Major International Sports Events
Here is a list of the major international sports events in which teams from different countries battle it out, both for individual sports and multi-sport events. In these events countries of the world are brought together in competition - in some of these most countries of the world are represented, in others only a select few. See our discussion on the World's Most Popular Sporting Events, there is no surprise that the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics top most lists.
Here are the major events sorted by sport. If you know of others that should be listed here, let me know.
| Athletics | World Championships | Athletics championships held every two years |
| Athletics World Cup | a team-based international athletics competition started in 2018 | |
| Badminton | Badminton World Championships | Annual event held by BWF |
| Baseball | ||
| World Baseball Classic | The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament for national baseball teams from around the world, sanctioned by the IBAF and includes Major League Baseball players playing for their home country. It is held every four years. This event was (sort of) preceded by the baseball World Cup. | |
| Premier12 | ||
| Baseball World Series | The so-called World Series is only played by teams of the USA, though elite players from around the world play in the US, and the World Series would be considered a major event for baseball fans all around the world. | |
| Basketball | World Cup | The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition for the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation |
| NBA Finals | National Basketball Association Finals held in June each year. | |
| Boxing | Boxing World Championships | held biennially, competitions are hosted separately with the men’s and women’s occurring in alternating years |
| Cricket | ICC World Cup | An international one-day cricket tournament contested by all Test-playing nations plus some qualifiers. |
| World Twenty20 | World Cup of the twenty over game | |
| Cycling | UCI World Championships (Track Cycling and Road) | Winners of this event are considered the World Cycling Champion for which they receive the right to wear the Rainbow Jersey for a full year in the respective discipline they are world champion |
| Tour de France | ||
| Golf | Ryder Cup | Annual tournament between teams from USA v Europe. The event is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the US and Europe (usually UK) |
| Presidents Cup | A match play tournament between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world (minus Europe) | |
| The Open Championship | ||
| US PGA | ||
| Masters | ||
| US Open | ||
| Equestrian | EI World Equestrian Games (WEG) | This equestrian championship is held every four years |
| Fencing | World Fencing Championships | |
| Gymnastics | Artistic Gymnastics World Championship | |
| World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships | ||
| Handball | World Championships | |
| Hockey (Ice) | Stanley Cup | finals of North American league (NHL) in June each year |
| World Cup of Hockey | Organized by the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). | |
| Ice Hockey World Championships | an annual event run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). | |
| Hockey (Field) | World Cup | |
| Football (American) | Super Bowl | The Championship game of the National Football League (NFL) |
| Football (soccer) | FIFA World Cup | Held every 4 years. |
| FA Cup | ||
| Asian Cup | ||
| Motorsports | F1 Grand Prix | a series of events held around the world, such as the British, Monaco and Italian Grand Prix. |
| Netball | World Championships | |
| Rowing | World Championships | a week-long, international rowing event including eight different boat styles with 21 different classes. |
| Rugby Union | Rugby World Cup | an international rugby union competition played every four years |
| Six Nations | an annual competition between six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales | |
| The Rugby Championship | formerly the tri-nations championships, it is contested by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. | |
| World Cup Sevens | competed by the national seven teams every four years | |
| Rugby League | World Cup | |
| Sailing | Americas Cup | An international yachting event held every 4 years. |
| Swimming | FINA World Championships | The world championships for aquatic sports (diving, swimming-50m, open water swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming), held every 2 years. |
| Surfing | World Surfing Games | |
| Table Tennis | Table Tennis World Championships | Consists of five events:, men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles. All are hosted in odd numbered years. |
| Tennis | Wimbledon | part of the Grand Slam |
| US Open | part of the Grand Slam | |
| Australian Open | part of the Grand Slam | |
| French Open | part of the Grand Slam | |
| Davis Cup | An annual international team tennis competition for men. | |
| Hopman Cup | annual international mixed team tennis competition played in Perth, Australia | |
| Billie Jean King Cup(formerly the Fed Cup) | annual international team tennis competition for women | |
| Triathlon | World Triathlon Series | triathletes compete is a series of head-to-head standard and sprint distance races, the winner crowned World Champion. |
| Volleyball | World Championships | An international competition held every four years |
| Weightlifting | World Weightlifting Championships |
International Multi-Sport Events
These are just some of the major international sporting events from around the world. See our full list of world multi-sport events.
| event | notes |
|---|---|
| Summer Olympics | The world's premier multi-sport and multi-country sporting competition, held every four years. |
| Winter Olympics | the winter sports version of the Olympic Games, held every four years, two years after the Summer Olympics. |
| Paralympic Games | A major event for athletes with disabilities, now run in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games, every four years. |
| Commonwealth Games | the next being held in Glasgow, in 2014. It is held every four years. |
| Asian Games | The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event along the lines of the Olympics, though only for Asian countries. They were first held in 1951. |
| Gay Games | The Gay Games, held every 4 years, is open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation. |
| Military World Games | For military athletes from over 100 countries. |
| European Games | A Multisport event along the lines of the Summer Olympic Games, though limited to athletes from European nations. The inaugural European Games are scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015. |
| Youth Olympics | The Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event, held every four years for athletes aged 14 to 18. |
Related Pages
- Full list of major international Multi-Sport events.
- Olympic Games
- Calendar of Sporting Events for this year
- The Impact of Major Sporting Events on Local Real Estate Markets
- What is your sports event bucket list? Also see the list of top 100 sporting events you must see.
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
- Sports Calendar template — complete list of sports for the calendar
- Sports Videos tagged as 'Major Events'
- Read the major events entries on the sporting blog
- About the Topend Sports Calendar
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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