The past 2024 was filled with many unforgettable moments in the world of sports. Earlier in the year, Spain became the European champion in men's football, and in addition, the traditional Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were held, which this year were in the French capital Paris.

2025 is an "intermediate" year and will pass without a European or World Championship for men, as well as without a Summer or Winter Olympics, but it will be no less exciting with tournaments such as the Club World Cup, the Women's European Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Here are some of the most significant and major sporting events in 2025:

Club World Cup

The 21st edition of the Club World Cup will be held in the USA and will be historic. For the first time, the competition will feature 32 teams and will take place over the course of a month – from June 14 to July 13. Inter Miami, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the squad, will take part as the host, and there are 12 teams from Europe, including the winners of the last four Champions Leagues Chelsea (2021), Real Madrid (2022, 2024) and Manchester City (2023). The remaining nine teams are Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and RB Salzburg. One of the drawn groups includes City and Juventus, and another – PSG and Atletico, who have already played in the Champions League. The opening match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 14, with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 13.

Women’s Euro 2025

The Women’s European Championship will be held in Switzerland from July 2-27. The defending champions are England, who defeated Germany in the 2022 final to lift their first ever trophy. The Lionesses, led by coach Sarina Wiegman, sealed their place in the European Championship by finishing second in their qualifying group. Another British nation, Wales, will also be at Euro 2025 for the first time in their history after beating the Republic of Ireland in the play-off final between the two teams. Both England and Wales were drawn in the same group as France and the Netherlands – the Tulips became European champions in 2017, when Wiegman was in charge of the national team.

Women’s Rugby World Cup

England will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup from 22 August to 27 September. It will be the first to be held on English soil since 2010. The opening match will be held at the Stadium of Light, home of second-tier English football club Sunderland, while the final will be played at the Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), the second largest in the UK after the iconic Wembley and the fourth largest in Europe. New Zealand are the current holders of the trophy, having defeated hosts England in the 2022 final. New Zealand have won six of the last seven Women's World Championships - their streak was stopped by England, who triumphed in 2014 after a victory over Canada.

World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Championships will be held at the Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital Tokyo between 13-21 September. More than 2,000 athletes from around 200 countries are expected to compete for medals in various disciplines. Spectators in the stands will enjoy many battles, including in the race walk, high jump and 100m sprint. Some of the top athletes will not miss the opportunity to add another medal to their collection - among them are the names of Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic silver medalist in the heptathlon Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Women's Cricket World Cup

The Women's Cricket World Cup in India is one of the main tournaments that kick off the sporting season in the autumn. This is the fourth time the country will host the competition. The competition will be the last with eight teams - the number will increase in the future. Australia is the most successful nation in the history of the sport with its seven world crowns behind them. They are also the reigning champions, having defeated England in the final two years ago.

Africa Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Morocco in December, and the tournament is set to be a highly anticipated one, with some of the world's best players taking part. Among them are Premier League players such as Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana (Cameroon). The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on December 21 and runs until January 18, 2026. It will be the first time the tournament has been held over the Christmas and New Year period. The previous eight editions of the tournament have produced seven different champions, with Ivory Coast the only country to have lifted the trophy twice in the last 15 years. | BGNES