Brazil has been confirmed as host of the 2027 Women's World Cup.

On Friday, 211 member nations voted on the bid during the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok to decide between Brazil and a joint bid from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands as hosts for the next edition of the tournament.

A joint bid between the United States and Mexico was withdrawn three weeks ago with the two countries deciding to focus on the 2031 tournament and calling for a "historic first" equal investment with the men's tournament being hosted across the two countries in 2026.

South Africa also withdrew its bid in November 2023, citing a determination to prepare a more comprehensive bid for the 2031 World Cup.

This was the first time Congress had voted on the hosts for a women's tournament. Previously, hosts were decided based on voting from the FIFA Council.

Brazil was confirmed as the front-runner during FIFA's evaluation report of the two bids. Brazil has never hosted a Women's World Cup, but hosted the men's tournament in 1950 and 2014.

Brazil was in the running to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, but dropped out due to lingering difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan also withdrew its bid, leaving only Colombia and the joint submission from Australia and New Zealand, which ultimately won with 63% of the council vote.

It was recently announced that FIFA would also introduce the Club World Cup in January/February 2026 with 16 clubs taking part from various nations.

The dates for the World Cup are yet to be completely confirmed. However, FIFA has allotted space between May 25-31 and July 2027 for the tournament to take place.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Caitlin Clark took to the newly designed floor for the Indiana Fever on Thursday along with three other WNBA No. 1 draft picks, two past MVPs and the player she watched closely throughout high school. In the Fever's home opener, a sellout crowd of 17,274 showed up for Clark's official introduction to Indianapolis fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But the New York Liberty, one of two franchises dubbed superteams last season (along with Las Vegas), did their part to spoil the party, beating the Fever 102-66.

"We've got to get to a level of toughness," Indiana coach Christie Sides said. "When things are going south on us, we're not stopping the bleeding."

Clark finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, going 2-of-8 from the field. After 10 turnovers in Indiana's season-opening loss at Connecticut on Tuesday, Clark had three against the Liberty.

Thursday was the first time since January 2021 in her freshman season at Iowa that Clark -- the all-time Division I scoring leader -- was held to single digits. She had eight points against Northwestern then, but she's now facing the best players in the world.

Clark, who had 20 points against the Sun, said the good thing about the WNBA's busy schedule is that there's no time to sulk. The Fever next travel to New York to face the Liberty again Saturday.

"When you're in this league, there's 12 teams -- everybody's good across the board," Clark said before the game. "We've got a young group. But as long as we're learning and continuing to get better, that's what's going to be positive for us."

Clark, who wasn't brought to the postgame news conference after the loss, pointed to some things she thinks are obvious weaknesses for her as she gets her feet wet in the pro game.

"The physicality is definitely up there. ... I'm easily pushed off screens," she said. "The game seems a little fast for me right now. The more I play and the more comfortable I get, it's going to slow down a little bit. It will be easier for me to make reads, see things develop."

There has been tremendous excitement around the Fever because of Clark. But this is still a franchise that hasn't made the WNBA playoffs since 2016 and starts players who are in their third, second and first years in the league -- NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston, and Clark -- along with Katie Lou Samuelson, who is on her fifth team in five years in the WNBA.

All four players were lottery picks, while the most experienced Fever starter is Erica Wheeler. She was undrafted out of Rutgers in 2013 but made her way to the league. The Fever are in the earliest stages of finding themselves, while the Liberty return all five of their starters from last year's WNBA Finals team that fell to the Aces.

Like Boston and Clark, the Liberty also have two past No. 1 picks: Forward Breanna Stewart (2016) and guard Sabrina Ionescu (2020). Stewart and Jonquel Jones are former MVPs, and Thursday they combined for 45 points, 20 rebounds and 8 assists.

Ionescu had an NCAA-record 26 triple-doubles at Oregon, and Clark said her family bought a subscription to the Pac-12 Network while she was in high school so she could watch her.

"It's cool getting to go up against her," Clark said of Ionescu, who had 14 points and 7 rebounds Thursday. And Clark added of the Liberty's Courtney Vandersloot, who had 9 points and 6 assists: "She's somebody who has been a staple of this league and has been one of the best point guards of all time. So for me, it's definitely a little excitement, even though I'm competing against them."

Ionescu played only three games in what would have been her rookie year of 2020 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. In her first full season in 2021, Ionescu averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds. The past two seasons, she has been an All-Star and on the all-WNBA second team.

"In this league, there are tough defenses all centered around not letting you get the ball, trapping, not letting you score," Ionescu said of what all rookie guards must deal with. "There were many factors that played into what was a tough first season for me in the league, but it helps you be able to figure it out. You have to have those experiences."

Vandersloot was the No. 3 pick by the Chicago Sky in 2011, and Sides was actually an assistant coach for the Sky then. Vandersloot is the active WNBA leader in career assists, second only to retired Seattle Storm star Sue Bird on the all-time assist list.

"The margin for error was the biggest thing for me," Vandersloot said of what Clark is up against. "The things you constantly did in college just didn't work at the next level."

Even so, the buzz around Clark continues. There is a huge mural of Clark on a downtown Indianapolis hotel, put there by Gatorade, one of her sponsors. The Pacers/Fever team store at Gainbridge has all kinds of Fever and Clark merchandise: T-shirts, sweatshirts, pennants, stickers, hats, etc. People milled around outside the arena a few hours before Thursday's tipoff. Many were wearing Clark's No. 22, either the Iowa Hawkeyes' version or the Fever's.

Lisa Bluder, who recently resigned after 24 years leading the Iowa women's basketball program, and her longtime assistant Jan Jensen, who moved into the Hawkeyes' head-coaching role, were courtside to support Clark.

The game didn't match the hype, but as Clark said, she and the Fever must move on quickly.

"I have great perspective on everything that happens," Clark said. "It was the same in my college career. There were some moments that were absolutely amazing. And there were some moments I was not happy with how I played and how my team performed. That's just life, that's just basketball."

MINNEAPOLIS -- Clearly affected by a right elbow injury suffered early in Thursday night's game, Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray said he hopes it will improve by Sunday's Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Murray hurt the elbow when he ran into a Rudy Gobert screen and shot just 4-for-18, finishing with 10 points in a 115-70 blowout to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

With two days off before Game 7, Murray said he was uncertain if his elbow would feel better by then.

"I hope, for our team's sake," Murray said. "I hope I can get it right."

Murray missed nine of his first 10 shots. He was asked if the elbow loosened up and felt better as the game went on.

"Clearly it did not," Murray said with a laugh. "I put some numbing cream on it just so I didn't have to feel it every time it extended. But everybody gets hurt.

"So it was the fact that I was shooting the ball. That's what I do most. So I was never really getting into my rhythm again. And my team obviously needed me to tonight, and I didn't. So I'm disappointed in myself for not being able to give them the right production that I know I can."

Murray has been banged up this postseason. He already is dealing with a left calf strain that he suffered in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nuggets need Murray to be at his best in Game 7. He is averaging 19.7 points on 50% shooting, including 42% on 3-pointers, in Denver's three wins this series. In the three losses, Murray is averaging 11.7 points and 26% shooting.

"We got two days off," Murray said. "I just got to get ready and be able to be better for Sunday. Yeah, [it's got] to be better for Sunday, man."

MINNEAPOLIS -- It wasn't the Minnesota Timberwolves' dominant defense that Anthony Edwards credited for his team's 115-70 shellacking of the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday. It wasn't his own ascendant offense either, after Edwards led all scorers with 27 points and helped the Wolves outscore Denver by 43 in the 34 minutes he was on the court.

No, according to Edwards, it was simply the presence of Minnesota's 36-year-old point guard that made all the difference in the Wolves snapping a three-game losing streak in the Western Conference semifinals to force Game 7 on Sunday.

"We got Mike Conley back," Edwards said. "That was it."

Conley, a 17-year veteran, missed Tuesday's Game 5 because of a sore right Achilles tendon. The Nuggets' defense responded by attacking Edwards with double-teams all night, and the Wolves missed Conley's ability to balance the court.

"Obviously I wanted to play last game," Conley said. "Just couldn't move at all. Tonight it was a no-brainer. I was going to try to find a way. We're just better when we're a complete team."

Conley had 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and no turnovers, but his impact was amplified by Minnesota's ability to deny Denver a chance to key in on Edwards.

Edwards struggled with 18 points on 5-for-15 shooting and 4 turnovers in Game 5. He had a season-high 102 touches, according to Second Spectrum, and shouldered an outsized portion of the offensive load for a Minnesota squad that was starting to sputter against the defending champs.

With Conley back in the lineup, Edwards' touches were cut to 64 in Game 6, and he was more efficient, shooting 8-for-17 and committing only one turnover.

"Mike means everything for us," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "Unbelievable next to Anthony in terms of being able to set him up, play off of him, be in his ear all of the time. Smart defender. Just everything you want in an experienced, veteran point guard and just the very fact that Ant doesn't have to handle it every single time, that alone helps us. ... We desperately missed him the other night."

In the three previous games, the Wolves had been missing the type of lockdown defense that carried them to a 2-0 lead to open the series. The coaching staff wanted to remind them what they were capable of and showed the players a video of their defensive highlights before tipoff.

"It was like kind of a hype video," said Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who had 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal on Thursday. "It had a good effect on us. Just showing that we're able to compete with these guys. Like, we've done it before."

The defensive performance that followed was staggering. The Wolves held Denver to 30.2% shooting overall, including 19.4% from 3. They won the rebounding battle 62-43, won the turnover battle 12-6 and scored 19 points off those turnovers. The 70 points the Nuggets mustered were a season low, including both the regular season and the playoffs, 10 points fewer than Denver's previous low when the Wolves clamped them down in Game 2. The 45-point margin of victory was the second largest in NBA history by a team facing elimination in a postseason game.

"I think we shouldn't [forget about this loss]," Nuggets star Nikola Jokic said. "I think we need to [let it] sink in. It's a great loss. They destroyed us, and you should learn from it."

The Wolves limited Jokic to 22 points and 2 assists after he had 40 and 13 in Game 5, and they held Jamal Murray to 10 points on 4-for-18 shooting after he had 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting in Game 5.

Karl-Anthony Towns (10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) was the primary defender on Jokic, and Edwards took it upon himself to shadow Murray.

"I want to be the best player on both sides of the ball in the NBA," Edwards said. "It's something that I've been working on. It all comes with being in shape. ... I wasn't tired at all chasing him around and following him everywhere he went and contesting all his shots. He's a great player, man, and I feel like I did a good job tonight."

The Wolves head into Sunday's Game 7 with a chance to reach the conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

"They're the defending champs, so it's going to be super tough," Edwards said. "They're at home. They're at the crib. Their fans are crazy. It's going to be super loud. But I feel like as a competitor, it's one of the best feelings in the world. ... I'm super pumped for it. I'm super happy. I'm ready to play it."

It sounds like the Nuggets are ready, too.

"It's all about the mindset now," Murray said. "All that's behind us, all those games we're talking about [are] all behind us. Now it's just Sunday, who wins those 48 minutes and how are we going to do that."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.

Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3 to secure her place in the Italian Open final in Rome.

Gauff went up by an early break, but world number one Swiatek quickly retrieved the deficit before going on to take the opening set.

Swiatek broke the American's serve in the fifth game of the second set before a double fault at 4-3 up resulted in the 22-year-old Pole facing only her second break point of the match.

That opportunity was not seized and Swiatek broke the world number three's serve in the next game to win the match in one hour and 47 minutes.

Swiatek will play Aryna Sabalenka in the final after the world number two beat American Danielle Collins 7-5 6-2.

"I'm just going to play as best tennis as possible in the final," said Swiatek, who won the Italian Open in 2021 and 2022.

"It is still a long way to win and still a lot of work to do."

The match against Sabalenka will be a repeat of the Madrid Open final earlier this month which Swiatek won in dramatic fashion.

In the men's draw in Rome, Nicolas Jarry caused an upset by beating world number seven Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals.

Jarry, from Chile, claimed a 3-6 7-5 6-4 win to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

He will face Tommy Paul in the last four after the American knocked out Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

Paul, who beat defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the last 16, won 7-5 3-6 6-3.

Andy Murray was beaten 6-4 6-2 as he was knocked out of a clay-court ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux by Gregoire Barrere.

Murray went 5-0 down in the first set and, despite recovering to 5-4, Frenchman Barrere then held his serve to take the opener.

The Briton, who is 77th in the rankings, was broken to love in the third game of the second set and, after failing to take two break points in the next game, went 3-1 down.

Barrere, ranked 115 in the world, went on to lead 5-2 before serving out to win the match in one hour 27 minutes.

Overall, Murray took three of six break points, while his opponent converted six from seven.

The tournament was 37-year-old Murray's first since he ruptured ankle ligaments suffered at the Miami Open in March and he came through a first-round match after opponent Kyrian Jacquet retired when trailing in the second set.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has previously said he does not plan to "play much past this summer" but has not announced where his final tournament will be.

Briton Dan Evans is also taking part in the competition and won 6-3 7-6 (7-3) against Frenchman Harold Mayot to progress to the quarter-finals.

Evans will play Shang Juncheng of China in the next round.

Harlequins back-row James Chisholm has signed a new contract with the Premiership club.

The 28-year-old's new deal will take him into a 12th season at The Stoop, having come up through the club's academy.

He scored a try in his side's 2021 Premiership semi-final win over Bristol and went on to help the club win the title at Twickenham.

He has scored a total of 19 tries in 149 appearances for Quins.

Chis is a highly respected member of our squad, hes a fantastic leader and demonstrates the Quins DNA through his hard work and determination to succeed," director of rugby Billy Millard told the Harlequins website.

"We love having Chis in our squad, hes a terrific character but also a very important player who continues to work exceptionally hard to improve his game.

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand said Sam Bennett "got away with one" when he struck Marchand's head in Game 3, but that opponents seeking to injure each other is just a part of playoff hockey.

"People don't want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team. The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has," said Marchand, speaking for the first time after leaving Game 3 against the Florida Panthers with an injury.

"Every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone. That's just how it goes in the playoffs. That's part of the benefit of having a physical group. That's why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far. Because they get hurt," he said.

Marchand missed the past two games of the series, with the Bruins losing Game 4 but avoiding elimination with a Game 5 win in Sunrise, Florida. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night in Boston, with Florida leading the series 3-2.

Coach Jim Montgomery was hopeful that Marchand could return to the Bruins for Game 6 but stressed that his captain has "got boxes to check" before being cleared for the game. He's officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury. One encouraging sign for Marchand and Boston: He took regular line rushes and was on the first power-play unit in practice Thursday.

The Bruins would welcome him back, as Marchand has 10 points in 10 games (3 goals, 7 assists), tied for the team lead in scoring with Jake DeBrusk.

Marchand's injury might have resulted from a controversial play involving Bennett. As Marchand went to hit Bennett near the benches, Bennett appeared to throw a gloved punch with his right hand as they made contact. Bennett has denied throwing a punch.

"I'm trying to brace myself. There's no way I would have had time to think about punching him in the face like everyone," he said after Game 4.

Marchand called Bennett "an extremely physical player" who does great work for the Panthers. Bennett wasn't penalized on the play and did not receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

"I think he got away with a shot. But I'm not going to complain. S--- happens. That's part of playoff hockey, I've been on the other side of a lot of plays," Marchand said.

PRAGUE -- Canada eased past Norway 4-1 on Thursday for its fourth straight win at the ice hockey world championship after not allowing a single shot on goal in the first two periods.

The United States scored four goals in the opening period to cruise to a 5-0 victory over France, while Sweden maintained a perfect record by beating Kazakstan and Austria stunned Finland.

In Group A in Prague, Canada took a two-goal lead after Brandon Tanev scored in the first period from close range and Andrew Mangiapane doubled the advantage in the second.

Norway didn't have its first shot on goal until early in the third period but scored with its second as Stian Solberg made it 2-1.

Dylan Cozens stretched the lead to 3-1 on an unassisted short-handed goal and Jared McCann added the fourth into an empty net, with Daws providing the assist.

Canada meets Finland on Saturday.

In Group B in Ostrava, Matt Boldy scored two goals and added an assist for the Americans against France. Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists, Johnny Gaudreau added a goal and an assist and Shane Pinto also scored.

The first line of Boldy, Gaudreau, Nelson dominated in the opening period.

Nelson opened the scoring from the slot 45 seconds into the game and Boldy netted with two one-timers before Gaudreau added the fourth from the right circle.

Pinto completed the scoring with 2:08 left in the final period and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 10 shots for the shutout.

It was a second victory for the Americans, who play Poland on Friday.

Earlier, Sweden beat Kazakstan 3-1. Linus Johansson, Marcus Johansson Fabian Zetterlund scored as the Swedes earned a fourth victory to top Group B in Ostrava.

Adil Beketayev scored for Kazakhstan.

In Group A in Prague, Austria stunned Finland 3-2 for its first victory at the tournament and first over Finland at the worlds. Benjamin Baumgartner scored the winner with one second left to complete a rally from two goals down.

Oliver Kapanen scored his tournament-leading sixth goal and Saku Maenalanen also netted to give Finland a 2-0 lead.

Mario Huber started the rally and Thimo Nickl tied it midway through the final period for Austria, which took Canada to overtime in its last game before losing 7-6.