30th May 2026
Events: Alive With Sport
Manchester is a city that lives and breathes sport, hosting world-class events, top athletes, and active communities. The Alive With Sport page showcases the sporting moments, championships, and global events that choose Manchester as their stage.
Alive With Sport
Manchester – a world renowned sporting city with sport in our blood. Manchester is a dynamic city of opportunity and innovation, and its infrastructure can support any sporting event.
Not just home to two of the world’s leading football clubs, Manchester is also home to National Centres for Cycling, Squash, Basketball, Taekwondo, Speedway and Water Polo along with a rich tapestry of National Governing Bodies, clubs, coaches, volunteers and organisations that understand the importance of Major Sports Events and how they contribute to our aim of increasing sport and physical activity across the city.
AJ Bell Great Manchester Run
From first-time runners to seasoned athletes, Manchester comes together as tens of thousands take on a 10K or half marathon at the city’s much-loved run.
Sunday 31st May 2026
Spotlight Events
Join us for thrilling sporting events in Manchester.
What's going on in Manchester
Join the crowd. Where to watch live sports, in person. in and around Manchester.
Filter by Month
Load more
UEFA EURO 2028
Manchester and the iconic Etihad Stadium is proud to be one of the 10 host cities following today’s announcement that UEFA EURO 2028 is coming to the UK and Ireland.
It will be the largest major sporting event the nations have ever jointly staged – promising to create an exciting summer of football that will create memories to last a lifetime.
As a city Alive With Sport, this announcement cements Manchester’s top 10 2025 global sporting city ranking, which recognises those cities perceived to be most associated with sport, making us the fifth best sporting city across the globe, and maintaining our Top 10 position for a fifth consecutive year.
As one of the host cities across the five partner Football Associations, games will be played at the Etihad Stadium, one of the world’s most iconic stadia, a venue already familiar with staging classic and memorable European matches.
The UEFA EURO 2028 bid was successful thanks to its clear and compelling vision to help domestic and European football grow a more diverse and inclusive game, connect with new audiences and inspire the next generation of players, fans and volunteers.
The UK and Ireland expressed this vision as ‘Football for all. Football for good. Football for the future’. A philosophy we 100% support here in Manchester!
The UK and Ireland was also awarded the tournament based on the nations’ collective wealth of operational experience and world-class technical facilities – with a long track-record of staging successful major sporting events, including the ground-breaking UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.
Across the UK and Ireland, celebrations are underway as players, fans and local communities can look forward to an outstanding festival of summer football at UEFA EURO in 2028.
NBA Manchester 2027
The city is set to host first-ever regular-season NBA game – only second NBA appearance in Manchester history.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), Co-op Live and Manchester City Council have today announced that the NBA will bring a regular-season game to Manchester for the first time ever in 2027 – marking a monumental moment for the city, the venue, and UK sport.
The 2027 game will be only the second time an NBA team has played in Manchester, and the first since 2013, firmly placing Manchester on the global basketball map. The game will be held at Co-op Live, the UK’s largest live entertainment arena, with the exact date and participating teams to be announced prior to the 2026-27 NBA season.
As the home to Basketball England, headquartered on the Etihad Campus, Manchester boasts an ongoing affinity to the sport, from elite competition through grassroots development and community outreach. Recent investment includes the refurbishment of three major outdoor basketball courts, as well as being the home of the National Basketball Performance Centre, providing junior and senior leagues, wheelchair and SEN basketball, community drop-in sessions and more. Manchester’s own Magic and Mystics have called the city home since 2000, winning over 80 national titles, dominating junior competitions and producing elite talent.
As the newest venue on the NBA’s European slate, Co-op Live (owned and operated by Oak View Group) will provide the perfect stage for one of the world’s most exciting sporting events, offering fans in the North of England and beyond an unprecedented opportunity to experience NBA action at the highest level.
Global Credentials
BCW released their annual publication of the Top 50 Global Sport Cities.
As a city that lives and breathes sport, Manchester maintained our top 10 best sporting city across the globe ranking for the seventh consecutive year, which recognises cities perceived to be most associated with sport.
We’re proud to be firmly established and recognised as a world-leading city for sport, boasting a comprehensive infrastructure of elite training environments, regularly producing athletes connected with Manchester who dominate podium places at major events, and an enviable and vibrant regional, national and international events programme.
Host your event
We have a track record of delivering the largest and most complex events from Commonwealth Games to the Champions League, the Rugby World Cup, Tour of Britain and Formula One city showcases. This experience has established a highly integrated network of public and private sector event professionals who can seamlessly deliver the most complex of operations – to time and on budget.
Email our Sports Events Team if you’re planning a Major Sporting Event or simply fancy a chat to find out why Manchester truly is a city ‘Alive with Sport’.