Summer lovin’
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s officially summer!
The longest day of the year brought some extra sunny news: The GOAT Serena Williams will compete in the singles tournament at Wimbledon, the latest chapter in her comeback after taking on doubles at last month’s Queen’s Club championship. Can’t wait — now let’s serve up more sports news.
FIFA men’s World Cup
⚽ Making Canada proud
💪 Three teams are through to the 32-team knockout stage after winning their groups over the weekend: Mexico (Group A), the U.S. (Group D), and Germany (Group E). Applause, applause.
- Sadly, three teams have also been mathematically eliminated from the WC, but will still finish their group stage campaigns later this week: Haiti (Group C), Türkiye (Group D), and Tunisia (Ground F).
🇨🇦 As for CanMNT, Ismaël Koné was given a hero’s welcome back to camp after undergoing surgery on his broken leg, a gruesome injury suffered in Canada’s first-ever men’s WC win. That 6–0 Thursday dub over Qatar included a hat trick from striker Jonathan David, plus a goal from midfielder Nathan Saliba, who subbed on for Koné.
- CanMNT hasn’t yet clinched a spot in the knockouts, but their chances are high: If Les Rouges win or draw against Switzerland on Wednesday, they’ll win Group B.
🇺🇸 Fellow co-host USMNT topped Australia 2–0 on Friday, even without injured superstar Christian Pulisic. That locked them into a July 1st Round of 32 date with a still-undecided opponent, but first they’ll need to complete the group stage on Thursday against aforementioned Türkiye.
🙌 Spanish teen Lamine Yamal scored his first WC goal yesterday, the opening golazo in Spain’s 4–0 win over Saudi Arabia. Hours later, Egypt won their first WC game, a 3–1 victory over New Zealand.
👏 First-time WCer Cabo Verde remains undefeated, stymieing megawatt Uruguay 2–2 yesterday, a draw that included the West Africa island country’s first and second-ever goals.
😱 Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room made 16 saves, tying legendary American goalkeeper Tim Howard’s WC record, as the tiny Caribbean nation stunned the tourney by drawing Ecuador 0–0 on Saturday for their first WC point. Crown them.
📺 We’ll be treated to four games apiece today and tomorrow as the last of the game twos wrap up. Here’s a few you can’t miss:
- 🇦🇷 Argentina vs. 🇦🇹 Austria (Group J) — Today at 1 p.m. ET: Lionel Messi is one goal away from breaking the all-time men’s career WC goals record. Yeah, go ahead and take that long lunch.
- 🇳🇴 Norway vs. 🇸🇳 Senegal (Group I) — Today at 8 p.m. ET: If you can only watch one game, it should be this one: Norway’s Golden Boot contender Erling Haaland takes on formidable Senegal for control of the tourney’s toughest group.
- 🇵🇹 Portugal vs. 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan (Group K) — Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET: After failing to win their opening match against DR Congo, pressure’s on powerhouse Portugal (and specifically, Cristiano Ronaldo) to silence the naysayers and deny debutante Uzbekistan.
TOGETHER WITH LUSH
🛁 Self-care meets solidarity
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WNBA
🏀 A bright sun-shiny day
The GIST: The Summer Solstice didn’t just usher in longer days — it also brought some of the best performances women’s basketball has to offer. Let’s hoop to it.
🤩 Marina Mabrey, Angel Reese rewrite the history books: The Toronto Tempo’s Mabrey drilled nine three-pointers to equal the WNBA single-game record in a comeback win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday, before Reese became the fastest player to record 1K career rebounds in Atlanta’s win over the Indiana Fever a day later.
- Speaking of the Six, it’s a good thing Mabrey’s been shooting the lights out since the shorthanded Tempo are without Brittney Sykes and Kiki Rice. Both players are expected to miss extended time nursing injuries, a devastating blow to Toronto’s strong backcourt.
👏 Thirty years later, the WNBA still rocks: Last night’s 30th anniversary game between the LA Sparks and NY Liberty celebrated all the best things about the W: resilience (the Sparks rallied from a 17-point deficit for a 98–97 win), playmaking (NY icon Breanna Stewart tallied a double-double), and teamwork (12 players total scored in double figures).
- The Sparks’ second-half surge culminated in a game-winning three from certified bucket Nneka Ogwumike, but this game was so much more than a regular-season victory — it was a testament to the league’s evolution over the last three decades. How lucky are we.
☀️ The Summer of Soccer is officially upon us. And there’s no better way to get in the game than with The GIST's free-to-enter World Soccer Bracket Challenge.
Whether you’re a diehard fan or just here for the good vibes, this challenge is for everyone — no expertise required.
- ⭐ Join in to cheer for your faves, compete against friends, family, and fellow GISTers, and maybe even snag some bragging rights (and prizes) along the way.
Entries close Sunday, June 28th, at 2 p.m. ET, so get your picks in now!
⛳ Wyndham Clark hangs on for second career U.S. Open title
The wire-to-wire win didn’t come easy for World No. 34 Clark, who battled it all this weekend — from the infamous fescues to the near-constant heckling — at Shinnecock Hills, one of the most difficult courses on Tour. Clark’s six-shot lead entering yesterday’s final round proved to be enough of a buffer, allowing him to hold off a late surge from World No. 30 Sam Burns.
✈️ Azzi Fudd commits to Project B for its inaugural season
Fudd joins a star-studded lineup of hoopers that already included Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, and Kelsey Mitchell ahead of the global basketball league’s December debut. Project B will feature traditional 5-on-5 hoops and seven two-week tournaments across the globe with stops already planned in Spain and Japan. Wanderlust was calling — and the 23-year-old answered.
- As the pro women’s hoops landscape continues to evolve, player choice is a beautiful byproduct: Unrivaled (where Gabby Williams inked a multi-year deal last week), Athletes Unlimited, Project B, and the EuroLeague all offer unique opportunities for WNBA offseason development.
🏀 Who’s going No. 1 overall in tomorrow’s 8 p.m. ET NBA Draft?
Lauded as one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory, there’s plenty of potential franchise changers on the board, but BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson top the list. In fact, Peterson’s so confident his name will be called first, he only worked out for the Washington Wizards, owners of the No. 1 selection. Bold strategy, Cotton.
- That’s not the only drama on the hardwood: The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes could be wrapped soon with the Milwaukee Bucks legend expected to be traded imminently. Will he land in Boston, Miami, or Minnesota — or somewhere else entirely? Watch this space.
⚾ Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber to make season debut
Reinforcements are on the way for the Jays. Bieber is expected to make his first start of the 2026 season tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET vs. the Houston Astros, returning from right elbow inflammation. The two-time All-Star should bring some much-needed stability to this up-and-down rotation. No pressure.
🏒 Florida Panthers trade for Brady Tkachuk, teaming him up with brother Matthew
In a massive roster move ahead of Friday’s NHL Draft, the Panthers reportedly gained a second Tkachuk brother yesterday, uniting former Ottawa Senator Brady with his two-time Stanley Cup–winning older sibling, Matthew. Brady was reportedly looking for a move to an American team after winning gold with Team USA at the Olympics this winter. Off he goes.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, and Lauren Tuiskula. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.