Firstly, if you’ve never heard of a bucket list, this is basically a list of things to do before you die. I wrote a list for myself in my mid 20’s and have continuously tried to tick them off, albeit many involve travelling the world, which costs a fair amount of money.
With the World Cup just finishing, I was so gutted not to be there, but it made me think about other sporting events I would like to attend some day, therefore it was time to make a list! If you think I’ve forgotten an important one, let me know in the comments at the bottom.
Football World Cup
Well alright, this was always going to be my number one! The USA World Cup might have had plenty of controversy, but you also can’t deny it went amazingly, despite Infantino’s efforts to ruin it constantly.
What was a shame was tickets simply weren’t affordable for the average fan, but I don’t think that will continue, the backlash it received surely will have repercussions, football belongs to the fans.
Looking forward, the next World Cup will be in a mix of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Apparently Uruguay, Paraguay and the cheating nation Argentina may also be hosts.
This offers people a chance to see the matches in more than 1 continent for the first time ever. I’m not sure how I feel about that, as having a host nation has always been one of the exciting aspects, as you learned more about their culture, music and lifestyle.
Following this, the next one in 2034 is supposed to be in Saudi Arabia, with some odd rumours floating around that the USA want to try and make a deal to become the hosts, but I’m not sure how that would work as it’s meant to rotate based on continents.
Tennis at Wimbledon
There are a good few I could have listed for tennis, such as the Australian Open, French Open or US Open, so maybe it’s because I’m English, but I do feel like Wimbledon is the most iconic.
All the players must only wear white, a dress code that has existed since the Victorian times quite bizarrely.
But if you can’t get a ticket, many people sit on ‘Henman Hill’ as I always knew it (due to Tim Henman), which was then called Murray Mound and didn’t have quite the same ring to it.
You can bring along a picnic and relax on Henman Hill, while you will also see people selling strawberries and cream, an absolute classic here. A Pimms stand will also be serving a tasty cocktail, one that always makes me feel like it’s summer time.
Federer is the ultimate Wimbledon champion, he absolutely dominated this tournament for so long, albeit Djokovic ran him close with titles.
To get you in the mood for this event, make sure to watch the 2004 movie called Wimbledon, starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany.
Cricket, India vs Pakistan
In sport, there are a number of intense rivalries, but in cricket the biggest one is arguably India and Pakistan, the neighbouring nations which has had even more focus with political tensions at times being very high.
If you could, watching it at the Narendra Modi straium in Ahmedabad would be dreamy, as it’s the world’s largest cricket stadium with a capacity of 132,000! To offer a comparison, the biggest football stadium in the UK is Wembley with 90,000.
Of course, watching this battle at the ICC World Cup would be the pinnacle, but I guess wherever you get the chance to see these two fight it out would be amazing. I’ve been told you hear drumming and chanting the whole way through from start to end.
Every country has a sport they’re obsessed with, whether that’s Brazil with football or Japan with sumo wrestling. They become a national obsession, you grow up at school talking about your favourite athletes and they’re included in every big brands TV adverts. When I visited Sri Lanka, they treated cricket like a religion, while horse racing was huge in the United States, with well known brands like TwinSpires becoming part of the wider sporting landscape.
Cycling, Tour de France
My dad loves Tour de France, he watches it every year and was mesmerised when Bradley Wiggins was the first Brit to win it in 2012, followed by the absolute dominance of Chris Froome through the 2010’s.
The most famous stage of them all is the Alpe d’Huez, which Tom Pidcock won in 2022, the youngest ever winner.
Now if you fancy a lavish French holiday and following the sport, you could hike up mountains, visit vineyards and enjoy some wine tasting, as well as seeing castles and little villages along the way.
This three week tournament is set in 21 stages and usually takes place in July. But most importantly as a viewer, you don’t have to pay to attend. I mean, how would you police that?! You can just find a spot near the road and wait for them to speed by.
The only negative in my head is that you see them for a split moment, it’s not like football where you’re watching the whole match take place in front of your eyes, you’re simply seeing them glance by, a bit like being near a race track.
The atmosphere is why it makes the list, with people having BBQ’s and cheering on their favourite cyclists or fellow national representative. Plus this is a chance to eat lots of French cheese and baguettes, need I say more?
