Who will win SPOTY 2022? Lewis Hamilton is the early favourite

Lewis Hamilton is the early favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) in 2022 after Emma Raducanu took this year's award on Sunday.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion came tantalisingly close to winning a record-breaking eighth title 10 days ago, only to be denied by Max Verstappen at the death in controversial circumstances.

Days later Hamilton, who took the defeat with commendable grace, received a knighthood from the Queen.

He is 5/1 to win SPOTY for the third time in 2022 and the thinking has to be that, should he regain his Drivers' Championship title next year, he would be the prime candidate for the BBC award.

Slam in 2022 would put Raducanu in contention

Sport is full of surprises, however. A year ago very few people had heard of Emma Raducanu but, after her astonishing victory at the US Open in September, she went odds-on for SPOTY and stayed at the top of the market until she won the prize on Sunday.

Raducanu is 9/1 to retain SPOTY next year and 17/10 to win a Grand Slam in 2022.

A heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is near the top of many fans' wishlists for 2022.

On the Exchange, Fury is the favourite to win the fight if it happens and he is the shorter price of the pair to win SPOTY at 10/1 - even though he says he wants nothing to do with it.

Joshua is 20/1 but, if were to beat Fury, those odds would shorten.

World Cup could put England stars in the frame

It's set to be another big year for football as England head to Qatar for the World Cup in 2022.

They reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 and the final of Euro 2020, so the next logical step for Gareth Southgate's men would be to win this World Cup.

If only it were that simple. The fact remains, though, that England are expected to be among the leading contenders in Qatar and that's why they're third favourites - behind Brazil and France - at 8.88/1.

Harry Kane should captain England at the World Cup and he's 14/1 to win SPOTY while his team-mate Raheem Sterling, who made the shortlist this year, is 25/1.

Qatar will be a World Cup like no other, taking place in November and December, so the timing could be ideal for an England footballer in the SPOTY voting - that is, of course, as long as the team do well.

There's a long way to go, however, and the only thing that's certain is that the next 12 months will be full of sporting drama and excellence. If this year has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.