From the Winter Olympics to the FIFA World Cup and tennis Grand Slams - Key dates for the biggest sports events in 2026
By Ben Southby
Published 01/01/2026 at 09:30 GMT
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It is set to be an astronomical 2026 in the sporting world, with plenty of showstopping events and tournaments on the ever-growing calendar. From the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics to the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the year promises non-stop drama and world-class competition. This is when the action unfolds and which events you can watch on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Christmas is over, and the new year has been rung in. And with the arrival of 2026 comes an epic calendar year of sport.
In the next 12 months, the world will stop to watch some of the greatest sporting events on the planet, including the FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics, and Commonwealth Games.
And there is lots more to unpack, so here are the biggest events to pencil in to your calendar over the next year, including ones that are available to watch and stream live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
January
Two major sporting events kickstart the new year, with Masters snooker at Alexandra Palace - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - as Shaun Murphy looks to defend his title.
England's hopes of winning the 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes might be over, with Australia retaining the urn on home soil after just three Tests, but England still have pride to play for as they complete the five-match Test series in Sydney.
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Attention will then turn to white-ball cricket, as England will get a taste of the conditions in Sri Lanka ahead of the T20 World Cup during a tour in late January and early February, with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
There is also the first tennis Grand Slam of the season, with Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys returning as champions at the Australian Open - with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The Africa Cup of Nations is into the knockout rounds, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo and Omar Marmoush pausing their club seasons for international duty and fighting for a place in the final on January 18.
| Africa Cup of Nations | Football | December 21–January 18 | Morocco |
| Ashes, Test 5 | Cricket | January 3–7 | Sydney, Australia |
| Masters | Snooker | January 11-18 | London, England |
| Australian Open | Tennis | January 18–February 1 | Melbourne, Australia |
| England v Sri Lanka | Cricket | January 22–February 3 | Sri Lanka |
February
The Winter Olympics returns in 2026 on the icy slopes of Milano Cortina in Italy, with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Marco Odermatt, Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu are just a handful of superstars to keep an eye on across the Games, which promises to be a thrilling watch.
The men's Australian Open final will be settled on the first day of the month, and a week later, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup gets underway in India and Sri Lanka as 2022 winners England look to reclaim the trophy which evaded them in 2024.
The fourth and final Home Nations Series of the current snooker season arrives with the Welsh Open in LLandudno - also live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
| Winter Olympic Games | Winter Sports | February 6–22 | Milano & Cortina, Italy |
| ICC Men’s T20 World Cup | Cricket | February 7–March 8 | India & Sri Lanka |
| Welsh Open | Snooker | February 23–March 1 | Llandudno, Wales |
March
Steve Borthwick's England will look to build on a near-perfect 2025 as they aim to wrestle the Six Nations title away from France in March and become the competition’s all-time record holders with a 40th crown.
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Meanwhile, we return to Milano Cortina for the Winter Paralympic Games, while the World Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in Poland later in the month.
Elsewhere, as winter turns into spring, the first major trophy of the football season will be up for grabs when the Carabao Cup final is contested at Wembley on March 22.
| Six Nations | Rugby | March 5–14 | France, Italy, England |
| Winter Paralympics | Winter Sports | March 6–15 | Milano & Cortina, Italy |
| World Athletics Indoor Championships | Athletics | March 20–22 | Torun, Poland |
| League Cup final | Football | March 22 | London, England |
April
The world's best snooker players will return to the iconic Crucible Theatre to compete for the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Zhao Xintong will look to overcome 'the Crucible curse' and defend his crown as a first-time winner - something no player has achieved since the move to Sheffield in 1977. Ronnie O'Sullivan, meanwhile, will have his eyes on a record-breaking eighth title.
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Also in April, Rory McIlroy will be back at Augusta to defend his Masters title, as the opening men's major of the year takes place.
McIlroy completed the career grand slam with his memorable victory in Georgia in 2025.
| The Masters | Golf | April 9–12 | Augusta, USA |
| World Snooker Championship | Snooker | April 18–May 4 | Sheffield, England |
May
The summer season on TNT Sports and discovery+ truly clicks into gear in a mouthwatering May, as the Giro d'Italia returns.
Britain's Simon Yates secured an extraordinary title in 2025 and may have to see off potential debutant Jonas Vingegaard, as well as Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro, if he is to repeat the feat.
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Elsewhere, all three European football finals will take place, as the curtain comes down on the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. All three finals will be available to watch and stream, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Not only that, but TNT Sports and discovery+ viewers can watch the 145th FA Cup final on May 16 from Wembley, while we will find out the next Premier League champion by May 24, as the domestic season comes to an end.
If a Grand Tour, three European finals and an FA Cup final is not enough, TNT Sports and discovery+ will also be showing the second Grand Slam of the tennis season, when Roland-Garros gets underway in Paris. Will we see another classic between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
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Highlights: Alcaraz overpowers Sinner in classic Roland-Garros final
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The UEFA Women's Champions League final will also take place as holders Arsenal will hope to be in with a chance to defend their title.
In rugby, the finals of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup will be held in Bilbao, Spain.
| Giro d’Italia | Cycling | May 9–31 | Italy |
| Women's FA Cup semi-finals | Football | May 10 | England |
| PGA Championship | Golf | May 14–17 | Pennsylvania, USA |
| Men's FA Cup final | Football | May 16 | London, England |
| Europa League final | Football | May 20 | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Women's Champions League final | Football | May 22 | Oslo, Norway |
| Challenge Cup final | Rugby | May 22 | Bilbao, Spain |
| Champions Cup final | Rugby | May 23 | Bilbao, Spain |
| French Open | Tennis | May 24–June 7 | Paris, France |
| Conference League final | Football | May 27 | Leipzig, Germany |
| Men's Champions League final | Football | May 30 | Budapest, Hungary |
| Women's FA Cup final | Football | May 31 | London, England |
June
Attention turns to the big one in June. A record 48 teams will come together in the United States, Canada and Mexico to contest the FIFA World Cup over five-and-a-half weeks.
England will fancy their chances with a star-studded squad guided by Thomas Tuchel, while it could be the last opportunity to see footballing greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup action.
June is a big month all round, as the Gallagher PREM campaign will come to its conclusion with the final taking place at Twickenham, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with the likes of Bath, Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints hoping to reach the showpiece occasion.
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Tennis fans will also get their fix at Wimbledon, as the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka return to the capital to compete at the iconic Grand Slam.
Elsewhere, England will look to move on from their Ashes disappointment in a three-match Test series against New Zealand, with games to be played at Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge.
| England v New Zealand | Cricket | June 4–29 | England |
| Men's FIFA World Cup | Football | June 11–July 19 | USA, Canada & Mexico |
| ICC Women’s T20 World Cup | Cricket | June 12–July 12 | England & Wales |
| US Open | Golf | June 18–21 | New York, USA |
| Gallagher PREM final | Rugby | June 20 | London, England |
| Wimbledon Championships | Tennis | June 29–July 12 | London, England |
July
While the World Cup is the pinnacle of football, the Tour de France is widely seen as the premier cycling event.
Sports fans can enjoy both back-to-back, with a slight overlap, as the Tour de France returns live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in July.
Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar will aim to write his name into the history books, cementing his place as a cycling great with a fifth title, which would tie him with legendary quartet Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain.
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Elsewhere, continuing a scintillating sporting summer, the Open Championship will entertain golf fans at Royal Birkdale, before the Commonwealth Games - another blockbuster event live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - takes place in Glasgow.
England take on old rivals India in a number of white-ball contests, as a busy summer of cricket continues.
| England v India | Cricket | July 1–19 | England |
| Tour de France | Cycling | July 4–26 | France |
| The Open Championship | Golf | July 16–19 | Southport, England |
| Commonwealth Games | Athletics | July 23–August 2 | Glasgow, Scotland |
August
Speaking of sport that will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+, the Premier League returns in August before another cycling Grand Tour graces our screens: Vuelta a Espana.
England will take on Pakistan in a three-Test series, while the European Athletics Championships takes place in Birmingham.
The fourth Grand Slam of the tennis season will see the top stars compete in New York at the US Open, to cap off a sparkling summer of sport.
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Official route for the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Video credit: TNT Sports
| European Athletics Championships | Athletics | August 10–16 | Birmingham, UK |
| England v Pakistan | Cricket | August 19–September 13 | England |
| Vuelta a Espana | Cycling | August 22–September 13 | Spain |
| US Open | Tennis | August 24–September 7 | New York, USA |
September
Summer might be over, but the sport certainly does not stop.
TNT Sports and discovery+ brings you the Ocean Race Atlantic, a new transatlantic, fully-crewed race for the IMOCA class, taking boats from New York to Europe - the first point-to-point race in more than 50 years of The Ocean Race.
Mark Allen will return to Brentwood in Essex in a bid to win snooker's English Open for the second season running.
As well as that, the Gallagher PREM 2026/27 rugby season will get underway, as will the Women's Super League (WSL), while England take on Sri Lanka in a white-ball series featuring three T20's and three ODI's.
| The Ocean Race Atlantic | Sailing | September 2 (start) | New York to Barcelona |
| English Open | Snooker | September 7–13 | Brentwood, England |
| England v Sri Lanka | Cricket | September 15–27 | England |
October
As the respective football and rugby seasons really begin to flourish, the snooker campaign also starts to hot up, with the second Home Nations event of the season - the Northern Ireland Open - always providing a fine spectacle at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.
| Northern Ireland Open | Snooker | October 18–25 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
November
The penultimate month of the year is the time for the ultimate tennis showdown, as the WTA and ATP Finals head to Riyadh and Turin, respectively.
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and four-time Grand Slam winner Jannik Sinner will hope to retain their titles as the best players on each tour come head-to-head at the end-of-season events.
Meanwhile, the Davis Cup will also be contested in Italy, as the hosts aim for a fourth success in a row.
In other sports, the UK Championship will be held at the Barbican in York and will feature the world's top snooker players.
| WTA Finals | Tennis | November 7–14 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| ATP Finals | Tennis | November 15–22 | Turin, Italy |
| Davis Cup (Final 8) | Tennis | November 24-29 | Italy |
| UK Championship | Snooker | November 29–Dec 7 | York, England |
December
December is a feast of traditional festive sports such as football, rugby, snooker and darts, while the winter sports season will be in full swing.
By this stage, it will also be time to start looking ahead to 2027, which will include men's World Cups in cricket and rugby, and World Athletics Championship. The sporting roadshow never stops.
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Watch: Olympic torch lit in Olympia ahead of Milano Cortina 2026
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Stream the Premier League, Men's and Women's FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Milano Cortina 2026, Australian Open, 2026 Masters and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
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