What's On Deck: Weekday Edition (July 13–16)
Share
Introduction
Let's be real — this isn't just another week in sports. This is the week.
In the span of four days, the sports world is delivering more marquee moments than most months can pull off in full. MLB All-Star Week takes over Philadelphia. Two of the most emotionally charged World Cup semifinals in modern memory unfold on American soil. And The Open Championship tees off at one of golf's most demanding venues — Royal Birkdale — with the sport's best players ready to battle the wind.
You want anticipation? You want storylines that actually matter? Buckle up. What's On Deck is here to break it all down.
Biggest Games This Week
MLB All-Star Game | Tuesday, July 14 | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Available on ESPN / Netflix
Philadelphia is hosting the Midsummer Classic, and the city is absolutely buzzing. After last night's Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park — featuring Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and international sensation Munetaka Murakami — the spotlight shifts to Tuesday's main event. The AL and NL's best converge on South Philly for what promises to be one of the most star-studded All-Star Games in recent memory.
It's also worth noting: this is the second-half kickoff. Playoff races come alive after the break, and right now, the Dodgers (61-36) own the best record in baseball. The AL East-leading Rays, resurgent White Sox in the Central, and Rangers in the West are all making noise. When the second half opens Thursday on ESPN, those divisional battles get real in a hurry.
2026 FIFA World Cup Semifinals | Tuesday–Wednesday | Dallas & Atlanta
Available on Fox / Telemundo
Here's a sentence you don't get to write often: the top four ranked teams in the world have all made the World Cup semifinals for the first time in history. France. Spain. England. Argentina. One of them is going home this week. Two of them will play for a World Cup on Sunday in New Jersey.
France vs. Spain lands Tuesday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. France has been the most dominant team in this tournament — 16 goals in six games, a stifling defensive unit, and a forward line that has opponents sleepless. Spain beat them in 2024 and 2025, so this rivalry has recent heat.
England vs. Argentina arrives Wednesday in Atlanta, and if you know anything about these two nations and the World Cup, you already feel your pulse tick upward. This is their eighth World Cup meeting ever. The emotion, the history, the stakes — it's all there. Both teams needed extra time to reach this round. Neither one is going quietly.
The 154th Open Championship | Starts Thursday, July 16 | Royal Birkdale, England
Available on USA Network / NBC / Peacock
Golf heads to Royal Birkdale — a pure links test, narrow fairways, brutal fescue rough, strategic bunkers, and the kind of sea winds that have humbled the world's best for over a century. The 154th Open Championship gets underway Thursday, and the story going in is almost too perfect to script.
Storylines You Need To Know
Lionel Messi is on a mission. Eight goals in six World Cup matches. He's 38 years old. He's playing on an ankle that required treatment before every knockout game. And he's still the most dangerous player on the planet when the lights are brightest. If Argentina reaches Sunday's final, it will be Messi's doing — full stop.
Kylian Mbappé & Ousmane Dembélé can't be stopped. France's front two have combined for 13 of the team's 16 goals. Mbappé in a World Cup semifinal, in Dallas, with a shot at lifting the trophy in New Jersey — this is the moment he's been building toward his entire career.
Jude Bellingham is making a move for the Golden Boot. Six goals in the tournament. He had two in the quarterfinal alone. England have never won a major international tournament outside of 1966, and Bellingham is the reason they believe this time is different.
Mike Trout's hometown All-Star moment. Trout was born in Millville, New Jersey — less than 40 miles from Citizens Bank Park. This will be his 12th career All-Star selection, and after battling a right hamstring strain that kept him out since June 18, he's expected to play. Philadelphia is a tough crowd, but even Philly gives it up for the Angels outfielder who belongs in the greatest-of-his-generation conversation.
Shohei Ohtani is out. The NL's leading vote-getter won't play due to knee discomfort. Disappointing for fans who wanted to see him on the All-Star stage, but the second half of the season matters more for the Dodgers' championship run.
Scottie Scheffler is defending The Open — and arrived after a missed cut. His first missed cut in nearly four years came last week at the Genesis Scottish Open. That said, Scheffler used the early exit to get a head start on reading Royal Birkdale, where he had never played. He hasn't finished outside the top 25 in five career Open starts. Don't write him off.
Tommy Fleetwood is playing his home Open. Fleetwood grew up near Royal Birkdale. He's contended at The Open before without closing the deal. This is the storyline golf fans have been waiting on for years — will the fan favorite finally break through at the tournament he was born to win?
Players To Watch
Kylian Mbappé (France) — In the form of his life heading into Tuesday's semifinal. If France wins, he could be the defining player of this entire World Cup generation.
AJ Dybantsa (NBA Summer League — Washington Wizards) — The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is still lighting up Summer League in Las Vegas. The games run through July 16, and Dybantsa continues to look like everything Washington fans hoped for. Watch him before the real games matter.
Tommy Fleetwood (Golf — The Open) — Home turf, major championship, no win yet. That's the perfect cocktail for a breakthrough moment. Circle Thursday's first round tee times.
Junior Caminero (MLB All-Star) — The Rays' young slugger competed in Monday's Home Run Derby and will be in Tuesday's All-Star Game representing one of baseball's most surprising first-half stories. He's just getting started.
Events Flying Under The Radar
NBA Summer League — Las Vegas (Through July 16): Beyond Dybantsa at No. 1, the draft class depth is real. Cameron Boozer (No. 3, Memphis Grizzlies) and Caleb Wilson (No. 4, Chicago Bulls) have been worth watching in Vegas. The Summer League championship is set for July 19, but the final regular-round games this week could shake up the bracket.
FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League Finals: Not everyone tracks international volleyball, but the top eight men's national teams are in knockout competition right now and the level of athleticism is genuinely elite. Worth pulling up a stream if you're a fan of high-skill team sports.
MLB Second-Half Opener — ESPN Thursday Night Baseball (July 16): The All-Star break ends Thursday and the second half officially kicks off. Division races that looked settled in May have tightened up. The playoff picture is going to shift fast over the next six weeks, and Thursday's game marks the opening bell.
The FadeThePublic Watch List
This week isn't about sleeping on anything — it's about picking your moments wisely.
The World Cup semifinals are must-watch television regardless of where your loyalties sit. France vs. Spain is a classic European heavyweight fight with tactical layers most sports can't match. England vs. Argentina carries 60-plus years of baggage and the kind of emotional weight that only the World Cup can produce. If you're watching one game this week, make it Wednesday's semifinal in Atlanta.
Golf fans need to lock in Thursday morning. The Open Championship first round is almost always chaotic — unknown names near the top, favorites scrambling, and Royal Birkdale's links conditions making everyone look mortal. It's the best round in golf to watch.
And if you love baseball, Tuesday's All-Star Game in Philadelphia should deliver. The city is electric, the crowd will be loud, and with Phillies stars at home — including Bryce Harper's Commissioner "Legend Pick" selection — Citizens Bank Park will be rocking from first pitch.
Closing Thoughts
Some weeks you check the calendar and wonder what to watch. This is not one of those weeks.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered one of the most dramatic tournament runs in memory, and the final four teams standing are the most compelling possible combination. The MLB All-Star break gives baseball its showcase moment before the second half sprint to October. And The Open Championship reminds you why golf belongs in every serious sports conversation — 156 players, a punishing links course, and the oldest major trophy in the sport.
Wear something that says you were watching when it mattered. This is the week.
FadeThePublic — Sports lifestyle for people who actually watch the game.
