2022’s sporting events to watch out for

So far in 2022 we have seen some outstanding and memorable moments on the sporting stage, and with football, rugby and cricket World Cups on the horizon the best could still be to come.

Here are some of the sporting events to watch out for in the second half of 2022.

2022/23 Premier League: 5th August 2022 – 28th May 2023

With the return of Nottingham Forest, one of England’s most successful clubs, a new era at Manchester United and Tottenham on the rise, the new Premier League season promises to be an exciting one. The season kicks off on Friday 5th August as Crystal Palace host Arsenal in a game that is sure to bring fireworks. After winning the league last season Manchester City have strengthened their squad signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 85 goals and assisted 22 in just 88 matches, and this sees them head into the season as 8/13 favourites for the title. Liverpool finished a single point behind City last term, and Jurgen Klopp’s side will be eager to get the better of their rivals this time. The Reds begin as second favourites at 2/1. Manchester United are entering a new era under manager Erik Ten Haag and are 25/1 to bring the title to Old Trafford for the first time in 10 years.

Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua – 20th August 

Saudi Arabia is set to host one of the biggest heavyweight clashes in history at the end of summer. This is the second fight between the two after Usyk defeated Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by unanimous decision on 28th September 2021. Billed as the ‘Rage on the Red Sea’, there will be four titles – WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles – on the line in this bout. Usyk heads into the fight with the belts and his convincing win over Joshua last time out makes the Ukrainian 1/2 favourite to win the fight. Joshua is looking to become a three-time world champion but after a lacklustre performance last time out he is the underdog at 7/4.

Super League Grand Final – 24th September

The 2022 Super League Grand Final will take place at Old Trafford on Saturday 24th September. This year’s Grand Final celebrates 25 years of Grand Finals at Old Trafford and after a thrilling season the it promises to be equally as exciting. Last year’s final saw St Helens win their 16th Championship as they defeated Catalan Dragons 12-10. Both sides are in the hunt for the final this year – St Helens 10/11 favourites and Catalan Dragons 4/1 – along with Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants as the in-form Castleford Tigers and Hull FC fight it out for the remaining top six spots. At the end of the season the top two teams receive an automatic place in the semi finals while third plays sixth and fourth plays fifth for the other two semi final spots. The winners of these semi finals then play each other in the Grand Final and the winner is crowned Super League champions.

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Rugby League World Cup – 15th October – 19th November

England host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup between Saturday 15th October and Saturday 19th November. The competition will see a total of 61 matches across the three tournaments, which involve men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup competitions; previously the World Cup has only featured the men’s competition. The tournament will comprise of sixteen teams, an increase of two since the previous World Cup. The sixteen nations involved include Jamaica, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, Italy and Lebanon. Eleven-time winners Australia are currently strong favourites at odds of 1/3 to lift the World Cup once again, followed by New Zealand at 5/1, while England are 7/1 third-favourites.

T20 Cricket World Cup – 16th October – 13th November

The eighth ICC T20 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by Australia, the reigning champions, between the 16th October and 13th November. The competition will have group stages and knockout format, seeing the sixteen teams play a combined total of 45 T20 matches. They will play at seven venues across the expansive coasts of Australia; including the Adelaide Oval, The Gabba, Kardinia Park, Bellerive Oval, Perth Stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground. World number one ranked side India are current favourites at 11/4 to win the tournament for a second time, with Australia and England next best at 10/3 and 7/2 respectively.

FIFA World Cup – 21st November – 18th December

The FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar in 2022, running from 21st November to 18th December. The tournament is usually held in summer, but the dates were moved in response to Qatar’s intense summer heat. The competition involves 32 teams and is the second-ever to be held entirely in Asia. There are eight groups in the group stage, after which, sixteen teams will enter the knockout stages. The final is to take place on 18th December 2022. The reigning champions are France after their success in Russia in 2018, and Les Bleus come into the tournament as 11/2 second favourites to become only the second nation in history to retain the World Cup. Brazil are the only nation to have achieved that feat, in 1958 and 1962, and they are 9/2 favourites to win their first World Cup since 2002. Could this be England’s tournament? The Three Lions are 7/1 third favourites to end their 58-year wait for a second World Cup.

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