The global sports calendar is especially busy today: college football has a major ranked-game slate, MLB is entering its final regular-season weekend with postseason races unresolved, and the WNBA playoffs are about to begin. Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the headline motorsport event, while the Laver Cup, Asian Games, UCI Road World Championships and women’s WXV rugby provide major international action. The NHL remains in preseason, the NBA is approaching training camp, and MLS and the Premier League are in regular-season play. Combat sports also feature UFC Vegas 121 and a substantial professional boxing schedule.
- NFL: There is no NFL regular-season game today; Week 3 concludes Sunday, September 27, with a full slate including Ravens–Cowboys in the NFL’s Rio de Janeiro international game. Friday’s league news included injuries involving Miami RB Jaylen Wright and New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart.
- NCAAF / College Football: Saturday brings a loaded Week 4, highlighted by No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee, Illinois at No. 7 Ohio State, No. 3 Notre Dame at Purdue, and several other ranked matchups.
- NCAAB / WNCAAB: College basketball is in the offseason; the major Division I regular season has not yet begun.
- NBA: The league is between seasons. Veteran reporting begins September 28, media day follows, training camps open September 29 and preseason games begin October 3.
- WNBA: The 2026 playoffs are beginning this weekend. The first round includes Minnesota–New York, Atlanta–Washington, Golden State–Dallas and Las Vegas–Indiana, with the opening games scheduled around September 27.
- MLB: The regular season is entering its final weekend. Saturday’s schedule includes Dodgers–Giants, Cubs–Red Sox, Rays–Phillies, Orioles–Yankees and Diamondbacks–Padres as postseason positioning and remaining playoff places are finalized.
- NHL: The league remains in preseason. Saturday features numerous exhibition games as clubs finalize rosters ahead of the regular season, including Pittsburgh–Buffalo, New Jersey–NY Islanders and Philadelphia–Washington.
- MLS: Fourteen matches are scheduled Saturday, including Nashville–Toronto, Houston–Kansas City, Dallas–LAFC, Seattle–Minnesota, Vancouver–D.C. United and San Jose–Portland.
- EPL: The Premier League is in its early-season phase. Manchester City entered the day with five wins from five, followed by Arsenal, while Brighton, Brentford, Leeds and Liverpool were also among the early leaders.
- F1: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is today’s major Formula 1 event in Baku. George Russell took pole for Mercedes, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri; Kimi Antonelli crashed in Q1 and starts well down the grid.
- NASCAR: The Cup Series is at Kansas Speedway for a Chase race, but rain canceled Saturday practice and qualifying. Joey Logano was consequently placed on pole under the qualifying procedure.
- NASCAR Xfinity / Trucks: Kansas also hosts the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Race to Stop Suicide 200, while the broader NASCAR playoff picture continues to develop.
- IndyCar: The 2026 season has concluded. Scott McLaughlin won the Laguna Seca finale, while Alex Palou finished the campaign with his fifth IndyCar championship.
- MotoGP: The championship moves on after Pedro Acosta’s breakthrough victory at the Austrian Grand Prix. Jorge Martin retained the championship lead heading toward the next phase of the season.
- ATP / Grand Slams: The US Open has concluded, and the post-New York hard-court swing is underway. Chengdu, Hangzhou and the Laver Cup in London are the principal ATP events this week; the Laver Cup runs September 25–27.
- WTA / Women’s Tennis: The women’s tour is also in its post-US Open transition, with the Asian swing approaching. The major Beijing and Tokyo events begin September 30, followed by the Shanghai Masters on the men’s side in October.
- Golf — Global Tours & Majors: JJ Spaun won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth at 17-under, two strokes clear of the field. The women’s Solheim Cup was already completed September 11–13, with Europe defeating the United States 15–13.
- Women’s Soccer: Domestic women’s leagues continue their regular seasons and playoff races internationally; the major women’s international tournament cycle is now shifting toward post-World-Cup competition and continental qualifying.
- Rugby Union: The new WXV Global Series reaches a key weekend, with England–New Zealand, Italy–South Africa and Wales–USA among Saturday’s fixtures. The WXV Challenger also has Fiji–Netherlands, Hong Kong China–Samoa and Spain–Brazil.
- Rugby League: The NRL and Super League are in their finals phases. Saturday includes the NRLW semifinal Sydney–Canberra and Super League semifinal Wigan–Wakefield, alongside several domestic grand finals.
- ICC / Cricket: The Asian Games cricket competition is underway, with Japan–Nepal and Malaysia–Oman scheduled today. County Championship matches in England are also reaching their third day.
- World Championships / Cycling: The UCI Road World Championships are underway in Montréal through September 27. The women’s elite road race is a major Saturday attraction, with the men’s elite race following Sunday. American Ashlin Barry has already won the men’s U23 road title.
- Asian Games: The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are in full operation, with athletics, badminton, kabaddi, cricket and many other disciplines contributing to the medal table. Saturday is Day 7.
- Volleyball: Men’s CEV EuroVolley 2026 reaches its final stages on September 26, with Italy, France, Slovenia and Finland among the teams advancing through the semifinal phase.
- Boxing: Saturday features several international professional cards, including Johnny Fisher–Michael Pirotton in London under Zuffa Boxing and a Misfits card featuring Henry Cejudo–Javon Walton. Takuma Inoue–Tenshin Nasukawa is scheduled for Sunday in Tokyo.
- MMA — UFC: UFC Vegas 121 is scheduled for Las Vegas, headlined by Raul Rosas Jr.–Raoni Barcelos, with Norma Dumont–Ailin Perez among the other featured bouts.
- Track & Field: The Asian Games provide one of today’s largest international athletics platforms, while the outdoor championship calendar has shifted toward late-season meetings and national competitions.
- Swimming: There is no major senior World Championships meet today; international attention is instead on the Asian Games and the opening stages of the 2026–27 collegiate and national swimming seasons.
- Gymnastics: No senior global artistic-gymnastics championship is dominating today’s schedule; national development, training and regional competitions make up much of the current calendar.
- Combat Sports — Judo / Taekwondo / Karate: The Asian Games are a principal international focus, with combat-sport events contributing to the overall medal competition in Aichi-Nagoya.
- Esports: VALORANT Champions 2026 is underway in Shanghai, with Global Esports–Team Vitality and LOUD–EDward Gaming scheduled today. League of Legends also has professional matches across the LCS, EMEA Masters and other regional circuits.
Bottom line: September 26 is less about one single worldwide championship and more about a dense convergence of late-season MLB, major college football, F1, international tennis, cycling, Asian Games competition, rugby, combat sports and esports.
