A Look Ahead – What Are the Most Exciting 2025 Sports Events?

There’s no doubt that this year has been an exceptional one for sport. From Spain’s superb triumph in Euro 2024 and the latest iteration of the Summer Olympics in Paris to the undisputed heavyweight boxing clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

These events have dominated the back pages across the globe, while driving significant betting activity at the best online sportsbooks. As this year draws to a close, however, sports fans are already looking ahead to a similar stellar 2025, with a packed schedule from January through December. But which 2025 sports events are the most hotly anticipated? Let’s get into it!

• The Australian Open – One of the Biggest Sports Events 2025
• The Super Bowl – Can the Kansas City Chiefs Perform a ‘Three-Peat in 2025?
• The UCL Final – One of the Toughest to Call Sports Events in 2025
• UEFA Women’s Euros – Competing for the Title of Europe’s Best Football Nation
• The Ryder Cup – Who Will Claim Trans-Atlantic Bragging Rights in 2025?
• The Last Word – Standing by for a Bumper Year of Sport in 2025

The Australian Open – One of the Biggest Sports Events 2025

Of the early sports events in 2025, it’s the Australian Open that really stands out. The first of the four annual tennis majors, this year’s event could be one of the most keenly contested for years, with Novak Djokovic’s longstanding dominance in Melbourne having been broken by the superb Jannik Sinner in 2024.

The 23-year-old Italian has enjoyed a stellar 12 months, recording a 73-6 record (with a win rate of 92.4%), winning eight ATP titles and two majors. This superb run of form commenced with the 2024 Australian Open, during which Sinner thrashed Djokovic in a straight sets semi-final win that seemed to usher in a changing of the guard in Melbourne.

Of course, Sinner also won the US Open in September, while the precocious Carlos Alcaraz added the French Open and Wimbledon to his burgeoning Grand Slam haul. This meant that Djokovic ended the year without a major for the first time since an injury-hit 2017, while the Serbian and 24-time Grand Slam winner has now fallen to seventh in the ATP rankings.

However, Djokovic is renowned for his mentality and fighting spirit, while he appears to remain as fit and lithe as ever. He has also won a record 10 Australian Open titles, while he retains an incredible ability to lift his game at Melbourne Park. The question that remains is whether Djokovic retains the hunger to compete deep into a gruelling Grand Slam schedule, especially having won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics and completed his haul of major tennis honors.

With 2024 runner-up Daniil Medvedev and the current world number two Alexander Zverev also in contention for the latest iteration of the Australian Open, this could be one of the most thrilling and unpredictable sports events in 2025. It will commence on January 12th, before concluding two weeks later on January 26th.

The Super Bowl – Can the Kansas City Chiefs Perform a ‘Three-Peat in 2025?

The regular 2024 NFL season is already drawing to a close, ahead of the playoffs and coveted Super Bowl on February 9th. The 2025 iteration (Super Bowl LIX) will take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with the dominant Kansas City Chiefs bidding to become the first-ever franchise to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive years.

While eight teams have won back-to-back titles (including inaugural victors the Green Bay Packers), not one has managed to complete the elusive “three-peat”. The Chiefs remains the betting favorites to buck this trend and make history in 2025, however, having compiled a 12-1 record in the season so far and already won the AFC West division.

This alone would make Super Bowl LIX the mother of all 2025 sports events, but it should be noted that the Chiefs will also face some incredible competition from their AFC and NFC rivals. For example, the Buffalo Bills have dominated the AFC East and compiled an impressive 10-3 record, while star quarterback Josh Allen has already thrown 3033 passing yards and 23 touchdowns.

In the NFC North, the Detroit Lions have matched the Chiefs by going 12-1 and recently booked a playoff berth. They’ve also registered an NFL-high of 51 touchdowns so far in 2024, including 27 receiving TDs. In the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles have won 11 and lost just two of their gular season games, while they’re currently embarked on a nine-match winning streak despite some persistent issues in offence.

It’s likely that at least one of these sides will appear in the upcoming Super Bowl, but all eyes will be on the Chiefs as they look to make NFL history. Regardless of the two contenders, this will be one of the most hotly anticipated sports events in 2025, with last year’s iteration drawing an incredible 123.7 million viewers!

The UCL Final – One of the Toughest to Call Sports Events in 2025

In soccer, the 2024/25 campaign will see the 70th season of Europe’s premier club competition, namely the UEFA Champions League. The initial league phase of the competition is already underway, while the tournament’s final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

Defending champions and 15-time UCL winners Real Madrid are yet to secure qualification for the knockout phase, with English giants Liverpool topping the league table having compiled a 6-0 record so far. The Reds’ domestic rivals Manchester City are also struggling having won just two of their Champions League matches so far, while they face a seismic clash with big-spending PSG in the next round of fixtures on January 23rd. The losers could face elimination from the competition.

Interestingly, Los Blancos and Pep Guardiola’s City were the pre-tournament favorites to win the 2024/25 UCL, but they can now be backed at 7.00 and 8.00 to prevail respectively. Arne Slot’s Liverpool are now the favorites to lift the coveted trophy at an average price of 5.00, which implies that they have a 20% chance of winning their seventh UCL crown.

Arsenal are the second favorites at around 6.50, with the Gunners well-placed to qualify for the knockout phase having won four and lost just one of their six matches so far. The North London club have never lifted Europe’s premier club competition, but they’ve improved markedly under the stewardship of Mikel Arteta in recent years.

This is undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable sports events 2025, with a handful of clubs capable of winning if they reach the next stage. What we do know, however, is that the UEFA Champions League final supersedes the Super Bowl when it comes to viewership. More specifically, more than 450 million people have watched the 2023 and 2024 finals worldwide, and we expect similar numbers to be recorded this time around.

UEFA Women’s Euros – Competing for the Title of Europe’s Best Football Nation

2025 will also see the 14th iteration of the UEFA Women’s Championship, with the competition set to run between the 2nd and 27th of July. Switzerland have assumed hosting duties, while a total of 16 countries will compete from the UEFA confederation. Switzerland qualified as the hosts, while Germany, Spain, England and France have also booked their place in ‘the Playground of Europe’.

The final draw will take place at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne on December 16th. This will finalize the composition of the four groups, including the teams that will join hosts Switzerland in Group A. Alongside the Swiss, Spain, Germany and France are the tournament’s top seeds, while the Three Lions will feature in pot two as one of four second seeds.

A total of eight stadiums will host matches during the 2025 Euros, including the 38,512-capacity seat St. Jakob-Park in Basel. This stellar stadium will host the showpiece final on July 27th, alongside one quarterfinal game and three group stage matches. Stadiums in Bern, Geneva, Zürich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Sion and Thun will also host a number of encounters throughout the tournament.

Despite being one of the highest profile 2025 sports events, odds for the Women’s European Championships have yet to be released. However, England are currently ranked as the second-best nation in the world according to FIFA and remain the highest-rated UEFA country at the time of writing. In fact, their status as second seeds is the result of a poor qualification campaign, which saw them drop points in three matches and suffer a home defeat to rivals France.

Defending world champions Spain (who are currently ranked third in the world) will also be among the tournament front-runners. They qualified well and won five of their six matches, scoring 18 goals at a rate of exactly 3.00 per game and thrashing Belgium 7-0 in Leuven. They’ll definitely contend in Switzerland, in what’s sure to be one of the biggest sporting events 2025!

The Ryder Cup – Who Will Claim Trans-Atlantic Bragging Rights in 2025?

The Ryder Cup remains the premier team competition in the sport of golf. This is contested as a biennial competition between the best players in Europe and the United States, while 2025 will see the 45th iteration of this coveted tournament. This will take place between the 25th and 28th of September next year, at the Bethpage Black Course in New York.

Although Europe are the defending champions having prevailed 16½ – 11½ in Italy in 2023, it’s the Americans who are favorites to prevail in New York next year. They can be backed at an average price of 1.67, with the United States having won 18 of the 24 iterations hosted stateside since the competition’s inception back in 1927. Europe have only prevailed four times in the US.

It should also be noted that American players continue to dominate the PGA rankings. In fact, they account for four of the top six places at the time of writing, with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele ranked first and second respectively. Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark trail in fourth and sixth, while Ulsterman Rory McIlroy is the top-ranked European player in third.

The 25-year-old Swede Ludvig Åberg is ranked as the PGA’s fifth-best player in 2024 and is likely to be one of Europe’s key players in New York. However, it cannot be denied that 11 of the tour’s top 20 players are eligible to represent the US in the Ryder Cup, compared to just seven who are European.

Given the potential depth of the US team and the importance of home advantage in the Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley’s men are the deserved pre-tournament favorites for 2025. However, Europe will defend their crown tenaciously having won so impressively on home soil two years ago, and have an abundance of seasoned and consistent players they can call on. Regardless of which team prevails, this will be one of the most anticipated and watched sports events 2025!

The Last Word – Standing by for a Bumper Year of Sport in 2025

Regardless of your preferred sport events 2025, you can look forward to a bumper and action-paced schedule in the next 12 months. This includes iconic events like the Super Bowl and Ryder Cup, while the UEFA Women’s European Championship is arguably the standout event of next summer!

Other honorable mentions for 2025 include ‘March Madness’ and basketball’s NCAA finals, while the multi-sport World Masters Summer Games are also scheduled for May in Taiwan. July will see the latest iteration of the Tour de France too, while the World Cup of Ice Hockey is expected to take place in August.

Soccer fans should also note that the latest edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to commence on December 21st, 2025. This iteration will be held in Morocco and is set to conclude on January 18th, as current champions the Ivory Coast look to defend the title they won so thrillingly back in 2023.