This year has been a thrilling one for sports, but as we reflect on 2025, it’s hard not to be excited about what’s in store for 2026.
It could very well be the greatest year in sports in recent memory.
The stage isn’t just set for some electric games, tournaments and leagues in the United States, but more importantly, the world stage will be set in multiple events.
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After all, it’s not always the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics happen at the same time.
Let’s take a look at what’s in store in the world of sports in 2026:
College Football Playoff (Jan. 1-19)
First on the docket is the CFP, which continued with Ohio State and Miami playing each other on New Year’s Eve, while three more games will be played on New Year’s Day to see who moves on toward the national championship.
It’s No. 4 Texas Tech hosting No. 5 Oregon at noon, followed by No. 1 Indiana against No. 9 Alabama, who beat No. 8 Oklahoma to move on. Finally, No. 3 Georgia will play against No. 6 Ole Miss.
These games will determine who will play in the CFP semifinals, the first of which is played on Jan. 8 and the other on Jan. 9.
Then, the national championship game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NFL Playoffs (Jan. 10-Jan. 25)
There are still two playoff spots to be determined — the AFC North and NFC South will have its winners this weekend — but most of the teams are set to see who will be vying for this year’s Vince Lombardi Trophy.
This year’s NFL Playoffs are expected to be wild, as there hasn’t been clear-cut favorites like past seasons. For one, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be playing in the AFC Wild Card Round, let alone the AFC Championship Game for the fourth straight season. A roller coaster year ended with Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL in a game that knocked them out of the playoffs.
But the Detroit Lions are eliminated from playoff contention, as are the Washington Commanders, who made a trip to the NFC Championship Game last season.
But there are thrilling matchups ahead with the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will determine who gets the first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the NFC during their Week 18 finale.
When those division titles are secured, the NFL Playoffs will begin with the Wild Card Round on Jan. 10-12. Then, Jan. 17–18 will be the Divisional Round, followed by the Conference Championship Games on Jan. 25.
It’s truly anyone’s year in the NFL, making this must-watch football leading up to our next event.
Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8)
The Super Bowl has landed back in the Bay Area, with Levi’s Stadium and Santa Clara, California, playing host to the league’s 60th Super Bowl to determine the world champion of the gridiron.
The last time the Super Bowl was in the area was a memorable Super Bowl 50, when Peyton Manning and the Broncos defeated Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Manning retired after securing that second ring of his career, but it was Von Miller in his prime receiving the Super Bowl MVP Award in the end.
Time will tell who will be featured in this bout, but it’s bound to be an electric matchup.
Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny will also be performing this year’s halftime show.
Winter Olympic Games (Feb. 6-22)
While many eyes here in the states will be focused on the Super Bowl that weekend, it will be hard not to be excited for what’s happening over in Italy, as the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina get underway with opening ceremonies on Feb. 6.
From figure skating, to ski jumping, to a highly anticipated ice hockey slate for both men and women, this year’s Winter Games will be highly competitive as always.
For men’s ice hockey, the rivalry between the United States and Canada heightened with the 4 Nations Face-off earlier this year, when Team Canada defeated the USA in Boston in overtime fashion. Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews and other Team USA stars will be gunning for some revenge along with a gold medal.
On the women’s side, they also want some revenge after losing to Canada in the Gold Medal game in Beijing in 2022.
Other Team USA stars to watch are Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine Skiing), Chloe Kim (Snowboarding), figure skating prodigy Ilia Malinin, and speed skater Jordan Stolz, among many others.
Daytona 500 (Feb. 15)
Once again, a classic American event will take place while the Winter Games are still ongoing.
It’s