A Summer of Sport 2024

UEFA cup

London always does big international football tournament viewing in style so expect a festival in your local pub or bar. England are currently favourite of the final 24 teams to win the Euro trophy. Scotland have also qualified so expect the pubs around the William Wallace memorial in Smithfield to see clans of tartan clad fans. The fact is that London is such a melting pot of European nationalities that there will be enclaves of support through the boroughs.

Expect various ‘Fanzones’ to be set up too. England’s pool games are on 16^th, 20^th and 25^th June versus Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia respectively. Get your buddies together, find your pub and book your table. If, as expected, England progress to the later stages then expect the levels of passion to be dialled-up to 11!

Paris Olympics 2024

The Olympics will be an altogether less rumbunctious event, but with Paris only an hour ahead of London we’ll all be able to watch in real time and get to bed at sensible o’clock. Probably more background pub viewing than the need to book a seat, but a nice way to spend a balmy summer’s evening and GB are looking to get over 60 medals so lots to cheer for.

Horseracing at Epsom and Ascot

Two of the most famous and historic horseracing events in the world are a simple train ride away from London. First up is the colt’s classic Derby at Epsom on Saturday June 1^st – the Oaks, the filly’s equivalent is the day before. Two meetings at Ascot demonstrate the pinnacle of horseflesh and also fashion. Royal Ascot takes place between Tuesday 18^th and Saturday 22^nd June, with the legendary Ladies Day on Thursday 20^th. Almost as mega is Diamond Day a month later on 27^th July. A day at the races is always fun – a day at Epsom or Ascot elevates the experience to a whole new level.

Epsom ticket details here 

Royal Ascot tickets here 

Ascot Diamond Day tckets here 

Tennis

Sandwiched between the two Ascot events is Wimbledon which takes place between 1^st and 14^th July at the All England club. It’s hard to get tickets for the main courts but you can still queue for entry to the ground, wander round the outside courts and watch the big screen from ‘The Hill’ whilst eating the obligatory strawberries and cream – famously the number of strawberries in a punnet (10) and the price (£2.50) haven’t changed for 13 years. If you want champagne though, better get a second mortgage!

Ticket details here

The week before Wimbledon, closer to central London and easier to book for, the Giorgio Armani (used to be Stella Artois) tournament is the traditional grass court warm-up for the main Wimbledon men’s event. Lots of stars on show, good fun and it often turns up a ‘surprise player’ who gets one of the final Wimbledon ‘wild cards’. Sadly, if you want to see the ladies warm-up you have to trek to Eastbourne.

Ticket details here: 

Cricket

The crack of leather on willow has been hailed by poets as the quintessence of an English summer since Thomas Lord built his eponymous spiritual home of cricket in Maida Vale. Whilst county matches have already started, England’s Test Season has to wait until after the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup being held in the USA and West Indies from June 1^st thru’ 29^th.

Given the time zone shift it’s not that likely to be a ‘watch it down the pub’ sort of tournament although some games start at 3.30 pm. As with the Euros, England are co-favourites to win.. Although actually England do warm up with a 4 match T20 series against Pakistan in May, the final game of which is being played at the Kia Oval on May 30^th.

Proper test cricket starts off at Lord’s on July 14^th when we host the West Indies. It returns to London on August 21^st at Lord’s against Sri Lanka and then on September 6^th versus the same opponents at the Kia Oval. The final London game takes place at Lord’s on September 27^th with a one-day game against the Aussies.

In women’s cricket both Pakistan and New Zealand are touring the UK this summer but only two games are scheduled for London, both T20s against the Kiwis on July 13^th at the Kia Oval and July 17^th at Lords.

Ticket details here

Athletics

In the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park London has one of the finest athletic stadiums in the world. Last year the Diamond League meeting sold out 50,000 seats, making it the best attended one-day meeting anywhere in the world in 2023. This summer, as the perfect curtain-raiser for the Paris Olympiad, the Diamond League meeting will be held on 20^th July. If you can’t make it to Paris then this is no mean second best – expect to see many top international stars strutting their stuff and putting down markers for events at the Stade de France the following week.

Tickets available here