What to expect in 2026? A year packed with global sports action and defining moments
From the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup to India's T20 title defence on home soil, here is your guide to a non-stop year of blockbuster sporting action.
If 2025 was about momentum, 2026 is where the story truly unfolds. From World Championships and continental clashes to landmark home events and global multi-sport spectacles, the sporting calendar promises a year that will keep fans engaged with barely a pause for breath.
The year begins with the Asian Shotgun Championships and the India Open Badminton in India, placing Indian sport firmly on the global stage from the opening weeks. February raises the stakes immediately with a rare combination of mega-events: the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India, the Asian Shooting Championship Rifle and Pistol, and the Badminton Asia Team Championship.
The home T20 World Cup will dominate the sporting conversation. With packed stadiums, relentless expectations and an entire nation watching, the question will echo through the World Cup: Can India defend their T20 title? Every match will feel like a final, every performance under the brightest possible spotlight.
Momentum continues in March with Bhubaneshwar hosting the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships, a landmark moment for domestic Track and Field. The next World Athletics Indoor Championships will also be held in Poland.
April will then deliver elite international competition with the World Team Table Tennis Championships taking place in London, the Badminton Asia Championships, and the iconic Thomas and Uber Cup in Horsens, Denmark.
By May, Indian athletics will take centre stage with the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition, a crucial platform for emerging and established athletes alike.
In June, the FIFA Men’s World Cup, along with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, is expected to be the talk of the town as the best in the business will fight it out for the ultimate prize.
A subdued Commonwealth Games is expected to be declared open in Glasgow in July, alongside the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Chennai. August remains relentless with the FIH Hockey World Cup in Europe, the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, and the Indian Open World Athletics Silver Level Continental Tour in Bhubaneswar.
September will be all about staking continental supremacy for the Indian athletes as the Asian Games will roll out in Japan.
The Youth Olympic Games will return with its fourth edition in Dakar, Senegal in October.
The year builds toward a strong finish with the ISSF World Championships in Doha in November and the BWF World Tour Finals closing the season in December.
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