AFC Champions League matches postponed after Middle East crisis
By Lee Seng Foo6 months ago
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Sunday that all continental club matches involving teams from the West Region have been postponed until further notice following the outbreak of armed conflict in the Middle East.
The escalation began on February 28 after Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory action from the latter across the region.
🟡 The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that our next game against AlWasl, originally scheduled on March 4, 2026, are postponed until further notice. pic.twitter.com/XrIJVMNclc
Four Saudi Pro League clubs are directly affected by the decision, namely Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad in the AFC Champions League Elite, and Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League Two.
“The AFC will continue to closely monitor this rapidly evolving situation and remains resolute in ensuring the safety and security of all players, teams, officials, and fans,” read an official statement.
Meanwhile, the governing body confirmed that matches involving clubs from the East Region across all AFC club competitions will proceed as scheduled.
The 2026 US Open singles action gets underway this weekend with several eye-catching first-round match-ups in New York.
Former Grand Slam champions, established top-10 names and some of the season's biggest breakthrough stars all face early tests as the year's final major begins at Flushing Meadows, live on SPOTV NOW.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Arthur Fils
Stefanos Tsitsipas faces a familiar problem in Arthur Fils, having lost all five of their previous meetings.
The Frenchman has continued his rise this season, winning in Cincinnati and Barcelona as well as reaching the Madrid semi-finals, while Tsitsipas has slipped down the rankings.
Their most recent encounter was particularly one-sided, with Fils needing just 55 minutes to win 6-0, 6-1 in Miami.
Marin Cilic vs Andrey Rublev
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic faces another proven performer in New York in Andrey Rublev. Cilic famously lifted the trophy in 2014, while Rublev has reached the quarter-finals four times without progressing further.
With their first-round meeting, at least one player with significant US Open pedigree will make an immediate exit.
Matteo Berrettini vs Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka's last-minute wildcard has produced an intriguing meeting with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
The 41-year-old Swiss returns exactly a decade after winning the US Open and is competing in his final professional season, turning the clash into the first hurdle of what could be his farewell appearance at Flushing Meadows.
Arthur Fery returns to Grand Slam action after captivating the tennis world with his surprise run to the Wimbledon semi-finals. T
he Briton now faces another major test against 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti, himself a former semi-finalist at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros, in their first career meeting.
Janice Tjen's return to the US Open begins with one of the toughest draws possible against fifth seed Mirra Andreeva.
The Indonesian enjoyed her Grand Slam breakthrough in New York last year, but now faces the reigning French Open champion as she looks to test her progress against one of the world's leading players.
Sofia Kenin vs Venus Williams
Two American Grand Slam champions collide as 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin faces two-time US Open champion Venus Williams.
Both received wildcards into the main draw, adding extra intrigue to their first tour-level meeting, while the winner could face third seed Jessica Pegula in another all-American contest in the second round.
Former top-10 players Daria Kasatkina and Paula Badosa meet in a match neither would have wanted to be this early.
Badosa has previously reached the US Open quarter-finals, while Kasatkina brings plenty of Grand Slam experience of her own, ensuring one established name will be eliminated before the tournament has had a chance to settle.
Amanda Anisimova vs Ashlyn Krueger
Last year's runner-up Amanda Anisimova begins her latest bid for a first Grand Slam title against fellow American Ashlyn Krueger.
The 10th seed returns to the scene of her best US Open performance, while Krueger has enjoyed another progressive season and gets an immediate opportunity to score one of the biggest wins of her career.
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik gave themselves the perfect start to the 2026 US Open after winning the mixed doubles title with victory over Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
The Czech pair defeated their Swiss-Italian opponents 6-3, 1-6, [10-6] at Arthur Ashe Stadium to claim the US$1 million winners' prize and their first Grand Slam title together.
Muchova and Mensik took the opening set before Bencic and Cobolli responded emphatically in the second to force a deciding 10-point match tiebreak.
The Czechs then regained control, with Mensik's powerful serving helping them establish an advantage before the 20-year-old fittingly sealed the championship with an ace.
Their path to the title had included an even tighter semi-final against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, where Muchova and Mensik saved two match points before advancing to the final.
The title also provided both players with an early confidence boost ahead of their respective singles campaigns at Flushing Meadows.
Muchova is seeded seventh in the women's singles as she looks to build on an impressive US Open record, having previously reached the semi-finals in New York in 2023 and 2024.
Mensik, meanwhile, enters the men's draw as the 17th seed and will be hoping to carry his mixed doubles momentum into a deep singles run.
The US Open singles main draw gets underway on August 30, with the action live on SPOTV NOW.
Five seats remain officially unfilled on the 2027 MotoGP grid following another wave of rider announcements ahead of the championship's switch to new 850cc machinery.
VR46 Racing Team, Honda HRC, LCR Honda, Red Bull KTM Tech3 and Prima Pramac Yamaha each have one vacancy remaining, with several established names and rising stars still in contention.
The 2027 rider market has already produced some of the biggest moves in recent MotoGP history, particularly among the factory teams.
Ducati will retain reigning world champion Marc Marquez but have signed Pedro Acosta from KTM as his new team-mate, while Francesco Bagnaia will leave the Italian manufacturer to partner Marco Bezzecchi at Aprilia.
Yamaha will have an entirely new factory line-up after signing 2024 world champion Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura, while Fabio Quartararo will end his long association with the Japanese manufacturer to join Honda HRC.
KTM have also completely reshaped their factory team, with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio replacing Acosta and Brad Binder for the start of the new technical era.
There have been significant changes among the satellite teams too.
Gresini have completed their line-up with 2020 world champion Joan Mir and Moto2 graduate Daniel Holgado, while Trackhouse will field Raul Fernandez alongside Enea Bastianini.
Luca Marini became the latest rider to secure his future after agreeing to leave Honda for Tech3, while Fermin Aldeguer will remain within the Ducati family by switching from Gresini to VR46.
Their moves leave five places still to be decided.
At Honda, the question is less about who will remain in MotoGP and more about where they will race. HRC have already signed Moto2 star David Alonso on a multi-year deal, while Diogo Moreira is also under contract with the manufacturer.
One is expected to partner Quartararo at Honda HRC, with the other potentially joining Johann Zarco at LCR, meaning two of the five remaining seats could effectively be filled by the two young South American riders.
VR46 have another intriguing decision to make alongside Aldeguer.
WorldSBK star Nicolo Bulega has emerged as the leading candidate after playing an important role in Ducati's development of its 850cc MotoGP prototype.
A promotion would give the Italian his first full-time MotoGP opportunity and keep both VR46 seats occupied by Ducati-contracted riders.
Tech3, meanwhile, have one place remaining alongside Marini, with Moto2 contenders Senna Agius and Manuel Gonzalez among the names linked with the seat.
Agius has been particularly strongly associated with a promotion, which would give the Australian his MotoGP debut and provide another example of KTM looking towards the intermediate class for its next generation of talent.
The final vacancy is at Pramac, where Toprak Razgatlioglu is already contracted for a second MotoGP season with Yamaha.
Former Moto3 world champion Izan Guevara has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Jack Miller, potentially giving the Spaniard his first opportunity in the premier class after four seasons in Moto2.
The remaining decisions could therefore add several more rookies to a grid already guaranteed to feature Holgado, while Alonso is also set to make the step up through his Honda deal.
It also leaves several experienced MotoGP riders facing uncertain futures.
Binder, Miller, Franco Morbidelli and Alex Rins have all been linked with moves to the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), while Maverick Vinales is another established race winner without a confirmed MotoGP seat for 2027.
Stan Wawrinka will get one final appearance at the US Open after all, with the former champion receiving a last-minute main-draw wildcard just days before the tournament begins.
The 41-year-old was initially overlooked when organisers announced their wildcard selections last week, seemingly ending his hopes of returning to Flushing Meadows during his final season as a professional.
However, an injury withdrawal by American Patrick Kypson opened up a place, which the United States Tennis Association subsequently awarded to Wawrinka.
“I’m incredibly excited to accept the wildcard for the 2026 US Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” he said in a statement.
Wawrinka produced one of the biggest victories of his career in New York in 2016, defeating Novak Djokovic in four sets in the final to claim his third and most recent Grand Slam singles title.
The Swiss veteran has now received wildcards into all four Grand Slam tournaments during his farewell season, having also been granted places at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
His late inclusion adds another former champion to a men's field already missing world number one Jannik Sinner through injury, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are among the leading contenders.
The 2026 US Open main draw begins on August 30, with the action live on SPOTV NOW.
