Copa Betano do Brasil: two third-round places up for grabs Tuesday — and more

CRB is in the race for a spot in the third phase of the 2026 Copa Betano do BrasilCredits: Francisco Cedrim/CRB

The 2026 Copa Betano do Brasil will have two spots for its third phase decided on the night of this Tuesday (3rd). At 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time), CRB-AL faces Porto-BA at Rei Pelé Stadium in Maceió. Then, at 9:30 p.m., Azuriz-PR visits Figueirense at Orlando Scarpelli Stadium in Florianópolis.

In total, 26 clubs have already advanced to the next phase: Ceará, Porto Velho-RO, Goiás, Portuguesa-SP, Anápolis-GO, Ypiranga-RS, Castanhal-PA, Jacuipense-BA, Mixto-MT, Novorizontino-SP, Maranhão, São Bernardo-SP, Operário-MS, Tombense-MG, Guarany de Bagé-RS, Atlético-GO, Uberlândia-MG, Madureira-RJ, Águia de Marabá-PA, Londrina-PR, Capital-DF, Amazonas, Maringá-PR, Joinville-SC, América-RN, and Fortaleza.

This week, the country’s most inclusive competition will see 18 more teams secure their spots in the next stage of the tournament, in which Paysandu (champion of the Copa Verde), Confiança-SE (who inherited the spot from the Copa do Nordeste champion, Bahia, who will enter in the fifth phase for participating in Série A), Ponte Preta-SP (champion of Série C), and Barra-SC (champion of Série D) will join.

__twitter:https://x.com/CopaDoBrasilCBF/status/2028212882316403145__

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

wf_cms.rss.read_more

The Cincinnati Reds swiped a league-best 190 bases as recently as the 2023 season, easily topping the 166 bases swiped by the second-best Arizona Diamondbacks. The emergence of both Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl atop the order prompted then-manager David Bell to put his runners on the move as often as possible, and by the end of the 2024 season they had swiped a pretty astounding 207 bases as a team.

That was only good for third-best in all of Major League Baseball as teams all around the league leaned hard into running more often, but still was emblematic of the team speed they had cobbled together during their rebuild.

Then came the managerial change to Terry Francona, as well as the quad issue for Elly and the litany of hamstring and other ailments Friedl had battled through most of 2024. By season’s end in 2025 – Francona’s first in charge with the Reds – they had swiped only 105 bases, the 19th most of any team in the game.

Tito has gone on record as saying that he’s not necessarily opposed to running, just that he’s borderline morally opposed to giving away outs on the bases. And, the more you run, the more you inevitably run into some outs.

On top of that, the major additions to the lineup over the last half-year don’t exactly scream base stealers. Eugenio Suarez certainly isn’t as he heads into turning 35 years old, and Ke’Bryan Hayes has logged 12, 11, and 10 respectively in each of his last three seasons (as he’s fought consistent back issues).

There’s still plenty of base-stealing ability there, however. Spencer Steer has shown it in the past, Matt McLain routinely gets praised for his running ability, and healthy years from Elly and Friedl will almost assuredly see their season totals higher in 2026 than they were in 2025.

So, what’s the verdict? Will the Reds steal more bases this year than they did last season? Will they once again be one of the pace-setters in the game when it comes to speed and aggression?

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton are among the sports stars whose schedules are in doubt because of the spreading war in the Middle East.

Cancelations and travel shutdowns are already affecting events since the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran on Saturday. Organizers of Formula 1 and major soccer games face deciding within weeks whether they can go ahead as scheduled.

Middle Eastern nations have become crucial to the world sports landscape over the last decade as event hosts, financial backers and employers for some of the world's top athletes.

Key upcoming events

The clock is ticking for a decision on whether to cancel or move the “Finalissima” soccer game on March 27 between Spain and Argentina, the champions of Europe and South America. That match would offer Messi a chance to win yet another trophy in a glittering career.

Qatar suspended all soccer games until further notice Sunday. Argentina was also scheduled to play Qatar in a friendly March 31.

“UEFA is monitoring and carefully assessing all developments of the situation in cooperation with (South American soccer body) CONMEBOL and the (local organizing committee),” European soccer body UEFA told The Associated Press on Monday.

Ronaldo's soccer team, Saudi club Al Nassr, has already been affected by a wave of cancelations of Asian Champions League games. His team was scheduled to play Wednesday in Dubai.

Formula 1 has races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month. F1 and its teams typically start to fly in staff and freight weeks in advance, limiting the time to make a decision on whether to go ahead. Governing body FIA says its priority is “safety and wellbeing.”

The men's and women's tennis tours and golf's European tour have just finished their Middle East tournament swings and aren't due back for months.

Iran is set to play in US at the World Cup

Iran is due to send its men's soccer team to the U.S. for the World Cup in just over three months, with a first game June 16 against New Zealand in Inglewood, California.

There's doubt over whether Iran can or will take part in the tournament. Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj has said “we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope.”

The U.S. government has promised exemptions from its travel bans for athletes and coaches at events like the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Airspace closures leave athletes stranded

Even if some events go ahead, a major concern for athletes and teams will be how they can travel in and out of the region safely.

Former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev is among a group of tennis players waiting in Dubai for a chance to fly out after a tournament there concluded last week. If they can't travel soon, it will affect the BNP Paribas Open starting Wednesday in Indian Wells, California.

Cricket and basketball players are facing challenges, too, along with thousands of foreign tourists, while F1 personnel are seeking alternative travel to avoid the region on their way to this week's Australian Grand Prix.

A key region for world sports

The Middle East's influence on world sports has surged in recent years as countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have hosted major events and become crucial financial backers.

Besides soccer and auto racing, Qatar has a World Endurance Championship sportscar race this month, a MotoGP motorcycle race, a gymnastics World Cup next month and hosts the first Diamond League track meet of the year in May. Qatar also owns Champions League-winning soccer team Paris Saint-Germain.

Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer, has funded the LIV Golf breakaway league and become a major player in world boxing.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports