Sport fans can anticipate another year of thrilling action, culminating with the Olympic Games, which featured two T20 cricket World Cups, as well as a Euro championship.
Al Jazeera lists the top five events to watch out for in 2025 out of the dozens of well-known tournaments that are spread throughout the year:
ICC Champions Trophy (Pakistan and United Arab Emirates): February 19 – March 9
Less than two months before the tournament’s opening game, the fate of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was decided after months of speculation and tug-of-war between hosts Pakistan and India’s neighbors.
The eight-team competition, last played in 2017 when Pakistan beat India in the final in London, will now be partially played in Dubai after India’s refusal to play their fixtures in Pakistan.
When the competition begins on February 19 in Karachi, the winner will be Australia, Pakistan, and T20 champions India, who are both 50-over world champions. After the Indian government refused to send its team to Pakistan, the famous Pakistan-India match will take place in Dubai.
The top four finishers will advance to the March 4 and 5 semifinals in Dubai and Lahore, respectively, for the 15-match competition to be played in a round-robin format. If India qualifies, the final is scheduled for Lahore on March 9; however, it might move to Dubai.
UEFA Women’s Euro Championship (Switzerland): July 2 – 27
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was termed as the event that awakened a “sleeping giant” and blazed a trail for women’s football. Two years later, the women’s game will be thrown back into the limelight with the Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Spain, the 13-time champion of the tournament, will be the favorites to win the trophy, but record-holder England and record-eight-time champion Germany will be in the mix for the 16-team competition.
Thun will host the opening game between Iceland and Finland, while Basel will host the final match on July 27. The host nation will host the championship’s eight locations.
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October
The United States (US) will host the revamped version of FIFA’s premier club competition a year before the FIFA World Cup returns to North America following a 32-year hiatus.
In a bid to boost the tournament’s profile and attract a wider audience, the Club World Cup has been expanded to a 32-team event from the usual seven top clubs from regional confederations. The new Intercontinental Cup will now be held annually as the competition’s annual championship, making the event a quadrennial competition under the guidance of FIFA.
New Jersey will host the finals of both tournaments, while the 2025 edition will be held at some of the venues that were originally scheduled to host the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina star Lionel Messi’s club Inter Miami CF have entered the competition for the first time and will be up against the likes of global giants Real Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus, Fluminense, Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich.
The tournament’s expansion and scheduling during European football’s summer break has invited criticism from players ‘ bodies and football experts. The European Commission has received a joint complaint from FIFA and the European Leagues organization over the inclusion of the tournament in the international match schedule.
The new tournament’s opponents claim that it causes more players’ workloads and adds more congestion to an already busy schedule.
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October
India’s trophy collection for the Women’s ICC World Cup is surprisingly small given its status as the world’s premier league and its reputation as a global powerhouse.
When the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup returns to India in September 2025, international stars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues will have a chance to end the drought.
The South Asian country hosted the tournament twice in 1997 and 2013, but at a time when women’s cricket was not as well known as it is now.
The full list of teams, venues and final schedule for the 2025 edition have not been confirmed. Australia, the record-seven-time champion, will be the favorites to retake the trophy, but four-time champions England and India, the nation’s hosts, will look to overthrow the holders.
If India and Pakistan agree to host their matches in green, the women’s green will do so at a nearby venue if they do so.
Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco): December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026
The Morocco-based Africa Cup of Nations, which is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event on the continent of Africa, will take place from December 2025 to January 2026 for the second time in Morocco.
In their bid to capture their second AFCON title since 1976, the FIFA World Cup 2030 co-hosts will make the most of their home advantage, but regional leaders Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, and Egypt will be in their way.
AFCON was originally scheduled for June and July, but it was changed to the end of the year as a result of the revamped Club World Cup’s appointment.
Six cities, including Rabat, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir will host the games.
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