2026 Sports: New Rules & Formats Explained

Olympic Games in winter, Football World Cup in summer: sports fans can look forward to two special highlights in 2026, which will also bring innovations. But there are changes not only at the Olympics and the World Cup. A selection.

More teams than ever before at the World Cup: This summer, for the first time, 48 national teams will be taking part in the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico instead of the usual 32 since 1998. There will be significantly more games at the big World Cup from June 11th to July 19th: football fans can look forward to 104 games. At the last edition in Qatar there were 64 matches.

Longer international match phase in autumn: Instead of three nine-day international match windows, from the 2026/2027 season onwards there will only be two shutdown periods in the second half of the year. The two windows in September and October merge into a longer phase from September 21st to October 6th. During this 16-day phase, four international matches per national team are planned. The remaining international match phases remain as usual.

Champions League final with earlier kick-off time: The final of the premier class will kick off from the final in Budapest on May 30th at 6 p.m. instead of the last time at 9 p.m. According to its own statements, the European umbrella organization UEFA wants to provide a better fan experience for both spectators in the stadium and in front of the TV sets.

Additional time is displayed: From 2026 onwards, injury time will continue to run on the screens or scoreboards in the stadiums of the two Bundesliga football leagues. Previously, the display stopped at 45:00 or 90:00 minutes. According to its own statements, the general meeting of the German Football League decided on the innovation in the interests of the spectators as well as the clubs, players and media representatives.

In the future, playing time in German football stadiums will not end after 90:00 minutes.dpa

New free TV partner for the DFB Cup: From next season, DFB Cup games can be seen on free TV not only on ARD and ZDF, but also on RTL. The three broadcasters will broadcast 15 games per season up to and including the 2029/2030 season. Sky continues to broadcast all 63 matches per season on pay TV.

Changes at the Olympics: Ski mountaineering will be included for the first time at the Winter Games in Italy in February. In addition, new events such as the women’s doubles in tobogganing and the mixed team in skeleton were added. However, the classic team competitions for men in ski jumping and Nordic combined were canceled.

Instead, there is a super team event in ski jumping and a team sprint in Nordic combined with only two athletes per nation. The men’s ice hockey tournament is likely to receive significantly more attention than recently, as the stars from the North American professional league NHL are taking part for the first time since 2014.

Audi’s Formula 1 entry: There is a new German factory team in Formula 1. After taking over the Swiss private racing team Sauber, Audi wants to try its luck in the premier class of motorsport. Until then, everything didn’t always go perfectly; in difficult times for German car manufacturers, the project provided a lot of material for discussion.

The German veteran Nico Hülkenberg and the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto will drive the car in its titanium, carbon black and Audi red look in its second season. Audi wants to be competitive from 2028, and from 2030 the brand wants to fight for the title with the rings.

Reformed rules in Formula 1: It is the biggest reform since 2014, when Formula 1 celebrated the return of the turbo. This time too, the focus is on the drive. Half of the over 1000 hp are generated by the hybrid components and the vehicle runs on 100 percent sustainable fuel. But that’s not all: the cars are also becoming smaller and lighter, which should help with overtaking and speed up the racing action.

New event in athletics: From September 11th to 13th, the so-called World Athletics Ultimate Championships will be held in Budapest for the first time. The best athletes compete against each other in 28 athletics disciplines. The financially lucrative event is scheduled to take place every two years and therefore in every non-World Cup year. The winners in the individual events receive a bonus of 150,000 US dollars (around 128,000 euros).

From this year onwards, there will be joint Ironmans for women and men in Hawaii again.Picture Alliance

New NBA All-Star format: The North American professional basketball league NBA is making its next attempt to make its all-star format more attractive. On February 15th, a world selection and two US teams will meet in a mini-tournament in Los Angeles. This should entertain the fans better than was the case in previous years.

Controversial doping games with premiere: The so-called Enhanced Games will have their premiere on May 24th in the US city of Las Vegas. Doping is expressly permitted in athletics, swimming and weightlifting, each with selected disciplines. The organizers entice visitors with high bonuses. There is prize money of 500,000 US dollars (around 426,000 euros) per competition; the winners alone receive 250,000 US dollars (around 213,000 euros).

Change to the blood rule in equestrian sports: There is a controversial relaxation of rules in equestrian sports. In 2026, according to a decision by the world show jumping federation FEI, horses that bleed slightly will be able to stay in competition if they have passed a veterinary examination. The FEI argues that the blood could also have harmless causes. The German Equestrian Association, like animal rights activists, spoke out and continues to speak out against easing the restrictions.

New final format in the top German league: In the table tennis Bundesliga, the German champion will be determined for the first time in a central Final Four format. The four best-placed teams in the main round will take part in the final tournament on May 30th and 31st in Frankfurt am Main. Last season only the final took place in the Main metropolis and therefore at a neutral location. With the innovation, the league wants to combine sporting competition, media visibility and the fan experience.