From January 1 to December 31, 2025, the world gears up for a year packed with pivotal events and milestones. Donald Trump returns to the White House for his second presidency, while major elections unfold in Germany, Ecuador, Bolivia, Norway, Canada, and Chile. India unveils its state-of-the-art Navi Mumbai International Airport, Venice tightens its grip on overtourism with extended entrance fees, and the world pauses to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. On the sporting front, fans can look forward to the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, and the Women’s Rugby World Cup, promising unforgettable moments on the global stage.
JANUARY
1. Donald Trump is to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the U.S., four years after he left the White House.
2. Non-Europeans visiting the UK need an ETA (electronic travel authorization), which costs £10. ETA will expand to Europeans in April.
3. China marks the Year of the Snake. People born under this sign are considered intuitive, calm, and intelligent.
FEBRUARY
4. German voters go to the polls seven months earlier than planned amid a political crisis triggered by the collapse of the ruling coalition.
5. Ecuador holds presidential and legislative elections.
6. The Super Bowl LIX will be held in New Orleans. Rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the half-time show.
MARCH
7. The F1 season starts in Australia, the last before a new engine era and major rules revamp in 2026.
8. A partial solar eclipse is visible from parts of North America, Greenland, Europe, northwest Africa, and northwest Russia.
9. The 97th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles.
APRIL
10. Venice will double the number of days it charges tourists an entrance fee of €5, for a total of 54 days.
11. India’s financial capital is set to open its new Navi Mumbai International Airport, which could handle 90m passengers annually.
12. The World Expo 2025 is held in Osaka, Japan.
MAY
13. Europe’s biggest airline Ryanair goes fully digital and phases out paper boarding passes and check-in desks.
14. The 80th anniversary of VE Day marks the end of World War II in Europe following the defeat of Nazi Germany.
15. Basel in Switzerland hosts the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.
JUNE
16. France and Saudi Arabia host an international conference in New York aimed at establishing a Palestinian state.
17. The music, technology, and film festival South by Southwest, “SXSW,” held each year in Austin, Texas, is coming to London in a new European edition.
18. The FIFA Club World Cup, the first under an expanded format with 32 teams, begins in the U.S.
JULY
19. The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament kicks off in Switzerland.
20. Russia plans to begin an “extensive introduction” of the digital ruble, a government-issued crypto coin.
21. The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts in Lille.
AUGUST
22. The 80th anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are commemorated in Japan.
23. Bolivia holds a general election.
24. The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup starts in England.
SEPTEMBER
25. Italian rocker Damiano David (left), the iconic frontman of 2021 Eurovision winning band Måneskin, embarks on his first-ever solo world tour, starting in Warsaw.
26. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Norway.
27. Tokyo hosts the World Athletics Championships.
OCTOBER
28. Canada’s federal election must be held before Oct 20.
29. Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 which launched in July 2015.
30. Palisades in Michigan is the first of several decommissioned nuclear power stations in the U.S. due to come back online in a move signifying the growing popularity of this energy source.
NOVEMBER
31. Brazil hosts the COP30 climate conference in the Amazon city of Belém, bringing delegates closer to nature.
32. Chile holds general elections.
33. South Africa, the first African country to hold the G20 presidency, hosts the group’s summit in Johannesburg.
DECEMBER
34. The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) football finals begin in Morocco after a six-month delay to avoid a clash with the revamped Club World Cup.
35. Jane Austen enthusiasts around the world mark the 250th anniversary of the author’s birth.
36. James Cameron's upcoming sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will take audiences on another journey to the world of Pandora.
