# 2019 in sports
**2019 in sports** was a year of world championships in football, cricket, and rugby, with no Summer or [Winter Olympic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/winter-olympic-games) on the calendar. The year's headline events were the [FIFA Women's World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-womens-world-cup) in France, the ICC Cricket World Cup in [England and Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/england-and-wales), the Rugby World Cup in Japan, the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, and the inaugural World Urban Games and World Beach Games.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Despite subdued expectations after a crowded 2018, the year produced record television audiences in the United Kingdom, a first NBA title for a team based outside the United States, and a record fourth Women's World Cup title for the United States.[2](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport) • [1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) • [3](https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/2019)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Headline events | FIFA Women's World Cup (France), ICC Cricket World Cup (England and Wales), Rugby World Cup (Japan), IAAF World Championships (Doha), Pan American Games (Lima)[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) |
| Women's World Cup | The United States beat the Netherlands 2–0 in the final on July 7, 2019, a record fourth title and second in a row[3](https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/2019) • [1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) |
| Cricket World Cup | England won on a boundary countback after the final and the Super Over were both tied against New Zealand[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) |
| Rugby World Cup | South Africa beat England 32–12 for a third title, equaling New Zealand's record; the tournament was the first hosted in Asia[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) • [4](https://time.com/5682034/google-doodle-rugby-world-cup/) |
| Super Bowl LIII | New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13–3, the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) |
| UK linear TV audiences | 11.7 million watched England at the Women's World Cup; 4.5 million watched the cricket final, free-to-air for the first time in 14 years[2](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport) |
| US industry image | Gallup measured a +20 net-positive rating for the US sports industry in August 2019 (45% positive, 25% negative)[5](https://news.gallup.com/poll/319256/farming-rises-sports-tumbles-industry-ratings.aspx) |
## World championships and multi-sport events
**Football.** The FIFA Women's World Cup ran in France from June 7 to July 7, where the United States defended its title with a 2–0 victory over the Netherlands in the final.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) The men's club season ended with an all-English [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) final in Madrid, in which Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–0.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Continental titles went to Qatar at the [AFC Asian Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-asian-cup), beating Japan 3–1 in its first final win, and to Algeria at the [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations), which defeated Senegal 1–0 for a second title.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
**Cricket.** The ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in England and Wales from May 30 to July 15 with ten teams in a round-robin group stage followed by semi-finals and a final, produced one of the sport's most unusual endings.[6](https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/pre-registration-for-icc-cricket-world-cup-public-ballot-2019-opens) • [1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) England and New Zealand finished level after both the regulation game and the tie-breaking [Super Over](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-over), and England was awarded the championship on the number of boundaries scored.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
**Rugby union.** The Rugby World Cup opened in Tokyo on September 20, the first time in the competition's 32-year history that it was hosted in Asia, with 20 teams competing for the Webb Ellis Cup.[4](https://time.com/5682034/google-doodle-rugby-world-cup/) Commentators billed the tournament as unusually open, with New Zealand, England, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, and Australia all rated real contenders.[4](https://time.com/5682034/google-doodle-rugby-world-cup/) South Africa beat England 32–12 in the final on November 2, claiming a third title and equaling New Zealand's record.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
**Athletics and swimming.** The IAAF World Championships in Doha (September 27 to October 6) saw world records set in the women's 400 meters hurdles and the mixed 4 × 400 meters relay.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) At the World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, China won the most gold medals while the United States won more medals overall.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Outside formal competition, Kenyan marathoner [Eliud Kipchoge](https://www.edgepedia.org/eliud-kipchoge) ran 1:59:40 in the staged Ineos 1:59 Challenge, the first sub-two-hour marathon, though it was not eligible as a record because of the assistance he received.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
**Multi-sport games.** The Pan American Games in Lima (July 26 to August 11) gathered all 41 member nations of Pan American Sports, with the United States dominating the medal table.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) The year also brought the 2nd [European Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-games) in Minsk, the [African Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/african-games) in Rabat, the Summer Universiade in Naples, and two inaugural events designed to reach new audiences, the World Urban Games in Budapest and the World Beach Games in Doha.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
## North American leagues
The [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots) opened the sporting year by beating the [Los Angeles Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-rams) 13–3 in [Super Bowl LIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-liii) in Atlanta, the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game in history and the franchise's sixth NFL title.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) • [7](https://en.haberler.com/major-events-in-sports-world-in-2019-1407995/) The Toronto Raptors won the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors by a margin of four games to two, capturing the first title in franchise history and the first ever claimed by a club based outside the United States; this was also the first finals since 2010 in which LeBron James did not appear.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup, beating the Boston Bruins 4–3, having been the oldest franchise without a title.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) In baseball, the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 4–3 for their first World Series championship.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) At the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, Spain beat Argentina 95–75 in the final, while defending champion Team USA lost to France in the quarter-finals, ending a 58-game winning streak in international tournaments featuring NBA players and producing its worst World Cup result.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) • [8](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/basketballworldcup-2019-news-spain-overpower-argentina-to-reclaim-world-cup-throne)
## Individual sports
**Golf and tennis.** [Tiger Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-woods) won the Masters in April for his fifth Green Jacket, his fifteenth major and his first in more than 10 years.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic) won the Australian Open over Rafael Nadal and retained Wimbledon in a five-set final against Roger Federer; Nadal took a 12th French Open and a 19th major at the US Open, where Bianca Andreescu beat Serena Williams to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) In the reformattinged Davis Cup, Spain won a sixth title, defeating Canada 2–0, with Nadal named MVP.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
**Cycling and horse racing.** Egan Bernal of Team Ineos won the Tour de France general classification, with 2018 winner Geraint Thomas second.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) The Kentucky Derby produced its first disqualification of a winner for interference in the race's 145-year history: Maximum Security crossed first but the race was awarded to the 65–1 long shot Country House.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Tiger Roll won a second consecutive Grand National, the first horse to do so since Red Rum in 1974.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
## Broadcasting and audience trends
Expectations for 2019 were low after 2018's football World Cup and Ryder Cup, with no Olympics until 2020, yet the year became a strong one for sports broadcasting.[2](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport) In the United Kingdom, 11.7 million viewers watched England's Women's World Cup campaign on linear television, and 4.5 million watched the international cricket final as it returned to free-to-air television for the first time in 14 years.[2](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport) At the same time, digital platforms expanded their sports rights: Amazon secured ATP World Tour tennis and Premier League rights, Facebook won La Liga rights for India, and the esports market was expected to exceed $1 billion the following year, with audiences projected to nearly double to 800 million by 2023.[2](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport)
In the United States, Gallup measured the sports industry's public image at a +20 net-positive score in August 2019, with 45% of adults viewing it positively and 25% negatively; Republicans (+11) and independents (+26) were positive on balance, and non-White adults rated the industry at +51.[5](https://news.gallup.com/poll/319256/farming-rises-sports-tumbles-industry-ratings.aspx) Those figures fell sharply the following year, making 2019 a high-water mark in the polling series.[5](https://news.gallup.com/poll/319256/farming-rises-sports-tumbles-industry-ratings.aspx)
## Recognition and deaths
The 2019 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year was Novak Djokovic, his fourth win, and the Sportswoman of the Year was US gymnast Simone Biles.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Forbes ranked Lionel Messi the highest-paid sportsman of 2019 at US$127 million in total earnings, with Serena Williams the only woman in the top 100 at 63rd.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm) Deaths in sport during the year included Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, English cricketer Bob Willis, Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, New Zealand running champion Peter Snell, and motor racing legend Niki Lauda, who died aged 70.[1](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
## References
1. [Sporting Highlights for 2019, Topend Sports](https://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/2019.htm)
2. [How 2019 became a surprising year for sport, TVBEurope](https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-2019-became-a-surprising-year-for-sport)
3. [2019 Archives, HISTORY](https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/2019)
4. [Google Doodle Celebrates the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, TIME](https://time.com/5682034/google-doodle-rugby-world-cup/)
5. [Farming Rises, Sports Tumbles in U.S. Industry Ratings, Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/poll/319256/farming-rises-sports-tumbles-industry-ratings.aspx)
6. [Pre-registration for ICC Cricket World Cup Public Ballot 2019 opens, ICC](https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/pre-registration-for-icc-cricket-world-cup-public-ballot-2019-opens)
7. [Major Events In Sports World In 2019, Haberler](https://en.haberler.com/major-events-in-sports-world-in-2019-1407995/)
8. [Spain overpower Argentina to reclaim World Cup throne](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/basketballworldcup-2019-news-spain-overpower-argentina-to-reclaim-world-cup-throne)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Olympics and multisport subjects › General sport and multisport institutions › Multisport events — concepts, lists, and chronology*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license