The Europa League anthem will sound once again this Thursday as the league phase opener takes center stage in Bulgaria. Levski Sofia hosts the evening clash at 18:45, launching a high-stakes European campaign where early group points are critical. Clubs across the continent are aiming to establish dominance early, setting the tone for what promises to be an intense race toward knockout qualification.
Beyond the football pitch, qualification pathways across major European competitions are taking definitive shape. Team Europe has officially confirmed its qualification process ahead of the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland, where golfers will compete to secure one of six automatic places under captain Luke. Meanwhile, in motorsport qualifying, the Auto Club RC2 Valles Honda driver made a decisive move in the second segment, clocking a benchmark time of 2:26.586 to emerge just under half a second clear at the top of the standings.
On the water, European ocean racing saw high-intensity tactics unfold as Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat focused on defending his position after capturing maximum points in Leg 1. Yoann Richomme and his Paprec Arkéa crew initially spearheaded the fleet across the historic Royal Yacht Squadron starting line—the legendary mark used for the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race—navigating downwind conditions of 10-14 knots and a favorable tidal current down the Solent. However, it was Meilhat’s Biotherm that seized the maximum two points at The Needles scoring gate, followed by Paprec Arkéa taking the single point, replicating their previous scoring haul in Kiel before pushing past Brittany and into the Bay of Biscay.
In winter sports, the IBSF Bobsleigh + Skeleton World Cup arrives at the St. Moritz-Celerina Olympia Bobrun in Switzerland for a crucial weekend of sliding discipline action. Serving as the penultimate opportunity to collect World Cup points, secure Olympic qualification, and claim seven European Championship titles, the event features Great Britain’s Matt Weston holding a narrow 25-point lead over Friedrich in the men’s skeleton standings. After difficult weather caused the cancellation of the Winterberg event in early January, athletes face a packed schedule, including the rescheduled Winterberg race at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 7 January, followed by the main St. Moritz World Cup and European Championship race at 12 p.m. local time, alongside 4-man bobsleigh contenders Brad Hall and Switzerland’s Michael Vogt.
