After weeks of lockdowns and sports suspensions, many leagues worldwide are working things out. The English Premier League, Laliga, Bundesliga, and Serie A are back to business. In the US, most leagues are at advanced stages of reopening. Meanwhile, continental sports tournaments are also on schedule to restart.
If you’re a sports fan, find out below when your favorite league will open and how it plans to host games in the wake of COVID-19.
NBA—July 31
The National Basketball League is scheduled to reopen on July 31 months after becoming the first league in the US to suspend games back in March. It will host games in Disney World Florida, a bubble designed to protect players and non-playing staff from the pandemic.
The NBA will restart with 22 teams initially before hosting all 30 teams later on. Meanwhile, players have already begun to travel to Florida despite concerns COVID-19 is spreading in the state sporadically.
All the same, the league will restart with games from Brooklyn Nets versus Orlando Magic, Pelicans vs Jazz, and Lakers vs Clippers. The Wizards, Suns, Portland, and Grizzlies will also have games on the same night.
Crucially, the games will be available live on TV and via streaming networks. You could also bet on the games through online sportsbooks. But you might want to compare NBA odds before you wager to maximize your profits.
MLB—July 23-26
Major League Baseball will restart on July 23 with games between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees. On the same afternoon, the Dodgers will welcome the San Francisco Giants. The remaining 26 teams will resume matches on July 24
Similar to the NBA, Major League Baseball has some adjustments to make. For starters, it will only host regional action to complete a 60-game shortened season. It will also need to deal with infected players as well as those choosing to seat out the season.
Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks, Arizona Diamondbacks Mike Leake, Buster Posey, David Price, and Felix Hernandez will all miss out on this year's baseball action. In the meanwhile, most players don't want a 60-game season.
They also don’t intend to take pay cuts and this could affect how the league unfolds. Of course, commissioner Rob Manfred isn’t pleased that players can’t agree on pay cuts. And perhaps as a way of showing what he can do recently said he wasn’t sure the league will resume.
UEFA Champions League—August 7
When the Champions League resumes on August 7, there will be no home and away games. Instead, the quarter and semifinals will be played as outright knockouts. What’s more, all the matches will take place in a single city: Lisbon, Portugal.
Wait, what happens to the unfinished round of 16 games? They will be the first games to be played once European football returns. However, UEFA is yet to pick a venue for these games. It’s unsure whether to play them at each team’s stadium or Lisbon.
With that in mind, the Champions League’s final will take place on August 23 at Benfica’s home stadium in Lisbon. Yes, it won’t take place at the previously scheduled Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. Instead, Turkey will host next year’s UCL final.
NFL—September 10
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will start September 10 with no major changes. Teams will play at their stadiums. Players won’t be restricted on movements but there will be safety guidelines galore.
For starters, teams will have to expand their training facilities to allow for social distancing. They need to isolate players and essential staff players while within stadiums. What’s more, each team will have measures to test their employees and react accordingly where positive cases are identified.
Meanwhile, college football is scheduled to start later in August whereas Canadian football will resume in September. The XFL has no plans for a 2020 season, unfortunately.
NHL—August 1
The NHL and the players association are on terms to restart training camp on July 10. Workouts will take place for a month before the regular season games return in August. The players have also agreed on a proposed postseason format.
That means everything in the National Hockey League is on schedule, including where the 24 teams will be located. The only problem regards the return of overseas players, many who returned to their home countries after the league went on a hiatus.
There's also the concern that players returning from overseas must adhere to a mandatory quarantining period in Toronto, one of the two selected trained cities. The second location in Edmonton.
Because the NHL will operate in bubbles, it will impose several restrictions on teams and players. Chief among them is that each team will have 52 people in Toronto or Edmonton.
ATP—August 14
After several changes in restarting dates, the ATP will resume on August 14 with the Citi Open It will be followed by the Cincinnati Masters on Aug 22 and the US Open on Aug 31. Unless anything changes, these tournaments will take place behind closed doors.
After games in the US, the ATP will host matches in Madrid, Rome, France, and London. The ATP will coincide with the return of the ITF World Tennis Tour and the WTA. None of these games will host fans. Instead, they will enforce social distancing and keep close contacts to a minimum.
Tour De France—August 29
In case you missed out on the virtual Tour de France earlier this month, you have a month until the real tournament resumes. There will be almost no changes made. Cyclists will race from Nice to Paris. The event organizers also plan to host the women edition of the competition at a later date.
Your Turn
Sports league are coming back to TV, one at a time. Most of them won’t host fans in the stadiums but you can stream the action online or watch on cable TV. Expect a lot of changes to how players and coaches interact with one another. But hopefully, the games will be action-packed.
