Top Sports Events January-February 2025: From Football to Biathlon

The year 2025 is expected to be rich in sporting events. Grand events are anticipated already in winter. So, what will happen in the world of sports in the next month and a half – read on in the UNN review.

2025 is not an even year. This is an absolute and universally understood fact. However, in the world of sports, this means there will be no winter or summer Olympics, nor World and European football championships. Whatever one might say, these four tournaments are the most popular among other championships. Although fans of, for example, basketball or volleyball, or another sport, would disagree. But we do not want to offend anyone in any way; we are purely basing this on viewership and the general audience's excitement.

Despite the absence of the "Big Four," the world of sports will still offer enthusiasts many interesting and even grand events. UNN has compiled a list of the best sports events in January-February 2025.

Football

In football, the game continues uninterrupted in all championships of the Old World, especially the top three: in the championships of Spain, England, and Italy. The tournaments have already passed their equator. Their second half has started. It is the most interesting, as potential contenders for the championship and teams that may leave the league are now being formed.

Most anticipated matches

Spain:

Round 23 (09.02). Sevilla - Barcelona

Round 25 (23.02). Real Madrid - Girona

Round 25 (23.02). Atlético Madrid - Valencia

England:

Round 23 (25.01). Manchester City - Chelsea

Round 24 (02.02). Arsenal - Manchester City

Round 25 (16.02). Tottenham - Manchester United

Round 26 (23.02). Manchester City - Liverpool

Round 27 (26.02). Liverpool - Newcastle

Italy:

Round 21 (18.01). Juventus - Milan

Round 22 (26.01). Lazio - Fiorentina

Round 23 (02.02). Milan - Inter

Round 24 (09.02). Inter - Fiorentina

Round 25 (16.02). Juventus - Inter

The Ukrainian championship is currently on a break. It will last until February 22nd. The 18th round will start. Currently, the favorites are Dynamo, Oleksandriya, Shakhtar, and Kryvbas.

In addition to national championships, the last two rounds of European cups will take place at the end of January. The most interesting matches are listed below.

Champions League

Round 7:

22.01. Shakhtar - Brest

22.01. PSG - Manchester City

Round 8:

29.01. Borussia Dortmund - Shakhtar

29.01. Girona - Arsenal

Europa League

Round 7:

21.01. Galatasaray - Dynamo Kyiv

23.01 Porto - Olympiacos

23.01 Manchester United - Rangers

Round 8

30.01. Dynamo Kyiv - Riga Football School

30.01. Steaua - Manchester United

Winter football matches are essentially preparatory before the main ones, which will take place in spring. From March, the playoff stage in European cups and final games in national championships should be expected.

Boxing

In the first two months of the new year, there won't be many high-profile boxing matches. However, a few will definitely appeal to fans of the pugilistic sport.

Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis

14.02. Fight for the WBO world title in the super lightweight division (up to 61.2 kg)

Our champion Denys Berinchyk will defend his world title for the first time. The fight will take place in New York, USA. This will be the Ukrainian's first ring appearance since May last year, when he sensationally won his championship, defeating the favorite, American Emanuel Navarrete, on points.

His opponent today is the talented Keyshawn Davis. An interesting fact is that Davis and Berinchyk are silver medalists from different Olympics (2020 and 2012). Bookmakers and analysts favor the American. He is predicted not only to win this fight but also to achieve the status of one of the best boxers of the future.

For the Ukrainian, experience and character speak volumes. Davis has not yet faced fighters of Berinchyk's level. So, whether the Ukrainian will win can be found out on the morning of February 15th.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2

22.02. Fight for the undisputed WBC, WBA Super, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles (up to 79.4 kg)

Both boxers are Russians. However, with the start of the full-scale war, they began to compete under different flags. Beterbiev for Canada, Bivol for Kyrgyzstan. Our editorial team would not write about this fight, but we cannot ignore it, as the sporting aspect plays a significant role here. This is a fight for the status of undisputed world champion. Therefore, the whole world will be watching its twists and turns. The winner can claim a place in the top 3 best boxers in boxing regardless of weight class.

The boxers already met in October last year. At that time, Artur Beterbiev secured a controversial victory by split decision in an extremely difficult fight. Many experts, however, saw Dmitry Bivol as the winner. Given this, officials decided to hold a rematch. How it will end is difficult to predict. Both fighters are equally matched.

Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker

22.02. Fight for the IBF world title in the heavyweight division (up to 90.7 kg)

This fight is to determine the future opponent of our Oleksandr Usyk. Dubois has already met the Ukrainian. In the summer of 2023, in Poland, he was knocked out by him in the 9th round. But there is one caveat. In the middle of the fight, the Briton hit Oleksandr either to the belt or below the belt. The hit was, let's say, in between these two concepts. Experts still argue whether this punch was actually illegal. At that time, during the fight, the referee decided that the Briton did hit below the belt and did not open a count for a knockdown. And Usyk himself recovered for several minutes.

Theoretically, if the punch had been deemed legal, it could have been a knockout and a loss for the Ukrainian. Ultimately, Usyk pulled himself together and finished the fight early in the 9th round. Dubois was not discouraged after that. He defeated elite Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and knocked out the star Anthony Joshua, becoming a champion in one of the versions.

On February 22nd, he faces another super boxer, Joseph Parker. The New Zealander is currently "on a roll." He has also achieved a series of important victories. So, who will win the fight is also a mystery here. Analysts believe that the winner should still be the young Dubois. However, Parker has always been an unpredictable fighter, always ready to cause an upset.

Tennis

January is always rich in impressions for tennis enthusiasts. In the middle of the month, the first Grand Slam tournament, the "Australian Open," takes place every year (followed by the French, English (Wimbledon), and US Championships). In the men's category, many see Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, and Taylor Fritz as favorites. Among women – Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, and Coco Gauff.

The finals are scheduled for January 26th.

Basketball

In winter, national regular basketball championships and European tournament games continue. For true connoisseurs – daily NBA (National Basketball Association) matches. It is too early to make accurate predictions in basketball championships. After all, the vast majority of them have not even passed their equator, and some are just at the very beginning. All fans are also awaiting the European Championship. However, we will have to wait. The championship will take place in early autumn this year.

Biathlon

For fans of winter sports, January and February will be magical months for events. The World Championship starts in Switzerland. It will run from February 2 to February 23. And before that, you can watch the European Championship, which will take place in the mountains of Italy. Although it will only last 4 days: from January 29 to February 2. Ukraine will also be represented at the competitions and has high chances for awards. Moreover, at the European Championships, the "blue and yellow" have won as many as 83 medals throughout their history, 29 of them gold.

Figure Skating

The beginning of the year, and in figure skating, two top tournaments. Estonia awaits the European Championship. It will start on January 28. And the main championship, the World Championship, will take place in Boston. However, here we have to wait. It starts in spring, as late as March 25.

Handball

The game of handball is already boiling with passion. The men's world championship has begun. It is hosted by Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. Matches will be played until February 2nd, on which day the final will take place. Unfortunately, Ukraine is not participating.

Looking forward to spring

The main sporting events will take place in spring. These include the conclusion of football tournaments, major boxing matches, the start of athletics championships, and finals in basketball and hockey. Especially for hockey, the World Championship will be held in Denmark in May. However, you can read more about spring in our next article, which will be published in early March.