Sports
Premier League Cancels Weekend’s Football Fixtures to Honour Queen’s Passing
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Premier League has confirmed that this weekend’s football fixtures will not go ahead but other sports are poised to continue after the death of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon.
At a meeting on Friday morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and said “to honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.”
Mr Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country.
“As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication.
“This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation, but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.”
It was announced that further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.
Also, the English Football League (EFL), which had already called off Friday’s games, said its decision was “aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend”.
The major sports handlers in the kingdom held a meeting with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport in call at 9.30 a.m, before the official guidance was publicly released.
It makes clear there is no obligation to postpone matches during the official mourning period after the Queen’s death, but it suggests that sports may wish to switch the timings of games on the day of her funeral.
“As a mark of respect, and in keeping with the tone of National Mourning, organisers may wish to hold a period of silence and/or play the National Anthem at the start of events or sporting fixtures, and players may wish to wear black armbands,” it was suggested.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Super Falcons can still qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup despite losing to Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Sunday.
Nigeria, the 10-time African champions, were beaten 1-0 by the Lionesses after conceding an early free-kick goal, ruling them out of contention for one of Africa’s four automatic tickets to next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
However, the Super Falcons still have another opportunity to secure a place at the tournament, albeit through a longer qualification route.
The Nigerian side will join the three other quarter-final losers — South Africa, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire — in the continental play-offs.
Following their defeat to Cameroon on Sunday, the Super Falcons will quickly regroup to face South Africa on Thursday.
A victory over Banyana Banyana will earn Nigeria one of the two available continental play-off tickets.
The two teams that emerge from the continental play-offs will then advance to the global play-off tournament, where they will battle for the final remaining places at the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
According to FIFA, the first phase of the global play-off tournament will take place in November and December 2026 at a centralised venue and will feature six teams — two from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), two from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), one from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and one from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
“Using a format which will be confirmed at a later date, two teams will qualify for the final play-off phase,” FIFA stated on its website.
The final play-off phase will be held at a centralised location in February 2027, with the two qualifiers from the first phase joined by two teams from Concacaf, one from CONMEBOL and one from UEFA.
The six teams will be drawn into three paths, with a direct knockout match in each path determining the final three teams to qualify for the World Cup. Teams from the same confederation will not be drawn in the same pathway.
This means only three teams from the global play-off tournament will ultimately secure places at the World Cup in South America next year.
The Super Falcons, therefore, have little room for error if they are to maintain their record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament was introduced in 1991.
At the 2023 World Cup, Nigeria reached the Round of 16 before losing to eventual finalists England on penalties.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The deal between Arsenal Football Club and Emirates has been renewed, making it one of the longest-running and most recognisable partnerships in world sport.
Both parties first came together as partners in 2006 and have since built one of football’s defining partnerships. Spanning the entire Emirates Stadium era, the relationship has evolved alongside the club – supporting Arsenal’s ambitions, strengthening both organisations’ global reach and creating new ways for supporters around the world to connect with Arsenal.
The latest deal will see Emirates continue as the Champions’ front-of-shirt, training kit and stadium naming rights partner through to 2033.
The renewal comes at a pivotal moment in the club’s history following its recent Premier League title. The new agreement will build on many of the flagship initiatives that have defined the partnership, including the Emirates Cup, which brings world-class football to Emirates Stadium each summer, and Global Gooners, which gives supporters from around the world the opportunity to experience Arsenal in North London for the first time.
The next chapter of the partnership will begin this weekend as Arsenal welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London for the Emirates Cup, with a programme of anniversary activity celebrating more than two decades of shared history while looking ahead to the next chapter still to be written. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, will attend alongside Arsenal senior leadership as part of the celebrations.
Launching alongside the partnership renewal is a new cinematic film featuring Arsenal legend Per Mertesacker. Set inside an antique shop filled with objects from across the Emirates era, the film celebrates two decades of shared memories between Arsenal, Emirates and our supporters, reflecting on the history we’ve made together and the moments still to come.
“Winning the Premier League is an incredibly proud moment in our club’s history and one that belongs to everyone connected with Arsenal. Emirates has been an integral part of this success – standing alongside us throughout this journey and sharing in the defining moments, challenges and successes that have shaped our club over the past two decades,” the chief executive of Arsenal, Mr Richard Garlick, stated.
On his part, the President of Emirates Airline, Sir Tim Clark, said, “Over the last two decades, Emirates and Arsenal have built something that goes far beyond a traditional partnership, and one we are immensely proud of. We have grown alongside the club through changes of era and ambition, united by a shared goal of bringing people closer to what they love.
“In practice, that has meant reaching the millions who follow Arsenal across the Emirates network and beyond and creating experiences for them that neither of us could have done alone.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will look to secure their place in the quarter-finals when they face Egypt in their final Group C match on Wednesday at 9:00 pm at the ongoing WAFCON 2026 in Morocco.
The defending champions bounced back from their disappointing 3-2 defeat to Malawi with a crucial 1-0 victory over Zambia and will now be aiming to finish the group stage strongly. All the matches of the tournament air live on SuperSport via DStv and GOtv.
The final matchday of Group A saw hosts Morocco play out a goalless draw with Senegal, a result that was enough to send Morocco through to the quarter-finals in first position in their group. Algeria also secured their place in the knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Kenya, bringing their group-stage campaign to a strong close.
Tuesday, Group B will conclude with Burkina Faso facing South Africa before Tanzania takes on Ivory Coast. South Africa and Ivory Coast played out a 2-2 draw in their previous match, while Burkina Faso bounced back from their opening defeat with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania. With the group still to be decided, the final results will determine which teams join the quarter-final line-up.
All eyes will then turn to Group C on Wednesday, where Egypt will face Nigeria, and Malawi will take on Zambia, with both matches kicking off at 9:00 pm. The Super Falcons will be hoping to build on their victory over Zambia and secure the result they need to advance to the knockout stages, while Egypt will be looking to end their campaign on a positive note after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Malawi in their previous game.
Nigeria’s final group match comes after a difficult start to their title defence. The Super Falcons were stunned 3-2 by Malawi in their opening game but responded with a 1-0 victory over Zambia to revive their campaign. The ten-time champions will now need to complete the job against Egypt as they look to keep their hopes of retaining the continental crown alive.
The final group-stage fixtures on Thursday will see Ghana take on Mali, and Cape Verde face Cameroon on Thursday, with both matches also scheduled for 9:00 pm. Ghana suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their previous outing, while Mali secured a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde. The final results will determine which teams progress to the knockout stages from Group D.
Matchday 3 Fixtures
Tuesday, August 4
Burkina Faso vs South Africa – 9:00 pm
Tanzania vs Ivory Coast – 9:00 pm
Wednesday, August 5
Egypt vs Nigeria – 9:00 pm
Malawi vs Zambia – 9:00 pm
Thursday, August 6
Cape Verde vs Cameroon – 9:00 pm
Mali vs Ghana – 9:00 pm
SuperSport Brings All the Live Action
Catch every match of WAFCON Morocco 2026 live on SS Football (Ch. 202, GOtv Ch. 61) and SS Football Plus (DStv Ch. 202) on DStv and GOtv. Fans can also stream every match live on DStv Stream from ₦6,000, with no decoder or dish required.
