The Little League Softball World Series kicked off last Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the event has graced the fields of Greenville, N.C.

For the first time, the competition featured 12 teams in a brand-new expanded bracket. A total of eight U.S. teams and four international teams fought for the title.

Four teams will battle it out Sunday for a place in the Little League Softball World Series final, with Southwest (Midway Little League), Southeast (Chesterfield Little League), Mid-Atlantic (Delmar Little League) and Asia-Pacific (Negros Occidental Little League) competing in the semifinals.

LLSWS teams

Central: Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia, Mo.)

For the second straight year, Daniel Boone represents the Central Region. The team placed third last year and looks this year to become the first team from Missouri to win the tournament.

Mid-Atlantic: Delmar (Md.) Little League

A newcomer, Delmar recorded 48 runs across four games in the the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The defending state champion is the only team from Maryland to make it to the LLSWS.

Northwest: Issaquah (Wash.) Little League

Issaquah features a one-two punch in star pitchers Shaelyn Erickson and London White. The team went undefeated in its regional tournament to reach the LLSWS for the seventh time.

Southwest: Midway Little League (Hewitt, Texas)

A three-time LLSWS champion from Texas, Midway nearly missed the tournament after losing to Louisiana early in the Southwest Region tournament. The team rebounded in the championship game and aims to win the World Series once again.

North Carolina (Host): Pitt County Girls Softball Little League

Pitt County beat two-time LLWS champions Rowan to claim the first spot in Greenville in early July.

New England: Milford (Conn.) Little League

Another team with a dominant pitching duo, Milford went 4-0 in the first-ever New England Regional softball tournament. With 18 strikeouts over four victories, the team allowed just three earned runs.

Southeast: Chesterfield (Va.) Little League

This year’s appearance from Chesterfield marks the seventh time a team from Virginia will make the tournament. It’s the second-straight trip to the LLSWS for Chesterfield, which went 3-0 in the regional tournament, including a 4-3 against Rowan (N.C.) in the championship game.

West: La Verne (Calif.) Little League

The 22nd team from California to make the tournament, La Verne scored 30 runs in the West Region tournament and allowed just one. Pitcher Katie Coldiron has been outstanding in the circle, recording 44 strikeouts since the start of district tournament play.

Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental Little League (Philippines)

The Asia-Pacific champion is trying to become the first team from its region to win the LLSWS.

Latin America: Guayama (Puerto Rico) Softball Little League

Guayama makes its first-ever appearance at the LLSWS and is the first Puerto Rican team to represent the Latin American Region since 2017.

Canada: St. Albert Softball Little League

The Canadian team did not drop a game in its regional championship run and has won 38 total gamest this season compared to just six losses. St. Albert logged two double-digit run games in the regional tournament.

Europe and Africa: Emilia Romagna Little League (Italy)

Emilia Romagna becomes the first Italian team in the tournament since 2019. The group is looking to be the first international team to win the tournament since 2001.

Full Schedule

Tuesday, Aug. 9

• Mid-Atlantic 3, Central 1
• Southwest 13, Northwest 4
• West 9, North Carolina 2
• Asia-Pacific 1, Canada 0

Wednesday, Aug. 10

• Southwest 2, Latin America 0
• Mid-Atlantic 2, New England 1
• Asia Pacific 4, Europe-Africa 1
• Southeast 6, West 1

Thursday, Aug. 11

• Central 12, Europe-Africa 0 (Europe-Africa eliminated)
• West 7, Northwest 1 (Northwest eliminated)
• North Carolina 8, Latin America  (Latin America eliminated)
• New England 4, Canada 0 (Canada eliminated)

Friday, Aug. 12

• North Carolina 6, West 1 (West eliminated)
• New England 8, Central Region 2 (Central Region eliminated)
• Mid-Atlantic 2, Asia-Pacific 0
• Southwest 1, Southeast 0

Saturday, Aug. 13

• Asia-Pacific 1, New England 0 (New England eliminated)
• Southeast 2, North Carolina 1  (North Carolina eliminated)

Sunday, Aug. 14

• Semifinal: Southwest vs. Southeast @ 1 p.m. on ESPN
• Semifinal: Mid-Atlantic vs. Asia-Pacific @ 4 p.m. on ESPN

Monday, Aug. 15

• Third-place game: Game 19 loser vs. Game 20 loser @ 4 p.m. on ESPN
• Final: Game 19 winner vs. Game 20 winner @ 7 p.m. on ESPN

All times listed in ET.

UEFA's 2025 Euro tournament is already knocking on the door of history, as the European Championship is on track to shatter the competition's overall attendance record — despite not kicking off until next week.

This year's Switzerland-hosted edition has sold more than 570,000 of the 673,000 tickets available as of Thursday.

Given that tally, England's 2022 Euro record of 574,875 is likely to fall in the coming days.

In addition to the tickets already on sale, stadiums will release another 32,000 to accommodate the knockout stages in the coming weeks.

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While Switzerland is poised to claim the Euro's total attendance title by the competition's July 27th finale, England's single-game record crowd of 87,192 — set at the 2022 championship match — will be safe, as no Swiss venue matches the capacity of London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

The 2025 Euro final will be a much more elite affair, as only 34,250 seats are available at Basel's St. Jakob-Park — the largest of the tournament's eight venues.

That said, this summer's European Championship will have more eyes on it than ever before, and not just from the stands.

The 2022 edition shattered viewership records worldwide, but the 2025 Euro has a chance to level up even more, as the tournament has seen its global broadcast footprint expand — particularly in the US.

UEFA inked a media deal with Fox Sports in late May, ensuring that audiences Stateside will have live access to at least 20 of the Euro's 31 matches next month.

While the overall tournament chases new attendance and viewership records, the 16 teams bound for Switzerland will be battling toward the 2025 Euro trophy when the competition kicks off next Wednesday.

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup 5×5 basketball tournament tips off Saturday in Santiago, Chile, where a youthful Team USA will battle nine other countries from North and South America for both this summer's trophy and a ticket to the 2026 FIBA World Cup.

After falling to reigning champions Brazil in 2023, Team USA will aim to avenge the loss by winning a fifth all-time gold medal at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup final on July 6th.

Led by Duke head coach Kara Lawson, this 12-player US squad follows the federation playbook by tapping top college talent, with the NCAA's finest looking to gain international experience and hone their skills against pros like Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, who leads Brazil's AmeriCup roster.

Full of familiar faces, the USA AmeriCup lineups includes March Madness stars Olivia Miles (TCU), Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Madison Booker (Texas), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Raegan Beers (Oklahoma), and Joyce Edwards (South Carolina).

Also taking the FIBA court for Team USA are NCAA standouts Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt), Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Kennedy Smith (USC), Hannah Stuelke (Iowa), and Grace Vanslooten (Michigan State).

"[W]e haven't seen the level of physicality and experience we're going to see down there," Lawson said this week. "So that remains to be seen if we're going to be able to impose that athletic, physical play. But there's no doubt we're going to try."

How to watch Team USA at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup group stage runs from Saturday through Wednesday, with the knockouts tipping off on July 4th in a run-up to the July 6th championship game.

Team USA will open their AmeriCup campaign against hosts Chile at 8:25 PM ET on Saturday, then face Colombia at 8:10 PM ET on Sunday.

Arguably the toughest Group B contest for the US will be their Monday matchup against Puerto Rico at 8:10 PM ET, before the collegiate stars finish up the tournament's group play against Mexico at 2:10 PM ET on Wednesday.

All 2025 FIBA AmeriCup games will stream live on Courtside 1891.

Three-time 1,500-meter Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon fell just short of making running history on Thursday, as the middle-distance star clocked a time of 4:06.42 in her attempt to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile.

"It was the first trial. I have proven that it's possible and it's only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way," said Kipyegon following Thursday's race. "If it's not me, it will be somebody else."

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Still the fastest mile-runner of any woman in history, the Kenyan icon did beat her own previous world record of 4:07.64 by 1.22 seconds, though the time won't count as a new record as the race came during Nike's unofficial Breaking4 event.

With full support from the sportswear giant — the 31-year-old's partner for 16 years — Kipyegon had the benefit of multiple pace-setters, as well as an aerodynamic suit, 3D-printed Nike FlyWeb sports bra, and spiked shoes made specifically for the much-hyped four-minute mile attempt at Paris's Stade Charléty.

"Faith didn't just make history, she proved the future of sport is faster, stronger, and more inclusive than ever," noted Nike president Amy Montagne after Kipyegon's race.

"It was tough, but I am so proud of what I've done, and I'm going to keep on trying, dreaming and pursing big goals," said Kipyegon. "I want to show the world, and especially women, that you have to dare to try."

The world No. 1 USWNT topped the No. 25 Republic of Ireland 4-0 on Thursday, dominating the first of two friendly matchups against the Girls in Green this week.

Veteran midfielder Rose Lavelle notched a goal and an assist in her first appearance for the US in 2025, with defender Avery Patterson, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Alyssa Thompson also finding the back of the net to round out the scoresheet.

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Despite relative inexperience, this USWNT lineup claimed control of the match from the very first whistle, holding 68% of possession while keeping Ireland from registering a single shot on goal.

The US also saw new faces step up, as defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg as well as goalkeeper Claudia Dickey all earned their first caps without a hitch.

While USWNT boss Emma Hayes is still figuring out her player pool, her team has been busy racking up the results.

"Being able to trust my teammates around me, trusting Emma — she's helped me a lot," Thompson said after the game. "Just the coaching staff in general, I feel like I've learned so much."

"My natural instincts are to go into the attack more," Patterson told media after tallying her first-ever senior team goal. "I think it's a little bit of that, and also the backing of my coaches."

How to watch the USWNT vs. Ireland this weekend

The USWNT and Ireland will clash again in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 3 PM ET on Sunday.

Coverage of the friendly will air live on TNT.