is a particularly busy global sports day: NFL Week 4 has just produced Atlanta’s 35–14 win over Green Bay, college football has a Friday slate led by Clemson–California and Northwestern–No. 5 Indiana, MLB is entering its final regular-season stretch with playoff races tightening, and the WNBA playoff bracket is set. Tennis has the Laver Cup opening in London, Formula 1 is at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, golf has the Presidents Cup and LPGA action, while the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games continue across dozens of sports. International soccer, rugby, motorsport, combat sports and esports also have major events underway or approaching.
- NFL: Atlanta defeated Green Bay 35–14 on Thursday night, with Bijan Robinson rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Penix Jr. returning from injury. The result opened Week 4; the next NFL games are Sunday.
- NCAAF / College Football: Friday’s major schedule includes Army–Temple, Howard–Rutgers, Navy–UAB, Northwestern–No. 5 Indiana and Clemson–California. Clemson–Cal is the late national matchup, while Saturday brings several ranked-versus-ranked games, including No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee.
- MLB: The regular season is entering its final stretch. The Brewers have secured the NL Central, Atlanta has clinched the NL East, and multiple American League races remain unresolved, including Cleveland–Chicago in the AL Central and Houston–Texas in the AL West. Friday features 16 scheduled MLB games, including Dodgers–Giants and Orioles–Yankees.
- WNBA: The 2026 playoff bracket is set. Minnesota earned the No. 1 seed, while defending champion Las Vegas will face Indiana in a first-round matchup featuring A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark. Golden State will meet Dallas, Atlanta faces Washington, and Minnesota plays New York.
- NBA / NCAAB / WNCAAB: These leagues are in their offseason or preseason-building periods rather than regular-season competition. The principal basketball action today is therefore centered on the WNBA postseason transition and international/college preparations.
- NHL: The NHL is in preseason mode. Friday’s schedule includes preseason action such as Dallas–Minnesota, while teams continue roster evaluation ahead of the regular season.
- MLS / EPL / Women’s Soccer: Club soccer continues alongside international competition. The English women’s game has Manchester United–West Ham scheduled in the WSL, while international Nations League fixtures are also being played. Recent WSL action included Arsenal’s late equalizer against Manchester United and Manchester City’s continued strong start.
- ATP / WTA / Laver Cup / Grand Slams: The 2026 Laver Cup begins September 25 at London’s O2 Arena, with Team Europe meeting Team World. Day 1 includes Casper Ruud–Francisco Cerundolo, Jakub Mensik–Brandon Nakashima, Rafael Jodar–Alexander Bublik and Mensik/Alcaraz against Fritz/Bublik in doubles.
- Golf — Presidents Cup / LPGA / global tours: The 2026 Presidents Cup is underway at Medinah Country Club from September 24–27. The LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship also begins its tournament rounds September 25–27, while the DP World Tour’s Open de France is another major event on the international golf calendar.
- Formula 1: George Russell took pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc alongside him on the front row. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed during qualifying, creating a major development heading into Sunday’s race.
- NASCAR / Xfinity / IndyCar: NASCAR action continues this weekend, with the Truck Series and ARCA activity on Friday and the Cup Series scheduled Sunday. IndyCar is outside its main championship race calendar at this point in the season.
- MotoGP: The world championship remains in its late-season phase, with the motorcycle racing calendar continuing internationally; coverage today is less prominent than the Azerbaijan F1 weekend and NASCAR program.
- Rugby Union / Rugby League: International and domestic competitions continue through the northern-hemisphere season, while rugby league has scheduled NRL action today, including the Roosters–Dolphins fixture.
- Boxing: One of the biggest current professional-boxing announcements is the confirmation of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua for December 11 in Cardiff, a major heavyweight event now officially on the calendar.
- MMA — UFC / ONE / global circuits: UFC news is focused on upcoming title fights and division developments. Meanwhile, ONE Championship has two events at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium today, including ONE Friday Fights 172 and The Inner Circle 32, featuring Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA bouts.
- Track & Field / Swimming / Gymnastics / Combat Sports: The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are a major international multisport focus, with athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, karate, volleyball, MMA and numerous other disciplines contributing to the medal program.
- Cycling: The professional road season remains active internationally, with the post-Tour calendar featuring major UCI races and preparations for the final portion of the season.
- Volleyball: International and professional volleyball leagues continue their autumn schedules, while Asian Games competition provides another major global stage for indoor volleyball.
- Esports: The Fortnite FNCS Global Championship is taking place around September 26–27 in Antwerp, Belgium, bringing the world’s top 50 duos together for a $2 million prize pool; qualifying/session activity begins September 25.
- WC / World Championships / major global events: The year’s broader international calendar remains unusually crowded because 2026 is a major global-sports year, with the FIFA World Cup having taken place earlier in the year and the Asian Games now providing one of the biggest multisport spectacles of September.
Bottom line for September 25: The most immediate headline events are the NFL’s post-Thursday-night fallout, Friday’s college-football slate, MLB’s tightening playoff races, the opening of the Laver Cup, F1 qualifying at Baku, the Presidents Cup, the WNBA playoff bracket, the Asian Games, and major ONE Championship combat events.
