 5. Lynx (16-8), 6. Mercury (13-12), 7. Fever (11-14), 8. Sky (10-14)

More to watch:

• 🏀 Exhibition: USA vs. Serbia (12pm, FS1) … The Americans take on Nikola Jokić‘s squad in Abu Dhabi.

• ⚽️ MLS: Nashville vs. Orlando (8:30pm, FS1); LAFC vs. Salt Lake (10:45pm, FS1) … Plus, 12 other games on Apple.

• 🏀 NBA Summer League: Eight games (3-10pm, ESPN/ESPN2/NBA)

*Picking up steam: The Fever (11-14) have won eight of their past 12 games, with Clark averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists.

🏀 NBA trivia

Patrick Beverley signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, perhaps ending his 12-year NBA career during which he played for seven different teams.

Question: Can you name all seven?

Hint: Four West, three East (one of which is in the photo)

Answer at the bottom.

🏈 Training camp has begun

NFL training camps are underway. The Texans became the first team to officially open camp today, kicking off the on-field portion of the offseason. By this time next week, the other 31 teams will have all followed suit.

Training camp primer: What matters and what doesn’t

Trivia answer: Rockets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls, 76ers, Bucks

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