The Gift from Jeddah: Al-Hilal Primed to Seize Top Spot in Abha, Live on SPOTV NOW

The 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup Finals concluded on Sunday in Horsens, Denmark, with China and South Korea crowned men’s and women’s champions respectively. One of the key talking points from this year’s edition was France’s men’s team using an unconventional order of play (OOP), which some argued gave them a competitive advantage during their run to the final, including wins over Indonesia, Japan and India.

Dream run for France! 🇫🇷

Follow live action: https://t.co/TjoFnU4PnB #ThomasUberCupFinals #Horsens2026 pic.twitter.com/Q4GZE8BasA — BWF (@bwfmedia) May 2, 2026

Under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) regulations, teams are allowed to nominate their line-ups that then determine the OOP. There are eight permissible OOPs, with 10.1.1 (first singles, first doubles, second singles, second doubles, third singles) being the most commonly used format. However, due to their squad composition, France frequently utilised the 10.1.6 sequence (first singles, second singles, third singles, second doubles, first doubles). With three elite singles players in Christo Popov (world No. 5), Alex Lanier (world No. 9) and Toma Junior Popov (world No. 16), France maximised their strengths by deploying the Popov brothers as their first-choice doubles pair, allowing all three singles matches to be played first. Crucially, this was fully compliant with BWF regulations and France operated within the flexibility of the rules based on their available personnel.

Another milestone moment for France! 🇫🇷

Second European team to reach the #ThomasCup final. 👏🔥#ThomasUberCupFinals #Horsens2026 pic.twitter.com/qFSj8majiD — BWF (@bwfmedia) May 2, 2026

Ultimately, while their use of 10.1.6 drew attention due to its contrast with the conventional structure, their results remained legitimate. They still had to secure three match wins in each tie, and they did so against high-quality opposition. On top of that, it did not guarantee them success, as they lost to Thailand in the group stage and China in the final. Moreover, France were not alone in playing ties with alternative sequences. Of the 62 ties played across this year’s Thomas & Uber Cup, 27 featured variations from the standard 10.1.1 format, reflecting the diverse squad profiles and tactical approaches across teams. Here’s the full breakdown, with teams in bold indicating those naming line-ups that affected the OOP:

Order of Play	Thomas Cup	Uber Cup
10.1.3 (S1 S2 D1 S3 D2)	A: India 5-0 Australia	A: Denmark 3-2 India C: Chinese Taipei 5-0 Australia C: Canada 4-1 Australia D: South Korea 5-0 Bulgaria D: Bulgaria 3-2 Spain QF: Indonesia 3-1 Denmark
10.1.5 (S1 S2 S3 D1 D2)	B: Japan 5-0 Finland B: Malaysia 4-1 Finland D: Indonesia 5-0 Algeria D: Thailand 5-0 Algeria	A: India 4-1 Ukraine B: Malaysia 3-2 Turkiye B: Japan 5-0 South Africa B: Malaysia 5-0 South Africa B: Turkiye 5-0 South Africa C: Indonesia 5-0 Australia D: Thailand 3-2 Bulgaria
10.1.6 (S1 S2 S3 D2 D1)	B: England 4-1 Finland D: Thailand 4-1 France D: France 5-0 Algeria D: France 4-1 Indonesia QF: France 3-0 Japan SF: France 3-0 India Final: China 3-1 France	A: China 5-0 Ukraine A: Denmark 4-1 Ukraine

The 2026 MotoGP season continues its European run this week as the paddock heads to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix, one of the most unpredictable stops on the calendar. Here are five key facts to know ahead of the action, live on SPOTV NOW.

 

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Seven different winners in seven years

If there is one circuit that consistently delivers unpredictability, it is the Bugatti Circuit. Each of the last seven editions has produced a different premier-class winner: Johann Zarco, Jorge Martín, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci and Marc Márquez. The trend is not limited to MotoGP either, with Moto2 and Moto3 also seeing no repeat winners during the same period. Only the British Grand Prix rivals this level of variety, having produced 11 different MotoGP winners across the last 13 seasons.

 

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Michelin Man takes centre stage

While most Grands Prix feature a celebrity or sporting figure to wave the MotoGP chequered flag, Le Mans offers something more distinctive. With Michelin as the Grand Prix’s title sponsor, the honour has gone to the brand’s iconic Michelin Man in recent years, adding a uniquely local touch to the race weekend. Expect to see the familiar white figure to reprise the role once again this year.

 

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Ducati still searching for answers

Álex Márquez may have ended Ducati’s overall podium drought with his win at Jerez, but the factory team’s struggles continue. Ducati Lenovo Team have now gone nine races without a Sunday podium dating back to last season, which is their longest barren run since a 24-race drought between Aragón 2012 and Qatar 2014. Given their engine’s record of winning five of the last six MotoGP races at the circuit, they will be hoping they could snap that run this week.

 

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The slowest speed trap on the calendar

Despite its rich history, Le Mans is one of the slowest circuits on the calendar in terms of outright speed. The all-time top speed at the Bugatti Circuit stands at 300.8 km/h set by Johann Zarco five years ago, which is the lowest among all 22 tracks on the 2026 calendar. For comparison, the next lowest is 305.9 km/h at Misano.

Rookies Cup continues at Le Mans

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup heads to Le Mans for the second round of its 2026 season, continuing its role as a key pathway for emerging talent. Following an eye-catching opening round at Jerez, Beñat Fernández and Kiandra Ramadhipa arrive as early standouts, both looking to build momentum as they continue their development.

 

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The 2026 King’s Cup final is fast approaching, with Al Hilal and Al Kholood set to clash on May 8, live on SPOTV NOW. Al Hilal are chasing history as they target a record-extending 10th title, while Al Kholood are on the brink of a fairytale, hoping to lift the trophy for the first time. Here’s how both sides booked their place in the final.

Al Hilal	Stage	Al Kholood
1-0 Al Adalah	Round of 32	2-1 Al Bukiryah
1-0 Al Okhdood	Round of 16	1-0 Al Najma
4-1 Al Fateh	Quarter-finals	4-3 Al Khalaaj
1-1 Al Ahli (4-2 p.s.)	Semi-finals	2-2 Al Ittihad (5-4 p.s.)

Al Hilal

Al Hilal’s campaign began in unconvincing fashion, edging past second-tier side Al Adalah 1-0 in September during a demanding stretch that saw them play five matches in just 12 days across the Saudi Pro League, AFC Champions League and King’s Cup. Their Round of 16 win over Al Okhdood came under similarly congested conditions, but performances improved as the schedule eased. In the quarter-finals, Simone Inzaghi’s side delivered a statement result, defeating Al Fateh 4-1 to underline their credentials. Their toughest test then came in the semi-finals against Al Ahli. Despite being second best for long periods across 120 minutes, Al Hilal showed resilience and progressed via a penalty shootout to secure their place in the final.

Al Kholood

While Al Kholood have struggled in the lower half of the Saudi Pro League, their King’s Cup run has been nothing short of remarkable. They navigated the early rounds successfully, including a thrilling seven-goal encounter against Al Khalaaj, but saved their biggest moment for the semi-finals. There, they stunned defending champions Al Ittihad to book a historic first appearance in the final.

Head-to-Head Record

Recent meetings heavily favour Al Hilal, who recorded emphatic 3-1 and 6-0 victories in the Saudi Pro League this season. However, the final may not be as straightforward. Injuries could yet influence the outcome, with several Al Hilal players including Kalidou Koulibaly, Karim Benzema, Malcom and Hamad Al Yami having missed recent matches and facing fitness concerns ahead of the showdown. In contrast, Al Kholood arrive with a relatively clean bill of health and will look to Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa for inspiration. The winger has enjoyed a breakout season and recently claimed his fourth Best Promising Player of the Month award.

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Aprilia dominated MotoGP’s post-race test at Jerez on Monday, locking out the top three positions on the combined timesheets. The full day of in-season testing followed the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, which saw Álex Márquez take the chequered flag.

 

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However, the race winner could only manage sixth in the test, setting a best lap of 1:36.394 in the morning session that he was unable to improve in the afternoon. Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura set the pace with a 1:35.944, finishing just 0.005s ahead of team-mate Raúl Fernández. World championship leader Marco Bezzecchi completed the Aprilia clean sweep in third, 0.328s off the benchmark. Reigning champion Marc Márquez was the fastest non-Aprilia rider in fourth, followed by KTM’s Pedro Acosta in fifth. The 2026 MotoGP season resumes at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix on May 8-10, live on SPOTV NOW.

	Rider	Team	Bike	Best Time	Gap
1	Ai Ogura	Trackhouse MotoGP Team	Aprilia	1:35.944	-
2	Raul Fernandez	Trackhouse MotoGP Team	Aprilia	1:35.949	0.005
3	Marco Bezzecchi	Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	1:36.272	0.328
4	Marc Marquez	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	1:36.277	0.333
5	Pedro Acosta	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	1:36.299	0.355
6	Alex Marquez	BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP	Ducati	1:36.394	0.450
7	Fabio Quartararo	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team	Yamaha	1:36.439	0.495
8	Fabio Di Giannantonio	Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	1:36.477	0.533
9	Johann Zarco	Castrol Honda LCR	Honda	1:36.658	0.714
10	Francesco Bagnaia	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	1:36.671	0.727
11	Jorge Martin	Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	1:36.683	0.739
12	Enea Bastianini	Red Bull KTM Tech3	KTM	1:36.687	0.743
13	Diogo Moreira	Pro Honda LCR	Honda	1:36.878	0.934
14	Luca Marini	Honda HRC Castrol	Honda	1:36.896	0.952
15	Joan Mir	Honda HRC Castrol	Honda	1:36.977	1.033
16	Brad Binder	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	1:36.980	1.036
17	Jack Miller	Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	1:37.008	1.064
18	Fermin Aldeguer	BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP	Ducati	1:37.039	1.095
19	Franco Morbidelli	Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	1:37.071	1.127
20	Daniel Pedrosa	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	1:37.483	1.539
21	Toprak Razgatlioglu	Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	1:37.490	1.546
22	Alex Rins	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team	Yamaha	1:37.541	1.597
23	Lorenzo Savadori	Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	1:37.737	1.793