By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been announced that the timing of the final of the Open Championship (the Open), which is golf’s oldest major tournament, which was first played on 17 October 1860, may be brought forward to avoid a clash with the final of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
The Open this year is being played at Royal Birkdale in Southport, in the Northwest of England, and ends on 19 July 2026, the same day as the final of the World Cup, which takes place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, in the United States.
The football final is scheduled to kick off at 20.00 BST, whilst the golf final traditionally ends around 18.30 BST, but it may overrun.
Mark Darbon, the Chief Executive of the R&A, the organisers of the Open, stated that:
"We're conscious of other events happening on that date."
And added that:
"Of course, some things are out of our control in terms of play-offs and the like, but we will attempt to avoid a clash.”
He also announced that the Open is expected to attract a record number of more than 300,000 spectators during the week of the event.
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