2026 Sports Calendar Poised for Chaotic and Busy Year with Major Events
The 2026 sports calendar promises to be chaotically busy, featuring a wide range of events across college and professional sports, including international tournaments and major championships.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with matches taking place in 11 U.S. cities. The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The USA is placed in Group D and will open their campaign on June 12 against Paraguay. Argentina enters as the defending champion, and star players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to participate.
Earlier in the year, the Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina, Italy. The opening ceremonies are set for February 6. A highlighted rivalry is the USA–Canada ice hockey matchup, with notable U.S. athletes including Mikaela Shiffrin, Nathan Chen (noted as Malinin in notes but given prominence), and others such as Kim and Stolz.
The NFL season features Super Bowl LX on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with a halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny. The NFL playoffs run from January 10 to 25. The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly out of Wild Card and Championship contention following Patrick Mahomes’ ACL injury. The Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders are eliminated, while the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots compete for the top seed. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers battle for an NFC bye.
In baseball, the World Baseball Classic takes place from March 5 to 17. Team USA's roster includes Aaron Judge, 2025 Cy Young Award winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, and Shohei Ohtani intends to participate. Japan is the defending champion.
College basketball’s NCAA Men’s and Women’s March Madness runs from March 15 to April 6. The Men’s Final Four is scheduled for April 4 to 6 in Indianapolis, while the Women’s Final Four will occur April 3 to 5 in Phoenix.
Key spring and other tournament events include the Masters golf tournament from April 9 to 12 in Augusta, the PGA Championship from May 14 to 17 at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and the NFL Draft from April 23 to 25 in Pittsburgh.
Major League Baseball’s postseason begins September 29 with the World Series starting on October 23 and potentially extending into November. Thanksgiving Day games on November 26 will feature the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, scheduled at specific slots.
Overall, the 2026 sports schedule is packed with major global and national competitions spanning multiple sports and venues across the United States and internationally.
