Here are the top sports stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters text service as of 7:30 p.m. GMT/ 2:30 p.m. ET. For a full schedule of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.

TOP STORIES

SOCCER-FIFA/ENGLAND

Soccer-England should have won World Cup hosting before Saudi Arabia, says ex-FIFA chief Blatter

Soccer-England should have won World Cup hosting before Saudi Arabia, says ex-FIFA chief Blatter

SOCCER-ENGLAND-MUN-IPS/PREVIEW

Soccer-Lack of success a key factor in Man Utd's financial troubles, says Amorim

Manchester United's lack of success in recent years is a contributing factor in the Premier League club's financial struggles, manager Ruben Amorim said on Tuesday, stressing the importance of quickly improving performances on the pitch.

MOTOR-F1-TESTING

Motor racing-Hamilton prepares for first proper test of his new Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton will have a first impression of how his Ferrari rates against the rest when Formula One starts three days of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday with a new crop of cars and drivers.

UPCOMING SPORTS

SOCCER

SOCCER-ENGLAND-CRY-AVL/REPORT (PIX)

England - English Premier League - Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

Crystal Palace play Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

25 Feb 14:30 ET / 19:30 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-WOL-FUL/REPORT (PIX)

England - English Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham

Wolverhampton Wanderers play Fulham in the English Premier League.

25 Feb 14:30 ET / 19:30 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-BHA-BOU/REPORT (PIX)

England - English Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v AFC Bournemouth

Brighton & Hove Albion play AFC Bournemouth in the English Premier League.

25 Feb 14:30 ET / 19:30 GMT

SOCCER-ITALY-INT-LAZ/REPORT

Italy - Coppa Italia - Inter Milan v Lazio

Inter Milan play Lazio in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

25 Feb 15:00 ET / 20:00 GMT

SOCCER-ENGLAND-CHE-SOU/REPORT (PIX)

England - English Premier League - Chelsea v Southampton

Chelsea play Southampton in the English Premier League.

25 Feb 15:15 ET / 20:15 GMT

SOCCER-SPAIN-BAR-ATM/REPORT (PIX)

Spain - Copa del Rey - Barcelona v Atletico Madrid

Barcelona play Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

25 Feb 15:30 ET / 20:30 GMT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-BUF-ANA/ (PIX)

NHL - Buffalo Sabres v Anaheim Ducks

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-MTL-CAR/ (PIX)

NHL - Montreal Canadiens v Carolina Hurricanes

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-WSH-CGY/ (PIX)

NHL - Washington Capitals v Calgary Flames

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-BOS-TOR/ (PIX)

NHL - Boston Bruins v Toronto Maple Leafs

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-CBJ-DAL/ (PIX)

NHL - Columbus Blue Jackets v Dallas Stars

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-PHI-PIT/ (PIX)

NHL - Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-NYI-NYR/ (PIX)

NHL - New York Islanders v New York Rangers

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - UBS Arena, Elmont, New York

26 Feb 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-TBL-EDM/ (PIX)

NHL - Tampa Bay Lightning v Edmonton Oilers

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

26 Feb 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-NSH-FLA/ (PIX)

NHL - Nashville Predators v Florida Panthers

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-MIN-DET/ (PIX)

NHL - Minnesota Wild v Detroit Red Wings

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-STL-SEA/ (PIX)

NHL - St. Louis Blues v Seattle Kraken

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

ICEHOCKEY-NHL-UTA-CHI/ (PIX)

NHL - Utah Hockey Club v Chicago Blackhawks

2024-25 NHL Season (Regular Season) - Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

26 Feb 21:00 ET / 02:00 GMT

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

BASKETBALL-NBA-TOR-BOS/ (PIX)

NBA - Toronto Raptors v Boston Celtics

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario

26 Feb 19:00 ET / 00:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-ORL-CLE/ (PIX)

NBA - Orlando Magic v Cleveland Cavaliers

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Kia Center, Orlando, Florida

26 Feb 19:30 ET / 00:30 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-MEM-PHX/ (PIX)

NBA - Memphis Grizzlies v Phoenix Suns

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-HOU-MIL/ (PIX)

NBA - Houston Rockets v Milwaukee Bucks

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-NOP-SAS/ (PIX)

NBA - New Orleans Pelicans v San Antonio Spurs

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

26 Feb 20:00 ET / 01:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-GSW-CHA/ (PIX)

NBA - Golden State Warriors v Charlotte Hornets

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Chase Center, San Francisco, California

26 Feb 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

BASKETBALL-NBA-LAL-DAL/ (PIX)

NBA - Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks

2024-25 NBA Season (Regular Season) - Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

26 Feb 22:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

MOTOR-F1-TESTING/ (PIX)

Motor racing - Formula One - Pre-Season testing

Day one of Formula One pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

26 Feb

CRICKET

CRICKET-CHAMPIONSTROPHY-AFG-ENG/ (PIX) $(TV)$

ICC Men's Champions Trophy - Afghanistan v England

Afghanistan face England in a Champions Trophy Group B match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

26 Feb 04:00 ET / 09:00 GMT