2020 is set to be a year to remember for sport. It’s the year of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the biggest Sporting Event in the world. On top of the usually hectic football calendar, we have Euro 2020 in June and July which will be played across Europe. To finish the year the Ryder Cup will be played at Whistling Straits in America and the Twenty20 World Cup will be contested in Australia.
January
Tennis – Australian Open – 20th January to 2nd February, Melbourne
The first major Grand Slam event of the Tennis Season is held in Melbourne. The other three are the French Open, Wimbledon Championship and the US Open.
It was first held in 1905 and was a grass tournament until 1988, when hard courts were introduced. Mats Wilander is the only player to have won it on both hard court and grass court. Novak Djokovic pictured here won the Men’s Singles in 2019 to make it his seventh record title. Naomi Osaka won the Women’s Singles in 2019.
Interesting Fact – 40,000 tennis balls are used every year in the tournament.
February
Rugby – Six Nations Championship Rugby – 1st February to 14th March, Various
The annual international competition between Rugby Union’s northern hemisphere titans. Wales are the current holders, having won the Grand Slam in 2019. This year will be a fascinating tournament, being so close to the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan in November. Will England be licking their wounds having been beaten in the final by South Africa? Scotland didn’t make it to the group stages in the World Cup so they’ll be raring to make amends for that.
It all starts in the Stade de France when England, the tournament favourites, take on France.
Interesting Fact – Twickenham stadium will sell around 160,547 pints each match.
American Football – Superbowl LIV – 2nd February, Miami
Perhaps the biggest single sporting event in the world. The Superbowl LIV which is going to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home to the Miami Dolphins in Florida. It will be the 54th Superbowl, held between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions San Fransisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will headline the show. Demi Lovato will sing the national anthem before the game starts.
Interesting Fact – Going to the Superbowl isn’t cheap! The average cost of Superbowl tickets cost in the region of $4,000 and $5,000.
Boxing – Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury II – 22nd February, Las Vegas
An eagerly anticipated rematch after the controversial split draw back in 2018. The two heavyweights will be fighting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Deontay is the reigning WBC Champion, and Wilder the undefeated former unified champion.
It will be shown on pay-per-view in the UK and Ireland on BT Sport Box Office
Interesting Fact – Tyson Fury was born 3 months premature and weighed in at 1lb with doctors describing his chances of survival as slim.
March
F1 – Formula One World Championship – 15th March to 29th November, Various
The F1 season returns on 15th March with the traditional opener in Melbourne. It concludes in Abu Dhabi on 29th November where Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to retain his title and match Michael Schumacher’s seven F1 drivers titles.
One to look out for is the young 22-year old Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari. He had an impressive first season in 2019 and looks to be one for the future.
Interesting Fact – F1 car engines last for only about 2 hours of racing before they blow up (compared to the average car engine lifetime of around 20 years!).
April
Horse Racing – The Grand National – 4th April, Aintree
Arguably the biggest race on the UK racing calendar, steeped in history and loved by many! It is a handicap steeplechase run over an official distance of about 4 miles, or in racing terms 2.5 furlongs. Horses will need to cover two laps jumping 30 fences along the way.
Tiger Roll will be aiming for a hat-trick of wins and will be backed by many punters to win.
Interesting Fact – It is estimated 13 million people place a bet on the Grand National each year, amounting to around £250m.
Athletics – London Marathon – 26th April, London, London
The most famous marathon in the world has been running (excuse the pun!), since 1981. It covers a distance of just over 26 miles passing through some of London’s most famous landmarks.
Interesting Fact – A marathon runner burns on average 2,600 calories (the equivalent to 10.5 high street burgers!).
May
Football – FA Cup Final – Women’s Final 9th May / Men’s Final 23rd May, Wembley
May concludes the end of the 2019/2020 football season so is dominated with Cup Finals. Manchester City are the holders in both the ladies and men’s FA Cup. Both Cup Finals will be held at Wembley Stadium.
Interesting Fact – The first-ever FA Cup Final in 1872 was held at The Oval, not Wembley.
Football – The Championship Play-Off Final – 25th May, Wembley
Also to be held at Wembley. It is always held on the second bank holiday in May and is considered to be football’s richest game. The winner of the game will be promoted to the riches of the Premier League.
Interesting Fact – The team who wins the Final is guaranteed a £170 million windfall by getting promoted to the Premier League.
Rugby – Champions Cup Final – 23rd May, Marseille
European Rugby’s showpiece game will be held at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. 2019 winners Saracens will be unable to retain the title due to financial irregularities.
Interesting Fact – The team who wins the Final is guaranteed a £170 million windfall by getting promoted to the Premier League.
Football – Champions League Final – 30th May, Istanbul
The showcase of European football will be held at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, home to Liverpool’s famous comeback in the 2005 Final. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side will be looking to reach their third consecutive Champions League final and retain the trophy they won in 2019 in Madrid.
Interesting Fact – If a club wins 5 Champions League Titles or 3 in a row, they get to wear the much-coveted UEFA Badge of Honour on their sleeve.
June
Cricket – England v West Indies Test Series – 4th June to 29th June
This will be England’s first Test of the summer. There will be 3 tests held at the Oval, Edgbaston and Lord’s. The Test series will form part of the World Test Championship.
Interesting Fact – The winner will receive the Wisden Trophy, currently held by the Windies.
Football – Euro 2020 – 12th June to 12th July, Final held at Wembley
For the first time the Euro’s will be held across a number of different European cities, including Dublin, Rome, Amsterdam, Bilbao, London, Saint Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest, Glasgow, Baku, Copenhagen and Glasgow. A truly European event! The semi-finals and final will be held at Wembley Stadium in July. Portugal will be hoping to retain the trophy they won at EURO 2016.
Interesting Fact – France are favourites to win the tournament, ahead of England 2nd favourites and Belgium who are 3rd favourites.
Tennis – Wimbledon Championship – 29th June to 12th July, Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is often regarded as the most prestigious. It is held at the All England Club in Wimbledon and is famous for being played on outdoor grass courts, often to the detriment of the English weather! Traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors and the consumption of tons of strawberries and thousands of litres of cream by spectators.
Djokovic is the Men’s Single holder whilst Halep won the Ladies singles tournament in 2019.
Interesting Fact – 28,000 kg of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream will be consumed during the tournament.
Cycling – Tour de France – 27th June to 19th July, France
The Tour de France is the most famous cycling race in the world. It’s an annual event consisting of 21 day-long stages over the course of 23 days. It includes 7 flat stages, 5 hilly stages, 7 mountain stages, 1 individual time-trial stage, 1 time-trial stage and 2 rest days.
The Grand Depart will take place in Nice with the race finishing in Paris on 19th July. Columbia’s Egan Bernal will hope to win the race for a second successive year.
Interesting Fact – The average cyclist will burn the equivalent of 252 McDonald’s Double Cheeseburgers during the race (123,900 calories, which equates to around 4,000 to 5,000 each stage).
July
Golf – The Open – 16th to 19th July, Royal St George’s
Often referred to as the British Open, it is the oldest golf tournament in the world having been founded in 1860. It’s also considered to be one of the most prestigious, steeped in tradition.
Interesting Fact – It is called the Open because it is in theory ‘open’ to all professionals and amateurs. In practice, the event is open to professionals and a small number of amateurs by invitation.
Athletics – Tokyo Olympics, 24th July to 9th August, Tokyo
The big event of the year, and the largest sporting event in the world! The 2020 Summer Olympics known officially as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Tokyo will host the games for the second time, having hosted it in 1964.
The games will feature 339 events in 33 different sports, over 50 disciplines.
Interesting fact – Gold medals are mostly made out of silver.
August
Athletics – Tokyo Paralympics – 24th August to 6th September, Tokyo
The Paralympics will follow the Olympics and will include 536 events, contested from 22 different sports.
Interesting Fact – The word ‘Paralympics’ has nothing to do with paralysis or paraplegia. In Greek, ‘para’ means ‘alongside or besides’, suggesting that the games run parallel to the Olympics.
September
Golf – Ryder Cup, 25th to 27th September, Wisconsin
The Ryder Cup is held every 2 years and is contested by team Europe and team USA, featuring the best golf players in the world. The 43rd edition will be held at Whistling Straits where Europe will be hoping to retain the trophy.
Interesting Fact – Each captain will put the name of one team member in a sealed cover for them to be withdrawn, in case of an injury to an opposing player. Each team will be rewarded ½ point if this happens.
October
Cricket – Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, 18th October to 15th November, Australia
Austalia’s iconic stadiums will be hosting the T20 World Cup, from the Gabba to the impressive Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Interesting Fact – No host nation has ever won the T20 World Cup.
