Groundhog Day supposedly happens only once a year. But for the 39th time in this 104th day of the Iran War, President Donald Trump again announced that a peace deal was soon to come. Why bring up Groundhog Day? Well, every time Trump so declares, stock indexes jump a couple of points, and oil prices drop a couple of dollars/barrel....then very shortly thereafter, both sides start attacking each other again.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup celebrated opening ceremonies and kicked-off the first game today in Mexico City.
- At this point, Mexico leads South Africa 1-0, and they are in a hydration break.
- What? At the 22-minute mark of each half, play pauses for three minutes to drink water, or whatever, a safety measure against heat, for the final match will occur on July 19.
The official sports drink of FIFA is Powerade.- But chances are that teams have other custom-mixed electrolyte (sodium, potassium and magnesium to replace salts lost through sweating) and carbohydrate (fast-digesting sugars to replenish energy burned) drinks.
- Water is mostly used to pour over a player to cool him down.
- There are 48 countries participating (Russia was banned) in 12 groups.
Very complicated as to which teams make the second round of 32 teams, but in Group D, the USA is the highest rated, so the odds (determined by bettors) are that Team America will have a 76.5% chance of making that level. They have a one chance in 55 of being the champion.- First game for the USA is against Paraguay tomorrow in Los Angeles Stadium at 6PM Pacific time. In the U.S., your FOX local channel and FS1 will televise all 104 matches.
Iran's first game is on Monday, June 15, against New Zealand in Los Angeles Stadium. Is it possible for Iran to play the USA?- Yes, if both advance to the Round of 32 in the same position.
- As they are in the same part of the world, Iran can play against Israel, but only in a later knockout round if they both progress deep into the tournament.
There is a second game today.- South Korea vs Chechia in Guadalajara, Mexico at 10PM EDT on FS1.
- And, if you missed this one too, the Czech Republic became Czechia in 2016.
- Mexico totally outplayed South Africa, and won 2-0.
I asked Google AI, what are the ten top sports cities in the world:
The world's premier sports cities offer a mix of historic championships, elite event hosting, and deep-rooted fan cultures. According to major global sports city rankings (such as Burson’s Ranking of Sports Cities) and international sports travel analyses, the top ten sports cities globally are: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- London, UK: Ranked as the world's best city for sports-trippers, offering unmatched elite match schedules for football, rugby, and cricket. [1]
- Boston, MA (USA): Recognized as the top U.S. sports city by WalletHub, driven by a strong winning culture, loyal fandom, and massive engagement across major leagues. [1, 2]
- Los Angeles, CA (USA): Often called the new Sports Capital of the World, offering 11 pro teams and hosting a massive slate of mega-events. [1]
- Dubai, UAE: A rising international powerhouse for sports tourism, earning top marks for infrastructure and safety. [1]
In this blog site, I have touted Las Vegas as particularly up and coming. The latest June issue of Travel-Leisure has an article about Miami being a sports hub. From Google AI, five professional teams.
Mind you, New York City and Los Angeles have eleven each:
- MLB: Dodgers and Angels
- NBA: Lakers and Clippers
- NFL: Rams and Chargers
- NHL: Kings and Ducks
- MLS: LA Galaxy and LAFC
- WNBA: Sparks [1]
However, Google AI says:
London is home to at least 22 professional sports teams competing in major national and international leagues. This includes 17 professional men’s soccer clubs in the top five tiers, multiple elite rugby franchises, and the city’s premier professional basketball organization. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Further, you can add these major annual sporting events.
Running: Held every spring, the TCS London Marathon sees over 50,000 runners—from elite athletes to fundraisers in fancy dress—tackle the iconic 26.2-mile course spanning from Greenwich to The Mall. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] For reasons that defy logic, historic records are broken here. This year in April, two runners finally broke the 2-hour barrier in the London Marathon, while in in 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first under 4-minute mile in Oxford, near enough to London.
Football (Soccer): Wembley Stadium in northwest London annually hosts the FA Cup Final (the climax of England's primary domestic cup competition) and the EFL Cup Final.
Rowing: Every spring, the historic Cancer Research UK Boat Race draws massive crowds along the River Thames, pitting the universities of Oxford and Cambridge against one another. [1]
Yes, no wonder London is #1.
1. Soccer (Football) – ~3.5 Billion Fans
- Hotspots: Europe (especially the UK, Spain, Italy, and Germany), South America (Brazil, Argentina), and Africa.
- Demographics & Culture: It reaches across nearly all socioeconomic classes. Fans are heavily tribal, often supporting local community clubs in addition to massive global brands. [1]
- Hotspots: United States, China, the Philippines, Spain, Argentina, and parts of Eastern Europe.
- Demographics & Culture: It boasts a highly digitized and urban fanbase. In China and the Philippines, basketball is a national obsession. In the United States, it is one of the most popular sports among younger generations and is deeply intertwined with pop culture, music, and fashion. [1]
- Hotspots: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, and South Africa.
- Demographics & Culture: The fanbase is deeply concentrated in the Indian subcontinent, where cricket is viewed almost as a religion. The rise of short-form formats like T20 (e.g., the Indian Premier League) has supercharged its viewership among younger demographics. [1]
For your information:
- The National Football League has 0.4 billion total fans and about 0.15 billion in the USA.
- However, Major League Baseball boasts 0.5 billion global fans, 0.171 in the U.S.
- The NBA has a small percentage of global fans, only 0.170 billion. This figure is 3.3 billion for professional basketball worldwide.
The largest sports venues:
- Race track capacity and #1 overall, is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana with 400,000.
- Stadia for sports is Rungrado in Pyongyang, North Korea with a seating capacity of 150,000 and Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India for cricket, sitting 132,000.
- The largest indoor arena is the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, Philippines, for basketball and religious gatherings. Next, Paris La Defense Arena in Paris, France with a capacity of 40,000.
Finally, bad news for Hawaii. NOAA today declared that an El Nino has formed in the tropical Pacific, and will intensify in the coming months. Certainly with water temperatures 1 degree F higher. However, there is a 63% chance of sea-surface temperatures climbing 3.8 F degrees above the norm, which can create super hurricanes. Worse, this year's El Nino could reach 5.5 degrees F higher, which WOULD BE THE LARGEST ON RECORD.
Hurricane Iwa in 1982 caused widespread damage. Hurricane Iniki in 1992 devastated Kauai. Both in El Nino years. Can also bring drought in the fall/winter, leading to wildfires the following spring/summer.
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