The World Cup, a new FIFA video game and the GOATs' last dance: 26 things to look forward to in 2026

A new year brings new possibilities, and the beautiful game arrives in 2026 with massive promise.

Not only are we now officially in a FIFA World Cup year, but there are so many milestones, achievements and watershed moments that lie ahead that should make the upcoming year a memorable one for football fans in every corner of the globe.

The calendar has already switched over, so here are DAZN News' selections — some set in stone and some predictions — for the next 365 days. 

26 things to look forward to in 2026

1. World Cup

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Let's start with the biggest — literally.

The 2026 World Cup will be by far the biggest edition of the quadrennial tournament, with 48 teams and 104 games played in three North American countries.

An expanded field means more players under the spotlight, which could allow for more unknowns to make a name for themselves on the global stage. On the flip side, the bigger platform could shine an even brighter light on stars who have already established themselves, as a number of players could write themselves into the history books with a standout showing in the summertime heat.

Whatever happens, we'll be watching.

2. AFCON

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Before the World Cup, there is the Africa Cup of Nations.

It's the year's first major international tournament and it's already underway in Morocco, although the business end of the competition happens over the next couple of weeks as the knockouts get underway on Saturday and continue through to the final on January 18.

Perhaps we'll see a new champion crowned?

3. January transfer window

Another notable moment happening right now is the winter transfer window, which opened today in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, and will open tomorrow for La Liga and Serie A.

It's not as much of a feeding frenzy as the summer window, but several clubs will look to shore up their squads for the remainder of the season as they take a run at a title, a European spot or even just survival in the top flight.

4. Summer transfer window chaos

While the January transfer window is normally used as a means to put the finishing touches on a squad, the real chaos happens in the summer as major overhauls are carried out by successful sides and strugglers alike.

This year's window will come amid the World Cup, which will surely influence the decisions from more than a few clubs.

A good showing at the World Cup can inflate a player's worth, but oftentimes it can also lead to hasty purchases that clubs later go on to regret.

5. A tight title race in Serie A

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Last year's chase for the Scudetto came down to the wire as Napoli beat Inter by just a single point. However, those two sides pulled away from the rest of the field in 2024-25, with third-place Atalanta seven points off the pace and the next best side (Juventus) another four points adrift.

This year there are four teams within four points of current leaders Inter, and while one or two may inevitably fall off the pace as the grind of the season wears on, it does appear as though the 2025-26 campaign will also be defined by a tight title race.

6. A return to prominence for the Derby della Madonnina

Related to the previous item on our list, the Milan sides are both in the thick of this season's title race with Inter on top and Milan just a single point behind their rivals.

This comes after a season in which Milan fell off, with the Rossoneri finishing eighth in 2024-25.

That dip was just temporary though, as Milan are back in the mix as a legitimate title contender alongside their San Siro neighbours, making the next edition of the Derby della Madonnina on March 8 a massively important one.

There have already been four editions of the derby during the current campaign: one in the league, one in the Supercoppa Italiana and two in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Milan have ruled the roost in head-to-head matches in 2025-26, winning three games and drawing one, so the Nerazzurri will be eager to get one over on their biggest foes when they face off again.

7. A new Premier League champion

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Liverpool have rebounded nicely from the horrific slide that they suffered earlier this season, one that dropped them from first place in the Premier League all the way down to 12th.

They're back up to fourth now, but that losing skid likely did irreparable damage to the Reds' title defence as they find themselves 13 points back of league-leading Arsenal with two other teams (Aston Villa and Manchester City) between them and the summit.

That means we'll almost surely see a new Premier League champion come May, with the Gunners in pole position at the halfway mark of the campaign. Will Arsenal finally hold off all challengers and reach the finish line on top or do Man City once again break their hearts? Or perhaps Villa surpasses both of them?

There's still lots to play for.

8. FIFA Women’s Champions Cup

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2025 brought an expanded FIFA Club World Cup on the men's side, and while the 2026 FIFA Women's Champions Cup isn't an exact equivalent, it will give us a taste of the best that the women's club game has to offer.

Like AFCON, this tournament has already started but the business end of the competition still lies ahead. Four teams are set to play in the semi-finals, third place match and final — all of which will take place in London.

England's own Arsenal (winners of the 2024-25 UEFA Women's Champions League) are in the mix along with AS FAR of Morocco (current CAF champions), Brazilan outfit Corinthians (Copa Libertadores Femenina holders) and NWSL side Gotham FC (CONCACAF W Champions Cup winners). 

9. Haaland to break his own Premier League goals record

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Erling Haaland has already established himself as one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation, and by the time he retires he could be seen as one of the best of all time.

The Manchester City striker continues to find the back of the net at a rate usually only seen in video games, and at 25 he already owns the single-season Premier League goals record.

Haaland shows no signs of slowing down, and after a so-called down year last season (when he "only" scored 22 Premier League goals) the big Norwegian is back to his best, leading the Golden Boot race in England's top flight by a staggering eight-goal margin already.

Man City's star forward has 19 league goals to his name after 18 matches, putting him on pace to surpass the 36 goals he scored in his maiden Premier League campaign back in 2022-23.

Should he stay healthy for the remainder of the season, Haaland will probably raise the bar on his single-season milestone, adding another honour to his already long list of individual records.

10. The world’s best goalscorer gets to shine on the world’s biggest stage

Speaking of Haaland, this is also the year that he'll make his debut on the biggest stage of them all.

He has already won the Champions League and Premier League with Man City, and also played in the Club World Cup, but this summer Haaland is set to terrify defences up and down the East Coast of the USA as Norway will play in Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It's only fitting that his maiden World Cup comes in arguably the Group of Death as Norway will take on France, Senegal and an intercontinental qualifier, forcing the 25-year-old to jump directly into the fire.

11. Four new WC debutants

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Staying with new faces in the World Cup, this summer will see four nations make their debuts in the quadrennial showcase as Uzbekistan, Curacao, Jordan and Cape Verde are all preparing to make their tournament bow.

One of the endearing things about the World Cup is watching as new countries are welcomed to the party, bringing with them a new cultural vibe and adding to the global feel of the sport's biggest event.

12. New teenage superstars at the World Cup

We're going to stick with this theme a little longer as some of the tournament's youngest debutants will also be among the biggest stars.

The likes of Lamine Yamal, Estevao, and other teenagers will step onto fields across North America in June and July, with some carrying massive expections despite their young age.

Pelé, Michael Owen and Kylian Mbappé are among the teens who have made the World Cup their shining stage, and now the opportunity is there for another young star or two to step into the spotlight. 

13. Finalissima

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Before Yamal dons the Spanish jersey at the World Cup, the 18-year-old will lead his country against one of the greatest of all time as Spain will take on Argentina in the 2026 Finalissima.

Set for March 27 in the same Qatari stadium where Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022, the Finalissima features the Euro 2024 winners against the 2024 Copa America champions.

14. A new player enters the football video game space

The virtual footballing world is nearly as big as the real one, and in 2026 there will be a new entrant in the space as Netflix and FIFA are teaming up for a game that will drop in time for the World Cup.

With FIFA and EA Sports parting ways a couple of years ago, we're eager to see what Netflix and developer Delphi Interactive can cook up with the FIFA branding.

15. A new champion in Scotland?

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The Old Firm has held an iron grip on Scottish football, with the last team not named Celtic or Rangers to rule the top division coming way back in in the mid-1980s when Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen won back-to-back titles.

This season could finally see another champion in the SPFL as both Glasgow teams trail Hearts in the standings, with the Jam Tarts currently holding a three-point lead over Celtic while Rangers are six points back.

16. Harry Kane a champion again?

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Kane made his professional debut way back in 2011 but had to wait until 2025 to win his first trophy for either club or country.

The England striker joined Bayern Munich in 2023 and was part of the first Bayern side in 12 years to not win any silverware, seemingly transferring his curse from Tottenham to the German giants. However, Kane would finally get his trophy in his second season in Munich as Bayern returned to the summit of the Bundesliga, and the team currently leads the German top flight by nine points and is favoured to win the DFB-Pokal as well.

With Bayern well on the way towards more domestic honours and still very much in the mix for the Champions League, it's highly unlikely that Kane doesn't walk away from the 2025-26 campaign with at least one more piece of hardware.

17. Coventry to return to the Premier League?

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Like the Kane item, this is more of a prediction than a set-in-stone event that you can look forward to.

But make no mistake, Coventry's return to the Premier League after a quarter century in the lower leagues is close to reality as the Sky Blues have a healthy eight-point advantage at the top of the EFL Championship and are 10 points clear in the race for automatic promotion.

Yes, the Championship is a grind at the best of times, but Frank Lampard has his team in prime position to join the 4K era after leaving the Premier League when it was still being broadcasted in SD.

18. Lens to return to the Champions League?

Lens currently sit atop Ligue 1 with PSG in hot pursuit.

And while it should be expected that the Parisians will relentlessly chase another league title, Lens are in a great position to qualify for the Champions League after a couple of seasons away.

With a 10-point cushion on the first non-Champions League position on the Ligue 1 table, Lens can start making plans for Europe — without getting overconfident, of course.

19. Marcus Rashford's first league title?

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The two-horse race in La Liga is on once again, with Barcelona currently enjoying a four-point lead over Real Madrid.

Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the biggest rivalry in football, and Real will surely make every effort to rein in the Catalans — to say nothing of Atletico Madrid, who always have something to say about the title race — but in the spirit of predictions we back Rashford to help Barcelona win their latest Liga crown.

Should it happen, it would be the first league title of his career.

20. A newly-promoted side staying in the Premier League?

Sunderland AFC

We're halfway through the Premier League season and Sunderland are seventh in the standings.

A great start to the campaign boosted the Black Cats to dizzying heights after their return from the Championship, but they've fallen back to Earth a bit in recent weeks. However, they have banked enough points and continue to churn out enough results that they've stayed in the top 10 through the end of the calendar year, making safety from the drop a very realistic expectation.

Additionally, Leeds' recent form suggests that more than one of the Premier League's newest teams could stick around for the 2026-27 season.

21. Mohamed Salah to Saudi Arabia?

Despite a rumour that has persisted in recent seasons, Salah is still a Liverpool player at this time.

That being said, everyone can see that his influence at Anfield has lessened considerably this season, and a recent fall-out with manager Arne Slot didn't help matters. Salah and Slot have put their differences behind them and the Egyptian has shown that he is still a big part of the club, but with Saudi teams reportedly keen to bring him to the Middle East sooner than later, one has to wonder how much longer both the player and Liverpool can ignore the beckoning of a big-money move.

22. Dominic Calvert-Lewin to earn an England recall?

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No attacker in the Premier League is in better form at the moment than Leeds' Calvert-Lewin, who has secored seven goals in his last six league matches.

His hot streak has helped Leeds turn a corner and pull themselves out of the relegation zone, and Calvert-Lewin's name is now being mentioned as a possible Three Lions inclusion ahead of the World Cup.

The 28-year-old hasn't worn the England shirt since 2021, and he has a lot of big names ahead of him in the pecking order. But if he keeps producing, he could force Thomas Tuchel's hand.

23. Arsenal to win their first league title since 2003-04?

It's been a long time since the Invincibles.

The Gunners have gone over two decades without a Premier League title, and in that time Arsenal fans have watched as rival clubs have risen and fallen around them. Even Spurs won a European trophy last year.

After three straight runners-up medals — do they actually get medals for coming in second? — Arsenal once again find themselves on top of the league standings as a New Year begins. They've been here before of course, only to watch as Manchester City or Liverpool make a late-season run to snatch the Premier League crown away.

Surely, they can't finish second every year. Can they?

24. A darkhorse country to make a deep run at the World Cup

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There's always that one country that subverts expectations and captures the imagination at the World Cup.

Costa Rica did it in 2014 by winning a group that also featured Uruguay, Italy and England. Morocco did it in 2022 by advancing all the way to the semi-finals and taking out Spain and Portugal along the way.

At No. 11 in the world, the Moroccans can no longer be considered darkhorses in the same sense that they were four years ago, but there are a number of intriguing candidates to take on the mantle.

The three co-hosts, for instance, have all shown the ability to defeat bigger, more fancied names and all feature talent known worldwide and are rightfully ranked between 14th and 27th in the most recent world rankings.

Then there's 29th-ranked Norway, who boast the aforementioned Erling Haaland in their ranks, along with Martin Odegaard, Oscar Bobb, Alexander Sørloth, and other players scattered throughout Europe's big five leagues.

Could the USA, Mexico, Canada or Norway shock the world with a deep run? Or could there be another side that raises eyebrows in North Americ this summer?

25. More long throw-ins

This is less a prediction and more a recognition of trends, as the long throw has made a triumphant return to the top levels of the sport.

Channeling Rory Delap from the turn of the century, long-throw specialists have popped up at clubs and countries in recent years as analytics have shown their effectiveness at creating chaos — and chances! — in the final third.

The first half of the Premier League season has seen the prevalence of the long throw-in double from 1.5–1.7 times per match to 3.0–3.9 times per match, as specialist throw-in coaches have become more influential in developing and optimizing techniques and strategies for the set piece.

It's not just happening in the Prem either, as other leagues have seen a similar uptick in long throws. And you can be sure that the 2026 World Cup will feature a heavy influence of throw-ins into the box.

We're here for the chaos.

26. One last hurrah for the GOATs

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We've saved the best for last here.

Between them, they've won 13 Ballons d'Or, nine Champions League titles, seven major continental titles, 20 domestic league titles, and scored nearly 2000 goals.

For more than 15 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have ruled the roost as the two greatest players of their generation — and indeed, two of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.

No matter which side of the divide you fall on, the existence of these two superstars at the same time meant that their unbelievable feats would be measured against one another, and the players themselves seemed to thrive as they look to one-up each other.

As good as they are though, Father Time still wins out eventually, and this is the last time we'll see both at a World Cup together. 

This will be the last shot for either to lead their side to the sport's Holy Grail. Messi's already done it and will look to add another piece of hardware to his absurd trophy case, while Ronaldo has a great shot at pulling level with his arch-rival with a loaded Portugal side.

Perhaps they even face each other one more time on football's biggest stage? We can onnly hope.