16.01.2023 • Author: Sebastian Cramer
This year, sports fans can look forward to numerous events. Already in January, the Australian Open will be the first big event and the Super Bowl is just around the corner. In this post, we would like to introduce you to the most important sporting events in 2023. We’ll look at three of the biggest events in each quarter and tell you exactly when they’ll take place. In addition, you’ll find out the dates of competitions that might be interesting for fans of smaller sports. Let’s start with the months of January to March!
The sports year is off to a furious start: The Handball World Cup and the Australian Open are already in full swing. For many fans around the world, the Super Bowl is also a highlight that is eagerly awaited every year. Let’s now take a look at the dates and background of the sporting events that are particularly important in the first quarter of 2023.
The Australian Open will take place in Melbourne from January 16 to January 29. There are many exciting storylines ahead of the tournament start: Can veteran Rafael Nadal repeat his success from last year or will returnee Novak Djokovic secure a sensational 10th title at Rod Laver Arena? Olympic champion Alexander Zverev will also be back after a long injury layoff. The Australian Open was also marked in the run-up by the absences of some top stars, such as Carlos Alcaraz or Naomi Ōsaka, who recently announced her pregnancy. Nevertheless, numerous top stars will meet and entertain the spectators on site and around the world.
While Sweden is hosting a men’s handball World Cup for the sixth time, Poland is (co-)hosting the tournament for the first time. So between January 11 and January 29, the world’s handball elite will meet. The focus is on world champion Denmark, and France, Spain and host Sweden are also among the favorites. Germany and Norway also have outsider chances, according to the bookmakers.
The 57th Super Bowl takes place on February 12 and marks the highlight of the NFL season, as it does every year. This time, the football spectacle takes place in Glendale, Arizona, at the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals. This year’s favorites include the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers should not be underestimated either. One thing is certain: in 2023, millions of fans around the world will once again be following who secures the coveted Super Bowl rings and the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Music fans will also be well entertained, as Rihanna has already been confirmed as a half-time act.
In addition to these major events, the following sporting events will take place in the first quarter of 2023:
In the second quarter, the action continues at high speed. In Istanbul, Europe’s top two teams will battle it out to take the crown of European soccer. In addition, the NBA finals will take place in June. But it all starts in April with the Masters Championships.
Between April 6 and April 9, the best golfer will be sought for the 87th time on the Augusta National Golf Club course. Controversially, some golfers who compete for the LIV Golf Association will also receive an invitation. The main sponsor of this association is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. In 2022, Scottie Scheffler was able to secure the coveted Green Jacket. The sensational comeback of golf legend Tiger Woods, who won his fifth title in Augusta in 2019, has also attracted a lot of attention in recent years.
This year’s UEFA Champions League final will be held in Istanbul on June 10. Last year, Real Madrid won its 14th title in the top flight, making the Spanish team by far the record winner. So in June we’ll see whether they take the throne again this year or whether a team from the Bundesliga, Premier League or Ligue 1 wins, where Lionel Messi could celebrate another triumph this season with Paris Saint-Germain after the World Cup title.
It is not yet clear who will meet in the NBA Finals in June. The record-breaking Boston Celtics are currently leading the Eastern Conference, while the Denver Nuggets are ahead in the Western Conference. But the Memphis Grizzlies are also in very good form at the moment. However, everything could be shaken up again in the playoffs when it comes to deciding who will succeed the Golden State Warriors.
Other sporting events taking place in Q2 2023 include:
The summer of sports in 2023 will also be marked by highlights. The most important sporting events of the summer include the Tour de France, the World Championships in Athletics, and the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world: the Wimbledon Championships. Here you can find out when these events take place.
Despite numerous doping scandals in recent decades, the Tour de France continues to enjoy great popularity among cycling fans. The Tour of France has now been taking place for more than 100 years. This year, the competition runs from July 1 to July 23. Until then, the participants fight for the yellow jersey as well as the points classification for the best sprinter, the mountain classification and the junior classification. Last year Jonas Vingegaard was able to secure the overall classification. However, the young Slovenian Tadej Pogačar is hot on his third success after 2020 and 2021.
From July 3 to July 16, excitement will once again be the order of the day when the top players in the tennis world meet at Wimbledon. Last year, Yelena Rybakina won the women’s tournament and the prize money of £2,000,000. The men’s tournament was won by a usual suspect: Novak Djokovic won the tournament for the seventh time. In the final, unfortunately, there was no dream duel with Rafael Nadal, who had to pull out injured before the semifinals. This year, Djokovic has the chance to break Roger Federer’s record and win his eighth title on the London Center Court.
Another sporting highlight in the summer of 2023 is the Women’s World Cup. The big question is: Can the USA win its third world title in a row or will another nation manage to break through the dominance of the Americans? The tournament runs from July 10 to August 20. It will be the 9th tournament since the inception of the Women’s World Cup. For the first time, 32 teams will play for the title and after 2019, the prize money has also been doubled. In Germany, too, many fans will once again be feverish, as can be seen from the fact that almost 18 million people watched the European Championship final on TV last year. The match thus achieved the highest viewing figures for a soccer match in 2022.
In a specially built stadium in Budapest for the competitions, the World Championships of Track and Field Athletes will be held from August 19 to August 27. So this time fans had to wait only one year instead of the usual two years, because the last World Championships in Eugene, Oregon last year was actually supposed to be held in 2021. At that time, the USA won the medal table with a clear lead. Highlights included Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who won her fifth title in the women’s 100m. The highlight, however, was the world record set by pole vault superstar Armand Duplantis, who cleared the almost unbelievable height of 6.21m, beating the competition by a staggering 27cm. These and other performances give hope that the World Championships will provide unforgettable moments again this year.
The following sporting events will also take place in the summer of 2023:
Even though the season is coming to an end for many outdoor sports, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still sporting highlights to come before the end of the year! Among other things, the World Series in baseball will be played. In addition, the Men’s World Handball Championship will be followed by the Women’s World Championship in January. Furthermore, the Darts World Championship traditionally takes place in London at the turn of the year.
The exact date for the World Series has not yet been set, but baseball fans will definitely get their money’s worth when it comes to the Commissioner’s Trophy in October. In 2022, the Houston Astros won the coveted trophy against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the last six years, the Astros have reached the World Series four times, winning it in 2017 as well. Jeremy Peña was also the first rookie to be named Finals Series MVP.
The Women’s Handball World Championship will be held from November 30 to December 17. The hosts are Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The tournament has also been awarded to three countries for the first time. Thus, it is a home game for the world champions Norway, who won the tournament in Spain in 2021. This year’s World Cup also promises to provide many exciting matches and, of course, plenty of goals.
The last Darts World Championship at Alexandra Palace in London has just ended. “Bully Boy” Michael Smith was crowned world champion in a top-flight final against Michael van Gerwen, which culminated spectacularly in a leg in which van Gerwen missed the 9-darter by just one shot while Smith perfected it seconds later made. The next World Cup will start in December 2023 and last until January 2024.
The following events also take place at the end of the sports year:
All in all, we can look forward to many great sporting events in 2023. No matter which sport you are a fan of, there is something for everyone! For the events for which the exact dates have not yet been determined, further information will follow in the coming weeks and months. If you are still interested in the latest information from professional sports, feel free to check out our other blog posts or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn!
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