A summer of sport: What to expect on the sporting calendar this summer

The ‘Summer of Sport’: it’s become a ubiquitous term over the past few years, with sporting calendars across the summer months crammed with events to look forward to. We’ve all become used to seeing posts on social media of fan zones and watch-alongs for a World Cup final, an exciting F1 race, or a tennis thriller – and this summer is set to be no different.

Women’s sport will dominate the headlines with the Euros, the Rugby World Cup, and the Cricket World Cup all taking place. Sport fans will also be treated to spectacles of cycling, tennis, and more in what promises to be another exciting few months.

Women’s Euros

One of the highlights – if not the highlight – of the 2025 ‘Summer of Sport’ is the Women’s Euros, which will be taking place in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July. Sixteen teams will battle it out for the trophy, with England looking to retain their title from three years ago.

England will have to see off close rivals Spain if they want to take home the trophy for a second time though. The reigning World Cup champions are current favourites for the tournament, with France and Germany also eyeing up the win.

A thrilling home nation head-to-head is set up in the group stages, with England being drawn in the same group as Wales – who will be looking to keep the momentum going from their qualifying campaign, as they head to their first international football tournament.

Women’s Rugby World Cup

Another trophy that England has their eyes on is the Women’s Rugby World Cup, with the Red Roses hoping to bring the ‘Summer of Sport’ to a close in style. England will host the tournament, which kicks off on the 22nd of August, with games scheduled across the country.

Entering the tournament with a 20-match winning streak (and having lost only one of their 42 games prior to that), the host nation certainly has a lot to be hopeful for. However, with New Zealand winning six of the last seven tournaments, the win certainly isn’t sealed.

England’s head coach, John Mitchell, was quietly confident about the team’s chances following their victory at this year’s Six Nations. “I think New Zealand are on for a three-peat in World Cups,” Mitchell said, “so there is probably more pressure on them.”

Rugby fans will also be treated to an extra helping of the sport this summer, as the top men’s players from the country take on Australia in the British & Irish Lions Tour (28 June–2 August). Coach Andy Farrell will be hoping that his team can go one step further than Warren Gatland’s team on the last Lions outing four years ago in South Africa – which saw them fall short, after a 19-16 defeat against the Wallabies.

Tour de France

French cycling fans can rejoice as this year’s Tour de France returns to – France. The race hasn’t been held wholly in the country since 2020, with the Grand Départs in overseas cities for the past few years. Those hoping to wear the yellow jersey will also end the race on its classic finish line – the Champs-Élysées – after a year away for the Paris Olympics.

Tadej Pogačar is expected to hold onto the title for a second year; the Slovenian is the name on everyone’s lips in the world of cycling at the moment, after last year becoming the first man to win both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia in the same year since 1998.

The Tour de France Femmes will follow the men’s race in July for its longest outing yet. The women’s race, which began as a stand-alone event in 2022, will be nine stages in length – 12 less than the men’s. Dutch cyclists had dominated the tournament up until last year when Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma took the win. Time will tell whether this year’s winner will hail from the Netherlands again.

Other events to watch out for

The summer’s sporting calendar certainly doesn’t end there though! For those of you wanting more football action, the FIFA Club World Cup will return this year on its biggest outing yet, with the tournament expanding from seven to 32 clubs. The tournament certainly hasn’t had the warmest reception from fans, players or managers, but the tournament will still bring a month’s worth of football action from the US in June and July.

Pimm’s and strawberries and cream will, of course, be at the ready in Wimbledon at the end of this month as the tennis spectacle gears up for its first Andy Murray-less year. British players will be hoping to do well in the tournament, nonetheless, with Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, and Emma Raducanu among names taking to the infamous courts.

For those of you who are still wanting even more, then golf’s The Open (17–20 July), cricket’s England v India Test series (20 June–4 August), and F1’s British Grand Prix (6 July) are among the many events you can look forward this summer.