Key happenings to expect in 2026: Elections, sports, and anniversaries
Selected events scheduled during 2026 include major elections in the US, Brazil, Hungary, Colombia and South Sudan, and the expiry of the New START nuclear arms treaty.
The year also features major sporting events such as the Winter Olympics in Italy, the FIFA World Cup in North America and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, alongside key anniversaries including 250 years since US independence, 50 years of Apple, 25 years since the 9/11 attacks and a decade since the Brexit referendum.
Other notable moments include a rare total solar eclipse over mainland Europe, the COP31 climate conference in Türkiye, completion of the Sagrada Família’s main tower and NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby mission.
JANUARY
1. Bulgaria joins the eurozone as 21st member after it adopts the euro.
2. Sarah Mullally becomes first female Archbishop of Canterbury, taking on the role of spiritual leader for around 85 million Anglicans worldwide.
3. The United Nations designates 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.
FEBRUARY
4. New START, the last treaty limiting US and Russian long-range nuclear weapons, expires.
5. The Winter Olympics begin in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
6. China marks the Year of the Horse. People born under this sign are said to be passionate, energetic and charming.
MARCH
7. Paris elects a new mayor after the two-term tenure of Anne Hidalgo.
8. Nepal holds the first general elections since deadly anti-corruption protests in September.
9. The 98th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles.
APRIL
10. US President Trump travels to Beijing for a state visit, invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
11. Viktor Orbán seeks to extend his 15-year tenure as Hungary votes in parliamentary elections.
12. The 50th anniversary of the founding of Apple Computer by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in a Cupertino garage.
MAY
13. May Day, known as Labour Day, is observed across the globe.
14. Colombians go to the polls to elect President Gustavo Petro’s successor.
15. The 70th Eurovision Song Contest final is held in Vienna.
JUNE
16. The FIFA World Cup kicks off, jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
17. Britain marks the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum.
18. The main tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família is completed, 144 years after construction began.
JULY
19. US marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence.
20. Heads of state from all BRICS member countries gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
21. NATO holds its annual summit in Ankara, Türkiye, bringing together member leaders.
AUGUST
22. The first total solar eclipse over mainland Europe in 27 years sweeps across Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
23. The 80th edition of The Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, fills the streets of Edinburgh.
24. Birmingham hosts the European Athletics Championships – the first time the UK has held the event.
SEPTEMBER
25. The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup takes place in Berlin.
26. Americans observe the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the nation’s worst terrorist attack.
27. The Bayeux Tapestry returns to the UK for the first time in over 900 years, as France loans the 11th-century masterpiece.
OCTOBER
28. India begins the first phase of its first fully digital national census.
29. Winnie-the-Pooh, the first book in AA Milne’s much-loved series, celebrates its 100th anniversary.
30. Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeks a fourth term in a general election.
NOVEMBER
31. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives and one-third of Senate seats are contested in midterm elections.
32. The UN COP31 climate conference takes place in Türkiye.
33. Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object, reaches one light-day from Earth – 25.9bn km – 49 years after its 1977 launch.
DECEMBER
34. Donald Trump hosts the G20 leaders summit at his Doral golf club near Miami.
35. South Sudan is due to hold the first general election since the country’s independence in 2011.
36. Dune: Part Three – the latest instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original series – is released.
NASA’s long-delayed Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon no earlier than February.
Graphic News