Your Epic Sports Schedule: Sporting Events to See

 

If you are like me, then you probably love watching sports. There are sporting events that happen at all times of the year. Below is a list of the major sporting events that occur each month. Add some of these events to your bucket list if you are a sports fan that likes to travel. 

Sporting Events Each Month

January

NCAA College Football National Championship

The NCAA College Football National Championship is the season’s final college football bowl game. It features the top two teams in the nation. It takes place every January. The location of the game changes each year. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the College Football National Championship on January 20th, 2025.

Latest Champion: Michigan Wolverines

Learn more about the game here.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne. It is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held annually. It will start on Sunday, January 12th, 2025 and end on Sunday, January 26th, 2025.

Learn more about the Australian Open here.

Winter X Games

Each January, the world’s best winter athletes descend upon Aspen. The Winter X Games, which have been happening for over twenty years, include skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling competitions.

Learn more about the Winter X Games here.

AFC & NFC Championships

The AFC Championship Game is the annual American Football Conference championship game (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL).

The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL).

Get tickets to the games here.

February

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game for the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. The Super Bowl is in a different city each year. It has been in cities such as New Orleans, Miami, and Atlanta. In 2025, it will be in New Orleans. It will be the eleventh Super Bowl hosted in New Orleans

When: February 9th, 2025

Where: Ceasars Superdome: New Orleans, LA 

For ticket info, click the image below.

Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile-long NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Richard Petty has won the Daytona 500 seven times.

Learn more about this sporting event here.

NBA All-Star Weekend

The National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend is a weekend festival held every February during the middle of the NBA regular season. It features the All-Star game, the 3-point contest, the dunk contest, and more. In 2025, the event will be hosted by the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. If you are an NBA fan, this event should be on your sports schedule. 

When: February 14th-16th, 2025.

Get more information about the NBA All-Star Weekend here.

Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will host the 2026 games. The Winter Olympics are typically held in February. 

Learn more about the Winter Olympics here.

Winter Paralympics

The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The last Winter Paralympic Games (March 2022) featured a record 109 events across 15 disciplines.

More info about the Winter Paralympics can be found here.

MLS Opening Match

The Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men’s professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport’s highest level in the United States. The MLS season usually starts at the end of February and ends in October. 

For more info about the MLS, go here.

NHL All-Star Weekend

The National Hockey League All-Star Weekend occurs in February and includes the all-star game and more. The NHL will not have an all-star game in 2025. It will return in 2026 and is scheduled to be held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

For more info about the NHL All-Star Weekend, go here. 

March

World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic is one of the two main senior baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC, but the only one that grants the winner the title of “World Champion.” 

Most recent champion: USA. 

The next World Baseball Classic will be held in 2026. 

Get more info about the World Baseball Classic here. 

March Madness

March Madness is the Men’s & Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. It starts with 68 teams. The 2025 Men’s NCAA tournament for March Madness begins with the first four games in Daytona, Ohio, and continues to the 2025 Final 4 in San Antonio, Texas.

The Women’s NCAA Basketball tournament will end in Tampa, Florida.

Get more info about March Madness here. 

April

NCAA Final Four

The final four are men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament rounds. The Men’s final four will be held in San Antonio. The Women’s final four will be held in Tampa, Florida. 

When: April 5th – April 7th, 2025 & April 4th – April 6th

Where: Alamodome & Amalie Arena

Get tickets to the Final Four here.

MLB Opening Day

The 2025 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to begin on March 27th, with the regular season planned to end in late September or early October.

Get tickets to MLB Opening Day here.

The Masters Tournament

The Masters is the first of the four major golf tournaments, the most prestigious and challenging for professional golfers. It’s been held annually since 1934 from Thursday through Sunday during the first full week of April.

When: April 7th – 13th, 2025

Where: Augusta, GA

Learn more about The Masters here.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs are the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association, held to determine the league’s champion. Eight teams from the Eastern & Western conferences play each other.

The playoffs start in mid-April.

Get tickets to the NBA Playoffs here.

May

Kentucky Derby

Held on the first Saturday of May, the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown and offers the largest purse of any thoroughbred race at $2,000,000. It is considered one of spring’s most highly anticipated sporting events. 

When: May 3rd, 2025

Where: Louisville, Kentucky

Learn more about the Kentucky Derby here.

US PGA Championship.

The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. It is one of the four men’s major championships in professional golf. The tournament will be held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC

When: May 12th – 18th, 2025

Learn more about the PGA Championship here.

WNBA Season TipOff

The Women’s National Basketball Association, aka the WNBA, starts in May. The Las Vegas Aces are the most recent champion.

Learn more about the WNBA here.

Indy 500

The Indy 500 is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May.

Learn more about the Indy 500 here.

French Open

The French Open is the premier clay court championship in the world, and the only Grand Slam tournament played on clay courts. It is played in Paris, France. 

When: May 26th – June 9th, 2024

Learn more about the French Open here. 

Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco. It is usually held on the last weekend of May and is known as one of the largest weekends in auto racing.

When: May 24th – 26th, 2024

Learn more about the Monaco Grand Prix here.

The Prefontaine Classic

The Prefontaine Classic is the premier track and field meet in the United States. The event is held in Eugene, Oregon, in May.

Learn more about the Prefontaine Classic here.

June

Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship game for the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup is North America’s oldest professional sports trophy. 

Current Champions: Las Vegas Golden Knights

When: June 2024

Get your NHL gear below.

NBA Finals 

The NBA Finals is the National Basketball Association (NBA) ‘s annual championship series. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The NBA Finals start in early June.

Get your NBA Finals tickets here.

FIFA World Cup

The World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the members of FIFA. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930. The World Cup is usually held in the summer. The next World Cup will be held in 2026.

Learn more about The World Cup here.

US Open

The U.S. Open is a golf championship held in the United States. The next U.S. Open will be at the Pinehurst Resort.

Learn more about the US Open here.

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

The USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (USATF) is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, serving as the American national championship for the sport. 

Learn more about the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships here.

July

Tour de France

The Tour de France is one of the world’s biggest annual sporting events. Generally held in Late June or early July, the event sees nearly 200 cyclists race over 2,000 miles in just 23 days. 

Learn more about the Tour de France here.

Wimbledon

The Wimbledon Championship is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It is played on outdoor grass courts during July. 

Learn more about Wimbledon here.

MLB All-Star Game

The MLB All-Star Game (also known as the “Midsummer Classic”) is an annual game played between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The 94th All-Star game is scheduled to be played on July 16th, hosted by the Texas Rangers

Get your MLB jerseys below.

WNBA All-Star Game

The WNBA All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game played in the United States between the best players of the Western and Eastern Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Learn more about the WNBA All-Star Game here.

The Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games is an international athletic competition featuring multiple sporting events, with athletes from all over the world representing their own countries. The next summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France, from July 26th – August 11th. 

Learn more about the Olympics here.

August

FIBA Basketball World Cup

The FIBA Basketball World Cup is a tournament in which 32 teams compete. It is held every four years.

The next FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in 2027.

Learn more about the FIBA Basketball World Cup here.

US Open

The US Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York. 

Learn more about the U.S. Open here. 

NCAA Football Kickoff 

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Football season usually kicks off during the last week of August.

Get tickets to the kickoff games here.

 

September

NFL Kickoff

The National Football League kickoff game (marking the official start of the NFL regular season) is usually held during the first week of September.

Get tickets to the Week 1 game here.

The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a match play-style tournament hosted every two years, pitting a team of the best golfers in the United States against a team of the best golfers in Europe. 

Learn more about The Ryder Cup here.

WNBA Finals

The WNBA Finals are usually held during the last week of September.

Get tickets to the WNBA Finals here.

October

The MLB Playoffs

The MLB playoffs start in October. It features teams from the American League and the National League. 

Get your MLB gear here.

NHL Season Starts

The National Hockey League season starts during the first week of October. This year, the NHL season began on October 4th, 2024. 

Get your NHL tickets here.

NBA Season Starts

The National Basketball Association season usually starts in mid-October. This year, the NBA season will begin in October.

Get your NBA gear below.

The MLS Cup

The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is usually held in late October.

Get your MLS gear here.

The World Series

The World Series is Major League Baseball’s (MLB) championship series. The winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff series featuring the American League and National League champions.

Get your World Series tickets here.

November

NFL on Thanksgiving

The NFL has been playing games on Thanksgiving for decades. It’s an American tradition.

This year’s NFL Thanksgiving games are: 

• Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS
• New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX
• Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers: 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC

Get tickets to the games here.

Nascar Championship Weekend

Since 2002, NASCAR’s top three racing series have closed their season with a weekend designed to crown each series’ champion, officially known as NASCAR Championship Weekend. This year (2024), the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race is on Sunday, November 10th.

Learn more about the Nascar Championship Weekend here.

NCAA Basketball Season

The National Collegiate Athletic Association season is scheduled to start on November.

Get your NCAA Basketball gear below. 

December

NCAA Bowl Season

During this time, many NCAA football bowl games are scheduled. The bowl games are primarily played by the NCAA’s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams and begin in mid-December.

Learn more about the NCAA Bowl Season here.

NCAA College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of college football competition in the United States. It is usually held in December or January. 

 

NBA on Christmas 

Watching NBA games on Christmas is another tradition. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has long held games on Christmas Day, December 25th. This year, the NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Saturday, December 25th).

Random 

Professional Boxing

Professional boxing happens at different times during the year. The major sanctioning bodies are the IBF, the WBA, the WBC, and the WBO.

Learn more about boxing here.

UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is an American mixed martial arts company. Dana White is the president. There are UFC events held all over the world.

Learn more about UFC here.

We hope that this list of sporting events has been helpful. If you have a sports bucket list, you can choose some events from this list to attend.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos