The Main Sporting Events of 2024 You Should Know About
2024 is an interesting year on all fronts. For those sports personalities who have not celebrated their birthday for the last few years, it is a leap year meaning we have February the 29th as part of the calendar. Sports fans are not to be left behind, there are lots of activities that are lined up in the year. In this article, we will be exploring the main sporting events to watch in 2024.
First quarter of the year
We are almost completing the first quarter of 2024 and already we have seen some of the greatest sporting events of the year and more are lined up. We had the Africa Cup of Nations in the second week of the year running to February. The most prestigious sports activity in Africa saw Ivory Coast, which was also the host, crowned the champion.
As Kate Richardson, a sports betting pundit puts it, “punters had a hard time choosing between Nigeria and Ivory Coast in the finals, the two soccer giants in Africa”.
However, those who relied on tips and predictions that had been provided by seasoned pundits had a relatively easy time. Kate says that although AFCON 2023 had its surprises, most of the matches were easy to predict as they largely depended on the team’s history as well as the star players that graced the competition.
The same feat was to be repeated in Asia where Qatar, the hosting nation in the AFC Asian Cup carried the day becoming the champion for the second time after the 2019 championships.
Other big events that we held in the first quarter of the year include the 2024 Dakar Rally, Grand Slam Australia Tennis Open (January 7th-28th), UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Championship matches, Winter Youth Olympics(19th January- February 1st), American Football Super Bowl, Rugby World Cup Six Nations, IAAF World Indoor Championships among others.
Africa Games
AFCON was not the only big sporting event in Africa, there are more events lined up for the year. Ghana is playing host to the prestigious event which is on its 13th edition. Initially known as the All-Africa Games.
It was first held in 1965 with Brazzaville playing host. Other countries that have hosted the major event include Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, and Kenya. Speaking of Kenya, the country is a major sporting event in the continent and the world, and fans expect it to perform well in the championships.
Kenya is presenting a strong team with many expecting it to bag several gold medals, especially in track events. Kenyans are also big in sports betting with punters following several tournaments including the biggest sporting event in the world –the FIFA World Cup where bettors bagged home handsome awards. MightyTips sports experts talked about best betting sites in Kenya and punters who relied on the tips offered by the betting pundits from these platforms had an easy time making predictions. This is not the only big event that Kenya punters seek advice from pundits, they also rely on tips and predictions offered by big names in sports betting when it comes to local leagues as well as international tournaments.
Sports events in April 2024
Golf, Snooker, Horse racing, and UEFA Champions League matches are some of the events that are lined up in the April 2024 sports calendar. The sporting schedule indicates that the Grand National Horse Racing event will start on 11th April.
As Randy Moss put it during the Wood Memorial, Blue Grass Stakes, and Santa Anita Derby analysis on NBC Sports ”horse racing fans should expect a spectacular performance, especially with the reduction of the number of horses from 40 to 34.”
The Grand National is expected to be one of the most viewed events, attracting more than 600 million viewers with physical attendance in tunes of thousands.
Happening at the same time with the Grand National race will be the Masters at Augusta Golf Course in Georgia. In their analysis on Golf Channel, renowned analysts Matt Adams and Eamon say that this year’s event will be highly competitive as Thorbjørn Olesen, Ryo Hisatsune and Joaquin Niemann have been extended special invitations to the 2024 Masters.
“Their invitation is based on the stellar performances in the previous events and we expect them to give other golfers a run for their money,” said Matt Adams.
After the World Snooker Championship in April, sports fans should brace themselves for a spectacular show as May is lined up with major sporting activities including:
Athletics World Championship paralympics in Kobe -17 to 25 May 2024
IIHF World Championship in Czech Republic -10th to 26th May 2024
US PGA-May 16th -19th 2024
French Tennis Open-20th May to 9th June 2024
FA Cup final-25th May 2024
Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix - 26th May 2024
Andy 500 auto racing championship - May 2024
Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia, Tim Tszyu vs. Keith Thurman boxing meets May 30th
Sporting events in June
EURO 2024 in Germany
Between June 14th and July 14th, 2024, football fans will be treated to World Series football. It is the most viewed world event coming after the Summer Olympics, African and Asia continental football championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the FIFA Women’s Cup.
Hosted by Germany, the event is likely to see a new country being crowned the champion with punters expected to have a hard time predicting the games given the level of competition that may characterize the tournament. This is the first major event that Germany is hosting after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Other major events scheduled in June include:
ICC World Cup Men’s T20, a cricket World Cup event - 1st to 29th June 2024
Tour de France-29th June to 21 July 2024
48th edition of Copa America -June 20th to July 14th 2024
UEFA Champion League final at Wembley Stadium -1st June 2024
Stanley Cup Finals- June 25th 2024
July – September sports events calendar
In a period when major football leagues will be on recess, other sporting activities will be happening in different parts of the world. these include:
Wimbledon 2024-1st July to 14th July 2024
World Rowing Championships in Canada in September 18-19th August 2024
Paralympic Games in France in August 28th -8th september 2021
Baseball World Series- 1s October 2024
World Track Championships in Denmark -16th -20th October 2024
FINA World Swimming Championship - October 2024
Various teams including the Ryder Cup teams will be preparing for the 2025 tournaments
Like many other years, 2024 has a lot in store for sports fans and betting enthusiasts. However, there are top-tier sporting events that will only happen this year, talk of EURO 2024 among other activities, this is the year that Germany will hold major football events since the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Whether it's die-hard sports fans or casual observers, the 2024 sports calendar has something for all. Mark your calendar and get ready for the action.
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