World Cup Semi-Finals & McGregor Disaster
World Cup Semi-Finals preview, Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return, and The Open Major preview.
Whiskey’s Garage
13/07/2026
Volume 6
World Cup Semi-finals & McGregor Disaster
FIFA
The FIFA World Cup semi-finals are set, and they are sure to be thrillers. The 4 teams remaining are the top 4 in the world rankings: #1.France VS. #3.Spain, and #2.Argentina VS. #4. England, with the winners punching their ticket to the World Cup Finals. The defending champs look to make their way back to the finals, but will have to get through Harry Kane and England, who have just defeated 2 of the top teams to make it to this point. England defeated Mexico in a historic matchup at Estadio Azteca, Mexico's home stadium. England, fighting against the crowd and the altitude, came out on top 3-2. They went on to face Erling Haaland and Norway in the quarter-finals, defeating them 2-1 after Jude Bellingham scored in the 92nd minute of the match. Argentina battled their way through with a legendary and controversial comeback against Egypt, scoring 3 goals in the last 15 minutes, then defeating Switzerland 3-1. After a VAR review called back a goal that would have given Egypt a decisive lead and all the momentum, Argentina began to put the pressure on. After the comeback, Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan claimed the match was “rigged”, the officiating was unfair, and even went after star player Lionel Messi, accusing him of intentionally escalating situations on the sidelines and provoking the Egyptian staff. Whether any of these claims are true is still unclear, with many different opinions on the matter. France defeated Morocco quite easily, as Morocco was without their star striker Ismael Saibari due to a hamstring injury. Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 in the round-of-16, scoring in the 91st minute of the match, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s dreams of winning a World Cup. Spain went on to defeat Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals, and thus our semis are set.
Picks & Odds: (not gambling advice)
FRANCE VS. SPAIN: France is -130 to advance over Spain, while Spain is +122. The 90-minute moneyline has France at +130, Spain at +220, and a draw at +220. I believe France is going to win this match. They have been playing well-rounded football throughout the tournament and show no signs of letting up. A draw after 90 at +220 is a solid line to play, with France taking it after extra time.
ENGLAND VS ARGENTINA: England is -125 to advance, and Argentina is +105. 90-minute moneyline has England at +160, Argentina at +200, and a draw at +200. I think England is going to squeeze this one out over the defending champs. Although I could see it going either way, so Argentina at +200 to win in 90 minutes is a solid bet to make. If Argentina does take this one, I believe it will be in 90.
UFC
The Notorious Conor McGregor made his long-awaited return to the octagon on Saturday night. The most popular man in MMA history faced off against Max Holloway in what was one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Unfortunately, the fight was a complete anticlimactic disappointment as it was called just a minute in due to a McGregor Injury. McGregor opened his return with a flying switch-kick, and the 37-year-old injured his knee on the landing. He attempted to keep the fight going, but was falling and slipping down to the canvas after almost every strike he tried to throw. Max Holloway pointed out to the ref that he seemed injured, and the fight was called shortly after that, ending the most anticipated return of any UFC fighter in history. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s widely speculated that McGregor tore either his Meniscus or his ACL. However, it has been confirmed he will be undergoing surgery for the injury. This means another long lay-off for the former star, and another question mark around the idea of him ever returning. As for Max Holloway, he received the biggest payday of his career, and walked away without a scratch. Holloway seems adamant about waiting for the rematch with Conor, which would mark the third time these 2 have faced off against each other. Paddy Pimblett delivered a decisive first-round victory over the favoured Benoit Saint-Denis, ending him with a D’arce Choke just 0:52 seconds into the fight. The next most logical fight for Paddy would be against either Illia Topuria or Arman Tsarukyan, with the winner getting a title shot. I could also see Illia VS. Paddy happening while Arman faces the champion Justin Gaethje, and the winners facing off next.
PGA:
Tom Kim claimed his 4th PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Scottish Open this past weekend, marking his first win since 2023. Kim finished at -17 under for the weekend, with Min Woo Lee taking 2nd place at -15 under. Matt Fitzpatrick was in the running, but fell short in the end, finishing tied for 3rd at -13 under. Kim played consistently throughout the weekend, posting a R1 65, R2 66, R3 68, and a 64 on Sunday. We move on to the 4th and final major of the year this weekend, The Open. Taking place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside, England, it will begin on Thursday, July 16th and end Sunday, July 19th. Last year’s winner, World number one Scottie Scheffler, looks to defend his title after missing the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, his first missed cut since 2022. Scottie made 78 consecutive cuts before missing last weekend.
Picks & Odds: (not gambling advice)
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are favoured to win this weekend, with Scheffler at +800 and McIlroy at +825. Matt Fitzpatrick is at +1500 to win outright, which is my pick heading into the weekend. Ludvig Aberg is +3200 to win, which is another solid bet to make as he is always in the mix. Scottie Scheffler is always hard to count out when it comes to majors; especially after a missed cut, you know he will be looking to prove himself again. Hovland seems to struggle closing out tournaments, but he has been playing solid the past little while.
My favourites heading into the weekend are
Scheffler at + 800
Fitzpatrick at +1500 ($20 pays out $320)
Hovland at +3500
NHL:
The Anaheim Ducks have matched the Leo Carlsson offer sheet of $18 million in AAV, officially making him the highest-paid player in the NHL, and leaving the Ducks with little to no cap space remaining. A 5-year $90 million dollar contract, which was originally an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, has left the Ducks with only $9 million in cap space remaining, and still needing to sign 22-year-old forward Cutter Gauthier to a deal. We will see how the Ducks manage the rest of their cap after being forced to pay this much for their future face of the franchise. Alexander Ovechkin has also confirmed he is returning for another season, signing a 1-year $4.25 million AAV contract with the Washington Capitals. The contract is worth up to a total of $9 million, based on playing bonuses.
WIMBLEDON
Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in the Men’s Singles Championship this year at Wimbledon. Sinner claimed his second Wimbledon title and made it back-to-back championships at Wimbledon for the number one ranked player in the world. Zverev won the first set in a thriller, winning 7-6 in games and the tiebreaker 9-7. From there, Zverev didn’t have much going for him, losing the second set 7-6 and the tiebreaker 7-2. Sinner finished him off by taking the third set 6-3 and the fourth set 6-4. Zverev found success at Roland Garros earlier this year, but wasn’t able to get the job done at Wimbledon. As for Sinner, he adds to his resume and proves again why he is ranked number 1 in the world.
