A brand new year of sport in the capital is underway! Read on as we pick out some of the highlights in the calendar and for the full rundown check out our What’s On page.
2020 was a downer, 2021 was hit and miss. But this year will be different with the likes of EURO 2022, the Rugby League World Cup and Laver Cup heading to the capital. Yes the forecast for sport in London 2022 has never looked better; so settle back, strap yourself in and let us take you through a diary full of returning favourites, new additions and some one-off events you simply don’t want to miss.
JANUARY/FEBUARY
2022 is already off to a flying start with the PDC World Darts Championship, Masters Snooker and Netball Quad Series wowing the crowds at the Alexandra Palace and Copper Box Arena respectively.
The ‘Box That Rocks’ in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set for a busy year Next up at the Copper Box it’s hockey and 🏑 Super 6s Finals Day before attention turns to netball and basketball and 🏐 London Pulse and 🏀 London Lions in VNSL and BBL/WBBL action respectively.
Meanwhile in a significant moment for British Paralympic sport the British Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Premier League – the UK’s first women’s professional para sport league – launches at the end of January. SportsDock is the place to be to watch 🏀 East London Phoenix in action during the inaugural season.
Boxing is also pulling no punches in the capital with Matchroom Boxing presenting their first show – Jacobs v Ryder – in February. And what price the Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk rematch returning to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Wembley later in the spring/summer? 🥊 Watch this space for announcements.
SPRING/SUMMER
More heavyweight encounters are expected in March including on the squash court as the world’s best players return to the spectacular surroundings of East Wintergarden for the 🏆 Canary Wharf Squash Classic.
As the days get longer a quartet of sporting favourites make a welcome return after three years away from the capital. The banks of the River Thames is the place to be on Sunday 3 April for rowing and the 🚣♀️🚣♂️ Boat Race featuring the 76th Women’s Boat Race and 167th Men’s Boat Race. The 🏃♀️🏃♂️ Night of the 10k PBs on Saturday 14 May is not to be missed by athletics fans, with Team GB qualification on the line for the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and World Championships. International hockey returns to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as England take part in the 🏑 FIH Pro League and if you’ve ever wondered what a day at the polo is like the relaxed vibe of Polo in the Park in mid-June is just the place to find out.
Brand new on the scene is triathlon but not as you’ve known it. 🏊♀️🚴♂️🏃♀️ Arena Games Triathlon at the London Aquatics Centre on Saturday 23 April is part of a global esports World Championship series featuring the best athletes on the planet. Team GB gold medallists
SPORT IN LONDON 2022 SUMMER BONANZA
For horse racing fans the 🏇 Epsom Derby Festival is simply unmissable n 2022. The 243rd running of the world’s greatest Flat race has a royal glow this year after the announcement from Buckingham Palace that the Derby will form part of the four-day Jubilee weekend to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Queen will be at Epsom on Saturday 4 June to watch the race – a fitting celebration of her 70 years on the throne!
To football and international tournament action sees England and Northern Ireland represent the home nations at ⚽️ UEFA Women’s EURO2022. Matches take place at 10 venues across England, with London hosting group and knockout matches at Brentford Community Stadium and the final at Wembley Stadium between 8-31 July.
Later in the summer there’s a motorsport treat as Formula E once again return to the Docklands with the 🏎️ London E-Prix – on the weekend of 30/31 July – and this time all the signs are for a chequered flag to fans.
AUTUMN
In tennis the Wimbledon Championships will once again take centre stage for two weeks from the end of June. And then all London eyes will turn to the 🎾 Laver Cup taking place from 23-25 September at The O2. Pitting the top six European players against their counterparts from the rest of the world on the ATP Tour, a sell-out crowd is expected for the Team Europe v The World showdown where two legends of the game – John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg – will captain the sides.
Rugby league has waited patiently but at last the talking is over and the action can being on the pitch for the 🏉 Rugby League World Cup 2021. Initially scheduled for 2021 the tournament was delayed a year due to the global pandemic. Matches take place across England with the Copper Box Arena and Emirates Arena hosting the Group A wheelchair matches (England’s group) and a men’s semi-final respectively between 3-12 November.