We’re delighted to offer debenture seats for day 1 of The Championships, Wimbledon, the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
Debenture seats you have a brilliant opportunity to watch all the action on your preferred day in some of the best seats at Centre Court and No 1 Court at SW19.
You’ll also have an exclusive access to some of the best restaurants and bars at the Championships. It’s a fantastic option to see Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and more producing some exhilarating tennis.
As they kick off another Six Nations, many Irish fans will be looking ahead to the World Cup, hoping their team can claim the Web Ellis trophy for the first time in the tournament’s history.
They have every reason to be optimistic too, Ireland is currently the number-one ranked team in the world, following an impressive 2022 which saw them defeat the All Blacks for the first time on New Zealand soil on their way to a historic test victory.
Other highlights in 2022 included the Triple Crown, as Ireland narrowly missed out on Six Nations glory to France. The tournament saw Ireland claim its biggest victory over England at Twickenham since 1964 (15-32).
In fact, Ireland haven’t enjoyed this sort of form since 2019, when they were also the number one ranked team going into a World Cup.
Ireland’s Route to the Final – Updated 26 September
Ireland look like the real deal. After coming out on top during an intense heavyweight battle with reigning champions South Africa, they have taken control of Pool B.
With a mouth-watering clash with Scotland still to come, nothing is guaranteed for Ireland but fans can now begin to dream of what might be possible heading into the knockout phase.
Should they see off their remaining challenges and finish top of their pool, a quarter final clash with the All Blacks looks to be on the cards barring any major shocks to shake up the order in Pool A.
It’s a tough route ahead, but Ireland have proven their ability to mix it with the world’s best under Andy Farrell and will be well placed to enact revenge on New Zealand in a rematch of the same quarter final from four years ago in Japan.
Any Ireland fans who dare to dream of what might lie in wait further in the competition, it is likely that one of Wales or Argentina could be the ones standing between them and a first ever World Cup final should they make the semi-finals.
How have Ireland performed in previous tournaments?
Back in 2018, Ireland were crowned Six Nations champions with a Grand Slam, defeating both England and France away from home along the way. Later that year, as they did in 2022, the Irish defeated the All Blacks, although this time back home in Dublin. With a series victory over The Wallabies in Australia sandwiched in the middle, all of this was enough to cement Ireland’s place as the number-one ranked team going into the 2019 World Cup. The tournament itself, however, did not end in glory.
Despite a rousing victory over Scotland in the opening game of the tournament, Ireland succumbed to a shock defeat against Japan, which ultimately handed them a tougher draw in the knockouts.
The result was a 46-14 hammering to eventual champions New Zealand, as Ireland crashed out at the quarter-final stage. By the tournament’s conclusion, Ireland had fallen to 5th in the world rankings.
Since the tournament’s inception in 1987, Ireland has never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage – it’s a classic sporting curse, equal to England and penalty shootouts or Tim Henman and Wimbledon semi-finals.
The closest Ireland has come to a semi-final was back in 2015, when they lost to Argentina at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. Ireland had defeated France in the last pool game, avoiding a quarter-final clash with New Zealand in the process. A match against underdogs Argentina was seen as Ireland’s best-ever opportunity to break the quarter-final curse, but, after coming back from a 17-point deficit to come within 3 points of The Pumas, Ireland eventually lost 43–20.
Could it be Ireland’s year?
Ok, so history isn’t necessarily on Ireland’s side but the form guide certainly is. If the Irish can overcome the mental barrier posed by the quarter-final curse, there’s no reason why they can’t go all the way.
Since the former England defence coach Andy Farrell took charge in 2019, Ireland has quietly established itself as a serious World Cup contender, playing a more expansive, pressing brand of rugby.
Another point to bear in mind is that Ireland’s team is largely made up of Leinster players, arguably the most in-from club rugby team in the world at the moment. Leinster are undefeated in the URC standings and are rightly favourites for the Champions Cup, Europe’s premier club rugby competition.
Once more, Leinster’s crop of Irish players are all entering their prime going into the World Cup, including Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and World Player of the Year Josh van der Flier.
Given Ireland’s ranking, you might think they would have a favourable draw going into the World Cup. However, the draw was made in 2020, the first year of a World Cup cycle. As a result, some of the rankings have changed but the draw has remained the same.
By March 2022, the top-four ranked teams were South Africa, Six Nations champions France, the All Blacks and Ireland. Despite this, all teams will be in the same half of the draw at the 2023 World Cup, meaning two of them will not make it beyond the… you guessed it – quarter-finals.
Ireland will play South Africa in Pool B and, assuming the top four ranked teams all finish 1st or 2nd in their respective pools, then Ireland must beat hosts France or reigning champions New Zealand to break their quarter-final curse.
Still, the law of averages suggests the curse must be broken at some point, and why not 2023? The Irish proved last year that they are a match for anyone on their day, and the longer the curse goes on the more triumphant that first quarter-final victory will be. You would be a fool to miss it.
British players have already been making tennis headlines in 2023, thanks, in large part, to the heroics of Sir Andy Murray at the Australian Open.
The two-time Wimbledon champion spent a total of 14 hours on court before he crashed out in the 3rd round against Roberto Bautista Agut in 4 sets.
Murray, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, contested back-to-back 5-set matches against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis on his way to the 3rd round, no mean feat for a 35-year-old with a metal hip.
Other players might have walked away from the game given the adversity Murray has faced. In a career that has seen him reach world number one, win three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic Gold Medals, a third-round exit seems like an odd thing to celebrate.
However, watching Murray rage against the dying of the light is what makes tennis such a captivating sport in the first place. The fact that Murray is still competing at all is a triumph of the will, but defeating top 20 players at the peak of their powers is borderline miraculous.
The Scotsman will be one of several Brits bidding to reach the latter stages of Wimbledon in July.
In 2013, Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in a career-defining moment on Centre Court. Under coach Ivan Lendl, Murray will be hoping to make history again, and with Federer retired and Rafael Nadal plagued by injury concerns of his own, the draw may well open up for Murray.
After his good run at the Australian Open, Murray will be inside the top 50, although he isn’t the number one ranked Brit at the time of writing, that spot goes to Cameron Norrie.
According to ATTP rankings, Norrie is 12th in the world following an impressive 2022 which saw him reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon. The South-African-born left-hander lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets and will be hoping to go one better this year.
The last of the British male contenders comes in the form of Dan Evans, a veteran of the tour at the age of 32. He is currently 30th in the world which is just short of his career-best of 22 in 2021.
Evans, Like Norrie and Murray, was defeated in the 3rd round of the Australian Open and will be hoping to reach the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
The last Brit to win a Grand Slam singles title was teenage sensation Emma Raducanu in 2021. Not since Virginia Wade in 1977 had Britain produced a female Grand Slam winner.
Raducanu first announced herself on the world stage at Wimbledon in 2021 as a wildcard, reaching the 4th round. She followed this up with an unlikely US Open victory, becoming the first singles qualifier to win the title in the Open Era.
Since then, critics might argue that the weight of expectation has burdened Raducanu, 20, who failed to make it past the 2nd round in a Grand Slam in 2022. However, she remains the number one ranked Brit and that is unlikely to change prior to Wimbledon.
With an injury-free 2023, there is no reason why Raducanu can’t upset the odds again, especially with the backing of the Wimbledon crowd.
Another young Brit who has enjoyed recent success at SW19 is 26-year-old Katie Boulter. In 2022, she reached the 3rd round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career, defeating 7th seed Karolina Plíšková in three sets on Centre Court. Boulter, who didn’t qualify for this year’s Australian Open, will be hoping for a Wildcard at Wimbledon, following her heroics the year before.
One of the most memorable Wimbledon performances from a Brit in recent years came from Heather Watson in 2015, when she was just two points away from defeating world number one Serena Williams in the 3rd round, before eventually losing in three sets. After the match, Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam titles to her name said Watson, “should have won the match.”
Watson, who is currently ranked outside of the top 100 usually saves her best for Wimbledon, and don’t be surprised to see her claim a few scalps in the early rounds this year should a wildcard invitation come her way.
With a host of British talent on display, the atmosphere at Wimbledon 2023 will be one to savour. There is star power everywhere you look during those glorious two weeks at SW19. Inside the grounds, the All England Club is awash with celebrities and TV crews as crowds pass from one court to another like window shoppers, deciding which tennis encounter to watch next. Which famous moment of Wimbledon history will you be a part of?
As the joys of Christmas make way for January blues, there is no better time to fill your diary with fun events for the future.
London can genuinely lay claim to being the event capital of the world, with its host of world-renowned venues showcasing the very best music concerts and sporting spectacles the world has to offer.
2023 promises to be a stellar year for live shows, as well as annual events such as Wimbledon and The Chelsea Flower Show, London will frequently attract the biggest stars in entertainment for one-off events all year round.
Below is a list of 10 London events to look out for in 2023.
The Championships, Wimbledon
The most prestigious tennis tournament in the world and it’s right on our doorstep! Every year SW19 welcomes 500,000 fans from all around the globe for two weeks in July for non-stop tennis action.
Last year’s winners were Novak Djokovic in the Men’s Singles and Elena Rybakina in the Women’s Singles, and they will be desperate to defend their titles at the 2023 tournament.
However, regardless of who comes out on top, The Championships, Wimbledon offers a fan experience like no other, from its serving of traditional strawberries and cream to the array of celebrity attendees that can be spotted around the grounds.
Will Andy Murray return for one last hurrah, can Emma Radacanu rediscover her 2021 US Open form and will Rafa or Novak reign supreme on Centre Court? All will be revealed at The Championships, Wimbledon 2023.
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Nick Kyrgios (AUS) serving Novak Djokovic (SRB) in the final of the Gentlemen’s Singles on Centre Court at The Championships 2022. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 14 Sunday 10/07/2022. Credit: AELTC/Joe Toth at The Championships 2022. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. \{year4}{month0}{day0}\. Credit: AELTC/Joe Toth
Harry Styles – Wembley
Global pop superstar Harry Styles will be strutting the Wembley stage, flares and all, come June 2023 for his Love on Tour.
The multiple Brit Award winner enjoyed a stellar 2022 with the release of his third album Harry’s House, which debuted atop the US and UK charts and won the MTV Music Award for Album of the Year.
The former One Direction singer also performed 15 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2022. To mark the achievement, a permanent banner was raised in his honour inside the venue, he is only the third artist to be honoured in such a way.
His homecoming at Wembley Stadium in 2023 will be a must-see event for any self-respecting Styles fan.
It’s the oldest competition in world football, and, every year, despite the naysayers, we always get caught up in the magic of the cup. 2023 will be no different, with the promise of giant killings, rundown stadiums and special goals all the way to the final at Wembley.
Last year’s final between Chelsea and Liverpool went all the way to a penalty shootout as The Reds came out on top. It’s a trophy every team in the league wants to win, and the 2023 final in June will be no different.
From Steven Gerrard’s long-range strike for Liverpool in 2006 to Ricky Villa’s solo goal for Tottenham in 1981, the FA Cup Final always produces famous goals and memorable moments for fans of the beautiful game.
The world’s greatest flower show includes show gardens designed by leading names, epic floral displays and an unrivalled shopping experience.
Between May 23-27 in 2023, the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea will provide horticultural inspiration for its guests, which, last year, paid tribute to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with laser-cut steel silhouettes of her late Majesty, surrounded by 70 planted terracotta pots planted with Lily of the Valley, the Queen’s favourite flower.
The 2023 show will be the first since The Queen’s passing so it’s safe to say a floral tribute to her late Majesty will be on display, amidst the many other breathtaking gardens.
The Ashes
It’s back, four years since the last Ashes Series in England which ended in a 2-2 draw, with Australia retaining the old trophy having won the 2017-18 series.
After England’s last Ashes humiliation in Australia, a 4-0 defeat, Ben Stoke’s men will be looking for revenge under new coach Brendon McCullum who led England to an unbeaten 2022 after he took charge in March.
With Lord’s and The Oval playing host to two of the five Test matches, London is the place to be to witness England’s road to redemption.
The prolific film composer is performing two shows in June at the O2 in Greenwich with music from films including, The Lion King, Inception, Gladiator, the Dark Knight trilogy andthe Pirates of the Caribbean.
The German-born musician has two Oscars to his name and is widely regarded as the greatest film composer of all time.
He rose to fame following the success of his first Hollywood feature score in Rain Man in 1988.
150 films later and Zimmer is still the most in-demand film composer in Hollywood. More recently, however, he has turned to other projects outside of the film industry, including the BBC television series Blue Planet II, for which he composed the score in 2017.
All of this and much more besides can be heard at the O2, performed by world-class musicians.
MLB World Tour London Series
Baseball is very much riding along the coattails of the NFL in this country, following a surge in popularity in the UK in recent years.
In June, St Louis Cardinals will play the Chicago Cubs at the London Stadium in a two-game series in Stratford.
The MLB London series has become a regular fixture on the London sporting calendar since its launch in 2019, when the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox, in the first official MLB game in Europe.
Now it’s the turn of the Cardinals and the Cubs who have 11 and three World Series Championships respectively. The two will compete at the former Olympic Stadium which will transform into an authentic ballpark – don’t forget to bring your mitt!
From July to September the biggest names in classical music will descend upon The Royal Albert Hall in Kensington for a festival of music.
Across the eight-week summer season, daily orchestral concerts will be held culminating in the famous last night, where typically popular classics and patriotic British pieces will be performed.
Not much has been revealed ahead of the 2023 edition but the event always celebrates the anniversaries of preeminent composers. For instance, in 2022 many pieces were dedicated to the British composer Ralph Vaughn Williams to mark his 150th birthday.
The festival doesn’t only attract classical music buffs, movie themes feature regularly in the Proms programme. In 2011, Keith Lockhart famously conducted music from various James Bond films ending with rapturous applause.
NFL London Games
Typically held in the Autumn, America’s game will return to the capital for its NFL London Games. In the past matches have been held at Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Teams are yet to be announced, but last year the Saints, Giants, Packers, Broncos, Jaguars and Vikings all competed in London.
The first ever London series game was played in 2007 at Wembley when the New Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10.
Since then London has annually sold out crowds for NFL games, featuring half-time shows and immersive fan parks to give Brits a proper Gridiron experience.
Such is the popularity of the event, rumours persist that one day London will have its own NFL franchise to support. Until that day comes, UK fans will continue to flock to the likes of Wembley Stadium to support their US team of choice.
The boys from Sheffield are back following the release of their seventh studio album The Car, which peaked at No. 2 in the UK album charts behind Taylor Swift’s Midnights.
The seven-time Brit award winners have reinvented themselves over the years, from their garage rock upstart in 2006 with their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, to the lounge pop tone of Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino in 2017.
The Monkeys have headlined Glastonbury twice in 2007 and 2013 respectively, and are heavily rumoured to do so again in 2023.
Frequently lauded as one of the best bands of all time, even Bob Dylan has claimed to have made “special efforts” to see them live.
So there we have it, the top 10 London events to look out for in 2023. In truth, there will be hundreds of worthwhile events to see across the capital but the above will certainly be among the most in demand.
You can’t be a part of music or sporting history from your armchair, for a truly unforgettable 2023 why not book a once-in-a-lifetime event, one that can be experienced and treasured forever, whether it be The Ashes at Lord’s or Harry Styles at Wembley.
