What is the most anticipated sporting event of 2025? – Picture

Odd year requires… No Olympic Games, no Men’s Football World Cup, no Euro either. And not even a Rugby World Cup this year (you’ll have to wait until 2027). But then, what will be the most anticipated sporting event of 2025? The question was asked to the French by Odoxa – for Winamax and RTL – a few days ago and our fellow citizens have not really decided: 26% vote for the Tour de France and 25% for the Six Nations tournament. We are in the process of statistical error. The Roland Garros tournament follows closely with 22% of citations. One thing these three events have in common: they are all broadcast on France Télévisions. Football only arrives in 4^e et 5^e positions, with the final phase of the Champions League (17%) – for which PSG is having difficulty qualifying – and the new format of the Club World Cup (15%) which will have to prove itself this summer. In the Olympic dynamic, two other events obtain more than 10% of citations: the world athletics championships (13%) and those of swimming (11%). And two women’s competitions come close: the women’s Euro football (9%) and the women’s Rugby World Cup (9%). The total votes far exceed 100% because each person surveyed could nominate up to 3 events.

Note, among French people declaring themselves “sports fans” (60% of respondents), the Six Nations tournament comes first (33%) ahead of the Tour de France (29%) and Roland Garros (26%).

Odoxa also asked the French which French athletes they are most looking forward to this year. The effect of JOPs is undeniable. Among men, Léon Marchand (43%) is ahead of Antoine Dupont (32%), Teddy Riner (23%) and Félix Lebrun (21%). Kylian Mbappé (19%) only comes in 5th place in the ranking. Among women, Clarisse Agbegnenou (31%) is the most anticipated, followed by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (24%) and Cassandre Beaugrand (20%). Among the most anticipated para-sport athletes, swimming is the main driver: Ugo Didier (21%) and Emeline Pierre (19%) are the most anticipated para-sport athletes for 2025 after their Olympic title obtained in Paris.

Methodology: study conducted online on January 2 and 3, 2025 with a sample of 1,005 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over, including 596 sports fans. The study can be viewed here.