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Jeddah to Host Variety of World-Focused Sporting Events Starting with Spanish Super Cup in 2025

Culture Square aims to enrich the visitor journey while positioning the district as a global tourist destination, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. SPA
Culture Square aims to enrich the visitor journey while positioning the district as a global tourist destination, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. SPA
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Jeddah to Host Variety of World-Focused Sporting Events Starting with Spanish Super Cup in 2025

Culture Square aims to enrich the visitor journey while positioning the district as a global tourist destination, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. SPA
Culture Square aims to enrich the visitor journey while positioning the district as a global tourist destination, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. SPA

Jeddah will host a range of diverse sporting events and activities during the first third of 2025, beginning with the Spanish Super Cup, marking its fifth edition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January 8 to 12, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the sports, economic, and tourism sectors.
According to SPA, the championship will feature matches involving four clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Mallorca. These will be held at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and played in a knockout format. The first match will see Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, January 8, followed by Real Madrid versus Real Mallorca on Thursday, January 9. The winners will advance to the final match, which will take place on Sunday evening, January 12,
Jeddah will also continue hosting major sports events with the Formula E races, featuring the third and fourth rounds of the 11th season on February 14-15 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, showcasing fully electric, carbon-free racing cars.
Additionally, Jeddah will host the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stc Formula 1, one of the most thrilling and popular global races, for the fifth consecutive year at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, from April 18 to 20. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stc Formula 1 is part of the Kingdom’s broader vision for the future, aimed at improving the quality of life for everyone across various social sectors, from culture to sports, contributing to building a more prosperous nation. This aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to make the Kingdom a desirable destination for living and visiting.
Jeddah will once again host the opening round of the E1 Electric Boat Racing on January 24-25. Last year, this event generated great excitement as competitors vied for the championship cup, won by the Brady team with 20 points in the first round held on the Red Sea coast. Jeddah will also host the Extreme E electric off-road race for the fifth consecutive time, showcasing a new and innovative form of electric car racing that highlights the impact of climate change on the environment and promotes eco-friendly technologies in sustainability. This supports the transition to electric vehicles, contributing to carbon reduction and sustainability for a better future on Earth.
Furthermore, Jeddah will host matches of the Saudi national football team in the qualifiers for the World Cup 2026, along with a series of other major global events and competitions to be announced by the Ministry of Sport and its federations in the coming period.

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Sports

PSG, Marseille Looking to Bounce Back after Champions League Losses

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - July 5, 2022 General view as the Paris St Germain emblem is seen ahead of the press conference REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - July 5, 2022 General view as the Paris St Germain emblem is seen ahead of the press conference REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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PSG, Marseille Looking to Bounce Back after Champions League Losses

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - July 5, 2022 General view as the Paris St Germain emblem is seen ahead of the press conference REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain Press Conference - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - July 5, 2022 General view as the Paris St Germain emblem is seen ahead of the press conference REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

After they were beaten midweek in the Champions League, Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille need to be more convincing back on the domestic stage.

PSG, which became European champion for the first time last season, lost at Sporting 2-1 and Marseille was overwhelmed by Liverpool 3-0 at home.

PSG is going through a mediocre patch, having lost two of its last three matches across competitions. Friday's trip at second-to-last Auxerre should help Luis Enrique's team rebuild some confidence.

On paper, the task faced by Marseille is more difficult, hosting leader Lens at Stade Velodrome.

Key matchups Lens travels south in full confidence after recording a 10th consecutive win across all competitions last weekend. Lens claimed its only French title in 1998 and has a one point lead over defending champion PSG, The AP news reported.

Third-placed Marseille, meanwhile, has been putting on brilliant displays and boasts the league's best attacking record, with 41 goals after 18 rounds. But the nine-time champion has also been inconsistent at the back. The loss against Liverpool marked the first time since March 2022 that Marseille lost back-to-back home games without scoring.

Before the trip to Auxerre, PSG boss Luis Enrique said it's time for his team to take control of Ligue 1.

“We’re not yet where we want to be in the league," he said. "We need to keep working hard and trying to win. We’re used to deep defensive blocks. That’s often how our opponents play against us. We want to become leaders but Lens are in great form with 10 consecutive wins. It’s exciting.”

Players to watch Adrien Thomasson has played a crucial role in Lens' rise to the top. Thomasson has been thriving since he was repositioned in a deeper role. Alongside PSG's Vitinha, he is the joint top assist provider with six, and has two goals.

Back from the Africa Cup of Nations after losing with Morocco to Senegal in a chaotic final, defender Achraf Hakimi is expected to return for PSG. “He’s in normal shape,” Luis Enrique said. "We’ll have to wait and see how he is on the training ground.”

Off the field French magazine Paris Match reported this week that PSG and France defender Lucas Hernandez has been accused of human trafficking and undeclared work.

The magazine said a Colombian family accused the player and his wife of having employed them without a legal framework and with excessively long working hours. The Versailles public prosecutor’s office told French media that an investigation was underway.

Sports

Bayern Munich is Smashing its Own Records in the Bundesliga and Rivals Aren't Close

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - VfL Bochum v Bayern Munich - Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany - October 27, 2024 Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller celebrates with teammates after the match REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - VfL Bochum v Bayern Munich - Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany - October 27, 2024 Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller celebrates with teammates after the match REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
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Bayern Munich is Smashing its Own Records in the Bundesliga and Rivals Aren't Close

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - VfL Bochum v Bayern Munich - Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany - October 27, 2024 Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller celebrates with teammates after the match REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - VfL Bochum v Bayern Munich - Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany - October 27, 2024 Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller celebrates with teammates after the match REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler

Bayern Munich is running away with the Bundesliga again.

But this time it’s smashing even its own records.

The Bavarian powerhouse has a whopping 71 goals in 18 games, conceded only 14 goals, and drawn only two matches. It has won the other 16.

With 50 points and a goal difference of plus-57, Bayern has made the best ever start to the Bundesliga at this stage of the season.

And its rivals are struggling to keep up, The AP news reported.

Bayern already leads by 11 points from Borussia Dortmund and is on course for its 13th Bundesliga title in 14 years.

Bayern next hosts relegation threatened Augsburg in a Bavarian derby on Saturday.

Key matchups Bayern hasn’t dropped points since a surprising 2-2 draw with Mainz in mid-December. Augsburg hasn’t won a game since beating Bayer Leverkusen — the only team to break Bayern’s dominance in the last 13 years — in early December.

Leverkusen, which lost to Olympiakos in the Champions League on Tuesday, will hope to snap its three-game losing run against visiting Werder Bremen on Saturday.

St. Pauli entertains Hamburger SV in the city derby on Friday. St. Pauli, which won the reverse fixture in August, can climb off the bottom by avoiding defeat, with relegation contenders Mainz playing Wolfsburg and Heidenheim entertaining Leipzig on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt, which crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday, hosts in-form Hoffenheim. Frankfurt is still looking for a coach following the dismissal of Dino Toppmöller. The team has conceded three goals in every game in 2026.

Players to watch Harry Kane missed a penalty in Bayern’s 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Wednesday and though he scored both goals he’ll be keen to “make amends” for his penalty miss. He already has 34 goals in 29 games for Bayern this season.

Nicolas Jackson is back at Bayern after helping Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations. Jackson scored two goals for the Teranga Lions at the tournament but could find playing time restricted on his return to Munich.

Stuttgart has Bilal El Khannouss back after his impressive Africa Cup performances for Morocco, where he became a starter for the host team.

Who is out? Morocco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir returned to Leverkusen from the Africa Cup with an ankle problem. Defender Edmond Tapsoba also came back injured from his participation with Burkina Faso, while forward Nathan Tella and goalkeeper Mark Flekken are out “long term” with serious knee injuries from Leverkusen’s defeat to Hoffenheim last weekend.

Jamal Musiala made his anticipated return for Bayern in a brief appearance last weekend, but he’s returning to a team that had been doing just fine without him. Bayern attackers Kane, Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry and the 17-year-old Lennart Karl have been outstanding, giving Vincent Kompany a selection problem any coach would love to have.

Sports

Swiatek Says Packed Tennis Season Makes it 'Impossible' to Switch Off

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2026 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her second round match against Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2026 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her second round match against Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Swiatek Says Packed Tennis Season Makes it 'Impossible' to Switch Off

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2026 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her second round match against Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2026 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her second round match against Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Six-time major champion Iga Swiatek stepped up her criticism of the tennis schedule Thursday saying that the season was too long and it was impossible to switch off.

The Polish second seed turned on the style to motor past the Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-3 and into the Australian Open third round in Melbourne.

It set up a clash against Russian world number 33 Anna Kalinskaya, who swept past Austria's Julia Grabher 6-3, 6-3.

While Swiatek said she felt physically fine, she let rip about the ever-growing WTA schedule.

"For sure the schedule is packed. There's not much time to reset completely. It's kind of impossible," she said.

"It feels like there's no beginning of the season and end of the season because honestly, for people that work physically for 11 months basically, getting 10 days without the racquet, it's not enough time to reset.

"I mean, that's what I got. Because for four days you're still thinking about the season and last days you already think about the preparation for the next one."

Swiatek said her goal for 2026 was to try and "go somewhere and just reset and not do anything".

"Like, unplug a bit better. Hopefully I'm going to have more energy till the end of the season."

Swiatek has won four French Opens, the US Open and Wimbledon, but a title at Melbourne Park has proved elusive, with the 24-year-old making the semi-finals twice.

Last year she surged into the last four but failed to get past eventual winner Madison Keys.

Swiatek arrived in Melbourne this year on the back of two singles defeats at the lead-up United Cup and was then pushed hard by Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue in round one.

She was more convincing against Bouzkova, cutting down on the 35 unforced errors against Yuan to 27, while blasting 31 winners.

Serving was an issue for both players early on, exchanging first-set breaks before Swiatek got into her rhythm to take charge.

The Pole served to love to open set two, but a pair of baseline errors handed the Czech a break and she consolidated for a 3-1 advantage.

But it was a fleeting lead with Swiatek levelling at 3-3 and making the crucial break for 5-3 with a backhand winner before serving out for the match.