Sports events to watch out for in 2018

1) 2018 Australian Open

The 2018 Australian Open kicks off the Grand Slam tennis season in January, and plays out during the heat of the Melbourne summer. Due to the rising temperatures, as the day wears on, much of the action takes place in the evening under lights which make this event particularly enjoyable. There are plenty of incredible tennis moments in store for the 2018 event, which takes place between 15 and 28 January. Melbourne is popular with tennis fans from all over the world, but it is the city’s relaxed ambiance and feast of activities, cuisine and culture that draws them in.

2) Premier League

The 26th Premier League season kicked off in August and is scheduled to finish on 13 May 2018. Since its formation in 1992, the Premier League has seen some of the sport’s most exciting moments. Over the years, 47 clubs have played in the Premier League, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Spurs participating in every campaign to date.

3) UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of the strongest UEFA national associations. The UEFA Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the highest TV ratings to date, drawing 360 million television viewers

4) 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™

The most anticipated football event of the calendar, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ kicks off on 14 June 2018. This will be the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup™ , and the first tournament ever held in Eastern Europe, making this tournament a unique and unmissable travel experience for football fans. In 2018, the tournament will see 32 national teams go head-to-head in 64 nail-biting matches, played in 12 venues across 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July 2018 in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is the most prestigious association football tournament in the world and the most widely-viewed and followed sports event globally.

5) Wimbledon

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis event in the world and is considered by players and spectators alike as the most prestigious. Held each year at the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the first three weeks in July, Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event on the annual tennis calendar that is played on grass, a specialised surface that has eluded more than a few top players. The refined atmosphere of strawberries and cream consumed on infamous ‘Henman Hill’ (now often referred to as ‘Murray Mound’), the regular royals in attendance and the strict ‘all whites’ dress code for the players makes the event popular year after year.

6) Tour de France

In 2018 the highly anticipated 105th Tour de France will run from 7 to 29 July (starting a week later than usual due to the FIFA World Cup) and feature 21 stages. The start of the 2018 Tour (known as the Grand Départ) will be in the Vendée department, in the region of Pays de la Loire. The departments in the Pays de la Loire region hosted the Tour de France on its very first edition back 1903. Since this time, the cities and towns of the Pays de la Loire region have welcomed the Grand Départ of the Tour de France nine times, five of which have set out from the Vendée.

7) Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix epitomises everything that we love about Formula One racing: daring speeds, glitz, glamour, passion, and noise. Also, with the cars never too far from the barriers, there is even a thrilling hint of danger. Hosted each year at the Circuit de Monaco and run since 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix is considered to be the most prestigious motorsport event in the world. The Grand Prix weekend sees scores of spectators crowd around the Monaco Circuit on temporary grandstands, balconies, and rooftops. Yachts fill the harbour as celebrities arrive to take in their share of the action. The precarious course is laid out in the city streets and features heart-pumping elevation changes, tight corners, and a tunnel, making it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One. Despite the relatively low average speeds, it is a dangerous place to race and often involves the intervention of a safety car.

8) MotoGP Qatar

Thrilling night racing kicks off in March at the famous Losail International Circuit, which lies on the outskirts of Doha, and is the host to the 2018 Qatar MotoGP. Like much else in the region, the track was built in little over a year and opened to great acclaim in 2004 when it hosted the very first Qatar Grand Prix. In 2008 the venue celebrated the first floodlit Grand Prix in the history of the World Championship, and has since 2007, hosted the first race of the MotoGP season. The track is a flowing 5.4 kilometres in length, with the longest straight measuring a whopping 1 068 metres. The entire circuit is surrounded by artificial grass to prevent the Qatari desert sand from blowing onto the track.