Australia had a big year in 2023, winning the Cricket World Cup, the Netball World Cup and hosting the Women’s Soccer World Cup too. Now attention has turned to 2024 Down Under with more big sport promised.

From the Australian Open tennis major in January, to the 2024/2025 Ashes series at the end of the year, it is another huge calendar of sport in Australia.

Here are five of the best to look forward to:

Australian Open Tennis

The first of the year’s four tennis majors takes place in Melbourne throughout January with the champions crowned in the women’s final on the 28^th and the men’s winner a day later.

The world’s best will head to Melbourne once again with Novak Djokovic back to defend the title he won in 2023 when defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in three competitively fought sets.

The defending champion in the women’s draw will be Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Elena Rybakina when she came back from a set down to triumph in the final. Will the pair defend their titles? Or will we see new names on the trophy?

Australian Grand Prix

The Formula One season may have only just finished with Max Verstappen crowned champion in Abu Dhabi, but it all kicks off again in March.

Australia will once again host the third event on the calendar, after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, when the world’s fastest drivers take to the streets of Albert Park in Melbourne.

Verstappen won the race last year after a ding dong battle with Lewis Hamilton, and the pair will once again fight it out on March 24.

Footy Finals & State of Origin

The Australian autumn and winter months from March to September are all about footy and 2024 will be no different.

The AFL Australian Rules season and NRL Rugby League campaign will once again run from March to August before finals footy dominates the September calendar.

Then it is all about who will make it to the Grand Final and who will triumph as 2024 premiers.

Sandwiched in between is one of the biggest events of the year with Queensland and New South Wales clashing in 2024 State of Origin in another mouth-watering three-game series.

Melbourne Cup

Australia’s biggest horse race simply has to make this list. It is the race that stops a nation by name because it does exactly that.

The best horses from Europe and Asia descend on Melbourne to take on the best of Australian horse racing in the world’s biggest staying handicap over two miles of Flemington Racecourse.

Without A Fight won in 2023 and should be back to defend the crown in the 164^th Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November.

2024/2025 Ashes

After the controversy of the 2023 Ashes, another epic series rolls around between Australia and England and it promises to be spicier than ever.

Australia led 2-0 in England only to be pegged back and saved by the Manchester rain in a 2-2 drawn series. The baggy greens did retain the Ashes having already held the urn.

When the hostilities are resumed in a five-match series Down Under, can England deal with the pressure of playing away and score an upset win? Or will Australia’s dominance continue with retention at the very least?