2026 here we come!
If it’s anything like the past year it will fly by but we have so much to look forward to on the sporting calendar.
The world’s largest sporting event takes place this summer – the FIFA World Cup is the most watched single-sporting event, even bigger than the Olympics and the Superbowl.
This year it’s in the United States, Canada and Mexico so you can imagine the scale of the event – everything is just bigger in America, isn’t it?!
The thought of the World Cup brings me back to my childhood – as a massive football fan I used to collect the sticker books and wall charts and predict the path of the winner (normally I’d go for Brazil!)
What made it so exciting was that the outcomes always differed to the predictions somewhat because there are always big upsets on the World Cup stage. Just think of what Morocco did at the last tournament.
In 2022 they finished fourth in the world to become the first African and Arab nation to reach a semi final at a World Cup, defeating powerhouses Spain and Portugal on the way to the last four.
We have to wait to March to see if Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be there but England and Scotland have already booked their tickets.
Thinking of big sporting events in the US, the Olympics in LA is further away in 2028 but the preparation for athletes has already started.
Our very own pommel horse king, Rhys McClenagahan, has earmarked 2026 to get back to his best.
Rhys, who will formally receive the freedom of the borough from Ards and North Down Council at a ceremony on January 23, had an injury plagued 2025.
He missed the European and World Championships and is itching to get back to competitive action.
He believes he can become the greatest in his sport – he has won two world championships and the record is four, I’ve no doubt he can do it with his talent, determination and work ethic.
Of course, we have Kate O’Connor to keep an eye on as well, what a yer 2025 was for her! And it was great to see her graduate with her Masters from Ulster University a few weeks ago, that is what you call brains and brawn!
January sees the return of the McKenna Cup in gaelic football, February the start of the Six Nations rugby and March the World Cup football play offs. In April, BBC Sports Personality Rory McIlroy will return to defend his Masters title and Tom McKibbin will compete there for the first time competitively as he qualified in late 2025.
That’s enough to keep us going for now – but I’ve no doubt it will be a special year of sport.
