What to look forward to in the world of sports in 2026

Jannik Sinner (left) of Italy enters the 2026 Australian Open as defending men's singles champion, while Germany's Alexander Zverev (right), who lost in the final, will be vying for his first Grand Slam win. Madison Keys of the United States is the defending champion on the women's side of the first Grand Slam of the tennis season and the first major sporting event of every year.

If the Australian Open is the first highlight of every sporting year, the Super Bowl is certainly the second. The championship match of the National Football League regularly attracts well over 100 million television viewers in the United States and millions more globally. Many who watch tune in as much for the halftime show as the game itself.

The Winter Olympics is a multi-sport event, but the men's ice hockey tournament is among the most popular. The NHL players will be back, making this the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia — minus the Russians, of course. Canada's Connor McDavid (left) and Auston Matthews of the US (both pictured) and Germany's Leon Draisaitl will be among the stars to watch.

While Major League Baseball calls the winners of its World Series "world champions," it's a term perhaps more applicable to the World Baseball Classic. This year's edition will be spread over the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico, with the semifinals and final to be held in Miami. Led by superstar Shohei Ohtani (right), Japan beat the USA 3-2 in the final of the last tournament in 2023.

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Paralympic Winter Games, held in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. In Milan and Cortina 2026, around 600 athletes will compete in 79 medal events across six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboard and wheelchair curling. A new event, wheelchair curling mixed doubles, has been introduced for these Games.

Formula One enters a new season with a new defending drivers' champion, Britain's Lando Norris, whose McLaren-Mercedes team also won the constructors' championship in 2025. The 77th edition of the Formula One World Championship will be run over 24 races, beginning with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8 and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 6.

The European football season reaches its climax with the Champions League finals. The women's final is to be played at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, while the men do battle a week later in the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Barcelona have dominated the women's tournament, reaching six of the last seven finals, winning it three times. Arsenal (women) and Paris St. Germain (men) are defending champions.

The first Enhanced Games is to take place in Las Vegas. The competition, including athletics, swimming and weightlifting, allows athletes using performance-enhancing substances to compete without being subject to testing. As such, the idea has been widely criticized. The EG made headlines last May, when it claimed that Kristian Gkolomeev (photo) had set a world record in the 50-meters freestyle.

The men's World Cup is being held for the second time in the United States after 1994, with a few games also to be hosted by Mexico and Canada. This will be the first time that the tournament will feature 48 teams — up from 32 in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The defending champions are Lionel Messi's Argentina. Germany are in Group E, along with Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

The 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is to be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from June 12 to July 5. For the first time, the tournament is to feature 12 teams, up from 10 in 2024. New Zealand are the defending women's champions. The men's version of the tournament is to be contested from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka. Australia are the men's titleholders.

Germany is set to host the the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup for a second time — after 1998. All of the matches will be played in Berlin. After the 2022 tournament in Australia featured just 12 teams, the World Cup is back up to 16 — the same number that took part in the event from 1990 to 2018. The United States are the four-time defending champions.

Another event to be held for the first time is the World Athletics Ultimate Championship — in Budapest. Unlike the regular World Athletics Championships, it only includes semifinals and finals. Which athletes are invited is determined largely by the world rankings. Olympic champions and world champions, like Oblique Seville (photo), who won the 100-meters in Tokyo, are automatically invited.

These finals are the most prestigious tennis tournament of the season after the four Grand Slams. The women and men compete in separate events at separate locations. The 2026 WTA Finals are to be held in Riyadh from November 7 to 14, while the men assemble for the ATP Finals in Turin on November 15. Elena Rybakina is the defending women's singles champion, Jannik Sinner is the men's title holder.