Year of Champions

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 takes center stage in February, with the FIFA World Cup and Commonwealth Games among the major events later in the year.

Happy Olympic Year!

2026 is upon us which means the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are now just a month away.

The Paralympic Winter Games swiftly follow in what is an action-packed year of sport, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. headlining the summer.

The Commonwealth Games also return to Glasgow in July, while several Olympic sports host global championships over the next 12 months, as well as the traditional tennis and golf majors, and the Grand Tours in cycling.

Here, Olympics.com brings you a comprehensive month-by-month guide to the year ahead.

January

The sporting year starts with top class tennis Down Under, with the United Cup mixed team tournament in Perth and Sydney acting as a warm-up for the first Grand Slam of 2026, the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The Winter X Games also take place in Aspen, as the world’s best freestyle skiing and snowboard athletes look to lay down a marker ahead of Milano Cortina 2026.

• 2-11 Jan: Tennis – United Cup (Perth and Sydney, Australia)
• 9-11 Jan: Speed ​​Skating – ISU Speed ​​Skating European Championships (Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland)
• Jan 10-25: Water Polo – European Aquatics Men’s Water Polo Championship (Belgrade, Serbia)
• 12-18 Jan: Figure Skating – ISU Figure Skating European Championships (Sheffield, UK)
• 15 Jan to 1 Feb: Handball – EHF European Men’s Handball Championship (Denmark, Norway and Sweden)
• January 16-18: Short track – ISU Short Track European Championships (Tilburg, Netherlands)
• 18 Jan to 1 Feb: Tennis – Australian Open (Melbourne, Australia)
• Jan. 23-25: Freestyle Skiing & Snowboard – Winter X Games (Aspen, U.S.)
• 23 Jan to 6 Feb: Multi-sport – South Asian Games (Pakistan)
• 26 Jan to 5 Feb: Water Polo – European Aquatics Women’s Water Polo Championship (Funchal, Portugal)

February

The eyes of the world will be on Italy from 6 February as Milano Cortina 2026 gets underway. Medals will be awarded in 116 Olympic events across eight sports and 16 disciplines over 19 days of competition.

Elsewhere, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup takes place in India and Sri Lanka, while Super Bowl LX is held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

• 1-5 Feb: Cycling Track – UEC Track Elite European Championships (Konya, Turkey)
• 6-22 Feb: Multi-sport – Olympic Winter Games (Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy)
• 7 Feb to 8 Mar: Cricket – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (India and Sri Lanka)
• 8 Feb: American Football – Super Bowl LX (Santa Clara, U.S.)
• 15 Feb: Basketball – NBA All-Star Game

March

Less than two weeks after the Olympic Winter Games close, it is the turn of the Paralympic Winter Games, with 79 events across the sports of para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, para snowboard and wheelchair curling.

Some of the Olympic stars of Milano Cortina 2026 will also be straight back in action as the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup reaches its climax, with rounds every weekend before the finals in Kvitfjell and Hafjell, near Lillehammer, from 21 March.

• 1 Mar: Athletics – Tokyo Marathon
• 2–8 Mar: Bobsleigh & Skeleton – IBSF World Cup Final (Königssee, Germany)
• 5-8 Mar: Speed ​​Skating – ISU Speed ​​Skating Allround & Sprint World Championships (Heerenveen, Netherlands)
• 5-17 Mar: Baseball – World Baseball Classic
• 6-15 Mar: Multi-sport – Paralympic Winter Games (Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy)
• 14-22 Mar: Curling – World Women’s Curling Championship (Calgary, Canada)
• Mar 20-22: Cross-Country Skiing – FIS Cross-Country World Cup Finals (Lake Placid, U.S.)
• 20-22 Mar: Athletics – World Athletics Indoor Championships (Torun, Poland)
• 21 Mar: Cycling Road – Milan-San Remo (Italy)
• Mar 21-25: Alpine Skiing – FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals (Lillehammer, Norway)
• 24-29 Mar: Figure Skating – ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Prague, Czech Republic)
• 28 Mar to 5 Apr: Curling – World Men’s Curling Championship (Ogden, U.S.)

April

The Masters at Augusta National tops the billing as Rory McIlroy looks to defend the Green Jacket he won in thrilling fashion last year.

The first women’s golf major of the year, the Chevron Championship, takes place at the Memorial Park in Houston, while the month also features two of the world’s biggest marathons, Boston and London.

• 5 Apr: Cycling Road – Tour of Flanders (Belgium)
• 7-12 Apr: Badminton – European Badminton Championships (Huelva, Spain)
• 8-12 Apr: Trampoline – European Trampoline Championships (Portimão, Portugal)
• 9-12 Apr: Golf – Masters (Augusta, U.S.)
• 12 Apr: Cycling Road – Paris-Roubaix (France)
• 16-19 Apr: Judo – European Judo Championships (Tbilisi, Georgia)
• 19-26 Apr: Weightlifting – EWF European Weightlifting Championships (Batumi, Georgia)
• 20 Apr: Athletics – Boston Marathon (Boston, U.S.)
• 23-26 Apr: Golf – Chevron Championship (Houston, U.S.)
• 26 Apr: Athletics – London Marathon (London, UK)
• 26 Apr: Cycling Road – Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
• 28 Apr to 10 May: Table Tennis – ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals (London, UK)

May

The French Open returns as Carlos Alcaraz looks to win his third straight men’s singles title following last year’s epic comeback win over his rival Jannik Sinner.

In cycling, the Giro d’Italia won last year by Simon Yates takes place, while La Vuelta Femenina is the first women’s Grand Tour.

• 2-3 May: Athletics – World Athletics Relays (Gaborone, Botswana)
• 3-10 May: Cycling Road – La Vuelta Femenina (Spain)
• 8-31 May: Cycling Road – Giro d’Italia (Bulgaria and Italy)
• 14-17 May: Golf – PGA Championship (Pennsylvania, U.S.)
• 15-31 May: Ice Hockey – IIHF Men’s World Championship (Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland)
• 23 May: Football – UEFA Women’s Champions League final (Oslo, Norway)
• 24 May to 7 June: Tennis – French Open (Paris, France)
• 27-31 May: Rhythmic Gymnastics – European Championships (Varna, Bulgaria)
• 30 May: Football – UEFA Men’s Champions League final (Budapest, Hungary)
• 30 May to 7 June: Cycling Road – Giro d’Italia Women (Italy)

June

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on 11 June with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa. Holders Argentina captained by Lionel Messi begin their campaign on 16 June against Algeria.

The end of the month sees the start of Wimbledon, as Sinner and Iga Świątek look to defend the trophies they won last year.

• 1-7 June: Basketball 3×3 – FIBA 3×3 World Cup (Warsaw, Poland)
• 4-7 June: Golf – U.S. Women’s Open (Los Angeles, U.S.)
• 4-21 June: Basketball – NBA Finals (U.S.)
• 5-7 June: Rugby Sevens – SVNS World Championship (Bordeaux, France)
• 11 June to 19 July: Football – FIFA World Cup (Canada, Mexico, U.S.)
• 12 June to 5 July: Cricket – ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (UK)
• 13-14 June: Triathlon – European Triathlon Championships (Tarragona, Spain)
• 16-21 June: Fencing – European Fencing Championship (Tallinn, Estonia)
• 18-21 June: Golf – U.S. Open (New York, U.S.)
• 25-28 June: Golf – Women’s PGA Championship (Chaska, U.S.)
• 29 June to 12 July: Tennis – Wimbledon Championships (London, UK)

July

After the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon finals, attention turns to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games, where 215 gold medals will be up for grabs over 10 days of action.

One of the highlights of the sporting calendar, the Tour de France, also gets underway in Barcelona as Tadej Pogačar goes in search of a record-equalling fifth title.

• 4-26 July: Cycling Road – Tour de France (Spain and France)
• 9-12 July: Golf – Evian Championship (Evian-les-Bains, France)
• 10-12 July: Taekwondo – World Taekwondo Championships (Gimcheon, Republic of Korea)
• 14 July: Baseball – MLB All-Star Game
• 16-19 July: Golf – The Open Championship (Southport, UK)
• 16-25 July: Cycling BMX Racing – UCI BMX Racing World Championships (Brisbane, Australia)
• 20-25 July: Canoe Slalom – ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (Oklahoma City, U.S.)
• 21-30 July: Fencing – FIE Fencing World Championships (Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China)
• 22-28 July: Modern Pentathlon – European Championships (Istanbul, Türkiye)
• 23 July to 2 Aug: Multi-sport – Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, UK)
• 24 July to 2 Aug: Lacrosse – World Lacrosse Women’s Championship (Tokyo, Japan)
• 24 July to 8 Aug: Multi-sport – Central American & Caribbean Games (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
• 30 July to 2 Aug: Cycling Mountain Bike – UEC Mountain Bike European Championships (Monteceneri, Switzerland)
• 30 July to 2 Aug: Rowing – European Rowing Championships (Varese, Italy)
• 30 July to 2 Aug: Golf – Women’s Open (Lytham St Annes, UK)
• 31 July to 16 Aug: Artistic Swimming, Diving, Marathon Swimming, Swimming – European Aquatics Championships (Paris, France)

August

The European Athletics Championships come to Birmingham, where home heroes Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith will look to defend the titles they won at Rome 2024. International stars Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis and Femke Bol will also hope to strike gold again.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will be out to win her second Tour de France Femmes, while Belgium and the Netherlands host the Men’s and Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup.

• 1-9 Aug: Cycling Road – Tour de France Femmes (Switzerland and France)
• 10-16 Aug: Athletics – European Athletics Championships (Birmingham, UK)
• 11-23 Aug: Equestrian – FEI World Championships (Aachen, Germany)
• 13-16 Aug: Artistic Gymnastics – Women’s European Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Zagreb, Croatia)
• 14-30 Aug: Hockey – Men’s and Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup (Belgium and Netherlands)
• 19-23 Aug: Artistic Gymnastics – Men’s European Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Zagreb, Croatia)
• 21 Aug to 3 Sept: Multi-sport – Mediterranean Games (Taranto, Italy)
• 22 Aug to 13 Sept: Cycling Road – Vuelta a España (Monaco and Spain)
• 23-30 Aug: Rowing – World Rowing Championships (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• 26-30 Aug: Cycling Mountain Bike: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (Trentino, Italy)
• 26-30 Aug: Canoe Sprint: ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships (Poznan, Poland)
• 30 Aug: Athletics – Sydney Marathon (Sydney, Australia)
• 31 Aug to 13 Sept: Tennis – U.S. Open (New York, U.S.)

September

A new global athletics event, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, takes place in Budapest, where the best athletes on the planet will battle it out over three action-packed nights.

Europe will look to get the better of the U.S. in the Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, as the Billie Jean King Cup won in the last two years by Italy reaches its climax in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China.

• 4-13 Sept: Basketball – FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup (Berlin, Germany)
• 11-13 Sept: Golf – Solheim Cup (Cromvoirt, Netherlands)
• 11-13 Sept: Athletics – World Athletics Ultimate Championship (Budapest, Hungary)
• 19 Sept to 4 Oct: Multi-sport – Asian Games (Nagoya, Japan)
• 20-27 Sept: Cycling Road – UCI Road World Championships (Montreal, Canada)
• 21-26 Sept: Tennis – Billie Jean King Cup Finals (Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China)
• 24-27 Sept: Golf – President Cup (Medinah, U.S.)
• 24-27 Sept: Triathlon – World Triathlon Championship Finals (Pontevedra, Spain)
• 25-27 Sept: Tennis – Laver Cup (London, UK)
• 27 Sept: Athletics – Berlin Marathon (Berlin, Germany)

October

Senegal will be the first African nation to host an Olympic event when it stages the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, which includes 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports.

The FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships come to Rotterdam, where Angelina Melnikova and Hashimoto Daiki will hope to star like they did last year in Jakarta.

• 3-7 Oct: Cycling Road – UEC Road European Championships (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
• 9-11 Oct: Coastal Rowing – World Rowing Coastal Championships (Qingdao, People’s Republic of China)
• 10 Oct: Cycling Road – Il Lombardia (Lombardy, Italy)
• 11 Oct: Athletics – Chicago Marathon (Chicago, U.S.)
• 14-18 Oct: Cycling Track – UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Shanghai, People’s Republic of China)
• 17-28 Oct: Artistic Gymnastics – FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
• 23-31 Oct: Baseball – MLB World Series
• 27 Oct to 8 Nov: Weightlifting – IWF World Weightlifting Championships (Ningbo, People’s Republic of China)
• 31 Oct to 13 Nov: Multi-sport – Summer Youth Olympic Games (Dakar, Senegal)

November

The tennis season reaches its climax with the ATP and WTA Finals, as well as the Davis Cup Finals, with Italy eyeing their fourth consecutive title.

New York City hosts the last of the seven annual marathon majors. In the 2025 men’s race, a photo finish was required to split Benson Kipruto and his fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao.

• 1 Nov: Athletics – New York City Marathon (New York, U.S.)
• 1-15 Nov: Shooting – ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun (Doha, Qatar)
• 3-7 Nov: Cycling BMX Freestyle – UCI Urban Cycling World Championships (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
• 6-16 Nov: Ice Hockey – IIHF Women’s World Championship (Denmark)
• 7-14 Nov: Tennis – WTA Finals (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
• 15-22 Nov: Tennis – ATP Finals (Turin, Italy)
• 24-29 Nov: Tennis – Davis Cup Finals (Bologna, Italy)

December

The calendar year finishes with a bang in swimming, as Beijing hosts the World Aquatics Swimming Championships 25m.

In an otherwise quieter month of sport, the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup continues at pace, while the European Women’s Handball Championship is one of the final events of 2026.

• 1-6 Dec: Swimming – World Aquatics Swimming Championships 25m (Beijing, People’s Republic of China)
• 3-20 Dec: Handball – EHF European Women’s Handball Championship (Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Türkiye)