22 of the biggest sports events in 2022

1. World Darts Championship final

3 January: Alexandra Palace, London

The sporting new year starts with the PDC World Darts Championship at Ally Pally in London. The 2022 final will be held on Monday 3 January.

2. Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

4-20 February: Beijing, China

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Events for the Winter Olympic Games will take place in three zones: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. China’s National Stadium – the Bird’s Nest – was used for the 2008 summer games in Beijing and will host the opening and closing ceremonies this year.

3. Six Nations rugby championship

5 February-19 March: UK and Europe

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

4. NFL Super Bowl LVI

13 February: Los Angeles, California

The 56th Super Bowl, American football’s showpiece fixture, will be held at the spectacular SoFi Stadium in Inglewood – home of two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

5. ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

4 March-3 April: New Zealand

Eight nations will compete for the title at the 12th edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which was postponed from 2021. A total of 31 one-day matches will be held at six venues in New Zealand with the final on 3 April at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

6. Cheltenham Festival

15-18 March: Cheltenham Racecourse

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

7. Grand National Festival

7-9 April: Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool

A few weeks after Cheltenham, the world of horse racing will then focus on Aintree for the three-day Grand National Festival. The 2022 National will start at 5.15pm on Saturday 9 April.

8. Heineken Champions Cup final

28 May: Marseille, France

European rugby union’s biggest club match, the Heineken Champions Cup final, will be held at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. The day before, the same stadium will also host the European Rugby Challenge Cup final.

9. Uefa Champions League final

28 May: Saint Petersburg, Russia

The best club team in European football will be crowned on 28 May when the Uefa Champions League final is staged at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

10. 24 Hours of Le Mans

11-12 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. The 90th edition of endurance racing’s biggest event is held at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France.

11. The Championships, Wimbledon

27 June-10 July: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London

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. In 2021 Novak Djokovic won the gentlemen’s singles title and Ashleigh Barty won the ladies’ singles title.

Djokovic vs. Nadal vs. Federer: grand slams and big titles

12. Tour de France

1-24 July: Denmark (Grand Départ) and France

This year the Tour de France gets under way with the first three stages in Denmark. In France there will be a further 18 stages with the final one in Paris on 24 July.

13. Uefa Women’s Euro 2022

6-31 July: England

England is the host nation for the Uefa Women’s European Football Championship. The Lionesses are one of 16 teams taking part in the tournament and the final will be held at Wembley Stadium in London.

14. The 150th Open Championship

10-17 July: Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland

This year’s Open Championship is the 150th edition. The men’s golf major will be played at the home of golf, St Andrews in Scotland.

15. World Athletics Championships Oregon22

15-24 July: Eugene, Oregon, US

Rescheduled for 2022 because of the Tokyo Olympics taking place last summer, the World Athletics Championships will see the best track and field athletes compete at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field stadium.

16. Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

28 July-8 August: Birmingham, England

Birmingham will be in the sporting spotlight this summer when the Commonwealth Games take place in the West Midlands. The multi-sport event will be held at venues across the city, including the Alexander Stadium, Arena Birmingham, Edgbaston Stadium, and the NEC.

17. The Presidents Cup

19-25 September: North Carolina, US

There’s no Ryder Cup this year, but golf fans will still get to enjoy an international team event when the US Team face the International Team at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

18. London Marathon

2 October: London, England

Thousands of runners, including many in fancy dress, will raise money for charity as they join the elite athletes on the streets of the capital for the London Marathon in October.

19. Rugby World Cup

8 October-12 November: New Zealand

The biggest event in international women’s rugby union was rescheduled for this year due to the pandemic. New Zealand will host the event with games played at Eden Park and Waitakere Stadium in Auckland, and the Northland Events Centre in Whangarei.

20. Rugby League World Cup

15 October-19 November: England

Another major event rescheduled from 2021 was the Rugby League World Cup. Featuring the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups, there will be 61 matches played across the three tournaments in England.

21. World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022

29 October-6 November: Liverpool, England

Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena is the place to see world-class gymnastics this autumn. Stars from Team GB and the Tokyo Olympics will be in action on Merseyside.

22. Fifa World Cup

21 November-18 December: Qatar

The 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar will be the first to be played in the northern hemisphere’s winter. The World Cup final will be held at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium and France will head to the Gulf as the defending champions.