 "The greatest of sports stars will all be in action in some of the biggest events all through the year. Reuters")
2026 is going to be another busy year for sports fans with a lot to follow. The biggest attraction for global fans is going to be the grandest-ever FIFA World Cup which will have 48 teams participating in it for the first time in history. Cricket fans have a couple of T20 World Cups lined up in an exciting year. 2026 will also be the year when three prestigious multi-nation meets, Winter Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, return with athletes from around the world hoping for medals.
Detailed below is a month-wise calendar of all the big global sporting events with their start dates and venues.
January 2026
Australian Open (Tennis Grand Slam): Mid-January to early February, Melbourne
ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup (Cricket): 15 January-6 February, co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Nambia
February 2026
Winter Olympics: 6–22 February, Milan-Cortina, Italy
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (Cricket): 7 February–8 March, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka
Super Bowl LX (NFL Championship): 8 February, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
March 2026
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final (Cricket): 8 March, Ahmedabad
World Baseball Classic (Baseball): 5-17 March, various locations
MLB Season begins (Baseball): Opening Night 25 March, full Opening Day 26 March
FIDE Candidates Tournament (Chess): 28 March–16 April, Cyprus
Indian Premier League (Cricket): Late March to late May
F1 season begins with Australian Grand Prix (Motorsport): 8 March
April 2026
- The Masters (Golf Major): 9–12 April, Augusta National, Georgia
May 2026
French Open (Tennis Grand Slam): Late May–early June, Paris
Indian Premier League Final (Cricket): Late May
UEFA Champions League final (Football): May 30, Budapest
June 2026
FIFA World Cup (Football): 11 June–19 July, co-hosted by USA, Canada, and Mexico
NBA Finals (Basketball): Begin June 4 (possible Game 7 on June 21)
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (Cricket): 12 June-5 July, England
Wimbledon (Tennis Grand Slam): Late June–mid July, London
July 2026
FIFA World Cup Final (Football): 19 July, New Jersey
The Open Championship (Golf Major): Mid-July, Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), England
Tour de France (Cycling): 4-26 July
Commonwealth Games: 23 July–2 August, Glasgow, Scotland
August 2026
Major European Football Leagues begin 2026–27 season: Mid-August
US Open (Tennis Grand Slam): Late August–early September, New York
BWF World Championships (Badminton): Late August-early September, New Delhi
FIH World Cup (Hockey): 14-30 August, co-hosted by Netherlands and Belgium
September 2026
FIBA Women’s World Cup (Basketball): 4–13 September, Berlin
Diamond League Finals (Athletics): 4-5 September, Brussels
Asian Games: 19 September–4 October, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
October 2026
- MLB World Series (Baseball): Begins October 23 (Possible Game 7 on October 31)
November 2026
WTA Finals (Tennis): 7-14 November, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ATP Finals (Tennis): 15-22 December, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Davis Cup Finals (Tennis): 24–29 November, Bologna, Italy
December 2026
BWF World Tour Finals (Badminton): 9–13 December, Hangzhou, China
F1 Season Finale (Motorsport): 4-6 December, Abu Dhabi, UAE
World Chess Championship 2026: Dates and venue to be decided