What are the most memorable sporting moments of 2024?
2024 has been packed with triumphs, heartbreaks and moments that will live long in the memories of sports fans across the UK.
But which ones stand out the most? To find out, we surveyed 2,000 sports fans about the highlights that had us off our seats and shouting at the TV l in 2024.
We also asked about some sporting predictions for 2025, revealing a lack of faith in the new England football manager!
Brits say the Men’s Euros final is worthy of a place in history – but aren’t as confident about the future
The highlight of 2024 for many sports fans was England’s historic journey to the final of the UEFA European Championships.
For the first time ever, the England men’s team reached this stage, and one in five (18%) respondents to our survey voted this as their most memorable sporting moment of the year.
This tournament also marked the end of an era when Gareth Southgate stepped down as England manager after the final. With 2.8% of those surveyed saying this was a standout moment for them, Southgate quitting placed sixth overall for most memorable in 2024.
When asked about sporting predictions, it turns out over three quarters (78%) don’t hold much faith for Southgate’s new replacement though. Only 22% of fans said they are optimistic that the new England manger, Thomas Tuchel will lead the nation to glory in the 2026 World Cup.
As for Southgate, one in ten (11%) think he will join a Premier League team as manager by the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
The survey revealed a staggering lack of confidence in the previously successful women’s team too.
Despite the England women winning the Euro in 2022, the majority of sports fans (87%) think the Lionesses’ will fall short of taking the title in Euro 2025 – only time will tell if they’re right or not!
Some football managers left an impression on Brits
Despite a tough season so far, some fans still have faith in Manchester City and their manager to deliver the goods.
One in seven (14%) of those polled are still backing Pep Guardiola to win a fifth title in a row for City by 2025!
The most memorable Premier League moment however, which placed fifth overall for sporting moments of 2024, was the dramatic exit of Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.
One in 20 (4.6%) said that the Liverpool boss dramatically ending his nine-year tenure was their standout sporting event.
Several Olympic moments in Paris were ‘golden’
The Paris Olympics delivered iconic and gripping TV for British fans, with three occasions topping the list of the most memorable sporting moments.
Keely Hodgkinson winning Olympic gold in the 800m final stood out as the second most memorable moment of 2024, with 6.1% of respondents naming it worthy of a place in sporting history.
Hodgkinson’s win was Team GB’s only athletics gold and has since earned her a BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
Adam Peaty’s emotional return to the pool also made waves. Though not a gold, his silver medal return to the pool was voted by 2.7% of fans as their top sporting moment and placed seventh overall for most memorable of 2024.
On the flip side, Noah Lyles’ failure to secure gold in the men’s 200m, after contracting COVID-19 was voted by 2.5% of respondents and placed ninth overall.
Fans didn’t forget the new stars, knockouts and fond farewells of 2024
Boxing fans were treated to one of the year’s most shocking moments, according to the survey.
Daniel Dubois’s delivery of a brutal knockout to Anthony Joshua secured 5.4% of votes and ranked as the third most memorable sporting moment of 2024.
In darts, 16-year-old Luke Littler made history by reaching the PDC World Darts Championship final, named as the most memorable moment by 4.9% of fans.
As for his 2025 achievements, almost one in six (14%) think that Littler will become darts World Champion early next year.
Cricket’s farewell to Jimmy Anderson at Lords was a poignant moment for respondents too, with the legendary bowler’s retirement ranked eighth overall (2.5%).
Following Anderson’s retirement, it was revealed that less than one in ten (8%) think that England will win the Ashes down under next year.
Tennis fans also said goodbye to Andy Murray, whose retirement was announced with his trademark wit, tweeting, “Never liked tennis anyway.”
This iconic departure resonated with Brits and was named the tenth most memorable sporting moment of 2024 (2.5%).
Brits’ predictions in golf, F1 and rugby reveal 2025 could be a bumpy year
When it comes to predicting success in 2025, British fans appear less than confident about their sporting heroes.
According to the survey, only one in twenty (5%) believe that Lando Norris will claim the F1 Drivers’ Championship next year, despite his excellent performance in 2024.
Similarly, just 3% of respondents back the British and Irish Lions to whitewash Australia 3-0 on their tour down under.
Rugby league fans showed slightly more optimism though, with 5% predicting England will win the Rugby League World Cup.
In golf, punters aren’t backing Rory McIlroy’s for a major win, with only 6% of fans believing he will return to form and secure one of the sport’s most coveted titles.
A breakdown of the top ten most memorable moments
Most memorable sporting moments of 2024: top ten (% who named this as the most memorable moment)
Euros dominates social media chatter
We also looked into Instagram posts to find out which events were talked about the most on social media.
The Euro 2024 tournament was unsurprisingly top, with #Euro2024 posts racking up close to two million posts on Instagram (1.8m).
In a surprise twist, the T20 Cricket World Cup was ahead of the Olympics in terms of social posts, with almost three-quarters of a million posts (704k) this year on the ‘gram.
F1 proved popular too, with more tagged Instagram posts than the Superbowl, Paralympics, and Wimbledon!
2024 sporting events’ most Instagram hashtagged posts
- #Euro2024: 1.8m
- #T20worldcup2024: 704k
- #Olympics2024: 405k
- #F12024: 149k
- #Afcon2023: 142k
- #Superbowl2024: 102k
- #Paralympics2024: 46k
- #Wimbledon2024: 20k
- #Championsleague2024: 10.5k
- #Sixnations2024: 10k
Our conclusion
We’re interested to see the nation’s reaction to these new surveys and social stats. Tell us what you think on X, tagging @mrqbingo.
Overall, our research has uncovered that 2024 was a year where sport gave us everything – cheers, tears, and a few “did that really just happen?” moments.
Whether it was England making history, Hodgkinson striking gold, or Murray signing off with that mic-drop tweet, it was certainly a year that kept us hooked from start to finish.
And while the crystal ball for 2025 might be a bit cloudy, one thing’s certain: sport will keep surprising us!
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