The sporting calendar at the start of 2018 already looks just as exciting as last years. From the Paralympics and the Olympics, to the Grand National and the football world cup – there are so many sporting events to look forward to. If you’re marking your calendar for sporting events to bet on this year, be sure not to overlook the ones below that are guaranteed to provide the most thrills.

2018 FIFA World Cup
Sporting events don’t get much more exciting than the FIFA World Cup. The event starts with the opening of the group stages in Russia on the 14th of June, so there’s plenty of time to do your football research. While the likes of the Germans will be favourites to win the tournament, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see England come away with the spoils (actually, yes it would). Either way, there’s bound to be a few upsets and a couple of dark horses that better their expectations – it’s the world cup after all. This makes for a great betting period for punters looking to reap the rewards. Mark this event on your calendars and you’ll not regret it!

NFL Super Bowl LII
Two teams do battle on the 4th of February 2018 to decide the overall champion of the 2017 NFL season. The two teams in question have yet to be decided but it’s still an event that promises to throw up some surprises, which means there are plenty of opportunities for you to win some money. The 52nd Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, and one that simply cannot be missed by betting punters. Even if you’re not a big NFL fan, the numerous markets available on the day of the Super Bowl makes it well worth a dabble.

Grand National
If you’ve been to a horse racing event before you’ll already know how exciting the Grand National is. Every year the event takes place at Aintree Racecourse located in Liverpool. It’s one of the most anticipated horse racing events for both horse lovers and betting punters around the world. You can expect to see more than 30 horses and jockeys jump 16 of the biggest hurdles during two laps of the course, at a distance of more than 4 tiring miles. The event takes place on the 12th of April and finishes with the main event of the grand national on Saturday the 14th of April. Start making your cases for the horses involved now so you can capitalize on the long odds available when the markets open.

2018 Wimbledon Championships
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships is coming to screens in July, and it’s an event that promises plenty of entertainment. If you’re a betting punter, though, it could also make for a great money-making opportunity. Tennis is one of the few single-player sports that boosts odds during big championships like Wimbledon, so it can’t be missed if you like to bet. Both men and women will be competing under the beaming hot sunshine (hopefully) in one of the many tennis courts in Wimbledon to hopefully write their names in the history books.

Ryder Cup
For golf and betting fanatics, the Ryder Cup still seems too far away. However, when September eventually comes around, you’ll have plenty of chances to argue with friends about who’s going to win and even more chances to put some bets on. The Americans will want to get another one over their European counterparts, but they’ll need to dig deep and keep out of the sand. Europe has beaten the US on 3 of the last 4 occasions, so the US will want to be making it count when in France.

Us sports fans are very blessed in 2018 thanks to a jam-packed calendar filled with some of the biggest events around. If the above isn’t enough for you, maybe the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Super League Final, and the Tour De France is? While punters aren’t guaranteed to walk away with money this year, we can all be guaranteed to have plenty of excitement, upsets, and fails in the world of sports in 2018.