.png)
4 hours ago
3
Saturday
Football
8am (all times BST)World Cup liveblog
It’s somewhat apt that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opened to acclaim in UK cinemas this week given the World Cup’s own saga reaches an epic climax this weekend. Having slogged through 102 matches involving 48 teams travelling thousands of miles to 16 cities, it’s showtime after the semi-final shakedown. Saturday brings the unloved third-place playoff match. France and England must drag aching limbs to Miami for a match few players will relish. Still, it’s England and drama lurks in the dénouement to a campaign that came crashing to earth in the closing minutes of their last-four defeat by Argentina in Atlanta. Billy Munday, Sarah Rendall and Alex Reid keep the updates flowing, with a close eye on transfer news plus inviting reader input to our essential gateway to your footballing weekend.
Nations Championship
From 11amAustralia v Italy, South Africa v Wales, Argentina v England live
The Nations Championship continues to delight in its inaugural outing, and the action comes thick and fast. First up, live coverage of the Wallabies versus Italy before Lee Calvert takes the blog controls. Wales face the world champions, with a gargantuan task ahead of them following a 35-21 loss to the Pumas in San Juan. Steve Tandy’s side were thrashed 73-0 by the Springboks in Cardiff at the end of November and must stand up to the formidable challenge ahead. That match kicks off at 3pm. England have their own date with the Pumas at 8.10pm. Steve Borthwick’s squad head to Santiago del Estero and the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades for the final assignment of their 25,000-mile July tour.
Cycling
12pmTour de France live
The Tour winds into the Jura mountains, with the Alps looming ominously, for the 155.3km of stage 14. A day of challenging climbs, some at queen level, with the long grind of the category-one Grand Ballon certain to test the peloton’s resolve and the Ballon d’Alsace a likely crunch ascent. There’s no letup, with the Col du Haag prefacing a 6km descent to the finish at Le Markstein Fellering. A day for breakaways, mountain battles and compelling action. Tanya Aldred helms our rolling liveblog.
Golf
2pmThe Open live
Rory McIlroy travelled to Royal Birkdale a few weeks ago to run the rule over a course that was then green and lush and is now heatwave-parched and yellow. As a result it’s harder to control shots running along the fairway while the rough is burned and wispy. So a twist in the Open tale: it’s not how far shots are going in the air, it’s what happens when they land on the ground and with links golf, that’s not always easy to control. The defending champion and world No 1, Scottie Scheffler, is striving to become the first repeat winner of golf’s oldest championship since Padraig Harrington won at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale in 2007 and 2008. As for home hopes seeking a salve after England’s deflating World Cup exit (the last Englishman to win it was Nick Faldo way back in 1992) there are a host of contenders taking on the mantle. Scott Murray helms the blog for the third round.
Formula One
2pmBelgian GP qualifying
Kimi Antonelli needs a win at Spa-Francorchamps to pump up his championship lead after two blanks in the past three races. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver also failed to score a point in Belgium last year, although he did set the fastest lap of the race, but should be far more competitive this time. That’s providing his car holds up. Antonelli has seen his advantage shrink from 66 points over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton after Monaco in June to 25 points over teammate George Russell, who has had his own share of bad luck, due to mechanical problems. Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc have celebrated wins for a resurgent and increasingly competitive Ferrari, now looking for a third win in four races. Philip Cornwall has lap-by-lap updates from the race for pole.
World Cup
10pmFrance v England live
John Brewin buckles up for the third-place playoff or bronze medal match, with little but pride at stake for two sides whose World Cup journeys were agonisingly curtailed in midweek. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, since the Golden Boot is still tantalisingly within reach. France’s Kylian Mbappé trails Lionel Messi in the goalscoring charts on eight goals (the impish maestro is also on eight but has notched one more assist), while England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham each have six: what price a Bellingham hat-trick to gain some meagre measure of revenge on Argentina? History fun facts: this will be France’s fourth appearance in the bronze final, winning it in 1958 against West Germany and in 1986 against Belgium while missing out to Poland in 1982. England will play for the bronze medal for the third time, having previously lost out to Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018.
Sunday
Football
8amWorld Cup rolling blog
One last heave as Daniel Harris and Will Unwin build towards Sunday’s final. There’ll be plenty for them to mull over and for readers to comment on no doubt, not least Argentina’s compelling campaign. After trailing 1-0 going into the 85th minute, Argentina rallied to beat England and marked another remarkable comeback that showed the perseverance of a team that is now one win from back-to-back titles. A formidable Spain stand in their way, however. Why not join the conversation.
Golf
2pmThe Open liveblog
Scott Murray keeps overwatch for the final round, his blog is the compelling destination to track the 154th Open’s end game. Jordan Spieth, then 23-year-old, was the last winner at Royal Birkdale in 2017. With the Masters, US Open and the Claret Jug under his belt, only Jack Nicklaus had been quicker to win three majors. The American’s final-round overhaul of compatriot Matt Kuchar remains one of the Open’s most compelling finishes.
Cycling
10am Tour de France live
Tanya Aldred is back in the live blog saddle for stage 15, another gruelling day on the mountains. There are three climbs before the grand finale and an early sprint for the green jersey contenders 17.3km into the stage. The category-one Col de la Croisette is one for the polka dot climbers, with the GC headliners keeping it tight at the Plateau de Solaison finish. With Monday being a rest day, expect plenty of riders to put in a shift.
Third men’s cricket ODI
11amEngland v India live
Joe Root demonstrated his enduring class with a chanceless 99 not out as England beat India by four wickets in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday to level a three-match campaign at 1-1. The morale-boosting win set up Sunday’s series decider at Lord’s, a welcome fillip for an England side that had lost 14 of their previous 20 ODIs. England stand eighth in the ODI rankings and need to stay there at least to secure automatic qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup in southern Africa. Tim de Lisle and James Wallace are minute-by-minute hosts.
Formula One
2pmBelgian Grand Prix live
Lewis Hamilton returns to one of his favourite circuits for the 20th consecutive year in pursuit of a victory for Ferrari to equal Michael Schumacher’s record six Belgian Grand Prix wins. After finishing third behind his triumphant Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and George Russell of Mercedes at his home British GP two weeks ago, the seven-time world champion is in the running for an eighth title. Kimi Antonelli, who reeled off a record five straight maiden wins earlier this year, leads the title race for Mercedes on 179 points, after nine races, 25 clear of Russell and 32 in front of Hamilton. But the Italian teenager has failed to score in two of his past three races while Ferrari have found resurgent form and unexpected power to score wins for each driver in the last three outings. Yara El-Shaboury hosts our lap-by-lap commentary.
World Cup final
8pmSpain v Argentina live
And so to the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In the red corner, La Roja, elegant, ball-keeping kings of Europe. In the blue, La Albiceleste replete with the ageless lock-picking Lionel Messi and his band of never-say-die teammates. For the expectant neutral there’s also the lively prospect of Donald Trump making his first in-person appearance at these finals to present the trophy. Last summer, the US president was at the same venue for the Club World Cup final and bemused the champions Chelsea with a limelight-stealing cameo. Best not mention the Folarin Balogun farrago and enjoy a compelling clash of the tournament’s best attacking side versus the team with the best defence. Rob Smyth will be on at 5pm for all the buildup before covering the match proper at 8pm.
