Sport-Colossal World Cup towers over all in packed 2026 calendar

BERLIN, Dec ‌19 : The biggest soccer World Cup in history, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, is set to outshine all other events on a 2026 sports calendar that is bursting at the seams.

The year kicks off with a winter sports bonanza in February and March with the Milano Cortina Olympics and Paralympics that put the spotlight on hosts Italy with its long winter sports tradition.

The successful return of veteran Lindsey Vonn, who at the age of 41 became the oldest winner of a World Cup race earlier in December, is a timely boost for the February ‌6-22 Games. The Paralympics will be held from March 6-15.

The T20 men's cricket World Cup ‌in India and Sri Lanka will run almost simultaneously with the Winter Games but the focus will shift quickly back to soccer and the World Cup playoffs in March.

They will offer the final six spots for the June 11-July 19 tournament that will have a total of 48 participating nations, an increase from 32, with 104 matches culminating in the New Jersey final.

Among the countries still battling for a slot are four-time world champions Italy, who failed to qualify for the last two editions in 2018 and 2022, as well ‍as Ukraine, Sweden, Bolivia, Wales, Iraq and Jamaica among others.

HUGE DEMAND FOR TICKETS

World governing body FIFA last week received five million requests for World Cup tickets in the first 24 hours of the latest sales phases despite an outcry from fan groups about high prices for the tournament. Fans from more than 200 countries and territories applied via FIFA.com for seats.

In the first quarter of 2026, a decision is also ​expected from the International Olympic Committee regarding the ‌eligibility of transgender athletes in international competitions, with the