2026 Sporting Calendar: World Cup, Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and more

England's Lionesses, the Australia cricket team and the European Ryder Cup team were some of the biggest sporting winners in 2025, which will soon simply be a year of reflection as 2026 comes into a view.

A New Year brings new opportunities for hero stories, villain tales and unforgettable moments in the sports we all know and love, and there will be no shortage of must-watch events over the next 12 months.

The men's World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics and Paralympics will take centre stage, as will the fights for the regular favourites, including the Formula One World Championship and tennis Grand Slams.

Check out Sports Mole's 2026 Sporting Calendar below!

2026 World Cup: Is it finally coming home for England?

Sixty years of hurt has not stopped England's senior men from dreaming, and Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions will hop across the Atlantic as one of the favourites to conquer the globe at the highly-anticipated 2026 World Cup.

The 1966 champions were the first European team to qualify for the quadrennial competition - which will comprise an unprecedented 48 teams next summer - and will slog it out with Croatia, Panama and Ghana in Group L for the right to reach the knockout rounds.

One of two home nations set to compete on the grandest stage of them all, England will be joined in the United States, Mexico and Canada by near neighbours Scotland, who have been dealt a daunting card against Brazil and Morocco in Group C.

The Selecao, Argentina, France, Germany and Spain will strive to prolong England's six decades of hurt in senior men's football, as will Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, in what will surely be the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's last major tournament.

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 and commences with the final on July 19.

2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics: Can Great Britain banish 2022 pain?

Four years on a forgettable 2022 Winter Olympics - in which they won a paltry two medals - Great Britain aim to restore some Games parity at the 2026 event in Italy.

UK Sport had targeted between three and seven medals for the 2022 Winter Olympics after the nation's hopes collected five in 2014 and 2018, but by the close of the competition, GB had just one gold and one silver to shout about.

Both of those podium finishes came in the curling - the women's team becoming Olympic champions and the men placing second - and the Brits are sending 27 athletes to compete at the 2026 Games.

GB's winter Paralympians did slightly better in 2022, taking home six medals courtesy of one gold, one silver and four bronzes, and 17 athletes will be bidding to improve on that tally this time around.

The Winter Olympics run from February 6 to 22, before the Paralympics commence on March 6 and end on March 15.

2026 Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow

For a short while, the 2026 Commonwealth Games were at risk of being cancelled entirely, as the Australian states of Queensland and Victoria both withdrew from hosting the multi-sport event owing to costs rising exponentially.

However, a scaled-down version of the Commonwealth Games is scheduled to go ahead in Glasgow, which has received financial backing from Australia and will host the tournament for the second time after welcoming thousands of athletes in 2014.

The 2022 Games in Birmingham saw Australia just edge out England in the overall medal table - taking 179 to the host nation's 176 - but the quadrennial event has been cut down from 20 sports to just 10 in 2026.

Basketball, athletics, bowls, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, netball, judo, para powerlifting and track cycling medals will be on offer at the Commonwealth Games, which run from July 23 to August 2.

2026 Sporting Calendar

All dates accurate as of December 29, 2025

2026 Sporting Calendar - January:

Dec 11-Jan 3 - Darts: World Darts Championship

Dec 21-Jan 18 - Football: Africa Cup of Nations

2-11 - Tennis: United Cup

8-11 - Field hockey: Men's EuroHockey Indoor Championship

9-11 - Speed skating: European Speed Skating Championships

9-25 - Bowls: World Indoor Bowls Championship

10 - Athletics: World Athletics Cross Country Championships

10-25 - Water Polo: Men's European Water Polo Championships

11-18 - Snooker: Masters

12-18 - Figure skating: European Figure Skating Championship

13-14 - Football: EFL Cup semi-finals

15-18 - Field hockey: Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championship

15-Feb 1 - Handball: European Men's Handball Championship

18-Feb 1 - Tennis: Australian Open

18-Feb 8 - Futsal: Futsal Euro 2026

24 - MMA: UFC 324

2026 Sporting Calendar - February:

1 - MMA: UFC 325

1-5 - Cycling: Track Cycling European Championships

5-Mar 14 - Rugby Union: Six Nations

5-8 - Tennis: Davis Cup Qualifiers

8-14 - Tennis: Qatar Open

15-21 - Tennis: Dubai Tennis Championships

6-22 - Multi-sport: Winter Olympics

7 - MMA: UFC Fight Night 266

7-Mar 8 - Cricket: T20 World Cup

8 - NFL: Super Bowl LX

14 - MMA: UFC Fight Night 267

15 - Racing: Daytona 500

15 - Basketball: NBA All-Star Game

21 - MMA: UFC Fight Night - Strickland vs. Hernandez

2026 Sporting Calendar - March:

1-15 - Tennis: Indian Wells Open

5-8 - Speed Skating: World Sprint and Allround Championships

5-17 - Baseball: World Baseball Classic

6-15 - Multi-sport: Winter Paralympics

7 - MMA: UFC 326

8 - F1: Australian Grand Prix

10-13 - Horse Racing: Cheltenham Festival

14 - MMA: UFC Fight Night 270

15 - F1: Chinese Grand Prix

15 - Football: Women's League Cup Final

15-29 - Tennis: Miami Open

20-22 - Athletics: World Indoor Championships

21 - MMA: UFC Fight Night 271

22 - Football: EFL Cup final

24-Apr 29 - Figure Skating: World Figure Skating Championships

28 - MMA: UFC Fight Night 272

29 - F1: Japanese Grand Prix

2026 Sporting Calendar - April:

1-30 - Weightlifting: European Championships

7-12 - Archery: World Cup

5-12 - Tennis: Monte-Carlo Masters

7-12 - Badminton: European Badminton Championships

8-12 - Gymnastics: European Trampoline Championships

9-12 - Golf: Masters

11 - Horse racing: Grand National

12 - F1: Bahrain Grand Prix

16-19 - Judo: European Judo Championships

18-May 4 - Snooker: World Snooker Championship

19 - F1: Saudi Grand Prix

20 - Marathon: Boston Marathon

21-May 3 - Tennis: Madrid Open

23-25 - NFL: 2026 NFL Draft

26 - Marathon: London Marathon

28 - Table tennis: World Team Championship

2026 Sporting Calendar - May:

TBD - NHL: Stanley Cup Finals

3 - F1: Miami Grand Prix

5-17 - Tennis: Italian Open

8-31 - Cycling: Giro d'Italia

14-17 - Golf: PGA Championship

15-31 - Ice hockey: World Championship

16 - Football: FA Cup final

20 - Football: Europa League final

22 - Rugby Union: Challenge Cup final

22/23/24 - Football: Women's Champions League final (date TBC)

23 - Football: Championship playoff final

23 - Rugby Union: Champions Cup final

24 - F1: Canadian Grand Prix

24-Jun 7 - Tennis: French Open

27-31 - Gymnastics: European Rhythmic Championships

27 - Football: Conference League final

30 - Football: Champions League final

31 - Football: Women's FA Cup final

2026 Sporting Calendar - June:

1-7 - Basketball: 3x3 World Cup

5-7 - Rugby Sevens: SVNS World Championships

7 - F1: Monaco Grand Prix

11-Jul 19 - Football: FIFA World Cup

12-Jul 5 - Cricket: Women's T20 World Cup

14 - F1: Spanish Grand Prix

14 - MMA: UFC White House

16-20 - Horse Racing: Royal Ascot

18-21 - Golf: US Open

25 - NBA: 2026 NBA Draft

26-27 - NHL: 2026 NHL Entry Draft

28-Jul 11 - Football: Under-19 Euros

28 - F1: Austrian Grand Prix

29-Jul 12 - Tennis: Wimbledon Championships

2026 Sporting Calendar - July:

4-26 - Cycling: Tour de France

5 - F1: British Grand Prix

11 - Football: FIFA World Cup Final

14- MLB: 2026 MLB All-Star Game

16-19 - Golf: The Open

19 - F1: Belgian Grand Prix

22-28 - Modern Pentathlon: European Championships

23-Aug 2 - Multi-sport: Commonwealth Games

26 - F1: Hungarian Grand Prix

30-Aug 2 - Rowing: European Championships

31-Aug 16 - Aquatics: European Championships

2026 Sporting Calendar - August:

1-9 - Cycling: Tour de France Femmes

2-12 - Tennis: Canadian Open

6-17 - Tennis: Cincinnati Open

10-16 - Athletics: European Athletics Championships

11-23 - Equestrian: FEI World Championships

14-30 - Field Hockey: FIH World Cup (Men's and Women's)

21-Sep 3 - Multi-sport: Mediterranean Games

22-Sep 13 - Cycling: Vuelta a Espana

23 - F1: Dutch Grand Prix

23-30 - Rowing: World Championships

26-30 - Mountain Biking: World Championships

26-30 - Canoeing: World Sprint Championships

31-Sep 13 - Tennis: US Open

2026 Sporting Calendar - September:

TBD - Volleyball: World Championships

4-13 - Basketball: Women's World Cup

6 - F1: Italian Grand Prix

7-13 - Golf: Solheim Cup

11-13 - Athletics: World Athletics Ultimate Championship

13 - F1: Spanish Grand Prix

18-20 - Tennis: Davis Cup qualifiers

19-Oct 4 - Multi-sport: Asian Games

20-27 - Cycling: Road World Championships

22-27 - Golf: Presidents Cup

25-27 - Tennis: Laver Cup

26 - F1: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

30-Oct 11 - Tennis: China Open

2026 Sporting Calendar - October:

TBD - Weightlifting: World Championships

3-7 - Cycling: Road European Championships

7-18 - Tennis: Shanghai Masters

11 - F1: Singapore Grand Prix

12-18 - Tennis: Wuhan Open

15-15 Nov - Rugby League: World Cup (Men's and Women's)

17-28 - Gymnastics: World Artistic Championships

23 - MLB: World Series

25 - F1: Austin Grand Prix

2026 Sporting Calendar - November:

TBD - Tennis: Billie Jean King Cup Finals

2-8 - Tennis: Paris Masters

7-14 - Tennis: WTA Finals

8 - F1: Sao Paulo Grand Prix

8-9 - Cycling: Cyclo-cross European Championships

13 - Athletics: Cross Country European Championships

15-22 - Tennis: ATP Finals

21 - F1: Las Vegas Grand Prix

24-29 - Tennis: Davis Cup Finals

29 - F1: Lusail Grand Prix

2026 Sporting Calendar - December:

3-20 - Handball: European Women's Championships

6 - F1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

TBD - Tennis: Next Gen ATP Finals