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The final week of the MLB regular season promises to be a memorable one. While three teams have clinched divsion titles thus far and another five have clinched postseason berths, much has yet to be decided. The Guardians' incredible surge to the top of the American League Central—and the Tigers' collapse—has made a division race that was seemingly decided in August now up for grabs in September. The same can be said for the AL East race, where the Blue Jays' seemingly sturdy lead slipped through the club's fingers, and they are now tied with the Yankees atop the division with four games to play. Toronto owns the tiebreaker.

Plus, the races for the third wild-card spots in both leagues, in which as many as five teams are involved, figure to come down to the wire, potentially to the season's final day.

But much has also been decided already, and plenty of teams have already been eliminated from postseason contention. To keep you updated on the goings-on, here's a live list of the teams who officially won't be playing October baseball this year.

Every MLB Team Eliminated From the 2025 Playoffs So Far

Team

Date Eliminated

Colorado Rockies

August 24

Chicago White Sox

September 6

Washington Nationals

September 13

Minnesota Twins

September 13

Los Angeles Angels

September 14

Pittsburgh Pirates

September 15

Baltimore Orioles

September 16

Oakland Athletics

September 17

Tampa Bay Rays

September 19

Atlanta Braves

September 19

Kansas City Royals

September 23

Texas Rangers

September 23

San Francisco Giants

September 23

St. Louis Cardinals

September 24

Miami Marlins

September 25

Arizona Diamondbacks

September 26

Houston Astros

September 27

Who's clinched a playoff berth?

Team

Date Clinched

Milwaukee Brewers

September 13

Philadelphia Phillies

September 14

Chicago Cubs

September 17

Los Angeles Dodgers

September 19

Toronto Blue Jays

September 21

San Diego Padres

September 22

New York Yankees

September 23

Seattle Mariners

September 23

Boston Red Sox

September 26

Detroit Tigers

September 27

Cleveland Guardians

September 27

Who's still left in the race for MLB Playoffs? New York Mets

The Mets' second-half swoon has them in a race to the playoffs that will, after their victory over the Marlins on Saturday, come down to the season's final day. To avoid a tiebreaker that will result in their elimination, the Mets need to win and the club needs the Reds to lose.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have seemingly dug their heels in and refused to fall out of the postseason chase, as they've played middling baseball since the All-Star break but have been aided by the lackluster play of the Mets. Cincinnati, owns a tiebreaker over the Mets, so it just needs to tie with New York, at the worst, to make the postseason.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reignited the drama surrounding Barcelona's Negreira case, as Los Blancos' chief pointed to the perceived injustice in Barca's "best sporting era" coinciding with alleged payments of more than €8 million to referees over a 17-year period. Perez also cited the clear imbalance in red cards issued to the two clubs during the period, stating that the situation is "not normal".

Perez reopens Barcelona's Negreira scandal controversy

Speaking at the latest Assembly of Representative Members, Perez used his speech to attack several major bodies, including UEFA, La Liga and, especially, Barcelona.

As reported by the Real Madrid president took the opportunity to reopen the controversy surrounding Barca’s referee scandal, where La Blaugrana were accused of paying approximately €8.4m (£7.3m/$9.7m) to referees in the Spanish top flight within a 17-year period, between 2001-2018.

The ‘Negreira case’, as it is often known, begun following accusations in 2023. Jose María Enríquez Negreira was formerly vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (TCA) of the Spanish FA (the RFEF). Negreira received these substantial payments from Barcelona, which the club claimed was in a consultancy capacity as Negreira offered refereeing reports and advice. Both the club and Negreira have denied accusations of bribery being involved, but a case into sporting integrity is still ongoing.

Perez has now relaunched the controversy amidst his claims that the situation is “not normal” and coincides with sporting success in a manner which the Los Blancos chief questioned in his speech.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPerez questions Barcelona and refereeing scandal in fiery speech

"It’s not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice president of referees more than €8m for at least 17 years, whatever the reason," Perez denounced before the members. "I repeat: whatever the reason, it’s not normal."

He continued to say that Enríquez Negreira held "a key position in the refereeing hierarchy," responsible for referee promotions and demotions. "A period that coincides, coincidentally, with Barcelona’s best sporting results in our country," added Perez.

Perez used charts and data to back up his claims. "Real Madrid had a net balance of two red cards in 2021,” he explained. "And Barcelona, 61 red cards. That’s a difference of no less than 59. On the other hand, during the same period, the balance in Europe is almost identical: +12 for Barca and +13 for Madrid.

"Bayern and Dortmund have the same balance, and so do the major leagues. The red card balance during the Negreira period at Barcelona was +49 and at Real Madrid, -1. Draw your own conclusions."

'Who is going to forget it?'

"Real Madrid is the only club that has appeared in the trial. Four presidents have maintained millionaire payments for 17 years to the vice president of referees,” he stated.

He also pressurised the stance of the TCA president: "Fran Soto has asked us to move on and forget the ‘Negreira case.’ Who is going to forget it? The reality is that they [the referees involved] are still there. It’s a situation that prevents them from acting with neutrality.

"How is it possible that, before the Copa final, the match referee said that referees were going to take action against our club? Before a Copa del Rey final? He should have been removed, and no measures were taken."

The president concluded by pointing towards La Liga’s role in the Barcelona match which was going to be held in Miami. "Not even their captain, Frenkie de Jong, thinks it’s normal," he claimed about the proposition to hold an official match in the US. "And it’s also not normal that La Liga supports two teams, Barcelona and Villarreal, who receive additional financial incentives for playing in Miami. And yet we have to listen to Mr Tebas trying to compare this with the NFL."

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Getty Images SportBarcelona's refereeing controversy goes on

The fact that Perez has taken such a high-profile opportunity to speak out on the case shows its continued importance to the Madrid president at Barca’s arch-rivals.

He feels that the case questions the integrity of La Liga and is not willing to hear La Blaugrana’s explained reasoning for the situation occurring. Whether Barca, La Liga or the TCA will respond to the outburst remains to be seen.

Uncapped Hampshire fast bowler in XI for opening game of series at Headingley

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2025Sonny Baker, the Hampshire fast bowler, will make his international debut in the first match of England’s ODI series with South Africa at Headingley on Tuesday.Baker, 22, has only played 11 List A games but caught the eye during the Hundred, where he took nine wickets in seven appearances for Manchester Originals. Capable of pushing the speed gun up to 90mph/145kph, he impressed with the Lions over the winter and was handed an England development contract earlier this year.He will be joined in England’s pace attack by Jofra Archer, playing his first ODI since the Champions Trophy, and Brydon Carse. Harry Brook captains the XI in his second series since taking charge, while Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett will continue to bed in their opening partnership.Related

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Brook said that England were “excited to see where he goes” after Baker’s performances in the Hundred, noting in particular his duels with Kane Williamson, David Warner, Steven Smith and Jonny Bairstow while playing for Originals.”He’s been awesome in the Hundred,” Brook said. “We’ve seen him bowl at some of the best batters in the world and he had them on toast, so it’s been really good to see. He bowls at high pace and he can swing it both ways with exceptional death skills as well. To have him in the team and for him to be opening up tomorrow is awesome. I think there’s quite a lot of people excited to see where he goes.”There have been a few moments. The spells he bowled to Williamson and Warner and then Smith and Bairstow, all four are world-class batters in the shorter format and he was all over them. He bowled with high pace and high skill. He was awesome to watch this year and everyone was talking about him.”On the day that Jamie Overton shelved first-class cricket, Brook agreed that Baker could potentially force himself into the equation for the Ashes: “I don’t select the red-ball side, but yeah, he’s obviously done really well this summer and we’ll see how he goes tomorrow. He’s bowling at high pace with a lot of skill, and it looks like he has quite a lot about him as well.”England XI for 1st ODI: 1 Jamie Smith, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Sonny Baker

The pair has won the Plunket Shield with Wellington and were training together at Chennai’s Super Kings Academy recently to “learn different parts of our game”

Deivarayan Muthu18-Oct-2024Nick Greenwood and Jesse Tashkoff have traversed contrasting paths to the Wellington team.Greenwood, a batting allrounder, was born in Jersey before his family emigrated to New Zealand when he was two years old. Now 24, he has already had a taste of international cricket with Jersey, his birth island, and aspires to become a Black Cap in the future.Tashkoff, a year younger than Greenwood, is a left-arm fingerspinner who was born and brought up in Lower Hutt in Wellington. Tashkoff’s leadership skills were recognised early when he was appointed New Zealand Under-19s’ captain for the World Cup in South Africa in 2020. Having grown up idolising Daniel Vettori and admiring Mitchell Santner, Tashkoff also dreams of playing for New Zealand.In March earlier this year, Greenwood and Tashkoff won the 2023-24 Plunket Shield with Wellington. Four months later, their paths crossed again in Chennai, where the pair spent the New Zealand winter at the Super Kings Academy (SKA), preparing for the new domestic season, which will kick off with the Ford Trophy on October 20.”Obviously coming from New Zealand, the conditions are a lot different to what they’re like over here,” Tashkoff says. “So it’s nice to come over here and learn different parts of our game that we might not be able to experience back home just with the different pitch conditions and weather. So there are a lot of takeaways that we can grab from our training over here and implement it into our games back home. That’s our main goal coming into such trips here.”

“The change of pace is the biggest and easiest way to adjust but I’ve been also working on the carrom ball, the slider and the arm ball as well. Just need to get more confidence in the nets practicing it before I can bring the carrom ball into a game this season”Jesse Tashkoff

For Greenwood and Tashkoff, it was also an opportunity to reconnect with Sriram Krishnamurthy, their former Wellington Under-19s coach, who is now the head coach at the SKA in Chennai. “We might not get these exact wickets back in New Zealand, but like Sri has been telling us, the basics of playing spin, it’s still the basics he’s trying to instil in, no matter the wicket,” Greenwood says. “There’s a lot of things you can take out of here like your height at the crease – stay nice and low – and keeping side-on and picking the ball out of the hand. All these things you try to pick up and take it into your game in Wellington even though it might not spin as much there.”During the winter, Greenwood had also helped Jersey win the T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier in Krefeld before picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in List A cricket in the 50-over challenge league for Jersey in Nairobi.It was actually a chance conversation during a club game in Lancashire in 2019 that put Greenwood on the radar of the Jersey cricket team.”Wellington had set me up to play some cricket in the UK and I was playing for a club over there,” Greenwood recalls. “One of the people there [at the club] went to university there with one of Jersey’s players – Ben Stevens – and I got a contact with the coach [Neil MacRae] and a couple of days later had a net session and then, a month later, I was in Abu Dhabi and Dubai playing T20 qualifiers. So it was a pretty cool experience and I’m grateful that they gave me the opportunity [to play international cricket]. We have played some good cricket over the years, but we have kind of slid back to the regional qualifier now. Hopefully, we can keep up with the likes of Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and stay in touch with that qualifying group.”With Devon Conway knocking back a central contract to become a freelancer and Rachin Ravindra set to be away on international duty for most of the domestic season, Greenwood is likely to open the batting with Tim Robinson – who is fresh off his maiden Caribbean Premier League stint with Guyana Amazon Warriors – in the upcoming domestic season. But having been exposed to different conditions around the world, he is open to batting at any position for Wellington.Nick Greenwood has scored three hundreds and nine fifties in List A cricket•Getty Images”I haven’t done heaps of it [batting in the middle order] last season when Dev and Rach didn’t play much,” Greenwood says. “When guys come back, it’s also an opportunity to learn from them but I like to believe my game hasn’t changed too much. Yes, batting in the powerplay is a bit different, but I’m comfortable playing against spin in that role as well. It’s a thing to my game as well – keep developing it and there’s nothing to stop me saying I can’t bat there [middle order] or bat at the top. Ready to bat anywhere.”Inspired by Liam Livingstone, Greenwood is also working on adding legspin to his regular offspin in his quest to counter right-handers who try to line him up.As for Tashkoff, who is Wellington’s second spinner behind Peter Younghusband, he has also been working behind the scenes to expand his repertoire.”The change of pace is the biggest and easiest way to adjust but I’ve been also working on the carrom ball, the slider and the arm ball as well,” Tashkoff says. “Just need to get more confidence in the nets practicing it before I can bring the carrom ball into a game this season. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while but still not at a stage where I can confidently bring it into a game yet. I’ve watched a lot of footage and seen how bowlers release it, talking to coaches and getting ideas on what’s the best technique. It’s pretty much trial and error for me to find out what works the best for me.”The common goal for both Greenwood and Tashkoff now is to help Wellington win more titles this domestic season.”Last season, we had some team success and winning the Plunket Shield was awesome to experience,” Greenwood says. “There were some new players in the team that hadn’t won before, which was awesome again. We’ll continue to strive for team success, which is a good way to promote yourself to become a better player as well. So we will definitely look to compete for more trophies with Wellington.”

Lionel Messi is still refusing to confirm his 2026 World Cup plans, with the all-time great leaving Argentina and the rest of a global audience guessing on whether he will form part of a global title defence from the reigning champions next summer. The mercurial No.10 remains part of Lionel Scaloni’s squad for now, but says he does not “want to be a burden”.

MLS schedule causes concern for Messi

It is difficult to imagine how the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner could ever be anything but a positive presence for his country, but the 38-year-old is aware that plying his trade in MLS may leave him short on match sharpness heading into a summer tournament.

Messi is currently approaching the end of another domestic campaign in the United States, with Golden Boot-winning exploits allowing him to guide Inter Miami into Conference semi-finals of the MLS Cup play-offs.

AdvertisementGettyMessi's Argentina record: Appearances and goals

Ultimate glory there would see Messi end another memorable season on a high, with a new contract being committed to in South Florida. He is now tied to terms with the Herons through 2028. While having plenty of games at club level left in him, questions of Messi’s international future have been asked for some time.

He has taken in a final outing on home soil, having helped Argentina through World Cup qualification, and is expected to bow out after gracing FIFA’s flagship event in 2026. He has already earned 195 caps for his country, while scoring 114 goals.

Is Messi a burden? GOAT keeping Argentina guessing

Messi is yet to reveal whether he will make himself available to Argentina next summer, having helped them to the most prestigious of prizes at Qatar 2022, with MLS seasons getting underway in the spring. Many of those that he is due to come up against in the United States, Canada and Mexico will head to the World Cup on the back of a full domestic campaign.

With that in mind, Messi has told when asked again about his potential involvement. He said when having it put to him that having another World Cup fast approaching is “very exciting”: “Yes, obviously it is. It's a special World Cup. It's special to play with the national team, especially in major official competitions, and even more so considering what a World Cup means, especially after having won it.

“But as I was saying, I don't want to be a burden, so to speak. I want to feel physically fit, to be sure I can help and contribute to the team. Our season is different from the European one. We'll have a pre-season in between, with few matches leading up to the World Cup, and we'll see how things go day by day to see if I really feel physically fit enough to be where I'd like to be and be able to participate.

“But obviously, I'm aware that it's a World Cup, and it's special, and that the World Cup is the biggest competition there is. So, I'm excited, but I'm taking it one day at a time.”

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GettyLife after Messi: Argentina happy with squad depth

Argentina have started to plan for life after Messi, with injury-enforced absences for the veteran forward allowing others to stake a claim for an iconic playmaking post. Scaloni is happy with the depth that his squad now boasts.

He has said of eventually ending up in a position where a talismanic presence can no longer be called upon: “The team is now in a moment where it can play in the same way with Leo or without Leo, which used to be more complex in the past as we had to change some players. But now we don't have this necessity and the team works in the same way, that's good.”

Messi is currently with the Argentina squad as they prepare for a friendly date with Angola. With that camp being held in Alicante, the former Barcelona superstar has taken in a secret visit to Camp Nou – ahead of that stadium being reopened after an elaborate upgrade. He is delighted to have revisited familiar surroundings and admitted that he and his family hope to return to Catalunya on a permanent basis at some stage in the not-too-distant future.

Legspinner suffered muscle strain during England’s Ashes warm-up fixture at Lilac Hill

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2025Rehan Ahmed has been ruled out of any further participation on the England Lions tour of Australia after suffering a right lower leg strain during the Ashes warm-up match against England in Perth.Legspinner Rehan batted at No. 5 for the Lions, making 16 off 41 balls on day one before becoming one of six wickets for England captain, Ben Stokes. He played no part with the ball, or in the Lions’ second innings, with the ECB announcing afterwards that he would return home to begin his recovery.Related

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Rehan had signed up to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the 2025-26 BBL, but the BBC reported that the injury was not expected to impact his involvement in the competition, which starts in a month’s time.England Lions are scheduled to play another four-day match at Lilac Hill, against a Cricket Australia XI, next week, before a one-off unofficial Test against Australia A in December. The Lions are also expected to be involved in a pink-ball tour game between England and the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra between the first and second Ashes Tests.It had been speculated that Rehan, who missed out on selection as the second spinner in the main Ashes squad to Will Jacks, could stay on with England after the Lions programme concluded.

Matchday tickets to watch live football appear to be going up with every season, pricing out the regular punters who have supported their teams for years.

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ByCharlie Smith Oct 21, 2025

Here is a look at ticket prices for every Premier League side for the 2025/26 campaign, looking at their cheapest and most expensive ticket excluding hospitality.

20 Sunderland Most expensive ticket: £46

Back in the Premier League after eight years away, Sunderland have the least expensive matchday ticket at just £46.

The Black Cats supporters were treated to some brilliant displays straightaway at the Stadium of Light, making this value for money.

19 Burnley Most expensive ticket: £55

Burnley also won promotion in 2025 and are one of the cheapest to watch in the Premier League.

Tickets start at just £30 and reach £55.

18 Bournemouth Most expensive ticket: £56

Bournemouth have been enjoying their finest Premier League football under Andoni Iraola.

At £56 for a ticket, they are the third-cheapest club on this list, however, prices may well go up should they qualify for Europe this term.

17 Leeds Most expensive ticket: £59

Leeds are the most expensive of the three promoted sides from the Championship, with the most expensive Elland Road ticket sitting at £59.

A stadium expansion is planned to increase capacity to over 50,000, and it’ll be interesting to see whether prices rise in Yorkshire as well.

16 Manchester City Most expensive ticket: £60

Manchester City may be going through their roughest spell since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016, but compared to other clubs, their most expensive matchday ticket is a reasonable £60.

At £30 for the cheapest ticket at the Etihad, City fans can also get some decent value for seeing their team perform in the Premier League. Given they won the titles four years in a row, this figure isn’t too steep.

15 Liverpool Most expensive ticket: £61

Considering Liverpool’s success domestically and in Europe, it is admirable that their most expensive matchday ticket is £61, which ranks them relatively low on this list.

The club froze all ticket prices for the 2025/26 season. Not a bad price to watch the defending champions if you can get your hand on a ticket.

14 Brentford Most expensive ticket: £65

Brentford are now an established Premier League side, having secured promotion to the top flight back in 2021.

The Bees have never finished lower than 16th in the table. The most expensive matchday ticket at the club currently is £65, with no increases for the 2025/26 campaign.

13 Newcastle Most expensive ticket: £70

Newcastle United once again secured Champions League football for the second time in three seasons and won their first piece of silverware for 70 years in 2025 under Eddie Howe.

The most expensive Magpies ticket is £70, with the price of the cheapest ticket being £55.

12 Nottingham Forest Most expensive ticket: £70

Nottingham Forest’s most expensive matchday costs £70, which has increased after qualifying for Europe in 2025.

The cheapest option currently stands at £50, and the supporters going to the City Ground have seen three managers in the dugout during 2025/26.

11 Wolves Most expensive ticket: £71

Wolverhampton Wanderers have work to do if they are to avoid dropping into the Championship, with major unrest at Molineux.

Despite their poor season, the most expensive matchday ticket is £71 at Molineux, hardly worth the value considering. The cheapest is £26.50, the lowest in the division.