ALABAMA - As the current 2023 year concludes, sports do not slow down. Next Summer, three big competitions will take place almost simultaneously, so you need to know when and where your teams will play.
At the Latin Times, we take a look at some of the most important dates for sports fans and Latinos to look forward to in the upcoming year.
January
Main Event: CFP National Championship Game (Jan. 8).
- It will be the last 4-team playoff after the expansion to 12 teams starting next season. No.1 Michigan will face No.4 Alabama while No.2 Washington will decide the other finalist against No.3 Texas on New Year's Day.
Other sporting events in January:
Jan. 1 – CFP Semifinals
Jan. 8 – CFP National Championship Game
Jan. 11 – NBA Paris Game (Cleveland Cavaliers vs Brooklyn Nets)
Jan. 12 – Liga MX's Clausura 2024 starts
Jan. 13 – Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith for the WBC, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles
Jan. 15 – FIFA The Best Awards
Jan. 14-29 – Australian Open
Jan. 28 – NFL Conference Championship games
February
Main event: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk ( Feb 17, for the WBC, WBO, IBF & WBA heavyweight belts).
Two of the top boxers in the world will fight to decide the undisputed heavyweight champion in the world. Billed as the "Ring of Fire" bout, Fury and Usyk will put their unbeaten records on the line.
Other sporting events in February:
Feb. 1-11 – CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship
Feb. 4 – NFL Pro Bowl
Fe. 11 - NFL Super Bowl LVIII
Feb. 13 – UEFA Champions League KO Rounds start
Feb. 17 – Fury vs Usyk for the undisputed WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight titles
Feb. 18 – NBA All-Star Game
Feb. 20- March 10 – CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
Feb. 24 – Liga MX's "Clásico Joven" between Club América and Cruz Azul
Feb. 21 – F1 2024 season officially starts
Feb. 24 – UFC Fight Night in Mexico City
TBD - CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One matches
March
Main Event: MLB Opening Day (March 28).
All 30 MLB teams will participate in the Opening Day games. Some of the most notable games include the New York Yankees facing the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reigning champions Arizona Diamondbacks will open their season against the Colorado Rockies.
Other sporting events in March:
March 10 – CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup final
March 15 – NWSL Challenge Cup
March 16 – 2024 NWSL season starts
March 16 – Liga MX's "Clásico Nacional" between Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara
March 19 – NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Starts
March 28 – MLB Opening Day
March 22 – NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Starts
TBD – CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 games to be played in March
April
Main Event: MLB's Mexico City Series (Astros vs Rockies, April 27-28).
- Just for the second time ever, the MLB will hold a series of games between two teams in Mexico City. Last year, Padres and Giants played in the inaugural Mexico City Series.
Other sporting events in April:
April 6 – 2024 SheBelievesCup starts
April 6 – WrestleMania 40
April 7 – NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game
April 9 – SheBelievesCup Championship match
April 8 – NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship Game
April 8-14 – The Masters at August National, Georgia
April 13 – Liga MX's "Clásico Regio" between Monterrey and Tigres UANL
April 25 – NFL Draft
April 27-28 – MLB's Mexico City Series
TBD – CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals and Semifinals
May
Main Event: F1 Miami Grand Prix (May 3-5)
- 3rd-annual Miami Grand Prix after its inclusion to the F1 calendar in 2022. Red Bull's Maxx Verstappen won the previous two GP. It's the first of two F1 races on American soil, after the Austin GP to take place in October 2024.
Other sporting events in May:
May 4 – Kentucky Derby
May 4-26 – Giro d'Italia
May 8 – Liga MX's playoffs start
May 13-19 – PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
May 19 – 2023-24 Premier League season concludes
May 22 – UEFA Europa League final
May 23-26 – Liga MX Clausura 2024 final
May 18-30 – French Open (Roland Garros)
TBD – A possible Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez fight vs David Bennavidez (could fall on Cinco de Mayo)
June
Main Events: Copa América 2024 and EURO 2024.
- Both tournaments will play their title game on July 14. The 2024 Copa América edition will be just the second time it is played in the United States. EURO 2024 will be played solely in Germany for the first time since 1988.
Other sporting events in June:
June 1 – UEFA Champions League final
June 2 – CONCACAF Champions Cup final
June 6 – Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals
June 10-16 – U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina
June 14 – EURO 2024 starts
June 20 – Copa América 2024 starts
June 23-July 15 – Wimbledon
June 23-July 21 – Tour de France
June 27 – NBA Draft
TBD – Stanley Cup starts
July
Main Event: Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony (July 26)
- Paris will host the Olympic Games for the first time in over 100 years. Paris will be the second city, in the Modern Games, to have hosted three Olympiads after London (1908, 1948, 2012). Los Angeles will join them as the third city to host 3 Olympic Games in 2028 (also 1932 and 1984).
Other sporting events in July:
July 4 – "El Tráfico" to be played at the Rose Bowl (LAFC vs LA Galaxy)
July 14 – Copa América 2024 final
July 14 – EURO 2024 final
July 15-21 – British Open at Royal Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
July 24 – MLS All-Star Game
July 24 – 2024 Paris Olympics start
July 26 – 2024 Leagues Cup starts
July 26 – Paris 2024 Inaugural Ceremony
August
Main Event: Closing ceremony at Paris 2024 (Aug. 11)
- A total of 13 gold medal events will take place on the last day of competitions. August 10 will see 39 gold medal events, including the disciplines like soccer, basketball and the men's and women's 4x400m relay.
Other sporting events in August:
Aug. 1 – Athletics start at Paris 2024
Aug. 11 – Closing Ceremony
Aug. 17- Sept. 8 – Vuelta a España
Aug. 19-Sept 9 – US Open starts; last tennis Grand Slam of the year
September
Main Event: A possible Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez rematch against Dmitry Bivol.
- The Mexican boxer tends to pick Mexico's Independence Day weekend to schedule one of his big fights every year.
Other sporting events in September:
Sept. 7 - 2024 NFL season kicks off
Sept. 15 – Roberto Clemente Day
Sept. 29 – MLB regular season ends (playoff dates TBD)
TBD – Campeones Cup (should be somewhere around September; last year it was plyaed during this month)
October
Main Event: F1 Mexico City Grand Prix (Oct. 25-27).
- Sergio "Checo" Pérez will try to win the race for the first time in his career. So far, Pérez' best finish at the Mexico City GP has been a 3rd place in 2021.
Other sporting events in October:
Oct. 19 – MLS Decision Day (regular season's final matchday)
TBD – 2024 World Series
November
Main Event: F1 São Paulo Grand Prix (Nov. 3-5).
- It will be the last race to take place in the Americas. A Brazilian driver has not won the GP on home soil since Felipe Massa did so for Ferrari in 2008.
Other sporting events in November:
Nov. 3-5 – São Paulo Grand Prix
Nov. 9-10 – NWSL playoffs start
Nov. 23 – NWSL Championship Game
TBD – NBA In Mexico (in 2023, this game was scheduled for Nov. 9)
December
It might still be a little early to determine some of the important sporting dates for next December, but MLS Cup will be played on Dec. 7. Liga MX will also decide the Apertura 2024 champion in December, but no dates have been confirmed yet.
Events such as the NFL International games as well as the NBA's international slate are still to be determined.
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