2026 WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Saturday
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will be a real treat with Team Coop (Cynthia Cooper-selected and coached) facing Team Spoon (Teresa Weatherspoon-selected and coached) at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday (ABC, Disney+, 8:30 EDT/7:30 CDT/5:30 PDT).
Weatherspoon selected Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, LV’s A’ja Wilson, Minnesota’s Olivia Miles and Courtney Williams, Dallas’s Jessica Shephard and Allisha Gray, NY’s Jonquel Jones, Washington's Kiki Iriafen and LA’s Nneka Ogwumike in the 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft.
Team Cooper has Dallas’s Paige Bueckers at the point, NY’s Breanna Stewart, Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, Minnesota’s Natasha Howard, GS’s Gabby Williams, Atlanta’s Angel Reese, Seattle’s Dominique Malonga, LA’s Kelsey Plum, LV’s Jackie Young, and Washington's Sonia Citron.
➤Trading Thoughts: All eyes will be on the Clark-Bueckers backcourt battle in the Windy City, but with both either injured or dealing with injuries, don’t expect Mayweather-Pacquiao 2015, but more like Mayweather-Pacquiao 2026, with no care who loses; expect Money, who still has a ‘0’.
This is not an event to trade on, unless you're a WNBA fanatic or a Mentions market scientist mining for keywords or phrases like “Michael Jordan,” “The Spectacle,” and “Dildos,” and“Deloitte.”
Like with the NHL, the traditional East-West All-Star Game has been replaced with a modern ASG, first played in 1999 at Madison Square Garden. If you didn’t come to dribble, don’t bother knockin’ on the door. With Clark, Wilson, rookie sensation Miles, and Shephard, Team Weatherspoon flows.
🏀2026 WNBA All-Star Winner Pick: Team Weatherspoon, Yes 58¢
3-Point Contest on WNBA ASW Shoots on Friday
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend will feature some cool events in the Chicagoland area, including the State Farm 3-Point Contest on Friday, July 24, from Wintrust Arena (formerly the McCormick Place Events Center) in Chicago (ESPN, 8 EDT/7 CDT/6 MDT/5 PDT).
Last year, the league announced the participants for the 3-Point Contest just 3 days before the event. If you are expecting Fever superstar Caitlin Clark to be in it, think again, as the former Iowa sharpshooter hasn’t participated in it in her first two years in the women’s professional league.
Last year’s champ, Liberty deadeye Sabrina Ionescu, also declined, as did Kayla McBride, so it will be an all-new group gunning to be the new champ. The #1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft by Dallas, Azzi Fudd (UConn), was leading at Kalshi, with 28%, followed by Toronto’s Marina Mabrey (24%).
Following in trading order two nights before the contest were Golden State’s Janelle Salaün (18%), Portland’s Bridget Carleton (16%), Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard (12%), and Seattle’s Natisha Hiedeman (6%).
TicketData reported tickets for this event are selling for a little more than Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game. The WNBA Shooting Stars event will also take place on Friday night with four teams battling to become the winner on the shore of Lake Michigan.
➤Trading Thoughts: French import and Turkish League (Galatasaray) Forward Valkyries F Salaün is a lifetime 38% shooter from beyond the arc (39.4% in 2026), but will face stiff competition from Wings rookie Guard Azzi Fudd, who is connecting at a 38.8% rate in her first season.
🏀2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest Winner Picks: Azzi Fudd, Yes 28¢, Bridget Carleton, No 88¢
WNBA: Is 2026 MVP Award A’ja Wilson’s to Lose?
Las Vegas Aces Center A’ja Wilson (25.5 PPG, 9.8 REB) has won the WNBA MVP Award the last two seasons and four of the last six (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025), and traders at Polymarket are strongly giving the 29-year-old South Carolina product a chance at three-peating as MVP (73%).
The only two players traders think may be standing in Wilson’s way are Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (7%) and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5%), with a handful of players at 1% and offering some potentially decent value with the second half of the season still coming.
The Los Angeles Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike (2016 WNBA MVP), the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart (2018, 2023 WNBA MVP) and Satou Sabally, the Phoenix Mercury’s vet Alyssa Thomas, and Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum all sat with 1% on July 19.
➤Trading Thoughts: The Aces will be in the thick of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs—which will tip off on September 27—as will the Liberty and the upstart Wings (17-8). That means sensation Paige Bueckers (20.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG) would be worth a look until she got injured on Sunday, July 19.
🏀2026 WNBA MVP Winner Pick: A’ja Wilson, Yes 73¢
Polymarket ruled ‘Yes’ after the game, but the whiners wanted proof of tears, so the Internet and sleuths came through. The popular prediction platform finally gave their image after making the ruling, and we will wait for the next Strangeness. There was also a CR7 cry market in the Euros.
Traders at Polymarket are giving Ronaldo—who now plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League—just a 5% chance of announcing his retirement in 2026.
Kalshi to Allow Bets on Clinical Trials in the Future
Kalshi announced last week that it would start allowing trading on the specific outcomes of some clinical trials and regulatory reviews from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The first markets of their kind will allow traders to bet on specific drugs, not the entire company.
As part of a pilot program, only late-stage trials will be offered in these new, cutting-edge markets, to be launched by Kalshi in partnership with AppliedXL. Specialists in monitoring and predicting clinical drug trials, AppliedXL will define the contracts before trading.
There are many drugs in the pipeline. AriBio’s early Alzheimer’s disease drug (AR1001, mirodenafil), Gilead’s experimental cell therapy drug, anito-cel (anitocabtagene autoleucel), and Summit Therapeutics’ experimental lung cancer drug (ivonescimab) are three of the largest.
Time magazine called this startup that's backed by Elon Musk (click here to get the name)…
"The Most Disruptive Company in the World…"
And said that it "holds the keys to perhaps the most powerful technology of all time."
No wonder its CEO is projecting growth of up to 8,000% for this year.
It just filed the paperwork to go public in what's set to be the next hot IPO on Wall Street. But you do NOT have to wait until the IPO.
Click here and Jeff Brown will show you how to claim your pre-IPO stake for as little as $50.
Who Will Be the Top Artist on Spotify U.S. This Year?
The Top Artist on Spotify U.S. This Year? is a category either won early in the calendar year or in a late-December rush. This year, the race may already be over with Drake (77%) running away with the possible distinction, according to Culture traders at Kalshi.
Following the Canadian rap star in trading are Latin Trap artist Bad Bunny (10%) and pop songstress Taylor Swift (7%), both perennial contenders in this category for now and the foreseeable future. Bruno Mars (1%) and K-Poppers BTS (1%) were seeing little ‘Yes’ buying.
➤Trading Thoughts: Remember this is a different market than the Top Artist on Spotify This Year? This is an exchange where Bad Bunny (78%) had a big lead over Drake (13%), revealing vast differences in music tastes, with the SB LIX Halftime performer still having massive global appeal.
Last year, Taylor Swift won this category, but she just got married and is picking out china for seven houses now. Drake was #2 in 2025, but with the release of three albums in a day (May 15)—Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour—Drake may have missed being #1 in the U.S., but he will be in 2026.
💿2026 Top Artist on Spotify U.S. This Year? Winner Picks: Drake, Yes 77¢, Taylor Swift, No 93¢
Early 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Futures Odds
We just wrapped up the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, with Spain winning its second world championship after teen sensation Lamine Yamal and La Roja won the 2024 Euro, so let’s look ahead at the opening odds to win the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup (June 24-July 25, 2027).
Set to be played in eight locations throughout Brazil, the 2027 FIFA World Cup will see hidden treasure Spain try to defend its title and give the Spanish Men and Women back-to-back World Cup championships and international Soccer bragging rights for years on a still very young squad.
Priced up to 66/1 are the obligatory favorites, the USA (+280), followed by Spain (+350), Lucy Bronze and England (4/1), Germany (10/1), France (10/1), Sweden (20/1), Netherlands (25/1), Japan (25/1), Australia (25/1), Brazil (33/1), Canada (50/1), and Denmark (66/1) at BetOnline.
Longshots at 100/1 included Belgium and Norway, with Switzerland and New Zealand at 150/1, Finland, Mexico, Portugal, Jamaica, China, Northern Ireland, and South Korea at 250/1, Nigeria, Morocco, and Senegal at 500/1, with South Africa and the Lady Vuvuzela-ettes trading at 750/1.
➤Trading Thoughts: The USA is overpriced and not as good as past teams. Expect a UEFA team like Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí and defending champs Spain, England, or France, to win, even though South America (CONMEBOL) and the futbol-loving nation of Brazil will serve as the hosts.
⚽FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2027 Winner Pick: Spain +350
Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Awards honor the best of the best in the medium of Television, and we will see the awards show airing from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California on Monday, September 14, 2026 (NBC, Peacock, 8 EDT/7 CDT/6 MDT/5 PDT). Mariska Hartigay will host.
We resume our look at categories for the Emmys, looking at the Emmy nominees for the Outstanding Man and Woman in a Comedy Series in 2026. In the ‘Emmys 2026: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series,’ it’s Jean Smart from “Hacks” (91%) who’s the overwhelming favorite.
Following the dark comedy “Hacks” at Polymarket on July 22, 2026, in light trading were Elle Fanning from “Margot’s Got Money Problems” (5%), Lisa Kudrow from “The Comeback” (2%), Ayo Edebiri from “The Bear“(2%), and Quinta Brunson from “Abbott Elementary” (1%).
➤Trading Thoughts: Jean Smart has won this category in the role of Deborah Vance on HBO Max’s “Hacks” and has done so four times (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), and the collective wisdom of the trading masses at Polymarket firmly believes she will make it five in Downtown Los Angeles.
Quinta Brunson took the honor in 2023 for her role as Janine Teagues in the ABC mockumentary Abbott Elementary, but streaming services have taken over much of the medium, and content providers like HBO Max, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, and Paramount+ are gaining popularity.
🗽Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy Winner Pick: Jean Smart, Yes, 92¢
Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Over in the men’s washroom at the Emmys and looking at the ‘Emmys 2026: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series,’ it’s a similar tale in a different market with Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” star Matthew Rhys (87%) also well ahead of the competition and looking like the statuette recipient.
Following at Polymarket on July 22, 2026, were “Only Murders in the Building” star Martin Short (5%), Disney+’s “Wonder Man” actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (4%), Apple TV’s “Shrinking” actor Jason Segel (4%), and HBO’s “Rooster” star and funnyman Steve Carell (1%).
➤Trading Thoughts: The thought here? Combine it with Jean Smart (above) and find some other favorites and just bet a minimal amount and enjoy the event, which will be somewhat entertaining, but made spicier if you have a financial interest in some outcomes to get the gastric juices flowing.
We have handicapped six categories already, and will do six more leading up to the 78th Emmys.
🗽Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy Winner Pick: Matthew Rhys, Yes, 87.6¢
MLB Futures: Philadelphia Phillies Next Manager
There are a couple of managerial positions in MLB that will need filling in the near future, including the red-hot Boston Red Sox in the AL and the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL. In this issue, we’ll look at who the markets are saying the Phillies will be making their permanent skipper.
At Polymarket, former Yankees 1B Don Mattingly (49%) is the people’s choice in the MLB: Next Phillies Manager market, followed by Daniel Descasio (8%), Omar López (6%), Brad Ausmus (6%), Brandon Hyde (6%), Carlos Beltran (6%), and Alex Cora (3%)
Also under consideration but not getting much ‘Yes’ contract love on July 20, 2026 were Joe Girardi (2%), George Lombard (1%), Bruce Bochy (1%), Will Venable (1%), A.J. Ellis (1%), David Ross (1%), Rocco Baldelli (1%), and Kai Correa (1%),
➤Trading Thoughts: Philadelphia got off to its worst start in two decades in April (9-19), and fired manager Rob Thompson, but GM Dave Dombrowski couldn’t lure Alex Cora—let go by Boston a day earlier—to come to the City of Brotherly Love and the Occasional Knuckleball to the Nuts.
So Dombrowski plugged in bench coach Mattingly as interim manager. Since then, the Phillies (56-45) have surged and gone 47-26—the second-best record in MLB over that span—sitting just 3 games behind Atlanta in the NL East (7/20) in a race that looked dead in the Spring. Things change.
Keeping Donnie Baseball in this position, if he wants it, makes sense. And buying Mattingly ‘Yes’ before Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, and the team possibly catch and pass the Braves seems wise, as by then, all will be saying what a great job Mattingly has done when we already see this.
⚾MLB: Next Philadelphia Phillies Manager Pick: Don Mattingly, Yes, 71¢
F1 Hungarian GP Races at Hungaroring on Sunday
Rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli continued his dream F1 season, winning the Moët & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium on Sunday, July 19, with the Italian (204) extending his point lead in the Drivers Standings to 45 points over Lewis Hamilton (159).
On Sunday, the two will go at it again in the 11th race of the season, the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix from the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary (Apple TV, F1 TV Pro, 9 am EDT/8 CDT/6 PDT) as the 22-race season hits its halfway point.
At Polymarket in the Hungarian Grand Prix Winner market, Kimi Antonelli (39%) was the favorite of ‘Yes’ traders, followed by Lewis Hamilton (19%), Charles Leclerc (18%), George Russell (12%), Max Verstappen (9%), last year’s race winner Lando Norris (7%), and Oscar Piastri (4%).
➤Trading Thoughts: It looked like some of the vets would burst Antonelli’s bubble, but after a small dry spell, the Italian won again last weekend, sending a message to everyone—including traders and fans—that he is the real deal. After 10 races, he has won 6.
Hamilton (Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix), George Russell (Lenovo-Austria Grand Prix), and Charles Leclerc (Pirelli British Grand Prix; 126 points, 5th place) have won, but nobody besides Antonelli has won twice, and Russell (154 points, 3rd place) has won once. This is just a three-driver race now.
The Formula One World Championship will take a month off now, and return for the 12th race of the season, the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, Netherlands on Sunday, August 23 (Apple TV, F1 TV Pro, 9 am EDT/8 CDT/6 PDT).
🏁F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Winner Pick: Kimi Antonell, Yes, 39¢
NASCAR Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis on Sunday
The 160-lap Brickyard 400 from historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Asphalt and Brick) in Speedway, Indiana is the next race up on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. It will come this Sunday, July 26 (TV—TNT, HBO Max, Radio—IRSN, SiriusXM, 2 EDT/1 CDT/12MDT/11 PDT).
Last weekend in the 2026 Window World 450 from North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Joey Logano captured the checkered flag for his first win since the America 250 Florida Duel at DAYTONA at Daytona International Speedway back in February.
Kalshi Brickyard 400 presented by PPG Winner? traders like Denny Hamlin (21%), Kyle Larson (11%), Ty Reddick (11%), Christopher Bell (9%), Ryan Blaney (7%), Bubba Wallace (6%), Chase Elliott (6%), Chase Briscoe (6%), Chase Elliott (6%), Ty Gibbs (5%), and William Byron (5%).
The longer shots at Kalshi to win the race in the Hoosier State on Sunday are Carson Hocevar (4%), Joey Logano (3%), Corey Heim (3%), Erik Jones (3%), Chris Buescher (3%), Brad Keselowski (2%), Austin Cindric (2%), and Ross Chastain (2%).
➤Trading Thoughts: This 2026 NASCAR Cup Series has seen Toyota excel, with the Japanese manufacturer winning 14 times since the Daytona 500, but a Ford has won the last 2 races. In this event last year, Bubba Wallace (Toyota) won in Naptown with Larson finishing 2nd and Hamlin 3rd.
Point leader Denny Hamlin has been consistent this Spring and Summer and is a big reason why Toyotas have fared so well on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. He should do better these 400 miles than he did two weeks ago and last week and may end the two-race winning streak held by Ford.
🏁NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Winner Picks: Denny Hamlin, Yes 21¢, Ty Gibbs, Yes 5¢
Yankees at Phillies Meet in Sunday Night MLB Game
We have seen some pretty good prime time MLB games on Sunday nights this year, but don’t worry, American football will be back in that spot in the blink of a digital eye, and we will all be yelling about a video replay, or something equally stupid and insignificant on future Sunday nights.
This Sunday serves up another great interleague matchup, with Ben Rice and the Yankees (56-45, 31-22 Road) playing Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and the surging Phillies (56-47, 27-25 Home) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (NBC, Peacock, 7:20 EDT/6:20 CDT/4:20 PDT).
This showdown has Playoff implications, with the Bronx Bombers looking up at the Rays in the AL East and the Bearded Baseballers chasing the Braves in the NL East after a great run after Don Mattingly took over, something we wrote about 771 words ago when we were all still young.
At Kalshi, traders are giving the Yankees the best chance at winning the American League (27%) and the second-best chance of winning the 2026 World Series (12%). Traders are also warming up to the Phillies, giving them an 11% chance of winning the NL and a 6% chance of being champs.
➤Trading Thoughts: The probable starters for this Game 3 of a 3-game series in the City of Brotherly Love and Cracked Cells are RHP Will Warren (7-4, 4.03 ERA) for NY and LHP Christopher Sánchez (12-4, 2.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) for Philadelphia, a CY Young candidate.
Northpaw Warren is 2-1 lifetime vs the Phillies with a 3.52 ERA in 3 lifetime appearances, while Sánchez is 0-1 with an ugly 10.80 ERA in his 2 career starts vs. the NY, so maybe we see many runs at The Bank? When they met 51 weeks ago, the Phillies won 2 of 3 (PHI 12-5, PHI 9-4, NYY 4-3).
That’s an average of 12.33 RPG, and with Summer hitting its peak and the balls more apt to carry in warm weather, backing the Over seems logical with the two starters past ERA’s, although deceptive. Aaron Judge will still be on the mend, so no Judge means less power, but both have bats.
Schwarber (33/61/.251) is the scariest leadoff hitter in the game and participated in the HR Derby; Bryce Harper has had 20 HRs for 12 straight seasons now; Marsh (.293/16/47) is one of the most underrated players in MLB, and INFs Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, and Alec Bohm have been great.
For the Yankees, Rice (29/68/.281)—who also participated in the HR Derby—has been the breakout star, much needed with Judge hurt, while Cody Bellinger (.255/11/52), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (16 HR), Paul Goldschmidt (15 HR), and Trent Grisham (11 HR) have all provided offense in NYC.
⚾MLB Sunday Night MLB Picks: Over
➠ In the next issue of The Prediction Report, we’ll look at the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, the Trump-Spain World Cup winner photo controversy, Kalshi set to offer Gold and Silver trading, two more Emmy Awards market previews, updates on the AL Rookie of the Year race and the Red Sox next manager, and previews of the 2027 EPL and LA LIGA winners.