Entry to sporting events in Spain is usually cheaper than in other countries, so if your trip happens to coincide with one of these events, be sure to make your way down there. As with any major sporting event, tickets are likely to sell out in advance. Click on the link for information on buying tickets.

The Spanish take their sport very seriously - if you can be in the home city of a sports team when they win a championship (in particular if Fernando Alonso wins the Formula One World Championship again or whoever wins the La Liga soccer league) then you can guarantee much parting!

Spain's Other Religion: Soccer!

One of the most important events of the Spanish sporting calendar is the Real Madrid vs CF Barcelona soccer game.

The two teams play each other twice a year as part of the La Liga soccer league. It is absolutely impossible to get tickets, but every bar in the land will be full of futbol fans watching the game. Read more about Soccer in Spain.

Calendar of Sporting Events in Spain in 2008

• March 30 - Spanish MotoGP, in Jerez. The first of three MotoGP races in Spain this year.


• May 1-4 - Open de Espana Golf tournament at the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla in Seville.


• April 27 - Spanish F1 Grand Prix, Barcelona. With a Spanish former Formula One World Champion (Fernando Alonso), this will sell out months in advance.


• June 8 - Catalan MotoGP, in Barcelona. The second of three MotoGP races in Spain this year.


• Mid June - Spanish La Liga soccer league ends. Click on the link for the fixtures.


• First weekend of August - Descenso del Sella major canoeing (or more correctly, kayaking) event in Asturias.


• 24 August European Grand Prix The second Formula One Grand Prix to take place in Spain this year. This race takes place in Valencia, just a few days before the Tomatina Tomato Fight.


• Last weekend of August - Spanish La Liga soccer league begins. Click on the link for exact fixtures.


• End of August - First Half of September - Vuelta de España, one of the most important cycling races in the world, after the Tour de France and on a par with the Giro d'Italia. The event starts and ends in Madrid.


• September 19-21 - 2008 Davis Cup Semi-final: USA v Spain. Venue TBA.


• October - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Men's World Tour comes to Mundaka, Basque Country (between Bilbao and San Sebastian).


• October 2–5 - Rally Catalunya Also called the Rally de España. A part of the World Rally Championship.


• October 11-19 - Madrid Masters. Major tennis tournament in Madrid, part of the ATP Masters Series.


• October 23-26 - Mallorca Masters. Golf tournament at Pula GC in Majorca.


• October 30-November 2 - Volvo Masters. Major golf tournament at Valderrama golf course, San Roque, near Cadiz.


• October 26 - Valencian MotoGP, in Valencia. The last of the three MotoGP races in Spain this year.


• December 31 - San Silvestre Vallecana 10km run in Madrid.