Weekend in the A: Hawks trade for Dort; Dream escape Sky; Spain wins World Cup.

Whether you were out of town, at the kids’ activities or enjoying another beautiful weekend of weather, the sports scene was hot in Atlanta.

The Braves returned from the All-Star break, the Hawks improved their roster, the Dream almost had a nightmare finish, and the World Cup ended the way many expected from the beginning.

If you missed it, here’s your sports recap: Weekend in the A.

Hawks trade Risacher

Just when you thought the Hawks were fading into the offseason after losing in Summer League, they perked up the fan base with a big deal, trading former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Mavericks.

In the three-team trade, the Hawks get wing Lu Dort from the Thunder and guard Ryan Nembhard from Dallas, and are sending some second-round picks to Oklahoma City.

It’s another improvement for the Hawks’ defense, which adds another on-ball menace to join Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

After a pair of trades with the Thunder, plus drafting Kingston Flemings, Zubi Ojiofor and Henri Veesaar, the Hawks have improved their depth — and with 17 players on the roster, they’re not done dealing.

Spain tops Argentina for World Cup

Yes, the World Cup is over, and Spain is the new champion, dethroning Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final match in New Jersey.

It’s a big turnaround for La Roja, which had an inauspicious start in Atlanta against Cape Verde, with a 0-0 draw that shocked the soccer world.

Didn’t matter.

Spain's Ferran Torres celebrates scoring the team's first and only goal during the World Cup final match against Argentina on July 19, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP)

Spain regrouped and didn’t trail at all during the tournament, with a goal by Ferran Torres in extra time (the 106th minute) sealing the deal.

No repeat for Argentina. No goals for Lionel Messi, which let France’s Kylian Mbappé win the Golden Boot.

In a World Cup that will be remembered for several spectacular matches, Atlanta hosted several of them — including Argentina-England in Wednesday’s semifinal and Argentina-Egypt in the round of 16.

And England didn’t do so bad for itself, winning a wild one over France in the third-place game Saturday.

The World Cup is over, but Atlanta got the whole experience in the eight matches here. Don’t cry that it’s gone. Be happy it was here. Or something like that.

Dream avoids nightmare

The Dream led the Sky by 22 points late in the second quarter, and ESPN Analytics gave Atlanta a 99% chance of winning.

Not so fast.

With 7:26 left in the fourth quarter, Chicago had flipped the script and led by three, giving themselves a 59.2% chance of winning.

It took a spectacular play by Jordin Canada in the final seconds for the Dream to escape with a 93-91 victory on Sunday.

Ballgame.

The Dream head into the All-Star break at 16-10, in fifth place in the WNBA, with Allisha Gray, Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard as its representatives Saturday in Chicago at the All-Star Game.

Angel Reese responds

During Friday’s win over Toronto, Tempo coach Sandy Brondello referred to Dream forward Angel Reese as “a protected species,” while arguing for a foul call against the player.

That started a controversy that led to the WNBA suspending Brondello for one game without pay.

Reese responded before Sunday’s game with a statement.

“First, I appreciate Sandy’s apology, but I also appreciate the love and support I have had for the last 48 hours. It has been very overwhelming, with a lot of love and also other things,” Reese said. “I am grateful that the league did take action on the situation that happened. There’s no place for discrimination or hate in this league from anyone — from fans to coaches to players.

“I’m just grateful that we’re able to move on from this situation and just play winning basketball. The WNBA is supposed to be positive, and we are going in a great (light) right now, so I just want to continue that and move forward.”