We sum up 10 of the world’s biggest sports events you can catch in March 2023, with further detail on each of the highlighted events such as travel, ticket and hotel information below.
2023 Bahrain Grand Prix (Formula One)
3rd-5th March 2023 – Bahrain International Circuit (Sakhir, Bahrain)
The 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir hosts the opening round of the 2022 Formula One season. The 2023 season is hotly anticipated with Ferrari expected to challenge Red Bull, who dominated the 2022 season – winning both the constructor’s championship and the drivers championship with Max Verstappen. The Bahrain Grand Prix has seen much drama in in recent years, with the 2020 race suspended for over an hour after Haas’ Romain Grosjean was involved in a serious accident which resulted in his car splitting in two and bursting into flames. The 2022 race saw a Ferarri 1-2 as Charles Leclerc won ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Tickets
F1 Bahrain tickets are available to purchase through Motorsport Tickets.
Travel
Bahrain has one international airport, the Bahrain International Airport in Muharraq, 40km north of the circuit. The airport has direct flights to many destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. There is a free shuttle on race weekend for ticket holders from the airport to the circuit, otherwise taxi is the best Thinking of flying to Bahrain? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Bahrain.
Further Information
2023 Tokyo Marathon (Running)
5th March 2023 – Tokyo (Japan)
The Tokyo Marathon is the first of the six annual World Marathon Majors to be held in 2023 (along with Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York). The Marathon is restricted to 37,500 and is oversubscribed by approximately 500,000 applicants annually. The elite race’s which start at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and finish at Tokyo Station, returned in 2022 after a two year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic and were won by by Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei respectively.
Entry
The entry ballot for the annual event usually takes place in the first two weeks of August through the official website here. The entry fee for the 2023 event cost 23,300 JPY for Japanese residents and 25,300 JPY for those from overseas.
Travel
Japan’s main airports are at Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, serving many international destinations. Japan has one of the most extensive and efficient train networks, connecting many of the country’s key cities with the famous bullet train. Thinking of flying to Tokyo? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Tokyo.
Further Information
2023 BNP Paribas Open (Tennis)
6th-19th March 2023 – Indian Wells Tennis Garden (Indian Wells, California, United States)
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is the biggest two-week tennis event outside of the four Grand Slams and the most-attended WTA 1000 and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in the world. The first of the two Sunshine Double events in March, the 2022 singles events were won by Taylor Fritz (defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-6) and Iga Świątek (defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1) respectively.
Tickets
The latest ticket information is available on the official website here.
Travel
Palm Springs International is approximately 16 miles north west of Indian Wells and features flights from many US and Canadian airports. Alternatively Ontario International Airport is just over 80 miles away or the much larger Los Angeles International Airport is 140 miles away. Thinking of going to Indian Wells? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Palm Springs.
Further Information
2023 World Baseball Classic (Baseball)
8th-21st March 2023 – Japan, Taiwan & United States
The 2023 World Baseball Classic is the fifth edition of the tournament first held in 2006, and the first to take place since 2017 after being cancelled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The international event will feature 20 national teams (including debutantes the Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Nicaragua) across four stadiums – the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan, the Tokyo Dome in Japan, Chase Field in Phoenix (USA) and LoanDepot Park in Miami (USA).
Tickets
The latest ticket information is available on the official website here.
Travel
There are international airports in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami. Thinking of flying? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami.
Further Information
THE PLAYERS Championship 2023 (Golf)
9th-12th March 2023 – TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States)
THE PLAYERS Championship is the PGA Tour’s flagship event, with a prize fund of $25million and featuring the tour’s strongest field. The famed Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass always draws much interest, particularly the “Island Green” 17th hole but will be without 2022 champion Cameron Smith following his move to the LIV Golf League. However 2021 winner Justin Thomas and 2019 champ Rory McIlroy enter the field among the favourites.
Tickets
The latest ticket information is available on the official website here.
Travel
Jacksonville International Airport is the closest airport, approximately 36 miles north of the golf course and largely offering domestic flights across the United States. The much larger Orlando International Airport is 150 miles to the south. Thinking of flying to Jacksonville? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Jacksonville.
Further Information
Cheltenham Festival 2023 (Horse Racing)
14th-17th March 2023 – Cheltenham Racecourse (Cheltenham, England)
The first of the major races in the British horse racing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival features 28 races stretched over four days. One of the most attended sporting events in Britain with visitors of over 260,000 across the four days, the event coincides with Saint Patrick’s Day and also attracts large crowds of Irish spectators. Last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup (the main race on the fourth day) was won by A Plus Tard, ridden by Rachael Blackmore who became the first female jockey to win the event and is among the favourites this year.
Tickets
To purchase tickets and for further ticket information, consult the official website here.
Travel
Birmingham Airport is located approximately 48 miles north of Cheltenham, serving European destinations, as well as international destinations such as the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, Qatar and the UAE. There is a train station (Birmingham International) at the airport which connects to central Birmingham for onwards services to Cheltenham. Alternatively, Bristol Airport is approximately 54 miles south of Cheltenham, with flights to many European destinations. The Airport Flyer Express bus service connects the airport with the city, for onwards travel by train to Cheltenham. Thinking of going to Cheltenham? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Cheltenham.
Further Information
2023 Milan-San Remo (Road Cycling)
18th March 2023 – Italy
The Spring Classic, La Classicissima is the first of the five Monuments classic cycle races of the season and considered one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling. The longest professional one-day race at a distance of 298 km, Milan-San Remo is considered a sprinters classic – beginning on the Piazza del Duomo in the heart of Milan the race finishes on the Via Roma, San Remo’s illustrious shopping street on the Italian Riviera. The legendary Eddy Merckx won the event a record seven times, whilst the 2022 winner was Matej Mohorič who attacked on the descent of the Poggio di San Remo with under 5 kilometres to go.
Travel
There are three airports within the vicinity of Milan – Milan Malpensa Airport, Orio al Serio International Airport and Milan Linate Airport. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is the closest international airport to San Remo, about 45 minutes away and is the third busiest airport in France, offering flights to a number of different destinations. Thinking of flying? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Milan or San Remo.
Further Information
2023 Miami Open (Tennis)
19th March – 2nd April 2023 – Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, United States)
The second of the two Sunshine Double events in March is the 2023 Miami Open on the hard courts at the Hard Rock Stadium. Similar to the BNP Paribas Open, it is held across two weeks and is a WTA 1000 and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event featuring the world’s best players with a draw size of 96. Carlos Alcaraz won his first ATP Tour Masters 1000 singles title at the 2022 event, defeating Casper Ruud 7-5 6-4, whilst Iga Świątek won the Women’s singles after beating Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-0 to become the fourth woman in history to win the Sunshine Double.
Tickets
Ticket information is available on the official Miami Open website here.
Travel
South Florida’s primary airport is Miami International and has a number of flights to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Western Asia. The airport is located approximately 15 mile south of the Hard Rock Stadium, by taxi the journey will take about 30 minutes. Thinking of flying to Miami? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Miami.
Further Information
2023 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP)
24th-26th March 2023 – Algarve International Circuit (Portimão, Portugal)
The opening round of the 2023 MotoGP season is the Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão. 2023 is sure to be another great year with MotoGP proving one of the most open motorsport events, producing four different title winners (Marc Marquez, Joan Mir, Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia) on four different brands of bike, in the past four seasons whilst there have been nine different race winners in 2020, eight in 2021 and seven in 2022. The Ducati rider Bagnaia will be the defending champion but could only finish 8th in the 2022 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix, which was won by Fabio Quartararo on his Yamaha.
Tickets
MotoGP Tickets Portugal are available to purchase through Motorsport Tickets.
Travel
The closest international airport is Faro Airport, which offers low cost flights across Europe. The airport is approximately 80 kilometres from the Portimão Circuit with a journey time of about 55 minutes along the A22 motorway. Lisbon Airport offers a wider range of international flights but is a 2 hour 30 minute drive to the north of the circuit. Thinking of flying to the Algarve? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
The Algarve Race Resort is the five star hotel which overlooks the racetrack. Alternatively use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Portimão or the wider Algarve region by clicking on the relevant links.
Further Information
2023 Dubai World Cup (Horse Racing)
25th March 2023 – Meydan Racecourse (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
The Dubai World Cup is one of the world’s richest thoroughbred horse races, carrying a purse of $12 million. The day itself at Meydan Racecourse features six Group 1 and three Group 2 fixtures, worth a total of USD30.5 million. The Frankie Dettori ridden County Grammer won the 2022 race and will likely return in 2023, seeking to become just the second horse to win the race twice.
Tickets
To purchase tickets and for further ticket information, consult the ticketing section of the official website here.
Travel
The Dubai International Airport is the primary airport in the UAE, being the hub for the country’s flag carrier – Emirates, as well as the low-cost carrier flydubai. There are over 140 airlines that offer flights to over 270 destinations across all continents of the world from the airport. The airport is located 18 kilometres from the racecourse, with a taxi journey taking around 20 minutes. Thinking of flying to Dubai? Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.
Where to Stay
Use TripAdvisor to find some great places to stay in Dubai.
