There’s always something exciting going on in, especially for sports fans. 2020 is shaping up to be a promising year, with plenty of events taking place right here at home. Here are some of the highlights ranging from the biggest to the less well-known.
Euro 2020
The UEFA European Football Championship, or simply the Euros, returns for the 16th running in 2020. To celebrate the 60th birthday of the competition, UEFA has decided to hold the competition in 12 different host cities, each in a different country. One of these host cities is Dublin, where group stages and round-of-16 games will take place at the Aviva Stadium.
The stadium will host four games, three group stage matches and one round of 16 fixture:
- Poland vs TBC on Monday 15th June at 17:00
- Sweden vs TBC on Friday 19th June at 14:00
- Sweden vs Poland on Wednesday 24th June at 17:00
- Group D Winner vs Group F 2nd Place on Tuesday 30th June at 17:00
In addition to the matches, there will be a Football Village and Fan Zone in Dublin, and the city will be hosting several side events. This includes football screenings by the Dublin international Film Festival, a National Football Exhibition, and the “Dublin Spectacular”.
The Irish Poker Open – April
The Irish Poker Open is the longest running poker event in Europe, and is the second longest in the world. In 2020, it takes place between the 15th and 22nd April at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin.
The majority of the games in the tournament will be played using the game’s most popular variant, Texas Hold’em. Even for non-poker fans Texas Hold’em is pretty easy to follow, while the game itself makes for a tense watch.
It’s one of the smaller poker events held in Europe, and is great for both seasoned poker veterans and those that are new to the sport. The buy-in for the main event is €1,150 but there are smaller side events with buy-ins as low as €250.
Six Nations Rugby
Ireland will host several games in the Six Nations Rugby in 2020. In addition to playing Wales in early February, the Aviva Stadium will see Ireland and Italy go head to head on the 7th March.
This will be the penultimate match of the competition, with the last game seeing the Irish team travel to France the following week. Ireland currently sit third in the competition, with four games left to play.
The Irish Women’s team will also be playing at home on 9th February and 8th March, when they play Wales and Italy respectively.
The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship
One of the nation’s most loved annual competitions sees teams from the counties compete in the 4,000 year old game of hurling.
The season runs from May to June, when each of the five teams play each other once in a round-robin system. For newbies, there is no home or away system, as games are played at neutral grounds.
The senior championship runs for just two months, beginning on 9 May and with an estimated end date of the 16 August.
World Grand Prix of Darts
Darts is another sport loved by the Irish, with most pubs having a dartboard tucked away in the corner for patrons to challenge each other to a game.
There’s no wonder then that the World Grand Prix of Darts has been held in Dublin since 1998. It has seen several different venues over that time but is now held at the Citywest Hotel Convention Centre.
Attending a darts event is an exciting experience, with a festival-like atmosphere as people dress up in outlandish outfits and cheer with their friends.
Recent winners have included Michael van Gerwen, Robert Thornton, and Daryl Gurney. Although, the World Grand Prix of Darts was dominated by Phil “The Power” Taylor until he retired in 2018.
There are plenty of options for watching sport this year in Ireland, from world famous tournaments like the Euro 2020, to more locally loved events like the Munster Championship. Regardless of what you choose to attend, you’ll be entertained by the action.