Looking ahead to a huge year of sport for England

Nothing unites the country more than getting behind England in sport. Luckily for us fans, we’ve got a huge year of international action to look forward to.

With major tournaments on the horizon, as well as the beginning of a few new eras, we’ve taken a look at the key events coming up in 2025 for our football, cricket and rugby sides.

The Thomas Tuchel era begins

It’s out with the waistcoat and in with the baseball cap. Thomas Tuchel has officially started as England boss after being announced as Gareth Southgate’s replacement last year.

The German manager has already been getting stuck into his new job, having been spotted at several Premier League games already. Tuchel has a year of World Cup qualifiers ahead of him, with the competition taking place in the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.

That means hopeful England stars have 18 months to impress their new gaffer enough to earn a spot on the plane. While there are some names that are all but guaranteed to be involved, a new era means that the likes of Ben White, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho could be offered a fresh start after being exiled by Southgate.

Interim manager Lee Carsley blooded plenty of youngsters during his short reign, meaning Tuchel has a huge pool of talent to choose from for the World Cup. But England have got to qualify first and their first test comes in March, with home games against Albania and Latvia, before they also meet Andorra and Serbia later in the year.

Can the Lionesses retain their Euros crown?

It’s an even bigger year for the England women’s team as they head to Switzerland as the reigning Euros champions. Sarina Wiegman’s side won the tournament back in 2022, with Chloe Kelly scoring an extra-time winner to sink rivals Germany.

After suffering heartbreak in the World Cup final against Spain a year and a half ago, England will be desperate to bounce back in style at the first opportunity. They should progress to the knockout stages, although they don’t have the easiest of groups after being drawn against France, the Netherlands and Wales.

A rematch with Spain could be on the cards in the quarter-finals and they should be more equipped to challenge this time around. Beth Mead will be back after missing the World Cup through injury. Meanwhile, younger talents like Lauren James, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone have more experience under their belts.

Bazball heads down under in search of Ashes glory

England came so close to regaining the Ashes back in 2023 and may well have done had poor weather not brought the final Test to a premature end. They’ll be gunning for glory and they head to Australia this winter in search of their first Ashes win down under since 2011.

But there’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and the first Test in November. Brendon McCullum is set for a busy 12 months. After turning the Test team into an exciting, attacking force, he’s been drafted in to take charge of the white ball side as well.

After a trip to India, England take on Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa in the Champions Trophy. They then welcome the West Indies for a series of ODIs and T20s, before a five Test series against India.

The cricket fun continues with white ball action against South Africa and Ireland, before McCullum and co. head to Oz for another few months of Bazball. It’s been a huge 12 months on the international stage for the likes of Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith. Their youth and enthusiasm, combined with the experience of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jos Buttler, could make England a force to be reckoned with in all formats.

England target a World Cup win

Much like the men’s side, England’s women’s cricket team will have one eye on the second half of the year. Heather Knight and co. head to India for the 2025 World Cup in August, where they’ll be targeting their fourth title.

They last won it back in 2017 and there are still a few names from that squad knocking around, including captain Knight. And they’ll fancy their chances at lifting the trophy again with a squad packed full of talent, including fearsome batter Nat Sciver-Brunt.

They’re in the midst of a white ball series against Australia, which will be followed by a Test match. Then in preparation for the World Cup, they’ll entertain the West Indies and India with home T20 and ODI series.

Do England have enough to challenge for the Six Nations?

England had mixed fortunes in the recent Autumn Nations Series. Steve Borthwick’s side enjoyed a positive result against Japan in their final game, but prior to that they were outclassed in tight contests versus New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

There were plenty of positives and the series gave them the chance to experiment with untried talent. England will look to push on in 2025, starting with the Six Nations, which gets underway in a few weeks.

To be the best, you need to beat the best and England start the campaign against reigning champions Ireland. And things don’t get much easier as they follow that game up against France.

They’ll finish the Six Nations with a trip to Wales, who made history in 2024 as they became the first team to lose every game in a calendar year since 1937. And England will be hoping to pile more misery on their neighbours as they look to win the competition for the first time since 2020.25!

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