Champs crowned on June sports calendar
The NBA and NHL crown their champions, while the PGA Tour tees it up at the U.S. Open. Here’s a look at 10 highlights on the June sports calendar, including the Belmont Stakes and a pair of major UFC cards.
F1 Spanish Grand Prix (June 1)
McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri (161 points) and Lando Norris (158) lead the way in the F1 driver standings heading into June, with the drivers getting back on the track on June 1 in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix in each of the last three years. Other F1 events on the June calendar are in Canada (June 15) and Austria (June 29).
NASCAR Cracker Barrel 400 (June 1)
There are five races on the NASCAR schedule for June, starting with the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1. Joey Logano won this event in 2024, when it was called the Ally 400. After that race the drivers head to Michigan for the Firekeepers Casino 400 on June 8, followed by the Viva Mexico 250 (June 15), The Great American Getaway 400 (June 22), and the Quaker State 400 (June 28).
MLB Regular Season (June 1-30)
It’s a marquee MLB matchup to kick off the month of June on Sunday Night Baseball as the Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the New York Yankees. The following week sees the Dodgers get a visit from the other New York team, the Mets, while the Cubs are at Washington, the Phillies play in Toronto, and the Padres head up the coast to face the Giants. Arizona and Atlanta also clash on the early June slate.
WNBA Regular Season (June 1-30)
Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark isn’t likely to be in the lineup for her team when it tips off its June schedule on June 3 at home against Washington, as she suffered a quad strain and is expected to miss two weeks of action. The WNBA opens up its June schedule with four games on June 1, including Minnesota at Golden State, while Dallas is at Seattle in a nationally-televised ESPN game on June 3.
NHL Stanley Cup Final (June 4-20)
The Stanley Cup final will be a rematch this spring, as the Florida Panthers battle the Edmonton Oilers for the championship for the second straight season. Last year the Panthers went up 3-0 on the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final, then dropped three straight games, then won Game 7 by a 2-1 score to claim the first title in franchise history. Florida and Edmonton both won their conference final series in just five games.
NBA Finals (June 5-22)
It will be the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Indiana Pacers in this season’s NBA Finals, with Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set to tip off on Thursday, June 5. Game 2 is then scheduled for June 8, with Game 3 on June 11, and Game 4 on June 13. Game 5, if necessary, is then slated for June 16, with Game 6 on June 19, and Game 7 on June 22. All NBA Finals games are set to be broadcast nationally on ABC.
Belmont Stakes (June 7)
The final event of horse racing’s 2025 triple crown schedule will take place at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York on June 7 at the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes. Sovereignty won the first event of the triple crown, the Kentucky Derby, beating Journalism across the finish line that day. Journalism then went on to win the Preakness Stakes, which Sovereignty skipped to rest for the Belmont.
UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley (June 7)
Champion Merab Dvalishvili will battle challenger Sean O’Malley for the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 316, which takes place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. As well, Julianna Pena will put her title on the line against Kayla Harrison in a UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout, while Kelvin Gastelum faces Joe Pyfer in a middleweight fight
U.S. Open (June 12-15)
The PGA Tour will stage its next major event from June 12-15 as the golfers hit the links at Oakmont for the 2025 U.S. Open. Bryson DeChambeau won this tournament for the second time in 2024, edging Rory McIlroy by one stroke and both Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau by two strokes. The last time the U.S. Open was held at Oakmont was back in 2016, when Dustin Johnson claimed the tournament victory.
UFC 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira (June 28)
Ilia Topuria enters the Octagon against Charles Oliveira in a clash for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28. As well, champion Alexandre Pantoja battles Kai Kara-France for the UFC Flyweight Championship, while Beneil Dariush takes on Renato Moicano in a lightweight bout, and Brandon Royval fights Manel Kape in a flyweight contest.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
