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Getty ImagesChris JonesRugby Union Correspondent49 minutes agoEngland look set to kick off their inaugural Nations Cup campaign with fixtures against Fiji, South Africa and Argentina next summer.Discussions are under way to play the Fiji “away” match at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham before trips to South Africa and Argentina.England will then host New Zealand, Australia and Japan the following autumn before a grand final.The Nations Cup will take place every two years, excluding years with a Rugby World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour.While Nations Cup organisers have stressed plans are yet to be finalised, sources have told the BBC negotiations are ongoing to stage the England against Fiji match in Europe, with Twickenham a mooted destination.The Nations Cup top division will consist of the teams that make up the Six Nations, the four Rugby Championship teams, and most likely Japan and Fiji, although their participation is still to be rubber-stamped.While the Six Nations and Rugby Championship will continue as normal, the summer and autumn windows will see each country play the six “other” teams, with three matches in July and three in November.The matches in those windows will be amalgamated into a table, with the winners crowned after a finals weekend at the end of November.However, discussions are ongoing about some sides playing one of their “home” matches on neutral territory to reduce travel.But instead of facing England in South Africa or Argentina, it’s thought Fiji are open to playing in Europe given the number of their players operating in the northern hemisphere. A match at Twickenham would also provide a significant financial boost and draw a big crowd.The Nations Cup was confirmed by World Rugby in October 2023, with the first iteration taking place in 2026 and relegation and promotion scheduled from 2030 onwards.Related topicsRugby Union

Getty ImagesAmy LofthouseBBC Sport senior journalist44 minutes agoFrench Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and appWorld number one Aryna Sabalenka edged a tight encounter against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach the French Open semi-finals.Sabalenka won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 against China’s Zheng on a blustery Court Phillippe Chatrier.The Belarusian – arguably the favourite to win her first Paris title – had to come back from a break down in the first set but showed all her fighting quality to advance.”That was a true battle – I have no idea how I was able to get back into that first set,” Sabalenka said.”I was ready to leave everything I have on court to win.”Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, with her improved serve and movement reaping rewards on the clay.A potential mouth-watering meeting with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek could await if the Pole beats Elina Svitolina in the second semi-final.For all that Swiatek has dominated the French Open in recent years, Sabalenka is the player to beat this time around.She has won three titles this year – including one on the Madrid clay – and reached two further finals, as well as strengthening her grip on the top ranking.But her three-set defeat to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final stung – and she looks on a mission to avenge that loss.Zheng had cause for optimism. She snapped a six-match losing streak to Sabalenka on the Rome clay in May and ultimately started the better of the two.However, the mistakes were the difference, with Zheng committing 31 unforced errors to Sabalenka’s 18 and winning just 39% of points behind her second serve.Sabalenka was visibly unimpressed with the wind, her game, and finding herself down an early break in the first set, but she generated enough rhythm to break back for 4-4.The top seed dominated the eventual tie-break, taking it on a long whipped forehand from Zheng, and repeatedly battled back from 0-30 down in her service games to keep the second set close.The pair exchanged breaks before Zheng played her worst game of the match to hurry Sabalenka along to a 4-3 lead.Sabalenka’s quality then shone through as, with Zheng 40-0 up and serving to stay in the match, she hammered winners past her opponent to seal the match as quickly as possible.Related topicsTennis

Getty ImagesNizaar KinsellaBBC Sport football news reporter17 minutes agoChelsea have opted not to sign winger Jadon Sancho on a permanent basis and will instead pay a £5m penalty to send the player back to Manchester United.The England forward moved to Stamford Bridge on loan last summer after his relationship with former United manager Erik ten Hag broke down.United, who signed Sancho for £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, are happy for the 25-year-old to leave.Chelsea did not pay a loan fee for the player and covered just half of his reported £300,000-a-week wages.The Blues had agreed an obligation to buy Sancho for a fee of about 25m if they finished higher than 14th in the Premier League, which they did – or pay to get out of the deal.However, the club and the player’s representatives have not been able to agree on a contract for Sancho, who would have had to take a pay cut from his deal at United.The England player has a year remaining on his United contract, and the club still owe £17m to Dortmund.Sancho scored in the 4-1 win over Real Betis on Wednesday to help Chelsea win the Conference League – their first trophy since February 2022 – and ended the season with five goals and 10 assists in 42 games.Although he is under contract until 30 June at Chelsea, he is unlikely to play for them in this month’s Club World Cup in the United States.Related topicsManchester UnitedChelseaPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesSimon StoneChief football news reporter5 minutes agoBruno Fernandes has rejected a huge offer from Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal.Fernandes has spent the past few days seriously considering the deal which would have more than doubled his salary at Manchester United, where he is one of the biggest earners.However, after discussing the matter with his family, Fernandes has informed Al-Hilal he will not be joining them.It is likely he will be asked about the situation later on Tuesday, when he is expected to conduct a pre-match press conference in Germany before Portugal’s Nations League semi-final on Wednesday.United are understood to be delighted by the news, which came after head coach Ruben Amorim on Friday expressed his belief that Fernandes would remain at Old Trafford.There were no direct conversations between United and Al-Hilal, so they were never presented with a bid they could turn down.However, it was expected Al-Hilal were prepared to offer between £80m and £100m to sign the 30-year-old in time for this month’s Club World Cup.It is not clear whether they will now pursue new targets.Fernandes has made 290 appearances and scored 98 goals for the club since his £47m move from Sporting in January 2020.Related topicsManchester UnitedPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesSimon StoneChief football news reporter10 minutes agoManchester United are expected to open talks with Brentford over striker Bryan Mbeumo.United head coach Ruben Amorim is prioritising signing additional striking firepower this summer to bolster his misfiring attack.The Old Trafford side scored only 44 Premier League goals last season – the fifth lowest tally in the league – with big-money signings Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managing only four and three respectively.Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has already agreed a deal with United and will complete his move to Old Trafford once his international commitments with Brazil are over.United feel confident in making a move for Cameroon international Mbeumo, 25, who scored 20 times for the Bees in the league last season, after receiving indications they are his first choice for a move this summer.It is understood there is no release clause in Mbeumo’s contract, which still has a year left to run, although there is the option to extend it by another year.Like many leading players, including United goalkeeper Andre Onana, he has been left out of the squad for his nation’s upcoming friendlies against Uganda and Equatorial Guinea.While Mbeumo, who signed from French club Troyes in 2019, is not a natural number nine, he is viewed as being versatile, dynamic, powerful and fast, and Amorim wants flexible players.It is understood any deal will not be affected by growing reports suggesting Bruno Fernandes has turned down a huge offer from Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal.Related topicsManchester UnitedFootball

Getty ImagesDan RoanSports editor@danroan30 minutes agoLeaders across the sport and physical-activity sector have jointly written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, warning that if they are not prioritised in government spending plans, it will “risk the decline or closure of more facilities and clubs”.The letter, seen by BBC Sport, has been signed by organisations including the Youth Sport Trust, the Sport and Recreation Alliance, gym and leisure-centre body Ukactive and the Sport for Development Coalition.In it, they say that next week’s Spending Review, which will outline departmental budgets, “marks a crucial moment of opportunity.””We believe now, more than ever, is the time to unlock fully the true potential of the sport, recreation and physical activity sector,” they write.”Failure to do this will risk… a reduction in physical activity levels, a negative impact on physical and mental health, greater health inequalities and lower productivity.”A government spokesperson said: “Everyone must be able to access and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities, including children and people with disabilities.”By delivering our plan for change we can create a more active nation, revive grassroot sport clubs in communities and give our young people the best start in life.”According to Ukactive, more than 200 swimming pools in England have closed since 2020.In the joint letter, which has also been signed by Active Partnerships and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), the bodies tell Starmer: “As a lover of sport and physical activity, we know you understand its unique power to unite the country, to make people healthier and happier, and positively shape and transform lives.”Following last summer’s successful Olympic and Paralympic Games you publicly recognised this.”Our sector generates social and economic value worth more than £107bn annually… but there is huge untapped potential being left on the bench.”The UK’s physical activity levels rank 11th out of 15 comparable European nations and the most recent participation data shows significant inequalities remain across different demographic groups and communities.”In April, Sport England claimed that record numbers of people in the country were now playing sport or taking part in physical activity, but said there is “still much to do”.

Getty ImagesBen CollinsBBC Sport journalist13 minutes agoEnglish amateur Tyler Weaver will make his US Open debut after earning a qualifying spot on Monday.US PGA Tour players Rickie Fowler and Max Homa were among the big names to miss out on what is known as ‘golf’s longest day’.US Open hopefuls played 36 holes at 10 venues across the US and Canada in a bid to secure their spot, with a total of 47 available.Weaver, 22, was tied for third at 11 under to become one of three amateurs to qualify in Atlanta, with 17-year-old American Mason Howell leading the way.England’s Matt Wallace ended the day at seven under par to be one of seven qualifiers in Ontario, along with Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen.South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen finished first in Columbus, Ohio, with Fowler and Homa missing out in a five-man play-off as fellow American Cameron Young claimed the final spot.Homa, 34, was the only player carrying his bag at the event having recently split from his caddie and, with it going to a play-off, the world number 90 had to carry it for 38 holes.At Woodmont in Maryland, Ryan McCormick and Trevor Cone took the first two spots, before Australia’s Marc Leishman and American amateur Bryan Lee prevailed in a play-off for the other two.The Florida event was suspended because of bad weather so play will resume on Tuesday.Among those in contention is English amateur Luke Poulter, son of former world number five Ian Poulter.Four spots are on offer at West Palm Beach and the 21-year-old was in fourth when play was halted, finishing the first round on 69.Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, the 2010 US Open winner, is also in contention after a first round of 70.This year’s US Open takes place at Oakmont in Pennsylvania from 12-15 June.Matt Vogt used to be a caddie there but is now a practising dentist in Indianapolis and managed to claim one of the two spots at the qualifier in Washington state.Related topicsGolf