2011 in sports

The year 2011 in sports saw a number of significant events, some of which are listed below.

Calendar by month

January

Date	Sport	Venue/Event	Status	Winner/s
10	American football	2011 BCS National Championship Game	Domestic	Auburn University
26 Dec 2010–5	Ice hockey	2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships	International	Russia
21	Marathon	Dubai Marathon	International	David Barmasai / Aselefech Mergia

February

Date	Sport	Venue/Event	Status	Winner/s
6	American Football	Super Bowl XLV	Domestic	Green Bay Packers

Alpine skiing

American football

Super Bowl XLV – the Green Bay Packers (NFC) won 31–25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC)
- Location: AT&T Stadium
- Attendance: 103,219
- MVP: Aaron Rodgers, QB (Green Bay)
January 8 – Peyton Manning plays his final game in an Indianapolis Colts uniform, a 16–17 loss to the New York Jets in the wild-card round. The next season Manning would sit out the entire 2011 season to undergo neck surgeries and in that offseason, was released by the Colts and subsequently signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency, where he led them to 5 straight playoff appearances, Super Bowl XLVIII, and to their 3rd championship title in Super Bowl 50.
January 10 – 2011 BCS National Championship Game, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona: The Auburn Tigers defeated the Oregon Ducks 22–19 claiming the 2010 college football season national championship.
April 28–30 – 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn as the first overall pick.
July 8–16 – The 2011 IFAF World Championship was held in Austria. The USA defeated Canada 50–7 in the gold medal match to win their second straight title.
December 10 – 2011 Heisman Trophy was awarded to Robert Griffin III

Aquatics

2011 FINA Men's Water Polo World League
2011 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships
March 8–13, 2011: 2011 European Diving Championships in Turin, Italy
July 16–31, 2011: 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, China
December 8–11, 2011: 2011 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Szczecin, Poland

Association football

January 7–29 – 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar
- Fourth title for Japan. Runner up Australia. Third place South Korea. MVP Keisuke Honda
April 2 and 17 – OFC Champions League final won by Auckland City FC
April 20 and 27 – CONCACAF Champions League finals:
- C.F. Monterrey defeat Real Salt Lake 3–2 on aggregate.
May 28 – UEFA Champions League final in London:
- FC Barcelona defeat Manchester United 3–1.
June 5–25 – 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States
- Winner: Mexico. Runner-up: United States. Semifinalists: Honduras, Panama. MVP Javier Hernández.
June 15 and 22 – Copa Libertadores finals
- Santos defeat Peñarol 2–1 on aggregate.
June 17 – July 1 – 2011 CPISRA Football 7-a-side World Championships in the Netherlands
June 18 – July 10 – 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico
- Mexico won the cup as host being the first team to achieve that, defeating Uruguay 2–0 and achieving their second title in the category.
June 26 – July 17 – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany
- First title for Japan. Runner up United States. Third place Sweden. Best Player Homare Sawa
July 1–24 – 2011 Copa América in Argentina
- 15th title for Uruguay. Runner-up Paraguay. Third place Peru. Best Player Luis Suárez.
July 29 – August 20 – 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia
- Fifth title for Brazil. Runner up Portugal. Third place Mexico. Best Player Henrique
November 5 – AFC Champions League final
- Al-Sadd defeat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–2 (4–2 in penalties).
November 6 and 12 – CAF Champions League finals
- Espérance ST defeat Wydad Casablanca 1–0 on aggregate.
December 8–18 – 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan
- Final FC Barcelona defeat Santos 4–0.

Athletics

January 21–30 – 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand
August 27 – September 4 – 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea

Bandy

January 30, Russia becomes world champion

Baseball

Basketball

February 20: 2011 NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center, Los Angeles.
- West 148 beat 143 East
May 8: Euroleague
- Panathinaikos beats Maccabi Tel Aviv 78–70 and wins its sixth title in Barcelona. Dimitris Diamantidis was named MVP.
May 31 – June 12: 2011 NBA Finals
- The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, to win their first NBA title. German player Dirk Nowitzki was named Finals MVP.
August 30 – September 11 – FIBA Americas Championship 2011 in Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Second title for Argentina. Brazil and Dominican Republic. MVP: Luis Scola (ARG)
September 3–18 – EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania
- Second title for Spain. France and Russia. MVP: Juan Carlos Navarro (ESP)
October 2–7: 2011 WNBA Finals
- The Western Conference champion Minnesota Lynx defeated the Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream, 3–0, to win their first WNBA title. Seimone Augustus was named Finals MVP.

Beach Soccer

September 1–11 – The 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Ravenna, Italy.
- Russia puts an end to Brazil's dominance, defeating them in the final by the score of 12–8. Portugal claimed third place.

Beach volleyball

June 13–19 – The 2011 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome
- Men's Event: Emanuel Rego, Alison Cerutti (BRA)
- Women's Event: Larissa França, Juliana Felisberta (BRA)

Boxing

January 29 – Timothy Bradley defeats Devon Alexander by a tenth round technical decision. The fight was stopped due to a cut Alexander had received from an accidental headbutt in the third round, which was made worse by two more headbutts in the eighth round and a final fourth headbutt in the tenth round. Both fighters came in with undefeated records and the fight was initially praised as one of the few good match-ups between two top-ranked Americans in recent years. With the win, Bradley unified the light welterweight titles by defending his WBO title and winning Alexander's WBC title.
February 19 – Nonito Donaire defeats Fernando Montiel by technical knockout in the second round to unify the WBO and WBC bantamweight titles. Donaire started the fight strong by controlling most of the first round, landing a left hook that briefly stunned Montiel. In the second round Donaire started landing a few combinations before finishing Montiel with a solid hook that knocked out his opponent.
March 12 – Sergio Gabriel Martínez knocks out undefeated Sergiy Dzindziruk in the eighth round to win the vacant WBC diamond belt middleweight championship.
March 12 – Miguel Cotto knocks out Ricardo Mayorga in the twelfth round to retain his WBA world light middleweight title.
March 19 – Vitali Klitschko knocks out Odlanier Solís in the first round to retain his WBC heavyweight title for the sixth time. The knockout came as a surprise after Solís appeared to have sustained serious knee injury. Initially following the stoppage, Vitali Klitschko was angry at Solís and felt he took a dive. However following the fight Solís was taken to a hospital, where a scan revealed tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and external meniscus, as well as cartilage damage in his right knee.^[1]
April 2 – Giovanni Segura knocks out Iván Calderón in the third round in a repeat of 2010's fight of the year.
May 7 – Manny Pacquiao easily defeats Shane Mosley, retaining his WBO welterweight title by unanimous decision.
July 2 – Wladimir Klitschko defeats David Haye by unanimous decision, adding Haye's WBA heavyweight title to the four he already held.

Canadian football

November 25 – 47th Vanier Cup game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver – McMaster Marauders defeat Laval Rouge et Or 41–38
November 27 – 99th Grey Cup game at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver – BC Lions defeat Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23

Canoeing

August 17– 21, 2011: 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary
September 7–11, 2011: 2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia

Cheerleading

Cheerleading Worlds

April 28, – May 2, – The Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida, USA

Cricket

February 19 – April 2 – 2011 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh
- The tournament was won by India who defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. India became the first host-nation to win the world cup with final played in the host country itself. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a captain's knock of unbeaten 91 in the final and was adjudged man of the match.
Dates TBA – ICC Champions Trophy will take place.
April 8 – May 28 – 2011 IPL in India. Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs in the final to win for the second consecutive year.

Curling

2010–11 curling season

World Championships

Capital One World Women's Curling Championship (Esbjerg, Denmark, Mar. 19–27)
- Women's winner: Sweden (Anette Norberg) def. Canada (Amber Holland)
Ford World Men's Curling Championship (Regina, Saskatchewan, Apr. 2–10)
- Men's winner: Canada (Jeff Stoughton) def. Scotland (Tom Brewster)
World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (St. Paul, Minnesota, Apr. 15–24)
- Winner: Switzerland def. Russia

2011–12 curling season

Season of Champions

Canada Cup of Curling (Cranbrook, British Columbia, Nov. 30 – Dec. 4)
- Men's winner: Kevin Martin def. Glenn Howard
- Women's winner: Jennifer Jones def. Chelsea Carey

Fencing

October 8–16: 2011 World Fencing Championships in Catania, Italy

Figure skating

January 24–30 – 2011 European Figure Skating Championships in Bern, Switzerland
February 15–20 – 2011 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan
February 28 – March 6 – 2011 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Gangneung, South Korea
April 24 – May 1 – 2011 World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia

Floorball

Women's World Floorball Championships
- Champion: Sweden
Men's under-19 World Floorball Championships
- Champion: Finland
Champions Cup
- Men's champion: SSV Helsinki
- Women's champion: IF Djurgårdens IBF

Gymnastics

Golf

Handball

January 13–30 – 2011 World Men's Handball Championship in Sweden
- France, Denmark and Spain. Fourth Title for France. MVP = Nikola Karabatić (FRA)
December 3–16 – 2011 World Women's Handball Championship in Brazil
- Norway, France and Spain.

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Long Run
Grand National – Ballabriggs
Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris – Mid Dancer
Nakayama Grand Jump – Meiner Neos

Flat races

Australia:
- Cox Plate – Pinker Pinker
- Melbourne Cup – Dunaden
Canadian Triple Crown:
1. Queen's Plate – Inglorious
2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Pender Harbour
3. Breeders' Stakes –Pender Harbour

Luis Contreras becomes the first jockey to win the Canadian Triple Crown aboard two different horses in the same year.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai World Cup – Victoire Pisa
France: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Danedream
Hong Kong: Hong Kong International Races
- Hong Kong Vase – Dunaden
- Hong Kong Sprint – Lucky Nine
- Hong Kong Mile – Able One
- Hong Kong Cup – California Memory
Ireland: Irish Derby – Treasure Beach
Japan: Japan Cup – Buena Vista
English Triple Crown:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Frankel
2. Epsom Derby – Pour Moi^[2]
3. St. Leger Stakes – Masked Marvel
United States Triple Crown:
1. Kentucky Derby – Animal Kingdom
2. Preakness Stakes – Shackleford
3. Belmont Stakes – Ruler on Ice
Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky (both days arranged in race card order):
- Day 1:
- Day 2:
  1. Breeders' Cup Marathon – Afleet Again
  2. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf – Wrote
  3. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Amazombie
  4. Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint – Regally Ready
  5. Breeders' Cup Turf – St Nicholas Abbey
  6. Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile – Caleb's Posse
  7. Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Hansen
  8. Breeders' Cup Mile – Court Vision
  9. Breeders' Cup Classic – Drosselmeyer

Ice hockey

December 26 (2010)–January 5: 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, United States.
- Russia Canada United States
April 29, – May 15, 2011: 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, with games being played in Bratislava and Košice.
- Finland Sweden Czech Republic
June 15: The Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4–0 in game seven to win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.
September 7: The entire active roster of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team is killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.
October 6: Start of the 2011–12 NHL regular season.

Ice sledge hockey

February 12–20 – 2011 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey European Championships in Sollefteå

Kickboxing

The following is a list of major noteworthy kickboxing events during 2011 in chronological order.

Date	Event	Alternate Name/s	Location	Attendance	Notes
December 31	Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011	Fight for Japan. How are you! New Year! 2011	Saitama, Japan	24,606	—

Korfball

October 27 – 5 November: 2011 Korfball World Championship in Shaoxing, China
- Netherlands Belgium Chinese Taipei

Mixed martial arts

The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events during 2011 in chronological order.

Date	Event	Alternate Name/s	Location	Attendance	PPV Buyrate	Notes
January 1	UFC 125: Resolution	—	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	12,874	270,000	—
January 22	UFC: Fight For The Troops 2	UFC Fight Night 23	Killeen, Texas, USA	3,200	—	—
January 29	Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg	—	San Jose, California, USA	9,059	—	—
February 5	UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort	—	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	10,893	725,000	—
February 12	Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva	Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva	East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA	11,287	—	Quarterfinals to 2011 Strikeforce Heavyweight GP tournament.
February 25	MFC 28: Supremacy	—	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	—	—	—
February 26	UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch	—	Sydney, Australia	18,186	260,000	—
February 26	BAMMA 5: Daley vs. Shirai	—	Manchester, England	—	—	—
March 3	UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann	—	Louisville, Kentucky, USA	8,319	—	—
March 5	Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson	Strikeforce: Columbus	Columbus, Ohio, USA	7,123	—	—
March 5	Bellator XXXV	—	Lemoore, California, USA	—	—	Start of Bellator Season 4.
March 12	Bellator XXXVI	—	Shreveport, Louisiana, USA	—	—	—
March 19	Bellator XXXVII	—	Concho, Oklahoma, USA	—	—	—
March 19	UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones	—	Newark, New Jersey, USA	12,619	445,000	—
March 26	Bellator XXXVIII	—	Tunica, Mississippi, USA	—	—	—
March 26	UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis	UFC Fight Night 24 UFC Fight Night: Seattle	Seattle, USA	13,741	—	—
April 2	Bellator XXXIX	—	Uncasville, Connecticut, USA	—	—	—
April 8	MFC 29: Conquer	—	Windsor, Ontario, Canada	—	—	—
April 9	Bellator XL	—	Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA	—	—	—
April 9	Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley	—	San Diego, California, USA	—	—	—
April 16	Bellator XLI	—	Yuma, Arizona, USA	—	—	—
April 23	Bellator XLII	—	Concho, Oklahoma, USA	—	—	—
April 30	UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields	—	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	55,724	800,000 (Min.) 900,000 (Max.)	Randy Couture announces his retirement after nearly 14 years of competition.
May 6	Tachi Palace Fights 9	—	Lemoore, California, USA	—	—	—
May 7	Bellator XLIII	—	Newkirk, Oklahoma, USA	—	—	—
May 14	Bellator XLIV	—	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA	—	—	—
May 21	Bellator XLV	—	Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA	—	—	End of Bellator season 4.
May 21	BAMMA 6: Watson vs. Ninja	—	London, England	—	—	Murilo Rua announces his retirement after 11 years of competition.
May 29	Dream: Fight for Japan!	Dream Japan GP – 2011 Bantamweight Japan Tournament	Saitama, Japan	6,522	—	—
June 4	The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale	—	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	—	—	—
June 10	MFC 30: Up Close and Personal	—	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	—	—	—
June 11	UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin	—	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	14,685	325,000 (Min.) 335,000 (Max.)	—
June 18	Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum	Strikeforce: Dallas	Dallas, Texas, USA	—	—	The event will feature the first women's bouts ever held by Zuffa.
June 25	Bellator XLVI	—	Hollywood, Florida, USA	—	—	Start of Bellator 2011 Summer Series.
June 26	UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry	—	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA	7,792	—	—
July 2	UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2	—	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	13,109	350,000 (Min.) 375,000 (Max.)	—
July 16	Dream: Japan GP Final	—	Tokyo, Japan	8,142	—	—
July 23	Bellator XLVII	—	Rama, Ontario, Canada	—	—	—
July 30	Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson	—	Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA	—	—	—
August 6	UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2	—	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	11,583	—	—
August 14	UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle	—	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA	6,751	—	—
August 20	Bellator XLVIII	—	Uncasville, Connecticut, USA	—	—	End of Bellator 2011 Summer Series.
August 27	UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami	UFC: Rio	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	—	—	—
September 3	ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion	—	Kallang, Singapore	—	—	—
September 10	Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals	—	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA	—	—	—
September 10	Bellator XLIX	—	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA	—	—	Start of Bellator Season 5
September 10	BAMMA 7	—	Birmingham, England	—	—	—
September 17	UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou	UFC Fight Night 25	New Orleans, Louisiana, USA	—	—	—
September 17	Bellator L	—	Hollywood, Florida, USA	—	—	—
September 24	Dream 17	—	Saitama, Japan	—	—	—
September 24	Bellator LI	—	Canton, Ohio, USA	—	—	—
September 24	UFC 135	—	Denver, Colorado, USA	—	—	—
October 1	UFC on Versus 6	—	Washington, D.C., USA	—	—	—
October 1	Bellator LII	—	Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA	—	—	—
October 8	UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III	—	Houston, Texas, USA	—	—	—
October 8	Bellator LIII	—	USA	—	—	—
October 15	Bellator LIV	—	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA	—	—	—
October 29	UFC 137: St-Pierre vs. Diaz	—	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	—	—	—
November 5	UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz	—	Birmingham, England	—	—	The main event was the first five-round non-title fight in the history of the UFC.
November 12	UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos	—	Anaheim, California, USA	—	—	The UFC's debut on the Fox Network.
November 19	Bellator Event	—	Hollywood, Florida, USA	—	—	End of Bellator Season 5.
December 3	The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale	—	Las Vegas, Nevada USA	—	—	—
December 10	UFC 140	—	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	—	—	—
December 31	Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011	Fight for Japan. How are you! New Year! 2011	Saitama, Japan	24,606	—	—

Motorsport

Multi-sport events

Netball

July 3–10: 2011 Netball World Championships in Singapore

2011 April 15 – 20thNational Netball Championships 17/U & 19/U

June 9Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Palmerston North

12thDiamonds v Silver Ferns, Auckland

July 3 – 10thWorld Netball Championships 2011

12th – 17thNational Netball Championships 21/U

Jul 30 – 18 SepAustralian Netball League 2011

September 8 – 11thNetFest 2011 – Netball on the Gold Coast

October 9Diamonds v England, Newcastle

12thDiamonds v England, Canberra

16thDiamonds v England, Sydney

23rdDiamonds v Silver Ferns, Perth

26thDiamonds v Silver Ferns, Adelaide

30thDiamonds v Silver Ferns, Melbourne

Nordic skiing

Rink Hockey

2011 Rink Hockey Asian Championship
2011 Ladies Rink Hockey European Championship
2011 Rink Hockey World Championship San Juan, Argentina
2011 Rink Hockey World Championship U-20, in Barcelos, Portugal
- won by Spain
2011 Ladies Rink Hockey European Championship

Road bicycle racing

May 7–29: 2011 Giro d'Italia
- Alberto Contador sealed overall victory in the Giro d'Italia for the second time in his career. The win was later awarded to second-place finisher Michele Scarponi after Contador was given a retroactive ban following his positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France.
July 2–24: 2011 Tour de France
- Australian Cadel Evans won the race, having gained the lead in a time-trial on the penultimate day. He became the first Australian to win the race, and at 34, the oldest post-war winner.
August 20 – September 11: 2011 Vuelta a España
- Spanish Juan José Cobo claimed his first major title. British Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins on the podium.
September 19–25: 2011 UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Mark Cavendish became the first British male since Tom Simpson to win the road race title

Rowing

August 28 to September 4 – 2011 World Rowing Championships will be held at Lake Bled, Bled, Slovenia.

Rugby league

2011's Golden Boot for world's best player was awarded to Australian half back Johnathan Thurston.
February 13; NRL All Stars Game
February 23; World Club Challenge
May; City vs Country Origin
May; Australia vs New Zealand ANZAC Test
May 25 – 6 July: State of Origin
- Queensland defeat New South Wales 2–1 for their sixth consecutive series win.
June 10: International Origin Match at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
- In the first of what is planned to be an annual affair, the Exiles, a team consisting of non-English Super League players, defeated England 16–12.
August; Challenge Cup final
March 11 to October 2; National Rugby League season
- Champions: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
- Minor premiers: Melbourne Storm
February 12 to October 2; 2011 Super League season
- Champions: Leeds Rhinos
- League Leaders: Warrington Wolves
November; Rugby League Four Nations

Rugby union

February 4 – 19 March: Six Nations Championship
- Winner: England, 26th title.
May 20: Amlin Challenge Cup final at Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
- Harlequins claimed the title with a 19–18 win over Stade Français, becoming the first team to win the Challenge Cup three times.
May 21: Heineken Cup final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
- Leinster won its second European title with a 33–22 win over Northampton Saints.
IRB Sevens World Series – New Zealand clinched the series title at the London Sevens on May 22, with the Edinburgh Sevens remaining to be played.
May 24 – 5 June: 2011 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Georgia
- Samoa, Japan and Georgia. This was the first title for Samoa.
June 10–26: 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Italy
- New Zealand, England and Australia. This was the fourth title for New Zealand.
July 9: Super Rugby final at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- The Reds claimed their first title in the competition's professional era with an 18–13 win over the Crusaders.
July 23 – 27 August: Tri Nations Series
- Australia won its third title.
- This was also the final edition of the Tri Nations under that name. With the entry of Argentina in 2012, the competition was renamed The Rugby Championship.
September 9 – 23 October: 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
- The tournament was won by New Zealand's All Blacks defeating France in the final by a score of 8–7. New Zealand, France and Australia.

Domestic competitions

English Premiership – Final, May 28 at Twickenham: Leicester Tigers vs. Saracens
- Saracens defeated Leicester Tigers 22–18 for their first-ever Premiership title.
RFU Championship – Worcester Warriors. As the only side among the semifinalists that met the requirements for promotion, they replaced Leeds Carnegie in the 2011–12 Premiership.
Top 14 – Final, June 4 at Stade de France: Toulouse vs. Montpellier
- Toulouse won 15–10 and lifted the Bouclier de Brennus for the 18th time.
Rugby Pro D2 – Lyon won the championship and automatic promotion to the Top 14. Bordeaux Bègles won the promotion playoffs. The two clubs will replace La Rochelle and Bourgoin.
Celtic League – Grand Final, May 28 in Limerick:
- In an all-Irish affair, Munster won their third title against Leinster 19–9.
LV Cup (Anglo-Welsh Cup) – Gloucester
ITM Cup:
- Premiership – Final, September 3 in Hamilton: Waikato vs. Canterbury
  - Canterbury won 12–3 for their fourth consecutive title in the Air New Zealand/ITM Cup and ninth in the history of New Zealand provincial rugby.
- Championship: Final, September 4 in Palmerston North: Manawatu vs. Hawke's Bay
  - Hawke's Bay won 35–30 and will replace Southland in the 2012 ITM Cup Premiership.
Currie Cup: Final, October 29 in Johannesburg: Golden Lions vs. Sharks
- The Lions won 42–16 in the most one-sided Currie Cup final since 1980.

Other major events

February 26: During the England–France match in the Six Nations, England's Jonny Wilkinson retakes the all-time lead for career Test points from New Zealand's Dan Carter.
February 27: During the Scotland–Ireland match in the Six Nations, Ireland's Ronan O'Gara retakes the all-time lead for career points in the Championship from Wilkinson.
March 19: During the Ireland–England Six Nations match, two Irish players reach major career milestones in the Championship:
- Brian O'Driscoll takes over the all-time lead for career tries in the Championship with his 25th try, breaking the record of Scotland's Ian Smith that had lasted since 1933.
- Ronan O'Gara makes his 56th appearance in the Championship, drawing level with countryman Mike Gibson for the Championship record.
July 30: During New Zealand's Tri Nations opener at home to South Africa, Carter reclaims the all-time lead for career Test points from Wilkinson.