Category News

In 2026, British F4 champion Fionn McLaughlin will start racing in the Formula 3.

The Northern Irish teenager will support Formula 1 on 10 Grand Prix weekends thanks to the partnership with Hitech Racing.

In his first year of racing for the Red Bull Junior, McLaughlin won the British F4 title with just two races to go.

On his way to the title and the rookie championship, he won five victories.

McLaughlin’s Formula 3 campaign will start in Australia between March 6 and March, competing on weekends.

McLaughlin remarked, “This next step is a huge opportunity for me.”

“I’m ready for the challenge, but the competition will be difficult.” I’ve learned a lot this season, from managing the pressures of race weekends to adapting quickly to new circuits. I’m eager to keep pushing and proving myself.

McLaughlin will make a significant decision after just one season of single-seat racing, which will make him enter the world.

After impressing in a shootout in Spain in August 2024, the teenager made the decision to leave karting and enter motorsport.

He won the title by dominating British F4 after a strong performance in the Formula Winter Series, which has shown Red Bull, Hitech, and McLaughlin’s team that he is ready to skip a second season of domestic racing and make the transition to Formula 3.

“I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve accomplished this year; it’s already been a whirlwind transition from single-seaters to karting, and working with Hitech is a dream come true,” McLaughlin said.

I want to thank everyone who has aided me along the way, particularly Hitech and the Red Bull Junior Team, for their confidence and success.

McLaughlin will be the second Irish driver to compete in a 2026 Formula One weekend.

Alex Dunne, who won the British F4 title in 2022, impressed for McLaren during earlier this year’s Formula 1 free practice sessions, and has been linked with a move to Red Bull ahead of the 2026 Formula 2 season.

This week, the Women’s Champions League returns, but not as you’d expect.

With tough matches being handed out to all three English representatives this year, the inaugural league phase begins.

Chelsea, the women’s Super League champion, and Manchester United, who are defending champions after qualifying, will join them.

15 other clubs from across Europe will compete for the trophy in Oslo, Norway, in May, in addition to the English contingent.

There is plenty to look forward to, from Chelsea’s trip to Barcelona to Paris St-Germain’s Mary Earps’ return to the club.

This year’s Women’s Champions League transitions from a group to a league phase, following the men’s tournament’s lead.

It’s similar to the men’s competition, but there are some changes for those who have already followed it.

There are 18 teams instead of 36, which means that there are no last 16 and that first phase teams only play six games.

The next eight teams, which will face off in two-legged play-offs to determine who will join them, will automatically advance to the quarter-finals, with the winners going from first to fourth.

On paper… good!

After defeating Barcelona twice in May, Arsenal are undoubtedly the defending champions.

The Gunners travel to Lyon for a difficult opener, and they also have Real Madrid to face, two rivals they defeated last season when they fought to win the title.

Renee Slegers’ side have had a difficult start to the season, but they will start with a three-game winless run against Tuesday.

The Champions League has so far proved difficult for Chelsea.

Five games into the campaign, Sonia Bompastor’s side are now at the top of the WSL table having won every domestic title.

However, they lost to Barcelona in the two-legged Champions League semi-finals last term 8-2, and now face the Spanish side in perhaps the most visually stunning match of the season.

Sam Kerr has returned to fitness after 20 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, while Champions League champion Ellie Carpenter and American international Alyssa Thompson have been added to an already strong squad.

This trophy is what Chelsea wants above all else.

Manchester United enters this competition with goals that are different from those of Chelsea and Arsenal, but they will still strive to advance as far as they can.

They qualified for the main draw for the first time after two rounds of qualifying.

United will play PSG, which will result in a reunion with goalkeeper Earps and former champions Lyon and Wolfsburg, who are unbeaten in the WSL this season.

Since United lacks the depth to compete on all fronts, Marc Skinner has already made his desire to strengthen his squad for the winter.

Lyon (h) on Tuesday, October 7th.

Benfica (a) on Thursday, October 16th.

Bayern Munich (a) on Wednesday, November 12th.

Real Madrid (h) on Wednesday, November 19th.

Tuesday, December 9th, at Twente (h)

Tuesday, October 8th, Twente (a)

Paris FC (h) on Wednesday, October 15th.

St. Polten (a) on Tuesday, November 11th.

Barcelona on Thursday, November 20th, (h)

Roma on Wednesday, December 10th.

Valerenga (h) on Wednesday, October 8th.

Atletico Madrid (a) on Thursday, October 16th.

Paris St-Germain (h) on Wednesday, November 12th.

Wolfsburg (a) on Wednesday, November 19th.

Lyon (10 December) on Wednesday, December 10th.

The Catalans have won three of their previous five finals and are made up of three-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati.

Liga F was completely destroyed by last year’s runners-up, who won just one game and scored 30 goals in their first six games.

Lyon have won this competition eight times, most recently under Bompastor, in 2022. They are another team at the top of the French league who will be interested in a long run.

When the teams meet in the league phase, they will be looking for revenge after being defeated by eventual champions Arsenal in the semi-finals.

Bayern Munich, the reigning champion of Germany, has a squad that can only go so far in their history.

Bayern defeated Arsenal in the group stages of last year’s campaign, but Lyon sent them to the quarter-finals.

Lena Oberdorf, a talented midfielder, will return to action after suffering an ACL injury and will play alongside Georgia Stanway of England.

The Women’s Champions League this year has a lot to look forward to.

Belgian champions OH Leuven, who are making their debut alongside Manchester United, are also playing. They have been given big-name matches against PSG, Barcelona, and Arsenal.

The men’s Champions League inaugural phase of the league phase last year produced a lot of surprises.

Real Madrid, the defending champion, came in 11th place, Manchester City, the champion of 2023, and Paris St-Germain, the eventual champion, came in 15th.

Meanwhile, teams like Lille and Aston Villa did better than expected to automatically advance to the last 16.

Could the women’s competition also produce the same kind of surprises?

Steph Houghton, a former England defender, stated to BBC Football Focus, “I think it’s going to be tough playing these games away and in the Champions League.”

Women’s Champions League broadcasting from this season will be a five-year contract with BBC Sport.

Each season will be streamed on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app, with the exception of the final match.

Manchester United’s match against Paris St-Germain at Old Trafford on November 12 will be the first game to be shown, followed by Chelsea’s encounter with Barcelona on November 20.

One semi-final and four matches from earlier will be played in addition to the other matches.

Daria Kasatkina, the 19-year-old world number 19, describes the schedule as “too much, mentally and emotionally” and calls it “breaking point” and has already ended her season.

After criticizing her country’s LGBTQ+ laws and the Ukraine war, the 28-year-old made the switch from Russia to Australia in March.

This year, she struggled for form, failing to capture a title and recording 19-21 overall.

Kasatkina said her struggles, including missing her father for four years, were brought on by the emotional strain of her nationality transition.

“I’m at the breaking point, but sadly, I’m not the only one.”

Add to that the emotional and mental strain I experience as a woman when I consider my nationality switch.

“I’m weak if this makes me weak, that’s it.”

“I am aware of my strength and will grow stronger by going away and recharging,” he continued.

“It’s time I listened to myself for a change,” I said.

Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa, both of whom finished first in the top five, recently announced their early retirements.

Svitolina, from Ukraine, claimed that she had “not been feeling like myself,” and Badosa, from the UK, spoke about the mental strain of a persistent back issue.

Other players have also discussed the impact of the tennis calendar.

Iga Swiatek, the six-time Grand Slam champion, claimed the season is too long and intense, with five players recovering from injuries in China last week.

Top players are required to compete in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events, and six 500-level tournaments, according to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

The majority of the 1000 WTA and ATP events are held in two weeks, just like all four Grand Slams.

If a player is injured or has a personal reason, they can skip the required events without losing any rankings or prize money.

Reece Walsh has capped a remarkable season by winning his first Australia call-up for the three-Test Ashes series in England that begins later this month.

The 23-year-old full-back – man of the match as Brisbane Broncos won Sunday’s NRL Grand Final – is one of seven new faces in head coach Kevin Walters’ 24-player squad.

Rugby union convert Mark Nawaqanitawase, who played for the Wallabies at the 2023 World Cup, is set to become a dual code international as another first-time call-up.

Nawaqanitawase, 25, earned his spot after a spectacular first full season in the NRL with Sydney Roosters, finishing as the competition’s leading try-scorer.

Gehamat Shibasaki, who played alongside Walsh on Sunday as the Broncos beat Melbourne Storm in Sydney to win their first NRL title for 19 years, has also been named in an Australia squad for the first time.

Blayke Brailey, Keaon Koloamatangi, Jacob Preston and Ethan Strange complete the list of new call-ups.

Nathan Cleary leads a host of star names in Australia’s squad, which will be captained by Penrith Panthers team-mate Isaah Yeo.

Australia face England at Wembley on 25 October, at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on 1 November and at AMT Headingley on 8 November. All three matches are 14:30 kick-offs and will be live on BBC One.

Walters said: “There is a mix of youth and experience and all of them have the desire to represent their country on this stage. I cannot wait to coach this squad.

Full-back Walsh will compete with Dylan Edwards for a spot in the starting line-up, with former captain James Tedesco ruling himself out last week in order to attend his brother’s wedding in November.

Walsh produced an extraordinary performance in the Grand Final as the Broncos recovered from 10 points down at half-time to win 26-22.

He scored a memorable try, beating five opponents to score under the posts, provided three assists and made a dramatic try-saving tackle on Ryan Papenhuyzen when outnumbered two to one in the final seconds.

Broncos team-mate Ben Hunt paid tribute by calling him an “absolute freak”.

Watching Reece Walsh in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final will have filled the British rugby league public with a strange mix of fear and joy – all too aware, in the hours before it was announced, that he was set to be named in Australia’s squad to face England.

As Brisbane Broncos triumphed, Walsh delivered a freakish performance of defensive desperation and heart, aligned with devastating attacking impact, on the big stage. He is going to wow the series if England don’t get to grips with him – and that’s assuming he pips Penrith’s equally talented Dylan Edwards to the jersey.

Unnervingly for Shaun Wane and the England squad, they’re not the only superstars selected. Winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has shone in 2025, being named NRL rookie of the year for his displays on the wing for the Roosters and a back catalogue of eye-opening tries.

Other names have been rewarded for their form as well, with Canberra’s Ethan Strange and Walsh’s Broncos team-mate Gehamat Shibasaki among the newbies, while old hands such as Cam Munster, Nathan Cleary and captain Isaah Yeo are involved too.

There are some battle-hardened forwards heading north this autumn: Man mountain Keaon Koloamatangi returns wearing green and gold, having toured with Tonga in 2023, while Patrick Carrigan, Lindsay Collins and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui bring power and presence for Harry Grant at hooker to play off.

Reece Walsh’s victory in the third-test Ashes series in England, which kicks off later this month, caps a remarkable season.

The 23-year-old full-back, who helped the Brisbane Broncos win Sunday’s NRL Grand Final, is one of seven new faces in the 24-member squad under head coach Kevin Walters.

Mark Nawaqanitawase, a convert to rugby union and a former World Cup player, will join the Wallabies as a dual-code international in the coming years.

Nawaqanitawase, 25, was given a spot following his outstanding debut for the NRL with Sydney Roosters, where he was the competition’s top try-scorer.

Gehamat Shibasaki, who was playing for the Broncos against Melbourne Storm on Sunday and winning their first NRL title since 19 years, has also been named for Australia’s first team.

The list of new call-ups includes Ethan Strange, Keaon Koloamatangi, Jacob Preston, and Blayke Brailey.

Isaah Yeo, a team-mate of the Penrith Panthers, will assist Nathan Cleary in selecting the Australian squad that will include a number of famous players.

At Wembley on October 25 and Wembley on November 1 and 1 November, at Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium in England, at AMT Headingley on November 8. All three games will be broadcast live on BBC One at 14:30.

Walters observed that “there is a mix of experience and youth, and all of them have the desire to represent their country on this occasion.” I’m looking forward to coaching this squad.

The Broncos came back from 10 points down at halftime to win 26-22. Walsh put on an extraordinary performance in the Grand Final.

When he was outnumbered two to one in the final seconds, he scored a memorable try, beating five opponents to score under the posts. He also made three assists and made a dramatic try-saving tackle on Ryan Papenhuyzen.

Ben Hunt, a Broncos teammate, praised him as an “absolu freak.”

Reece Walsh will have a strange combination of fear and joy in the British rugby league public after watching him play in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final. The public was already aware that he would be selected for Australia’s squad to face England in the hours leading up to the announcement.

Walsh gave a freakish display of defensive desperation and heart on the big stage as the Brisbane Broncos won. If England doesn’t get to grips with him, he will win the series, assuming he replaces Penrith’s equally talented Dylan Edwards.

Unsettlingly, the England squad’s superstars are not the only ones chosen, according to Shaun Wane. In 2025, Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase won the NRL rookie of the year award for his impressive tries on the wing and backlog of eye-opening tries.

Other stars have also received praise for their performances, including former team members Cam Munster, Nathan Cleary, and captain Isaah Yeo, along with Canberra’s Ethan Strange and Walsh’s Broncos team-mate Gehamat Shibasaki.

Some battle-tested forwards are heading north this fall: Man Mountain Keaon Koloamatangi, who toured with Tonga in 2023, returns with green and gold, and Patrick Carrigan, Lindsay Collins, and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who bring Harry Grant’s strength and presence to the hooker to playoff.