The year 2024 is a couple of hours away. In 2023, we enjoyed several sporting events throughout the year.
These included the Club World Cup, Super Bowl, AFC Asian Cup, Women’s World Cup, etc.
There will be more to enjoy in the coming 365 days. Below is a lists of five of such events.
1. AFCON 2023: The first major tournament of 2024 will be the Africa Cup of Nations. It kicks off January 13 in Cote d’Ivoire, with the final scheduled to be played February 11. The Super Eagles will be looking to win their fourth title.
2. Champions League Final: Without any iota of doubt, the Champions League trophy is the most prestigious title in European football. And on June 1, the final will be played at Wimbledon, United Kingdom. Premier League champions, Manchester City are the current holders and are one of the favourites to retain it on home soil. Interestingly, another English club Arsenal are regarded as contenders by bookies.
3. 48th Copa America/2024 Euros: Between June and July, South America and Europe will host their continental competitions almost at the same dates. The Copa America will begin June 14 and end July 13. The Euros will also kick off June 14 and the final will be played July 14. It promises to be a month of football festivals for fans around the world.
4. 2024 Summer Olympics: The next Summer Olympics will be held in Paris. The event will run from July 26 to August 11. Paris has previously been an Olympic host city in 1900 and 1924. It will also become the second city to host the Summer Olympics three times (the other is London).
5. 2024 Ballon d’Or: One thing is for certain – we will have a new winner for the Ballon d’Or in 2024. It will not be Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo this time around. Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) are the only two players to have won the award since Kaka in 2007. Next year, it could be any of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland or Jude Bellingham.
