The new year 2024 will be filled with interesting events in the world of sports. Here are some of the most exciting of them:
1. Africa Cup of Nations (January 13 – February 11) – 24 teams will battle it out for the title of African champions in the 34th edition of the competition. Cote d'Ivoire will host and Senegal will defend their trophy from the last edition. Football fans will be able to watch some of the best footballers in the world, including Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Victor Osimene (Nigeria), Yassin Bounu (Morocco), Andre Onana (Cameroon), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Sadio Mane (Senegal) and others. Of course, this will hurt the teams in Europe, who will lose key players for several weeks.
2. Australian Open (January 14-28) – Tennis fans are eagerly awaiting the return of former world number one Rafael Nadal. The last time the Spaniard played was in the Australian Open last January, after which he missed the rest of the year due to injury. Now the two-time champion will return to Melbourne for perhaps the last time in his career. The favorite in the tournament is undoubtedly the ten-time winner and world leader Novak Djokovic. Bulgarian fans will be looking forward to what happens in Australia after Grigor Dimitrov's great finish to the season, who climbed to 14th in the world rankings and will be looking for a strong result in Melbourne.
3. The Formula 1 season (March 2 - December 8) - The most prestigious motor race in the world invariably catches the eyes of lovers of high speeds. Max Verstappen has completely dominated the last two years and is now a three-time world champion. Will anyone be able to stop the Dutch Red Bull driver this year? Britain's Lewis Hamilton is not to be written off and continues to chase a record eighth world title. The calendar foresees 24 starts, the first of which will be in Bahrain on March 2 and the last in Abu Dhabi on December 8.
4. Champions League Final (June 1) – The trophy match in Europe's most prestigious club competition will be played at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1. Manchester City are defending their title from last year and are one of the main favorites for another triumph, while Barcelona are back in the knockout stages after a two-year absence. Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are the other main contenders for the European throne, while Arsenal will play in the round of 16 for the first time in seven years. The draw for the round of 16 missed the big favourites, which means we can expect star-studded clashes in the next stages.
5. Copa America (June 14 - July 13) - The USA will host the 48th edition of the South American championship, which traditionally features the leading teams from North America. 16 teams will fight for the trophy, and the hosts will welcome the matches in as many as 14 stadiums. Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates will defend the title won in 2021.
6. Euro 2024 (June 14 – July 14) – After experimenting with the tournament spread across the continent, this time traditional football powerhouse Germany will host the European Championship. 24 teams will participate in the 17th edition of the competition, and Italy will defend the trophy won three years ago by defeating England in the final. It is England that is pointed out as the favorite for the title by the bookmakers, according to whom France, Germany, Spain and Portugal also have a great chance. The Euro 2024 final will not be played on July 14 in Berlin.
7. Paris Olympics (July 26 - August 11) - The Olympics is the world's biggest event, not only in the field of sports. The best athletes in the world will gather in the capital of France to realize the dream of every child who took up sports. Around 10,500 athletes from around the world are expected to compete for 329 sets of medals in 32 different sports. Breaking (breakdancing) will make its debut in the program of the Games, and skateboarding, controversial climbing and sofing retain their place in the program, joining the 28 main sports. Unfortunately for Bulgaria, karate is dropped from the program and Ivet Goranova will not have the opportunity to defend her Olympic title. In her absence, Bulgaria's biggest hopes for a gold medal rest on the shoulders of rhythmic gymnastics and weightlifter Carlos Nassar. Between August 28 and September 8, the Paralympic Games will be held in Paris. /BGNES
