Sabah FK and Hapoel Be’er Sheva
25 August 2026

Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK reached the Champions League league phase for the first time after beating Hapoel Be’er Sheva 5-2 after extra time. Sabah overturned a 2-1 first-leg defeat to complete a historic 6-4 aggregate victory.

Sabah forced extra time with a late Mutallimov goal before Mbina and Mickels completed the comeback in Baku. Founded only in 2017, the Azerbaijani champions have now reached Europe’s premier club competition just nine years after their creation.

Celtic and LASK
25 August 2026

Celtic crashed out of the Champions League despite holding a four-goal aggregate advantage during the second leg against LASK. After winning 3-0 in Glasgow and scoring first in Austria, Celtic lost 5-1 after extra time and 5-4 overall.

LASK recovered through four goals in regulation time before Samuel Adeniran scored again in extra time to complete the turnaround. The defeat sends Celtic into the Europa League and leaves Scotland without a Champions League league-phase club.

Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation
25 August 2026

Saudi Arabia will participate in the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has confirmed. It will be the Green Falcons’ second consecutive appearance after reaching the quarter-finals on their tournament debut in the 2025 edition.

The federation said the invitation will expose the national team to different footballing styles and build international experience. CONCACAF will announce host cities, stadiums and the full fixture schedule after qualification for the 16-team tournament concludes next March.

Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Football Federation
25 August 2026

The Ethiopian Football Federation has announced its intention to bid to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations. The report says the tournament host remains undecided and CAF had not yet received an official bid at the time of publication.

Ethiopia previously staged the competition in 1962 and 1976 and won the title on home soil in 1962. The announcement puts Ethiopia forward as an early prospective host while Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania prepare to stage the 2027 edition.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
Saturday

Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park to win the German Supercup for a second consecutive year. Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise scored before half-time, while Fabio Silva pulled one back for Dortmund late on.

Bayern controlled the first half and survived Dortmund’s late pressure after Silva reduced the deficit. Ramy Bensebaini was then sent off for a late tackle, allowing Vincent Kompany’s side to secure the first German trophy of the new season.

Shakhtar Donetsk, Chelsea and UEFA
Friday

Shakhtar Donetsk have agreed to stage their Champions League home matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge this season. UEFA and Hammersmith and Fulham Council have signed off the arrangement, although the move remains subject to final regulatory approval.

Shakhtar cannot use their Donbas Arena and have hosted European matches across several countries since 2014. Stamford Bridge offers roughly 40,000 seats and a large Ukrainian community nearby, giving the club a higher-capacity London base for at least four league-phase fixtures.

UEFA and Concacaf
Friday

UEFA and Concacaf are discussing a combined Nations League competition that could begin in autumn 2028. The confederations are exploring how to integrate their existing tournaments while retaining a tiered league structure, although no final format has been agreed.

A combined competition could give the United States and Mexico more regular matches against European opposition while expanding UEFA’s access to the North American market. Travel, promotion and relegation mechanics remain unresolved before any competition can be formally approved.

FIFA, Brazil and the Maracana
Thursday

FIFA has confirmed Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana will host both the opening match and final of the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Hosts Brazil will begin the tournament there on 24 June, with the final scheduled for 25 July.

The Maracana will also stage a semi-final and becomes only the third stadium to host both men’s and women’s World Cup finals. FIFA confirmed eight Brazilian host cities, with every venue scheduled to stage at least one knockout match.

Major League Soccer and its clubs
Thursday

Major League Soccer is finalizing a new postseason format that would expand the playoffs from 16 to 20 teams. The proposed structure introduces upper and lower brackets, play-in games and a double-chance advantage for higher regular-season finishers.

The format has not yet received a formal vote, but MLS is in the final approval stages. League officials hope the tiered seeding benefits will make regular-season positions more meaningful while retaining single-elimination matches from the quarter-finals onward.

Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes and Ligue 1
Thursday

Paris Saint-Germain’s opening Ligue 1 fixture against Rennes has been moved away from Parc des Princes after exceptional summer heat severely damaged the pitch. League officials ruled the surface unsuitable, particularly because of concerns over player safety and physical integrity.

The fixture will instead be played in Rennes, reversing the planned venue, while PSG replace the Parc des Princes surface before their next home match. The disruption follows extreme temperatures in Paris and wider heat-related damage across western Europe.