Sports
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Lead a Packed Football Weekend Live on SuperSport
Club football continues with major clashes across Europe’s top leagues, headlined by Arsenal’s trip to red-hot Aston Villa, and a strong slate of fixtures in La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. All matches will be live on SuperSport across DStv and GOtv.
Premier League: Villa Test Arsenal’s Mettle, City Push the Pace
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Aston Villa host league leaders, Arsenal. Villa have surged into third with four straight wins, including a dramatic 4–3 result against Brighton. Arsenal remain five points clear after a composed 2–0 win over Brentford.
At 4:00 p.m., Man City welcome Sunderland to the Etihad. City edged Fulham 5–4 in a wild contest and sit second, one point ahead of Chelsea. Sunderland arrive with just one win in their last five.
At the same time Tottenham face Brentford. Spurs remain winless in six and have slid to 11th, while Brentford, coming off a 2–0 loss to Arsenal, continue to battle inconsistency. This match airs live on SS Football (GOtv Ch. 61, DStv Ch. 205).
Leeds United meet Liverpool at 6:30 p.m. after ending their losing run with a morale-boosting victory over Chelsea. Liverpool, held 1–1 by Sunderland, need rhythm and stability after several poor results.
On Sunday at 5:30 p.m., Fulham host Crystal Palace. Fulham showed impressive fight despite losing 5–4 to Man City, while Palace remain solid in fifth with three wins in their last six.
The round wraps up on Monday at 9:00 p.m. as Wolves face Man United. United have managed one win in five, while Wolves stay bottom with twelve losses in fourteen.
La Liga: Barca Protect Lead, Madrid Stay Close
On Saturday at 2:00 p.m., Villarreal face Getafe. Villarreal are third after five straight wins and sit four points behind Real Madrid with a game in hand. Getafe have won three of their last five and remain difficult opponents.
At 6:30 p.m., Barcelona travel to Real Betis. Barça sit top after extending their winning run to five matches, while fifth-place Betis aim to close the seven-point gap to the Champions League spots.
At 9:00 p.m., Athletic Club host Atlético Madrid. Both sides suffered defeats to La Liga’s top two in midweek. Atlético have won eight of their last ten but remain fourth behind Villarreal, while Athletic have struggled with only two wins in seven.
On Sunday at 9:00 p.m., Real Madrid face Celta Vigo. Madrid ended a three-game winless spell in La Liga with a strong victory over Athletic Club and look to reclaim top spot. Celta have picked up form with three wins in their last five.
Serie A: Napoli vs Juventus Takes Centre Stage
On Saturday at 6:00 p.m., Inter take on Como. Inter, sitting third, continue to chase the top after beating Pisa, while Fabregas’ surprise package Como remain fifth with only one defeat this season.
On Sunday at 3:00 p.m., Cagliari host Roma. Roma, currently fourth, look to recover from their narrow home loss to Napoli. Cagliari remain desperate for points after a close defeat to Juventus.
At 8:45 p.m., Napoli meet Juventus in the weekend’s marquee Serie A fixture. Second-placed Napoli go into the game confident after beating Roma, while seventh-place Juventus aim to climb the table after defeating Cagliari.
The round concludes Monday at 8:45 p.m. as Torino host AC Milan. Milan remain league leaders and seek another steady result to hold off Napoli and Inter.
Ligue 1: Marseille Chase the Top Two, PSG Seek a Response
Action begins Friday at 9:00 p.m. as Lille face Marseille, live on SS Africa 1 (GOtv Ch. 63, DStv Ch. 207). Lille arrive after edging Le Havre, while third-place Marseille aim to rebound from a 2–2 draw with Toulouse.
On Saturday at 9:05 p.m., PSG host Rennes. The champions look to recover quickly from a 1–0 loss to Monaco, while fifth-place Rennes continue their strong form and push for European qualification.
On Sunday at 8:45 p.m., Lorient welcome Lyon. Lyon, fresh from a convincing 3–0 win over Nantes, look to break into the European conversation. Lorient, boosted by a 3–1 victory over Nice, will aim to make their home advantage count.
Weekend Highlights
Premier League
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Aston Villa vs Arsenal — Sat, 1:30 p.m.
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Man City vs Sunderland — Sat, 4:00 p.m.
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Tottenham vs Brentford — Sat, 4:00 p.m. (SS Football)
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Leeds United vs Liverpool — Sat, 6:30 p.m.
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Fulham vs Crystal Palace — Sun, 5:30 p.m.
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Wolves vs Man United — Mon, 9:00 p.m.
La Liga
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Villarreal vs Getafe — Sat, 2:00 p.m.
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Real Betis vs Barcelona — Sat, 6:30 p.m.
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Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid — Sat, 9:00 p.m.
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Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo — Sun, 9:00 p.m.
Serie A
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Inter vs Como — Sat, 6:00 p.m.
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Cagliari vs Roma — Sun, 3:00 p.m.
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Napoli vs Juventus — Sun, 8:45 p.m.
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Torino vs AC Milan — Mon, 8:45 p.m.
Ligue 1
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Lille vs Marseille — Fri, 9:00 p.m. (SS Africa 1)
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PSG vs Rennes — Sat, 9:05 p.m.
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Lorient vs Lyon — Sun, 8:45 p.m.
Where to Watch
All Premier League action airs on SS Premier League (DStv Ch. 203, GOtv Ch. 65).La Liga matches are live on SS La Liga (DStv Ch. 204, GOtv Ch. 62). Serie A games are on SS Africa 2 (DStv Ch. 208, GOtv Ch. 64). Ligue 1 fixtures air on SS Football (DStv Ch. 205, GOtv Ch. 61) and SS Africa 1 for selected matches. Stream every match live on DStv Stream or GOtv Stream.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after suffering a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in their play-off encounter on Thursday night.
The Nigerian team, reeling from a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Sunday, showed no signs of putting their misery to bed as they went two goals down to the Bayana Bayana team. It took a late penalty scored by Christy Uchebe to halve the deficit after the South Africans went down to 10 players.
The Super Falcons needed a victory against their opponents to progress to the next stage of the qualification process and secure one of the two available tickets to the intercontinental play-offs. The defeat ended their hopes of making it to the 2027 tournament, which will be hosted by Brazil.
The result brings an end to Nigeria’s remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament was first held in 1991.
The play-offs were introduced to determine the final African representatives after four teams were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Two qualification tickets were available, with Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire battling for the opportunity to advance.
Ghana secured one of the available tickets after defeating Côte d’Ivoire 2-1, while South Africa claimed the other following their victory over the Super Falcons.
The Super Falcons had featured in all previous editions of the tournament, making their absence from the 2027 World Cup a significant moment in the history of Nigerian women’s football.
It also raises fresh questions about the direction of Nigerian national football after the Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the recently concluded FIFA World Cup held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
European football returns with a bang as the new season kicks off. The dust has barely settled on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but European football wastes no time getting back to business. Over the next two weeks, the continent’s prominent competitions will launch in quick succession, giving fans a dense run of fixtures across the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Community Shield, La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A.
Paris Saint-Germain, fresh off back-to-back Champions League triumphs, faces Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday 12 August at 8pm which will be airing on Supersport across DStv & GOtv, with the French side chasing a second successive Super Cup crown against an Aston Villa team that has become an increasingly serious force in European competition.
England’s traditional curtain-raiser follows four days later. The FA Community Shield, staged in Cardiff on Sunday 16 August at 3pm, pits Premier League champions Arsenal against FA Cup holders Manchester City, the latter beginning life under new manager Enzo Maresca, while Arsenal look to reinforce their status as the team to beat.
Spain gets moving over the same weekend, with La Liga’s opening round running from Saturday 15 to Monday 17 August. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have all been given extended rest following Spain’s World Cup win, leaving the door open for the chasing pack to set an early pace before Matchday 2 arrives from 20 to 24 August.
The Premier League then starts the following weekend, running from Friday 21 to Monday 24 August. Champions Arsenal open their title defence at home to promoted Coventry, before a full round of fixtures featuring Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, round out the opening weekend. Serie A joins the calendar on the same weekend, from 22 to 24 August, with holders Inter Milan starting their title defence against Monza and Napoli, Juventus, Milan and Roma all in early action.
With five major competitions launching inside a fortnight, the new European season promises an unrelenting start. All the action will be available live on SuperSport, across DStv and GOtv.
A blockbuster week of sporting action awaits DStv and GOtv subscribers, with the decisive stages of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), UEFA Super Cup, FA Community Shield and Trophée des Champions among the major attractions.
Football takes centre stage as WAFCON reaches its business end in Morocco, with the semi-finals scheduled for Wednesday.
Defending champions Nigeria will not be involved after the Super Falcons were eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals, losing 1-0. Their exit means a new champion will be crowned when the tournament concludes on Sunday.
The first semi-final will see Algeria face Malawi on Wednesday before hosts Morocco take on Cameroon at 21:00 WAT, later in the day. Both matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport. The third-place play-off is scheduled for Saturday, with the final taking place in Rabat on Sunday at 20:00 WAT.
European silverware will also be at stake on Wednesday when Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup at Stadion Salzburg in Austria. The fixture pits Champions League winners PSG against Europa League winners Aston Villa and will be shown live on SuperSport 20:00 WAT.
The action continues on Sunday with the FA Community Shield, as Arsenal take on Manchester 15:00 WAT. The traditional curtain-raiser for the English season will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
French football will also have early-season silverware at stake when Lens host PSG in the Trophee des Champions on Sunday at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The match kicks off at 20:00 WAT and will be live on SuperSport.
The new La Liga season gets underway on Saturday, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and the other leading Spanish clubs beginning their campaigns.
Beyond football, cricket fans will have plenty to enjoy as The Hundred reaches its climax on Sunday, with the women’s final followed by the men’s final. Both matches will be available on SuperSport Cricket.
Combat sports will also take the spotlight with UFC 330 from Philadelphia on Saturday, adding another major attraction to SuperSport’s weekend line-up.
