Sports News Roundup: CONCACAF unveils format for 2022 World Cup; Padres, A's complete series wins and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Padres, A's complete series wins

Fernando Tatis Jr. capped a five-run fourth inning with a bases-loaded triple Monday afternoon, leading the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres won three of the four games in the season-opening series.

NFL: COVID-19 remains 'major challenge' as camps prepare to open, commissioner says

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the new coronavirus still poses challenges to the league as it prepares to open training camps for all players on Tuesday. With pre-season games canceled and fan attendance limited in many stadiums across the United States, "the NFL in 2020 will not look like other years," he wrote in an open letter to fans.

CONCACAF unveils rejigged qualifying format for 2022 World Cup

CONCACAF has unveiled a new qualification format for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after COVID-19 forced a rejig of the usual system, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean said on Monday. The new format, which will feature all 35 of the region's members, has been split into three rounds with the first being played in October and November with teams ranked from No. 6 to No. 35 in CONCACAF as of July 16 drawn into six groups of five.

Brees doubles COVID-19 donation to $10 million

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees upped his contribution to communities in Louisiana impacted by the coronavirus pandemic from $5 million to $10 million. Brees and his wife, Brittany, announced Monday that their commitment is in direct response to the pressing need from healthcare centers and communities hit hard by COVID-19.

Nets' Irving launches fund to assist WNBA players

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to support WNBA players who decided to skip the 2020 season for health, personal, professional or safety-related reasons. The fund is being administered by the KAI Empowerment Initiative, which Irving launched Monday. The NBA veteran contributed all of the money.

Australian Open postponed from November due to COVID-19

The Australian Open, the country's oldest and most prestigious golf event, has been postponed from its scheduled staging in November due to COVID-19, organizers said on Tuesday. Golf Australia had planned to stage the 105th edition at Melbourne's Kingston Heath Golf Club later this year but were now looking at other dates in early 2021, the governing body said.

Miami Dolphins put three players on COVID-19 list

The Miami Dolphins have put three players on their "reserve/COVID-19" list, meaning the players have either tested positive for the virus or have been in close contact with an infected person, the team said on Monday. Long snapper Blake Ferguson, defensive tackle Benito Jones and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley were added to the list.

Major League Baseball season roiled by COVID-19 postponements

Just four days after beginning a truncated coronavirus-delayed season, Major League Baseball ran into a serious obstacle on Monday with the postponement of scheduled games due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players. The postponement of the games in Philadelphia and Miami was a potentially ominous development for MLB and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada hoping to forge ahead during the pandemic. The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are set to resume play this week after a hiatus of more than four months, while National Football League training camps are opening.

Commissioner Manfred defends COVID-19 safety protocols after players test positive

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport's COVID-19 safety protocols on Monday as positive coronavirus tests on the Miami Marlins threatened to derail the season days after it began. "Most of the owners realize that we built protocols anticipating that we would have positive tests at some point during the season," Manfred told MLB Network. "The protocols were built in order to allow us to continue to play through those positives. ... We believe the protocols are adequate to keep our players safe."

Qatar interested in hosting Olympics, possibly in 2032

Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, announced on Monday it would also like to stage the Olympics, possibly in 2032. The Gulf Arab state's Olympic committee said it submitted a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join the phase of "continuous dialogue" about hosting a future Games.