UK sport lovers are to once again be treated to an exciting summer of international competition – with several big events to look forward to in the forthcoming months of 2010. Below are key dates for the diary of any sports fan.

The Football World Cup Finals – June/July 2010

Perhaps the world’s most popular and widely anticipated sporting event of the summer is the Football World Cup Finals, which are set to kick off on the 11th of June when hosts South Africa take on Mexico in Johannesburg. 2010 is the first time an African nation has ever hosted the beautiful game’s most prestigious event – a tournament that captures the imagination of fans across the globe. 32 teams will compete for the trophy, with matches taking place between the 11th of June and the 11th of July 2010.

Tension and speculation is already building amongst the English sporting press in the run up to the announcement of England manager Fabio Capello’s provisional World Cup squad to take to this summer’s tournament, and the nation is already very much gripped with World Cup fever. Fabio Capello’s final 23 man squad is set to be officially announced on the 1st of June. England fans can first watch their team in action against the USA on the 12th of June, with the tournament’s grand final taking place on the 11th of July.

Commonwealth Games – 2010

Renowned as one of the biggest sporting events for UK Athletes across a wide range of disciplines, the Commonwealth Games is sure to be another key date on this year’s sporting events calendar. In 2010 the event is set to take place in Delhi – the first time India has ever hosted the event. Taking place between the 3rd of October and the 14th of October, the Commonwealth Games will consist of an extensive calendar of sporting pursuits ranging from track and field athletics, to aquatic, gymnastic, racket sport and team events. 71 different Commonwealth countries from across the globe are set to be represented in this year’s games, with the UK hopeful of securing more gold medals after their successes in Australia in 2006.

Whatever sports you are interested in, make sure that you make up your events calendar to ensure that you don’t miss anything!