When are sports returning from the coronavirus?
When is each sports league returning?
The coronavirus pandemic shuttered sports leagues across the United States and the globe. Several leagues including the NBA, NHL, NASCAR and others were in the middle of their respective seasons, hoping to continue where they left off. Others never got off the ground.
Now that we've entered July, several leagues are now restarting and most are without fans. Here is where each league stands.
Updated July 10 at 4:00 p.m. ET
UFC Returned May 9
Return Date: May 9
Crowd Plan: No fans
Latest: UFC was the first American-based sports league to return to competition on May 9 with UFC 249. It was their first event since March 14 with UFC Fight Night in Brazil. At UFC 249, all competitors were tested for the coronavirus with Ronald Souza testing positive. His fight was removed from the schedule but UFC still held 12 fights that evening. The mixed martial arts league also has scheduled events throughout the year. Fights can be streamed on ESPN+.
NASCAR Returned May 17
Return Date: May 17
Crowd Plan: No fans/ Limited fans
Latest: NASCAR returned May 17 with an adjusted schedule to make up races and to help get them back on track for their normal 36-race schedule. To return the top three NASCAR series has hosted over 20 races in their first month back. The first races were at the nearby Darlington and Charlotte tracks, that are within driving distance of many teams' headquarters, and slowly expanded to other localities in the southeast.
Some fans in a limited capacity, based on local regulations, have been allowed back to the racetracks. Races can be seen on FOX, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, NBC and NBCSN.
PGA Tour Returned June 11
Return Date: June 11
Crowd Plan: No fans
Latest: After initially making a plan to return to action May 21, the PGA Tour pushed back their start to the Charles Schwab Challenge in Forth Worth, Texas for mid-June. The re-shuffling of their schedule postponed the Masters Tournament to November. Their safety plan reportedly requires over 1 million tests, with testing on a regular basis.
In the tours second event, their first competitor tested positive. Several players have been testing positive, but social distancing and cleaning protocols have allowed the schedule to continue.
NWSL Returned June 27
Return Date: June 27
Crowd Plan: No fans
Latest: The NWSL is the first team sports league to return to action in the United States with the first-ever 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah. The 25-game tournament will have eight of the nine teams competing as the Orlando Pride had several members test positive for the coronavirus.
After each team has a four-game qualifying round, the teams will be seeded into a bracket to determine a champion. There will be no regular season this year for the NWSL, this serves as the 2020 season.
MLS Returned July 8
Return Date: July 8
Crowd Plan: No fans
Latest: The MLS briefly started their season before the coronavirus suspended play. To return to the pitch, the league is holding the "MLS is Back Tournament" at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The league will have a FIFA style tournament to determine a winner in a bracket.
Two teams, FC Dallas and Nashville SC both withdrew from the tournament due to positive cases.
MLS plans to resume a condensed schedule after the tournament wraps up in August. Details are still to be announced.
MLB is Returning July 23
Return Date: July 23
Crowd Plan: To be announced
Latest: After a long, drawn-out process, MLB and the players finally will have a 2020 season. It will be a 60-game season handed down from Rob Manfred and begin on July 24. There will be a trade deadline, a normal postseason and several new rules that were tested out in the minor leagues.
The Yankees-Nationals will start the season for a new Opening Day on July 23.
WNBA is Returning July 25
Return Date: July 25
Crowd Plan: No fans - bubble environment
Latest: The WNBA will return much like their NBA counterparts in a bubble down in Florida. Condensing the season down to 22 games, the league still was able to offer the players their full salary.
Premier Lacrosse League is Returning July 25
Return Date: July 25
Crowd Plan: No fans
Latest: The PLL decided to move forward with a condensed, fanless, quarantined tournament to serve as their 2020 season given the constraints of the coronavirus. It will run a little over two weeks from July 25- Aug. 9 and will be broadcast by NBC Sports.
NBA is Returning July 30
Return Date: July 30
Crowd Plan: No fans - bubble environment
Latest: The NBA's season was postponed on March 11 with 15-20 regular-season games remaining for each team. The league will bring back 22 of their 30 teams for a brief regular season followed by their standard playoff format. Every game will be played at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
LPGA is Returning July 31
Return Date: July 31
Crowd Plan: No fans/ Limited
Latest: The LPGA Tour further pushed back their restart of the 2020 season to July 31. In doing so, they created a new event, the LPGA Drive On Championship, to help jumpstart the competition. One of the biggest hurdles to returning for the LPGA Tour is fans to keep them financially viable, this could lead to future postponements and changes.
NHL is Returning Aug. 1
Return Date: Aug. 1
Crowd Plan: No fans -- two bubble environment
Latest: The NHL's season was postponed on March 12 with 11-14 regular-season games remaining for each team. The league will return on Aug. 1 after the league and the NHLPA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement. There will be a play-in round for the final seeds into the playoffs while the top four seeds in each conference play a round-robin for seeding.
Tennis is Returning in August - ATP/ WTA Tours
Return Date: WTA: August 3/ ATP: August 13
Crowd Plan: No fans/ Limited fans
Latest: The coronavirus forced tennis to cancel this year's Wimbledon for the first time since WWII. It also caused the French Open to be postponed to September. Both tours plan on returning for the regular hardcourt American schedule that leads up to the U.S. Open in September. The ATP Tour starts with the Citi Open in Washington D.C.
College Football (August 29)
Return Date: August 29
Crowd Plan: Unknown
Latest: There has been no official change on the start of the college football season scheduled for Aug. 29. Many, though, are skeptical of football returning with schools moving to remote online learning for the fall semester.
The Ivy League has already cancelled all fall sports for 2020, including football, and the Big Ten will only play conference games.
NFL (September 10)
Return Date: September 10
Crowd Plan: Unknown
Latest: There has been no change on the NFL's plan to start the 2020 season and expect it to begin in early September. The coronavirus, however, has affected several offseason plans, including the draft which was done virtually. The preseason has also been cut in half from four games to tow.
College Basketball (Early November)
Return Date: Early November
Crowd Plan: Unknown
Latest: Coronavirus hit March Madness harder than any of the major sports in North America. It forced the cancelation of the event and ended without a national champion. As of now, there has not been any announcement of changes for the 2020-21 season.
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman stated though that a determination will likely need to be made no later than Sept. 1.
Olympics (2021)
Return Date: 2021
Crowd Plan: Unknown
Latest: The 2020 Toyko Olympics were officially postponed until 2021. There have been no updates on a schedule or contingency plans.
XFL (Suspended Operations)
Return Date: Suspended Operations
Crowd Plan: N/A
Latest: The coronavirus forced the XFL to suspend operations after the second iteration of the league was wildly successful. The reminisce of the league is seeking new ownership to get the XFL back on two feet.