Greater Manchester has a global reputation for being a leading sports city. The city-region has two World-famous premier league football clubs – including the undisputed current champions of British football, Manchester City FC – is home to numerous sporting organisations and governing bodies such as British Cycling and has a world-famous cricket ground. It has produced sporting icons across multiple disciplines and has been responsible for many memorable sporting moments over the years. So, it’s safe to say that sport is a part of Greater Manchester’s DNA.

Cricket match at Emirates Old Trafford

Because of this, Greater Manchester is home to iconic sporting venues and state-of-the-art sporting facilities, which makes the city-region no stranger to hosting international sporting events. Of course, the city hosts both national and international football matches almost weekly when in-season, but we’ve also hosted the Commonwealth Games, the Rugby League World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup, and just last year our region played host to some of the Women’s Euro 2022 matches.

Now, Greater Manchester is gearing up for its biggest summer of sport yet with some very exciting return fixtures and new additions with some of the biggest names in sports and athletics making their way to Greater Manchester this summer, creating excitement for thousands of spectators across the region and beyond.

With events and world championships spanning a whole host of different sports, there is something for every sports fan in Greater Manchester during 2023. Here are just some of the sporting events that the region is looking forward to over the summer.

2023 LV=Insurance Men’s Ashes Test Match – Wednesday 19 – Sunday 23 July

One of the biggest events in cricket returns to Manchester this summer as England Men look to reclaim the iconic Urn from rivals Australia, with the fourth test taking place at Emirates Old Trafford.

The event will be a chance for Emirates Old Trafford to showcase the £75m redevelopment of the venue over the past 15 years, which will complete later this year with the launch of its new hotel extension and event space.

Para Swimming World Championships – Monday 31 July – Sunday 6 August

Manchester’s Aquatic Centre, home of the British Para-Swimming National Performance Centre, will host the Para Swimming World Championships. Over 1,000 global athletes will come to Manchester for the 11th edition of the world-class competition which is estimated to contribute over £1.7m to Manchester’s economy.

This year will mark the third time the Para Swimming World Championships have taken place in the UK following London and Glasgow in 2019 and 2015 respectively. The event showcases British and international athletes at the very pinnacle of their sport as well as showcasing inspirational stories and breaking world records. For many, this event will be a warmup for the Paris 2023 Paralympic Games.

British Weightlifting Championships – Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 August

Next month, Manchester Central Convention Centre will host the British Weight Lifting (BWL) Championships, with world-class athletes descending on the city to compete for British Championship titles.

The championships include Senior championships, Masters Championships and Para Powerlifting Championships which will see athletes of all ages, weight classes and genders compete for glory. This means hundreds of athletes and spectators from across Britain will be heading to Manchester Central to compete and celebrate weightlifting as a sport.

The Hundred – Saturday 5 – Wednesday 23 August

Following a successful summer last year, the popular cricket tournament The Hundred will be heading back to Manchester for 2023. This unique tournament provides four weeks of entertainment and cricket action for sports fans with both men’s and women’s action running alongside each other as well as live music and entertainment for the whole family.

With world-class players from across the globe, eight city-based teams created specifically for the hundred compete every summer. Each team has 15 players, with a maximum of four overseas stars. Manchester Originals men’s and women’s teams will once again take up residence at Emirates Old Trafford and will be bringing this high-intensity 100-ball cricket game to our city once again. 

Tour of Britain – Sunday 3 September

As the home of British Cycling, The Tour of Britain will return to Greater Manchester this year for the first time since 2019. The city will host the Grand Depart of the UK’s biggest professional cycle race on Sunday 3 September 2023 alongside a weekend of cycling events, activities and community engagement before the race begins.

Being the city that kicks off this prestigious cycling race means that Greater Manchester can provide spectators with a chance to meet riders, get autographs and selfies with the team buses and check out the latest cycling equipment. The race will then continue across Britain for eight days before finishing in Wales on 10 September 2023.

Around 600,000 spectators are expected to come to Greater Manchester to watch the race begin, bringing an estimated £3.9m to the regional economy. Manchester is home to the National Cycling Centre, team GB athletes and even the offices for British Cycling, so it feels fitting that the country’s biggest cycling race should begin in a city with such strong connections to the sport. The weekend of activity hopes to inspire more people to get on their bikes and showcase Greater Manchester as a premier cycling region.

Davis Cup Group Stage – Tuesday 12 – Sunday 17 September

Closing Manchester’s summer of sport is an event widely regarded as the men’s ‘World Cup of Tennis’. Between 12 and 17 September some of the sports' biggest names and best players will descend on Manchester’s AO arena for the Group Stages of the Davis Cup Finals. Worth an estimated £10m to Greater Manchester’s economy, the Davis Cup will see Britain’s best tennis professionals taking on three other nations before they reach the quarter-final knock-out competition in Malaga this November.

Manchester is the fifth UK city to host the Davis Cup over the last 10 years. It’s hoped that bringing this major tennis tournament to the region will showcase the sport to more communities across the city region following recent successes in increasing participation in grassroots tennis, especially in Manchester parks.

To find out more about Greater Manchester’s sporting events, click here.