The Africa Cup of Nations will take place from January 13th to February 11th.

The 34th installment of Africa’s largest sporting event was originally scheduled to take place in Ivory Coast during the months of June and July in 2023. However, it was later rescheduled for the beginning of 2024 due to the realization that heavy rainfall occurs during that time of year in the country. Mohamed Salah, who was part of the Egypt team that experienced the disappointment of a penalty shootout defeat to Senegal in the 2022 final, is aiming for redemption at the upcoming tournament. Along with Salah, other notable players such as André Onana (Cameroon), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) will also be participating.

The Australian Open will take place from January 14th to January 28th.

Novak Djokovic will have a chance to make tennis history at the upcoming tournament in Melbourne. He is aiming for his 25th grand slam title, which would surpass Margaret Court’s record as the most successful player in tennis. It is highly likely that the world No 1 will achieve this goal, especially with Rafael Nadal also participating after being out for a year due to a hip injury. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka will be defending her title, which she won in 2023 with an impressive display of strength, determination, and skill against Elena Rybakina.

The Six Nations for both men and women will take place on 2 February to 16 March and 23 March to 27 April.

After experiencing heartbreak at the Rugby World Cup, the top teams from the northern hemisphere will meet again in the Six Nations tournament. Ireland, who won the grand slam, will face off against France in the first exciting match, while England, without their captain Owen Farrell, will play against Italy the following day. Meanwhile, Wales and Scotland will also compete in Cardiff. The women’s tournament will begin a week after the men’s, with England hoping to continue their success from 2023 when they won the grand slam in front of a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 at Twickenham.

2024

“Super Bowl 58 will take place on February 11, 2024.”

The 58th edition of the premier event in American Football will take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by Andy Reid and powered by the talents of Patrick Mahomes, are determined to secure their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years and defend the trophy they won in a thrilling 38-35 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona. The highly anticipated halftime show will feature Usher in 2024, causing excitement among his fans who undoubtedly exclaimed “yeah!” upon hearing the announcement.

On February 17th, Tyson Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk in a boxing match.

The long-awaited and highly anticipated fight that was supposed to take place right before Christmas has finally been confirmed. Despite a previous setback where Fury narrowly defeated Ngannou in October, both fighters are determined to become boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The only downside is that the fight will be held in Saudi Arabia, but it is still expected to be an exciting match.

6) Formula One World Championship 2 March-8 December

The upcoming Formula One season will bring about major changes. To begin with, there will be a record-breaking 24 races on the calendar, which is deemed to be the maximum feasible number for both teams and personnel. Additionally, the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will take place on consecutive Saturdays. F1 has also announced that there will be six sprint races in China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil, and Qatar. Despite these adjustments, it is likely that the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull in 2023 will continue into 2024.

7) The Masters 11 April-14 April

In 2023, John Rahm will make his way to Augusta in hopes of defending his title from the exciting final day he had last year. The Spanish golfer, who recently joined LIV Golf, should have confidence as he was also part of the victorious European team at the Ryder Cup in Rome a few months ago. Another player to watch is Rory McIlroy, who is aiming to win his first major in ten years. On the American side, world No 1 Scottie Scheffler is expected to put up a strong fight, and there is also the possibility of Tiger Woods returning to compete in the Masters.

The Twenty20 series between England Women and Pakistan Women will take place from 11 May to 19 May.

The fact that Heather Knight’s white-ball team has been selected to kick off the international cricket season with a three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan may be indicative of the growth of women’s cricket in England. The matches will be held at Edgbaston, Northampton, and Headingley. Following this, there will be a three-match one-day series against the same team, followed by three ODIs and five T20s against New Zealand. Richard Gould, chief executive of England and Wales, stated that the schedule for next summer will include more venues and opportunities for fans to watch their favorite female cricketers in action.

The final match of the Women’s Champions League will take place on May 25.

The San Mamés stadium in Bilbao is the location for the premier event in women’s club football in Europe. Many would agree that the 2023 final was an exhilarating one, as Barcelona made a comeback from being down two goals at halftime to defeat Wolfsburg 3-2 in Eindhoven. The hopes of England lie with Chelsea, after Arsenal unexpectedly lost to Paris FC in the initial round of qualifications. A victory for Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League would not only be their first, but also a fitting end for manager Emma Hayes before she begins her journey to the United States.

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The final match of the Men’s Champions League will take place on June 1, 2022.

Will Manchester City be able to make it to Wembley and defend their title as champions, completing a treble as they did last season? Based on their current performance, it may not be likely, but City typically improve as the year progresses and will be pleased with the favorable draw they have received for the last-16 round. Pep Guardiola’s team will face FC Copenhagen while Arsenal, who are aiming for their first Champions League win, will take on Porto. Other strong contenders in this year’s competition include Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. This format of the tournament will be played for the final time this year before switching to the unpopular “Swiss model” next year.

The Twenty20 World Cup for men will take place from June 4th to June 30th.

The first-ever cricket World Cup will be hosted by the United States of America, in partnership with the West Indies. This decision aims to expand the reach of the game beyond its usual boundaries. It will be interesting to observe the response of cities like Dallas and New York towards this event. With 20 teams participating, this World Cup will be larger than any previous ones. The goal for England is to avoid a repeat of their disappointing performance in the recent 50-over tournament in India and successfully defend their 20-over title.

12) Euro 2024 14 June-14 July

Germany is hosting a significant men’s soccer competition for the first time since the 2006 World Cup. The goal is to match the success of the previous tournament. The race for the championship title at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on July 14th is wide open, with England considered a top contender. Scotland, who qualified for their second consecutive European Championship, will face the host team in the first game. Meanwhile, Wales will need to win a playoff to secure a spot in the finals. If they are successful, Robert Page’s team will be in the same group as France and Netherlands.

The Royal Ascot will take place from June 18th to June 22nd.

Auguste Rodin had a somewhat inconsistent three-year-old career, but he accomplished something that none of Aidan O’Brien’s last three Derby winners were able to do. He followed up his Epsom victory with a subsequent Group One win and ended his season strong by winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He is considered the best Ballydoyle Derby winner to continue racing since High Chaparral in 2002-2003, and there were even discussions about entering him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Whether or not that actually happens, he will likely compete in major all-aged races in 2024, starting with the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes will take place from June 29th to July 21st and from August 12th to August 18th.

The 111th iteration of the highly-regarded cycling event will include several notable changes, such as the Grand Départ being held in Florence, Italy and the conclusion of the race in Nice rather than Paris. Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark will be vying for his third consecutive victory, and Mark Cavendish hopes to surpass Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stage wins after postponing his retirement from the sport. The third edition of the Tour de France Femmes will begin in Rotterdam, but has been postponed due to the Olympics.

15) Wimbledon 1 July-14 July

The 2024 Championships will need to put in a lot of effort to match the excitement of the 2023 edition, which ended with an impressive victory by Marketa Vondrousova, the first unseeded player to win the women’s singles title, over Ons Jabeur. Just 24 hours later, Carlos Alcaraz also claimed his second grand slam title with a thrilling win against Novak Djokovic in the men’s final. It seems that all the right ingredients are in place for another exciting tournament, with several British players poised to make deep runs in the second week, including Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie.

The Test Series between England Men and West Indies Men is scheduled to take place from 10 July to 30 July.

England’s upcoming red-ball matches at home will be their first since the Ashes, with their opponents last touring the country in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Due to the lack of crowds, the series lacked a lively atmosphere. However, this time around, with matches taking place at Lord’s, Trent Bridge, and Edgbaston, there is sure to be a better atmosphere. The hosts will continue to adhere to their Bazball principles, but will be without Stuart Broad following his retirement from the sport. Following their matches against West Indies, England will face Sri Lanka in three Tests at Old Trafford, Lord’s, and the Oval.

“From July 18th to July 21st, the Open will take place.”

The Open returns to Royal Troon in 2016, where Henrik Stenson triumphed over Phil Mickelson in an exciting final-round match for the Claret Jug. Hopefully, this year’s event will bring more thrilling moments and less of the lackluster competition seen in 2023, when Brian Harman easily won on a rainy final day at Royal Liverpool. While it may not have been the most entertaining, fans of nostalgia will be happy to know that Colin Montgomerie plans to compete at his hometown course. “This is where my golf journey began,” he stated. “It will always be home.”

18) Olympics 26 July-11 August

Étienne Thobois, the chief executive of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, has expressed a desire for a grand celebration. The upcoming Olympics, which will be the first in Europe since London 2012, are planned to kick off with a remarkable opening ceremony. Athletes will parade along the Seine in a massive flotilla before competing in several traditional sports as well as four new additions, including breakdancing and skateboarding. Overall, it promises to be an exciting Games, with British athletes such as Keely Hodgkinson, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Zharnel Hughes vying for success on the track at the Stade de France.

19) Paralympics 28 August-8 September

Similar to the Tokyo Paralympics before, the upcoming Paris Paralympics will feature 22 sporting events and will include 4,400 athletes competing over the span of 11 days. The first day will kick off with wheelchair rugby, as Great Britain aims to defend their gold medal from the previous games where they defeated the United States 54-49 at Yoyogi National Stadium in late August 2021. In total, ParalympicsGB earned 124 medals, 41 of which were gold, during their time in Japan. The final weekend will showcase wheelchair fencing at the Grand Palais.

The Women’s Twenty20 World Cup will take place in September and October.

Bangladesh is the host country for the ninth installment of the women’s Twenty20 World Cup, where Australia has the potential to secure their seventh championship title. They are expected to be the top contenders, despite the recent retirement of Meg Lanning, who led her team to victory in South Africa. England is also entering the tournament with a strong record in T20 matches, including three in India. In total, there will be 10 teams participating in the World Cup, with two spots being determined through a global qualifier in early 2024.

The Solheim Cup will take place from September 10th to September 15th.

The Solheim Cup is returning after only 12 months since it was last held at Finca Cortesín. The organizers have decided to permanently move the event to even-numbered years to avoid conflicting with the Ryder Cup. The next tournament will take place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, where Europe hopes to win for the fourth time in a row. Suzann Pettersen, a 21-time tournament champion, will once again captain the European team, while Stacy Lewis will lead the US team. Pettersen expressed her honor at being chosen as captain for Team Europe once again.

The Super League Grand Final will take place on October 12th.

In a surprise turn of events, Wigan Warriors ended St Helens’ reign as Super League champions by winning the Grand Final after a five-year drought. Led by Matt Peet, Wigan put on an impressive performance against Catalan Dragons at Old Trafford in October. As the new season approaches, the team’s goal is to make it back to the Grand Final in 2024. In another exciting event, Wigan will host the NRL champions, Penrith Panthers, in the World Club Challenge on February 24th. This will be a rematch of the 1991 match at Anfield, where Wigan emerged victorious with a score of 21-4.

The World Championships for cycling will take place from October 16th to 20th.

The Ballerup Super Arena will once again host this event, marking its third time after previous occurrences in 2002 and 2010. The organizers are optimistic that the event will run smoothly and successfully, as stated by project coordinator Andreas Juul Ingvartsen in October. The first day will begin with qualifying rounds for the women’s and men’s team pursuit. The Great Britain team will be heading to Denmark with the goal of surpassing their impressive 56 medals, including 23 gold, from the 2023 Championships held in Glasgow.

The World Weightlifting Championships will take place in November and December.

The first ever premier weightlifting competition is being held in Bahrain and the organizers are filled with excitement. Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq, president of the Bahrain Weightlifting Federation, expressed gratitude to the International Weightlifting Federation for their trust and promises to host an amazing event that will contribute to the growth of the sport. Athletes from around the world will compete in 20 weight categories – 10 for men and 10 for women. China, who won 20 gold medals at the 2023 championships in Riyadh, is the team to beat, with a lead of 15 medals over second-place Thailand.

Source: theguardian.com