Saudi Pro League joins Football Manager for first time
By Lee Seng Foo2 hours ago
Football Manager players will be able to take charge of Saudi Pro League clubs for the first time in the series’ upcoming edition, adding a new destination featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Ollie Watkins, Gabriel Martinelli, Tijjani Reijnders and many more international stars.
All 18 clubs will appear in Football Manager 27 with official badges, kits and player images following a partnership between the league and developer Sports Interactive, announced on Tuesday.
Sports Interactive business development director Richard Trafford expressed his delight to welcome the Saudi league as the latest addition, bringing the number of playable nations in the game to 59.
“The league has been a long-requested addition to our games, and the team have been fantastic to work with in making this a reality,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing fans learn more about the league and its clubs in the game, and to exploring what we can achieve beyond it as we continue to grow FM’s reach in the Middle East.”
The agreement follows the Saudi Pro League’s partnership with mobile management game Top Eleven earlier this season, extending its presence in football gaming.
FM27 launches globally from November 10, but fans will have an earlier opportunity to try it through a free preview on PC and Mac from October 30 to November 4.
Fans can watch Saudi Pro League action live on SPOTV NOW.
Hakim Danish will return to Sepang this weekend with the chance to achieve something no Malaysian rider has managed at their home Grand Prix: a World Championship race victory.
Malaysia has hosted motorcycle Grands Prix since 1991, first at Shah Alam and then Johor before the event moved to Sepang in 1999.
Local riders have delivered memorable performances across those venues in over three decades, but none has come closer to winning than Zulfahmi Khairuddin in the 2012 Moto3 race.
Starting from pole position at Sepang, Zulfahmi led into the final lap before Sandro Cortese passed him in the closing stages. The Malaysian finished just 0.028s behind the German, whose victory secured the inaugural Moto3 world title.
That same weekend also produced a home podium in Moto2, but Hafizh Syahrin had to wait to receive it.
The wildcard rider crossed the line fourth in wet conditions but was later promoted to third after Australia’s Anthony West was disqualified following an anti-doping case.
Hafizh went on to become Malaysia’s first full-time MotoGP rider. In his debut premier-class season in 2018, he climbed from the back of the grid to finish 10th at Sepang.
While a home victory has remained elusive, Malaysian riders have reached the top step elsewhere.
Khairul Idham Pawi became the country’s first Grand Prix winner in Argentina in 2016, before adding another Moto3 victory in Germany that year. Malaysia then waited almost a decade for its next winner, with Hakim ending that run at Brno in June.
That breakthrough came during his first full season in Moto3, less than a year after making his World Championship debut as a wildcard at Sepang. His first home appearance showed promise, with the fastest lap of the race, but ended in retirement because of a technical problem.
Hakim now returns as a Grand Prix winner, hoping to turn last year’s pace into a result and give Malaysia a first victory on home soil.
Fans can watch the Malaysian Grand Prix live on SPOTV NOW.
Thai players made their mark on the opening round of the 2026 Sepak Takraw League (STL) Premier season.
Worapat Kaewtawatwiset helped PDRM Defenders win the Perak Grand Prix, while Chutchanan Suwannarat earned the best tekong award.
PDRM came from a set down to beat Chutchanan’s Kuala Lumpur Thunder 2-1 in Sunday’s final at Stadium Indera Mulia in Ipoh, collecting the first Grand Prix title of the campaign.
KL Thunder dominated the opening set 15-3, but the Defenders fought back to take the second 17-15 before edging the decider 15-13.
Worapat, who plays as a tekong for PDRM, was named Player of the Day for his contribution to their title-winning performance.
His compatriot Chutchanan was recognised for his performances throughout the tournament, receiving the best tekong award despite KL Thunder’s defeat in the final.
The pair were among 18 Thai players listed for the STL Premier season, making Thailand the largest source of overseas recruits in the 12-team competition.
PDRM’s Shahalril Aiman was named best killer, while KL Thunder’s Kamarul Ezzad received the best feeder award.
The victory put PDRM at the top of the overall standings with 32 points, four ahead of KL Thunder, while ATM Guardians took third place after beating Johor Tigris.
The competition now moves to the Balik Pulau Sports Complex for the Penang Grand Prix from October 28 to November 1, the second of seven rounds.
Fans in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Macau can watch the Penang Grand Prix live on SPOTV NOW.
MotoGP returns to Sepang for the 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix from October 30 to November 1, with fans set to fill the grandstands for one of Southeast Asia’s biggest race weekends.
Ahead of the event, which will be shown live on SPOTV NOW, here are five interesting things to know.
Sepang has become one of Ducati’s most successful venues, with the Italian manufacturer having nine premier-class Grand Prix wins, more than any other manufacturer since the circuit joined the calendar in 1999.
Their dominance has emerged more recently as they have won six of the eight Malaysian Grands Prix held since 2016 - the race was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic - through Andrea Dovizioso (2016 & 2017), Francesco Bagnaia (2022 & 2024), Enea Bastianini (2023) and Alex Marquez (2025).
Their strength has extended beyond the race winners. Ducati occupied the top four positions in both 2023 and 2024, while they also won all Sepang Sprints thanks to Alex, Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.
Vinales’ three-class hat-trick
The last rider to deny Ducati a Malaysian Grand Prix victory was Maverick Vinales, whose 2019 success also completed a personal Sepang hat-trick.
The Spaniard had already won there in 125cc in 2011 and Moto2 in 2014, making his Yamaha victory eight years after his first success a third win across three different categories. His intermediate-class victory came during his only Moto2 season, while his first was in the final year of the 125cc championship before Moto3 replaced it.
Malaysia’s wait for a home winner
While visiting riders have built successful records in Malaysia, the hosts are still waiting for a World Championship winner on home soil. The Malaysian Grand Prix began at Shah Alam in 1991, moved to Johor in 1998 and settled at Sepang the following year. Across those three venues, no Malaysian has won in any class.
Zulfahmi Khairuddin came within touching distance in the 2012 Moto3 race. He started from pole and challenged Sandro Cortese to the finish, missing victory by just 0.028 seconds as the German secured the world title.
Malaysia shares that wait with Qatar, Thailand and Indonesia, but all three began hosting Grands Prix later.
A stand of his own
Hakim Danish will attempt to change that home record with a dedicated section of supporters behind him. Sepang has introduced the Hakim Danish Tribune for his first Malaysian Grand Prix as a full-time Moto3 rider, with the section already sold out.
His rookie season has shown why there is such interest. Hakim claimed his maiden Moto3 victory at Brno after starting 14th, becoming Malaysia’s first Grand Prix winner since Khairul Idham Pawi at the Sachsenring in 2016.
Sepang usually comes near the end of MotoGP’s Asian travels, but this year the championship will head to Qatar before returning to Europe. The Lusail round was moved from April to November because of the situation in the Middle East, placing it a week after Malaysia.
It is an unusual sequence with a familiar precedent. Qatar also followed Malaysia in 2023, when circuit upgrades delayed the Lusail event until November. The same order appeared in 2005, but that turnaround was even shorter. Sepang raced on Sunday, September 25, before Qatar held its Grand Prix the following Saturday.
This year’s Malaysia-Qatar double-header will be followed by Portugal and the Valencia finale.
Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or for the first time and Alexia Putellas claimed her third women’s award as the 2026 winners were announced in London on Monday.
Bayern Munich and England striker Kane became the first Englishman to receive the men’s honour since Michael Owen in 2001, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season, helping them win the Bundesliga and German Cup. He also captained England to third place at the World Cup.
Kane also collected the Gerd Muller Trophy for the leading men’s goalscorer, having scored 73 times for club and country during the period considered for the awards.
Putellas, meanwhile, drew level with former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati on a record three women’s Ballon d’Or wins, having previously received the award in 2021 and 2022.
The Spain midfielder helped Barcelona win four trophies last season, including the Champions League, before joining London City Lionesses in July.
Former teammate Ewa Pajor finished second in the women’s voting, with Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw third.
Barcelona and Spain were also well represented among the other winners at the London Palladium.
Barcelona pair Yamal and Vicky Lopez retained the men’s and women’s Kopa Trophies for the best young players, winning the awards for the third and second consecutive years respectively.
Spain goalkeepers Unai Simon and Cata Coll took the men’s and women’s Yashin Trophies for the best goalkeepers.
Spain’s Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach of the year, with Barcelona’s Pere Romeu taking the women’s honour.
Mexico and Pachuca forward Charlyn Corral won the women’s striker award, while Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named men’s and women’s clubs of the year respectively.
Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award, which recognises players’ humanitarian and social work.
