Thrilling action in 2025 that will leave fans yearning for more

Kenya's Esther Mutinda (second left) and Edith Wisah block Brazil's Menezes De Souza. [AFP]

The year 2024 was packed with thrillers and 2025 is promising to be another season of mouthwatering sporting contests.

Like 2024, it seems there will be no short of more spectacular showpieces in 2025.

A bouquet of premier events has been lined up for the players to shine and bank handsome prizes. AS for the fans, they'll just sit back, watch and celebrate.

The big events of 2025 are, like other years, touted to offer sports stars the platforms to showcase talents and write history.

From athletics, where individual talents will chase glory, to volleyball where Malkia Strikers will be out for a team title, Kenyan kings and queens are looking to dictate proceedings in 2025.

Standard Sport looks at some of the premier events that are likely to define sporting history in 2025.

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon competes in the 1500m race during the Wanda Diamond League Golden Gala Pietro Mennea at Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy, on August 30, 2024. [AFP]

Athletics: World Championships (September 13 - 21)

The World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo, Japan from September 13-21, 2025.

More than 2,000 athletes from about 200 countries will be trooping to Tokyo to take part in one of the world's biggest sporting events.

Set to be among the world’s biggest sporting thrillers in the 2025 calendar, the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo is set to attract attention around the globe.

With the world’s most captivating city as its backdrop, the newly remodeled Japan National Stadium will host 49 events across 14 morning and evening sessions and has been billed to reposition Tokyo as a leader in hosting international sport events. 

Athletics enthusiasts are expected to enjoy the ample opportunity to witness the world’s best athletes compete at the pinnacle of World Athletics events.

Ivory Coast players celebrate with the AFCON trophy. [AFP]

Football: Afcon (December 21 to January 18, 2026)

In December 2025 and January 2026, Africa’s premier football extravaganza – African Cup of Nations (Afcon) will be happening in Morocco.

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the tournament has expanded significantly, with 24 teams set to compete in Morocco.

Morocco last hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1988, a competition that featured only eight teams, with Cameroon emerging victorious after a hard-fought final against Nigeria.

The North African country was confirmed as the host nation on September 27, 2023.

Harambee Stars' hopes of making it to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ended after a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in a crucial Group J qualifier match Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa on November 15.

The 2025 Afcon draw will be held on January 27, 2025.

Malkia Strikers's Esther Mutinda celebrates a point earned for Kenya. [AFP]

Volleyball: Women’s World Championships (August 22 to September 7)

When the country’s volleyball queens Malkia Strikers made a stunning comeback at the top of the charts in the African continent triumphing at the 2023 edition of the African Championship, which was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, they qualified the premier event – the 2025 women’s World Championship.

Malkia Strikers, who won silver in 2017, 2019 and 2021, will represent Kenya in the women’s World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand from August 22 to September 7.

In the 2023 African championship, the Kenyan women squad secured their first continental title since 2015 with a three-set (25-22, 25-20, 25-14) victory over Egypt in the battle for the gold medal.

It was the 10th victory for Malkia Strikers in the last 32 years, following titles in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

In August 2024, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), Volleyball World and Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA) signed an agreement to host the prestigious event, which will bring together the world’s top 32 women’s national teams as they compete for World Championship glory.

Africa runner-up Egypt, Japan, China, Serbia, Brazil, Colombia, Cameroon, Turkey, USA, Germany, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Italy and Slovakia are among countries participating in the 2025 women's world championship. 

Athletics: World Para Championships (September 26 to October 5)

The Para Athletics World Championships 2025, the world’s largest para sport event, will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India in late September and early October.

The New Delhi 2025 thriller will be the 12th edition of the championships and the fourth time it is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019 and Kobe 2024.

Over 1,000 athletes from more than 100 nations took part in the last edition of the World Championships in Kobe, Japan, in May 2024.

China topped the medals table with 33 gold and 87 podium finishes, while India finished in the top six for the first time.

The World Para Athletics Championships is a Paralympic event parallel to the World Athletics championships.

Shujaa winger Patrick Odongo in action against Australia at Dubai Sevens. [Kenya Sevens]

Rugby: SVNS World Championship (May 3-4)

Top Rugby Sevens teams will battle it out for honours in the May contest, a culmination of the HSBC SVNS season.

The SVNS World Championship, a winner takes all face-off will be staged at the LA 2028 Olympics venue.

“Building on the Olympic effect and continuing the theme of innovation, we are excited to announce Los Angeles as host of the winner-takes-all HSBC SVNS World Championship 2025, which will take place in the LA 2028 Olympic venue,” World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said.

Kenya’s Shujaa made it back to the main HSBC World SVNS series after a hotly contested qualifier in mid 2024.

Kenya beat Samoa 19-12 in their opening game of the qualifier before recording a narrow 10-5 loss to Spain and later beating Chile 36-7 in their pool matches.

They affirmed their return to the series by overpowering Germany 33-15.