The London Sporting Calendar: October 2026

October 2026 is the month American football takes over London. Three NFL games land in the capital across three consecutive Sundays, two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley, and they sit either side of a Premier League season that only restarts on 10 October after an unusually long international window. If you are planning one trip to London this autumn, this is the month with the widest choice of things to do on a single weekend.

It is also a month of two halves. The first weekend has almost no club football at all, because the FIFA window that follows the World Cup runs deep into October. From the second weekend onwards the diary is dense: Champions League at the Emirates, four Premier League matchweeks, the richest day of the British flat racing season at Ascot, a London rugby derby at the Stoop, and a half marathon that closes central London roads on the same morning as an NFL kick-off.

Checked 10 September 2026. Football kick-off times move for broadcast and some events below are still to be confirmed, so check each fixture on the club, league or venue site before you book travel. Links to the primary sources are throughout.

What this guide covers

• Week one: 1 to 4 October
• Week two: 5 to 11 October
• Week three: 12 to 18 October
• Week four: 19 to 25 October
• Week five: 26 October to 1 November
• What we could not confirm
• Worth the journey: the Singapore Grand Prix
• Choosing between them
• Where to stay for each
• Questions we are asked most
• Plan the stay around the fixture

Week one: 1 to 4 October

There is no Premier League football this weekend. The post-World Cup international window runs from 21 September to 6 October 2026, which is why the league's matchweek 5 on 19 and 20 September is followed by a three-week gap before matchweek 6.

Sunday 4 October: Indianapolis Colts v Washington Commanders, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The first of the 2026 NFL London Games. The NFL lists the Colts and the Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 4 October, with the widely published kick-off at 2.30pm. Tottenham's stadium has a retractable pitch with a permanent NFL surface underneath, so this is the closest thing to a purpose-built NFL venue outside the United States, and the Sunday build-up in N17 starts hours before kick-off.

Getting there from central and east London is straightforward on the Victoria line to Seven Sisters or Tottenham Hale, or by rail to White Hart Lane. Check journeys on the day at tfl.gov.uk, because weekend engineering work on the Lea Valley lines is common.

Hospitality at Tottenham for both Colts v Commanders and the following week's game is on our events list and is sourced and confirmed per enquiry through established providers. We are not an official or authorised NFL partner, and an enquiry is a request rather than a held seat. General admission tickets are sold through the NFL's own ticketing.

Sunday 4 October: Saracens v Sale Sharks, StoneX Stadium, 3pm

Round two of the Gallagher Prem season. Saracens' first home league game of the campaign is a 3pm Sunday kick-off at the StoneX in Hendon, a compact ground where you are close to the pitch and the queues are short. It clashes with the NFL, which is worth knowing if you are travelling with a group that wants both.

Elsewhere: Super League Grand Final, Saturday 3 October

Not a London event, but worth flagging. The Betfred Super League Grand Final returns to Old Trafford on Saturday 3 October, moved slightly earlier than usual because of the shift in football's October international window. That is a Manchester trip, not a London one, and we would not pretend a London apartment suits it.

Week two: 5 to 11 October

Tuesday 6 October: England v Czechia, Nations League, 7.45pm

England close their October Nations League block at home to Czechia at 7.45pm on Tuesday 6 October, the fourth matchday of their League A group with Spain, Croatia and Czechia. The fixture is listed at Wembley Stadium; confirm the venue and ticketing on englandfootball.com before you commit. Wembley is a direct Jubilee line ride from Canary Wharf and North Greenwich, which makes an east London base unusually practical for a midweek international.

Saturday 10 October: the Premier League returns

Matchweek 6, and three London clubs are at home across the weekend.

• Arsenal v Leeds United, Emirates Stadium, 12.30pm, on TNT Sports
• Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth, Stamford Bridge, 3pm
• Saracens v Bristol Bears, StoneX Stadium, 5.30pm, in round three of the Gallagher Prem

The Premier League's published list sets weekend kick-offs at 3pm unless stated otherwise, and all fixtures remain subject to change for broadcast. The full 380-fixture list is the place to check.

Sunday 11 October: three things at once

• Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest, Selhurst Park, 2pm, on Sky Sports
• Philadelphia Eagles v Jacksonville Jaguars, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the second NFL London game, with kick-off to be confirmed on nfl.com
• The Royal Parks Half Marathon, starting in Hyde Park

The half marathon takes 13.1 miles of closed central London roads through Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James's Park and Kensington Gardens, past Buckingham Palace. If you are staying in Mayfair, Knightsbridge or Westminster and have a fixture to reach that lunchtime, plan to walk to a Tube station outside the cordon or leave earlier than feels necessary.

Week three: 12 to 18 October

Tuesday 13 October: Arsenal v Lille, Champions League

Matchday 2 of the league phase. Arsenal host Lille at the Emirates, kicking off at 9pm CET, which is 8pm in London. Arsenal are the only London club in this season's Champions League, so this is one of just four home European nights in the capital's top competition all season. UEFA's league phase fixture list carries the confirmed pairings and times.

Champions League and Premier League hospitality is on our events list and is sourced and confirmed per enquiry. Categories, prices and availability come from the provider at the time of the enquiry, never from us in advance.

Thursday 15 October: Europa League, but Crystal Palace are away

Europa League matchday 2 falls on 15 October and matchday 3 on 22 October. Crystal Palace, London's Europa League club this season, are away at Lyon and Beşiktaş on those dates, so there is no European football at Selhurst Park in October. Their first home league phase game is in November. The Conference League league phase also begins on 15 October, without a London club.

Saturday 17 October: QIPCO British Champions Day, Ascot

The richest day of the British flat season and the closing statement of the year, with several Group 1s decided on one card at Ascot on Saturday 17 October. It is not in London, but it is one of the easiest day trips out of the city, with direct trains from London Waterloo to Ascot and a short walk to the gate. Confirm the raceday programme, gates, first race and dress code on ascot.com, and buy hospitality through the racecourse itself.

Also that afternoon: Brentford v Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium and Fulham v Hull City at Craven Cottage, both 3pm at the time of checking.

Sunday 18 October: Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans, Wembley Stadium

The third NFL London game moves to Wembley, listed for Sunday 18 October with a 2.30pm kick-off. Wembley holds close to 90,000 for NFL and the day feels different from Tottenham: bigger, slower, more of a march up Olympic Way. Confirm the kick-off time and ticketing on nfl.com. This game is not on our hospitality list, so treat any package you are offered elsewhere on its own terms.

Week four: 19 to 25 October

Monday 19 October: Tottenham Hotspur v Coventry City, 8pm

A Monday night league game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on Sky Sports. Late finish, quick emptying, and the Victoria line running well past midnight on weekdays.

Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 October: Champions League matchday 3

No London home tie. Arsenal are away at Bayern München on 21 October.

Saturday 24 October: the north London and west London weekend

• Arsenal v Everton, Emirates Stadium, 3pm
• Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur, Stamford Bridge, 5.30pm, on Sky Sports

The Chelsea and Tottenham derby at 5.30pm is the single hardest ticket of the London month, and the one most likely to move if broadcasters reshuffle the round. Watch the Premier League fixture page for confirmation.

Sunday 25 October: derby day, and the clocks go back

• Crystal Palace v Newcastle United, Selhurst Park, 2pm GMT
• Harlequins v Saracens, Twickenham Stoop, 3pm, round four of the Gallagher Prem, the league's designated derby weekend

British Summer Time ends overnight on 24 and 25 October, which is why the Premier League's own list switches to GMT from this date. You gain an hour in bed and lose an hour of daylight: a 3pm rugby kick-off at the Stoop will finish in the dark.

Week five: 26 October to 1 November

Saturday 31 October

• Chelsea v Manchester United, Stamford Bridge, 12.30pm, on TNT Sports
• Saracens v Newcastle Red Bulls, StoneX Stadium, 3pm
• Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 5.30pm, on Sky Sports

Three London home games on Halloween, with a 12.30pm start and a 5.30pm start bookending the day. It is the best single-day double of the month if you want two grounds without crossing the city twice at rush hour: Stamford Bridge for lunch, then District and Victoria lines north for the evening.

Sunday 1 November takes Arsenal to Anfield, so the London weekend ends on Saturday night.

What we could not confirm

A useful calendar says what it does not know.

• Cricket. The domestic season finishes in September. There is no first-class or international cricket at Lord's or the Kia Oval in October; both grounds run tours year-round, bookable through the clubs.
• Tennis. London's tour-level tennis sits in June and July. There is no ATP or WTA event in the capital in October.
• Boxing, darts and snooker. No London card, tournament or fight night for October 2026 was confirmed in the sources we checked on 10 September. Boxing dates in particular are usually announced six to ten weeks out. Check listings at The O2, OVO Arena Wembley, Copper Box Arena and York Hall, and the PDC and World Snooker Tour calendars, closer to the month.
• EFL Cup. Round dates that could add a midweek London tie were not confirmed in our sources. The EFL publishes them at efl.com.
• Rugby internationals. The Gallagher Prem list shows an international break after round five, at the end of October, so England's autumn Tests fall in November rather than October. Confirm on englandrugby.com.

For the wider autumn picture, the previous edition of this series, The London Sporting Calendar: August to December 2026, covers November and December. From this month the calendar is monthly.

Worth the journey: the Singapore Grand Prix

Sunday 11 October, Marina Bay Street Circuit. Formula 1's original night race runs across the weekend of 9 to 11 October 2026, with the grand prix itself over 62 laps of the 4.927 km street circuit. The full session timetable is published on formula1.com.

Two honest notes. First, hospitality at the Singapore Grand Prix is on our events list and is sourced and confirmed per enquiry through established providers; we hold nothing in advance and we are not an official partner. Second, we arrange private jet charter as an agent, with every flight operated by a third-party licensed carrier. London to Singapore is a nonstop of roughly thirteen hours and needs an ultra-long-range aircraft, so any figure you see quoted before an operator search is indicative only. Our guide to what a private jet actually costs from London explains how the pricing is built, and private jet charter is where an enquiry starts.

If you would rather stay in London that weekend, the same Sunday gives you Eagles v Jaguars at Tottenham and Crystal Palace at home. That is not a bad substitute.

Choosing between them

If you have one weekend and want the biggest occasion, take 10 and 11 October: the Premier League returns, Arsenal play at lunchtime on the Saturday, and the NFL is at Tottenham on the Sunday with the Royal Parks Half Marathon running through central London that morning.

If you want the best single day, take Saturday 31 October: three London home fixtures spread across the day, all reachable on the Tube.

If you want atmosphere over scale, take Sunday 25 October at the Twickenham Stoop for Harlequins against Saracens. Prem rugby derby weekend fills a smaller ground with a better-natured crowd than any football derby in the city.

If you want one day out of London, take Saturday 17 October at Ascot for Champions Day, then a London fixture the following afternoon.

Where to stay for each

We own and operate our own residences in Canary Wharf and curate others from partners. We always tell you whose apartment it is before you book. Prices below are for our own residences.

For the NFL at Tottenham and Wembley, and for England at Wembley. Canary Wharf is a single Jubilee line ride from Wembley Park, and reaches Tottenham on the Victoria line via a short interchange. The John Cabot is a one-bedroom that sleeps four, from £427 a night. For a group of five or more travelling for the NFL weekend, The William Jessop is a two-bedroom sleeping seven, from £580 a night, and the kitchen matters when three people want breakfast at different times on a game day.

For Stamford Bridge, Craven Cottage and the Emirates. These are west and north London grounds, best reached by District, Piccadilly or Victoria line. Central and west London partner apartments are available by enquiry, including in South Kensington. Our own South Kensington residence is planned and not yet open.

For a longer stay or a solo trip. The Mellish Residence is a one-bedroom sleeping five, from £275 a night, and works well if the sport is one part of a week that also includes meetings in E14.

See the full live catalogue at /residences. Our detailed NFL London travel and hospitality guide goes deeper on the three game days.

Questions we are asked most

Why is there no Premier League football on the first weekend of October? The international window after the 2026 World Cup runs from 21 September to 6 October, which is longer than a standard break. The league's matchweek 6 is the weekend of 10 to 12 October.

Which London clubs are in Europe this season, and can I see a European night in October? Arsenal are in the Champions League and host Lille on 13 October. Crystal Palace are in the Europa League but play both October matchdays away. That makes Arsenal v Lille the only European home night in London in the month.

Can you get me hospitality for the NFL games? For the two Tottenham games, Colts v Commanders and Eagles v Jaguars, we can source hospitality per enquiry through established providers. Categories, inclusions and prices are confirmed at the time of the enquiry, not before, and an enquiry is a request rather than a confirmed seat. We are not an official NFL partner. The Wembley game is not on our list.

Will these kick-off times change? Some will. Premier League dates and times move for broadcast selections, and the league states that all fixtures are subject to change. Check the Premier League fixture page and the club sites in the week before travel, and UEFA's site for European nights.

Is Ascot realistic as a day trip from a London stay? Yes. Direct trains run from London Waterloo, and Champions Day gates open in the morning for a card that finishes in the late afternoon. Confirm times and dress requirements on ascot.com, and allow extra time for the return, which is the busiest train of the day.

Do the clocks change during the month? Yes. British Summer Time ends overnight on 24 and 25 October 2026. Fixtures from Sunday 25 October are listed in GMT.

Plan the stay around the fixture

Pick the fixture first, then the base, then the travel. October 2026 rewards that order, because the three NFL Sundays and the Halloween triple-header all pull in different directions across the city.

Browse the live catalogue at /residences, tell the AI concierge which dates and which fixture you are building the trip around, and a human at our desk will pick it up. For hospitality enquiries at football and the NFL games we can source, start at /sport. For the Singapore Grand Prix and any flight around it, start at /private-jet-charter.