MEN’S FOOTBALL: Japan became the first Asian team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with three games to go after seeing off Bahrain 2-0 in Saitama on Thursday. Iran are one point away from sealing a spot following their 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates but Palestine’s qualifying campaign was effectively ended by their 3-1 defeat in Jordan. North Korea will also miss out after they were thumped 5-1 in Qatar.

DARTS: Luke Littler bagged another nine dart finish as he beat Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in Thursday evening’s Premier League final in Cardiff. Littler now tops the table by six points from Luke Humphries, who went down 6-4 to van Gerwen in his opening game. Stephen Bunting lost 6-2 to Chris Dobey to remain the only player without a win in the tournament. Newcastle hosts next week’s eighth leg of this 17-round competition.

ATHLETICS: Lord Sebastian Coe was soundly beaten in the International Olympic Committee’s election for a new president, a role he claimed to have been “training for for the best part of his life.” Coe received eight of the 97 votes, finishing 41 behind Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, the first woman to hold this post. The former Tory MP will have to scrimp on with being president of World Athletics, a Nike global ambassador and owning a group of health clubs.

CRICKET: Australia’s women thumped New Zealand by eight wickets to claim the first leg of their three match Twenty20 series in Auckland on Friday morning. Chasing 138 Beth Mooney hit 75 not out as the Aussies romped home with 6 overs to spare. New Zealand’s men then slumped to a nine-wicket defeat against Pakistan. Hassan Nawaz smashed an unbeaten 106 from 45 balls to comfortably chase down the Kiwis’ 204 all out.