The World Cup may be over, but the club soccer season is now gathering momentum. Tuesday, August 25, 2026 features Champions League qualification matches with places in the league phase at stake, 17 EFL Cup games in England, a La Liga matchup between Valencia and Real Betis, and an early Saudi Pro League showdown involving Al-Nassr.
There are no Premier League regular-season matches scheduled Tuesday, but several Premier League clubs are in action in the EFL Cup.
1. Sabah vs. Hapoel Beer-Sheva — 9:45 a.m. PDT
Competition: UEFA Champions League Play-Off, Second Leg
Aggregate score: Hapoel Beer-Sheva leads 2-1
Sabah enters Tuesday needing to overturn a one-goal deficit after losing the first leg 2-1. Hapoel Beer-Sheva needs only to protect its aggregate advantage to secure a place in the Champions League league phase.
The stakes are substantial. The winner advances into the 36-team Champions League league phase, while the losing club moves into the Europa League league phase.
2. LASK vs. Celtic — 12:00 p.m. PDT
Competition: UEFA Champions League Play-Off, Second Leg
Aggregate score: Celtic leads 3-0
Celtic enters Austria with a commanding advantage after winning the first leg 3-0. LASK will need at least three goals simply to draw level on aggregate.
Celtic is therefore 90 minutes away from securing another appearance in the Champions League league phase. A major LASK comeback would be one of the surprises of the qualifying round.
3. Bodø/Glimt vs. N.E.C. Nijmegen — 12:00 p.m. PDT
Competition: UEFA Champions League Play-Off, Second Leg
Aggregate score: Bodø/Glimt leads 3-1
Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt carries a two-goal advantage into its home second leg against Dutch side N.E.C. Nijmegen.
Bodø/Glimt is attempting to reach the Champions League league phase for a second consecutive season. N.E.C. needs to overcome the 3-1 first-leg defeat to keep its Champions League hopes alive.
4. Valencia vs. Real Betis — 12:00 p.m. PDT
Competition: La Liga
This is one of the day's most significant regular-season league games.
Real Betis enters the match seventh in the early La Liga standings with three points from one game after defeating Real Sociedad 1-0. Valencia is 11th with one point after opening with a 0-0 draw against Celta Vigo.
Real Betis has scored one goal without conceding, while Valencia is still looking for its first goal of the new campaign. A Betis victory would give the club six points from its first two league matches. Valencia, playing at Mestalla, is searching for its first victory.
5. Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Nassr — 11:00 a.m. PDT
Competition: Saudi Pro League
This may be the best early-season league matchup of the day.
Al-Nassr enters Tuesday first in the Saudi Pro League with six points from two victories and a plus-seven goal difference. Al-Ettifaq is fourth but also has six points after winning both of its opening matches.
Al-Nassr has yet to concede a goal this season. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal of the campaign as Al-Nassr defeated Al-Riyadh 4-0 in its previous match. João Félix has also started strongly for the club.
With both teams perfect through two matches, Tuesday's game provides an early test in the Saudi title race.
6. Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United — 12:00 p.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
This is one of the most intriguing English matches because the teams just played each other in the Premier League.
Leeds defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground during the opening Premier League weekend, with Anton Stach scoring from a free kick in the 88th minute.
Now Forest gets an immediate opportunity for revenge in a knockout competition, again at home. Leeds enters after earning three Premier League points, while Forest is still looking for its first competitive victory of the new season.
7. Southampton vs. West Ham United — 11:45 a.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Southampton hosts West Ham in another of Tuesday's prominent EFL Cup ties.
Unlike a league match, there are no points at stake. Advancement is all that matters, making squad selection particularly interesting as clubs balance cup ambitions against their league campaigns.
The game is one of several opportunities Tuesday for a lower-ranked club to eliminate a prominent opponent early in the competition.
8. Ipswich Town vs. Leicester City — 11:45 a.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Ipswich enters this match with momentum after opening its Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland. Jack Clarke scored the late winner in the 90th minute.
The EFL Cup gives Ipswich another opportunity to build on its strong start while Leicester arrives looking to knock out a club that has already shown it can produce late drama.
9. Stoke City vs. Hull City — 11:45 a.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Hull City produced one of the biggest results of the Premier League's opening weekend, defeating Manchester United 2-0 after returning to the top flight.
Goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy gave Hull its first league victory over Manchester United in more than half a century.
Hull now travels to Stoke for a knockout cup match, giving the newly promoted club a chance to carry that momentum into another competition.
10. Birmingham City vs. Brentford — 12:00 p.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Brentford was another of the standout teams during the Premier League's opening weekend, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0.
Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode scored in the victory. Brentford now switches from league play to a knockout road match against Birmingham City.
11. Sheffield Wednesday vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers — 11:45 a.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Wolves travel to Sheffield Wednesday in another potentially dangerous cup matchup. Early rounds of the EFL Cup routinely give lower-division clubs the opportunity to eliminate teams from higher levels of English soccer.
For Wolves, advancement is expected. For Sheffield Wednesday, a home victory would represent one of the more notable EFL Cup results of the day.
12. Cardiff City vs. Norwich City — 11:00 a.m. PDT
Competition: EFL Cup, Second Round
Cardiff and Norwich open Tuesday's large EFL Cup schedule. The match begins approximately an hour before most of the other English cup games and provides one of the earliest knockout results of the day.
Other EFL Cup Games Today
There are 17 EFL Cup second-round matches scheduled Tuesday. In addition to the featured games above, the schedule includes Doncaster Rovers vs. Middlesbrough at 11:30 a.m. PDT; Barnsley vs. Crewe Alexandra, Blackburn Rovers vs. Sheffield United, Blackpool vs. Lincoln City, Cambridge United vs. Millwall, Fleetwood Town vs. Shrewsbury Town, Plymouth Argyle vs. Coventry City, Stevenage vs. Reading, Walsall vs. Leyton Orient and Watford vs. Peterborough United at 11:45 a.m. PDT.
The Biggest Matches to Watch
If choosing only a few games, the three Champions League qualifiers carry the greatest immediate stakes because qualification for Europe's premier club competition will be decided today.
Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds is probably the most interesting English matchup because Leeds just defeated Forest in the Premier League, while Valencia vs. Real Betis is the day's primary game from one of Europe's major domestic leagues.
Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Nassr is also worth watching. Both clubs have six points from two games, and Al-Nassr currently leads the Saudi Pro League with a plus-seven goal difference.