Every year we look forward to the All-Ireland football and hurling finals, the Champions League and the Six Nations.
Those come around every year, of course, and will no doubt be covered in great deal across Irish sports sites. But 2020 has some real humdingers when it comes to sporting events, happening both locally and on the international stage. Here’s the three big events we are really looking forward to next year:
Euro 2020 in Dublin
There group games and a Last 16 fixture will be played at the Aviva Stadium, and it’s arguably the biggest international sporting event held in the country since the handful of games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup at Lansdowne Road. What could make this an even bigger event is if Ireland can squeak through in the play-offs, setting up dates with Poland and Sweden in the Aviva on the 15th and 19th June respectively.
That, of course, would be the hottest ticket in town, and as we saw in Euro 2016, UEFA can have poor form for ticket allocation, so why not find out more about securing tickets before you get disappointed? In the end, even if Ireland don’t make it through, it will be an incredible advert for the country and the city – and perhaps lead to chance of hosting other big soccer events in the future.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
It seems like an obvious pick, but there are several reasons why Tokyo could deliver one of the most memorable Olympics in living memory. As we saw in the Rugby World Cup, the hosts know how to put on a special event; and, despite the time difference there are plenty of reasons to get to the pub for an Olympic breakfast. For instance, we have our eye on Christian Coleman to become the new face of men’s sprinting in the absence of Usain Bolt.
Irish hopes look good for boxing in the shape of Joe Ward, and the O’Donovan brothers and Annalise Murphy will fly the flag in rowing and sailing respectively. We would also keep an eye on Thomas Barr. He’s had mixed fortunes since coming agonisingly close to a medal in Rio, finishing 4th in the 400 hurdles. He has a big race performance in him, and he could deliver some overdue success on the track for Ireland.
Ryder Cup 2020
The Ryder Cup has really entered into a golden period again, and some of the events held in the 2010s were the greatest in history. In September 2020, Europe heads off to Wisconsin headed by our own Padraig Harrington as the captain. The USA are marginally backed by bookies to win back the trophy thanks to having home advantage, but it’s been a difficult tournament to predict in recent years.
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One thing that might cause some fireworks is the fact that the tournament is being held when the US Presidential Elections will be in full throttle, and Wisconsin is considered a crucial swing state. Will the golf-mad Mr Trump involve himself in the drama? Somehow, we think that’s one of the more predictable outcomes of the tournament.
