World Cup 2026, Wimbledon, UFC 329, Tour de France – Your guide to the ultimate sports weekend
This weekend, fans will be glued to their screens as numerous sports collide, from World Cup 2026 and Wimbledon to the UFC and Tour de France.
On the football side of things, England clash with Norway and Argentina battle Switzerland, while a highly anticipated rematch between the returning Conor McGregor and Max Holloway headlines UFC 329.
Then there is the matter of two finals at SW19 plus more cycling action from France.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Stan Cheeseman offers a guide to the ultimate sporting extravaganza.
Saturday 11 July 2026
Tour de France – Stage 8 (12:15 BST)
Stage 8 of the iconic Tour de France commences on 11 July as riders conquer a relatively flat segment of the race, with an elevation gain of just 1,150m over 180.4km.
There will be no major mountains; instead, riders face two category-four climbs in Côte de Domme and Côte du Buisson-de-Cadouin.
That makes the stage an ideal opportunity for sprinters to not only win, but also gain time bonuses and earn points in the green-jersey sprinters’ classification.
Riders to look out for as favourites include Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Premier Tech), Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick-Step), and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM).
The stage takes place in the south-west of France, within the Dordogne region from Perigueux to Bergerac, so expect riders to travel through ancient castles, world-famous caves, and iconic vineyards in what is regarded as one of the most visually breathtaking stages of the tour.
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Wimbledon – Ladies’ singles final (not before 16:00 BST)
The Wimbledon ladies’ singles final will follow the gentlemen’s doubles final, so it does not have a fixed start time.
Karolína Muchová, ranked 10th, is set to meet Czech compatriot Linda Nosková, ranked ninth, in the showpiece.
Defending champion Iga Świątek and world number one Aryna Sabalenka were both eliminated in previous rounds, guaranteeing a new name on the Wimbledon title.
Coco Gauff was the next favourite to win the title, but she fell to Muchová – who lost in the 2023 French Open final to Świątek – on Thursday in the first Wimbledon semi-final of her career.
Nosková, meanwhile, arrived at Wimbledon with great confidence after winning the Berlin Open and is now into her first Grand Slam final.
She eliminated the in-form Marta Kostyuk in her semi-final.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Norway vs England (22:00 BST)
Thomas Tuchel’s England face Norway on Saturday looking to advance to the semi-finals.
It will be a testing challenge, though, with Erling Haaland in fine form for the Scandinavians.
Indeed, an interesting duel within the game will be between Haaland and fellow star striker Harry Kane as they battle in the race for the Golden Boot.
Having defeated a strong Brazil side managed by Carlo Ancelotti in the quarters, Norway are surprising many in their first appearance at the World Cup since 1998.
The fathers of Haaland, Alexander Sørloth, and Kristian Thorstvedt all participated in the 1994 World Cup 32 years ago and will now watch as their sons create more history for their nation.
Four of England’s star players – Jude Bellingham, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, and Nico O’Reilly – will have to be cautious throughout the game so as not to pick up a yellow card.
FIFA rules state that multiple bookings received in the round of 32, round of 16, and quarter-finals result in a one-match ban, ruling the player out of a potential semi-final, which for England would likely be against reigning champions Argentina.
READ MORE: World Cup 2026 quarter-finals betting tips: Jude Bellingham to shine for England again and more
Sunday 12 July 2026
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Argentina vs Switzerland (02:00 BST)
After controversially beating Egypt in a three-goal turnaround, Argentina face Switzerland in their quarter-final, with the winner meeting the winner of Norway vs England.
World champions Argentina are predicted to beat Switzerland after scoring at least twice in their last 11 World Cup matches, led by Lionel Messi and his eight goals thus far.
Messi has already equalled the eight-goal tally of Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé from the 2022 World Cup and will fancy his chances against the Swiss despite them only conceding three goals in the tournament to date.
Murat Yakin has constructed a solid defensive structure in his Swiss side, but in their last-16 clash against Colombia, they struggled in front of goal, managing just two shots on target with zero big chances created and an xG of 0.39, forcing victory via penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
On the other hand, Lionel Scaloni’s defence has recently conceded several goals against the likes of Egypt, Cape Verde, and Jordan, with pundit Gary Neville criticising the centre-back partnership of Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero.
Neville has labelled them as “the two best worst centre-halves in the world”, referring to the volume of goals they have conceded while aiming to provide attacking value.
Martínez recorded a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win over Cape Verde, and Romero scored to kick-start the comeback against Egypt.
UFC 329 – Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway (04:00 BST)
McGregor makes a highly anticipated return to the UFC after five years out in a rematch against Holloway in the welterweight division.
The pair first clashed in 2013 in a featherweight fight, where McGregor claimed victory by way of unanimous decision.
Since then, Holloway has cemented himself as one of the greatest featherweight fighters in the history of the sport – and he recently ranked McGregor at the bottom of his list of featherweight greats.
He claimed: “Conor just won it one time and – boom! – he disappeared and became a double champ. Cool for him.”
McGregor has just one win since 2016, beating Donald Cerrone in January of 2020, and has not fought after suffering a severe broken leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Now fighting at the welterweight level, McGregor is expected to hold greater knockout power than before, when he was previously notorious for his speed and agility.
However, having not competed for five years, there are concerns over McGregor’s fitness and fighting sharpness in the octagon.
Making it abundantly clear that he wants to fight at welterweight, McGregor has pointed the finger at 34-year-old welterweight champion Islam Makhachev if he were to beat Holloway on Sunday morning.
Also fighting in Nevada, as the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett comes up against his biggest challenge yet in Benoit Saint-Denis, nicknamed the God of War, with that bout set to commence at 03:00 BST.
Pimblett’s creative striking, excellent grappling, and solid submission work against the relentless nature of Saint-Denis will make for a high-intensity fight, providing great entertainment and setting the standard for McGregor’s return in the following match-up.
Wimbledon – Gentlemen’s singles final (not before 16:00 BST)
The Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles semi-finals alone prepare us for what will be a thrilling final, with Jannik Sinner continuing his title defence against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic while British wildcard Arthur Fery tests himself against French Open champion Alexander Zverev.
Fery entered Wimbledon ranked number 114 as a wildcard, having never gone beyond the second round of a Grand Slam, yet he is now in the semi-finals as the only Brit to go deep this year.
And with nothing to prove, Fery can play without the weight of expectation.
But with arguably one of the best backhands at Wimbledon, Zverev is able to produce incredible power in a consistent manner, making him difficult to attack.
With world number one Sinner coming face-to-face with Djokovic, who many would argue is the greatest player of all time, it’s a semi-final rich in quality and worthy of being a final itself.
The 39-year-old Serbian is a veteran in finals, winning 24 Grand Slams and seven Wimbledon titles, and his elite experience and unmatched tennis intelligence can never count him out of any match.
The Italian will likely attempt to use his youthful advantage against Djokovic with an aggressive baseline tennis style.
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