The easternmost and northernmost teams in history qualify for the group stage: the new competition map extends the boundaries and forces Italian teams… Medvedev’s outburst of madness in New York costs him $100,000! But perhaps even double that
A heavy blow for the Russian tennis player, guilty of a serious reaction after his defeat against Bonzi
A hefty fine is on the way for Daniil Medvedev after the Russian’s outburst at the US Open. The former 2021 New York champion’s madness against the umpire in his first-round match against France’s Bonzi will most likely cost the Muscovite around $100,000, a truly record-breaking fine, but the organizers would like to teach the former world number one an exemplary lesson, effectively taking away his entire prize money for participating, given that those eliminated in the first round of the main draw receive $110,000. All this was widely predictable after Medvedev’s outburst, so much so that the player himself said in press conferences and interviews that he was sure a heavy fine was coming. The point is that no one really liked the Russian’s “show.” The reaction after the now-famous invasion of the court by the photographer between points went viral (especially for a gesture that is forbidden to minors, so to speak), as did the broken racket, but this time, it seemed too much to everyone.
A nightmare 2025— Incidentally, the photographer in question, Selcuk Acar, spoke in an interview with the Daily Mail and claims that he is actually the victim in this situation. “I am completely innocent. In fact, even though I am the victim, this incident has turned into a lynching. I have suffered a lot,“ he said. The only one who defended him tooth and nail was Nick Kyrgios, someone who now spends his time being contrary about everything, who called him ”the best,” but in general, the chorus of disapproval towards Medvedev was unanimous, and even the US Open audience made that clear to him immediately. It’s a real shame, because deep down everyone loves the Russian, even in the locker room everyone speaks well of him, his colleagues adore him, as do his many fans. Medvedev’s crisis, on and off the court, is really lasting too long, and this 2025 is truly a long nightmare for the former world No. 1.
The evening of August 26 redrew the map of the Champions League. With the qualification of Bodo Glimt and Kairat Almaty, the 2025/26 tournament has pushed its boundaries even further: never so far north, never so far east. Completing the four cardinal points are Maccabi Tel Aviv in the south and the Lisbon teams in the west. An extreme geography that tests logistics, mileage, and even the common sense of those who have to organize away games.
Sixty-seven degrees north latitude. That’s enough to make Bodo Glimt the northernmost team ever to reach the Champions League group stage. Not even Rosenborg, which took Norway to the quarterfinals in the 1990s, had ever gone so far beyond the Arctic Circle. The stadium is a small 8,000-seat bowl, nestled between fjords and mountains. Here, winter brings weeks of Arctic darkness, and getting there from Milan takes at least five hours with a stopover, limited flights, and weather that can turn any trip into an odyssey.
Far East— Almaty is the new frontier of the Champions League. At 76.88°E longitude, Kairat has broken Astana’s previous record and brought the competition closer than ever to Central Asia. The journey has been a marathon: from the first preliminary round in July to the big win against Celtic, who were eliminated on penalties thanks to saves by 21-year-old Anarbekov. Today, Kairat finds itself in a position that speaks for itself: closer to Beijing than to Rome. For those arriving from Italy, the numbers leave no room for doubt: it is 6,735 km and over nine hours by plane from Milan to Almaty. The longest away trip ever in the Champions League.
Far south— In the south, Maccabi Tel Aviv holds the record. At 32.04°N, it is the southernmost team ever to reach the group stage, a milestone first achieved in 2005/6. The journey from Milan takes about four hours: yes, much less demanding than Almaty. Yet, on the map, Tel Aviv remains the lowest point in the Champions League.
Far west— In the west, the frontier is entirely Portuguese: Benfica and Sporting preside over 9.14°W longitude, the extreme tip towards the ocean. This is not the only record for Lisbon, also the scene of legendary away games. In 2015/16, Benfica flew to Astana: 6,173 km as the crow flies, a European record for a Champions League match. A first place that it now risks losing: Milan-Almaty surpasses it by more than 500 km.
The Champions League— When UEFA was founded in 1954, there were just 25 member associations and the maximum distance between two capitals—Lisbon and Moscow—was less than 4,000 km. Today there are 55 member nations and political geography has drastically extended the boundaries. Astana, Lisbon, Tel Aviv, Bodo, Almaty: the Champions League is no longer just the heart of European football, but a tournament that touches the edges of the continent. Journeys that resemble expeditions.
