Thailand’s Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee is backing Spain to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being impressed by their performances throughout the tournament.
The 21-year-old golfer, who was given the nickname by his football-loving father, believes Spain have been one of the strongest teams heading into Sunday’s final against Argentina.
“I’m backing Spain to win the World Cup,” Laopakdee said ahead of his debut at this week’s 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, which will be broadcast live on SPOTV NOW.
“They’ve played some really impressive football throughout the tournament and have looked like one of the strongest teams.”
Laopakdee has closely followed the competition despite preparing for his second major appearance of the year, having played earlier at the Masters in April.
Before England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina, the Thai had hoped the Three Lions would reach the final.
“I’ve really enjoyed watching them play and I’d love to see them beat Argentina,” he said before the match.
However, England fell 2-1 to the reigning champions and will next contest for a third-place finish against France.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki believes Alexandra Eala has the potential to become one of the world's best after the Filipina's breakthrough run at Wimbledon.
Eala reached the fourth round at the All England Club earlier this month, defeating Wimbledon defending champion Iga Swiatek before eventually losing to Jasmine Paolini in three sets.
Speaking to Tennis365, Wozniacki praised Eala's all-round game and mentality, while identifying her serve as the main area for improvement.
"I think she has great potential," the 2018 Australian Open champion said.
"She has a good, all-round game. Great from the baseline. I think it helps her that she's a leftie, with her serve obviously not being great so that's her biggest place for improvement.
"But it does help that she has that leftie slice, and it does give trouble to the opponents."
Wozniacki also highlighted Eala's composure and tactical awareness, saying those qualities should stand the Filipina in good stead.
"I like her attitude, I like the way that she has great tennis IQ," she added.
"And I think we're going to see her for many, many more years."
Filipino pole vault star Ernest John "EJ" Obiena continued his encouraging run of form ahead of the 2026 Asian Games after claiming silver at the Meeting Madrid on Thursday.
Fresh from finishing sixth at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix, which was broadcast live on SPOTV NOW, the 30-year-old cleared a season-best 5.85 metres to finish runner-up in the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting.
The world number 14 then attempted 5.95 metres in pursuit of victory but was unable to clear the bar, allowing Germany's Bo Kanda Lita Baehre to secure gold with a successful jump of 5.90 metres.
The silver medal was Obiena's ninth podium finish of the year, including victories at the International Jump-Meeting Cottbus, Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, ISTAF Indoor Berlin, Czesław Cybulski Memorial and Austrian Open.
The result continued Obiena's steady progress this season as he builds towards defending his Asian Games crown in Japan later this year.
In the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, he clinched the gold medal ahead of Huang Bokai and Hussain Al-Hizam with a new Asian record of 5.90 metres.
Marc Marquez proved his football predictions were as sharp as his riding after correctly picking the finalists of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ahead of last week's German Grand Prix, the MotoGP world champion joined fellow riders Fabio Di Giannantonio, Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura in predicting how the tournament would unfold from the quarter-final stage.
Marquez was the only rider to correctly back Argentina and Spain to reach the final as they defeated England and France respectively.
The other riders narrowly missed the mark as Martin predicted a Spain-Norway final, Ogura backed England to face France, and Di Giannantonio tipped Argentina to meet France in the title decider.
Marquez, who enjoyed an equally successful weekend on the track by winning the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, also backed his home nation to go on and lift the trophy.
Spain have the chance to justify Marquez's faith when they take on Lionel Messi and Co. in Sunday's World Cup final.
Thailand's Pongsapak "Fifa" Laopakdee hopes more Southeast Asian golfers will feature at golf's major championships, saying the region has the talent to compete but needs more opportunities at the highest level.
The 21-year-old is the only Southeast Asian in the field for this week's 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, continuing Thailand's strong presence at the majors while highlighting the region's limited representation on golf's biggest stage.
Speaking ahead of his Open debut, Laopakdee said players from Southeast Asia would benefit from greater exposure to elite tournaments.
"I think the biggest thing is having more opportunities to compete in events like this," Laopakdee told SPOTV.
"Players in Southeast Asia have a lot of talent, but I feel we're still lacking clear pathways into the biggest tournaments and major championships.
"The more opportunities we have to compete at this level, the more players from our region will be able to gain experience and eventually contend regularly."
Laopakdee earned his place at Royal Birkdale by winning last year's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which also secured him an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament.
The Thai made his major debut at Augusta National in April, where he gained valuable experience playing alongside former champions and top golfers.
"I learned a lot from my first Masters, especially from playing with Fred Couples and Min Woo Lee," he said.
"Fred was incredibly kind and generous with his time. Whenever I asked him questions about strategy, the mental side of the game or anything else, he was always happy to share his experience.
"That week taught me a lot, and I'll definitely carry those lessons with me going forward."
The Masters was one of several milestones during a memorable 12 months for Laopakdee, who also won gold at the Southeast Asian Games and claimed a college title with Arizona State University.
"Looking back over the past 12 months, it's been an incredible journey," he said.
"Winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, winning a gold medal at the SEA Games, playing in the Masters and winning a college event have all been huge milestones for me.
"It's definitely been a big step forward in my career. I've really enjoyed the whole process, the highs, the lows and everything I've learned along the way."
Laopakdee will continue his amateur career after The Open, with the U.S. Amateur next on his schedule before returning to Arizona State for his final college season.
"After The Open, I'll be playing in the U.S. Amateur before heading back to Arizona State University," he said.
"I have one more year of college golf before I plan to turn professional, so I'm really excited to make the most of my final season and see where it takes me."
The 154th Open Championship will be broadcast live on SPOTV NOW.
