23 of the biggest sporting events in 2023

1. World Darts Championship final

3 January: Alexandra Palace, London

The sporting year started with a bang as Michael Smith beat Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to win his first PDC World Darts Championship. Darts fans at Alexandra Palace in London celebrated watching the Englishman throw a sensational nine-darter in the second set.

Smith’s nine-darter: how fans reacted to the ‘greatest leg of all time’

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2. 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup

13-29 January: Odisha, India

England and Wales will compete at the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup in India. Matches will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in the Indian state of Odisha.

3. Men’s Six Nations rugby championship

4 February-18 March: Europe-wide

International rugby union takes centre stage as England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete for the men’s Six Nations title.

4. 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

10-26 February: South Africa

Australia will be defending their title at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The event takes place in South Africa, with the final on 26 February at Newlands in Cape Town.

5. NFL Super Bowl LVII

12 February: Arizona, US

The NFL’s showpiece event, the Super Bowl, takes place on Sunday 12 February at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

6. Cheltenham Festival

14-17 March: Cheltenham, England

Four days of National Hunt jump racing will attract thousands of fans to Cheltenham Racecourse. There will be 14 Grade One races, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase.

7. Grand National Festival

13-15 April: Liverpool, England

A few weeks after Cheltenham, the world of horse racing will then focus on Aintree for the three-day Grand National Festival. The 2023 National will start at 5.15pm on Saturday 15 April.

8. World Snooker Championship

15 April-1 May: Sheffield, England

Snooker’s biggest event, the World Snooker Championship, is a highlight on the British sporting calendar. It will once again be held at the legendary Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending champion.

9. TCS London Marathon

23 April: London, England

The London Marathon returns to its traditional April slot on the sporting calendar, after the event was held for the previous three years in October.

10. Heineken Champions Cup final

20 May: Dublin, Ireland

European rugby union’s biggest club match, the Heineken Champions Cup final, will be held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The day before, the same stadium will also host the EPCR Challenge Cup final.

11. FA Cup final

3 June: London, Wembley

Wembley Stadium will be up for the cup on 3 June as the London venue hosts the final of the men’s FA Cup, 100 years after the old Wembley staged its first FA Cup final.

12. Uefa Champions League final

10 June: Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium will host the Uefa Champions League final on Saturday 10 June 2023. It will be the stadium’s second final, after hosting Liverpool’s 2005 win over AC Milan.

13. 24 Hours of Le Mans

10-11 June: Le Mans, France

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is part of the “triple crown” of motor sport, alongside the Indianapolis 500 and F1 Monaco Grand Prix. Endurance racing’s biggest event is held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France.

14. The Championships, Wimbledon

3-16 July: London, England

Wimbledon, one of the UK’s summer marquee events, will see the world’s top tennis players head to SW19 for the grass court grand slam event. At the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in 2022, Novak Djokovic won the men’s singles title and Elena Rybakina won the women’s.

15. F1 British Grand Prix

9 July: Silverstone, England

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris will hope to put on a winning performance in front of their home fans at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

16. Tour de France

1-23 July: France and Basque Country, Spain

This year the Tour de France has its grand départ and first three stages in Spain’s Basque Country. In France there will be a further 18 stages with the final one in Paris on Sunday 23 July.

17. The 151st Open Championship

20-23 July: Wirral, England

Royal Liverpool plays host to the Open Championship men’s golf major. Rory McIlroy will be aiming to win The Open for the second time – his only previous success coming at the Merseyside course in 2014.

18. 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup

20 July-20 August: Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, staging matches in nine cities across the two countries. European champions England will be looking to improve on their best finish: third in 2015.

19. 2023 Netball World Cup

28 July-6 August: Cape Town, South Africa

The 2023 Netball World Cup will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa, where five-time winners New Zealand will be defending their title.

20. 2023 Rugby World Cup

8 September-28 October: France

As well as the Six Nations championship, it’s a huge year for men’s rugby union with the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. The final on 28 October will be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.

21. 2023 Ryder Cup

29 September-1 October: Rome, Italy

Golf’s popular team event will see Europe take on the United States at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, Italy. In 2021 at Whistling Straits, the US convincingly regained the Ryder Cup with a record 19-9 victory.

22. F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

16-18 November: Las Vegas, US

Formula 1 will welcome the Las Vegas Grand Prix to its calendar in 2023. The new street circuit will include the famous Strip and the race takes place on a Saturday night in “Sin City”.

23. 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

October and November: India

There’s also a World Cup to be held in 2023 for men’s cricket. India will host the 13th edition of the ICC tournament in October and November. England are the defending champions after beating New Zealand in a dramatic final at Lord’s in 2019.