Major Sports Events in the World

The list of some of the major sports events of the world is as follows:

FIFA World Cup
Olympic Games
The UEFA Champions League
Cricket World Cup
Super Bowl
Wimbledon Tennis
Tour de France Cycling
Rugby World Cup
Formula One Racing
National Basketball Association (NBA)
The Masters Tournament, United States
IAAF World Championships
Hockey World Cup
The Asian Games:
Commonwealth Games

1) FIFA World Cup:

It is also known as football world cup. The event is held every four years by FIFA (Federation International de Football Association). FIFA was established in 1904 for the continuous improvement of the football. At present, it has more than 200 teams as its member association. The senior football men's national teams of the FIFA's members take part in this international sporting event. The first FIFA world cup was played in 1930. In 1942 and 1946 it could be not organized due to the Second World War. As per its current format, there are 32 teams that compete with each other for this title.

2) Olympic Games:

Olympics is a major international multi-sport event in which almost all countries of the world participate in different sports. It aims to cultivate people and world peace through sports and is organized by IOC (International Olympics Committee) after every four years.

The Olympics started around 2300 years ago in the Olympia region of ancient Greece but ended in 393 due to wars but again started after a gap of around 1500 years when first modern Olympics games held in Athens, Greece; the native place of the Olympic Games. The symbol of the Olympic Games, which was designed by Baron de Coubertin, expresses the unity among the five continents of the world.

3) The UEFA Champions League:

It is a continental club football competition that was formerly called the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup. Since 1955, it is held every year by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The top football clubs of the Europe contest in this event for the title and to emerge as the best club in the European soccer.

Around 32 teams compete in this tournament in five rounds. The teams are divided into eight groups. One team has to compete with the other three teams in its group in a double round-robin format. The winner and runner-up from each group are selected for the round of 16 and thereafter the knock out stage begins and winners move to the quarterfinal, semi-finals and final at the end.

4) Cricket World Cup:

It is also known as ICC Cricket World Cup as it is organized by ICC, International Cricket Council. It is an international cricket tournament in which of men's one day 50 overs' cricket matches are played. The teams are required to qualify preliminary qualification rounds to become eligible to participate in this tournament that is held every four years, however T20 is held every two years.

It is the fourth-most viewed international sporting event in the world. The first Cricket World Cup held in 1975 in England, whereas the first T20 Cricket World Cup held in 2007 in South Africa. Till 2020, 12 Cricket World Cups are being held and as of 2020, Australia Cricket Team is the most successful cricket team by winning this tournament 5 times.

5) Super Bowl:

Super Bowl is a popular championship that belongs to the NFL (National Football League). It is a reputed professional American football in the United States that is held every year in the month of January or February to determine the champion of the National Football League. Formerly, it was called the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game," later it was renamed Super Bowl as suggested by the Lamar Hunt, the owner of AFL Kansas City Chief.

The American Football Super Bowl is watched by almost every American. It is the largest sport occasion in the United States. It was broadcasted to more than 170 countries in 2018 and viewed by 104 million viewers on TV.

6) Wimbledon Tennis:

Wimbledon is one of the greatest sports events in the world. It is also the oldest tennis championship in the world. Since 1877, it is being held in late June or early July at All England Club at Wimbledon in London.

It is a Grand Slam tennis tournament like the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. It is the only tennis tournament that is still played on grass which is the original surface of this game and from which it derived its original name of "lawn tennis." The first WC was held in 1877 at one of the lawns of All England Club. Besides this, in the year of 1884, women's championship was introduced at Wimbledon, and Mixed Doubles and Women's Doubles were introduced in 1913, and more.

7) Tour de France Cycling:

It is a multiple-stage bicycle race that is held every year mainly in France. Sometimes, it also passes through nearby countries. For the first time, it was organized in 1903 to boost paper sales for the magazine "L'Auto." At present, it is organized by the Amaury Sport Organization. The modern Tour typically has 21 daily stages that make it a three-week long race in which a distance of around 3,500 km is covered on bicycles. The shortest tour was of 2,428 km which was held in 1904, whereas the longest tour was of 5,745 km that was held in 1926. It is considered the world's most difficult bicycle race and is generally held in the month of July. The route may be changed slightly every year.

The route consists of different terrains such as in the beginning it may be a flat track and difficult stages may be encountered while passing across the Alps and the Pyrenees. All cyclists cannot make it to the finish line due to injuries and lacking the stamina to cope with the physical strain of a 21 days long tour.

8) Rugby World Cup:

It is also known as the rugby union world cup. It is an international rugby union competition organized by the International Rugby Board. In 1987, the first rugby world cup was being played. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia since then it is organized every four years. As per the current format of the tournament twenty countries participate in this event that lasts for a month in the host nation.

The event comprises two stages, a group and a knock-out. The winner of the event receives the William Webb Ellis Cup. The rugby world cup is organized by World Rugby that is an international body to govern the sport of rugby. The 10^th edition "2023 ruby world cup" will be hosted by France, and the final match will be held at the State de France.

9) Formula One Racing:

Formula One racing, which is also known as F1 racing, is an international level professional auto racing sport. The vehicles used in this sport are single-seat, open-wheel, and open-cockpit type. It is technically the most advanced and rich, and intense international racing event in the world. The wheels are fitted outside of the car's body, unlike normal cars.

This event is organized by the FIA (Federation Internationale de I'Automobile) or the International Automobile Federation. The name formula is derived from the guidelines that the participants are required to follow during the race.

The race is conducted on special tracks called circuits. However, sometimes closed public roads are also used for the race. It is not only a competition between drivers but also a competition between technologies of different teams.

A series of F1 races are organized over the specified duration of time which is known as 'Formula One World Championship season.' Grand Prix is one of the series for F1 racing cars. All the series or races in a season are called 'Grands Prix.'

10) National Basketball Association (NBA):

It is a world-famous men's professional basketball league in North America. It is also an active member of USAB (USA Basketball) that also acts as a governing body for basketball in the United States.

NBA is a major North American professional sports league that was established on 6 June 1946 in New York City as Basketball Association of America (BAA). After few years, on 3 August 1949, it was renamed the National Basketball Association after its merger with the National Basketball League (NBL).

A typical season of NBA starts from October and continues till April and each of the team is required to play 82 matches. The playoffs may extend into the month of June. It consists of 30 teams or franchisee; 29 are from the USA and one from Canada. The NBA players are counted among the best-paid sportspersons of the world.

11) The Masters Tournament, United States:

It is held every year since 1934 during the first week of the April and is played at the private Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters Tournament is one of the four major golf tournaments; the other three are the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) Championship. Augusta National Golf Club organizes this tournament.

It is always held at the same site since its inception. Although professionals participate in this tournament, some beginner-level players are also invited to participate each year. Generally, the golfers with impressive past track record and achievements are invited to participate in this event. The winners receive a huge cash prize, gold medal and a lifetime invitation to the Masters including invitations to the other three golf tournaments for the next five years.

12) IAAF World Championships:

It is an international level athletic event that is organized every two years by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Before 1991, it was being organized after every four years. The foundation of this event was the result of the elimination of the 50km Men's walk event from the Olympics in 1976. In the same year, the IAAF Council planned to organize the Athletics World Championship separately.

Consequently, after a few years, the first event was held in Finland in August 1983 at Helsinki Olympic Stadium. It was attended by 1300 athletes from over 150 countries. In 2003, around 2000 athletes from over 200 countries participated in this event. Over the next few years, all women's event was also included in this tournament. The winner of the championship receives a cash prize and a medal.

13) Hockey World Cup:

It is the international field hockey competition that is held after every four years by the International Hockey Federation or FIH (Federation Internationale de Hockey). FIH is the governing body of field and indoor hockey. In 1908 hockey became an Olympic sport, and in 1971 hockey world cup was introduced that was hosted by Spain and won by Pakistan. The first three world cups were organized every two years. Since 1982, it is following the current pattern of four years.

It consists of a qualification stage and a final stage, each stage has the same format. In the qualification round, the teams compete to secure a berth in the final tournament. The top two teams are automatically selected and teams for the rest of the berths or positions are decided in playoffs. The upcoming hockey world cup in 2023 will be hosted by India. It will be played from 13 January to 29 January 2023.

14) The Asian Games:

The Asian Games, which is also known as Asiad, is a world-famous continental multi-sport event that is held every four years. Athletes from all Asian countries participate in the event. More than half of the world's population belong to Asia so the sporting events in Asia are likely to be huge events.

The first edition of Asian Games was held in 1951 in New Delhi, India. The Asian Games Federation (AGF) was organizing this event until 1978. However, since 1982, after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation, it is being organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recognized the Asian Games, which is the second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. Until 2019, it has been hosted by nine countries with participation from 46 countries. The 18 edition of this event was held in 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. The symbol of this event consists of a rising sun with interlocking rings.

15) Commonwealth Games:

It is a multi-sport event of international level in which athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations compete with each other in different sports. It started with the first event in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. Since then it is organized every four years. Formerly, it was known by different names that include the British Empire Games from 1930-50; British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954-66, and from 1970-74 it was called British Commonwealth Games. Thereafter it is known by its current name (Commonwealth Games).