2024 will be a bumper year on Sky Sports with two T20 Cricket World Cups, thrilling title races, top tennis, every golf major and so much more…
Team Europe out to retain Solheim Cup
Europe successfully defended the Solheim Cup in Spain in September after an absorbing three days, recovering from 4-0 down after the opening foursomes to earn a 14-14 draw as home favourite Carlota Ciganda drained the trophy-retaining putt.
European captain Suzann Pettersen will lead her side once again in 2024 with the tournament moving to even number years to avoid clashing with the Ryder Cup.
European captain Suzann Pettersen chats to Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir about retaining the Solheim Cup
Pettersen will be in charge in Gainesville, Virginia this time around as her team aim to make it two wins in a row on American soil, having triumphed 15-13 in Ohio in 2021.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire has played a starring role in the previous two Solheim Cups, racking up 4.5 points out of five in the States and then three out of five in Spain, turning herself into the pivotal figure Ian Poulter became for Europe’s Ryder Cup side for such a long period of time.
Maguire will look to make a similar impact in 2024 but a wounded America will be out for revenge.
Two T20 World Cups
There is a men’s short-form World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June and then a women’s in Bangladesh in the autumn, with England set to be among the favourites for both.
Jos Buttler’s side endured a dismal 50-over World Cup defence in 2023, losing six of their first seven games, but won the last T20 version in 2022 and have some of the biggest hitters on the planet including Buttler, Phil Salt – who thumped successive centuries in the Caribbean in December – and Harry Brook. Not to mention a world-class leg-spinner in Adil Rashid and, fitness-permitting, pace ace Jofra Archer.
Watch highlights from the T20 World Cup final in 2022 as England beat Pakistan by five wickets in Melbourne
Heather Knight’s women’s team have not tasted T20 World Cup glory since the inaugural edition on home soil in 2009. However, after winning the T20 leg of the Women’s Ashes and then securing a 2-1 series victory in India late last year, confidence will be high.
They possess match-winners in left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, opening batter Danni Wyatt and all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt and have lost the fear of Australia they perhaps once had.
That said, when these tournaments come around Australia usually get the job done, winning the last three T20 World Cups and six of the last seven. Will their dominance on the big stage continue?
Title races set to go down to the wire
Could we be about to see the best Premier League title race in a generation? Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are primed to battle it out, with Aston Villa and Tottenham remarkably also still in the hunt.
City are known for turning it on come the business end of the campaign, but Arsenal’s improved squad has the experience of last season’s failed tilt to fall back on, while Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool simply cannot be counted out.
Mark down Arsenal hosting Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium live on Sky Sports on February 4, and stay tuned to follow all the twists and turns that are sure to follow.
Much drama is also promised in the Championship, where leaders Leicester are on course for an immediate return to the top flight, but second-placed Ipswich have Southampton and Leeds chasing them down.
Whatever the outcome after 46 games, the guaranteed thrill of the play-offs – for the Championship along with League One and League Two – will play out live on Sky Sports, as will the Scottish Premiership finale.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Super League, leaders Chelsea are trying to claim a fifth successive title before head coach Emma Hayes departs to take over as USA manager.
With Manchester City and Arsenal both within three points as the midway point of the season nears, there is plenty of work to do for the champions.
All nine golf majors live
Sky Sports will once again be home of the majors in 2024, with all four men’s majors and all five women’s majors exclusively live.
Rory McIlroy will have another chance to complete the career Grand Slam at The Masters, where LIV Golf signing Jon Rahm returns as defending champion and Tiger Woods is expected to feature.
Brooks Koepka will look to become a back-to-back PGA Championship winner for a second time, having previously defended the Wanamaker Trophy in 2019, with Jordan Spieth likely to challenge again at Valhalla for his only missing major.
Watch the winning putt as Jon Rahm became Masters Champion in 2023
Martin Kaymer won the US Open when it was last held at Pinehurst and there will be plenty of Europeans hoping to follow in his footsteps, before The Open returns to Royal Troon for the first time since Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson in all-time classic final round.
World No 1 Lilia Vu was a two-time major winner in 2023 and will look to add to her tally, while England’s Charley Hull will be hoping to go one better than her two runner-up finishes in majors this year.
The AIG Women’s Open has added significance year as it returns to St Andrews’ iconic Old Course and is also the final qualification event for Europe’s Solheim Cup team, meaning it could be key in who features in Virginia.
Every Super League game live
The Super League is back in 2024 for what is bound to be another enthralling season – and for the first time every match will be live on Sky Sports as part of an historic three-year broadcast deal, starting with a blockbuster showdown between bitter cross-city rivals Hull FC and Hull KR on Thursday, February 15.
Highlights of the 2023 Super League Grand Final as Wigan Warriors defeated Catalans Dragons
Wigan Warriors are aiming to defend the title they won in a hard-fought Grand Final at Old Trafford in October, but runners-up Catalans Dragons will again have their sights set on making history as they seek to become the first French side to win the competition.
All eyes will be on whether rugby league icon Sam Burgess can lead Warrington Wolves on a title charge in his first head coach role, and how emerging force Leigh Leopards will fare, along with the traditional powerhouses like St Helens and Leeds Rhinos. Plus, what can London Broncos do on their return to the big time for the first time since 2019?
Wigan’s World Club Challenge showdown with Australian kings Penrith Panthers in February will be live on Sky Sports as well, along with the Grand Finals of the Women’s Super League, where York Valkyrie will be aiming to build on their maiden title, and Wheelchair Super League.
Biggest F1 season yet
With 24 grands prix in 2024, Formula 1 fans can look forward to the prospect of having a race on very nearly half of their weekends this year, with every single one of them live on Sky Sports!
Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater takes a look back at the biggest Formula 1 stories on and off the track in 2023
Max Verstappen delivered a historically dominant campaign in 2023 as Red Bull won all but one race, but there would appear to be little chance of the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren allowing that to happen again.
Lewis Hamilton is out to end a two-year streak without a race win, while Lando Norris continues to search for an elusive first victory of his career.
The season gets under way with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2, running all the way through to the finale in Abu Dhabi on December 8. China returns to the calendar in April, while the showpiece British Grand Prix takes place on July 7 at Silverstone.
While thrilling action is promised on the track, there is also set to be plenty of drama off it as Sergio Perez begins the final year of his Red Bull contract, with several drivers seeking to put forward their credentials for what is likely to be the most coveted seat on the 2025 grid.
Best fighting the best in boxing
Sky Sports are set to bring you a hugely exciting year of boxing as some of the brightest prospects in the sport look to take the next steps in their careers.
The likes of Ben Whittaker, Caroline Dubois, Adam Azim and Lauren Price will all be looking to move towards their ultimate goal of winning world championships, with plenty of thrills expected as their journeys continue.
Before then, Natasha Jonas defends her IBF welterweight title against American star Natasha Jonas on January 20, before former friends Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez face off in London on February 3 in what is fast becoming a grudge match.
There’s also the prospect of a potential cruiserweight title clash between WBO titlist Chris Billam-Smith, and perhaps the most feared fighter in the division, Richard Riakporhe.
Tennis returns to Sky Sports
Tennis is in a great place going into 2024 with so many young rising stars winning the sport’s biggest tournaments and some of the older players still able to compete against those who are more than a decade younger.
It could be the last season on the tour for Rafael Nadal, and maybe Andy Murray, too, so fans will not want to miss two of the best players from this century going for it in the latter stages of their careers.
Andy Murray says he yearns for the chance to play again on the big stage against rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic is still the player to beat at 36-years-old but the rapid rise of Carlos Alcaraz could give us a clash between two generations throughout 2024. Prepare to be amazed if Djokovic and Alcaraz are on either side of the net.
On the women’s circuit, Iga Swiatek faces stiff competition from Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and US Open champion Coco Gauff.
Those four names could become the new ‘Big Four’ over the next 12 months, such is there quality and it’s been a while on the WTA Tour since a genuine rivalry has formed in the race for world No 1.
Naomi Osaka is back after taking a year out to give birth to her daughter; Caroline Wozniacki continues her surprise comeback having retired for three-and-a-half years; and Britain’s Emma Raducanu returns from injury as well.
Emma Raducanu believes she is a better tennis player than before she had her lengthy injury break
You can watch all the drama all unfold on Sky Sports with live coverage of more than 80 tournaments and 4,000 matches, including every Masters event, in 2024.
Super Bowl LVII in Las Vegas
The most thrilling time of year for American Football fans is almost here.
With just a week of the regular season remaining, the playoffs get underway on January 13, with all roads leading to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11.
The upcoming post-season looks set to begin as one of the most unpredictable for a long time, with no team having established itself as an overwhelming favourite.
With Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs looking unlikely to be able to defend their title, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens are two of the teams best positioned to go all the way.
And for the music fans among you, it’s worth remembering that R&B star Usher will be delivering the half-time show in Las Vegas, which promise to add another layer of excitement to the occasion.
Darts, darts and more darts!
If the World Darts Championship has dominated your festive period – and it has done for many – then do not fret about the tournament coming to an end on January 3 as the top tungsten comes thick and fast on Sky Sports this year, starting with the opening night of the Premier League in Cardiff on February 1.
Every Thursday evening between then and May 16 is darts night before the finals take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday May 25. The second half of the year is also darts-laden, though, with highlights including the World Matchplay and Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool in July.
The best of the action from Luke Littler’s 4-1 demolition of Raymond van Barneveld at the World Darts Championship
You can also look forward to the double-in, double-out World Grand Prix, plus the Grand Slam of Darts – before the big one returns in December as players, pundits and punters flock to Ally Pally for the 2025 World Championship. It would not be Christmas without it!
The likes of Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright will probably contend for the big titles but can young stars such as teenage sensation Luke Littler, Josh Rock and Gian van Veen upset the established names – and will Fallon Sherrock and Beau Greaves continue to make waves?