Knicks fever took over The Tonight Show on Monday, with the NBA Champions joining Jimmy Fallon for a special episode.

Following a historic win that broke the internet, NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, six-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, and head coach Mike Brown joined Fallon to talk winning the New York Knicks' first NBA championship since 1973.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Brunson. "I don't know if it will for a while. But the opportunity presented itself, we went out there as a team, we found a way to do it, fighting back all those games, and it was worth it."

The three delved into superstitions, pre-game playlists, curses, and uncurses via WWE. And they also thanked Knicks fans and acknowledged the power of their community.

"When we get the fans involved, and we give them something to cheer for, it's something special," said Towns.

Brown also gave insight into his now viral "Who Let the Dogs Out" chant, leading The Tonight Show audience into it and delightfully sending his players into a cringe spiral. "We've got to put that to bed," said Brunson.

You can watch the whole episode on Peacock or through clips on The Tonight Show's YouTube page.

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TL;DR: All 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup are available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer/ITVX. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN, which recently announced it's an Official Tournament Supporter of the event in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

It feels like the world has stopped for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

16 cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are welcoming the best international sides from around the world as they compete for arguably the biggest prize in sport. Huge names like Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Lamine Yamal are likely to steal the spotlight, but new stars always shine brightly in this prestigious competition.

It's going to be a wild ride. We're still making our way through the first round of group-stage fixtures, but the likes of Mexico, USA, and Australia have already secured big victories. And Cape Verde have produced the performance of the tournament so far by snatching a 0-0 draw against Spain.

If you're interested in watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is the FIFA World Cup?

The World Cup is an international football competition between senior men's national teams. The 2026 World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, split into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockout rounds.

The defending champions are Argentina. They won their third title at the 2022 World Cup after defeating France in an epic final.

When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup is the 23rd edition of this famous competition. This year's tournament takes place from June 11 to July 19.

How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free

A number of streaming platforms are offering free coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

• Australia — SBS

• Austria — ORF and ServusTV

• Belgium — RTBF and VRT

• France — M6

• Germany — ARD and ZDF

• Ireland — RTÉ

• Italy — RAI

• Norway — NRK

• Netherlands — NOS

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer and ITVX (recommended)

These streaming services are geo-restricted, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can livestream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

If you're looking for the best VPN to stream the FIFA World Cup, ExpressVPN recently announced that it's an Official Tournament Supporter of the event in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. ExpressVPN was already our go-to recommendation for sports streaming, and now it's also the exclusive VPN supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Livestream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer or ITVX (recommended)

5. Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this tournament before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sports is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the FIFA World Cup?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for accessing live sports on free streaming platforms, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Jimmy Kimmel's monologue was very sports-focused on Monday, and after recapping the Knicks' NBA finals win he was forced to turn his attention to Donald Trump's White House UFC 250 event.

"We had a sporting event that didn't bring people together this weekend, Donald Trump's big, violent birthday party, the UFC fight at the White House," says Kimmel in the clip above. "Last night, Trump turned the White House into a Waffle House."

The host then goes on to break down some key moments from the night, showing a photo of Donald Trump Jr. looking miserable ("This is the moment he realised his dad wasn't able to let him have his wedding at the White House, but was able to host a 4,000-person MMA fight") and the president appearing to nod off again.

"It was so exciting he almost stayed awake for the whole thing. Until it was time to take a little UFCiesta. So sweet, he's like an angel when he sleeps," says Kimmel. "Only Donald Trump could fall asleep at a party sponsored by Monster energy drink."

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Lenovo just announced the second-generation of the Lenovo Tab Plus tablet. Priced at $399.99, it's more expensive than its predecessor, though it now offers richer audio, an upgraded HDR display, a built-in kickstand, and new AI features.

The Tab Plus Gen 2 is an Android tablet and an alternative to Apple's popular iPads, which start at $349. The new tablet features a JBL 9-unit Pro speaker system, fine-tuned with Dolby Atmos audio. Lenovo says it's meant to deliver a rich, cinematic experience and can even operate as a standalone speaker with built-in Bluetooth. Alongside all the boosted audio comes an equally upgraded display. The 12.1-inch 2.5K LCD display supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 video with a max brightness of 800 nits.

On the back of the tablet is a built-in kickstand, which props up the tablet or serves as a grip for carrying the device. When in standby mode, the Tab Plus Gen 2 also functions as a digital picture frame.

With a built-in kickstand, you can watch your shows anywhere on the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2. Credit: Lenovo / Mashable

The tablet launches with Android 16 support, with two OS upgrades coming through Android 18. It starts at 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which are similar specs to Apple's base iPad. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 octa-core processor. Lenovo says it will provide 15 hours of battery life and has intelligent features like AI live transcription, Lenovo Smart Reader, and AI Notes.

The Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 starts at $399.99 and will be available globally soon, though we still don't know the exact release date yet.

SAVE OVER $300: As of June 16, the Roborock Qrevo S5V robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $549.99 at Amazon. This is $350 off its full price of $899.99.

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Credit: Roborock

Roborock Qrevo S5V Robot Vacuum and Mop

$549.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $350

 

Get Deal

Early Prime Day deals have been popping up left and right at Amazon, and if you've been searching for a robot vacuum, the retailer isn't going to make you wait for the sale to start. We've already spotted some excellent deals on select models, including the Roborock Qrevo S5V which has dropped to $549.99.

Usually the Roborock Qrevo S5V robot vacuum and mop is priced at $899.99, so this is your chance to save $350 on both the black and white models. If you've been looking for a combination cleaner to help keep your floors shiny and dirt-free this summer, it's a model well worth considering.

Whether you're dealing with pet hair, dirt, or crumbs that have gotten lost in the carpet, the Roborock Qrevo S5V boasts a 12,000Pa suction to help lift it out. It even features obstacle avoidance technology that can help it navigate around any items in its way, so it won't be slowed down while scooting from room to room.

There's no need to worry about stains on harder surfaces as the Roborock Qrevo S5V's mopping system scrubs up to 200 rotations per minute. It also features an extendable mop arm that can reach corners or tricky spots, and has a 10mm lift that helps keep low-pile carpets from getting wet.

This early deal on the Roborock Qrevo S5V is well worth jumping on at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. Act fast to save.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Donald Trump threw himself and America a lavish $60 million birthday party on the White House lawn on Sunday, and Seth Meyers dug into the details on Late Night.

"Donald Trump threw himself a birthday party at the White House with big strong men fighting each other and motorcycles flying through the air, and then he gave himself the gift of a peace deal with Iran that accomplished nothing other than getting us back to where we were before the war began," said Meyers on Monday night. "But at least his name is still on the Kennedy Center. Right? Oh, it's not."

Trump's Freedom 250 event, which marked the president's 80th birthday and America's 250 years of independence, involved an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on the South Lawn, held in a 92-foot steel arena called "The Claw."

"So, The Claw was in place at the White House, as I'm sure the Founding Fathers would have loved, and to prepare for the fight, there was a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial, which had to be one of the weirdest things anyone's seen in our nation's capital," said Meyers. "Look at Lincoln in the background. It's like he saw what they were doing and said, 'Oh, I gotta sit down.'"

The event didn't exactly earn public praise, as Meyers pointed out that a recent Reuters poll shows just 16 percent of Americans, including only a third ‌of Republicans, approve of UFC fights being held at the White House — and as CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten pointed out, that's lower than the 28 percent of Americans who believe in telepathy.

"Fewer Americans support UFC fights in the White House than believe in telepathy," said Meyers. "Oh, speaking of which, I'm getting a message, I'm telepathically communicating with the American people, and they're telling me...wait...yes, this sucks."

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"Sunday night gave the president and his acolytes an opportunity to rebut the joyous communion of teamwork that embodied the New York Knickerbockers for a joyless, Vegas-style trudge through the People's House, now transformed into a gold-plated pummeling center."

That's Daily Show host Jon Stewart introducing Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 White House event that took place over the weekend, with the host cracking jokes before abruptly changing his tone upon realising that the event was broadcast by the Daily Show's parent network Paramount+.

"Once again the leaders of Paramount+ providing us all with incredible content at reasonable prices," says a suddenly robotic Stewart. "I...I am proud to stand with the Paramount family and whatever shows they decide to either cancel or put on."

Still, he makes his feelings very clear about UFC fighter Josh Hokit, who targeted former First Lady Michelle Obama with insults during a post-fight interview.

"What a f***ing asshole," says Stewart.

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TL;DR: Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage games is coming to an end, and we're finally getting a chance to see the defending champions. Argentina face off against Algeria in their opening game, a match they'll be expected to win without too much hassle. That being said, anything can happen in tournament football.

Argentina will be captained by Messi, set to make his 200th international appearance. Can he lead his side to another title? It all starts here.

If you want to watch Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Argentina vs. Algeria?

Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the Arrowhead Stadium.

How to watch Argentina vs. Algeria for free

Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Argentina vs. Algeria for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Argentina vs. Algeria (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Nobody is really expecting Norway to challenge for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they've got a really talented squad with some of the biggest names in the tournament. Haaland is one of the star names of this competition, but can he lead his team into the latter stages?

They'll expect to start with a win over Iraq. They'll need those three points, because Group I looks like possibly the toughest of the bunch. Group I also includes France and Senegal, two teams that can give Norway a lot of problems. A defeat here would make progressing into the knockout rounds particularly tricky.

If you want to watch Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Iraq vs. Norway?

Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the Gillette Stadium.

How to watch Iraq vs. Norway for free

Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Iraq vs. Norway for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Iraq vs. Norway for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Iraq vs. Norway (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be absolutely electric. Most of the drama will be reserved for the knockout rounds, but that doesn't mean we aren't getting huge games in the group stage.

Take France vs. Senegal, for example. It's one of the favorites to win the competition against a special Senegal team that some argue won AFCON earlier this year. Could Senegal turn back the clock and beat France in the group stage like they did in the opening match of the 2002 tournament? What a story that would be.

All eyes will be on the battle between Kylian Mbappe and Sadio Mane, but there really are too many stars to name in this blockbuster matchup.

If you want to watch France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is France vs. Senegal?

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the MetLife Stadium.

How to watch France vs. Senegal for free

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Senegal for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch France vs. Senegal for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream France vs. Senegal (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

It feels like the 2026 World Cup is picking up the pace. We started with some interesting matchups, but there's been some real fire with recent fixtures. We also got the biggest shock of the tournament so far, with Cape Verde stealing a stunning 0-0 draw against Spain. That result will give every side hope of doing something special.

Today, June 16, is another big day for the tournament. The action starts at 12 p.m. ET. The schedule is hectic and it can feel overwhelming, so we've broken down the details for you below. Here's what you need to know to tune in live today.

FIFA World Cup schedule today: June 16

• Group I: France vs. Senegal (New York New Jersey Stadium) — kickoff at 3 p.m. ET

• Group I: Iraq vs. Norway (Boston Stadium) — kickoff at 6 p.m. ET

• Group J: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City Stadium) — kickoff at 9 p.m. ET

• Group J: Austria vs. Jordan (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium) — kickoff at 12 a.m. ET

How to livestream FIFA World Cup games today

Watch France vs. Senegal

There are plenty of interesting matchups from the group stage, but this might be one of the best on the schedule. France are one of the favorites to win the tournament, but Senegal possess a lot of talent. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Iraq vs. Norway

Norway might surprise a lot of people in this tournament. Any team that has Haaland leading the line is in with a chance, and he's backed up by a squad full of elite talent. They face a tough test against Iraq in the opening game. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Argentina vs. Algeria

The defending champions begin their campaign against Algeria. Messi and co will be favorites to win this one, but there's no better motivation than facing the team that holds the trophy. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Austria vs. Jordan

This isn't the most glamorous matchup on the schedule, but who cares? Both of these sides will look at Group J as an opportunity to progress to the knockout rounds, and that all starts here. Live coverage will be on FS1 and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

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Credit: Fox One

Fox One (3-Month Subscription)

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$59.97 Save $19.99

 

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Credit: Peacock

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Starting at $10.99/month

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More live streaming options

Live TV cable replacement

Not interested in signing up for a standalone streaming service like Fox One or Peacock? You can sign up for a live TV cable replacement service, like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.

These services carry over 100 live channels, but run off a WiFi connection. You'll get live access to Fox and FS1, plus a whole lot more. Here are some options to consider:

• YouTube TV — 10-day trial, then $67.99/month for 3 months

• Fubo Sports — 1-day trial, then $45.99/month for 1 month

• Hulu + Live TV — 3-day trial, then $89.99/month

Watch the World Cup for free with a VPN

It's possible to watch the World Cup for free on international services like ITVX, BBC iPlayer, NOS, or RTÉ. Our global World Cup watch guide can walk you through the process.

You will need a VPN to live stream the World Cup for free. We recommend ExpressVPN — a Mashable-tested service and an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Europe — as our VPN of choice for sport. It offers servers in 105 countries, a user-friendly app available on all major devices, a speedy connection, up to 10 simultaneous connections, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Credit: ExpresVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

Xpeng brought Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo to China to experience the new VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model inside its P7 electric vehicle. The demonstration offers a closer look at how Chinese automakers are advancing self-driving systems and what sets their approach apart from competitors around the world.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, June 16, 2026:

Across

Worker who sticks a thick mix on bricks

• The answer is Mason.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Volvos or VWs

• The answer is Autos.

"Wow, that's wild!"

• The answer is Crazy.

Peaceful place

• The answer is Haven.

Key above ~ on a Mac

• The answer is ESC

Down

___ 1 (speed of sound)

• The answer is Mach.

Emanating glow

• The answer is Aura.

Fend (off)

• The answer is Stave.

Seeps slowly

• The answer is Oozes.

Boy band with the 2000 hit "It's Gonna Be Me"

• The answer is NSYNC.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may currently be busy looking at his net worth blasting through one trillion dollars, thanks to the recent SpaceX IPO, but he's got other reasons to be jolly, too.

Electrek spotted the official EPA filing for Tesla's self-driving car, the Cybercab, and the numbers look pretty great.

According to Tesla's submission, the Cybercab will be powered by a single, 163kW (219HP) motor driving the front wheels, and a 47.6kWh lithium-ion battery.

While that battery capacity doesn't sound like much (for example, even the Rear-Wheel Drive Tesla Model 3 has a larger, 57.5kWh battery), the Cybercab is listed as having 418.2 miles of combined range, and 375.4 miles of highway range. Those sound better than they really are, mind you; these are unadjusted EPA test results, and we'll probably see lower official figures once the Cybercab hits the roads. In particular, EPA will likely apply a 0.7 correction factor to these numbers (as it does to all electric vehicles), which brings the combined range to 293 miles, which is still pretty great.

The impressive range is partially thanks to the Cybercab's low curb weight, which is officially 3,113 lbs (1,412kg). Again, compare that to a RWD Tesla Model 3, which weighs 3,552 lbs in its lightest-ever configuration.

It's easy to see why the Cybercab is so light: smaller battery pack, only two seats, no steering wheel, and no pedals. Electrek points out that Tesla probably could have pushed the weight even lower, but the company was probably happy with the efficiency numbers it got with this configuration. The company originally claimed the Cybercab would have close to 300 miles of range.

Tesla Cybercabs are now pretty much cleared to hit the roads from EPA's standpoint, but in order to send them to ferry actual passengers, Tesla still needs to pass some regulatory hurdles. The company currently has a limited robotaxi operation with Model Y cars ferrying passengers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas.

If you've recently found yourself wondering why someone is talking to "chat," calculating their "aura," calling a friend "twin," or lamenting their "Chungus life" on a daily basis, you're not alone.

Terms that once lived in niche corners of Twitch, TikTok, and group chats now spread across the internet in a matter of days. Some, like "W" and "chat," emerged from livestreaming culture. Others, like "brainrot" and "Tung Tung Tung Sahur," were born of the internet's increasingly surreal sense of humor and its growing reliance on AI. A few, like "Chungus," have survived so long they've now been reinvented by the internet.

Whether you're trying to decode a comment section or simply understand what young people are talking about, here's a guide to the most important internet slang terms you need to know in 2026.

"W"

Short for "win," W is one of the internet's most common ways to express approval. While the term has roots in sports and gaming, where wins and losses are literal outcomes, it became mainstream through livestreaming culture. Popular streamers like IShowSpeed, Kai Cenat, and xQc frequently encourage viewers to "spam W's in the chat" in response to a positive moment, whether it's a successful challenge, a major announcement, or an unexpected victory.

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Today, the term serves as an online catchall endorsement. Your favorite team pulls off a historic comeback? W. ("W Knicks.") Your friend lands their dream job? W. ("Huge W.") A creator posts a particularly good take? W. ("Common Vanillamace W.") Your flight gets upgraded, your crush texts back, or you find a $20 bill in an old jacket pocket? Those are all W moments. The format is simple, instantly recognizable, and perfectly suited to social media, where a single letter can communicate support, agreement, excitement, or admiration.

Unc

Short for "uncle," "unc" evolved from a term of familiarity and respect in Black communities into broader internet slang. Online, it's often used to playfully call someone old, out of touch, or unintentionally embarrassing, even if they're nowhere near retirement age.

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Athletes, celebrities, and creators in their late 20s or 30s have all found themselves labeled "unc" by younger users. The term reflects the internet's tendency to compress generations, where anyone perceived as slightly older can suddenly become an elder.

Aura

Aura refers to a person's perceived coolness, confidence, or social presence. While the word itself has existed for decades, Gen Z and Gen Alpha transformed it into a kind of imaginary social currency.

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Online users often joke about someone "gaining aura" after a particularly cool moment or "losing aura" after an awkward interaction. During the NBA Finals, for example, some fans joked that Victor Wembanyama had "lost aura" as the Spurs fell to the Knicks, while Knicks players were celebrated for gaining it.

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Entire videos are now dedicated to calculating "aura points," treating charisma like a video-game stat that can rise or fall based on a person's actions. The concept has become so widespread that it has spawned phrases like "aura farming," where someone intentionally tries to look cool, and "aura gambling," where a person takes a high-risk action that could either dramatically increase or destroy their aura.

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Chat

Originally a livestreaming term, chat refers to the collective audience participating in a stream's live comments section. Streamers on Twitch, YouTube, and Kick frequently address viewers directly as "chat," creating a sense of shared conversation. "Hey chat" has become such a defining part of streaming culture that even Twitch has leaned into it in its marketing campaigns and social media posts.

The phrase has since escaped livestreaming culture and entered everyday internet language. People now jokingly narrate their own lives as if they're broadcasting to an audience, saying things like, "Chat, are we cooked?" or "Chat, what should I do?" even when no actual chat exists. Some Gen Z users even refer to AI chatbots like ChatGPT simply as "chat."

Chat has become the internet's modern-day Greek chorus, a collective audience perpetually reacting to the action. The difference is that today's chorus mostly communicates through emotes.

Brainrot

Brainrot was actually the word of the year for the Oxford University Press in 2024. The publisher defined it as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state" caused by overconsumption of trivial online content. But the term has since evolved in a few different directions online.

Brainrot can refer to low-quality, repetitive, or intentionally absurd content — often called "slop" — that dominates social media feeds. It can also describe the obsessive state that results from consuming it. Someone deep into a TV show, celebrity fandom, sports team, video game, or meme might jokingly describe themselves as having brainrot. "Knicks brainrot," "K-pop brainrot," and "Formula 1 brainrot" are all common ways of describing an all-consuming fixation.

While brainrot can describe a fandom obsession, it has also evolved into a genre of internet humor itself. In 2025 and 2026, AI-generated "Italian Brainrot" memes helped transform the term from a warning about excessive internet use into a celebration of the internet's increasingly absurd sense of humor.

Chopped

If someone is described as chopped, it means they're considered unattractive, awkward-looking, or poorly styled. The term gained popularity through TikTok and meme culture, where users frequently use it to rate appearances.

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Like much internet slang, it's often exaggerated for comedic effect, though it can also be genuinely harsh. The popularity of the term reflects the rise of appearance-focused humor and ranking culture more broadly.

Choppelganger

A blend of "chopped" and "doppelganger," choppelganger refers to someone who resembles another person, but in a less flattering way.

The term is commonly used in side-by-side meme comparisons, particularly when comparing celebrities, fictional characters, or public figures. Instead of being someone's lookalike, a choppelganger is essentially their discount version. The joke works because it combines internet roasting culture with the longstanding fascination with celebrity resemblance.

Chungus

Big Chungus is one of the internet's longest-lasting absurdist memes. The term originated from a 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon frame in which the character appears unusually round and oversized. Decades later, internet users rediscovered the image and transformed it into a deliberately nonsensical meme.

Although its peak popularity arrived years ago, Chungus has evolved beyond the original image. Today, the word is often used as a playful, meaningless modifier in the same spirit as terms like "goober" or "blorbo." Online users might joke about their "Chungus life," describe something as "Chungus-coded," or exclaim "fuck my Chungus life" when things go wrong. In many ways, the term survives not because people remember the original meme, but because its sheer absurdity makes it endlessly reusable.

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Tung Tung Tung Sahur

Tung Tung Tung Sahur is one of the defining characters of the AI-generated meme movement known as Italian brainrot. The character is typically depicted as a wooden humanoid figure with a large, log-like body, oversized feet, and a baseball bat, accompanied by dramatic AI-generated narration that repeatedly chants its name.

Like many brainrot characters, its design feels simultaneously recognizable and inexplicable — unsettling enough to be memorable, but absurd enough to be funny.

What began as a niche TikTok meme evolved into a recurring internet character with its own lore, fan art, merchandise, and pop culture references. It even has its own Fortnite skin. By 2026, Tung Tung Tung Sahur had become shorthand for a broader style of AI-era internet humor built around surreal imagery, such as AI-generated anthropomorphic fruit and animals.

Even people who couldn't explain the character's origins often recognize the name or figure instantly. In that sense, Tung Tung Tung Sahur has transcended meme status and become a cultural fixture of the brainrot era.

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Twin

Twin is a term of endearment used to describe someone who feels especially relatable, close, or aligned with another person. Popularized through Black culture and hip-hop, the term suggests a level of understanding that goes beyond friendship. Users might call someone "my twin" because they share the same interests, opinions, experiences, or sense of humor.

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The slang has become so widespread that it now appears everywhere from TikTok captions to pop lyrics, including the opening line of BTS's highly anticipated 2026 album, Arirang: "What you need, twin?"

The term received an additional boost in popularity thanks to the viral success of "Made for Me" by Muni Long in 2024, particularly the lyric, "Twin, where have you been?" The sound became a fixture on TikTok, where users paired it with videos celebrating friendships, relationships, pets, and even favorite fictional characters. Today, "twin" is one of the internet's most common expressions of affection, used both sincerely and jokingly to signal an instant sense of connection.

During the fierce solar storms of 2024, people in places far south — places where no one expected to see auroras — snapped photos of luminous green and purple light rippling in the sky.

For the masses, they were breathtaking and magical. But inside flight control for NASA's Swift mission, seeing those images was devastating: The flaring sun was only driving a nail deeper into the spacecraft's coffin. As Earth's upper atmosphere heated and bloated, the thickened air tugged on the space telescope. 

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a telescope that has watched the universe's brightest explosions since 2004, is sinking — and fast. Instead of continuing its scientific observations into the 2030s, as once estimated, it now looks destined to fall back to Earth later this year, doomed for incineration in the atmosphere.

"To be totally honest, the idea of boosting it had occurred to us, but it seemed sufficiently far-fetched that I did not think there was any reasonable likelihood that NASA would go along with this," Brad Cenko, the mission's principal investigator, told Mashable.

But NASA will indeed go for it, full throttle. About nine months ago, the agency hired a contractor, Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies, to quickly throw together a rescue mission. The company's spacecraft, called LINK, will fly up, wrap its arms around the telescope, and tow it about 150 miles up into a safer orbit. That robotic mission — planned on an unseemly timeline by NASA standards — is expected to launch on a Pegasus rocket that will drop from a Northrop Grumman aircraft over the South Pacific, then ignite. If the weather and environmental conditions are good, they'll launch on June 27.

NASA has serviced the Hubble Space Telescope before with astronauts, but the Swift boosting mission is wholly different. For the first time, NASA will try to save a science mission that was never intended for repairs in space. If it works, the robotic mission could signal the end of a throwaway culture for spacecraft in favor of a new era committed to fixing and reusing. 

NASA is paying a little over $30 million for the capture, boost, and release of Swift — a fraction of the original $160 million mission that launched in 2004. That's an economical choice, Cenko said, especially when considering that building another telescope today would likely cost in the $250 to $300 million range due to inflation. 

Katalyst Space Technologies had less than nine months to plan the boosting mission. Credit: NASA / Katalyst Space Technologies infographic

Why astronomers love Swift

Astronomers say Swift, one of the few NASA mission names that isn't straining to be an acronym, has earned a second chance. The observatory hunts gamma‑ray bursts, brief flashes of high‑energy light that can outshine entire galaxies for a few seconds. In that blink of time, a single event can pour out more energy than our sun will emit over its whole lifetime. 

Sitting a few hundred miles above Earth in low orbit, Swift constantly scans a wide patch of sky for these bursts. When it spots one, the spacecraft whips around and points its X‑ray and ultraviolet instruments at the fading glow. That ability to react within a minute or two to "catch the act" is how it got its name.

In its first decade, Swift mainly chased its own discoveries. More recently, the team has figured out how to feed it alerts from other observatories, including big sky surveys scanned from the ground. That has turned Swift into a kind of first responder for cosmic fireworks, swinging toward whatever the rest of astronomy flags as urgent.

Despite its value to astronomers, the driving force behind the boosting mission isn't entirely about preserving the scientific capability.

"If that were the only story, I'm not 100 percent sure we would be here," Cenko said. "The current administration is very strongly motivated to develop the U.S. commercial space sector, and to ensure that we maintain dominance in that space sector compared to other countries."

The autonomous robotic LINK spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, will try to rendezvous with the Swift observatory. Credit: NASA / Sophia Roberts

Why Swift needs rescuing

The problem is not Swift's cameras or detectors. Those are in great working order, though they were only intended to operate for two years. It is the invisible drag of Earth's upper atmosphere that has created a ticking clock for the mission.

When NASA launched Swift in 2004, it flew about 370 miles above the planet. Even there, a very thin smear of air acts like a brake. Over time, that drag steals speed and lets gravity pull a spacecraft down. Today, Swift has an altitude of roughly 230 miles.

To buy extra time, the team changed how Swift flew in February, angling it to reduce drag. Then in April, they turned off the wide-angle detector that first spots gamma‑ray bursts. While those steps should slow down its fall, they've also essentially suspended the telescope's work.

Already researchers have logged dozens of missed opportunities, including exploding stars, black holes tearing apart nearby stars, flares from black holes in the Milky Way, and comets changing as they move through the inner solar system. 

"Everyone wants to be able to go and save this telescope," Kieran Wilson, Katalyst's principal investigator for the LINK spacecraft, told Mashable. "It's not something where people are like, 'Oh, well, maybe we could slip launch a couple months.' It just doesn't come up. Everyone understands the constraints, understands the hard physics of the problem, and has been really, really motivated."

How LINK will boost Swift's orbit

Nothing about the boosting mission is "normal." First, the rescue spacecraft, LINK, will drop from an airplane and light its engines midair over the ocean near the Marshall Islands. That unusual launch profile should make it easier to reach Swift's path near Earth's equator. 

Once in orbit, LINK, short for Lightweight In-space Navigation and Kinematics, will take its time closing in. The spacecraft will spend days or weeks gently adjusting its path until it flies close to Swift at nearly the same speed. Then, it will begin snapping detailed pictures of the sinking spacecraft.

What Swift looks like today is one of the biggest unknowns for the rescue operation. Its insulation has likely degraded quite a bit over the past two decades in space. Katalyst's flight team can't predict its condition, nor do they know if sturdy spots exist on the spacecraft's body to get a good grip.

When LINK does move in for the capture, people on the ground won't be steering it like a drone. Both spacecraft will be racing around Earth at about 17,000 mph. That means radio signals wouldn't be quick enough for the job. Instead, LINK will have to behave a bit like a self‑driving car. It will take rapid‑fire images, compare what it sees to its internal model of Swift, and fire small thrusters to correct its path by inches at a time.

In the last moments, three metal arms with clamps will unfold from LINK. Swift will then hand over control of its orientation to Katalyst's robot. The climb to a higher orbit could take from about a month to several months, depending on Swift's altitude when LINK grabs it, the sun's behavior, and how well the engines work.

This Northrop Grumman aircraft carries a Pegasus rocket, seen below the plane, that will drop over an ocean, light its engines midair, and launch to space. Credit: Northrop Grumman

Robots as space mechanics

If Katalyst succeeds, it will show that a relatively small robot can extend the life of a much more expensive telescope, even one that engineers never designed for maintenance. Future NASA missions might include grab handles, standard attachment rings, and replaceable parts, designed with the idea that a space mechanic could show up someday. It could mean a new era in the space economy, Wilson said.

"This is absolutely a model we want to use going forward, where spacecraft are no longer a static asset on orbit — they're no longer stuck with only what they launched with," Wilson said. "You can reposition spacecraft when they run out of propellant, boost their orbit when they're in danger of reentry, and that is something that we see as foundational to the way that space will evolve in the next few decades."

For the Swift team, the mission is more than an experiment or a demonstration. They consider themselves Swifties and have leaned into Taylor Swift fandom, swapping friendship bracelets at meetings and borrowing language from the pop star's albums. 

They're hoping it's not the end of a good 20 years, full of astronomical hits. 

"We say we're going into the 'boost era'," Cenko said.

New Pride Month, same boring jokes about bisexual women.

Every year, wannabe comedians online take Pride Month as an opportunity to poke fun at bisexual women, especially those who are dating men. 2026 is no different:

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And this started before June 1, to be clear.

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As a bi woman, I clench every time Pride approaches because I know these jokes are coming. They're not only tired at this point, but they also signal that stereotypes and stigmas about bisexual people haven't changed. (And I'm a bi woman dating a lesbian, so I'm not even the butt of this particular joke, and I'm still sick of it.)

Before I go further, I want to make something clear: Bi people are not the most oppressed faction of the LGBTQ community. Without a doubt, trans people are being oppressed by the U.S. and other governments, and they need our support. Trans people's existence is being threatened by legislation against gender affirming care, barriers to accurate IDs, freedom of speech, allowance in sports, bathrooms, and more. Not to mention all the transphobia that we see outside the government from everyday people. It's disgusting, and it needs to stop. 

Cis bisexual people are by no means experiencing this level of threat. I'm not trying to play the Oppression Olympics. But given these same jokes happen year over year, it's past time we talk about it.

It's also worth pointing out that there is a common thread between biphobia and transphobia, and it's the human tendency — not speaking for everyone, obviously — to want to put everyone in a neat little box. To see everything in black and white. We as a species (and on the internet, especially) have trouble with the gray area of life, with nuance, with holding two things to be true at once. This is exemplified by both gender essentialism, or the belief that men and women have certain intrinsic characteristics, and biphobia, or the disdain for people who are attracted to more than one gender (or refusal to believe that's true). 

And maybe that's why monosexual people (gay and straight people) can be hostile to us. At least, that's one reason. 

Misogyny also can't be ignored here. All the jokes I've seen so far this Pride are specifically about bi women and ignore bi men entirely. When it comes to biphobia, the attraction to women is always what's questioned, as bi women are assumed to be straight and bi men are assumed to be gay. 

Harmful stereotypes against bi people

Certain stereotypes are unique to bisexual people: We're greedy, we're hypersexual, we're cheaters, we're going to leave someone for the other gender, that we're faking for attention, and that bisexuality is a choice.

The sad reality is that these stereotypes don't just lead to mean social media posts; they have real-life implications. As I've written about for Mashable, bi people's mental health is impacted by this stigma, and bi people are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence. There are multiple factors that lead to this, from believing in the hypersexual myth, to wanting to "turn" women straight…

A famous example is Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. In 2022, after the infamous Depp v Heard trial concluded, Rebecca Bodenheimer wrote for the LGBTQ outlet Them.:

When psychologist Dawn Hughes took the stand during the defamation trial initiated by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, she testified to the court that Heard's bisexuality was a point of contention during the actors' tumultuous marriage. Hughes gave examples: Heard had "faced scrutiny" in her interactions with women and, on one occasion, Depp allegedly "manually penetrated" her in anger after he saw Heard have an exchange with another woman.

Bodenheimer went on to say that, "[Heard's] bisexuality was weaponized against her during her 2016 divorce from Depp, with media suggesting she was untrustworthy and had cheated on him due to her sexuality."

"On social media, supporters of Depp used hashtags like #AmberHeardIsAPsychopath, #AmberHeardIsALiar, and #AmberHeardIsASlut — all sentiments that mirror some of the many stereotypes and stigmas that bisexual people still face," Bodenheimer wrote.

We must recognize the harm that could stem from the same biphobia that leads to little jokes on the internet. I've never experienced what Heard has, but I've run into my share of biphobia.

In 2019, years before I met my fiancée, I attended a sapphic speed-dating event. I had a great time, but then at the end, before there was supposed to be an afterparty at another location, I was in line for the bathroom when I overheard someone say that she'd never date a bi woman. And I was so hurt by this that I just left. I didn't go to the second location. I didn't even go to the bathroom. I didn't say anything, either, so who knows if this woman found out that she upset me.

I understand that that woman might've had her own negative experiences with bi women that led her to say that. But like any group, bi people aren't a monolith. Instead of treating us as individuals, she wrote us off altogether. Or, perhaps worse, she didn't even base her preference on her past, and just judged bisexual women for dating/sleeping with men, or some other biphobic tick. 

If I had to give my 2019 self advice, I'd tell her to just go to the afterparty and not let that person get to me. (But in the end, it didn't matter; I met the love of my life a couple of years later.)

Bi folks, we are a little annoying

As a bi person myself, however, I can admit we can be a little annoying. We are the "but, actually…" of the queer community — but with good reason. 

As bisexual writer Zachary Zane has written about in his memoir, Boyslut, and in Men's Health, bisexual "visibility" can be difficult. In theory, you'd need to be holding hands (or making out with) two different-gendered people simultaneously. And if you're in a monogamous relationship, that's not happening.

What Zane advocates for is bisexual audibility, which is the practice of coming out as bisexual.

If you're assuming someone's gay or straight and they tell you you're wrong, you can perceive them as being obnoxious. It's indeed annoying to be wrong and to be told you're wrong. But for many bisexual people, saying so is the only way they can let it be known.

I don't think it's necessary to tell people they're wrong about you in every context. I also know there are times when we need to assert ourselves and our place in the LGBTQ community. We're here, queer, get used to it, etc.

Bisexual people may be the "but actually" of the queer community, but we're also the "yes, and," and I love that for us. We live in the gray area, the nuance. It's OK if you're not visibly bi all the time, and it's also OK if you're in a straight-passing relationship.

Maybe next year, we'll be writing the jokes.

TL;DR: The iPhone 17 Pro is available for free with T-Mobile. You can claim by switching to an Experience More or Experience Beyond unlimited plan.

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Free when you switch to an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in required).

Shop Now

Look, we know the iPhone 17 Pro isn't exactly the shiny new kid on the block. It has spent the last nine months dominating our social media feeds thanks to that distinct camera module and the viral Cosmic Orange finish, after all. But the iPhone 18 launch is looming, and that means carriers are officially entering clearance mode.

If you don't care about having the absolute newest phone, T-Mobile has launched a massive late-cycle push on this current-gen handset. For a limited time, you can secure the iPhone 17 Pro for free. And it's straightforward to claim.

To score the iPhone 17 Pro for free, you just need to switch carriers and activate a new line on T-Mobile’s top-tier Experience More or Experience Beyond plans. If you're already an existing customer, you can get the exact same deal by trading in an eligible handset (like an iPhone 15 Pro) on those same plans.

It's important to note that T-Mobile doesn't just hand over an $1,100 phone without strings attached. The retail price is financed over 24 consecutive monthly statements, and T-Mobile applies a promotional credit each month to bring that specific line item down to $0. If you decide to bounce to another carrier or try to upgrade early to the iPhone 18 in September, those monthly credits vanish instantly. You will be stuck footing the remaining bill for whatever is left on the phone's 24-month payment cycle.

It was recently announced that only iPhone 17 Pro users will get some of iOS 27's AI tools. If you really want to experience Siri AI's most advanced features, it might be time to upgrade.

Score the iPhone 17 Pro for free with this latest offer from T-Mobile.

The best Disney+ deals and bundles in June 2026:

---

Best Hulu Bundle Deal

Disney+ and Hulu Bundle

Get 3 months for $9.99 per month

Get Deal

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Best HBO Max Bundle Deal

Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle

$19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free

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---

Best ESPN Bundle Deal

Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle

$35.99/month

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Whether you're looking to jump into the latest superhero saga or journey to a galaxy far, far away, Disney+ is the streaming service for you.

Home to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, Disney+ offers a library that's stuffed full of shows and films to keep both adults and kids entertained. With Disney+, you can watch Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord, the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Pixar's new movie Hoppers, and much more.

If you've had this streaming service on your radar but you're unsure which plan is the best fit for you, we've got you covered with a selection of Disney+ streaming deals. Right now, the streamer is offering three months of its ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle for only $9.99 per month (which renews at $12.99 per month after three months), or six months of its ad-free plan at $17.99 per month (which will return to $19.99 per month after the six-month promotional period).

There's also the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max package, which is a great investment for those who already watch the other two streaming services but want to cut down on costs. We've detailed all of the available bundle deals below, alongside basic information on Disney+ plans if you just want the House of Mouse's service on its own.

Best Hulu bundle deal

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Credit: Disney

Disney+ and Hulu Bundle

Get 3 months of Disney+ and Hulu (With Ads) for $9.99 per month, then $12.99 per month

Get Deal

Why we like it

For those interested in the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, the streamer is offering deals on both its ad-supported and ad-free plans. For the plan with ads, new and eligible returning subscribers can enjoy three months for $9.99 per month before it returns to $12.99 per month. And if you're interested in going ad-free, the Premium plan is down to $17.99 per month for six months before returning to $19.99 per month.

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle — $9.99 per month for three months, then $12.99 per month

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium — $17.99 per month for six months, then $19.99 per month

Best HBO Max bundle deal

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Credit: Disney

Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle

$19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free

Get Deal

Why we like it

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is one of the best available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, you can have three excellent streaming services right in the palm of your hand. The $19.99 per month option is for the With Ads plan, but if you'd prefer to watch your favorite content without ads, the No Ads plan comes to $32.99 per month. Compared to what you'd pay for each of these on their own, you're saving 42% with the ad-supported plan and 41% with the ad-free plan.

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 42%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 41%)

Best ESPN bundle

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Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle

$35.99/month

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If you're a sports fan looking to add ESPN to your bundles, you're in luck: Disney offers bundles with both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+."

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is available for $35.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is available for $44.99 per month.

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $19.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $29.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $35.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $44.99 per month

Best Disney+ monthly plans

Disney+ offers two standard plans if you just want the service on its own. The Disney+ ad-supported plan comes to $11.99 per month while the ad-free Disney+ Premium plan will set you back $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year if you'd rather pay annually.

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $11.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium (No Ads) — $18.99 per month, $189.99 per year

Disney+ has also created an "extra member" plan for people using your account that live outside of your household as they crack down on password sharing. If you're looking to add another person onto your account, you're only allowed one extra profile and can choose from the following add-on plans:

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $6.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium — $9.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $7.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $10.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $11.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $14.99 per month

There's a wealth of shows and films to check out on Disney+ after you sign up. If you want some help finding something to watch, check out our roundups of the 12 best TV shows for adults on Disney+ and the 20 best movies on Disney+ to start building out your watchlist.

TL;DR: As of June 16, students can shop the new XPS 13 laptop for as low as $599 from Dell.

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Dell XPS 13

$599 at Dell
$699 Save $100

 

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Students on the hunt for a budget-friendly laptop may be inclined to look at the shiny new MacBook Neo, but Dell is dropping some exciting competition in the form of the new XPS 13 laptop. Pricing starts at $699, but students can actually score this new model for as low as $599.

This student offer lasts until Nov. 2, so there's plenty of time to take advantage of this deal ahead of the next school year. It's open to high school students starting at 16-years-old and college students who are going to degree granting schools, but it's worth keeping in mind that students must join Dell Rewards or be a current member and verify student status to save.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that the offer is only valid for XPS 13 models with Series 3 Intel Core Processors. It excludes any model that's fitted with the Series 3 Intel Core Ultra Processors.

The XPS 13 laptop is actually a tiny bit lighter than the Neo, starting at 2.2 pounds compared to the Neo's 2.7 pounds, so carrying it between classes will be a breeze. It also features a sleek design that houses a 2.5K LCD touchscreen and backlit keyboard, alongside the Intel Core processor and WiFi 7 inside. It's capable of running up to 17 hours while streaming thanks to a great battery life. That beats the Neo, which is listed as lasting up to 16 hours.

This offer on the XPS 13 laptop lasts until Nov. 2 for students. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to scoop up this new laptop for as low as $599.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

TL;DR: Pick up a lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for $99.97 (MSRP $299.99) through June 28 during Deal Days and learn piano at your own pace from home.

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Skoove Premium Piano Lessons: Lifetime Subscription

$99.97
$299.99 Save $200.02

 

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Learning piano sounds great in theory — until you’re trying to fit weekly lessons into an already packed schedule. Skoove Premium Piano Lessons makes it easier by putting guided instruction on your phone, tablet, or computer, so you can practice whenever you have time. During Deal Days (an alternative to Prime Day), you can get lifetime access for just $99.97 (reg. $299.99) through June 28 and skip both the recurring fees and the commute to lessons.

When was the last time you learned a new skill? If mastering the piano has always been on your bucket list, it’s time to make it happen with this lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons. This AI-powered app lets you pick up piano in your spare time without ever leaving your house.

All you need to get started with Skoove Premium Piano Lessons is a keyboard or piano and your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. The app does the rest, as it can hear you play, recognize your notes, and give you real-time feedback so you get better as you go.

Whether you’re totally new to the instrument or you have some lessons under your belt, Skoove Premium Piano Lessons offers lesson options ranging from beginner to advanced. And it’s not like the boring old piano lessons from your past; you’ll get to pick up skills by playing your favorite music — from Adele to Beethoven.

Your lifetime subscription includes permanent access to more than 400 lessons and thousands of instructional videos, and you’ll never run out of content because new ones are added every month. There’s also one-on-one support available from real music instructors when you need it.

Get this lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for just $99.97 (reg. $299.99) during Deal Days until June 28.

For more Deal Days offers, check out the full collection.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Score a refurbished MacBook Pro with a massive 1TB SSD for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) during Deal Days, running through June 28.

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Credit: Apple

Apple MacBook Pro 2020 (Refurbished)

$429.97
$1,999 Save $1,569.03

 

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Storage has a funny way of disappearing faster than you expect. One minute you’re saving a few photos and documents, and the next you’re juggling video files, backups, downloads, and the dreaded “disk almost full” notification. If you’re ready for a laptop with room to spare, this MacBook Pro deal is worth a look.

During Deal Days — our answer to Prime Day — you can snag a feature-packed 13-inch MacBook Pro, complete with 1TB of SSD, for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999), until June 28.

There’s a reason the MacBook Pro has amassed such a massive fan base — this laptop has a lot to offer. A 13.3-inch Retina display features Apple’s True Tone Technology, which automatically adjusts depending on your lighting and helps reduce eye strain.

Everything you see on that vibrant screen is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, which offers a 2GHz base speed that makes multitasking smooth and steady. With 1TB of storage, you can save all of your important files locally, without shelling out extra for cloud storage or hard drives.

A Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar offers a comfortable typing experience and easy access to shortcuts to save you time on this MacBook Pro. There’s Touch ID to keep your device safe, and four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports for easy connectivity. This model also offers 10 hours of battery life, so you don’t have to worry about frequent charging.

You’re securing a massive discount due to this model’s grade “A” refurbished rating. That means you’ll receive a device in near-mint condition, with minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case.

Act fast and bring home a refurbished 2020 MacBook Pro for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) by June 28 while this sale lasts.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Just a little over one year ago, the Nintendo Switch 2 finally came out, and it's been a heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Nintendo's latest home console/handheld hybrid has surprised, delighted, and in some capacity or another disappointed us all in the span of 12 months. There have been excellent exclusives and a stronger-than-expected pipeline of major third-party releases, all alongside serious concerns about affordability (and eventually a price increase) and questions about whether Nintendo might be playing it too safe with some of its big titles.

With all of that in mind, let's talk about the first year of the Switch 2, including what's gone right, what went wrong, and what we can expect from its next trip around the sun.

Nintendo Switch 2 first anniversary: The good

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Starting with what has worked in the Switch 2's favor, I would be remiss not to immediately mention the significantly more premium look and feel of the device compared to its predecessor. Nintendo sized up the Switch 2 a bit, giving it a larger display with a higher resolution and refresh rate, bigger Joy-Con controllers that are more comfortable in the hands, and a less toy-like feel overall. The dock for outputting games to your TV has also been significantly improved via the addition of a built-in Ethernet port, something the Switch 1's dock didn't have at launch.

The Switch 2's improved industrial design was also met by substantially more horsepower under the hood. While it's still a far cry from what a PlayStation 5 can do, the Switch 2's graphical capabilities are strong enough that a surprising number of big, expensive third-party releases have already made their way to the console, or will in the near future. The Switch 2 ports of recent hits like Pragmata and Resident Evil: Requiem are nothing short of outstanding, and the June 2026 Nintendo Direct contained some upcoming heavy hitters like Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and Devil May Cry 5. Oh yeah, Elden Ring is still on track to release on Switch 2 this year, too.

Needless to say, the people who only own a Switch 2 and no other gaming hardware (anecdotally, this is not a small audience) are eating pretty good these days. It's also worth noting that the Switch 2's arguably best use case right now is playing older games. A shockingly large number of old Switch 1 games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have either gotten paid "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" upgrades or free patches to make them look and run a lot better on the new console. There's also a bunch of backward-compatible Switch 1 games that simply work better on Switch 2 without an official update, which is pretty sweet, honestly. I kind of can't believe how much time I've spent going back and clearing out my backlog of old games simply because they look better on Switch 2 than they did before.

Oh yeah, the eShop digital storefront that's built into the console is finally usable now. It was a real slog on Switch 1, but it's totally fine on Switch 2.

Couples Halloween costume idea, maybe? Credit: Nintendo

Lastly, Nintendo has been releasing roughly one first-party game per month since the Switch 2 came out. That cadence has produced some great stuff like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pokémon Pokopia. I'll also go to bat for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which is a lot cooler than you might think at first glance. Not every exclusive has been a banger, but you could argue the Switch 2 has gotten more compelling first-party titles in its first year than the PS5 has in its first six years. And there's basically zero argument against the fact that the Switch 2 is winning that battle against the Xbox Series consoles in the same time frame.

Nintendo Switch 2 first anniversary: The bad

I did not care for 'Kirby Air Riders.' Credit: Nintendo

When discussing the Switch 2's early pitfalls, one simply has to start with its place in the current economy. Everything is more expensive than ever, meaning disposable income is at a premium for many, many people. Put bluntly, the Switch 2 is a bigger investment than a lot of people can realistically make right now. Some of that is Nintendo's fault, but much of it isn't.

For example, Mario Kart World being $80 is something Nintendo has control over, but the $50 price hike coming later this year (an extreme rarity for a new video game console) is a response to the RAMageddon crisis that's causing tech prices to spike all over the place. Nintendo requiring users to buy MicroSD Express cards (a new storage medium most people don't already have lying around) to expand system storage is also unfortunate, given the ongoing memory crisis, even if the Switch 2 would be a notably less capable machine if it used an older, cheaper storage format.

Considering the quality of the hardware and the state of the tech manufacturing economy, the Switch 2, being a $500 initial investment starting in September, makes sense. But that doesn't mean people have to like it, and they probably shouldn't.

On the software side, there are some gripes to be had, as well. It's not great that we haven't even heard whispers of a new mainline Mario or Legend of Zelda game for the Switch 2 after a year. Their absences are easily explained (the core Mario team made Bananza and Zelda games take like six years to make now), but nonetheless, those are the things some people really flock to Nintendo systems for, and we have no idea when they'll come out or even be announced.

There's also a strong argument to be made that Nintendo is playing it a bit too safe with its software lineup at the moment. The Switch 2 has yet to be home to a notable brand new franchise of any kind, something that we usually see at least once per console generation. Beyond that, two of the biggest upcoming Switch 2 exclusives are Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, remakes of older games. As intriguing as those both might be, they're not as exciting as new games would be.

What's next for Switch 2?

Having said all of that, I do think the near-future outlook for the Switch 2 is positive. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave looks like it'll be a heater when it comes out in September, and the same could be said for announced 2027 releases like Pokémon Winds and Waves and Xenoblade Genesis. I also have a gut feeling we'll hear something from Mario by the end of 2027.

Aside from games, it would be great to know if Nintendo has plans for Switch 2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED models. A handheld-only Lite console could be a cheaper alternative, while an OLED model would address the complaints many users have about the handheld display on the current machine. In a perfect world where AI data centers didn't exist, one or both of these would be a lock-in for the next year or two, but sadly, the outlook is uncertain.

Broadly speaking, I think Nintendo has made most of the right moves over the past year, and I feel pretty good about where things are headed, RAMageddon aside. As someone who lived through the Wii U era, when it felt like Nintendo was in a sort of existential crisis, I'll take the current situation over that in a heartbeat.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to 1min.AI with ChatGPT, Gemini, and other major AI models in one place for $69.97.

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Credit: 1minAI

1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription

$69.97
$540 Save $470.03

 

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AI subscriptions can feel reasonable when you’re only using one tool, like ChatGPT. But once your work expands into writing, image generation, document analysis, and translation, the monthly costs and tool switching start to pile up quickly.

1min.AI — now on sale as a lifetime plan for just $69.97 — pulls those capabilities together in one platform, giving you access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral, and more without juggling multiple subscriptions.

1min.AI runs in your browser and pulls a ton of everyday work into one place. You can research keywords, draft blog posts, rewrite and shorten text, generate social posts, and keep a consistent brand voice across projects. There are tools to summarize or translate documents, chat with multiple PDFs at once, and spin up slide presentations. For visuals, you can generate images from prompts, upscale low-resolution pictures, remove backgrounds, extend edges, or turn rough sketches into cleaner artwork.

Here’s a small sample of the AI models you’ll get access to:

• GPT

• Claude 3 Opus and Claude 3 Sonnet

• Gemini Pro 1.5

• Llama 3

• Mistral models

The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits each month, plus the chance to earn up to 450,000 more through daily logins and other tasks. Credits are shared across writing, images, audio, and video, so you can lean harder on whichever tools you need that month. The plan supports up to 20 members, with shared workspaces, an unlimited prompt library, unlimited storage, and unlimited brand voices. If you don’t use all your credits, they just roll over, so you aren’t missing out if you have a lighter month.

Right now, it’s only $69.97 to get a 1min.AI lifetime subscription.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows is down to $32.97 (reg. $219.99).

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Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License

$29.97
$219.99 Save $190.02

 

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This is your last chance to ditch Microsoft 365’s subscription fees for good. Until June 14 at midnight, you can grab a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for 85% off its usual retail price. Simply pay once, download the full software suite, and never worry about renewals again.

We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, the lifetime version of Microsoft Office has you covered.

It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.

No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.

Download Microsoft Office for Windows while it’s on sale for $32.97. No coupon is needed.

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TL;DR: Put an end to the PDF struggle with this lifetime license to AcePDF Converter and Editor, now just $29.99 (reg. $99.99).

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Credit: Acethinker

AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime License

$24
$99.99 Save $75.99

 

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From contracts and invoices at work to forms from the doctor’s office, you can’t avoid PDFs these days. Fortunately, there’s now a much easier way to work with them thanks to AcePDF Converter and Editor. This handy tool is even on sale now, with a lifetime license for just $29.99.

Working with PDFs shouldn’t feel harder than your actual workload. AcePDF Converter and Editor keeps things simple, making the editing and converting process a whole lot easier.

If you need to convert a PDF to another file format, AcePDF can help. Pick MS Word, Excel, PPT, HTML, PNG, or JPG, or you can also create PDFs from Word, Excel, PPT, and image files. You don’t have to worry about the original file being compromised, as AcePDF creates high-quality conversions that preserve the original layout, images, and hyperlinks.

Need to edit a PDF? AcePDF lets you fill out forms, add, or enhance content right in the app. It’s also easy to annotate, add watermarks, encrypt files, or add a passcode and unlock feature.

If you’re looking to create a PDF file from scratch, AcePDF lets you merge MS documents, images, or other types of files easily. There’s also built-in OCR technology that lets you extract text from image-based PDFs.

Stop struggling with PDFs for life by setting AcePDF as your default program when it comes to editing, opening, or reading PDF files. You can also use this lifetime license on two devices.

Make life a little easier with this lifetime license to AcePDF Converter and Editor, now just $29.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup rumbles on with more group-stage games bringing together teams that wouldn't usually meet, like Austria and Jordan. That's what this competition is all about. Argentina and Algeria are the other sides in this group, so Austria will be desperate to start strongly with three points from this game.

If you want to watch Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Austria vs. Jordan?

Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 12 a.m. ET on June 17. This fixture takes place at the Levi's Stadium.

How to watch Austria vs. Jordan for free

Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Austria vs. Jordan for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Austria vs. Jordan for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Austria vs. Jordan (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

The best early DJI Prime Day deals at a glance:

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Best drone deal

DJI Mini 3

$399 (Save $20)

Get Deal

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Best camera deal

DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo

$169 (Save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best accessory deal

DJI Mic 3

$259 (Save $70)

Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is still a week away, but some of DJI's most popular products are already seeing early discounts at Amazon.

Whether you're looking to capture better travel footage or finally pick up that creator favorite you've had your eye on, these pre-Prime Day deals could save you from waiting until the main event kicks off.

Prime Day officially runs from June 23-26, but the savings have already started landing.

Best early Prime Day DJI drone deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Mini 3

$399 at Amazon
$418.98 Save $19.98

 

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Why we like it

This is a lightweight drone, weighing under 249g, meaning no FAA registration is required for recreational flying. It captures 4K HDR video, supports True Vertical Shooting, and offers stable footage thanks to its 3-axis gimbal and Level 5 wind resistance. It has beginner-friendly features like GPS Return to Home and Auto Takeoff/Landing, so it's a great choice for getting started with a drone.

More early Prime Day DJI drone deals

• DJI Neo — $169 $199 (save $30)

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo — $2,550 $2,899 (save $349)

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro — $3,500 $3,750 (save $250)

Best early Prime Day DJI camera deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo

$169 at Amazon
$199 Save $30

 

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Why we like it

This camera features a 1/1.3-inch sensor for shooting in low-light conditions, as well as 4K video capabilities at up to 120fps with a 155° ultra-wide field of view. It offers up to 150 minutes of battery life and it works in temperatures as low as -20°C. It's even waterproof to depths of 18m, making it an ideal choice for vlogging your outdoor adventures.

More early Prime Day DJI camera deals

• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Waterproof Action Camera Bundle — $429.99 $399.99 (save $30)

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo — $539 $629 (save $90)

Best early Prime Day DJI accessories deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Mic 3

$259 at Amazon
$329 Save $70

 

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Why we like it

The DJI Mic 3 is a compact wireless microphone system designed for creators, podcasters, and interviewers who need quality audio while on the go. It supports up to four transmitters, features adaptive gain control and selectable noise cancellation, and uses dual-band transmission for clear audio in busy environments. You'll get up to 28 hours of battery life with the charging case, so it's great for long hours recording. Not to mention, it has compatibility with a huge range of DJI devices.

More early Prime Day DJI accesories deals

• DJI Mic 2 Transmitter — $59 $79 (save $20)

• DJI Mic 2 — $199 $269 (save $70)

SAVE $300: As of June 16, the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra robot vacuum is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon. That's a 55% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Shark

Shark AV2501S AI Robot Vacuum

$249.96 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $300.03

 

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Prime Day kicks off next week, but there are some early deals already starting to pop up. You can already find deals on things like portable power stations and robot vacuums, and if you’re looking for the latter, there’s a great deal on the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra live right now.

As of June 16, this vacuum is down to $249.99, a savings of $300. That’s more than half off the list price and the lowest-ever price for this model.

This vacuum uses Matrix Clean Navigation to follow a precise grid pattern when vacuuming. This means it makes multiple passes over areas and dirt, making sure nothing is missed. This model also benefits from a self-emptying and bagless design. This is managed at the docking station where it can hold up to 30 days of dirt and debris.

360° LiDAR mapping helps it to navigate around your home, and it can even detect and avoid obstacles like shoes or furniture legs. And if you have pets at home, this vacuum is more than capable of dealing with the excess hair and fluff. It has a self-cleaning brushroll and strong suction to handle pet hair, dust, and dander. 

It can also be controlled hands-free using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and it supports scheduled cleans, so you can set it to run when you’re out of the house.

Pick up this robot vacuum deal from Amazon now.

SAVE OVER $1,000: As of June 16, the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is on sale for $1,619 at Amazon. That's a 42% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Jackery

Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus

$1,619 at Amazon
$2,799 Save $1,180

 

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Amazon Prime Day gets underway next week, but if there are items on your shopping list that just can't wait, you might be lucky and catch an early deal.

Amazon has already started dropping prices on some popular products, and if you're shopping around for a portable power station, make sure you check out this early deal on the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus. As of June 16, it's currently over $1,000 off, with the lprice dropping to $1,619.

This is a seriously powerful unit, providing up to 3,600W of output with a 3,584Wh capacity that can be expanded to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh across multiple units. It supports both 120V and 240V operation in parallel and is designed to power big household appliances including pumps, heaters, and dryers during outages.

It's built with high-temperature-resistant ceramic membrane battery cells, so it's designed to help excessive heat or overcharging, giving it a rated lifespan of 6,000 charge cycles and up to 10 years of use.

This portable power station also supports four charging methods. These include hybrid AC and DC charging that can recharge the battery from 0-100% in around two hours, alongside AC, solar, and gas generator charging options.

Get this portable power station deal at Amazon now.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require baseball movie knowledge.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: North Carolina sports

• Green: Baseball cinema

• Blue: NBA finances

• Purple: Famous Max

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: A North Carolina Athlete

• Green: Baseball Films

• Blue: NBA Contract Terms

• Purple: Max___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #631 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• A North Carolina Athlete: BLUE DEVIL, HORNET, HURRICANE, TAR HEEL

• Baseball Films: 42, BULL DURHAM, EIGHT MEN OUT, MAJOR LEAGUE

• NBA Contract Terms: 10-DAY, MIDLEVEL EXCEPTION, SUPERMAX, TWO-WAY

• Max___: FRIED, SCHERZER, STRUS, VERSTAPPEN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this orange space must add up to 9. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Equal (1): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this red space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Number (22): Everything in this space must add up to 22. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically; 5-1, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

In the future.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

LATER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To meander.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MOSEY

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A thud.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

THUNK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A share.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

QUOTA

Final Hurdle hint

A drum.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

CONGA

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Learn up to 25 languages in a year with this one-year subscription to Rosetta Stone Sapphire, now just $127.20 (reg. $159).

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Rosetta Stone Sapphire: 1-Year Subscription

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Want to learn a new language? How about more than one? With this one-year Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription, you can learn up to 25 different languages with the immersive lessons and technology geared toward helping your pronunciation.

Right now, you can lock in major savings and learn for a year for just $127.20.

If you want to learn languages, it’s best to go to a trusted source. Rosetta Stone has over 30 years of language learning expertise under its belt, coupled with new technology that helps you speak like a native.

This one-year subscription gives you access to their structured lessons in 25 different languages, from Spanish and German to Mandarin and Arabic.

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TL;DR: BJ’s Club Card Membership is down to just $15 (reg. $60), giving you a full year of access to wholesale pricing, fresh groceries, gas savings, and seasonal finds right before summer kicks off.

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1-year The Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® (Terms apply.)

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Summer has a funny way of turning quick grocery runs into full-contact financial experiences.

Suddenly, you’re buying burgers for cookouts, drinks for backyard hangs, enough fruit for everybody’s “healthy phase,” plus paper towels, sunscreen, pool stuff, and approximately 900 snack foods for road trips and beach days.

Which is exactly why grabbing a BJ’s Club Card Membership for $15 right now feels like a smart move instead of a random impulse buy.

Normally priced at $60, this membership saves you $45 upfront while unlocking access to BJ’s warehouse pricing on everyday essentials, fresh groceries, household items, top national brands, gas stations, and bigger things like furniture and electronics.

And honestly, timing matters here.

Right before summer is arguably peak warehouse-club season. People are stocking up more often, hosting more gatherings, grilling more, traveling more, and trying not to spend their entire paycheck at the grocery store every weekend.

And this offer is built for that kind of shopping rhythm.

Members can save up to 25 percent on grocery store prices on everyday essentials while getting access to fresh produce, deli items, bakery goods, meat, snacks, drinks, and household staples in bulk-friendly sizes. There are also 175 BJ’s gas stations and more than 244 clubs across the eastern U.S., so it’s not exactly difficult to put the membership to work.

And for $15 for the whole year, this feels like a very practical summer decision.

Get a 1-year membership to BJ’s with auto-renewal for a one-time $15 payment (reg. $60).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to ChatPlayground AI for $54.97 (reg. $619) and compare outputs from 25+ leading AI models side by side in one place.

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ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan)

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If you’ve ever pasted the same prompt into multiple AI tools just to see which one gives the best result, you’re definitely not alone. Each model has its own strengths, but switching between apps, tabs, and subscriptions slows everything down. ChatPlayground AI, on sale for $54.97, brings those models together so you can view and compare responses side by side without constantly bouncing between platforms.

GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and more — all in one clean interface. It’s built for people who iterate fast, test variations, and actually care about optimizing results.

Beyond comparisons, ChatPlayground AI includes prompt engineering tools to refine outputs, image and PDF chat for context-aware responses, saved chat history for ongoing projects, and AI image generation powered by leading models. There’s even a Chrome extension to integrate it directly into your browsing workflow.

The Unlimited Plan means unlimited messages per month, making it ideal for startups, product teams, marketers, and prompt engineers who run experiments nonstop. You also get priority support and early access to new features and future models.

If you’re already paying for multiple AI tools — or constantly switching between them — this consolidates everything into one streamlined platform.

Grab lifetime access to ChatPlayground AI Unlimited for $54.97 and stop juggling models for good.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub for free with a VPN. The best services for unblocking porn sites from Australia are ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN.

The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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Proton VPN (1-Month Plan)

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are the top choices for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in locations all around the world

• Easy-to-use apps available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policies so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Multiple simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantees

Unblock Pornhub for free in Australia with ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a healthy eater.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Healthy toppings

• Green: Posse

• Blue: One in a million

• Purple: Rings

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Creamy salad dressings

• Green: Attendants

• Blue: Rare things, idiomatically

• Purple: What "Hoops' might refer to

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1101 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Creamy salad dressings: BLUE CHEESE, CAESAR, GREEN GODDESS, RANCH

• Attendants: COURT, ENTOURAGE, RETINUE, SUITE

• Rare things, idiomatically: BLACK SWAN, BLUE MOON, PERFECT STORM, UNICORN

• What "Hoops' might refer to: BASKETBALL, EARRINGS, RED TAPE, RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GEAR

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you can't wait for break time.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: For here or to go?

The words are related to food.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe midday meals.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Whats for Lunch.

NYT Strands word list for June 16

• Sandwich

• Ramen

• Gyro

• Whats for Lunch

• Salad

• Wrap

• Soup

• Tacos

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always in awe.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To wow.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter A appears twice.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

AMAZE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

The New Moon has passed, and visibility will slowly be returning over the next few nights.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Tuesday, June 16, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. Tonight, 7% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight recognised phases along the way. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it travels around Earth. As a result, we see the Moon appear in different shapes over the course of a month, from slender crescents and half moons to a bright Full Moon. This repeating sequence of phases is known as the lunar cycle.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

TL;DR: Get creating with this lifetime subscription to the EbookMagic Starter Plan and make all your book ideas come to life for just $39.99 (reg. $149).

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EbookMagic Starter Plan: Lifetime Subscription

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Some people collect books, but do you collect book ideas? If you’re filled with concepts but short on time, you need EbookMagic. This AI-powered tool turns your book concepts into completed manuscripts in minutes, and right now, you can lock in a lifetime subscription to the EbookMagic Starter Plan for only $39.99.

Finishing a book is an impressive endeavor, one that used to take months, if not years. It also used to involve outsourcing numerous tasks — from designing a cover and editing the manuscript to hiring someone to record the audiobook — but EbookMagic makes the process easier than ever.

If you have lots of book ideas, EbookMagic is ready to make them a reality. Just provide a title, genre, and a few key details, and let this tool take over. It supports 15 different genres, from fiction and non-fiction to romance, self-help, and more.

Pick from 12 professional writing styles with different tones to vary up your project. If you’re inspired by a certain author’s style, it can even adapt your content to their writing, too.

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TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is down to $32.97, giving Windows users lifetime access to the essential Office apps for about $187 less than the usual price.

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Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License

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Let’s talk about a rarity in life: software you can pay for once and actually own for life. That’s what you’re getting with Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows — a full productivity suite with no monthly fees, no auto-renewal traps, and no relying on the cloud to get things done.

For just $32.97, you’ll unlock lifetime access to the entire lineup of essential Office apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Teams, Publisher, and Access. Whether you’re a student, small business owner, side hustler, or spreadsheet enthusiast, it’s all here — without the bloat and recurring costs of other productivity services.

And yes, you can use these offline.

rom that charming Airbnb in the woods, your tools are still at your fingertips. The interface is familiar, but optimized — think faster load times, smarter layouts, and an updated ribbon design that actually helps you find what you’re looking for.

There’s no subscription, no “basic” tier, and no nagging alerts reminding you to “upgrade.” Just a one-time license installed on your device that gives you what you need — permanently.

Also worth noting: this version is not linked to your Microsoft account, so everything lives locally on your machine. Translation? Less fuss, more function.

So if you’re tired of renting your software or counting down the days until your trial expires, grab this deal and get back to doing what matters — at home or at work — with tools you actually trust.

Pick up a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows while it’s just $32.97 (reg. $219.99).

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TL;DR: ChatOn AI Assistant Premium gives you access to GPT, Claude, Gemini, Sonar, and more in one app for $69.99 (regularly $119.99).

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ChatOn Multi-AI Assistant Premium Plan (3-Year Subscription)

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$119.99 Save $50

 

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Most people paying for AI tools in 2026 have quietly ended up with two or three subscriptions running simultaneously. ChatGPT for one thing, Claude for another, maybe Gemini on top of that. It happens gradually, and then suddenly you’re spending $60 a month just to have the right tool for whatever you’re working on. The ChatOn AI Assistant Premium three-year subscription is $69.99 right now (regularly $119.99) — roughly what you’d spend in a single month across those three subscriptions separately.

To be straight with you about what you’re getting: ChatOn isn’t a direct replacement for a ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro account. You won’t get day-one access to every lab-specific feature. What you do get is paid-tier access to GPT-5, GPT-4o, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Perplexity Sonar in one app — more capable than the free versions, without the tab switching. Most users report never hitting the daily usage caps in normal use.

It’s also worth noting how ChatOn differs from other consolidation apps. Unlike credit-based platforms, where unused monthly credits just disappear, ChatOn runs on a flat subscription. Your access doesn’t shrink based on how much you used last Tuesday.

All AI features on a single platform:

• Real-time web search with cited sources

• AI image generation and video creation

• Document summarization and PDF support

• OCR text extraction from images

• Translation tools and voice input

• 100+ pre-built prompts for common tasks

• Dedicated native iOS and Android app with cross-platform sync

• Lovie Award winner for Best User Experience

• 100 million+ downloads, 4.7 App Store rating across 268K reviews

Three years of confirmed access from an app that 100 million people actually use is a pretty solid guarantee. When something has a 4.7 App Store rating across 268,000 reviews, it’s not because the marketing was good, it’s because the product works and people keep coming back to it.

Get the ChatOn AI Assistant Premium three-year subscription for $69.99 right now (regularly $119.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here. We've got weeks of top international football from the best sides in the world to enjoy. What a time to be alive.

Iran face off against New Zealand in Group G. Belgium and Egypt make up the rest of this competitive group, so if Iran and New Zealand want to push towards the knockout rounds, they'll need a positive result in this opening game. Every game in this prestigious tournament is important, but the stakes are particularly high at the SoFi Stadium.

If you want to watch Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Iran vs. New Zealand?

Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the SoFi Stadium.

How to watch Iran vs. New Zealand for free

Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Iran vs. New Zealand for free from anywhere in the world

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Iran vs. New Zealand (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Best Prime Day deals on noise-cancelling headphones:

---

Best headphones deal

Sony WH-1000XM6

$398 (save $61.99)

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---

Best earbuds deal

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$179 (save $70)

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---

Cheapest option

CMF By Nothing Buds 2

$23.27 (save $25.73)

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Amazon Prime Day is (nearly) upon us once more, but the retailer isn't making you wait for savings if noise-cancelling headphones are on your wishlist. In fact, some of our favorite noise-cancelling audio products are already at record prices.

The four-day sale doesn't officially kick off until June 23, but as of June 15, deals on flagship models from Sony, Bose, and Apple are already available. And it's not just the $400+ flagship headphones getting discounts. The mid-range Nothing Headphone (a) are down to $151, while one of our budget-friendly favorites, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC, is just $10 away from its record low price.

Earbuds have an impressive showing too, with the AirPods Pro 3 down to a record-low price ahead of the sale's start, plus markdowns on the newer Sony XM6 buds. You can also pick up the CMF by Nothing Buds 2 for just $23.27, making them the cheapest option on our list.

All this to say, if you're looking to shop early, there are some early Prime Day deals we can genuinely recommend. We'll be updating this guide as we approach the sale, but for now, check out the top deals so far.

Best ANC headphones deal

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Credit: Sony

Sony WH-1000XM6

$398 at Amazon
$459.99 Save $61.99

 

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Why we like it

The Sony XM6 headphones aren't a must-upgrade if you already own the XM5s — in fact, we find the two quite similar. That said, the XM6 headphones are a much more palatable upgrade at a sub-$400 price range, and bring the added convenience of folding ear cups, which is especially handy if you anticipate using them for travel often (which their excellent ANC does make them a great candidate for). At the time of writing, this sale price applies to all five of their colorways, including the newly released sandstone.

Read our full review on the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

More ANC headphones deals

• JLab JBuds Lux ANC — $49.95 $79.95 (save $30)

• CMF BY Nothing Headphone Pro — $65 $99 (save $24)

• Sony WH-CH720N — $98 $179.99 (save $81.99)

• Sony ULT Wear — $144.95 $249.99 (save $105.04)

• Nothing Headphone (a) — $151.05 $199 (save $47.95)

• Beats Studio Pro — $169.95 $199.95 (save $30)

• Nothing Headphone (1) — $213.75 $299 (save $85.25)

• Sony WH-1000XM5 — $278 $399.99 (save $121.99)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra — $329 $429 (save $100)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra, 2nd gen — $379 $449 (save $70)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $499 $549 (save $50)

Best ANC earbuds deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$179 at Amazon
$249 Save $70

 

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Why we like it

The AirPods Pro have long been a great choice for any Apple power user, and the third generation of the earbuds is no different. In fact, it fills even more gaps than its predecessors. In addition to its solid sound quality and top notch ANC, these earbuds come in with live translation features, and a built-in heart rate monitor. At their full price, they're already on the cheaper end of premium flagship earbuds, but at $179, they're both at their lowest price ever and a nearly unbeatable value.

Read our full review of the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

More earbuds deals

• CMF By Nothing Buds 2 — $23.27 $49 (save $25.73)

• Nothing Ear (3) — $128.25 $179 (save $50.75)

• Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 — $199.95 $249.99 (save $50.04)

• Technics EAH-AZ100 — $232.99 $299.99 (save $67)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) — $249 $299 (save $50)

• Sony WF-1000XM6 — $298 $329.99 (save $31.99)

• Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 — $449 $499 (save $50)

Corporate leadership changes rarely come without internal shakeups, reorganizations, and layoffs, and Xbox appears to be going through that right now.

Just a few months after longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer left the company and former AI executive Asha Sharma was put in charge, the gaming world received a duet of news stories from Xbox that paint a bleak picture of the internal state of Microsoft's gaming division. To start, news came on Monday morning that Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan and chief of staff Louise O'Connor had departed the company, per The Game Business. Then, a few hours later, Kotaku reported that Compulsion Games, developer of 2025 critical darling South of Midnight, was going through the process of being shut down.

It should be noted that this is very much a developing situation. Xbox has not officially confirmed the shutdown of Compulsion, and Kotaku reporter Rebekah Valentine noted on social media that studio leadership is in some sort of "negotations" with Microsoft over the fate of the development team. However, at least one Compulsion employee posted on social media today that they are looking for work.

Still, even with as much as we don't know right now, it doesn't feel like speculation to say things are difficult at Xbox right now, despite company leadership painting a more rosy picture publicly in recent months. For example, Xbox has been teasing its next console, dubbed "Project Helix," since March. The device was first hinted at in an interview with Mashable last year, and more recently, Xbox has sent Project Helix merch to some influencers and content creators. Xbox also recently started walking back its policy of allowing some first-party games to release on competing platforms, which could arguably be seen as a way to win the hearts and minds of longtime Xbox devotees.

Those gestures suggest that Microsoft is serious about the future of the Xbox brand, but more layoffs are also widely expected to come in the near future, per Bloomberg. Broadly speaking, Xbox has had a difficult time maintaining a steady cadence of game releases in recent years, and studio closures and layoffs are unlikely to help with that in the short term. There's also the longer-term question of the company's reputation among consumers; between game cancelations, studio closures, and Xbox's prominent place on the BDS boycott list due to Microsoft's relationship with the Israeli military, anecdotally I can say several people I know have sworn off of Xbox products for the time being.

It will be interesting to see if anything that happens over the next year or two can change that trend.

TL;DR: Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Group H in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is likely to be dominated by Spain and Uruguay, but don't count out Saudi Arabia. In this expanded tournament, the eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockouts rounds. That very much opens the door to Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay will be relying on star names likes Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Darwin Nunez. That's the sort of talent that could take Marcelo Bielsa's side into the latter stages.

If you want to watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay?

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium.

How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

A federal judge has denied Meta's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it violated copyright law by torrenting (illegally downloading) porn to train its AI.

On June 11, U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee filed the order, stating that porn holding company, Strike 3 Holdings, and Counterlife Media (in which Strike 3 has a majority ownership interest), "have plausibly alleged that [Meta] is liable for direct, vicarious, and contributatory copyright infringement based on the torrenting of their films."

Strike 3 Holdings, which owns several popular porn sites like Blacked, according to 404 Media, first filed the lawsuit in July 2025. Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media alleged that, between 2018 and 2025, Meta infringed on more than 2,300 copyrighted pornographic movies by downloading them to train its AI models. Meta is alleged to have used the popular torrenting program BitTorrent.

IP addresses that trace back to Meta's corporate offices acted "consistently in non-human patterns," the suit states, "involving mass infringement beyond what a human could consume." The companies are seeking damages up to $359 million.

Meta filed the motion to dismiss against the Strike 3 lawsuit in Oct., denying the claims and stating that they were "nonsensical and unsupported" and that the porn downloads were for "personal use." But in the order denying the motion, Lee remarked on the download patterns, such as the IP addresses torrenting similar files with the same name, all in one day, from cartoons to porn. "It strains credulity to suggest that these correlations are mere coincidence and the product of individual human selections," Lee wrote.

Now, the lawsuit can proceed.

Strike 3 and Counterlife Media became aware of Meta's BitTorrent activity through press coverage of the Jan. 2025 lawsuit against Meta. Discovery in that case revealed that the company pirated books for AI training. In June 2025, Meta won the case. However, as Mashable reported at the time, the judge in that case wrote that the plaintiffs may have been successful if they had made different legal arguments, leaving the door open for suits such as this one.

Mashable has reached out to Meta for comment.

Levi's, the iconic 153-year-old denim brand, is going viral over a bizarre incident at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FIFA rules forced a cover-up the Levi's logo, which is part of the name and signage of a California stadium, before a World Cup match.

And now Levi's is covering up its logo on its Instagram profile, too. 

Levi's is going all in on the coverup and has covered its logo on its Instagram profile too. Credit: Mashable screenshot

Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, hosted its first World Cup match between Switzerland and Qatar this past Saturday. However, during the World Cup, it's not known as Levi's Stadium. It's temporarily called the "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium." As part of FIFA's requirements for stadiums hosting the 2026 World Cup matches, Levi's was forced to cover the logo on the 68,000-person venue. FIFA required any brands found in the stadiums to be covered up if they aren't official sponsors of the World Cup.

However, unlike the other 11 NFL stadiums that were required to do the same, Levi's got creative with its forced cover-up.

Unlike, say, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which just put up banners over the MetLife logo, Levi's instead wrapped a tight-fitting white tarp over its logo, which is still recognizable even though the name is obscured.

The brand also poked fun at the move in an Instagram Reel.

View this post on Instagram

"Welcoming the world to the beautiful [redacted] stadium!" Levi's said in a Reel posted to their Instagram account on Sunday. The video shows the covered-up Levi's Stadium logo using the viral TikTok audio, "Nobody's Gonna Know."

But Levi's just took it a step further, too. The company has now also digitally covered the Levi's logo in its Instagram profile picture with a white tarp.

So for now, whether it's on Instagram or at the World Cup stadium in Santa Clara, Levi's will go by [redacted], the iconic denim jeans brand that everyone knows.

"Staid." That’s how the Washington Post recently described the job market — not specifically in crisis, but the labor force is shrinking, and hiring is relatively anemic compared to the incredible growth seen after the ebbing of COVID. The unemployment rate in the U.S. ticked up from the 3-4 percent range in 2022-2024 and settled at around 4-5 percent in the last few years, with outside shocks like tariffs, wars, and the AI revolution hammering many industries. Silicon Valley has seen over 123,000 layoffs this year, according to Forbes, with generative AI cited as the main reason behind the cuts.

If AI is one of the problems bedeviling the job market, it's also seen by some as a solution. More than half of jobseekers utilize AI to write their resumes and cover letters, according to a LinkedIn survey. Employers are even more keen on using AI to screen candidates, with nearly 90 percent using it to rank or filter resumes, according to the World Economic Forum.

Making your resume and cover letter attractive to AI is much simpler than trying to slip in hidden words or prompts as some jobseekers have done (many employers now have software that catches those tricks, reports the New York Times).

Mashable connected with a handful of career experts on how to (ethically) get your resume to the top of the algorithms' piles. Our first expert, Jasmine Escalera, PhD, is a career coach who advises recruitment companies like Zety and Bold. Escalera said to keep it simple when it comes to your resume — and don't forget that human eyes will eventually be looking at your CV and cover letter.

So many people assume AI is doing the first pass on resumes. Is that true?

It's likely the case. We know the job market is very flooded. We know it’s a very challenging job market. We’ve seen jobs posted on LinkedIn, and within hours, they have hundreds of applicants.

AI, if it’s used by a company, is a first-round filter — to essentially be able to say, out of these hundreds of applicants, which no HR human could really go through on their own, how can we find the applicants that match the position the best?

So, in the second round, humans, individual eyes, can come onto the best talent within this pool and really see who can move forward with the interview process.

So, yes, and I know that can be very frustrating for job seekers, but we also want to understand the recruitment process. Because of the job market and how challenging it’s become, HR and recruiters are using [AI] to really filter through a very large applicant pool.

Is there an argument to be made that AI levels the playing field? Instead of a human sifting through a pile of resumes and seeing someone who went to their alma mater, it’s a computer without those biases.

Well, I remember when I was a jobseeker back in the day, when these kinds of AI tools didn’t necessarily exist — there were applicant tracking systems, but they didn’t work the way they do now. We were told, “Apply for a job on a Monday morning or even a Sunday night, so your application is at the top of the list." Or, "Don’t apply on these particular days." We were trying to come up with workarounds to get ourselves seen.

Now, the inherent bias sort of gets taken out of the occasion. Because every jobseeker now knows they have to get through the [Applicant Tracking System] and is using AI to help support them in resume building, it’s made it that much more complicated because now everybody knows what a keyword is, everyone knows what skills they need to put on a resume, everybody can use AI to help generate the most stellar bullets to stand out with quantifiable metrics. It’s made it much more challenging, and that’s why AI can be most helpful in filtering through this [for HR professionals].

But, ultimately, it is a filter. When you get to that human who’s looking at your resume, they’re likely going to be looking for something completely different than what the AI was looking for. Baseline, [at that point] they know the applicant pool is going to be stellar, that these applicants likely have all of the experience and skillsets they set [the AI to look] for. Now, what they’re looking for is differentiators. What differentiates resumes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G? And those differentiators are typically the things AI can’t create for you.

Does AI have a bias against resumes created with AI?

It’s very dependent on whatever system the employer is using, and I don’t have enough knowledge to know if these AI systems these employers use have triggers for AI-created resumes. However, there are AI tells.

There are specific ways AI creates resumes that tell whether AI just completely generated this. It’s a lot of amplification of the experience. They have so much jargon there; [the job descriptions make] you sound like you went to the moon. There’s a lot of extra words and verbiage.

So we want to make sure that if you are using AI, and I believe every jobseeker should use AI to support them in resume building — support is the key word — you have to go through and make sure this sounds like a human created it, there’s that human element to it, there’s storytelling involved in it. You can’t create a story-based resume that focuses on why you’re specifically perfect for this mission because, at the age of 10, you were baking cookies and selling them, and now you want to work for the Girl Scouts and sell and market their cookies.

There are so many sites that claim to help jobseekers optimize their resumes for AI. Can those websites be trusted?

It’s really about the research and looking into the different platforms you’re interested in and making sure other jobseekers have used it and had success with it. Just like if you were to purchase any kind of product, you’re going to want to know if that product is going to give you the best bang for your buck. A jobseeker should do the same due diligence when it comes to the platforms that help them build their resumes.

The great things about Claude, ChatGPT, and AI in general, outside of the AI resume builders, are that they can help you create these bullets of experiences and skill sets. Some of these other AI resume builders are really built to help you create the layout, the architecture, the design of the resume. That’s one thing to consider.

Any tips for making resumes stand out to the algorithms?

The number one thing is to make sure you’re using the job description as the template for your resume. You want to make sure the job description in your resume matches very closely, meaning the term they’re using, you’re using.

If you’re applying for a client success manager position, but you’re using "customer success manager," even that small keyword switch is going to make a difference. Follow the job description to a T. Typically, whatever bullets they have at the beginning of the job description are usually the most high priority items for this position, in terms of experience, knowledge, and showing you’re capable of doing those tasks.

A great thing to do is to take that job description and put it through a Claude or a ChatGPT and ask it specifically, "What are the key words I should make sure are in the resume? What are the top experiences or work tasks this job is asking me to focus on?"

We’re talking about resumes, but one of the biggest things that people often ask me is, “Do you really need a cover letter?” People hate cover letters. And now, because resumes can be so well-crafted and so well-generated with AI, I believe cover letters are even more important because that’s the opportunity to tell a story. That's the opportunity to say why this organization matters to you so much.

You also want to think about those differentiators — what’s going to make me stand out in the resume? Where can I add specific elements that will really connect with this organization’s mission, and how can I use my cover letter to tell my story as well?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Blurry restaurant photos, Amazon case listings, and leaked specs are providing an early look at Samsung’s next foldable phone. While nothing is official yet, the available information is starting to paint a clearer picture of what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide could bring when it launches.

Prime Day 2026 is nearly upon us — and so is one of the best times to get a deal on a MacBook. I've covered Amazon's flagship summer sale for seven years straight now, and I've noticed that Apple's laptops always fall to extra-low prices as part of the festivities. (If they don't hit record-lows, they at least get close.)

Every current MacBook is already on sale ahead of Prime Day, which runs from June 23 to 26, but I wouldn't recommend grabbing one just yet. Amazon likes to save its best deals for Prime Day proper, meaning their discounts will likely increase once the sale starts next week. We could even get our first big discount on the new budget MacBook Neo; this is its first Prime Day ever.

Read on for my predictions for the best Prime Day MacBook deals, from the Neo to the M5 MacBook Air and the M5 MacBook Pros. Now is also a good time to check out my separate MacBook buying guide if you're not sure which model is right for you.

Prime Day MacBook Neo deals to look for

Amazon hasn't been totally resistant to putting the Neo on sale — it's been $9 off for several weeks now — but it doesn't get the same big price cuts as Apple's other laptops. (This is probably because it's already a bargain at full price.) With that in mind, I wouldn't count on Amazon matching Apple's $100 student discount on Prime Day; it's still the best way to buy the Neo if you're eligible. But I could see Amazon dropping the base model to $549, or $50 off, luring back-to-school shoppers who don't quality for Apple's education pricing.

Read our review of the MacBook Neo.

The best early Prime Day MacBook Neo deals for now:

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Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)

$589.99 (save $9.01)

Get Deal

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Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$689.99 (save $9.01)

Get Deal

Prime Day MacBook Air deals to look for

Last year's 13- and 15-inch M4 MacBook Airs got $150 discounts for Prime Day 2025, but we've already seen the newer M5 models go on sale for $200 off this spring. While those deals weren't still live at the time of writing. I expect Amazon to revive them once Prime Day begins next week. Look for records low of $899 for the 13-inch configuration and $1,099 for its 15-inch sibling.

Read our review of the M5 MacBook Air.

The best early Prime Day MacBook Air deals for now:

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Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$949.99 (save $149.01)

Get Deal

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Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$1,149.99 (save $149.01)

Get Deal

Prime Day MacBook Pro deals to look for

The base 14-inch MacBook Pro features an M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage. Amazon is currently selling it for $1,549, or $150 off, but I wouldn't add it to my cart just yet. It fell to $1,499 earlier this month, and that all-time low will likely return come Prime Day. You might have to be a little patient, though: Last year, an identically configured M4 MacBook Pro didn't get a $200 discount until the fourth (last) day of the sale.

If you need even more power for professional creative or AI work, there's also a 16-inch MacBook Pro that's configurable with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip. If anything, the starting M5 Max model is a relatively safe buy right now: It's currently on sale at its record-low price of $3,349, or $250 off. (The M5 Pro base model is still $60-ish away from its own record low of $1,983.94, which would save you about $215.) However, its M4 Max counterpart also got much cheaper as Prime Day progressed last year — to the tune of over $400 off. When you're dropping this much cash on a new laptop, I think it's wise to wait and see if prices drop even further.

Read our review of the M5 MacBook Pro.

The best early Prime Day MacBook Pro deals for now:

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Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$1,549 (save $150)

Get Deal

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Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$2,045 (save $154)

Get Deal

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Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Max, 36GB RAM, 2TB SSD)

$3,349 (save $250)

Get Deal

The RTX Spark laptop platform is a big deal for AI developers and power users working with giant models on Windows, but its impact on the PC market will be longer-term. PCMag's John Burek explains.

Best Early Prime Day Amazon Device Deals

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Best Amazon Fire TV Deals

Toshiba 43-inch Class C350 LED 4K Smart TV

$139.98 (Save $160.01)

Get Deal

---

Best Amazon Home Security Deal

Blink Outdoor 4 XR 6-Camera System

$146.99 (Save $273)

Get Deal

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Best Amazon Smart Home Deal

Amazon Eero Pro 6E Mesh WiFi System

$329.99 (Save $120)

Get Deal

The countdown is on for Prime Day. Amazon's annual flagship sale runs June 23 to 26, but deals are here already. We always expect some of the best deals during Prime Day to be on Amazon's very own devices, and that's certainly the case ahead of the sale. Prices have been slashed on Amazon devices with discounts up to 65% off.

Some of the biggest savings are on Amazon Fire TVs. Every size and a variety of brands are all on sale, saving you hundreds of dollars on 4K TVs. But there are also some big savings on home security and smart home devices, too.

So what's not on sale right now? Unfortunately, Kindles. That's not to say they won't be, we just expect those deals to drop once Prime Day actually starts. Echo devices are also not on sale at the moment (besides the Echo Glow) so we're patiently waiting for more.

Here are all the early Prime Day deals on Amazon devices to start shopping now.

Best early Prime Day Amazon Fire TV deals

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Credit: Toshiba

Toshiba 43-inch Class C350 LED 4K Smart TV

$139.98 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $160.01

 

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There's nothing better than a smart TV that provides access to all your favorite streaming services, no extraneous streaming sticks or devices needed. Ahead of Prime Day, the Fire TV sales are plentiful. The best deal is on the Toshiba 43-inch Class C350 LED 4K Smart TV, which is down to $139.98, saving you over $160 off. This 4K TV comes equipped with Dolby Vision Atmos for clearer sound and picture for the best possible viewing experience.

TV deals move fast during big sales so if this deal looks good to you, buy it quick before it sells out.

More Amazon Fire TV deals

• Insignia 24-inch F40 Series LED Smart Fire TV — $59.99 $79.99 (save $20)

• Insignia 32-inch F20 Series LED Smart Fire TV — $69.99 $129.99 (save $60)

• Insignia 40-inch FE Series LED Smart Fire TV — $99.99 $149.99 (save $50)

• Amazon 40-inch 2-Series Smart Fire TV — $149.99 $249.99 (save $100)

• Insignia 50-inch F50 Series LED 4K Smart Fire TV — $159.99 $299.99 (save $140)

• Amazon Ember 55-inch 4-Series Ultra HD Smart Fire TV — $279.95 $459.99 (save $180.04)

• Amazon Fire 55-inch Omni QLED 4K Smart Fire TV — $279.99 $499.99 (save $220)

• Insignia 65-inch QF Series LED 4K Smart Fire TV — $299.99 $499.99 (save $200)

• TCL Amazon Exclusive 85-inch QM64L Series QLED Smart Fire TV — $999.99 $1,499.99 (save $500)

Remote and soundbar deals

• Amazon Fire TV Voice Remote Pro — $22.99 $34.99 (save $12)

• Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $79.99 $119.99 (save $40)

• Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus — $144.99 $249.99 (save $105)

Streaming stick deals

• Amazon Fire TV Stick HD — $15.99 $34.99 (save $19)

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $17.99 $39.99 (save $22)

Best early Prime Day home security deal

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Credit: Amazon

Blink Outdoor 4 XR 6-Camera System

$146.99 at Amazon
$419.99 Save $273

 

Get Deal

Looking to boost your home's security? Well ahead of Prime Day, find major savings on Amazon's Blink security cameras. Right now the Blink Outdoor 4 XR is down to $146.99. That saves you $273 off the six camera system. The XR cameras in this bundle provides a 70% more reliable wireless connection with fewer disconnections to WiFi so you can feel more secure in your security system. Plus, the cameras have a two-year battery life.

More Amazon home security deals

• Blink Wired Floodlight — $29.99 $99.99 (save $70)

• Blink Outdoor 4 5-Camera System — $104.99 $299.99 (save $195)

• Blink Outdoor 2K+ Wireless Security Camera — $156.99 $349.99 (save $193.99)

Best early Prime Day smart home deal

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Eero Pro 6E Mesh WiFi System

$329.99 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $120

 

Get Deal

If your WiFi isn't cutting it, it might be time to optimize with Amazon Eero system. Ahead of Prime Day the Eero Pro 6E Mesh WiFi system is down to $329.99, saving you $120 off its $449.99 price tag. It supports over 100 devices over 6,000+ square feet. Even if you're not the most technologically savvy, set-up will be a breeze thanks to the step by step guide in Eero's app.

More early Prime Day smart home deals

• Amazon Smart Plug — $12.99 $24.99 (save $12)

• Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor — $44.99 $69.99 (save $25)

• Amazon Smart Thermostat — $57.99 $79.99 (save $22)

More early Prime Day Amazon device deals

Fire tablets

• Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet — $54.99 $109.99 (save $55)

Echo deals

• Amazon Echo Glow — $19.99 $29.99 (save $10)

Kindle deals

• Amazon Wireless Charging Dock for Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition — $29.99 $44.99 (save $15)

• Amazon Kindle Scribe Premium Pen — $51.99 $79.99 (save $28)

TL;DR: Live stream Belgium vs. Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage fixtures has thrown together some really interesting matchups, but Belgium vs. Egypt stands out in the schedule.

These sides are probably favorites to progress from Group G into the knockout rounds, but only one team can finish top. This will be a fascinating battle between two teams stacked with talent, with all eyes on the likes of Mohamed Salah and Jérémy Doku. We've already seen some really intense contests from this competition, and this looks like one of the most difficult games to predict ahead of kick off.

If you want to watch Belgium vs. Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Belgium vs. Egypt?

Belgium vs. Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at Lumen Field.

How to watch Belgium vs. Egypt for free

Belgium vs. Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Belgium vs. Egypt for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Belgium vs. Egypt for free from anywhere in the world

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Belgium vs. Egypt (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Belgium vs. Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Keeping a close eye on the players of the 2026 FIFA World Cup means you get to watch some excellent soccer, but lately, it also means getting tuned into the latest audio release ahead of everyone else.

As reported by AppleInsider, three players have been spotted wearing a mystery pair of over-ear Beats headphones. The headphones appear different from everything Beats has released before, featuring new colorways, ultra-thick ear cushions, and a slim outer speaker section.

The new headphones didn't come entirely out of left field, with an FCC filing from March showing that Apple had an unreleased pair of Bluetooth over-ear headphones in the works, as reported by MacRumors.

Who's been spotted with the new Beats headphones?

So far, we've seen three World Cup players don the headphones. The first tease came from Spanish player Lamine Yamal, who was spotted stepping off the plane in Tennessee on June 5 with not one, but two pairs of the Beats headphones — one that was entirely light pink, and one that was entirely cream.

The Spanish soccer star stepped out with two pairs of the unreleased Beats headphones. Credit: Getty Images / Coral Scoles-Coburn

He later posted the light pink pair of headphones on June 11, with the cans slung around the handle of his bag once more. This time, the picture was buried deep in an Instagram carousel.

U.S. player Antonee Robinson was the next to post the headphones, posting a picture on June 14 of him wearing a two-toned pair of cans with a white exterior and dark blue ear cups. Zooming into the picture also shows what looks like a glint of metal on the adjustable part of the headband.

Robinson wore the Beats headphones ahead of the June 12 match up between the US and Paraguay. Credit: Getty Images / Credit: John Dorton/USSF

Finally, South Korean player Kang-in Lee also included two photos of himself wearing the headphones around his neck in a June 14 Instagram post. This time, the headphones had the same white exterior as Robinson's pair but featured neon yellow-green ear cushions. Once again, zooming in on the photo shows a glint of a metal-like adjustable arm of the headband.

Discerning eyes can spot the bright ear cushions of Lee's headphones under his hood as he heads to the June 11 match up of South Korea and Czechia. Credit: Getty Images / Credit: Julian Finney/ FIFA

Everything we know about the headphones so far

It's unclear so far whether these headphones are an updated design or limited-edition of an existing Beats product, or entirely new headphones. What we do know is that the brand's only pair of over-ear headphones, the Beats Studio Pro, were released in 2023, so an update isn't out of the question.

That said, it remains possible that Beats expands its lineup, possibly with a more premium pair of cans. It's a move Sony just pulled with their Collexion headphones. Plus, with the Studio Pros being $349.99, Beats has the room to grow — noise cancelling flagships from Sony, Bose, and Apple all sit in the $450 and up range.

As for the design of these headphones, there's some speculation as to whether the two-tone colorways spotted on Lee and Robinson indicate some kind of customizability for the headphones (which we have seen before). The headphones also feature USB-C charging and at least one on-ear tactile button. The possible metal section of the headband might suggest these headphones aren't foldable, which would be a deviation from the design of the Beats Studio Pro.

Beats loves to cater to a more athletic crowd (hence the venue for the tease out of these headphones), so it's also possible we'll see some built-in health features like the heart-rate monitoring included on last year's Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

We've reached out to a Beats representative for comment and will update this article if we recieve more information.

SAVE $60: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm, LTE) is on sale at Amazon for $369.99, down from the list price of $429.99. That's a 14% discount.

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Credit: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm, LTE)

$369.99 at Amazon
$429.99 Save $60

 

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A smartwatch has become part of our daily tech arsenal. We use them to track fitness, sleep, keep an eye on the time, and write quick replies to text messages. Apple Watches have become a standard among iPhone users, but for those who have Android devices, there's the lineup of Samsung Galaxy Watches. Before the Galaxy Watch 9 launches, the Galaxy 8 is seeing significant discounts.

As of June 15, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm, LTE) is on sale at Amazon for $369.99, marked down from the list price of $429.99. That takes $60 off the price thanks to the 14% discount.

Mashable's review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 praised its bright display, attractive looks, and smart health features. Reviewer Adam Doud mentioned one of the only negatives is its battery life, which lands somewhere in the 33 to 35 hour range.

Otherwise, Doud left impressed by the watch and wrote, "I really like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, despite the battery life. I love the classy look, the software is really tight, and the Google Gemini integration is a big perk."

The Galaxy Watch 8 has a slimmer profile compared to previous models, meaning it'll lie flatter on your wrist. This is the first Samsung Watch to have Google Gemini on the watch face. It also runs Samsung Health which can help out with fitness goals, sleep, energy, BMI, and more.

For those hoping to have an active summer, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 has a built-in running coach that can give you real-time feedback and help with analyzing performance.

For anyone looking for a new smartwatch, consider today's sale price on the worthwhile Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm, LTE). It's down to under $370 at Amazon in both silver and graphite colorways.

TL;DR: Pop Mart's Labubu World Cup 2026 collection is available on Amazon and through select retailers. You can grab the "Catch the Win" plush and keychains right now with Prime shipping.

Where to buy Labubu World Cup 2026 collectibles:

---

Pop Mart The Monsters × FIFA Series "Catch the Win" Vinyl Plush Doll

$149.99

Shop Now

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Pop Mart The Monsters × FIFA Series Vinyl Plush Keychain

$32.99

Shop Now

---

Pop Mart The Monsters X FIFA Series Bottle Opener Fridge Magnet

$15.99

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If you tuned into the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony in Mexico City last week, you probably noticed giant, pointy-eared plush figures running around and stealing the spotlight. That's Labubu — the mischievous, cult-favorite character from Pop Mart's "The Monsters" series. Pop Mart and FIFA collaborated on a limited-edition "The Monsters x FIFA Series" to celebrate the tournament.

Between the viral World Cup cameo and making history as the very first Chinese IP to make an appearance at the event, fans and collectors are currently clearing out inventory wherever they can find it.

If you want to get your hands on one before they sell out, your best bet right now is Amazon. Pop Mart recently opened an official storefront on the site, so you can grab the "Catch the Win" Vinyl Plush Doll for $149.99, plus a handful of themed World Cup keychains.

Word of caution: If Amazon sells out and you end up buying from an authorized third-party retailer (like BoxLunch, Hot Topic, or Walmart), make sure to check the box when it arrives. Every legit Labubu comes with a holographic security sticker and a QR code that links directly to Pop Mart's database for verification. You can also just count the teeth — a real Labubu has nine.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose 100 percent tariffs on French wines and champagne unless France eliminates its digital services tax on American tech companies, according to an exclusive interview published Sunday by the New York Post, a conservative-leaning outlet.

Trump told the Post he delivered the ultimatum personally to outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron, giving him a straightforward choice: scrap the tech tax or lose access to the U.S. market, which the Post reports accounts for roughly a fifth of the French wine industry's global sales.

France's digital services tax — known as the GAFAM tax — has been in place since 2019, applying a 3 percent levy on local revenues generated by companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple. According to the French finance ministry, it generated roughly $700 million last year.

The threat lands ahead of Monday's G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, and directly contradicts claims from Macron's office last week that the dispute had been quietly resolved. A U.S. official reportedly dismissed that characterization as inaccurate, according to the Post.

France appears increasingly isolated on the issue. Canada dropped its own digital tax in 2025 under U.S. pressure, and Italy is reportedly weighing a similar retreat with the Italian digital services tax.

SAVE $550.02: The Aiper Scuba V3 robot pool cleaner is on sale at Amazon for $849.97, down from the normal price of $1,399.99. That's a 39% discount and the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

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Credit: Aiper

Aiper Scuba V3

$849.97 at Amazon
$1,399.99 Save $550.02

 

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It's time to enjoy pool season. A morning dip, an afternoon cool-off, or an all-day pool party are all on the schedule for the summer. There's just one thing sitting in the way — cleaning the pool. If you dread the wind that bring leaves, sand, and dirt into the pool because it means extra cleaning, check out this deal.

For a limited time only on June 15, the Aiper Scuba V3 robot pool cleaner is on sale at Amazon for $849.97, marked down from the normal price of $1,399.99. That's a 39% discount and the lowest we've seen at Amazon. Plus, it comes with free Aiper micron ultra-fine replacement filters which usually sell for $59.99.

The Aiper Scuba V3 would like to take over the chore of cleaning the pool this summer. It uses AI vision to navigate the pool while scrubbing and filtering. The multi-layer filtration is designed to capture large items like leaves, twigs, and insects. But it's also capable of ridding your pool of sand, hair, algae, and even microorganisms.

From the Aiper app, you'll be able to schedule a cleaning calendar for the Scuba V3. Tell it to clean the floor every other day and tackle the walls twice a week. There's also the option for it to clean up the waterline. After its cleaning session, the Aiper will park on the waterline, making for easy retrieval. Place it on the included wireless charging dock, and it'll be ready for the next cleaning session.

Aiper equipped the Scuba V3 with dual LED lights so the AI vision system can clean at any time, even in the dark of night. That same AI vision is designed with obstacle avoidance, so the robot pool cleaner will navigate around toys, bricks, and even frogs.

Plus, the Aiper is designed to clean all pool shapes, from rectangular to customized. It's capable of cleaning pools made of concrete, fiberglass, tiles, and vinyl liners.

While it's still at the lowest price we've seen, upgrade the summer with the Aiper Scuba V3. But move quickly because the sale price is set to expire today.

The 2026 World Cup is very much up and running. The group stage has only just started, but it already feels like we've been treated to some epic clashes between star-studded teams. And the atmosphere in the stadiums has been great, despite the heat.

Today, June 15, is another huge day with four matchups in the U.S.. The action starts at 12 p.m. ET. The schedule is hectic and it can feel overwhelming, so we've broken down the details for you below. Here's what you need to know to tune in live today.

FIFA World Cup schedule today: June 15

• Group H: Spain vs. Cape Verde (Atlanta Stadium) — kickoff at 12 p.m. ET

• Group G: Belgium vs. Egypt (Seattle Stadium) — kickoff at 3 p.m. ET

• Group H: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Miami Stadium) — kickoff at 6 p.m. ET

• Group G: Iran vs. New Zealand (Los Angeles Stadium) — kickoff at 9 p.m. ET

How to livestream FIFA World Cup games today

Watch Spain vs. Cape Verde

Spain are one of the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They will be expected to progress from Group H with ease, but they'll be anxious to start well against a Cape Verde side. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. ET, and live coverage will be on Fox and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Belgium vs. Egypt

These sides are probably favorites to progress from Group G, but only one team can finish top. We're expecting a real battle. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, and coverage will be on Fox and Fox One, with Spanish-language coverage on Peacock.

Watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay

Uruguay will be favorites to win this one, but don't count out Saudi Arabia just yet. This matchup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET and live coverage will be on FS1 and Fox One. Spanish-language coverage will be streaming on Peacock.

Watch Iran vs. New Zealand

OK, this isn't the most exciting matchup on paper, but this game is vital. Belgium and Egypt are favorites in this group, so a defeat here would be disastrous for these teams. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m ET, and live coverage is on FS1 and Fox One, with Spanish-language coverage on Peacock.

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Credit: Fox One

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$39.98
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Starting at $10.99/month

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More live streaming options

Live TV cable replacement

Not interested in signing up for a standalone streaming service like Fox One or Peacock? You can sign up for a live TV cable replacement service, like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.

These services carry over 100 live channels, but run off a WiFi connection. You'll get live access to Fox and FS1, plus a whole lot more. Here are some options to consider:

• YouTube TV — 10-day trial, then $67.99/month for 3 months

• Fubo Sports — 1-day trial, then $45.99/month for 1 month

• Hulu + Live TV — 3-day trial, then $89.99/month

Watch the World Cup for free with a VPN

It's possible to watch the World Cup for free on international services like ITVX, BBC iPlayer, NOS, or RTÉ. You just need a VPN.

We recommend ExpressVPN — a Mashable-tested service and an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Europe — as our VPN of choice for sport. It offers servers in 105 countries, a user-friendly app available on all major devices, a speedy connection, up to 10 simultaneous connections, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our global World Cup watch guide can walk you through the process.

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Between the New York Knicks winning the NBA championship to FIFA World Cup fever currently running rampant in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been all over the place lately. It's hard to imagine that there's someone who doesn't know who he is.

Well, apparently, there is at least one person who wouldn't recognize Mayor Mamdani if he was, say, sitting right next to him at a World Cup game.

YouTube megastar IShowSpeed attended the first World Cup 2026 game at NYNJ stadium, aka MetLife Stadium, between Brazil and Morocco on Saturday. Naturally, Speed livestreamed from the match for 2 and a half hours.

At around the 2-hour and 11-minute mark, Speed moves to a new section and takes a seat. His viewers in the livestream chat immediately erupt as they realize that Mayor Mamdani could be seen in the background, sitting just two seats away in the same aisle as Speed.

"Mayor? You the Mayor?" Speed says as he checks his livestream chat two minutes after taking his new seat.

In a now viral video clipped from the livestream, Speed turns to Mamdani and asks if he's the Mayor. Mamdani confirms that he is indeed the Mayor of New York City and Speed shakes his hand.

This wasn't a case of Speed not realizing he was sitting next to Mamdani. Incredibly, Speed did not seem to know who Mamdani even was once he saw him.

But it did make for yet another amazing moment at the 2026 World Cup.

SAVE $350: As of June 15, the ASUS 34-inch ROG Strix Ultrawide QD-OLED gaming monitor is on sale for just $649 instead of $999 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That's 35% in savings and its best price ever.

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Credit: ASUS

ASUS 34-inch ROG Strix Ultrawide QD-OLED gaming monitor (XG34WCDG)

$649 at Amazon
$999 Save $350

 

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Upgrading your gaming monitor to an OLED model can completely transform your experience. With extremely high contrast, true blacks, and a wide color gamut, an OLED monitor is basically like eye candy. The market is wide and varied, but we're here to offer a little advice: grab this ASUS 34-inch ultrawide OLED monitor while it's the cheapest it's ever been.

As of June 15, the ASUS 34-inch ROG Strix Ultrawide QD-OLED gaming monitor (XG34WCDG) is only $649 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That's a massive $350 or 35% discount and beats its previous record-low price by about $50. If you want to upgrade without emptying your wallet, this is a hard deal to pass up.

This monitor features a 3440x1440 OLED display with a subtle 1800R curvature and 21:9 aspect ratio. Unlike a more aggressive curved display, it won't take a lot of time to get used to. It will subtly wrap the action around you and make your games feel more immersive while actually increasing your eye comfort.

Other perks are a 175Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro compatibility, and ROG gaming AI tech, all of which enhance your gaming experience. Plus, as I mentioned, the OLED panel has an extremely high contrast ratio that'll make your gaming visuals pop.

If your gaming setup is feeling a little lackluster, the ASUS XG34WCDG monitor will give you the ol' razzle-dazzle. And if you snag it ahead of Prime Day, it'll cost you significantly less than usual.

The world of streaming just got a big corporate makeover.

In a press release on Monday, Roku, a major streaming company, announced it would be acquired by Fox for $22 billion. The idea, per the press release, is to combine Fox's extensive media empire (which includes lots of live sports and news content) with Roku's enormous reach as a streaming platform and hardware provider.

Fox and Roku said that Roku's streaming platform, whether it's through built-in operating systems on smart TVs or external hardware, reaches 100 million households globally.

This deal will give Fox the third-largest share of the U.S. television market, per the release.

This acquisition makes a lot of sense for Fox, as the media giant has a huge audience across live sports and news, but aside from Tubi (which it acquired in 2020), Fox's streaming footprint hasn't been especially large to this point. Many people use Roku's operating system and devices, and Fox might be able to drive viewership to things like baseball games, NASCAR races, or live news coverage using its newfound streaming reach.

However, between this deal and the still-in-flux merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, it does increasingly feel like everything is owned by a total of three or four companies.

Let's face it: Season 2 of House of the Dragon promised fire and blood, but its baffling finale felt more like a puff of smoke.

The season fizzled to an ending with zero catharsis, forced Game of Thrones references, and a highlight reel of what was to come. In some ways, that structure mirrored the season's core conflict. For all of Season 2, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) tried everything they could to prevent all-out war. But while their stalling to prevent the inevitable was rooted deeply in the story, the show's own reluctance to leap into the next phase of George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood felt more like it was spinning its wheels until Season 3.

Now, the third season of House of the Dragon is finally here, and its first four episodes manage to make up for Season 2's finale and then some, delivering jaw-dropping spectacle and somber truths about the cost of war.

House of the Dragon's Battle of the Gullet is spectacular.

Steve Toussaint in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Remember how barely an episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 went by without a mention of Corlys Velaryon's (Steve Toussaint) naval blockade in the Gullet? We finally get the payoff for that blockade at the top of Season 3, as the Triarchy's fleet bears down on the Sea Snake's forces. The ensuing clash, known as the Battle of the Gullet, is one of the defining fights of the Dance of the Dragons — the royal succession civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney).

Given that so much of Season 2 was building to this point — hence the fan frustration that it wasn't included — the pressure on House of the Dragon to pull off this battle is immense. Thankfully, the series more than delivers, with a sequence that had me yelling and pacing around my living room while also thinking, "We're so back."

A dazzling set piece involving ships, human soldiers, and multiple dragons, the Battle of the Gullet sets a new bar for Westerosi action. Every element is honed for maximum impact, from long takes of sailors boarding enemy ships to sweeping shots of dragons dive bombing the fleet. The battle, directed by Loni Peristere, wrings epic terror and awe from those big moments, but it also strikes gold in quieter moments, like a suspenseful boat chase that quickly becomes a stealth highlight of the episode.

Oh, and did I mention that this all takes place during the day, so you can make out every ounce of action taking place onscreen? For a franchise whose biggest battles have often been marred by darkness (looking at you, Battle of Winterfell), the Battle of the Gullet is a welcome adjustment. And, based on the first four episodes sent to critics for review, it's only the beginning for House of the Dragon Season 3's big action sequences.

House of the Dragon Season 3 pushes Rhaenyra to the brink.

Emma D'Arcy in "House of the Dragon." Credit: HBO

The Battle of the Gullet isn't just an emphatic statement to open Season 3. It's also a major turning point for the Dance of the Dragons, and for Rhaenyra in particular. All throughout House of the Dragon, she has balked at violence, worried at the havoc dragon warfare would wreak on the wider realm. By Season 3, though, Rhaenyra has lost so much to this conflict that she needs to do whatever she can to see it through. Only by taking the Iron Throne can she justify the pain she's experienced. That means making impossible choices and committing to violence she once would have shunned, sometimes carrying it out with her own hands. As she does, House of the Dragon asks, even after all this, will victory be worth it?

It's a haunting question, one that House of the Dragon teases out with tinges of psychological horror in the aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet. D'Arcy has always been magnificent as Rhaenyra, but here, they reach new heights with their raw portrayal of the queen's grief and rage. Their trembling hands and wracking sobs were just as wrenching as some of the Battle of the Gullet's most devastating moments, proving that House of the Dragon can match its biggest set pieces with pure human drama.

While the first half of House of the Dragon Season 3 manages to atone for Season 2's ending, it still commits its share of familiar sins. Threats of sexual violence towards women abound unnecessarily in these episodes, a trend that harkens back to Game of Thrones' worst moments. (Although thankfully nothing here is nearly as graphic.) Elsewhere, several plot threads feel stagnant, with once major players like Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) getting so little to do they may as well be set dressing. Their decreased roles may wind up paying off down the road, though, just like the many, many changes the show makes from Fire and Blood. While the latter reportedly strained the relationship between Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal, these changes do muddy the Targaryens' already very complicated relationships in intriguing ways, to the point that I'm more fascinated at how the writers came to these new arcs than mad at not getting a precise adaptation.

Despite the occasional low point and my misgivings following Season 2, House of the Dragon Season 3 flies high. Instead of spinning its wheels, it roars into the Targaryens' bloody future with action and creeping dread to spare, and that assurance and forward momentum turns out to be exactly what the show needs.

House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres June 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, with a new episode every Sunday.

SAVE 34%: As of June 15, you can get the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 (G95C) series curved gaming monitor for $664.99, down from $999.99, at Amazon. That's a 34% discount or $335 savings.

Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 (G95C) series curved gaming monitor

$664.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $335

 

Get Deal at Amazon

Prime Day is still a week away, but Amazon's been discounting random tech since the beginning of June. (We're definitely excited to see just how low they're willing to go once the sale begins.) And, if you're looking for a new gaming monitor, now might be the time to get one.

As of June 15, you can get the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 (G95C) curved gaming monitor at Amazon for $664.99, down from $999.99. That's a 34% discount or $335 savings. It's also the lowest price we've tracked on this model to date.

If you've never used a 49-inch monitor before, it essentially replaces a dual-screen setup without the plastic bezel cutting down the middle. This model has a 32:9 aspect ratio and a 1000R curve, which means the screen curves to match your field of view so you don't have to crane your neck to look at the edges.

Spec-wise, it offers a 240Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time to reduce lag, and it uses AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to help prevent screen tearing. Just make sure you already have an HDMI cable lying around; this specific discounted listing only includes a DisplayPort cable. (If you select the bundle that includes both the DP and HDMI cables, the price jumps to $1,234.99.)

TL;DR: Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Spain are one of the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They will be expected to progress from Group H with ease. Sure, Uruguay are tough opposition, but Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde will need to do something special to get anything from the Euro 2024 winners.

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are not likely to feature at this stage, with both returning from injuries recently. It's not like Spain are short of top-quality replacements. It's going to be an exceptionally tough matchup for Cape Verde, but anything is possible in the World Cup.

If you want to watch Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Spain vs. Cape Verde?

Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

How to watch Spain vs. Cape Verde for free

Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Spain vs. Cape Verde for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Spain vs. Cape Verde (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

We're always looking for new and inventive ways to hit you with big savings on popular items. We cover hundreds of deals every month. You can find these deals on site, on socials, and on our newsletter. We've also launched a Mashable Deals text group. The daily deals that we send to this group are researched and assessed by the team with the same level of care that we dedicate to the rest of our shopping content.

You can find a live hub for those deals right here.

SAVE $37.25: As of June 15, the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro is on sale for just $61.75 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That's a savings of 38% and its lowest price ever.

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Credit: Nothing

Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro

$61.75 at Amazon
$99 Save $37.25

 

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It's hard to believe there's a smartwatch on the market that costs less than $100, let alone one that performs as well as the CMF Watch 3 Pro. It's the best smartwatch you've probably never heard of and one of Mashable's favorites from last year. And now it's down to its lowest price ever ahead of Prime Day, making it an absolute steal.

As of June 15, Nothing's CMF Watch 3 Pro is just $61.75 in every color. That's a 38% or $37.25 discount and the first time every color option has dropped to a price this low. To put that in perspective, you could buy 3.5 of these CMF smartwatches for the cost of one Apple Watch SE 3 (Apple's cheapest smartwatch).

Mashable's reviewer Lauren Allain said the CMF Watch 3 Pro "looks, feels, and functions like a smartwatch that costs hundreds more." She tested the watch last fall and still wears it daily. It offers a surprising amount of features for the price, including stress tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, precise heart-rate monitoring, dual-band GPS tracing, and in-depth sleep tracking. But where it really beats its competitors is in battery life. As Allain writes, "it just would not die." She had to toggle on some extra features just to wear it down in testing; it finally died after 16 days. Thats 15 more days than the Apple Watch lasts per charge.

If you're in the market for a new smartwatch and don't want to empty your bank account, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is a revelation. And ahead of Prime Day, you can get it for under $65. No need to wait.

SAVE $815.99: The Sunseeker S4 robot lawn mower is on sale at Amazon for $984, down from the list price of $1,799.99. That's a 45% discount and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

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Credit: Sunseeker

Sunseeker S4 robot lawn mower

$984 at Amazon
$1,799.99 Save $815.99

 

Get Deal

Prime Day is over a week away, but that doesn't mean the deals are dry this week. We're spotting record-low prices on some excellent options at Amazon, and that includes some ideas that could be great for Father's Day. If you're considering a robot lawn mower, check out today's deal.

As of June 15, the Sunseeker S4 robot lawn mower is on sale at Amazon for $984, marked down from the list price of $1,799.99. That's a 45% discount that shaves $815.99 off the price. It's also the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Early Amazon Prime Day deals include some great options if you're looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift. If the Dad in your life doesn't love mowing the lawn but enjoys a well-manicured yard, a robot lawn mower could be fantastic. The Sunseeker S4 is designed to mow lawns that measure up to 0.25 acres and can handle slopes of up to 42%.

Using LiDAR navigation, the Sunseeker robot will take off to mow the grass to your preferred height between 1.6 and 3.2 inches. It also uses a floating cut deck, so it'll keep the cut even when the ground isn't. You can also customize yard zones, setting up to 100 zones and five maps.

A robot lawn mower might also be much quieter compared to a traditional mower. Sunseeker says the S4 robot lawn mower operates at about 60 decibels. At that level, you should be able to have a conversation nearby without needing to speak louder than normal.

For those who don't enjoy mowing, deal with allergies, or have to beg the neighbor to come mow, considering upgrading to a robot lawn mower. The Sunseeker S4 is on sale at Amazon for the lowest price we've ever seen which means this is a great time to make the move.

TL;DR: Stay powered up with a GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable, on sale now for just $21.97 (reg. $49.99) now through June 28.

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Credit: GoCable

GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable

$21.97
$49.99 Save $28.02

 

Get Deal

Want to make your bag a little lighter? The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable replaces eight different gadgets, so you have a whole lot less to toss in your bag. Right now, this handy tool is even on sale for only $21.97 until June 28.

Whether you’re jetting off on an exotic vacation or just heading to work, you likely need multiple chargers to keep your go-to gadgets powered up. The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable lets you keep a Type-C, a Type-C+, and an Apple Lightning connector handy at all times.

The GoCable fits right on your keyring, so you never have to leave home without it. Magnetic cables make sure you aren’t left with a mess of cords in your bag, and all you need to do is add a power bank or wall adapter and power up your devices.

Not only are these cords organized, but they also offer 100W ultra-fast charging and high-speed file transfers. You’ll also be able to see the real-time charging status thanks to an LED power display.

This gadget doesn’t just keep your devices powered up; it’s also equipped with some other handy tools. You’ll have a bottle opener and a safe-proofed hidden cutter to open packages. A carabiner clip can attach to anything to make sure it’s always within arm’s length.

Snag this GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable for only $21.97 until June 28.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Netflix loves a twisty sci-fi in which regular folks get suddenly trapped inside their home with no means of escape. Brick blew our minds, and now another mysterious sci-fi snare is set to to arrive in The Last House, with a tense new trailer out today.

Greta Lee and Wagner Moura star in this thriller from director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me), with the Past Lives and The Secret Agent stars playing couple Ann and Jason, who find themselves and their kids sealed inside their house. Like the Ultrahouse 3000 from The Simpsons, the house appears to have a mind of its own, pushing its inhabitants into survival mode within their own home.

Gabriel Barbosa, Emma Ho, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, and Riley Chung also star.

The Last House is streaming on Netflix on Aug. 7.

Want more of the latest entertainment news, reviews, trailers, and interviews? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

TL;DR: Amazon has cut the price of preorders on the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box to $114.94, a $50+ cut from $167.76.

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box (24 Packs)

$114.94 at Amazon
$167.76 Save $52.82

Pre-order Here

Marvel Super Heroes is shaping up to be one of Magic: The Gathering’s biggest crossovers in a packed year for the trading card game, and Amazon has now made one of its easiest boxes to play even cheaper before launch. 

As of June 15, the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box is available to pre-order at Amazon for $114.94. This listing is shipped and sold by Amazon directly, with free delivery and the retailer’s preorder price guarantee included — so if the price dips again before release, you should pay the lowest Amazon price offered between checkout and launch.

This is a 31% discount from Amazon’s $167.76 list price, and is also the cheapest Amazon has listed the box so far — confirmed via price tracker camelcamelcamel. 

Amazon is even undercutting the Jumpstart Box’s market price of $116.13 determined by TCGplayer. Furthermore, it’s beating listings from the dedicated trading card marketplace — with listings only as low as $115.19 with shipping included.

Inside the box, you’ll get 24 Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Boosters, each containing 20 cards. Every pack comes built around one of 51 possible Marvel Super Heroes themes, and because the Land cards are already included, you can just open two packs, mash them together, shuffle, and play. 

If you’re catching up on other recent MTG crossover expansions, the 24-pack Avatar: The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box is also on sale for just under $75. Plus, Magic: The Gathering’s 30-pack Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box is now $11 at Amazon. 

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box on sale for $86.95, down from its usual $93.99 list price.

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Credit: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box

$86.95 at Amazon
$93.99 Save $7.04

 

Get Deal

Perfect Order Booster Bundles and ETBs have been some of the most reliable when it comes to protecting your budget compared to other Pokemon TCG expansions, and Amazon has just delivered more price cuts.

As of June 15, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listed from $86.95, cutting $7.04 off the $93.99 list price. Sold and shipped by San Diego Cards, price tracker camelcamelcamel has confirmed this is the lowest price the Perfect Order ETB has seen from a third-party seller on Amazon.

Walmart is slightly cheaper at $78.30 — sold by DealDudes and fulfilled by Walmart. Against the Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box’s market price of $73.68, TCGplayer is going even lower with one listing available for $71.99, and other listings available for $73.98 and upwards. 

Inside the Perfect Order ETB, you’re getting nine Pokémon TCG booster packs from the Mega Evolution expansion, one full-art foil promo card featuring Tyrunt, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player’s guide, six damage-counter dice, one competition-legal coin-flip die, a plastic coin, a collector’s box with six dividers, and a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.

Among the well-designed singles available in the Mega Evolution mechanic-focused expansion, you can still pull plenty of valuable chase cards (available to buy individually on TCGplayer) including SIR Meowth ex, Mega Hyper Rare Zygarde ex, SIR Mega Clefable ex, SIR Rose’s Encouragment, and SIR Mega Starmie ex.

To get even more from this expansion, you can still buy the Pokemon TCG’s six-pack Perfect Order Booster Bundle on Amazon for under $50. Plus, you can grab the new Chaos Rising Booster Bundle below $50. 

It’s the New Moon, so the Moon is basically invisible from Earth. With no light reflecting back, the sky is at its darkest right now, with no chance of doing any Moon gazing.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Monday, June 15, the Moon phase is New Moon. Tonight, 0% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

NASA notes that the Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to orbit Earth once, and throughout that time it passes through eight distinct phases. Although we always see the same face of the Moon, the portion illuminated by the Sun changes as it moves along its orbit. This variation in sunlight is what creates the familiar progression of lunar shapes, from thin crescents to half-lit phases and the fully illuminated Full Moon. Together, these stages form what’s known as the lunar cycle.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

SAVE $220: As of June 15, the Amazon Fire TV 55-inch Omni is on sale for $279.99 at Amazon. That's a 44% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Fire TV 55-Inch Omni

$279.99 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $220

 

Get Deal

Looking for a new TV to watch the rest of the World Cup in high definition? Meet the Amazon Fire TV 55-inch Omni. As of June 15, it's currently on sale for $279.99. Normally priced at $499.99, that's more than $200 in savings and its best-ever price.

This TV benefits from 4K Quantum Dot quality, so everything you watch has richer color, from movies to live sports. It's also supported by advanced HDR including Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, with additional HDR10 and HLG compatibility. It even features Adaptive Brightness, which uses a built-in sensor to automatically adjust picture brightness based on the lighting in the room.

This TV also has the Fire TV Ambient Experience. This means you can transform the screen to display artwork or personal photos when the TV is not in use. And with Fire TV, you'll get access to streaming content through apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and more.

You can also connect other Amazon devices with the Alexa Home Theater function. Pair Echo speakers or other soundbars to create bigger, more surround sound.

Head to Amazon to score this TV deal.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you follow astrology.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Energy

• Green: GNO

• Blue: Astrology

• Purple: Flora

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Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Staying power

• Green: Get ready for a night out

• Blue: Chinese Zodiac animals

• Purple: Flowers

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1100 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Staying power: LEGS, MOMENTUM, STAMINA, TRACTION

• Get ready for a night out: ACCESSORIZE, CHANGE, PRIMP, SHOWER

• Chinese Zodiac animals: DOG, DRAGON, HORSE, SNAKE

• Flowers: ANEMONE, LARKSPUR, MONKSHOOD, PHLOX

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

SAVE OVER $300: As of June 15, the Anker Solix C1000 is on sale for $449.99 at Amazon. That's a 44% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Anker

Anker Solix C1000

$449.99 at Amazon
$799 Save $349.01

 

Get Deal

Looking for a portable power station at a great price? As of June 15, the Anker Solix C1000 is back on sale at Amazon. If you've been wanting to upgrade, now is a pretty good time to do it. Normally priced at $799, this unit is currently down to $449.99, saving you just shy of $350.

This power station has a 1,024Wh capacity with a 2,000W output and 3,000W peak, and it's capable of powering up to 10 devices at once. It supports ultra-fast recharging in 49 minutes using 1,600W HyperFlash technology via the Anker app, and can also be solar charged in around 1.8 hours with up to 600W input (solar panels are sold separately).

It's also designed to be compact and portable, with Anker stating that it is 14% smaller and 11% lighter than comparable models, so it's a lightweight option to carry around the home or to take with you on camping vacations.

For longevity, it uses InfiniPower technology with the battery retaining at least 80% capacity after 4,000 cycles. This translates to around 10 years of use.

Head to Amazon to score this portable power station deal now.

TL;DR: A deal that’s selling fast on Amazon, Magic: The Gathering’s Jumpstart Booster Box from the Avatar: The Last Airbender expansion is now only $73.70 on Amazon.

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box

$73.70 at Amazon
$91.99 Save $18.29

Get Deal

In the steady build-up to Prime Day, Amazon is delivering some all-time trading card deals, including Magic: The Gathering expansions like the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

As of June 15, the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box is on sale at Amazon for $73.70. That’s 20% off its typical $91.99 price, and the lowest price we’ve seen for the 24-pack display box — confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel. This also greatly undercuts the Avatar Jumpstart Booster Box’s market price of $81.72 on TCGplayer.

Although this is being shipped and sold by Amazon (meaning no third-party sellers), there is no return option for this Jumpstart Box — unlike other products usually sold directly by the retailer. That said, the value you get with this price is still well worth pulling the trigger. Not only can you get free delivery as soon as June 16 if you’re a Prime member (at the time of writing, or June 20 if you’re not a Prime member), but you’ll also only be paying the equivalent of $3.07 per pack. 

In each of those 24 MTG packs, these Avatar: The Last Airbender Boosters contain 20 cards. Compared to other types of boosters, Jumpstart Boosters are an amazing way to start playing the game as soon as possible: grab two boosters, shuffle them together, and you’ve got an instant deck with the land cards already included. 

There are 46 Avatar: The Last Airbender themes to find across these packs, built around the show’s characters, scenes, and elemental flavor. This makes the box especially useful if you’re buying for casual play, teaching someone Magic, or just want a fast way to mix Avatar decks without building from scratch.

Among other MTG deals available right now, you can also buy the 30-pack Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box at over $10 off. You can also score the Magic: The Gathering Foundations Jumpstart Booster Display Box on sale for under $100 at Amazon. 

With Apple's WWDC behind us and the first iOS 27 developer beta out, you'd think that we now know about all of the major features that are coming to Apple's mobile platform when it properly launches this fall.

However, there still may be several pretty major, yet-to-be officially announced features that are on the way.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of these is a simplified Modular Ultra watch face for Apple Watch. The Modular Ultra is a high-tech, snazzy watch face that's exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, so getting even some sort of simplified version on the other Apple Watch variants would be pretty cool. Apparently, the simplified variant will have one fewer row of customizable complications than the version on Apple Watch Ultra.

Another feature that Apple hasn't announced at WWDC, despite rumors that it's coming, is a customizable Camera app. As is, the Camera app does come with a new Siri mode, but Gurman previously said Apple would include the option to customize the interface with widgets.

Finally, Apple was rumored to add third-party chatbots to Siri, but only ChatGPT made the grade in the iOS 27 developer beta. Gurman claims that other models, including Gemini and Claude, might still make an appearance come fall.

We've checked the latest developer betas for iOS 27 and watchOS 27, and none of these features are available right now. Gurman isn't sure why Apple decided to leave them out, but he's pretty confident that the company will include them once the new iPhones and Apple Watch devices launch, likely in September.

Knicks fever remains sky high this week with the NBA Champions set to take over The Tonight Show.

Following a historic win that essentially broke the internet, the New York Knicks will join Jimmy Fallon for a special episode on Monday night.

In a press statement, Fallon called it "a booking 53 years in the making."

After 53 years, the Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday night, beating the San Antonio Spurs. Following alleged curses and one hell of a comeback, the Knicks sealed their Game 5 victory 94-90, prompting celebrations in the streets of New York City and across social media.

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On Monday night, the entire Knicks team will appear on The Tonight Show, with NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges set to be interviewed by Fallon. Knicks head coach Mike Brown and the Knicks City Dancers will also join the show.

To seal the celebrations, New York icons Wu-Tang Clan will perform on the episode.

Tickets to the Knicks Tonight Show special have already been allocated to "Knicks fans who were unable to attend the Finals in person," according to a press release. Guests previously locked in for the June 15 Tonight Show — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Britt Lower, Rhett and Link, and Zarna Garg, per Variety — will be moved to another date.

The Tonight Show Knicks special will air Monday, June 15 at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC, and will be streaming Tuesday on Peacock.

SAVE $250: As of June 15, the Breville Barista Touch is on sale for $749.95 at Amazon. That's 25% off the list price.

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Credit: Breville

Breville Barista Touch

$749.95 at Amazon
$999.95 Save $250

 

Get Deal

Prime Day is just over a week away, but early deals have already started trickling in. And if you take your coffee seriously, you'll love this deal on the Breville Barista Touch. As of June 15, it's dropped in price by $250, bringing the price down to $749.95. According to camelcamelcamel, this is its lowest price since the end of 2025.

If coffee making is an art for you, this machine is your ideal model. It comes with dose control grinding with a precision conical burr grinder that automatically delivers the right amount of coffee. It uses a low pressure pre-infusion to gradually increase pressure at the start of extraction to help achieve balanced flavor, while the digital temperature control ensures water is delivered at the correct temperature for optimal espresso extraction.

The ThermoJet heating system reaches the ideal extraction temperature in around three seconds (perfect for quick coffees before heading out the door in the morning), and an automatic steam wand lets you make all your favorite milky coffees, from lattes to cappuccinos.

There's even a touchscreen display that makes the process nice and easy, simplifying it into three steps: grind, brew, and milk. It also lets you adjust the strength of coffee, the milk texture and the temperature, and you can save up to eight personalized drinks so that all you have to do is press a button for your drink of choice.

Get this coffee machine deal from Amazon now.

SAVE $22: As of June 15, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for $17.99 at Amazon. That's a 55% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Fire Stick 4K Select

$17.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $22.00

 

Get Deal

Looking for an early Prime Day deal on streaming? Well as of June 15, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select has dropped to its lowest-ever price, saving you over $20.

With this Fire TV Stick, you'll get streaming in 4K Ultra HD with HDR10+, as well as access to a huge range of streaming services like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, and more.

Setup is simple too, and you'll only need a connection to the TV and WiFi network. You plug the Fire Stick into your TV's HDMI port, then power this via a wall outlet. Connect the device to your internet network and that's it, your TV is now able to stream from the Fire TV platform. It also comes with an Alexa Voice Remote that allows you to search for and launch content using voice commands. Plus, this remote will become the single control for your TV, letting you power on and off and change the volume.

For gamers, this Fire Stick also supports Xbox cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass, allowing you to stream supported games directly to your TV when paired with a compatible controller and subscription.

Get this Fire TV Stick deal from Amazon now.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Monday, June 15, 2026:

Across

Postponed, with "off"

• The answer is Put.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Mini-golf stroke

• The answer is Putt.

Silly ___ (classic toy)

• The answer is Putty.

Syndicate of drug dealers

• The answer is Cartel.

"Inside Out" emotion whose head bursts into flame

• The answer is Anger

Corona or Coors

• The answer is Beer.

Down

Aimlessly spend time around the house

• The answer is Putter.

Say

• The answer is Utter.

Texter's sign-off

• The answer is TTYL.

Completely get rid of

• The answer is Purge.

Window section

• The answer is Pane.

Alternative to the subway

• The answer is Cab.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you can get through anything.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Moving mountains

The words are related to trials and tribulations.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe getting through obstacles.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is You've Got This.

NYT Strands word list for June 15

• Vanquish

• Surmount

• Overcome

• You've Got This

• Quash

• Conquer

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a good cook.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An oven setting.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

BROIL

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

TL;DR: Watch Love Island UK for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Forget all about sunning yourself on a picture-perfect beach this summer. Love Island UK is back on our screens for the forseeable future, so cancel all your plans.

Prepare yourself for weeks of cringey pickup lines, awkward breakups, and massive meltdowns. There's also a slim chance that contestants will find love, but that's not really what Love Island is about. It's all about the drama, and we really can't get enough.

If you're interested in watching Love Island UK in 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Love Island UK in 2026?

The 13th season of Love Island UK starts on June 1. Love Island seasons typically run for eight weeks.

How to watch Love Island UK for free in 2026

The 13th season of Love Island UK is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone from around the world can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to watch Love Island UK from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Love Island UK for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Stream Love Island UK for free from anywhere in the world

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials and money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the latest season of Love Island UK without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you time to watch a large chunk of the season before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming is on sale for a limited time.

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ExpressVPN is the top choice for accessing free live streams on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Love Island UK for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

An advertiser paid for editorial consideration of this deal. Our editorial experts vetted the deal using their independent expertise. Because we determined that the deal will save money for the consumer, we wrote the content.

TL;DR: As of June 15, Proton Pass is offering the first month of its Pass Plus plan for just $1, before going back up to $4.99 per month. This exclusive deal only lasts until Aug. 31.

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Proton Pass Plus

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$4.99 Save $3.99

 

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Online security is an important thing to keep in mind if you're someone who spends a lot of time on the internet. Passwords, in particular, are always worth your attention, as they can be an easy cracking point if you're not too careful.

If keeping track of all of your different logins feels like it's taking up too much space in your brain, a password manager comes in handy. Proton even offers a premium version through its Pass Plus plan that includes some valuable extras, and you can sign up for your first month right now for just $1.

Normally the Pass Plus plan is $4.99 per month, which it will go back to after this first month, but this is an excellent opportunity to test out the service for a month for just $1 and see if it works for you. The offer only lasts until Aug. 31, so be quick to jump on it. Alongside keeping your passwords sorted, it's stacked with additional security features to help keep some of your online activity protected.

With Proton Pass Plus, you'll get to enjoy advanced privacy and security features like integrated 2FA authentication, dark web monitoring for keeping an eye out if your personal information has been leaked, secure password sharing, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, and more. Plus, all of your passwords and information are protected with end-to-end encryption under Swiss privacy laws.

In general, we think very highly of Proton. They currently sit as our top VPN pick, with Mashable's Haley Henschel writing that it's "the most privacy-forward VPN I've tried, with open-source apps, a no-logs policy that's held up in court, and a history of supporting digital freedom efforts." So why not give their password manager a try?

Enjoy your first month of the Proton Pass Plus plan for just $1.

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The UK has become the latest country to announce a social media ban for children under the age of 16.

Last week it was Canada, six months earlier it was Australia, and on Monday the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology confirmed that social media companies will soon be blocked from allowing under-16s to use their services.

Platforms on the ban list include TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The government is also planning to block livestreaming and "stranger communications" for under 16s. Messaging services like WhatsApp will not be included in the ban.

"This is a line in the sand," UK prime minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. "Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations."

The government is planning to use the same age assurance criteria that it introduced in 2025 with its age verification law on pornography. This means that social media platforms will be required to use things like "open banking, photo ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, credit card checks, digital identity services and email-based age estimation" to ensure a user meets the required age. The government is saying their plan has the backing of 9 in 10 parents, but its worth noting that online age verification is a complicated topic that draws its own criticisms.

As for when this ban will come into effect, according to the announcement the first set of regulations could come into effect in spring 2027.

Enemies-to-lovers is a common and often hot romance trope. But what if what makes you enemies is your love? 

Being raised queer and religious can be a minefield, as all your worth and goodness might be cast aside by your community because of who you desire. In such homophobic settings, queer people are told we must deny our desires or risk being ostracized, attacked, and damned. The new Australian horror movie Leviticus explores the agony of this experience through a supernatural horror story that thunders over a tale of first love. 

Australian writer/director Adrian Chiarella makes his sensational feature directorial debut with Leviticus, a title that refers to a book of the Bible in which homosexuality is declared an "abomination." However, rather than being a film that condemns the queer boys at its center, Leviticus empathizes with their yearning and the terror caused by the parents who should love them. Brewed with equal parts desire and dread, this Australian horror thriller explores how homophobia can be the real monster in the closet. 

Leviticus is a possession tale with a unique twist. 

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star as two boys in love and trauma in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

Talk to Me's Joe Bird stars as Naim, a high school boy who's new to a town that's quiet, conservative, and deeply Christian. He has no friends, and is intrigued when a beautiful, curly-haired blonde boy named Ryan (Stacy Clausen) invites him to hang out. And before the afternoon is over, they've flirted, wrestled, and made out on the floor of an abandoned mill. 

Heated Rivalry fans will note a similar dynamic to Ilya and Shane, minus the hockey rivalry. Like Ilya, Ryan is cocky, showing his interest through playful barbs, and even some physical aggression. Similar to Shane, brunette Naim is excited by this muscled blonde's attention, even if he's not ready to recognize what that excitement might mean. But where the wildly popular TV show has being outed as a storm cloud that resolves relatively brightly, Leviticus goes dark, pitting the boys against each other. 

It all begins with a "deliverance healer," called to exorcise the evil out of the queer members of the church. The conversion ceremony is first conducted on Ryan and another boy. But before long, Naim is also subjected to this strange ritual. From then on, he is followed by a mysterious creature that looks and sounds like Ryan. But if they give into their desire for each other with a kiss, this Ryan lashes out, violently assaulting Naim. And he soon learns Ryan is being stalked by a doppelganger of Naim. In both cases, no one else can see their seductive assailants. No one — not the cops nor Naim's recently widowed mother (producer Mia Wasikowska) — believes him as he seeks salvation from this seeming demon. 

Leviticus awes with its ambiguity, but is ruthlessly scary.  

Tyallah Bullock plays Marnie in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

Surely, horror fans will point to It Follows as an inspiration point, as that film also dealt with a strange, stalking demon who is passed on by sexual contact. Both films certainly reflect the fear of sex and death common in horror. But where It Follows uses nude bodies to shock and repulse its audience, Leviticus only shows how Naim sees the demon — as Ryan, a handsome boy with lust in his eyes. This perspective urges audiences to understand what it is to look upon someone and both desire and fear them. This clever creature has no tells that suggest he is not Ryan, until he attacks. 

"This is what they wanted," the real Ryan seethes, "us to be scared of each other." And in this, Leviticus reveals its aching heart. Here are two boys falling in love. But their story becomes a nightmare, not because of wicked desires but because of a viciously conformative community that would rather see them dead than queer and happy. This revelation makes all the scenes that follow not just frightening but also stomach-churning. Naim desperately wants to reconnect to Ryan, the only person in this "shithole" who sees him for who he is and accepts him as he is. But because of this ritual, he can never be sure it's Ryan's eyes he's looking into or his kiss he's accepting, until the possibility of violence arises. 

By focusing on Naim's perspective exclusively, we too can't be certain of what's real. And one particular jump scare — which had me full-throated screaming — suggests that isolation is no answer either. But what to do when your community and your family reject you? This place is both home and not home. Chiarella reflects that through elegant choices in sight and sound. Cinematographer Tyson Perkins paints this small town in pale but warm hues of pinks, blues, and golds. This does not seem the kind of place where a teen boy would be ripped to pieces with a shrug from the community. But it is. Here, the score by Jed Kurzel bolsters this shudder-inducing truth, giving an eerie echo of percussion that sounds like a racing heart, running down a long, endless hallway. And yet…

Leviticus is defiant in its queer joy, despite the bleak setup. 

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen star as two boys in love and trauma in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

While Chiarella's script does follow the supernatural horror trope of having his heroes try to chase down a solution to best their monster, Leviticus is not really about that quest. At its core, it's about Naim and Ryan and what they will choose. There is no ceremony that will magically convert their parents to compassion. If they can't fare better with a mysterious demon, what path is left? 

Some might be frustrated with Chiarella's answer. But I found it awesome. Leviticus won't give an easy answer, just as it won't lay out simple rules of how this vicious monster operates. The movie never even declares it a demon. But based on genre tropes and my own Catholic upbringing, I'm calling it a demon. 

Instead, Leviticus relies not so much on rules or rituals to build its world and message, but on the performances of Bird and Clausen. As in Talk to Me, Bird has a riveting vulnerability onscreen. Here, his eyes flicker with lust, fear, jealousy, and bliss. His slightness compared to Ryan makes him seem fragile, whether he's risking a kiss or running for his life. He is alive, and how could an audience not fall under the skin of his experience, getting goose bumps in arousal and horror right alongside him? 

Joe Bird in "Leviticus." Credit: NEON

As to Clausen, he has two roles, Ryan and the demon version of Ryan. The former is mercurial, code-switching at school to perform hetero masculinity, even as he steals a glance at his crush. When they are alone, mischief sparkles in his eyes, then joy. His self-assuredness is an invitation for Naim to join him, which makes the demon wearing his face and openness as a mask all the more harrowing. This version of Ryan switches seamlessly from provocative lover to dead-eyed terror. When idle, the demon Ryan evokes Michael Myers in his Halloween mask, standing on a once-quaint lawn. When he attacks, his smile vanishes into a ruthless sneer or an inhuman wail. And each time, I felt my breath catch in my throat, until I finally let loose a scream so loud it alarmed even me. 

All this is to say that Leviticus is a religious horror movie about being queer, but one that, despite its demon, does not demonize queerness. Nor does this thriller drown in the bleakness of religious trauma. Instead, Chiarella expertly coaches his cast to plunge into the depths of such pain, so that their characters can surface gasping for air. And because he does so with such immersive intensity, we're left gasping too. 

Supremely suspenseful, smartly done, and ultimately rebellious, Leviticus is an absolute stunner. 

Leviticus opens in theaters on June 19. 

TL;DR: Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Spain are one of the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They will be expected to progress from Group H with ease. Sure, Uruguay are tough opposition, but Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde will need to do something special to get anything from the Euro 2024 winners.

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are not likely to feature at this stage, with both returning from injuries recently. It's not like Spain are short of top-quality replacements. It's going to be an exceptionally tough matchup for Cape Verde, but anything is possible in the World Cup.

If you want to watch Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Spain vs. Cape Verde?

Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

How to watch Spain vs. Cape Verde for free

Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Spain vs. Cape Verde for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Spain vs. Cape Verde (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

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Live stream Spain vs. Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

EV manufacturer XPENG will begin the global rollout of its VLA 2.0 autonomous driving system next year, the AI-powered model marking an important step in the company's efforts to develop driverless cars. Unfortunately, this tech won't be arriving in the U.S., with high tariffs continuing to keep the Chinese automakers out of the country.

Yet despite this, XPENG continues to maintain its Silicon Valley R&D centre, as well as develop its tech to account for U.S. drivers. Speaking to Mashable, XPENG's General Intelligence Center head Dr. Xianming Liu explained that, while it isn't in the U.S. market and doesn't test its cars in the country, having an R&D centre there remains invaluable for ensuring it's familiar with driving habits and conditions across the world.

"We need to make sure we and our R&D team understand the regulations, the traffic rules, but also the customer needs or customer habits. Once you have people locally drive [their cars] every day in Europe, in the U.S., you will know what people will like," said Liu. "How people are using [their cars] and how the regulations are different. I mean, the traffic rules are different, the traffic signs, everything is different."

XPENG has also established an R&D centre in Munich, Germany, Liu telling Mashable that each of these locations offer the company specific individual advantages. While Silicon Valley has a lot of talent and innovation, Germany excels at manufacturing and is home to several successful automotive companies. By conducting R&D in these areas, XPENG aims to both utilise and learn from these resources.

"Once you have an R&D centre in all the areas of the world, you can combine all the talent, all the thoughts together, and you can just make sure everyone is complementary to each other," said Liu.

EVs: the future of the automotive industry

XPENG showed off the technology in its cars at the Beijing Auto Show. Credit: XPENG

This includes tapping into China's resources as well. Like the San Francisco Bay Area, Liu stated that there's an abundance of talent in China's Greater Bay Area, including in Guangzhou where XPENG is headquartered. The widespread acceptance of EVs in China certainly helps autonomous car development in the region as well.

"We have people, we have freedom, we have flexibility to build the innovations," said Liu, speaking on the advantages of their Chinese R&D centre. "But also in China, the application of the AI system is pretty fast… People accept the concept of AI, accept the concept of [autonomous] driving, and also are willing to use it. So this gives us big room to keep iterating on the product."

Over half of all new cars sold in China are New Energy Vehicles (NEV), meaning that they are primarily or entirely powered by electricity. This April, that number rose above 60 percent. China isn't the only country embracing EVs either, with global electric car sales rising by over 25 percent in 2024. Almost all new cars sold in Norway during 2025 were EVs, while regions such as Latin America and Africa saw EV adoption double. In comparison, U.S. EV uptake has slowed significantly over the past two years, although they still account for approximately 10 percent of new car sales in the country.

"The new energy revolution is changing the world," said Liu. "It's not only happening in the U.S., not only in China, but also in other countries. South America, Central America, and even Europe, South Asia. So we will see the number keep increasing. And this can be very beneficial to the economy and also to the environment."

These aren't the only advantages to widespread EV adoption. Liu also explained that NEVs have better compatibility with autonomous driving systems than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

"The New Energy Vehicle is more suitable for intelligent car systems or smart driving because the control chain is shorter," Liu said. "The signal is an electric signal instead of the power train using the gas."

As such, it is far simpler to develop a fully autonomous EV than an ICE vehicle. If fully self-driving cars are to not only become a reality, but tech that is commonplace, it will require people —  and governments — to embrace electric cars first.

Creating a safe self-driving car

Autonomous driving systems are better suited to EVs than traditional combustion engine cars. Credit: XPENG

Liu previously worked at U.S. self-driving car company Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors. When asked to compare development approaches in the U.S. and China's autonomous car industries, he said he found them to be the same: with safety as paramount. 

"One underlying principle or philosophy that is not changing across different areas is safety," said Liu. "That's the first principle. No matter where you're working at, no matter U.S., Europe, or China, or even Southeast Asia, the problem is the same."

Secondary to this is to ensure the car feels safe as well, offering a smooth, comfortable experience that drivers can enjoy with peace of mind. 

"We have four axes to evaluate our system. We call it CCES: comfort, compliance, efficiency, and safety," said Liu. "So you can make sure the car is safe enough, but a lot of hard breaks [are] just not [comfortable]."

For Liu, controlling the car's speed is key to ensuring both safety and comfort. To deliver this, XPENG trains its VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model to identify and adjust to real-time road conditions, as well as recognise road marks and signs, rather than rely on map data to determine the car's behaviour.

"We don't use any kind of rules or external information to say you have to drive this speed," said Liu. "Of course, people can control the wheel, control the scroll to set up the speed limit [of the car]. The model tries to learn what kind of typical speed people will drive in this kind of situation, because we need to make sure the car is safe enough and also [isn't] too slow." 

Autonomous cars for the world (except the U.S.)

Though VLA 2.0 is expected to hit the global market in 2027, XPENG hasn't released any details about its international release schedule. At present, which country it will arrive in first will largely come down to whose regulations and standards XPENG can satisfy first.

"We're trying to work on different areas, different regions of the world, but we work with local governments to [ensure] we meet all the requirements," said Liu.

The U.S. may not be one of these regions, but being shut out of that market hasn't slowed XPENG's ambitions. The company is continuing to invest in R&D to ensure it can meet the different needs of new markets wherever they are. 

"We are seeing the trend [of increasing EV adoption] is changing the entire industry. All the cars selling now in China, if you don't have the smart driving system, usually people will not consider it," said Liu. "That's why we keep pushing hard on the physical AI. Because we believe this is going to be the next big thing, and this is going to be invaluable in the next decade."

The auto industry is evolving at a rapid pace, with EV acceptance and adoption accelerating across the globe. XPENG is working to ensure they're prepared for this future, and will be ready if the U.S. decides to join in.

This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Disclosure: Mashable travelled to China as a guest of XPENG.

EV manufacturer XPENG is targeting a 2027 global rollout for its next-generation VLA 2.0 autonomous driving system. Announcing its launch plans in March, XPENG stated that VLA 2.0 is the first AI driving model with L4 potential in China, marking a significant step toward the dream of the self-driving car.

XPENG's cars aren't completely driverless just yet. But speaking to Mashable, XPENG's General Intelligence Center head Dr. Xianming Liu explained that VLA 2.0 may be key to finally achieving that goal. 

What is L4 autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving systems are commonly categorised into one of six levels, as defined by global automotive standards organisation SAE International. These range from no driving automation at Level 0 (L0) to full driving automation at Level 5 (L5).

Most of the currently available cars with such systems operate at L2, offering partial driving automation. Despite its name, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is a L2 system. The company changed up the system's branding earlier this year after the term "Full Self-Driving" was found to be misleading, adding the suffix "(Supervised)" as well as axing the name "Autopilot." (The feature was rebranded again to "Tesla Assisted Driving" to comply with regulations for its Chinese launch in May.)

Some other automakers have reached L3, with Mercedes-Benz becoming the first automaker to offer U.S. customers conditional driving automation in 2024. However, this L3 autonomous driving system only works in very narrow circumstances, such as on specific freeways during clear daytime weather, which limits its practicality.

L4 marks the next high watermark of driving automation, just one step away from not needing a driver at all. Now XPENG claims its AI-powered VLA 2.0 system — standing for Vision-Language-Action — is all but there. 

Mashable took a test ride in an XPENG P7 with VLA 2.0 enabled, and found it a difficult claim to dispute. The car was able to smoothly navigate Beijing's large city roads, rough rural streets, and busy pedestrian and scooter traffic with minimal driver intervention. It even could park by itself after everyone had exited the vehicle.

The driver did need to take over at a couple of points, demonstrating that VLA 2.0 isn't a completely autonomous system just yet. Self-driving robotaxi companies such as Tesla and Waymo have suffered concerning safety incidents after removing humans from behind the wheel, and XPENG doesn't claim it's ready to take that leap. But overall, VLA 2.0 felt safe, efficient, and even luxurious.

From autonomous driving to physical AI

According to Liu, VLA 2.0 is a fundamental change when compared to XPENG's previous L2 Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) system. While NGP focused on developing autonomous driving, VLA 2.0 is focused on solving physical AI problems.

"Once you work on the AI problem, everything changes," said Liu.

Autonomous driving systems such as NGP typically operate on a framework of perception, prediction, planning, and control. In such a system, the vehicle uses onboard sensors to detect its environment and abstract it into data, such as using boxes to represent other cars. It then predicts what these obstacles will do, plans a course of action, and controls the car to execute that plan. 

"The NGP is a traditional autonomous driving system where we do the perception first and then do the planning secondly. This is a very old paradigm of autonomous driving, or even currently in robotics," said Liu. "There's a lot of limitations in these kinds of algorithms. Once you work on autonomous driving or AI for more than 10 years, you'll see the limitation. You can never scale up or generalise enough of the entire system to different kinds of scenarios."

To create an L4 autonomous driving system, and eventually a completely self-driving robotaxi, the car must be able to identify and respond to unexpected situations that haven't been specifically accounted for in its programming. The problem, Liu explained, is that developers don't necessarily know what these problems might be.

"We call it unknown unknown," said Liu. "There's so much unknown unknown problems. You can never solve them one by one. So you need to change the paradigm, and try to change the system to be generalised enough and scalable enough to solve all the problems."

XPENG's Dr. Xianming Liu has worked in AI and autonomous driving for almost a decade. Credit: XPENG

For XPENG, the solution was to shift its entire approach to autonomous driving, switching to instead focus on physical AI — the integration of AI software with tangible hardware such as cars or robotics. Unlike digital AI such as chatbots ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Claude, physical AI is capable of directly interacting with the physical world. It's also able to ingest and adjust to a constant stream of information, breaking away from the sequential structure of previous autonomous driving systems.

"Physical AI is totally different from digital because the signal input is not structured, it's continuous," Liu said. "The information load is much higher than structured data like text or voice. And also the control signal requires high latency and high efficiency. That means your latency needs to be very small."

Turning to physical AI enabled XPENG to scale up, widening their model parameters and feeding it large amounts of data to learn from.

"We just take all the camera sensor input and directly train the model. We enlarge the model capacity, make it into billion parameters, and train the model using an even much larger data scale compared to large language models, and [then] ask the model to make a decision," said Liu.

"We changed the paradigm of auto driving, and luckily we see the result. The model is generalised enough to be ready for L4 autonomous driving."

How autonomous cars are linked to humanoid robots

Rather than focusing solely on autonomous driving, XPENG is developing the foundation AI model behind VLA 2.0 to be applied across a variety of use cases — including robotics. The company went viral when it debuted its uncannily lifelike humanoid IRON robot last November, even cutting it open to dispel speculation that it was a real person in a suit.

Though the connection between the two projects may not be immediately apparent, Liu told Mashable that many of the challenges facing autonomous car and humanoid robot development are very similar. As such, innovations are transferable.

"A lot of our R&D budget is spent on the AI or the training infrastructure, the data, the modeling itself," said Liu, noting that XPENG views itself as both an EV and physical AI company. 

A significant focus of XPENG's ongoing R&D is the AI model's ability to recognise and respond to increasingly complex verbal instructions. This is an important function for both humanoid robots and autonomous cars.

"Robots not only need to understand the environment, which is the world, [but] need to reconstruct the world," said Liu. "But also sometimes [they] need to understand how to communicate with humans or even with other agents in the world."

The XPENG X9 EV can seat up to seven people. Credit: XPENG

While VLA 2.0 navigates using vision input from the car's camera sensors, it's able to take verbal instructions as well. This functionality is currently limited to executing straightforward, immediate instructions, such as telling the car to turn left in 300 metres or change to the right lane. Eventually, XPENG aims for passengers to be able to simply climb in the car, verbally tell it where to go, and relax as they're ferried to their destination. 

"You ask the car, 'hey, just pull over in front. I want to buy a coffee so you need to pull over in front of the Starbucks.' The car needs to understand your instruction, needs to translate your instruction into some actions," said Liu. "We want to make sure the model can understand not only the world, which is the sensor [data from its cameras], but also the instruction and human intent."

XPENG and Tesla are driving toward the same destination

XPENG's work with autonomous EVs and humanoid robots have prompted frequent comparisons to Elon Musk's company Tesla. Liu acknowledged such parallels, noting that Tesla is also building a similar AI model aimed at achieving L4 driving.

"I think there is only one way to solve the problem entirely: you need to rethink the problem from the very beginning," Liu told Mashable. "[XPENG and Tesla are] doing something on the same trajectory. We want to solve the problem following the first principles [i.e. breaking it down to its most basic elements]. Directly go to L4, try to solve the problem not using rules, only using AI models. I think this is a similarity."

Humourously, Liu noted that where XPENG distinguishes itself from Tesla is in the sheer volume of data it has on bad driving. Using this data, XPENG has been able to develop its model to respond to such scenarios, ensuring it's better prepared for any unexpected events that might occur on the road.

"For XPENG, we have a lot of data in China which is terrible driving. So you will meet a lot of corner cases, [i.e. rare, unexpected situations outside the norm]," said Liu. "So every day, the problem we are facing is not that we don't have enough data to solve the corner cases, but we have too many corner cases. So we need to solve it. And that's our advantage, and also difference, compared to Tesla."

Ditching the roadmap

Rather than ingesting and relying on road map data, VLA 2.0 has been trained on human driving behaviours. This is to ensure it's capable of appropriately responding to a limitless, non-prescriptive variety of situations. For example, it can look at a live scenario and determine the typical, safe speed limit for that type of environment and conditions. 

"Sometimes, even though the road is limited, it's like 80 [speed limit], but it's pretty crowded, you need to slow down and pay attention. Or during inclement weather, for example, raining or foggy, people will slow down because of the situation, because of the environment," said Liu.

"So in these cases, you cannot ask a car to follow instructions from the speed limit from the map, or from all the signs. You need to make sure the model is aware of the risk and understands how to drive safely and how to control the speed."

Importantly, drivers are able to manually adjust the car's maximum speed as well, so it won't travel at a pace that makes them uncomfortable.

"For safety and comfort, the key is to control speed," said Liu. "People can control the wheel, control the scroll to set the speed limit. But the model tries to learn what kind of typical speed people will drive in this kind of situation, because we need to make sure the car is safe enough and also not too slow."

XPENG has numerous car models available in China, but none have entered the U.S. Credit: XPENG

Though VLA 2.0 is trained on a large amount of general data, XPENG hopes to eventually offer a more customised experience. Liu confirmed that the company is developing the ability for individual cars to learn from and adjust to their specific owners, adjusting to suit their personal driving habits. (Significantly, VLA 2.0 does not transfer data to the cloud, with all necessary processing done locally on the car.)

"We're working on that," said Liu. "Definitely customised driving behaviours is one of the things we're working on, so hopefully sometime later you will see it."

Exactly what sort of timeline that feature might be on isn't clear. What is clear is that XPENG has grand ambitions —  and maybe even the technology to back it up. Liu acknowledged that VLA 2.0 isn't yet perfect, still requiring driver intervention at times. Even so, there's no denying that it's an important advancement toward the ultimate goal of creating safe, fully autonomous vehicles.

This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

Disclosure: Mashable travelled to China as a guest of XPENG.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Cleans the teeth.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

FLOSS

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A handbag.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

PURSE

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

Annoyance.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

PEEVE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Magnitude.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

SCALE

Final Hurdle hint

A spice.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

CUMIN

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require soccer knowledge.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Positional soccer

• Green: Emerald City sports

• Blue: Ballpark Tim

• Purple: Golf

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Soccer Positions

• Green: Seattle Teams

• Blue: Baseball Tims

• Purple: Golf___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #630 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Soccer Positions: FULLBACK, GOALKEEPER, MIDFIELDER, STRIKER

• Seattle Teams: KRAKEN, REIGN, SEAHAWKS, STORM

• Baseball Tims: LINCECUM, RAINES, SALMON, WAKEFIELD

• Golf___: COURSE, POLO, TEE, UMBRELLA

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for June 15 Pips

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 2-2, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for June 15 Pips

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 5-2, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 3-3, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for June 15 Pips

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Live stream Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has started with a number of really entertaining games. The tournament is still very much taking shape, with opening games giving fans their first impression of where everyone stands.

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador is a particularly interesting opening round game from Group E. Germany and Curacao are the other sides in this group, so Ivory Coast and Ecuador will both fancy their chances of advancing (particularly as the eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockouts rounds).

If you want to watch Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador?

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on June 14. This fixture takes place at the Lincoln Financial Field.

How to watch Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador for free

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Netherlands vs. Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage fixtures includes some fascinating matchups, but Netherlands vs. Japan might be the best of the bunch.

This contest is really difficult to predict, but it's vitally important for both sides to get a result. Sweden and Tunisia make up the rest of Group F, so there really isn't a weak link. Every team will be gunning for the knockout rounds, which is exactly what fans want from this tournament.

If you want to watch Netherlands vs. Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Netherlands vs. Japan?

Netherlands vs. Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on June 14. This fixture takes place at the AT&T Stadium.

How to watch Netherlands vs. Japan for free

Netherlands vs. Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Netherlands vs. Japan for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Netherlands vs. Japan for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Netherlands vs. Japan (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Netherlands vs. Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

The New York Knicks just won their first NBA championship since 1973, ending one of the longest title droughts in professional sports, and both New York City and the internet have erupted in response. But you don't need to be a basketball fan to appreciate what just happened. In fact, we would argue that last night represents one of the finest storybook endings in sports history, something so picture-perfect that you would think it was scripted. 

Skeptical? Hear us out first. 

The 'Nova Knicks win big

Last night, three college best friends came together to repeat their improbable 2016 NCAA March Madness run on an even bigger stage.

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges were all teammates at Villanova University 10 years ago, where they helped to defeat a heavily-favored North Carolina team 77-74 in one of the most celebrated NCAA tournament games of all time. 

And the friendship they forged a decade ago is simultaneously a major reason for their incredible team chemistry today and the single reason the Knicks have the roster they currently have, because it required team captain and certified superstar Jalen Brunson to take a $113 million pay cut in the summer of 2024 to clear up the necessary cap space.

Two years ago, NBA analyst/savant Adrian Wojnarowski called that move "largely unprecedented," but last night it paid off in a big way, as Brunson has been crowned the King of New York, and he and his college buddies are now NBA champions.

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The redemption of Karl Anthony Towns

It's hard to think of an NBA superstar who has been more unfairly maligned than Karl Anthony Towns. Former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Jimmy Butler famously called him "soft" all the way back in 2018, and the insult has stuck ever since — until last night. 

Not only did KAT put up fantastic numbers throughout this series, averaging over 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, he did it while taking on the toughest defensive matchup, guarding Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, a 7'4" center with a silky-smooth jump shot and superhuman agility (they don't call him "the Alien" for no reason).

But it's the behind-the-scenes drama, so often overlooked by casual fans, that makes KAT's victory so meaningful. In 2020, his mother and biggest supporter passed away from complications from COVID-19. Unlike many superstar athletes and celebrities, or famous men in general, Towns was extremely open about sharing his grief. In an emotional YouTube video entitled "The Toughest Year of My Life," he went into detail about his mother's difficult upbringing, her unwavering support for him, and their pre-game rituals, and in a post-game interview after game one of the Finals, he spoke about what she still meant to him: "I felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It felt like a certain presence that was very comforting and very loving and I felt like I could have fun out here in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which is the weirdest thing because you would expect to have the pressure at the highest.

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From that great sadness, though, good things have emerged, including his engagement to long-time girlfriend Jordyn Woods.

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Instead of "soft," the internet will now refer to him as NBA Champion Karl Anthony Towns, and that's as it should be. 

Brunson burns his haters

If Jalen Brunson wasn't a household name before this NBA Finals, he certainly will be now. But before he balled out on the game's biggest stage, he had to put up with a lot of criticism. In fact, the 6'2" point guard has been overlooked and underestimated for his entire career. In 2023, former WNBA superstar-turned-analyst Becky Hammon famously dismissed him as too small to be a "1A" player on a winning team, and Stephen A. Smith, the NBA's most famous talking head, described his signing with the Knicks as "nothing," a disaster move destined not to pan out. 

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Not only did Brunson deliver the first NBA title to New York in more than half a century, but he also did it while averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game, and 45 points in the close-out Game 5 on the road, en route to his winning Finals MVP. And it gets better: his father, Rick Brunson, a former Knicks player and current assistant coach for the Knicks, got to share the moment with him.

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Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing cast reunion

For decades, the Los Angeles Lakers had A-list actor Jack Nicholson sitting courtside, cheering on the Showtime Lakers, the Shaq-Kobe three-peat, and the Kobe-Pau era, an absolute fixture of Lakerdom. In the entire NBA, only one other celebrity matched that level of dedication: Spike Lee. 

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The celebrated director can be seen in Knicks highlights from decades past, harassing refs, taunting Reggie Miller (when he was a Pacer, not an analyst!), and generally showing support. But ironically, his biggest moment as a Knicks fan would occur not in Madison Square Garden, but in San Antonio, where he reunited with Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro, major cast members of his breakout film Do the Right Thing, to cheer on the Knicks together. 

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In hindsight, it's pretty fitting that a film director would be the headline fan of this Knicks' run, because there were enough fantastic storylines here to make a movie about — maybe the next Spike Lee joint?