The World Cup, Rugby's Six Nations, Wimbledon, Commonwealth games; 2010 is going to be a busy and exciting year for sports fans. Here we have listed a calendar of the major sporting events that 2010 has to offer.

January

10th - 31st January African Cup of Nations

The hosts, Angola, will be joined by 14 nations to play a total of 29 football matches in a bid to see who will lift this years Nations Cup.

18th January - 31st January The 2010 Australian Open

The first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments during the year, opened at Melbourne Park on January 18. Rafael Nadal is defending his 2009 title whilst Andy Murray hopes to make it his first Grand Slam win.

February

6th February - 26th March Six Nations Rugby

The tournament kicks off on February 6th with Ireland and Italy meeting at Croke Park prior to the reopening of Ireland\’s traditional home Lansdowne Road which is currently being developed. In the other fixtures on the opening weekend, England play Wales at Twickenham. France travel to Scotland on the Sunday.

7th February Superbowl

The Super Bowl is the National Football League\’s showcase as the National Football Conference (NFC) champion faces off against the American Football Conference (AFC) title holder.

12th February - 28th February Winter Olympics

The 21st Winter Olympics, will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler and in Richmond, a Vancouver suburb.

28th February Carling Cup Final

The only knock out competition in England that involves only the 92 football league clubs competing to win the Carling Cup. Wembley will host the final.

March

16th March - 19th March Cheltenham Festival

This year's Cheltenham Festival will be run from the 16th to 19th March and over the course of the week, the course can expect to welcome over 200,000 racegoers from all over the world.

27th March Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup is encapsulated in one fact: it's the world\’s richest horse race with a purse of almost US$ 10 million going to the winner. The brainchild of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai World Cup is a fitting tribute to his love of horses and the gentlemanly sport of horseracing.

April

3rd April Boat Race

On 12 March 1829, Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford for a boat race and thus the tradition was born which has continued to the present day. On Race Day up to 250,000 spectators crowd the banks of the Thames from Putney to Mortlake to witness the action. Cambridge currently lead the series since 1829 by 79-75. Oxford won the 2009 Race. The 156th Boat Race takes place on Saturday, 3 April 2010 at 16:30.

8th April - 11th April The US Masters Golf

The 2010 US Masters Golf Tournament will, as per tradition, tee off in the first week of April at the Augusta National Golf Club Course in Georgia. Past Masters winners include a glittering array of golfing greats: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Tiger Woods.

10th April Grand National

The Grand National, one of the most popular horse races of the season involving 40 horses, 30 fences and 4 and a half miles. Raced at Aintree, one of the world\’s most famous racecourses.

17th April - 3rd May World Snooker Championships

Played at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield, 32 world class snooker players compete over 17 days to win the title of World Champion.

25th April London Marathon

First run in 1981, the London marathon is a popular road race and one of the top five international marathons run over the traditional distance of 42.195 km (26 miles and 385 yards). It is one of the World Marathon Majors, a two-year series of elite marathon racing that also includes the Boston, Chicago, New York and Berlin marathons.

30th April - 16th May ICC World Twenty20

The ICC World Twenty20 is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament consists of 12 teams and is contested by all Test-playing nations plus qualifiers. The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 will be held in the West Indies.