Spotlight on 2010 World Cup qualifiers, F1 championship

January

Jan. 3-11: Darts - World Championship, Frimley Green.

Jan. 6-7: Football - English League Cup semi-finals, first legs.

Jan. 11-18: Snooker - The Masters, Wembley Arena.

Jan. 19-Feb. 1: Tennis - Australian Open, Melbourne.

Jan. 20-21: Football - English League Cup semi-finals, second legs.

Jan. 21-24: Snooker - China Open qualifiers, Prestatyn.

Jan 27-28: Football - Scottish League Cup semi-finals.

Jan. 30-Feb. 1: Rallying - Rally of Ireland.

February

Feb. 3-6: Snooker - Welsh Open qualifiers, Prestatyn.

Feb. 4-8: Cricket - West Indies vs England, first Test, Jamaica.

Feb. 7: Rugby Union - Six Nations, England vs Italy; Ireland vs France.

Feb. 7-8: Tennis - Fed Cup, first round.

Feb. 8: Horse racing - Hennessy Gold Cup, Leopardstown.

Feb. 8: Rugby Union - Six Nations, Scotland vs Wales.

Feb. 11: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Malta vs Albania; San Marino vs Northern Ireland; Ireland vs Georgia.

Feb. 13-17: Cricket - West Indies vs England, second Test, Antigua.

Feb. 13-15: Rallying - Rally of Norway.

Feb. 14: Rugby Union - Six Nations, France vs Scotland; Wales vs England.

Feb. 15: Rugby Union - Six Nations, Italy vs Ireland.

Feb. 16-22: Snooker - Welsh Open, The Newport Centre.

Feb. 21: Athletics - Aviva Grand Prix, Birmingham.

Feb. 25-Mar. 1: Golf - WGC-Accenture Match Play, Dove Mountain, Tucson.

Feb. 25-Mar. 5: Snooker - World Championship qualifiers, Sheffield.

Feb. 26-Mar. 2: Cricket - West Indies vs England, third Test, Barbados.

Feb. 27: Rugby Union - Six Nations, France vs Wales.

Feb. 28: Rugby Union - Six Nations, Scotland vs Italy; Ireland vs England.

March

Mar. 1: Football - English League Cup final, Wembley.

Mar. 6-8: Tennis - Davis Cup first round.

Mar. 6-8: Athletics - European Indoor Championships, Turin.

Mar. 6-10: Cricket - West Indies vs England, fourth Test, Trinidad.

Mar. 9-22: Tennis - ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters.

Mar. 12-15: Golf - WGC-CA Championship, Doral Resort, Florida.

Mar. 13: Horse racing - Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham.

Mar. 13-15: Rallying - Rally of Cyprus.

Mar. 14: Rugby Union - Six Nations, Italy vs Wales; Scotland vs Ireland.

Mar. 15: Football - Scottish League Cup final, Hampden Park.

Mar. 15: Rugby Union - Six Nations, England vs France.

Mar. 20: Cricket - West Indies vs England, first ODI, Guyana.

Mar. 21: Rugby Union - Six Nations, Italy vs France; England vs Scotland; Wales vs Ireland.

Mar. 22: Cricket - West Indies vs England, second ODI, Guyana.

Mar. 23-Apr. 5: Tennis - ATP/WTA Sony Ericsson Open, Miami.

Mar. 25-29: Cycling - UCI Track World Championships, Pruskow.

Mar. 27: Cricket - West Indies vs England, third ODI, Barbados

Mar. 28: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Portugal vs Sweden; Malta vs Denmark; Albania vs Hungary; Moldova vs Switzerland; Luxembourg vs Latvia; Israel vs Greece; Slovenia vs Czech Rep.; N. Ireland vs Poland; Russia vs Azerbaijan; Germany vs Liechtenstein; Wales vs Finland; Armenia vs Estonia; Belgium vs Bosnia; Spain vs Turkey; Lithuania vs France; Romania vs Serbia; Cyprus vs Georgia; Ireland vs Bulgaria; Montenegro vs Italy; Holland vs Scotland.

Mar. 28: Athletics - World Cross-country Championships, Amman.

Mar. 29: Cricket - West Indies vs England, fourth ODI, Barbados.

Mar. 29: Formula One - Australian GP, Melbourne.

Mar. 30-Apr. 5: Snooker - China Open.

April

Apr. 1: Football - 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, Hungary vs Malta; Denmark vs Albania; Greece vs Israel; Latvia vs Luxembourg; Switzerland vs Moldova; Czech Rep. vs Slovakia; N. Ireland vs Slovenia; Poland vs San Marino; Liechtenstein vs Russia; Wales vs Germany; Estonia vs Armenia; Turkey vs Spain; Bosnia vs Belgium; Andorra vs Croatia; Kazakhstan vs Belarus; England vs Ukraine; France vs Lithuania; Austria vs Romania; Georgia vs Montenegro; Italy vs Ireland; Bulgaria vs Cyprus; Netherlands vs Macedonia; Scotland vs Iceland.

Apr. 3: Cricket - West Indies vs England, fifth ODI, St Lucia.

Apr. 3-5: Rallying - Rally of Portugal.

Apr. 4: Horse racing - John Smith's Grand National, Aintree.

Apr. 5: Formula One - Malaysian GP, Sepang.

Apr. 5: Baseball - Major League regular season starts.

Apr. 9-12: Golf - US Masters, Augusta National, Georgia.

Apr. 12: Motorcycling - Qatar MotoGP, Doha.

Apr. 13: Horse racing- Irish Grand National, Fairyhouse.

Apr. 13-19: Tennis - ATP Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

Apr. 18-19: Football - English FA Cup semi-finals, Wembley.

Apr. 18-May 4: Snooker - World Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

Apr. 18: Basketball - NBA play-offs begin.

Apr. 19: Formula One - Chinese GP, Shanghai.

Apr. 24-26: Rallying - Rally of Argentina.

Apr. 25-26: Football - Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Apr. 25-26: Tennis - Fed Cup semi-finals and play-offs.

Apr. 26: Formula One - Bahrain GP, Sakhir.

Apr. 26: Motorcycling - Japanese MotoGP, Motegi.

Apr. 26: Athletics - London Marathon.

Apr. 27-May 3: Tennis - ATP Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome.

Apr. 28-May 5: Table Tennis - World Championships, Yokohama.

May

May 1-3: Rugby Union - Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup semi-finals.

May 3: Motorcycling - Spanish MotoGP, Jerez.

May 7-11: Cricket - England vs Sri Lanka, first Test, Lord's.

May 9-17: Tennis - ATP/WTA Mutua Madrilena Masters, Madrid.

May 9-31: Cycling - Giro d'Italia.

May 10: Formula One - Spanish GP, Barcelona.

May 15-19: Cricket - England vs Sri Lanka, second test, Riverside.

May 17: Motorcycling - French MotoGP, Le Mans.

May 20: Football - UEFA Cup final, Istanbul.

May 21-24: Golf - BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth, Surrey.

May 22-24: Rallying - Rally of Italy.

May 23: Rugby Union - European Challenge Cup final.

May 24: Rugby Union - Heineken Cup final, Murrayfield.

May 24: Football - English Premier League final day.

May 24-June 7: Tennis - French Open, Paris.

May 24: Formula One - Monaco GP, Monte Carlo.

May 27: Football - Champions League final, Rome.

May 30: Football - FA Cup final, Wembley. Scottish Cup final, Hampden Park.

May 31: Motorcycling - Italian MotoGP, Mugello.

June

June 3-18: Basketball - NBA finals.

June 6: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Sweden vs Denmark; Albania vs Portugal; Slovakia vs San Marino; Azerbaijan vs Wales; Finland vs Liechtenstein; Croatia vs Ukraine; Kazakhstan vs England; Belarus vs Andorra; Lithuania vs Romania; Serbia vs Austria; Bulgaria vs Ireland; Cyprus vs Montenegro; Macedonia vs Norway; Iceland vs Netherlands.

June 7: Formula One - Turkish GP, Istanbul.

June 10: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Sweden vs Malta; Finland vs Russia; England vs Andorra; Ukraine vs Kazakhstan; Faroe Islands vs Serbia; Macedonia vs Iceland; Netherlands vs Norway.

June 12-14: Rallying - Rally of Greece.

June 14: Motorcycling - Catalunya MotoGP, Catalunya.

June 14: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Berlin.

June 15-29: Football - UEFA Under-21 Championship Finals, Sweden.

June 16-20: Horse racing - Royal Ascot.

June 18-21: Golf - US Open Championship, Bethpage Black, New York.

June 20: Rugby Union - First test, South Africa vs Lions, Durban.

June 20-21: Athletics - European Team Championships, Leiria.

June 21: Cricket - World Twenty20 final, Lord's.

June 21: Formula One - British GP, Silverstone.

June 22-July 5: Tennis - Wimbledon.

June 26-28: Rallying - Rally of Poland.

June 20: Rugby Union - Second test, South Africa vs Lions, Pretoria.

June 27: Motorcycling - Netherlands MotoGP, Assen.

July

July 3: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Oslo.

July 4: Rugby Union - Third test, South Africa vs Lions, Johannesburg.

July 4-26: Cycling - Tour de France.

July 5: Motorcycling - United States MotoGP, Laguna Seca

July 8-12: Cricket - England vs Australia, first Ashes Test, Sophia Gardens.

July 10: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Rome.

July 10-12: Tennis - Davis Cup quarter-finals.

July 12: Formula One - German GP, Nuerburgring.

July 16-19: Golf - 138th Open Championship, Turnberry, Scotland.

July 16-20: Cricket - England vs Australia, second Ashes Test, Lord's.

July 17: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Paris.

July 18: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, New Zealand vs Australia.

July 19: Motorcycling - German MotoGP, Sachsenring.

July 24-25: Athletics - Aviva London Grand Prix, Crystal Palace.

July 25: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, South Africa vs New Zealand.

July 26: Formula One - Hungarian GP, Budapest.

July 26: Motorcycling - British MotoGP, Donington.

July 30-Aug. 3: Cricket - England vs Australia, third Ashes Test, Edgbaston.

July 31-Aug. 2: Rallying - Rally of Finland.

August

Aug. 1: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, South Africa vs New Zealand.

Aug. 3-8: Squash - Women's World Championships, Amsterdam.

Aug. 7-11: Cricket - England vs Australia, fourth Ashes Test, Headingley.

Aug. 8: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, South Africa vs Australia.

Aug. 8: Football - Scottish Premier League season starts.

Aug. 10-16: Tennis - ATP Rogers Cup, Montreal.

Aug. 10-16: Badminton - World Championships, Hyderabad

Aug. 13-16: Golf - USPGA Championship, Hazeltine National, Minnesota.

Aug. 15-23: Athletics - World Championships, Berlin.

Aug. 16: Motorcycling - Czech Republic MotoGP, Brno.

Aug. 17-23: Tennis - ATP Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Cincinnati.

Aug. 19: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Slovenia vs San Marino; Azerbaijan vs Germany; Belarus vs Croatia; Faroe Islands vs France; Norway vs Scotland.

Aug. 20-24: Cricket - England vs Australia, fifth Ashes Test, The Oval.

Aug. 22: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, Australia vs New Zealand.

Aug. 23: Formula One - European GP, Valencia

Aug. 23-30: Rowing - World Championships, Poznan.

Aug. 28: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Zurich.

Aug. 29: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, Australia vs South Africa.

Aug. 29-Sept. 20: Cycling - Spanish Vuelta.

Aug. 30: Formula One - Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps.

Aug. 30: Motorcycling - Indianapolis MotoGP, Indianapolis.

Aug. 31-Sept. 13: Tennis - US Open, New York.

Aug. 31: Athletics - Aviva British Grand Prix, Gateshead.

September

Sept. 4-6: Rallying - Rally of Australia.

Sept. 4: Athletics - IAAF Golden League, Brussels.

Sept. 5: Horse racing- Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown.

Sept. 5: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Denmark vs Portugal; Hungary vs Sweden; Moldova vs Luxembourg; Israel vs Latvia; Switzerland vs Greece; Poland vs N. Ireland; Slovakia vs Czech Rep.; Azerbaijan vs Finland; Russia vs Liechtenstein; Armenia vs Bosnia; Spain vs Belgium; Turkey vs Estonia; Ukraine vs Andorra; Croatia vs Belarus; Austria vs Faroe Islands; France vs Romania; Bulgaria vs Montenegro; Georgia vs Italy; Cyprus vs Ireland; Iceland vs Norway; Scotland vs Macedonia.

Sept. 5: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, Australia vs South Africa.

Sept. 6: Motorcycling - San Marino MotoGP, Misano.

Sept. 9: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Hungary vs Portugal; Albania vs Denmark; Malta vs Sweden; Moldova vs Greece; Latvia vs Switzerland; Israel vs Luxembourg; Slovenia vs Poland; N. Ireland vs Slovakia; Czech Rep. vs San Marino; Germany vs Azerbaijan; Liechtenstein vs Finland; Wales vs Russia; Spain vs Estonia; Armenia vs Belgium; Bosnia vs Turkey; Andorra vs Kazakhstan; Belarus vs Ukraine; England vs Croatia; Romania vs Austria; Faroe Islands vs Lithuania; Serbia vs France; Italy vs Bulgaria; Montenegro vs Cyprus; Norway vs Macedonia; Scotland vs Netherlands.

Sept. 12: Rugby Union- Tri-Nations, New Zealand vs South Africa.

Sept. 12-13: Athletics - World Athletics Final, Thessaloniki.

Sept. 13: Formula One - Italian GP, Monza.

Sept. 13-20: Table Tennis - European Championships, Stuttgart.

Sept. 18-20: Tennis - Davis Cup semi-finals and play-offs.

Sept. 19: Rugby Union - Tri-Nations, New Zealand vs Australia.

Sept. 20: Motorcycling - Hungarian MotoGP, Lake Balaton.

Sept. 23-27: Cycling - UCI Road World Championships, Mendrisio.

Sept. 26: Horse racing - Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot.

Sept. 27: Formula One - Singapore GP.

October

Oct. 2: 2016 Olympic host city named, Copenhagen.

Oct. 2-4: Rallying - Rally of Spain

Oct. 3-11: Tennis - WTA China Open, Beijing.

Oct. 4: Horse racing- Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, Longchamp.

Oct. 4: Formula One- Japanese GP, Suzuka.

Oct. 4: Motorcycling- Portuguese MotoGP, Estoril.

Oct. 4: Baseball - Major League regular season ends.

Oct. 10: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Denmark vs Sweden; Portugal vs Hungary; Israel vs Moldova; Greece vs Latvia; Luxembourg vs Switzerland; Czech Rep. vs Poland; Slovakia vs Slovenia; Russia vs Germany; Finland vs Wales; Liechtenstein vs Azerbaijan; Armenia vs Spain; Belgium vs Turkey; Estonia vs Bosnia; Ukraine vs England; Belarus vs Kazakhstan; Austria vs Lithuania; Serbia vs Romania; France vs Faroe Islands; Montenegro vs Georgia; Cyprus vs Bulgaria; Ireland vs Italy.

Oct. 11: Athletics - IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, Birmingham.

Oct. 12-18: Tennis - ATP Shanghai Masters.

Oct. 14: Football - 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Portugal vs Malta; Sweden vs Albania; Denmark vs Hungary; Greece vs Luxembourg; Latvia vs Moldova; Switzerland vs Israel; San Marino vs Slovenia; Czech Rep. vs N. Ireland; Poland vs Slovakia; Liechtenstein vs Wales; Germany vs Finland; Azerbaijan vs Russia; Estonia vs Belgium; Turkey vs Armenia; Bosnia vs Spain; Andorra vs Ukraine; England vs Belarus; Kazakhstan vs Croatia; France vs Austria; Romania vs Faroe Islands; Lithuania vs Serbia; Ireland vs Montenegro; Bulgaria vs Georgia; Italy vs Cyprus.

Oct. 17: Horse racing - Champions Day, Newmarket.

Oct. 18: Formula One - Brazilian GP, Interlagos.

Oct. 18: Motorcycling - Australian MotoGP, Phillip Island.

Oct. 23-25: Rallying - Rally of Great Britain.

Oct. 25: Motorcycling - Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang.

Oct. 26-Nov. 1: Tennis - WTA Sony Ericsson Championships, Doha.

November

Nov. 1: Formula One - Abu Dhabi GP.

Nov. 3: Horse racing - Melbourne Cup, Flemington.

Nov. 6-7: Horse racing - Breeders' Cup, Santa Anita.

Nov. 7-8: Tennis - Fed Cup final.

Nov. 8: Motorcycling - Valencia MotoGP, Ricardo Tormo.

Nov. 9-15: Tennis - BNP Paribas Masters, Paris.

Nov. 19-22: Golf - Dubai World Championship, UAE.

Nov. 23-29: Tennis - Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, O2 Arena, London.

Nov. 28: Horse racing - Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, Newbury.

December

Dec. 4-5: Final draws for 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Dec. 4-6: Tennis - Davis Cup final.

Dec. 13: Athletics - European Cross-country Championships, Dublin.