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How the big tournaments, races and championships actually work. 26 explainers
- How the Ballon d'Or Actually Works
The Ballon d'Or is football's most prestigious individual prize, awarded since 1956 by the French magazine France Football and voted on by a jury of specialist journalists—one per country from the top 100 nations in FIFA's world ranking.
- How the World Series Actually Works
The World Series is the championship of Major League Baseball (MLB), a best-of-seven series between the American League and National League pennant winners held every October—the culmination of a 162-game regular season and a month-long postseason.
- How the US Open (Tennis) Actually Works
The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the tennis calendar year, held annually in late August through mid-September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City—the loudest, most electric atmosphere in tennis.
- How the Vuelta a España Actually Works
The Vuelta a España is the third and final Grand Tour of the professional cycling season, a three-week stage race through Spain known for its punishing mountain stages and late-summer heat.
- How The Open Championship Actually Works
The Open Championship—simply called 'The Open'—is the oldest of golf's four major championships, first held in 1860, and the only major played outside the United States, on the links courses of the British Isles.
- How the Tour de France Actually Works
The Tour de France is the most famous and most demanding cycling race in the world—a three-week, 21-stage Grand Tour covering approximately 3,500 km across France that has defined professional road cycling for over a century.
- How Wimbledon Actually Works
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, the only Grand Slam played on grass, and widely regarded as the most prestigious event in the sport—held annually at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
- How the US Open (Golf) Actually Works
The U.S. Open is one of golf's four major championships, organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and deliberately designed to be the most demanding test in professional golf.
- How the 24 Hours of Le Mans Actually Works
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest and most prestigious endurance motor race, held annually in June on the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France—a race where teams of drivers push cars to the limit for an entire day and night.
- How the FIFA World Cup Actually Works
The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched and most commercially valuable sporting event on Earth—a month-long football (soccer) tournament held every four years that captivates billions of viewers across every continent.
- How the Stanley Cup Finals Actually Works
The Stanley Cup Final is the championship series of the National Hockey League, a best-of-seven battle for the oldest professional sports trophy in North America—and one of the most physically demanding championship contests in all of sports.
- How the NBA Finals Actually Works
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association, a best-of-seven contest between the Eastern and Western Conference champions that determines the NBA champion each June.
- How the UEFA Champions League Actually Works
The UEFA Champions League is the premier club football (soccer) competition in the world, culminating in a single-match final that is the most-watched annual club sporting event on Earth.
- How the French Open Actually Works
The French Open (Roland-Garros) is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, held annually in late May through early June in Paris on red clay courts—the surface that most fundamentally tests a player's endurance, strategy, and adaptability.
- How the Monaco Grand Prix Actually Works
The Monaco Grand Prix is the most prestigious and iconic race on the Formula 1 calendar, held annually on a tight street circuit through the streets of Monte Carlo in the principality of Monaco.
- How the Indianapolis 500 Actually Works
The Indianapolis 500 is the premier event of the IndyCar Series and one of the most prestigious motor races in the world, held annually on the Sunday before Memorial Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- How the PGA Championship Actually Works
The PGA Championship is one of golf's four major championships, organized by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and held annually in May—the second major of the season.
- How the FA Cup Actually Works
The FA Cup is the oldest national football (soccer) knockout competition in the world, open to over 700 clubs across all levels of English football—from Premier League giants to non-league village teams.
- How the Giro d'Italia Actually Works
The Giro d'Italia is one of cycling's three Grand Tours—alongside the Tour de France and Vuelta a España—a grueling three-week stage race through Italy that tests endurance, climbing ability, and tactical mastery.
- How the Kentucky Derby Actually Works
The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of American thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, held on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky—the most storied two minutes in sports.
- How the London Marathon Actually Works
The London Marathon is one of the six World Marathon Majors and one of the largest annual fundraising events in the world, combining elite-level road racing with mass participation through the streets of London every April.
- How the Boston Marathon Actually Works
The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors, held every Patriots' Day (third Monday of April) on a point-to-point course from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.
- How The Masters Actually Works
The Masters Tournament is the first of golf's four annual major championships, held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia—the most exclusive and tradition-bound venue in professional golf.
- How March Madness Actually Works
March Madness is the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament—a 68-team, single-elimination tournament that crowns college basketball's national champion and generates one of the largest betting and media events in American sports.
- How the Daytona 500 Actually Works
The Daytona 500 is the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series season and the most prestigious event in American stock car racing, held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
- How the ICC T20 World Cup Actually Works
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is the global championship for Twenty20 cricket—the sport's shortest and most explosive international format—held every two years with 20 teams competing over roughly three weeks.