The international break wraps up with two nights of League A action that will shape the race for the quarter-finals. Sunday already set the tone: Portugal became the first team into the last eight when Gonçalo Ramos struck a 79th-minute winner in a 2-1 comeback win over Norway, Greece held Germany to a 0-0 draw in Thessaloniki a week after their first-ever win against the Germans, and the Netherlands beat Serbia 2-1 under Xavi Hernández. Jürgen Klopp's side are still searching for a second win in the competition.

Monday belongs to Group A1, where France (seven points) host Belgium (six) at the Stade de France. The sides met in September, when Michael Olise's late goal gave France a 1-0 win in Belgium, and Belgium arrive in form after Kevin De Bruyne scored twice in a 3-0 win over Türkiye. France were held 1-1 by Italy on Friday, so a Belgian win in Paris would take them top of the group. In the other game, Italy (four points) host pointless Türkiye, having already beaten them 4-1 after losing their opener 2-0 to Belgium.

Tuesday decides plenty in Group A3. World champions Spain have won all three games — ten successive wins, the latest a 3-1 win over ten-man Czechia on Saturday — and travel to Croatia, whom they beat 4-1 in Seville last week. At Wembley, England (six points) host Czechia after a record 7-0 win in Rijeka on Saturday, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka both scoring twice and Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers also on the scoresheet. England beat Czechia 2-0 in Prague on Matchday 2.

The top two in each group reach the quarter-finals in March, and only two matchdays remain after this one, in mid-November.

France vs. Belgium: Monday, 5 October, 20:45 CEST · Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Italy vs. Türkiye: Monday, 5 October, 20:45 CEST
Croatia vs. Spain: Tuesday, 6 October, 20:45 CEST
England vs. Czechia: Tuesday, 6 October, 20:45 CEST · Wembley Stadium, London

The Asian hard-court swing hits its biggest week. In Beijing, Novak Djokovic faces Daniil Medvedev in Monday's semi-final, having beaten top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals to extend his record unbeaten run in Beijing to 32 matches. The 39-year-old is chasing a seventh China Open title and his first trophy of a difficult 2026. The other semi-final pairs Alex de Minaur with Hubert Hurkacz, and the final is set for Tuesday evening local time.

The Rolex Shanghai Masters then gets under way on Wednesday, the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 of the season before Paris. It will be played without Jannik Sinner, who withdrew with the right knee injury that has kept him out since he won Wimbledon in July — a blow to a tournament he won in 2024, and to a season in which he is 44-3 and has already completed the Career Golden Masters. That leaves the field wide open. Zverev arrives as French Open and US Open champion and world No. 2, with Sinner's No. 1 ranking still in his sights, while Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev and Flavio Cobolli are also entered. Valentin Vacherot defends the title he won as a surprise champion last year.

With a 96-player draw and the 32 seeds given first-round byes, the biggest names enter later in the week, and the tournament runs until the final on Sunday, 18 October.

China Open final (Beijing): Tuesday, 6 October, evening local time
Shanghai Masters qualifying: Monday, 5 – Tuesday, 6 October
Shanghai Masters main draw: Wednesday, 7 – Sunday, 18 October · Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai

NFL: Week 4 closes on Monday night in New Orleans, where the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) visit the New Orleans Saints (1-2) in an NFC South game with both teams level on record. Atlanta's season was rescued last week by the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from a torn ACL — the Falcons beat Green Bay 35-14 for their first win of the Kevin Stefanski era after a disastrous start. The Saints counter with Tyler Shough, second in the league in passing, though they lost 35-27 to the Raiders last week and have several linebackers dealing with injuries. Thursday Night Football then opens Week 5 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) at the Dallas Cowboys (2-2). Tampa Bay lost 17-14 to Green Bay on Sunday after both teams committed two turnovers, while Dallas scored 28 second-half points to beat Houston 34-30.

MLB: The Division Series are in full swing and four teams already lead their best-of-five series after Saturday's openers. In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees 1-0 behind Drew Rasmussen's one-hit, ten-strikeout performance over eight innings, while the Chicago White Sox shut out the Guardians 3-0 in their first ALDS win since 2021, with Munetaka Murakami hitting a two-run homer. Game 2s are on Monday, with the Yankees looking to level in Tampa. In the National League, the Dodgers beat the Braves 5-3 behind Tarik Skubal, and the 103-win Brewers edged the Padres 3-2 on homers from William Contreras and Jackson Chourio. Both NL series moved on to Game 2 on Sunday and continue with Game 3 on Tuesday, while the ALDS returns to Game 3 on Wednesday.

NHL: The new season's opening week gave plenty of storylines. The Florida Panthers spoiled Carolina's banner night, beating the Stanley Cup champions 1-0 in overtime, while Montreal won 3-2 in Toronto on Gavin McKenna's NHL debut and Vancouver beat Edmonton 6-5 in overtime on Mike Babcock's return behind the Oilers bench. This week, Monday's four-game slate includes Ottawa at Boston and Winnipeg at Pittsburgh, before the champions Carolina Hurricanes visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, looking to bounce back in the Canadiens' home opener and a rematch of last spring's second round, which Carolina won in five games. On Wednesday the Oilers visit the Anaheim Ducks, who eliminated them in the first round last spring in six games.

Falcons at Saints (MNF): Monday, 5 October, 8:15 p.m. ET — Tuesday, 02:15 CEST · Caesars Superdome
Yankees at Rays (ALDS Game 2): Monday, 5 October, 8:00 p.m. ET — Tuesday, 02:00 CEST
Hurricanes at Canadiens: Tuesday, 6 October, 7:00 p.m. ET — Wednesday, 01:00 CEST · Bell Centre
Rays at Yankees (ALDS Game 3): Wednesday, 7 October, 8:00 p.m. ET — Thursday, 02:00 CEST
Oilers at Ducks: Wednesday, 7 October, 7:00 p.m. PT — Thursday, 04:00 CEST · Honda Center
Buccaneers at Cowboys (TNF): Thursday, 8 October, 8:15 p.m. ET — Friday, 02:15 CEST · AT&T Stadium