Discover our 2023 calendar of key sporting events and some examples of brand activations previously imagined and launched by our team of sport marketing experts at Sport Heroes to engage your communities.
Calendar of key sports events in 2023
Of course, this list is not exhaustive as it is impossible to sum up a year of sport (of passion and emotion) in just a few lines.
January 2023
Handball: The World Men's Handball Championship will take place from 12 to 29 January in Poland and Sweden.
February 2023
Rugby: Before the men's Rugby World Cup launch in September, the 6 Nations Championship (involving England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) will start on 4 February and end on 18 March.
Alpine Skiing: The World Alpine Skiing Championships will be organised in France, in Courchevel-Méribel, from 6 to 19 February. The disciplines concerned are downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, combined and parallel.
Super Bowl: the world-wide known NFL final game is scheduled to be played on 12 February at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 99 million people watched the 2022 edition.
Basketball: On 19 February, look to the United States for the NBA All-Star Game, the basketball gala featuring the 24 best NBA players.
Cricket: ICC Women's T20 World Cup will start on 10 February in South Africa.
May 2023
Multi-sport: The 2023 Southeast Asian Games (32nd SEA Games) will be held from 5 to 17 May 2023 in Cambodia. Athletes from 11 countries compete in a minimum of 22 sports.
June 2023
Multi-sport: The 3d edition of the European Games, organised by the European Olympic Committees, will take place in Poland from 21 June to 2 July 2023. Last edition was attended by more than 4,000 athletes competing in 23 disciplines such as archery, basketball, road cycling, judo, table tennis and wrestling.
Olympic Day: Every year, on 23 June, Olympic Day is celebrated all over the world. It is an opportunity for institutions to raise awareness and mobilise the general public around sporting values.
💡 Sporting and solidarity values to get as many people on board as possible. With EDF Sport Energie, EDF (the leading energy supplier in France) mobilises the general public and its employees via a free mobile app. This app is designed to promote the practice of sport for all and support charities and solidarity projects. To find out more, click here.
July 2023
Para-athletics: The 2023 Para Athletics World Championships will be held in Paris from 8 to 17 July. 1,700 athletes from 120 countries will compete during 10 days of events.
Football: The ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.
Swimming: The FINA World Championships, originally scheduled for May 2022, will be held from 14 to 30 July 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan.
August 2023
Multi-sport: The African Games is expected to be held in August in Ghana. The exact dates are to be confirmed. Since the first edition in 1965, athletes from 53 countries have competed in 35 sports, 2 demonstration sports and 6 para sports.
Basketball: The FIBA Basketball World Cup is hosted by three countries from 25 August to 10 September 2023: Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Cycling: From 3 to 13 August 2023, the UK will host the UCI Cycling World Championships.
💡 How can you take advantage of a sporting event to improve your brand awareness? In 2021 and 2022, the Hutchinson brand has teamed up with the Cycling Heroes community for a digital competition: the 1,000 km Race. A sporty and fun challenge that motivates and rewards cyclists for their performance. Read more about the competition.
Athletics: Hungary will host the next World Athletics Championships from 19-27 August 2023.
September 2023
Rugby: The Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023.
💡 Sports sponsorship: how to communicate internally and engage employees? As a sponsor of the biggest sports events in France, Orange has set up internal mechanisms to promote sport and engage its employees on the occasion of the sponsored events. To find out more, click here.
Multi-sport: Originally scheduled for September 2022, the Asian Games will be held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, China. This competition is considered to be the second largest multi-sport event in the world (after the Olympic Games). 46 countries have participated in the Asian Games. Scheduled every 4 years, the Asian Para Games are held right after the Asian Games.
Golf: From 29 September to 1 October 2023, the Ryder Cup, a competition that fascinates golf fans and pits the European team against the United States team, will be held in Italy.
October 2023
Multi-sport: The 2023 Pan American Games are scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile from 20 October to 5 November 2023. Right after the competition, Santiago will also host the Parapan American Games. An average of more than 5,000 athletes compete in 36 sports.
Cricket: ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will be held from October to 26 November 2023 in India.
November 2023
Multi-sport: The 2023 Pacific Games will start on 19 November and end on 2 December in Honiara, Solomon Islands. 6 countries participate in this competition: Fiji, French Polynesia (Tahiti), New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Handball: Denmark, Norway and Sweden will host the IHF Women's Handball World Championship from 30 November to 17 December 2023.
Do you want to address sportsmen and women? Do you seek inspiration for your next sports campaign? Are you a sponsor of a sports event and want to communicate internally or externally? Our community animation specialists will help you bring your ideas to life. Contact us to find out more!
