Top Sports Events 2022 - The Ultimate Guide

When it comes to sports events, 2022 is a bumper year for sports and sports betting fans with some fantastic tournaments to look forward to, including Wimbledon, the Tour de France, and the FIFA World Cup.

But with so much on, it can be tricky to keep track of what's happening, when and where.

Fear not, though, as here at Turtlebet.com, we've got the lowdown on what you should be focusing on with our ultimate guide to the top Sports Events in 2022.

We've got the essential dates plus an overview of each event, so you're all set for the best sporting action over the months ahead.

The Six Nations (Rugby) - 5th February-19th March

2022 kicked off with the Six Nations - the premier international rugby union in the Northern hemisphere.

Over six weeks, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, battled it out to be crowned Six Nations champions.

This year was as competitive as ever, with every side winning at least one match, including Italy, who defeated Wales at Cardiff 22-21 in an absolute thriller.

However, France, the pre-tournament favourites, were crowned Six Nations champions for the 18th time by defeating England 25-13 in Paris.

They also landed the Grand Slam, defeating each of the other five nations in the tournament.

The Masters (Golf) – 7th-10th April

All eyes were on Augusta in April for the Masters and, in particular, the return of Tiger Woods.

Woods made his first PGA Tour start since the 2020 Masters after suffering severe injuries to his right leg and ankle in a car accident.

Tiger ended the first round 1-under par but couldn't sustain his challenge over the weekend, eventually finishing 47th, 23 shots behind the eventual winner Scottie Scheffler.

The World No. 1, Scheffler arrived in Georgia looking to land his first-ever golf major, and he went into the Masters as the favourite for success.

And he put in a dominant performance, taking the lead after the 2nd round and running out a comfortable three-shot winner on 10-under, three shots clear of Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler will now head to the US Open at Brookline in June as one of the favourites.

The Grand National (Horse Racing) - 9th April

And Masters weekend also saw the Grand National taking place at Aintree.

One of the most popular betting events on the sporting calendar, 40 runners went to post for the famous race, looking to add their name to the list of past winners that include the legendary Red Rum and Tiger Roll.

And this year, it was Noble Yeats who landed the win at odds of 50/1.

Trained by Emmet Mullins in Ireland, Noble Yeats was partnered to success by Sam Waley-Cohen on what was the amateur jockey's final ever ride.

They ran out 2¼ length winners from the favourite Any Second Now with Delta Work back in 3rd.

UEFA Europa League Final - 18th May

This year's Europa League Final will be held in Seville, home of Sevilla FC, the most successful club in the tournament's history, with six victories.

Sadly though for Sevilla fans, their club won't be featuring in this year's final, with two from West Ham, Frankfurt, RB Leipzig, and Rangers set to battle it out in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

The semi-finals see Premier League side West Ham take on Eintracht Frankfurt from the Bundesliga while Scottish champions Rangers take on RB Leipzig, another side representing Germany.

It's been a meteoric rise for Leipzig, who only came into existence in 2009, yet just 12 years later, they could be competing in a major European final.

UEFA Champions League Final - 28th May

Ten days after the Europa League Final, all eyes will be on the Stade de France for the 2022 Champions League Final.

And there are just four left standing in the Champions League, with two England v Spain clashes in the semi-finals.

Manchester City face Real Madrid for a place in the final while Liverpool take on Villarreal, who have been the shock package in this season's competition.

Having been defeated 1-0 by Chelsea in last season's final, Manchester City will be hoping to seal their spot in the final once more, but they face a challenging task against European heavyweights Real.

French Open (Tennis) - 22nd May-5th June

After the drama surrounding the participation of Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, tennis fans will be hoping for a smoother time of things at the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris.

Djokovic is likely to compete, but the 'clay king' Rafa Nadal is currently the bookmaker's favourite.

Nadal has won the French Open a staggering 13 times and having won the Australian Open back in January, he'll be gunning for his 22nd Grand Slam victory.

And Iga Swiatek is a short-priced favourite to land the women's title in Paris and regain the French Open crown that she won in 2020.

Swiatek is the current Women's No. 1 following the shock retirement of Ashleigh Barty earlier this year.

Royal Ascot (Horse Racing) – 14th-18th June

One of the highlights of the Flat horse racing season in the UK, Royal Ascot, attracts horses from around the globe to battle it out for a share of over £15 million in prize money.

There are 18 Group races over the five-day meeting, including eight Group 1 races which are listed below;

• Queen Anne Stakes
• King's Stand Stakes
• St James's Palace Stakes
• Prince of Wales's Stakes
• Ascot Gold Cup
• Commonwealth Cup
• Coronation Stakes
• Diamond Jubilee Stakes

With top quality and competitive racing, Royal Ascot is always one of the leading betting events on the sporting calendars for horse racing fans.

US Open (Golf) – 16th-19th June

The 2022 US Open will be held at Brookline in Boston, and Jon Rahm will be aiming to defend the title he won at Torrey Pines last year.

Rahm became the first-ever Spaniard to win the US Open, and he's one of the favourites for this year's renewal.

He won't have it all his own way in Boston, though with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler flying high after his Masters success and the big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, the winner in 2020, sure to be in the mix.

And as with all golf tournaments, there will be plenty of betting opportunities over the four days ranging from the outright winner, three-ball betting, to ‘will there be a hole-in-one?’.

Wimbledon (Tennis) - 27th June-10th July

Novak Djokovic will be back to defend his Wimbledon title at SW19 in June and July as he hunts down a seventh win at the only Grand Slam event played on grass.

Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini in last year's final, and the Serbian is a short-price favourite to win his 21st Grand Slam title.

The likely men's No.2 seed this year would be Daniil Medvedev, but with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, it is still to be confirmed if the Russian will be allowed to play at Wimbledon.

Ashleigh Barty was the women's champion at Wimbledon last year, but she won't be in London this time around after her retirement.

Iga Swiatek tops the betting currently, but there will be high hopes of a strong performance by Emma Raducanu following her victory in the US Open last year.

The British No.1 reached the 4th round at Wimbledon last year and will be aiming to become the first UK winner of the women's championship since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Tour de France (Cycling) - 1st-24th July

Cycling's Tour de France gets underway in Copenhagen this year, and Slovenian Tadej Pogacar will be aiming to land the race for the third consecutive year.

Pogacar once more dominated the field last year, landing the general classification, the young rider classification, and was crowned king of the mountains.

He's already odds-on for this year's Tour, and it would be no shock to see him wearing the yellow jersey as the peloton heads into Paris on the final day.

This year, there will be 21 stages, giving cycling fans plenty of opportunities to have a bet on the outright market or on individual stages.

The Open (Golf) - 14th-17th July

The third golf Major of the year will see the world's best head to the home of golf - St Andrews.

The defending Open champion is Colin Morikawa, who was successful at Royal St George's last season - becoming the first player to win on his Open Championship debut since Ben Curtis in 2003.

And Morikawa is amongst the favourites for success this year, alongside Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler at the head of the betting.

World Athletics Championships - 15th-24th July

The World Athletic Championships head to the US for the first time, with this year's event taking place in Eugene, Oregon. 

Athletic fans will hope that the men's 100m will see Marcell Jacobs and Christian Coleman clash following Coleman's return from an 18-month suspension that saw him miss the Tokyo Olympics.

And Elaine Thompson Herah looks likely to be the one to beat in the women's 100m, having already clocked the fastest 100m this year.

Thompson-Herah became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and capped a memorable Games with gold in the 4x100m relay.

Commonwealth Games - 28th July-8th August

Birmingham hosts the Commonwealth Games, and it's likely to be a successful games for the home nations.

Five new core sports have been added this time around - road cycling, judo, triathlon, wrestling, and table tennis.

They join the 10 current ones - athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, and weightlifting.

So, with 15 core sports now on offer, there's plenty for sports betting fans to enjoy over the two weeks of action.

US Open (Tennis) - 29th August-11th September

The final tennis Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, will be held at Flushing Meadow in Queens, New York.

Daniil Medvedev is the reigning champion, but as with Wimbledon, there are serious questions marks over his appearance this time around.

If Medvedev is absent, Novak Djokovic will again be the man they all have to beat as he hunts down a fourth US Open title.

For the women, Emma Raducanu will be back to defend her title after she pulled off one of the greatest ever tennis shocks to win the US Open in 2021.

Raducanu was the first-ever qualifier, male or female, to reach a major final and win a major title. 

FIFA World Cup - 21st November-18th December

The big one - the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

This will likely be the biggest betting event of the year as 32 nations battle it out for World Cup glory.

Moved from its traditional slot in June to avoid the height of the Qatar summer, this year's World Cup sees nations play across eight venues, with the final set to be played in the Lusail Stadium, located near Doha.

France are the defending champions, having defeated Croatia in the 2018 final, but they won't have it all their own way, with Brazil and England sure to provide a tough challenge.

With 64 matches set to be played in less than three weeks, the World Cup is set to be a betting bonanza for football fans around the globe.

Turtlebet - the place to be

So, there we have it, all the information you need for the top sporting events in 2022 - truly something for everyone.

And don't forget to stick with Turtlebet.com over the coming months to make sure you're fully set with all the latest betting offers and bonuses from the leading bookmakers to enjoy the numerous sporting events.

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