Thousands of Australians travel every year to attend major sporting events. Read this page to learn about:
Olympics
Each Olympic Games occurs every 4 years. Each time, a different country hosts the event. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) publishes details for each.
- Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
- Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games
- Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games
Also see details of corresponding Paralympic Games (International Paralympic Committee).
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place in July 2021, with the 2020 Paralympic Games following in August 2021.
You won’t be able to travel to Japan to attend the Tokyo 2020 Games as a spectator. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing ongoing health risks and travel complications. Japan has announced that no spectators can attend the event because of the current state of emergency.
Athletes and officials attending the Games still need an exemption to leave Australia from the Department of Home Affairs. All athletes and officials travelling to Japan for the Games must follow a playbook of strict rules and regulations put in place by Japanese authorities, starting 14 days before departure to Japan.
- Read our travel advice for Japan
- Learn more about the Olympic Games (IOC).
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games occurs every 4 years. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) controls both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Participants are from 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. This covers about 1/3 of the world's population.
The destination changes for each event. The next events are:
- Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Trinidad and Tobago 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games
While the audience is smaller than Olympic Games, tourists flock to each host city before, during and after the events. This increases risks to travellers.
Before you go, read the travel advisory for your destination. See our advice for the United Kingdom or Trinidad and Tobago. Also read our general advice on how to stay safe and avoid danger.
- Learn more about the Commonwealth Games (CGF).
Cricket world cup
The Cricket World Cup (International Cricket Council) is the world's top cricket tournament. It's the finale of a global qualification process over several years, that narrows to just 10 teams.
It takes place in a different destination every 4 years. The next one is India 2023.
Before you go, read the travel advisory for India. Subscribe for updates. Also see our advice on staying safe and avoiding danger.
- Learn more about the Cricket World Cup (ICC).
Football (soccer) world cup
The FIFA World Cup is the pivotal tournament for international football (soccer). Managed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the FIFA World Cup is the second largest sporting event globally.
The tournament is every 4 years. A different nation hosts it each time. The qualifying phase is the 3 years prior.
The next events are FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (FIFA) and FIFA FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
- Learn more about the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women's World Cup.
Rugby world cup
The Rugby World Cup (RWC) is the key rugby union tournament globally. It's the 3rd largest sporting event in the world. The top 20 teams from nations around the world participate.
It runs for seven weeks, every 4 years. A different country hosts it each time.
Events are at venues across the host nation. This means it's not just one city that is flooded with international tourists, it's many.
The next Rugby World cup is France 2023.
Before you go, read our travel advisory for France. Also see our general advice on staying safe and avoiding danger.
- Learn more about the Rugby World Cup (RWC).
Read more
- See our general advice for taking care of your health.
- See our general advice about staying safe and avoiding danger.
- Read our travel advisory for your destination.
See also
- For more information on international events, see the Harmony Day calendar of religious and cultural events (Department of Home Affairs).