NBA MVP race 2026: Ranking the five strongest candidates
With Oklahoma City separating themselves in the West and Detroit’s shock rise reshaping the East, the MVP race has entered its most decisive phase.
While familiar superstars continue to lead the conversation, new names are forcing their way into the picture.
From scoring dominance to franchise-defining leadership, several players have built strong cases this year.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Jake Reed gives a ranking of the five strongest candidates so far.
Championship survival fight: Relegation battle heating up with nine games left
With just nine games left in the Championship, the scrap for survival is intensifying.
With the table so tight, every result matters. Only a handful of points separate the sides in the bottom six, meaning every match now carries enormous significance.
Champions League news: Galatasaray take first-leg advantage with 1-0 win over Liverpool
Galatasaray produced a disciplined performance in Istanbul to take a narrow first-leg lead against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The Turkish side secured a 1-0 victory on a tense European night, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg at Anfield.
F1 News: Five talking points ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix
The 2026 Formula One season heads to Shanghai this weekend for the next chapter of what is already shaping up to be a fascinating title fight.
After a dramatic opening race in Melbourne, where George Russell led a dominant Mercedes one two, several storylines are beginning to emerge as teams prepare for the Chinese Grand Prix.
MMA analysis: Return of the King - The heavyweight fight the UFC can’t make
Francis Ngannou has had one of the most surprising careers in MMA, breaking free of the UFC’s constraints and fighting some of the world’s top boxers.
Now with a contract signed, May 16 will mark The Predator’s much anticipated return to the sport that made him great .
Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes discusses the career of the most devastating puncher in UFC history.
Premier League betting tips: Liverpool to beat woeful Spurs, Erling Haaland to score and more Gameweek 30 betting tips
Read on for a breakdown of the best bets from this weekend’s Premier League TV games from Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate - The Bookie Basher - including the Sunday, March 15, clash between Liverpool and Tottenham.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 day three: Tips for televised races on ITV
Day three of the Cheltenham Festival has quickly rolled around and after a thrilling last couple of days, all focus turns now to St Patrick’s Thursday.
Sports News Blitz’s Jeff Mexico and Kieran McHugh are back for round three of the Cheltenham Festival on Thursday, March 12.
Majborough highest-rated chaser this century to be labelled a ‘poor jumper’ by Timeform
Majborough has been given the 'x' symbol by Timeform to mark him out as a poor jumper.
With a rating of 177, he is the highest-rated chaser this century to also have an 'x'.
Paralympic legend reveals what businesses still get wrong about inclusion
Dame Sarah Storey is widely recognised as Britain’s most decorated Paralympian, with an extraordinary career spanning swimming and cycling and a record 30 Paralympic medals, including 19 golds.
In this exclusive interview with the Diversity & Inclusion Speakers Agency, Sarah Storey reflects on the lasting impact of the Paralympic movement, the lessons businesses can learn from sport about inclusion, and how organisations can cultivate environments where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Chelsea news: Chelsea face PSG in high-stakes Champions League RO16 reunion after Club World Cup final
Chelsea are set to travel to their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final opponents, Paris Saint-Germain, and the home side will look to enact revenge on the 3-0 loss suffered at the hands of the Blues.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Howson predicts the outcome of this heavyweight European clash.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 guide: Day-by-day race times, how to watch tv guide, best horses, trainers, jockeys and more
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is the biggest four days in National Hunt racing. Sports News Blitz delivers a guide to the race times, tv schedule, top horses, trainers, jockeys and more.
March is a magical time of year. The weather starts to behave itself, it’s not dark at 4pm and 8am and most importantly - it’s the Cheltenham Festival.
From Brahim Diaz to Sergio Aguero: Five Panenka penalties that went horribly wrong
It takes a lot of cojones to step up and take a penalty, but to choose a ‘Panenka’ spot-kick is almost never a wise decision. Indeed, there have been a number of poor Panenka penalties over the years.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Joe Jones talks us through five of the most horrendous spot-kicks of all time.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 day one: Upsets galore as Lossiemouth, Kargese star on Champion Day
The biggest week in the British horse racing calendar is underway, and there was plenty for the Cheltenham crowd to roar about as the iconic festival lived up to its dramatic reputation on the opening day.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Charlie Fawcett reviews all the action, as it happened, on Champion Day 2026.
MMA news: UFC Freedom 250 – Can Alex Pereira beat Ciryl Gane to become first triple champion?
The UFC White House card was finally revealed this week, and one fight stood out above the rest. Ciryl Gane vs Alex Pereira – a striking fan’s dream showdown in the octagon – is set to take place on the South Lawn, with the interim heavyweight title on the line.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Cameron Cleugh dissects the fight and what it means to the UFC as a whole.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 day two: Tips for televised races on ITV
After an action-packed opening day, Prestbury Park opens its doors once more as the second day of the Cheltenham Festival gets underway. Sports News Blitz’s Jeff Mexico and Kieran McHugh survived the first day of the ‘Fez’ and return for round two at HQ on Wednesday, March 11.
The first race is underway at 1:20pm and proceedings conclude at 4:40pm, leaving 20 minutes for tea, tears, and tribulations before you can rage all over again because someone took the minus offer on The Chase.
Champions League news: Five talking points from Newcastle Utd’s last-16 draw with Barcelona
The Champions League round of 16 kicked off on Tuesday night, headlined by a clash between Newcastle United and Barcelona at St James’ Park. Many expected a drubbing, a showing of true class from Hansi Flick’s side, but what ensued was far from that, with the home side holding the Spanish giants to a 1-1 draw.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Zephryn Dockree provides five talking points from the much-anticipated game.
FA Cup news: Man City, Liverpool set for blockbuster quarter-final showdown at the Etihad Stadium
Premier League heavyweights meet for a third time this season in the standout tie of the FA Cup quarter-finals, writes Sports News Blitz’s Joshua Topping.
Few fixtures in English football generate as much anticipation as a meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City, and their upcoming clash in the cup promises to be no different. This match marks the third meeting between the sides this season, further intensifying a rivalry that has defined the top level of English football over the past decade.
Cards, Chips, and Chance: A Deep Dive into Casino Culture
Casino culture reflects a complex mix of risk, ritual, mathematics, entertainment and regulation... People often reduce gambling to simple luck, but casinos operate through carefully constructed systems that balance probability, psychology, architecture and law.
You know what? From classic board games to digital slots with themes such as inca spin, cards, chips and spinning reels, they serve as visual symbols of a much wider environment shaped by centuries of tradition and modern economic forces.
Lossiemouth records career-high rating of 161 in Champion Hurdle win
Lossiemouth earned a career-high Timeform rating of 161 when winning the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Willie Mullins’ star was winning at her fourth successive Cheltenham Festival following victories in the 2023 JCB Triumph Hurdle and the last two renewals of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle.
Lossiemouth had been rated 158 prior to the Champion Hurdle.
2026 Chinese Grand Prix: Sprint format and Mercedes-Ferrari battle headline Shanghai
F1 returns to Shanghai this weekend for the Chinese Grand Prix, and the 2026 edition could be one of the most unpredictable races of the season.
With the sprint format compressing the schedule and limiting practice time, teams face a high-pressure weekend where small mistakes could have major consequences.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Ella Magyar breaks down the key storylines ahead of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.