In 2022, sports fans were treated to a plethora of events, from the World Cup to the Super Bowl to Tennis and Golf. Such events offered an invaluable opportunity that hadn’t been available in previous years due to the pandemic. When travel resumed in 2022, sports fans eagerly began to organize trips to events they had missed out on during quarantine – an exciting opportunity to combine two interests in one experience. Whether you were watching online, on TV, or ideally, watching live in-person, taking advantage of the opportunity to travel, there were numerous events you should have been looking out for throughout the year. Here are just some you should have had on your bucket list during the 2022 season.
FIFA World Cup
After a four-year wait, the FIFA World Cup – the world’s most popular and widely viewed event – was finally ready to commence. As their temperature soared while we were cooling down, all eyes of the world were focused on Qatar. The tournament, which included 32 national teams, ran from November 21 to December 18, 2022.
Winter Olympics & Winter Paralympics
It had only been a year since the 2021 Olympic Games were held. On July 31, 2015, Beijing, China, was chosen as the host city for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, thus becoming the first city ever to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games. The 2022 Winter Olympics took place from February 4-20. Beijing 2022 had a vision of “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow” in mind, which was inspired by the groundbreaking Beijing 2008 Olympics. This encouraged 300 million people in China to partake in winter sports.
Commonwealth Games
The XXII Commonwealth Games, commonly referred to as Birmingham 2022, were held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8, 2022. This major event, which was only held every four years, brought together athletes from various nations in the Commonwealth. Of notable importance, beach volleyball was brought back after a successful debut in 2018, as well as the addition of women’s cricket which was added to the program this year.
European Sports Championships
The inaugural European Championships kicked off in 2018 and was hosted by the cities of Berlin, Germany, and Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. The second edition of the European Sports Championships took place in Munich, Germany, from August 11-21, 2022. This multi-sport event, held every four years, brings together athletes from European countries to compete in the same venue. The idea behind the event was to bring different sports championships together in one host city, similar to the Olympic Games, in order to create a more exciting and concentrated sporting event.
Invictus Games
The first edition of the International Games for wounded, sick, and injured servicemen and women was held in 2014. The goal of the Games is to provide wounded, injured, and ill servicemen and women with an opportunity to participate in a variety of sports. The 5th International Games was held in The Hague, Netherlands, from April 16 to 22, 2022.
Tour de France Femmes
The Tour de France Femmes is an annual cycling event that takes place around France and is hosted by Amaury Sport Organization, the same company that organizes the Tour de France. This race is part of the UCI Women’s World Tour. The inaugural Tour de France women’s version was introduced just this year. The 8-day race started along the iconic Champs-Élysées and was held in July of 2022, right after the 2022 Tour de France.
ICC World T20 (men)
The 8th edition of the T20 World Cup tournament, one of the most thrilling forms of cricket, took place in Australia between October and November of 2022. It featured 16 teams from across the globe, with the grand finale hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13.
Super Bowl
On February 13, 2022, Super Bowl LVI was held at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Rams. After the COVID-19 health restrictions that limited attendance at last year’s game, the 2022 Super Bowl was attended at full capacity. The NFC champions went on to beat the AFC champions, Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20 and became the 2021 NFL champions. This marked the second consecutive and overall Super Bowl in which a team played and won in its home stadium.
Wimbledon
After a long period of time where tennis tournaments were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 season was filled with many exciting events. Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam event left to be played on grass, was a sight to behold. Novak Djokovic was triumphant at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. He defended his gentlemen’s singles title and secured his 21st major title with a victory over Nick Kyrgios in the final.
The Open
The Open Championship, also known as The Open or the British Open, is the world’s oldest and most prestigious golf tournament. Established in 1860, it was originally held yearly at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Along with the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open, The British Open is one of the four major men’s golf tournaments. Since the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, The Open is now the fourth and final major tournament of the year, taking place in mid-July.