- Africa Cup of Nations: 13 January-11 February The 34th edition of Africa’s premier sporting event was originally scheduled for June and July 2023 in Ivory Coast, but it was rescheduled to early 2024 due to the rainy season. Mohamed Salah will be aiming for redemption after Egypt’s heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Senegal in the 2022 final. Other star players to watch include André Onana (Cameroon), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria).
- Australian Open: 14 January-28 January Melbourne could witness tennis history as Novak Djokovic aims for his 25th Grand Slam title, surpassing Australia’s Margaret Court as the most successful player in the sport’s history. Few doubt the world No. 1 can achieve this milestone at a tournament where Rafael Nadal is expected to compete after a year-long hiatus due to a hip injury. In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will look to defend her title after a powerful and determined performance against Elena Rybakina in the 2023 final.
- Men’s & Women’s Six Nations: 2 February-16 March, 23 March-27 April Just four months after various heartbreaks at the Rugby World Cup, the northern hemisphere’s finest will compete in the Six Nations. Ireland, the Grand Slam winners, will kick off their campaign with an exciting match in Marseille. England, sans captain Owen Farrell, will head to Rome the following day, with Wales and Scotland clashing in Cardiff. The women’s competition will commence a week after the men’s concludes, with England aiming to build on their 2023 triumph when they secured the Grand Slam in front of a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 at Twickenham.
- Super Bowl LVIII: 11 February The 58th edition of American football’s premier event will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, aim for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years and hope to defend their title after a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona. The halftime show will feature Usher, adding to the excitement with his performance.
- Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: 17 February After much anticipation, the highly awaited bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is finally happening. The fight was delayed following Fury’s surprising split-decision victory over UFC’s Francis Ngannou in Riyadh in October, which required some time for recovery. Fury will face Usyk in the Saudi Arabian capital, with both fighters vying to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. Despite the location, the contest promises to be an exciting showdown.
- Formula One World Championship: 2 March-8 December The upcoming Formula One season will bring significant changes. The calendar will expand to a record 24 races, the maximum feasible for teams and personnel. The first two races, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will be held on consecutive Saturdays. Additionally, F1 has confirmed six sprint races in China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil, and Qatar. Despite these changes, it’s likely that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will continue their dominance from 2023, setting the stage for another impressive season.
- The Masters: 11 April-14 April Jon Rahm will head to Augusta aiming to defend the title he secured on an exciting final day in 2023. The Spaniard, competing in his first major since his controversial move to LIV Golf, will be confident, having also contributed to Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Rome. Rory McIlroy will be seeking his first major win in a decade, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is expected to be a formidable contender. There’s also the intriguing possibility of Tiger Woods returning to compete in the Masters.
- England Women vs. Pakistan Women Twenty20 series: 11 May-19 May The growth of English women’s cricket is evident as Heather Knight’s white-ball team is set to open the international summer with a three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan. The matches will be held at Edgbaston, Northampton, and Headingley. Following this, there will be a three-match one-day series against Pakistan, and later, three ODIs and five T20s against New Zealand. “Next summer’s schedule will see England Women play at more venues and allow more people to see their heroes in action,” said England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Richard Gould.
- Women’s Champions League Final: 25 May The San Mamés stadium in Bilbao will host the pinnacle event of European women’s club football. Fans hope for a match as thrilling as the 2023 final, where Barcelona overcame a two-goal deficit at half-time to defeat Wolfsburg 3-2 in Eindhoven. English hopes now rest with Chelsea, following Arsenal’s unexpected loss to Paris FC in the first qualifying round. A victory would mark Chelsea’s first Women’s Champions League title and serve as a fitting farewell for manager Emma Hayes before her move to the United States.
- Men’s Champions League Final: 1 June Can Manchester City defend their title at Wembley and add to last season’s treble? Despite current form suggesting a challenge, City typically improve as the season progresses and have received a favorable last-16 draw against FC Copenhagen. Arsenal, aiming for their first Champions League title, will face Porto. Other strong contenders include Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in what will be the final edition of the competition in its current format before next year’s controversial switch to the “Swiss model.”
- Men’s Twenty20 World Cup: 4 June-30 June For the first time, the United States will co-host a cricket World Cup, alongside the West Indies, aiming to expand the game’s reach. It will be interesting to see how cities like Dallas and New York embrace the event. This World Cup will feature 20 teams, making it the largest ever. England will look to avoid repeating their disappointing performance in the recent 50-over tournament in India and strive to retain their 20-over title.
- Euro 2024: 14 June-14 July Germany will host a major men’s football tournament for the first time since the 2006 World Cup, with hopes it will match the excitement of that event. The tournament is wide open, with England considered serious contenders. Scotland, having qualified for a second consecutive Euros, will face the hosts in the opening game, while Wales needs to win a playoff to reach the finals. If successful, Robert Page’s team will be grouped with France and the Netherlands.
- Royal Ascot: 18 June-22 June Auguste Rodin had a mixed three-year-old season but achieved a notable feat by securing a Group One win following his Derby victory, culminating in a strong finish at the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He is the best Ballydoyle Derby winner to continue training since High Chaparral in 2002-03, with some even suggesting a potential run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Regardless, he will be a prominent figure in major all-aged events in 2024, starting with the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
- Tour de France & Tour de France Femmes: 29 June-21 July, 12 August-18 August The 111th edition of cycling’s premier event will feature several firsts, including the Grand Départ in Italy (Florence) and the race concluding in Nice instead of Paris. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard will aim for a third consecutive title, while Mark Cavendish seeks to break the record of 34 Tour stage wins he currently shares with Eddy Merckx, having postponed his retirement. The third edition of the Tour de France Femmes will begin in Rotterdam, delayed due to the Olympics.
- Wimbledon: 1 July-14 July The 2024 Championships will have a tough act to follow after the drama of 2023, which saw Marketa Vondrousova become the first unseeded player to win the women’s singles title by defeating Ons Jabeur, and Carlos Alcaraz securing his second Grand Slam title by overcoming Novak Djokovic in an epic men’s final. With numerous British players, including Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie, poised to make deep runs into the second week, the stage is set for another thrilling tournament.
- England Men vs. West Indies Men Test Series: 10 July-30 July England will return to red-ball cricket on home soil for the first time since the Ashes, facing the West Indies, who last toured in the summer of 2020 during the pandemic. That series was played without crowds, resulting in a subdued atmosphere. This time, the matches at Lord’s, Trent Bridge, and Edgbaston will be played in front of fans, with England sticking to their aggressive “Bazball” style despite Stuart Broad’s retirement. Following the West Indies series, England will play three Tests against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, Lord’s, and The Oval.
- The Open: 18 July-21 July Royal Troon will host The Open for the first time since 2016, when Henrik Stenson won the Claret Jug after a thrilling final-round duel with Phil Mickelson. Fans hope for similar excitement in 2024, contrasting with the 2023 tournament, where Brian Harman dominated a rain-soaked final day at Royal Liverpool. Adding a touch of sentiment, Colin Montgomerie plans to compete at a course close to his childhood home. “This is where I started playing,” he said. “This is home.”
- Olympics: 26 July-11 August “We want a huge party,” declared Étienne Thobois, chief executive of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. The first Olympics in Europe since London 2012 promises a spectacular start, with athletes traveling along the Seine in a grand flotilla for the opening ceremony. In addition to the traditional sports, there will be four new ones, including breakdancing and skateboarding. British athletes to watch for potential glory at Stade de France include Keely Hodgkinson, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Zharnel Hughes.
- Paralympics: 28 August-8 September The Paris Paralympics will feature 22 sports, as in Tokyo three years prior, with 4,400 athletes competing over 11 days. The event will kick off with wheelchair rugby, where Great Britain will aim to defend their gold medal won in a 54-49 victory over the United States in August 2021, one of 124 medals (41 gold) won by ParalympicsGB in Japan. The closing weekend will showcase wheelchair fencing under the iconic dome of the Grand Palais.
- Women’s Twenty20 World Cup: September-October Bangladesh will host the ninth edition of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, where Australia will be the strong favorites to claim their seventh title. Despite the retirement of Meg Lanning, who led Australia to their sixth title in South Africa, other teams see an opportunity. England will enter the tournament with momentum from a series of T20 matches, including three in India. The World Cup will feature 10 teams, with two spots decided by a global qualifier in early 2024.
- Solheim Cup: 10 September-15 September The Solheim Cup returns just 12 months after its last edition at Finca Cortesín, as organizers aim to move the event to even-numbered years to avoid clashing with the Ryder Cup. The competition will take place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Europe, captained again by Suzann Pettersen, will be seeking their fourth consecutive victory, while Stacy Lewis will once more lead the US team. “It’s such an honour to be asked to captain Team Europe again,” said Pettersen, a 21-time tournament winner.
- Super League Grand Final: 12 October Wigan Warriors ended St Helens’ dominance by winning the Grand Final for the first time in five years with a commanding performance against Catalan Dragons at Old Trafford in October. As the new season approaches, Matt Peet’s team aims to return to the Grand Final in 2024. Additionally, Wigan will face the NRL champions, Penrith Panthers, in the World Club Challenge on 24 February, a rematch of the 1991 clash at Anfield, which Wigan won 21-4.
- Cycling World Championships: 16 October-20 October The Ballerup Super Arena will host this event for the third time, having previously done so in 2002 and 2010, ensuring a smooth and successful competition. Organisers are confident about the preparations, with project coordinator Andreas Juul Ingvartsen stating, “Everything is proceeding according to plan” in October. The championships will kick off with the women’s and men’s team pursuit qualifying rounds. Great Britain will aim to build on their impressive haul of 56 medals, including 23 golds, from the 2023 Championships in Glasgow.
- Weightlifting World Championships: November-December For the first time, Bahrain will host weightlifting’s premier competition, and the anticipation is high. Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq, president of the Bahrain Weightlifting Federation, expressed gratitude to the International Weightlifting Federation and emphasized their commitment to hosting a fantastic event that promotes the sport. Athletes will compete in 20 weight categories—10 for men and 10 for women. China will be the team to beat, having dominated the 2023 championships in Riyadh with 20 gold medals, 15 more than second-place Thailand.