Here is The i Paper’s guide to sport in 2025, with an Ashes series, Lions series, Women’s Rugby World Cup and Euro 2025 among the highlights

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If 2025 is anything like 2024, then sports fans are in for a real treat.

There may be no Olympics this time around, but there is still plenty to look forward to in the months ahead.

Highlights include the men’s Ashes, the Women’s Rugby World Cup, European Women’s Championship and the British & Irish Lions’ tour to Australia.

In football, the men’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers start in March, with Thomas Tuchel taking charge of England for the first time.

The dates of every major are worth pencilling in for tennis and golf fans, with Wimbledon starting on 30 June and The Open Championship heading to Portrush from 17-20 July.

During a packed summer Formula One’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone falls on 6 July, by which point the women’s Euros have already started and the Lions are midway through their warm-up matches before facing Australia.

Towards the end of the year, the Ryder Cup is in late September, while the Ashes begin Down Under with the first Test starting on 21 November, and that series will run into 2026.

Check out our definitive guide to all the key events taking place over the course of the next 12 months.

January

Can Luke Littler win his first world crown at Ally Pally? (Photo: Getty)

1-3 DARTS PDC World Championship (Alexandra Palace)

1-5 TENNIS United Cup (Perth & Sydney), including Great Britain v Australia (Sydney)

7-8 FOOTBALL Carabao Cup semi-final first legs

9-13 FOOTBALL FA Cup third round

10 CRICKET First women’s T20 international: India v Ireland (Rajkot)

10-26 BOWLS World Indoor Championships (Hopton-on-Sea)

11 CRICKET First women’s one-day international: Australia v England (Sydney)

12 CRICKET Second women’s T20i: India v Ireland (Rajkot);

12-19 SNOOKER Masters (Alexandra Palace)

12-26 TENNIS Australian Open (Melbourne)

13 CRICKET Second women’s ODI: Australia v England (Melbourne)

15 CRICKET Third women’s T20i: India v Ireland (Rajkot)

16 CRICKET Third women’s ODI: Australia v England (Hobart)

20 CRICKET First women’s T20i: Australia v England (Sydney)

22 CRICKET First T20i: India v England (Kolkata)

23 CRICKET Second women’s T20i: Australia v England (Canberra)

25 CRICKET Second T20i: India v England (Chennai), third women’s T20i: Australia v England (Adelaide)

26 BASKETBALL SLB Trophy finals (Birmingham)

28 CRICKET Third T20i: India v England (Rajkot)

30 CRICKET Women’s Ashes Test: Australia v England (Melbourne);

31 CRICKET Fourth T20i: India v England (Pune); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: France v Wales

31-2 Feb TENNIS Davis Cup qualifiers: Japan v Great Britain

February

Verstappen will be chasing a fifth straight title when the F1 season begins in February (Photo: Getty)

1 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Scotland v Italy, Ireland v England

2 CRICKET Fifth T20i: India v England (Mumbai)

6 CRICKET First ODI: India v England (Nagpur); DARTS Premier League starts (Belfast)

8 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Italy v Wales, England v France

9 AMERICAN FOOTBALL Super Bowl (New Orleans); CRICKET Second ODI: India v England (Cuttack); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Scotland v Ireland

12 CRICKET Third ODI: India v England (Ahmedabad)

13 RUGBY LEAGUE Super League starts

15 ATHLETICS Keely Klassic (Birmingham)

19-9 Mar CRICKET Champions Trophy (Pakistan & Dubai)

21 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Austria v Scotland, Portugal v England, Italy v Wales, Poland v Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland v Turkey

22 BOXING IBF Heavyweight: Daniel Dubois v Joseph Parker (Riyadh); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Wales v Ireland, England v Scotland

22-23 ATHLETICS UK Indoor Championships (Birmingham)

23 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Italy v France

24-1 Mar TENNIS Dubai Championships

25 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Scotland v Netherlands, Wales v Sweden, Northern Ireland v Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia v Republic of Ireland

26 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: England v Spain (Wembley)

March

Jos Buttler’s England compete for the Champions Trophy in March (Photo: Getty)

1 RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Wigan v Warrington (Las Vegas)

2 MOTORCYCLING Thailand MotoGP (Buriram)

2-16 TENNIS BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)

4-5 CRICKET Champions Trophy semi-finals (Dubai & Lahore)

6-9 ATHLETICS European Indoor Championships (Apeldoorn)

8 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Ireland v France, Scotland v Wales, Varsity matches (StoneX Stadium)

9 CRICKET Champions Trophy final (Dubai/Lahore); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: England v Italy

9-16 CYCLING Paris-Nice

11-14 RACING Cheltenham Festival

11-16 BADMINTON All England Open (Birmingham)

14/15/16 RUGBY UNION Premiership Cup final

15 FOOTBALL Women’s League Cup final (Pride Park); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Italy v Ireland, Wales v England, France v Scotland

16 FOOTBALL Carabao Cup final (Wembley), F1 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne); MOTORCYCLING Argentina MotoGP (Termas de Rio Hondo)

20 FOOTBALL Nations League play-off first legs: Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland, Greece v Scotland; Nations League quarter-final first legs

21 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: England v Albania

21-23 ATHLETICS World Indoor Championships (Nanjing)

22 CYCLING Milan-San Remo (Italy); FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Wales v Kazakhstan; RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Ireland v France, Scotland v Wales

23 FOOTBALL Nations League play-off second legs: Republic of Ireland v Bulgaria, Scotland v Greece; F1 Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: England v Italy

24 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: England v Latvia

25 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: North Macedonia v Wales

29 RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: France v Scotland, Wales v England

30 MOTORCYCLING Americas MotoGP (Austin); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Italy v Ireland

April

Kyren Wilson returns to the Crucible for the World Snooker Championship in April (Photo: Getty)

4 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Scotland v Germany, England v Belgium, Wales v Denmark, Romania v Northern Ireland, Greece v Republic of Ireland

4-7 CRICKET County Championship season opening round

5 RACING Grand National (Aintree)

6 CYCLING Tour of Flanders (Belgium); F1 Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)

7 TENNIS Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers

8 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Germany v Scotland, Belgium v England, Sweden v Wales, Northern Ireland v Romania, Republic of Ireland v Greece

10-13 GOLF Masters (Augusta);

12 RACING Scottish Grand National (Ayr); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: France v Wales, Ireland v England

13 CYCLING Paris-Roubaix (France); FOOTBALL Vertu Trophy final (Wembley), F1 Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir); MOTORCYCLING Qatar MotoGP (Lusail); ROWING Boat Races (Thames); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Scotland v Italy

15-20 SWIMMING GB Aquatics Championships (London Aquatics Centre)

18 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Imola)

19 RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Italy v France, England v Scotland

19-5 May SNOOKER World Championship (Sheffield)

20 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Wales v Ireland

23 CRICKET First round of Women’s One-Day Cup

26 RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: Italy v Wales, Scotland v Ireland, England v France

27 ATHLETICS London Marathon; CYCLING Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium); MOTORCYCLING Spanish MotoGP (Jerez)

May

Will Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid reach another Champions League final in May? (Photo: Getty)

3 FOOTBALL Final day of Football League regular season; RACING Kentucky Derby

3-4 RUGBY LEAGUE Super League Magic Weekend (St James’ Park)

4 F1 Miami Grand Prix (Miami)

7-11 EQUESTRIAN Badminton Horse Trials

9-25 ICE HOCKEY World Championship (Herning and Stockholm)

9-1 Jun CYCLING Giro d’Italia

10-11 FOOTBALL FA Trophy final (Wembley), FA Vase final (Wembley)

11 FOOTBALL Final round of Women’s Super League season; MOTORCYCLING French MotoGP (Le Mans)

15-18 GOLF US PGA Championship (Charlotte)

17 FOOTBALL FA Cup final (Wembley)

17-18 FOOTBALL Scottish Premiership final weekend

18 BASKETBALL SLB play-off final (London); FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup final (Wembley); F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Imola)

21 CRICKET First women’s T20i: England v West Indies (Canterbury); FOOTBALL Europa League final (Bilbao)

22 FOOTBALL Scottish Premiership play-off final first leg

22-25 CRICKET First Test: England v Zimbabwe (Trent Bridge)

23 CRICKET Second women’s T20i: England v West Indies (Hove); RUGBY UNION European Challenge Cup final (Principality Stadium)

24 FOOTBALL Scottish Cup final (Hampden Park); RUGBY UNION European Champions Cup final (Principality Stadium)

25 FOOTBALL Final day of Premier League season, Scottish Premiership play-off final second leg, Women’s Champions League final (Lisbon), Women’s Scottish Cup final (Hampden Park); F1 Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco); MOTORCYCLING British MotoGP (Silverstone); MOTORSPORT Indianapolis 500

25-8 Jun TENNIS French Open (Roland Garros)

26 CRICKET Third women’s T20i: England v West Indies (Chelmsford)

28 FOOTBALL Conference League final (Wroclaw)

29 CRICKET First ODI: England v West Indies (Edgbaston), Opening day of T20 Blast

29-1 Jun GOLF US Women’s Open (Erin Hills)

30 CRICKET First women’s ODI: England v West Indies (Derby); FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Scotland v Austria, England v Portugal, Denmark v Wales, Northern Ireland v Poland, Turkey v Republic of Ireland

31 FOOTBALL Champions League final (Munich); RUGBY UNION Final round of Premiership regular season

June

The British & Irish Lions tour to Australia begins in June (Photo: Getty)

1 CRICKET Second ODI: England v West Indies (Cardiff); F1 Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)

1-8 TENNIS Rothesay Classic (Birmingham)

3 CRICKET Third ODI: England v West Indies (The Oval); FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League: Netherlands v Scotland, Wales v Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina v Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland v Slovenia, Spain v England

4 CRICKET Second women’s ODI: England v West Indies (Leicester)

4-5 FOOTBALL Nations League semi-finals

5-8 CYCLING Tour of Britain women

5-22 BASKETBALL NBA Finals (tbc)

6 CRICKET First T20i: England v West Indies (Chester-le-Street); FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Wales v Liechtenstein

6-8 RUGBY UNION Premiership semi-finals

7 CRICKET Third women’s ODI: England v West Indies (Taunton); FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Andorra v England; RACING The Derby (Epsom); RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup final (Wembley), women’s Challenge Cup final (Wembley)

8 CRICKET Second T20i: England v West Indies (Bristol); FOOTBALL Nations League third place play-off and final; MOTORCYCLING Aragon MotoGP (Alcaniz)

8-15 CYCLING Critérium du Dauphiné (France)

9 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Belgium v Wales

10 CRICKET Third T20i: England v West Indies (Utilita Bowl)

11-15 CRICKET World Test Championship final: South Africa v tbc (Lord’s)

11-28 FOOTBALL European Under-21 Championship (Slovakia)

12-15 GOLF US Open (Oakmont)

RUGBY UNION Premiership final (Twickenham)

14-15 MOTOR RACING Le Mans 24 Hours

14-13 Jul FOOTBALL Club World Cup (US)

15 F1 Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)

16-22 TENNIS Cinch Championships (Queen’s), Rothesay Open (Nottingham)

17-21 RACING Royal Ascot

19-22 GOLF KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (Frisco)

20 RUGBY UNION British & Irish Lions v Australia (Dublin)

20-24 CRICKET First Test: England v India (Headingley)

21 RUGBY UNION Test match: England v France

MOTORCYCLING Italian MotoGP (Scarperia e San Piero)

23-28 TENNIS Rothesay International (Eastbourne)

28 CRICKET First women’s T20i: England v India (Trent Bridge); FOOTBALL European Under-21 Championship final (Bratislava);

29 F1 Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg); MOTORCYCLING Dutch MotoGP (Assen)

30-13 Jul TENNIS Wimbledon Championships (All England Club)

July

England defend their Euros crown in July (Photo: Getty)

1 CRICKET Second women’s T20i: England v India (Bristol)

1-6 ROWING Henley Royal Regatta

2 RUGBY UNION Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions (Brisbane)

2-6 CRICKET Second Test: England v India (Edgbaston)

2-27 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro 2025 (Switzerland)

4 CRICKET Third women’s T20i: England v India (The Oval)

5 CRICKET Opening round of One-Day Cup; FOOTBALL Euro 2025: Wales v Netherlands, France v England; New Zealand Maori v Scotland (Whangarei)

5-27 CYCLING Tour de France (Lille-Paris)

6 F1 British Grand Prix (Silverstone)

9 CRICKET Fourth women’s T20i: England v India (Old Trafford); FOOTBALL Euro 2025: England v Netherlands, France v Wales;

10-13 GOLF Scottish Open (East Lothian)

10-14 CRICKET Third Test: England v India (Lord’s)

11 ATHLETICS Monaco Diamond League

11-3 Aug SWIMMING World Aquatics Championships (Singapore)

12 CRICKET Fifth women’s T20i: England v India (Old Trafford)

13 FOOTBALL Club World Cup final (New Jersey), Euro 2025: England v Wales; MOTORCYCLING German MotoGP (Hohenstein-Ernstthal)

16 CRICKET First women’s ODI: England v India (Utilita Bowl)

16-19 FOOTBALL Euro 2025 quarter-finals

17-20 GOLF The Open Championship (Royal Portrush)

18 CRICKET Final round of T20 Blast group matches

19 CRICKET Second women’s ODI: England v India (Lord’s); RUGBY UNION First Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions (Adelaide)

20 MOTORCYCLING Czech Republic MotoGP (Brno)

22 CRICKET Third women’s ODI: England v India (Chester-le-Street);

22-23 FOOTBALL Euro 2025 semi-finals

23-27 CRICKET Fourth Test: England v India (Old Trafford)

24-27 GOLF Women’s Scottish Open (Dundonald)

26 RUGBY UNION Second Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions (Melbourne)

27 CRICKET Women’s T20 Blast finals day (The Oval); FOOTBALL Euro 2025 final (Basel); F1 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)

29-2 Aug RACING Glorious Goodwood

30-4 Aug GOLF The Women’s Open (Porthcawl)

31-4 Aug CRICKET Fifth Test: England v India (The Oval)

August

England host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August (Photo: Getty)

2 RUGBY UNION Third Test: Australia v British & Irish Lions (Sydney)

2-3 ATHLETICS UK Championships (Birmingham)

3 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)

5 CRICKET One-Day Cup begins

10 FOOTBALL Start of EFL season

16 FOOTBALL Start of Premier League season

17 MOTORCYCLING Austrian MotoGP (Spielberg)

21-24 GOLF British Masters (Belfry)

22-27 Sept RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup (England) inc: England v United States (Sunderland)

23 RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: Scotland v Wales (Manchester)

23-14 Sep CYCLING Vuelta a Espana (Turin-Madrid)

24 MOTORCYCLING Hungarian MotoGP (Balatonfokajar); RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: Ireland v Japan (Northampton)

25-7 Sep TENNIS US Open (Flushing Meadows)

26-3 Sep CYCLING Women’s Tour de France (Vannes-Chatal)

27-28 ATHLETICS Switzerland Diamond League final (Zurich)

28 CRICKET One-Day Cup quarter-finals

28-31 MOTORSPORT Paraguay Rally

30 RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: England v Samoa (Northampton), Canada v Wales, Scotland v Fiji (both Manchester)

31 F1 Netherlands Grand Prix (Zandvoort); RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: Ireland v Spain (Northampton)

September

Team Europe head stateside to defend their Ryder Cup crown in September (Photo: Getty)

2 CRICKET First ODI: England v South Africa (Headingley)

2-7 CYCLING Tour of Britain

3-6 CRICKET Men’s T20 Blast quarter-finals

4 CRICKET Second ODI: England v South Africa (Lord’s); FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Kazakhstan v Wales, Luxembourg v Northern Ireland

5 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Tbc v Scotland

6 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: England v Andorra, Republic of Ireland v Hungary; RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: England v Australia (Brighton), Canada v Scotland, Wales v Fiji (both Exeter)

7 ATHLETICS Great North Run; CRICKET Third ODI: England v South Africa (Utilita Bowl); F1 Italian Grand Prix (Monza); FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: tbc v Northern Ireland; MOTORCYCLING Catalunya MotoGP (Montmelo); RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup: New Zealand v Ireland (Brighton)

8 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Belarus v Scotland

9 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Armenia v Republic of Ireland, Serbia v England

10 CRICKET First T20i: England v South Africa (Cardiff)

11-14 GOLF BMW PGA Championship (Wentworth)

12 CRICKET Second T20i: England v South Africa (Old Trafford)

13 CRICKET Men’s T20 Blast finals day (Edgbaston)

13-14 RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup quarter-finals (Exeter, Bristol)

13-21 ATHLETICS World Championships (Tokyo)

14 CRICKET Third T20i: England v South Africa (Trent Bridge); MOTORCYCLING San Marino MotoGP (Misano Adriatico)

17 CRICKET First ODI: Ireland v England (tbc)

18-21 RUGBY LEAGUE Super League final round

19 CRICKET Second ODI: Ireland v England (tbc)

19-20 RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup semi-finals (both Bristol)

20 CRICKET Men’s One-Day Cup final (Trent Bridge)

CRICKET Third ODI: Ireland v England (tbc), women’s One-Day Cup final (Utilita Bowl); F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)

24-27 CRICKET Final round of County Championship

26-28 GOLF Ryder Cup (Bethpage)

27 AUSTRALIAN RULES AFL Grand final (Melbourne); RUGBY UNION Women’s World Cup bronze final and final (both Twickenham)

28 MOTORCYCLING Japanese MotoGP (Motegi)

October

Bevan French’s Wigan will hope to win a third consecutive Super League Grand Final in October (Photo: Getty)

4-5 RACING Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Paris)

5 F1 Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore); MOTORCYCLING Indonesian MotoGP (Mandalika)

8-12 EQUESTRIAN Horse of the Year Show (Birmingham)

9 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Scotland v Greece

10 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: N Ireland v Slovakia

11 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: tbc v Republic of Ireland; RUGBY LEAGUE Super League Grand Final (Old Trafford)

FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Scotland v Belarus

13 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Northern Ireland v tbc, Wales v Belgium

14 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Latvia v England, Republic of Ireland v Armenia

19 F1 USA Grand Prix (Austin); MOTORCYCLING Australian MotoGP (Phillip Island)

20-28 FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League semi-finals

25-2 Nov TENNIS Paris Masters

26 F1 Mexico Grand Prix (Mexico City); MOTORCYCLING Malaysian MotoGP (Sepang)

November

Ben Stokes takes England Down Under for the Ashes in November (Photo: Getty)

1-8 TENNIS WTA Tour Finals (Riyadh)

4 RACING Melbourne Cup

9 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo); MOTORCYCLING Portuguese MotoGP (Portimao)

9-16 TENNIS ATP Finals (Turin)

13 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: England v Serbia, Republic of Ireland v tbc

14 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Slovakia v N Ireland

15 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Greece v Scotland, Liechtenstein v Wales

16 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifiers: Albania v England, Hungary v Republic of Ireland; MOTORCYCLING Valenciana MotoGP (Valencia)

17 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Northern Ireland v Luxembourg

18 FOOTBALL World Cup qualifier: Scotland v tbc, Wales v North Macedonia

21-25 CRICKET First Test: Australia v England (Perth)

22 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix (US)

26-2 Dec FOOTBALL Women’s Nations League finals

30 F1 Qatar Grand Prix (Lusail)

December

Ivory Coast defend their Afcon crown in December (Photo Getty)

4-8 CRICKET Second Test: Australia v England (Brisbane)

7 MOTOR RACING Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)

17-21 CRICKET Third Test: Australia v England (Adelaide)

21-18 Jan FOOTBALL Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco)

25-30 CRICKET Fourth Test: Australia v England (Melbourne)

26 RACING King George VI Chase (Kempton)

All dates subject to change

Your summer of sport is already going strong and this week (Wednesday 18 to Wednesday 25 June) you can enjoy some superb live action across your Virgin TV channels, including tennis from Queen’s and Nottingham on the BBC, women’s major championship golf on Sky Sports and motor racing on TNT Sports. The Test series between cricketing titans England and India gets under way, and the FIFA Club World Cup continues.

And with UFC, rugby league, rugby union, netball, cycling and much more to watch live on TV this week, it’s another week jam-packed with excellent sporting action on Virgin TV. Read on to see the full week’s guide plus our picks every day.

If you want to know what’s coming up on the box sport-wise, read on below, and don’t forget to bookmark this page for your weekly sporting updates.

Women’s sport takes centre stage in the 2025 sporting calendar with major tournaments in football, rugby union and cricket.

England’s Lionesses will be the defending champions at Euro 2025 in Switzerland in July, England’s Red Roses are favourites to lift the Women’s Rugby World Cup at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium in September and England will bid to bring home the Women’s Cricket World Cup from India in October.

Other big events include Ashes cricket series down under for England’s men and women, a British and Irish Lions rugby tour in Australia and a Ryder Cup in the United States.

Meanwhile, BBC Sports Personality of the Year Keely Hodgkinson has the chance to add indoor and outdoor world athletics titles to the Olympic 800m gold she won in Paris.

Here’s our guide to the highlights of the year and a calendar which lists the main events each month.