WEEK AHEAD: The Rugby League World Cup gets underway alongside MD 5 in the Champions League and the T20 World Cup.
Monday gets the week into gear with an important Rugby League World Cup tie between Tonga and Wales. Catch it on BBC at 19:30. Monday night football then treats us with West Ham v Bournemouth (Sky Sports, 20:00) before NFL action when Chicago Bears host New England Patriots at 01:00 on Sky Sports.
Tuesday starts quietly with no major sporting events to report until Chelsea’s second clash with RB Salzburg in the Champions League. The Blues will be hoping they can continue their impressive European streak under Graham Potter after a poor start with Thomas Tuchel at the helm (17:45, BT Sport).
There are another two exciting Champions League fixtures on Tuesday night, with Borussia Dortmund welcoming Manchester City and Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk, both taking place at 20:00 on BT Sport. All eyes will be on Erling Haaland and how he will fare in front of the yellow wall. Burnley v Norwich in the Championship then sees out the evening on Sky Sports at 20:00.
A crucial game for England in the T20 World Cup kicks off midweek with a 05:00 start (Sky Sports) on Wednesday morning as they face the currently undecided team that finishes second in Group B. Ajax v Liverpool, Tottenham v Sporting and Napoli v Rangers are the evening’s Champions League games, and all kick off on BT Sport at 20:00.
Thursday sees the beginning of the Portugal Masters, which tees off for its first day alongside the Bermuda Championship. Catch the first days’ play from 13:00 and 18:30, respectively (Sky Sports). Then the Europa League sees Arsenal travel to PSV Eindhoven in the return of the fixture that saw the Gunners win 1-0 last week thanks to a Granit Xhaka goal (17:45, BT Sport), and Manchester United play Sheriff Tiraspol at Old Trafford (20:00, BT Sport).
Hearts are also in action in Europe, taking on RFS at the same time as West Ham v Silkeborg and Shamrock Rovers v Gent. Catch them all on BT Sport at 20:00. Baltimore Ravens v Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes for a late night for NFL fans, starting at 00:30 on Sky Sports.
We edge closer to the weekend on Friday with a huge matchup in the T20 World Cup that pits Australia v England, this time at a reasonable hour for the England supporters (09:00, Sky Sports). The Portugal Masters and Bermuda Championship continue at 13:00 and 18:30, respectively (Sky Sports), and then Gloucester v Exeter in the Rugby Premiership is one route to Saturday morning at 19:45 on BT Sport.
Alternatively, Birmingham host QPR in the Championship in a match that could see The Rs assert even more authority over the rest of the league (20:00. Sky Sports).
It’s a busy Saturday for sports fans as the day kicks off with an intriguing Championship fixture in West Brom v Sheffield United (12:30, Sky Sports) before Leicester are in action against Man City at home in the Premier League (12:30, BT Sport). Day three’s play from the Portugal Masters and Bermuda Championship continues at 13:00 and 18:30, respectively,(Sky Sports) and the Rugby League World Cup deals a huge match for England fans as they face Greece. It will be live at 14:30 on BBC.
The Rugby fans won’t be bored this weekend as there is plenty more action for them to sink their teeth into, with Harlequins facing London Irish in the Premiership and Fiji taking on Scotland in the Rugby League World Cup (15:00, BT / 17:00, BBC). The Premier League then blesses us with some evening fixtures in Fulham v Everton and Liverpool v Leeds, both on Sky Sports, at 17:30 and 19:45, respectively.
Starting off the final day of an exciting week on Sunday, Livingston play Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at 12:00 (Sky Sports). The concluding rounds from the Portugal Masters and Bermuda Championship begin at 12:00 and 17:30 on Sky Sports, and Everton Women play Man United Women in a vital early season clash in the WSL (14:00, BBC).
There’s more Premiership Rugby in Saracens v Sale Sharks (15:00, BT Sport). The fixture of the day, Man United v West Ham, then kicks off on Sky Sports at 16:15. Arsenal v West Ham in the WSL gets going at 18:45 (Sky Sports), and the Mexico City Grand Prix closes out the weekend in style at 20:00 on Sky Sports.
