Who are the favourites for the biggest sports events in 2021?
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The full-time whistle may have blown on 2020, but 2021 is just getting started as we look ahead to some of the biggest events sport has to offer in Football, Horse Racing, Tennis and more this year.
The sporting calendar was heavily disrupted in 2020 but we are hoping for better things in 2021 with some of the most loved tournaments and spectacles ready to take place over the next twelve months.
We’ve hand-picked some of the main events to look forward to this year with some big names already being touted as early favourites…
Six Nations
Our first stop heads to the Six Nations and we don’t have long to wait until the big hitters take to the field, February infact.
England rallied back to win a unique Six Nations last year and Eddie Jones’ side are 10/11 favourite to lift the trophy again in 2021. An improving France are next at 5/2, then Ireland are 3/1, while Wales are 9/1 and Scotland 16/1.
England are expected the launch of their title defence against Scotland at Twickenham on 6th February with the tournament set to go ahead as planned.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
Last year’s meeting was one of the final major sporting events to be staged before the UK went into lockdown amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
In March, the legendary festival will host four days of pulsating racing in one of the most highly anticipated meetings of the racing season.
Al Boum Photo is currently the 10/3 favourite to become the first horse since Best Mate to win three successive renewals of National Hunt Racing’s Blue Riband event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday 19th March.
Willie Mullins’ nine-year-old is currently is ahead of 2020 Gold Cup second Santini (7/1). Others who worth keeping tabs on are Minella Indo (7/1), A Plus Tard (8/1) and RSA Chase hero Champ (10/1).
Grand National
Tiger Roll will seek to emulate Red Rum as just the second horse to win three renewals of the Grand National. He remains the 12/1 favourite for the four and a quarter-mile chase, despite being pulled up at Cheltenham on his latest outing.
Retirement talks were dismissed, and he goes back in as race favourite under trainer Gordon Elliott in April 2021.
There are a bunch of familiar names hoping to challenge Tiger Roll at Aintree with Any Second Now, Burrows Saint, Cloth Cap, Magic of Light and Presenting Percy all 20/1 to win the Grand National this year.
US Masters / Ryder Cup
The top names in golf are set to head back to Augusta in April in search of the coveted green jacket.
2020 champion Dustin Johnson is 13/2 favourite to win a second successive Masters with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy next in the field at 10/1 apiece. Further back, Jon Rahm is a 11/1 shot alongside big-hitter Bryson DeChambeau.
The Ryder Cup will also tee-off at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin in September. Team USA currently heads the market at 8/11, with Europe 11/8.
Euros
Could football finally be coming home? England are currently the 5/1 joint-favourites with Belgium and France (11/2) to go all the way and get their hands on the Euros.
Having been pushed back a year, the Three Lions will likely have something of a home advantage by playing the majority of their group games at Wembley, before the semi-finals and final return to the home of English football.
This Euros looks one of the most wide-open in recent history and also features two other home nations sides, with Wales (100/1) and Scotland (250/1) also taking part.
Euro 2012 champions Spain are 7/1 with Germany (8/1), Netherlands (9/1) and Portugal (12/1) further back.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam not to take place in 2020, but the famous tournament is scheduled to take place in 2021.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer sit atop the pinnacle of men’s tennis with 20 Grand Slams each, but it’s Novak Djokovic who leads the betting at the All England Club as the 7/4 favourite for the Men’s Singles title.
Nadal is next in the running at 13/2 with Daniil Medvedev (7/1), Federer (8/1) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (10/1) in with a shout.
2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem is 12/1 to go all the way at Wimbledon with two-time champion Andy Murray a 20/1 outsider.
In the Ladies Singles, Australian Ashleigh Barty is 6/1 favourite ahead of Simona Halep at 15/2. Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is 8/1 to win outright.
The Ashes
The Ashes series will kick off at the Gabba, Brisbane’s cricket ground, in November as England head Down Under for a five-test showdown in one of Cricket’s biggest rivalries against the Australia.
Who will lift the famous urn? The Aussies are 4/9 favourites to retain The Ashes with Joe Root’s tourists 3/1 outsiders.
A drawn series is a 3/1 shot which would see the little urn remain with the holders as England bid to win the series for the first time since 2015.
The Baggy Greens has won more Ashes Tests than England, winning 136 of the 335 matches, compared to England’s 108 victories. Which way will it go it 2021?
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
