Sporting Highlights for 2024
Looking back, 2024 was a thrilling year for sports, filled with unforgettable moments on the world stage. The 2024 sports calendar was packed with major events, including the Paris Olympic Games, Euro 2024, America's Cup Sailing, African Cup of Nations, Copa América, ICC World T20 (men), African Games, alongside the usual annual highlights.
Novak Djokovic was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was the biggest sporting event of the year. Athletes from around the world competed in 32 sports, including new additions like breaking (breakdancing). Iconic venues like the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River provided stunning backdrops for this very successful event. The USA only cemented its top standing on the medal table with the result of the final event, finishing equal with China on gold medals won, only topping the table based on winning more silver.
The football event that captured the attention of the world in 2025 was the UEFA European Football Championship (the Euros), which took place in Germany. The best teams in European soccer battled it out. In the final Spain secured a record fourth title with a 2-1 victory over England.
The final of the FA Cup was contested between Manchester City and rivals Manchester United, a repeat of the 2003 final, which City won 2–1. It was the first FA Cup Final to feature the same teams in consecutive seasons since 1885. This time Man U finished the winner, winning 2-1.
The tightly fought 2024 Super Bowl game went to overtime, and was won with a touchdown within the final seconds. The game was won by the Kansas City Chiefs, 25-22, their third win in five years. Patrick Mahomes was named the MVP for the second year running.
Cricket’s fast-paced T20 World Cup was co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States. It was the first time that the United States hosted a cricket World Cup, an obvious move by the IOC to extend its reach beyond its traditional cricket playing nations. India and South Africa were both unbeaten going into the final. India won the final by 7 runs, defeating South Africa who made 169/8. Virat Kohli's 76 runs earned him the Player of the Match award, in his last T20 International.
Now the darts world has a new star, Luke Littler. At just 16 years old, he became the youngest ever player to advance to the World Darts Championship final, becoming an overnight social media star.
Tiger Woods continues to play on the golfing circuit. He made a record 24th consecutive cut at Augusta National in 2024. However, the current top play Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters (and 2nd major).
Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced to the world he would retire at the end of the 2024 season. He competed in his final professional event, representing Spain at the Davis Cup Finals, held in Malaga in November.
The twentieth of July will go down in history as Mike Tyson's return to the ring as a professional boxer. The fight against Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington captured the sporting world's attention. The bout was won by Jake Paul.
In the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish broke Eddy Merckx's Tour de France stage victory record by winning his 35th stage. It was a record that had stood for 48 years. Tadej Pogačar won the general classification, his third victory after wins in 2020 and 2021.
Awards: The 2024 Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards went to Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic and Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmatí. The women's Spanish football team, winner of the FIFA World Cup, was the Laureus World Team of the Year. The highest paid sports person in 2024 according to Forbes Magazine was Cristiano Ronaldo with earnings of $250 million.
Significant sports-related deaths:
- Kelvin Kiptum (Marathon) - Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon sensation who shattered the world record in 2023, tragically died in a car accident in 2024, along with his coach.
- Franz Beckenbauer (Football) - Franz Beckenbauer, one of football’s greatest players and managers, passed away at age 78. Known as "Der Kaiser," he was instrumental in leading Germany to World Cup victories as both a player and a coach.
- O.J. Simpson (American Football) - O.J. Simpson, a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL star, passed away in 2024. Although his post-career controversies overshadowed his accomplishments, Simpson was a football icon in the 1970s with unmatched speed and power.
- Willie Mays (Baseball) - Willie Mays, a legendary baseball player for the New York and San Francisco Giants, passed away in 2024. Known as "The Say Hey Kid," Mays was one of the greatest all-around players, combining hitting power with defensive brilliance over two decades.
What was your highlight? Take the poll of the Greatest Sporting Highlight of 2024.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 2024.
| Date(s) | Sport | Event | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13-11 Feb | Football (Soccer) | African Cup of Nations | Ivory Coast | Host nation Ivory Coast won the tournament for their third title, beating Nigeria 2–1 in the final. |
| Jan 14-28 | Tennis | Australian Open | Melbourne, Australia | Jannik Sinner won his first major title, Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her singles title. |
| Feb 2-18 | Swimming | World Aquatics Championships | Doha, Qatar | China dominated the medal tally with 23 gold medals, ahead of the USA with 9. |
| Feb 2 - Mar 16 | Rugby | Six Nations | UK, Ireland, France & Italy | Won by Ireland, the reigning champions. |
| Feb 11 | Football (American) | Super Bowl | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada | Kansas City Chiefs defeated San Francisco 49ers 25-22 |
| Feb 16-25 | Table Tennis | World Team Championship | Busan, South Korea | China, not surprisingly, won both men's and women's teams events. |
| Mar 8-23 | Multi-sports | 13th African Games (2023) | Ghana (Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast) | Egypt, who won 102 gold medals (191 total), twice as many as their nearest rivals, Nigeria, who settled for second place with 47 gold medals (121 total). |
| Mar 1-3 | Athletics | 19th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship | Glasgow, UK | USA athletes were the best performing |
| Mar 19 - Apr 8 | Basketball | NCAA finals (March Madness) | USA | The Final Four consisted of UConn (winners), Alabama, NC State, and Purdue |
| Apr 8-14 | Golf | Masters | Augusta, Georgia, USA | Scottie Scheffler won his 2nd Masters (and 2nd major) |
| Apr 10 - May 6 | Snooker | World Snooker Championship | Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England | Kyren Wilson won, defeating qualifier Jak Jones 18–14 in the final |
| Apr 13 | Horse Racing | Grand National | Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool | The event was won by bookies' favorite I Am Maximus. |
| May 5 | Horse Racing | Kentucky Derby | Louisville, Kentucky, US | Mystik Dan won in a three-way photo finish |
| May 10-26 | Ice Hockey | IIHF World Championship | Czechia | Hosts Czechia won the title for the seventh time, beating Switzerland 2–0 in the final |
| May 16–19 | Golf | US PGA Championship | Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky | won by Xander Schauffele |
| May 20 - Jun 9 | Tennis | French Open | Paris, France | The men's singles was won by Carlos Alcaraz, while Iga Świątek successfully defended her singles title. |
| May 25 | Football (Soccer) | FA Cup final | Wembley Stadium, London | In a repeat of the 2023 final, Manchester United met Manchester City again, though this time Man U finished the winner. |
| May 26 | Auto Racing | Monaco Grand Prix | Monte Carlo, Monaco | won by local Charles Leclerc, his first victory at home. |
| May 26 | Auto Racing | Indy 500 | Indianapolis, USA | The race was won by defending champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. |
| June 1 | Football (Soccer) | UEFA Champions League Final | Wembley Stadium, London | Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–0 for a record 15th title. |
| Jun 4-30 | Cricket | ICC World T20 (men) | USA & West Indies | India, won their second T20 World Cup title, defeating South Africa by 7 runs. |
| Jun 6-23 | Basketball | NBA Finals | USA/Canada | The Celtics defeated the Mavericks 4-1. |
| Jun 8-24 | Ice Hockey | Stanley Cup finals | Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada & Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA. | Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. |
| Jun 13-16 | Golf | US Open | Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 Pinehurst, North Carolina | Bryson DeChambeau won, his 2nd U.S. Open title. |
| Jun 14 - Jul 13 | Football (Soccer) | 48th Copa América | USA | Defending champions Argentina won a record 16th title. defeating Colombia 1–0. |
| Jun 14 – Jul 14 | Football (Soccer) | Euro 2024 | Germany | Spain won for a record 4th time, defeating England 2–1 in the final. |
| Jun 15-16 | Auto Racing | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France | Team Ferrari AF Corse in a Ferrari 499P with drivers Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen's took the overall victory after 311 laps. |
| Jun 29 - Jul 21 | Cycling | Tour de France | Italy start, France | Tadej Pogačar won the general classification, his 3rd victory after 2020 and 2021. |
| Jul 1-14 | Tennis | Wimbledon | London, England | Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the men's singles. Barbora Krejčíková defeated Jasmine Paolini in the women's singles final. |
| Jul 18-21 | Golf | The Open Championship | Royal Troon Golf Club Troon South Ayrshire Scotland | Xander Schauffele won his second major by two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. |
| Jul 26 - Aug 11 | Multi-sports | Summer Olympics | Paris, France | The USA only cemented their top standing on the medal table with the result of the final event, finishing equal with China on gold medals won, only topping the table based on winning more silver. |
| Aug 10- Sep 28 | Rugby | The Rugby Championships | Australia, NZ, Argentina, South Africa | South Africa won the championship for the first time |
| Aug 12-18 | Cycling | Tour de France Femmes | France | Won by Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma, beating defending champion Demi Vollering by just four seconds. |
| Aug 18-25 | Rowing | World Rowing Championships | Henley Island/Martindale Pond, St. Catharine's, Ontario, Canada | Romania won 7 golds, but Germany and Italy each won 16 medals in total. |
| Aug 26 - Sep 8 | Tennis | US Open | New York, USA | The singles winners were Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka. |
| Aug 28 - Sept 8 | Multi-sports | Paralympic Games | Paris, France | China topped the medal table for the sixth consecutive Paralympics, followed by Great Britain and USA. |
| Sep 10-15 | Golf | Solheim Cup | Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia USA | The United States won, their first win since 2017. |
| Sep 21-29 | Cycling | UCI Road World Championships | Zurich, Switzerland | Of the 13 medals on offer, four countries finished with 2 each: Australia, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain. |
| Sep 24–29 | Golf | Presidents Cup | Royal Montreal Golf Club, Quebec, Canada | Team USA won the cup for their tenth consecutive victory |
| Sep 28 | Australian Football | Grand Final | Melbourne, Australia | Brisbane beat Sydney by 60 points, marking their 4th premiership |
| Oct 3-20 | Cricket | ICC World T20 (women) | UAE | New Zealand defeated South Africa by 32 runs to win their maiden T20 World Cup title |
| Oct 12-20 | Sailing | America's Cup | Barcelona, Spain | The Royal NZ Yacht Squadron with its yacht Te Rehutai, owned and sailed by the Emirates Team New Zealand syndicate, successfully defended the cup. |
| Oct 16-20 | Cycling | World Track Championships | Ballerup, Denmark | Netherlands, Great Britain, Denmark all came home with 4 gold medals, out of the total 22 on offer |
| Oct 25 - Nov 2 | Baseball | World Series | LA & NY, USA | The LA Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-1. |
| Nov 5 | Horse Racing | Melbourne Cup | Victoria, Australia | Won by Knight's Choice, ridden by Robbie Dolan. |
| Dec 6-15 | Weightlifting | IWF World Championships | Manama, Bahrain | North Korea was the dominant nation, winning 9 gold and 16 medals overall. |
| Dec 10-15 | Swimming | FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) | Budapest, Hungary | The United States topped the medal table, winning 18 gold and 39 medals in total. The team was awarded the best team award, after claiming 21 world records. |
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Top-10 Major Sporting Events of 2024
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- Major Events Sport Calendar for 2024
- Highlights of Australian sport in 2024
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