Sports
North London, Milan Derbies Headline SuperSport Weekend Football Action
Club Football returns with another action-packed weekend of football across Europe’s top leagues, with local derbies in England and Italy leading the narrative. All matches will be live on SuperSport, exclusively on DStv and GOtv.
Premier League: Arsenal Aim to Stay Top, City Keep the Pressure
Saturday begins at 1:30 p.m. with Burnley vs Chelsea. Chelsea remain third and are building momentum after a 3-0 win over Wolves, while Burnley have shown grit at home and will look to frustrate Maresca’s side.
At 4:00 p.m., Liverpool host Nottingham Forest. Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Man City extended a rough spell that includes five losses in six. Forest, fresh from a 3-1 win over Leeds, will hope to capitalise on Liverpool’s slide.
Newcastle take on Manchester City at 6:30 p.m. City sit second and arrive buoyed by their convincing win over Liverpool. Newcastle, coming off back-to-back defeats, will need a major response to keep pace with the European spots.
Sunday opens at 3:00 p.m. with Leeds vs Aston Villa. Villa have rediscovered their spark after a 4-0 win over Bournemouth and five victories in their last six matches. Leeds continue to struggle for consistency.
The weekend’s main event is the North London Derby at 5:30 p.m. Arsenal remain top despite their 2-2 draw at Sunderland, ending their long winning and clean-sheet run. Tottenham have been inconsistent with only two wins in five and must deliver a disciplined performance to halt Arsenal’s momentum.
All Premier League matches air live on SuperSport Premier League (DStv Ch. 203, GOtv Ch. 65).
La Liga: Barcelona Chase, Atlético Surge, Madrid Regroup
Barcelona host Athletic Club on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Barça have responded well to their El Clásico loss with back-to-back league wins, while Athletic look to build on their first win in four.
Villarreal face Real Mallorca at 9:00 p.m. Villarreal sit third and are pushing to stay in the title conversation with consecutive victories. Mallorca remain inconsistent despite their 1-0 win over Getafe.
On Sunday at 6:30 p.m., Getafe welcome Atlético Madrid. Atlético are La Liga’s form team, winning six of their last seven, though their poor early-season run still keeps them fourth. Getafe have struggled but remain defensively stubborn.
Elche host Real Madrid at 9:00 p.m. Madrid look to bounce back from a goalless draw with Rayo and a Champions League defeat to Liverpool. Elche are winless in five and face a difficult test.
All La Liga matches air live on SuperSport La Liga (DStv Ch. 204, GOtv Ch. 62).
Serie A: Milan Derby Lights Up the Weekend
Fiorentina meet Juventus on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Juventus ended their long winless run recently before drawing 0-0 with Torino. Fiorentina, after a 2-2 draw with Genoa, will aim to keep pace with the upper half.
Napoli host Atalanta at 8:45 p.m. Both sides are coming off disappointing defeats, and Atalanta’s seven-game winless run adds extra pressure.
Sunday starts at 3:00 p.m. with Cremonese vs Roma. Roma have won four of their last six and remain level on points with Inter at the top. Cremonese have just two wins in ten.
The Milan Derby kicks off at 8:45 p.m. Inter sit first and aim to extend their two-point lead. AC Milan remain in striking distance after a 2-2 draw with Parma. Victory for either side could reshape the title race.
All Serie A matches air live on SuperSport Africa 2 (DStv Ch. 208, GOtv Ch. 64).
Ligue 1: Pressure Mounts on PSG and Their Chasers
Nice host Marseille on Friday at 8:45 p.m. Marseille sit second and arrive with consecutive wins, while Nice have suffered back-to-back defeats but remain strong at home.
Saturday features RC Lens vs Strasbourg at 5:00 p.m. A top-four showdown with both sides on the rise. Lens stunned Monaco with a 4-1 win, while Strasbourg beat Lille 2-0.
PSG welcome Le Havre at 9:05 p.m. The champions have finally found rhythm after two straight wins but will aim for a more comfortable showing ahead of their Champions League fixture.
Sunday ends with Lille vs Paris FC at 8:45 p.m. Lille, currently fifth, look to rebound from a 2-0 loss to Strasbourg. Paris FC remain compact defensively and will try to frustrate one of Ligue 1’s strongest home teams.
All Ligue 1 matches air live on SuperSport Football (DStv Ch. 205, GOtv Ch. 61).
Weekend Highlights
Premier League
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Burnley vs Chelsea — Sat, 1:30 p.m.
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Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest — Sat, 4:00 p.m.
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Newcastle vs Man City — Sat, 6:30 p.m.
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Leeds vs Aston Villa — Sun, 3:00 p.m.
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Arsenal vs Tottenham — Sun, 5:30 p.m.
La Liga
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Barcelona vs Athletic Club — Sat, 4:15 p.m.
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Villarreal vs Real Mallorca — Sat, 9:00 p.m.
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Getafe vs Atlético Madrid — Sun, 6:30 p.m.
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Elche vs Real Madrid — Sun, 9:00 p.m.
Serie A
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Fiorentina vs Juventus — Sat, 6:00 p.m.
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Napoli vs Atalanta — Sat, 8:45 p.m.
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Cremonese vs Roma — Sun, 3:00 p.m.
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Inter Milan vs AC Milan — Sun, 8:45 p.m.
Ligue 1
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Nice vs Marseille — Fri, 8:45 p.m.
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RC Lens vs Strasbourg — Sat, 5:00 p.m.
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PSG vs Le Havre — Sat, 9:05 p.m.
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Lille vs Paris FC — Sun, 8:45 p.m.
Club Football is Back
All PL action this weekend is on SS Premier League (GOtv Ch. 65, DStv Ch. 203). La Liga is on SS La Liga (GOtv Ch. 62, DStv Ch. 204). Ligue 1 matches are live on SS Football (GOtv Ch. 61, DStv Ch. 205), and Serie A games are broadcast live on SS Africa 2 (GOtv Ch. 64, DStv Ch. 208).
Also stream every match live on DStv Stream or GOtv Stream. Manage or upgrade your plan via the MyDStv or MyGOtv app, dial *288# to stay connected, or visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com.
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.
