Sport in Focus
2024 looks to be an exhilarating year in the world of sport. There are important sporting events taking place around the world, including the Summer Olympics, the UEFA European Championship, and the Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups. In this article we take a deeper look at 12 of the biggest events taking place this year.
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India v England Test Series
There is top cricket action beginning in January as England travel to India for a five Test match series. The first Test match will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium Hyderabad, before travelling around the country in February and March for the remainder of the series. A highly anticipated affair, the Indians will go in as favourites of the series, having home-advantage and beginning the year as the number two ranked team in the world, but the English will try to bring their exciting style of play, known as ‘Bazball’, to the Test matches to deliver a victory in India.
Men’s Six Nations
The Men’s Six Nations will begin in February and conclude in March. The annual rugby union competition, which sees the top six sides in Europe go head-to-head to reign supreme, was won in 2023 by Rugby World Cup Semi-Finalists, Ireland. This earnt them their fifth win of the competition in its current iteration, and their third Grand Slam, after winning all their games in last year’s competition. They will be amongst the favourites for 2024’s competition, but France and England are likely to prove tough competition for Ireland this year.
Super Bowl LVIII
The 58th Super Bowl will mark the end of the 2023/24 NFL season, taking place on 11th February between the winners of the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Super Bowl LVII, last year’s edition, was won by the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, clinching the title in the fourth quarter of an exciting game. Currently, as the NFL post-season is just about to begin, the Baltimore Ravens are many people’s favourites for the title this year.
The Masters
The first golf major of the year, The Masters, takes place between 11th and 14th of April this year at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club. Jon Rahm won his first Masters in 2023, his second overall major title, after winning the U.S. Open in 2021, and will be hoping he gets the win in consecutive years at Augusta. Rory McIlroy, 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler, and Viktor Hovland will all look to prevent Rahm from achieving this.
Men’s T20 World Cup
The Men’s T20 World Cup will take place in June of this year, with the West Indies and the United States co-hosting this edition of the competition. This will be the United States’ first time hosting a major cricket tournament, and the first time the West Indies have hosted a cricket World Cup of any description since 2010. It will also be the former’s first time qualifying for a T20 World Cup, along with Canada and Uganda. England won the competition in 2022 in Australia against Pakistan and will be looking for consecutive tournament wins to lift their third overall T20 World Cup title.
UEFA European Championship
Germany will host the 2024 UEFA European Championship from 14th June to 14th July. Italy are the reigning Champions of the competition, winning the 2020 tournament (which was hosted in 2021) against England on penalties. They will have a tough task retaining their title from the outset, however, being drawn in a group with Spain, Croatia, and Albania. The Final will take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, and current favourites to win this year’s tournament include England, France, and Germany.
Tour de France
The second cycling Grand Tour of the year, the Tour de France, will take place from 29th June to 21st July. The route will see the riders begin in Florence, Italy, travelling through places such as Bologna, Turin, and Pinerolo, before entering France and Monaco for the remainder of the race. For the first time in half a century, the race will not finish at the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but instead a time-trial between Monaco and Place Masséna in Nice. Jonas Vingegaard will return to defend his second successive win of the race, whilst trying to prevent the likes of two-time winner Tadej Pogačar from winning instead.
Wimbledon
The famous Wimbledon Championships will take place in July at the prestigious All England Lawn Tennis Club. The tournament, which is the third tennis Grand Slam of the year after the Australian Open and the French Open, is a highlight of the sporting calendar and the most coveted title in tennis. Carlos Alcaraz performed outstandingly in last year’s Men’s Singles, beating Novak Djokovic in an exciting Final to lift his first title, whilst there was also a first-time winner in the Women’s Singles, as Markéta Vondroušová shocked many becoming the first unseeded woman to win the singles title.
Summer Olympics
The always highly anticipated Summer Olympic Games will take place in July and August this year. Paris will host the competition for the third time and will become only the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics on three occasions. The 2020 Olympic Games, hosted in Tokyo in 2021, saw the United States top the medal table for an amazing 18th time, with China, Japan, and Great Britain all also putting in solid performances at the Games. This edition promises to be as exciting as ever.
Summer Paralympics
The Summer Paralympics will also take place in Paris this year, from 28th August to 8th September. The top event of the calendar for athletes with disabilities, the Paralympics always showcases some of the most exciting sporting action on offer. The 2020 event, also hosted in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, saw China top the medal table by a clear margin above Great Britain and the United States in second and third, respectively.
Women’s T20 World Cup
The Women’s T20 World Cup, the ninth edition of the competition, is also scheduled for 2024 and will take place in Bangladesh between September and October. The 2023 edition of the tournament, which was hosted in South Africa, saw Australia win their record sixth title, five more than their closest rivals England and the West Indies, who have both won one apiece. It was also Australia’s third successive title, and they will go in as clear favourites for this year’s tournament, but can anybody stop their dominance?
America’s Cup
One of the most anticipated events of the year, the America’s Cup, will take place in the waters of Barcelona, Spain in October. In what is the 37th edition of the competition, the event is a first to seven wins match-race series between the representative of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the winner of the Challenger Selection Series. Last time, in 2021, Team Zealand defended their title against the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team from Italy.
With so many sports events taking place year-round, it can be difficult to keep up to date with every sport you would like to. Fixture Calendar provides you with a one-stop shop for all your favourite sports’ schedules and up-to-date information.
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Written by Harry Stephens, January 2024
Photos by Luca Dagaro, Florian Schmetz