January 6, 2026
ISLAMABAD – Sports fans and athletes alike can expect an action-packed 2026 calendar featuring major quadrennial sports events, routine international seasons, as well as plenty of domestic action.
The cricket-crazy nation will see both the men’s and women’s ICC T20 World Cups this year, while football freaks across all global timezones have nearly six weeks of FIFA World Cup action.
Pakistan is expected to send a sizable contingent to the Commonwealth Games in June, where the likes of javelin star Arshad Nadeem and weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt set games records while winning Pakistan’s only gold medals at the previous edition.
Although Pakistan’s medal tally at the Asian Games has dropped in recent editions, there is hope for a resurgence at the continental multi-sport event after markswoman Kishmala Talat won a historic bronze in Hangzhou 2022 while the men’s squash team picked up the lone silver medal.
January
The year began with the city by the sea welcoming nearly 7,000 domestic and international athletes at the Karachi Marathon on Sunday, January 4, in a route along the city’s coastline.
Two days later, squash’s biggest global stars will descend on the metropolis for the Rich Venus Karachi Open; six Pakistani players will also feature in the gold-level PSA event, including U23 world champion Noor Zaman.
The first taste of international cricket comes with Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka for a T20 series from Jan 7, although the U19 team is currently playing a tri-nation series against hosts Zimbabwe and Afghanistan that began in December.
The first Grand Slam of the year gets underway on Jan 12 with the Australian Open.
February
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin on Feb 6 in Milano-Cortina, Italy, where Muhammad Karim will be competing for Pakistan in Alpine Skiing.
Cricket’s biggest event of the year gets underway on Feb 7. The highly-awaited ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka, with all of Pakistan’s matches being held in Colombo due to strained relations with India.
From Feb 10-15, Pakistan’s hockey team will play in the second leg of the FIH Pro League in Australia against the hosts and Germany, while Pakistan Shaheens will play the England Lions in T20s and One-Days.
March
World Marathon Majors’ first of seven championships gets underway on March 1 with the Tokyo Marathon. Formula 1 fans can begin watching their season on March 6, with the first stop in Australia and the last in Abu Dhabi in December.
The national Women’s T20 tournament gets underway March 24-April 17, while men’s cricket comes home for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) March 26 onward. The 11th PSL season will be the longest one yet — stretching to 39 playing days. Matches will be held in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and, for the first time, Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
April
The first stop of the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup begins April 5 in Grenada, Spain, while the World Snooker Championship runs from April 18-May 4 in England.
Golf enthusiasts can watch the US Masters Tournament from April 9-12.
The Boston Marathon will be held on April 20, followed by the London Marathon on April 26.
May
Global squash powerhouse Egypt will host the PSA World Championship from May 8-16, while the prestigious British Open will take place from May 26-June 7 in Birmingham. Last year, Noor Zaman clinched the final spot in the main draw of the tournament, and can be expected to compete again this year.
May 8 is also the first stop of the Diamond League in Doha, where Olympic Champion Arshad Nadeem is expected to compete after missing the entire Diamond League season last year due to injury.
Tennis fans will be treated to the Roland-Garros (French Open) in Paris from May 18-June 7, while football fans have a packed second half of the month; Europa League final (May 20), Conference League final (May 27) and the Champions League final (May 30).
The second stop of the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup runs from May 24-31 in Germany.
June
June is FIFA World Cup time! The United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the 48-team tournament from June 11-July 19 across 16 cities.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup runs from June 12-July 5 in England, with a high-intensity Pakistan-India clash on June 14.
Pakistan’s second international hockey outing runs from June 13-21 in Belgium against the hosts and Spain, followed by another FIH Pro League encounter against hosts England and India from June 23-28.
The month wraps up with the start of Wimbledon from June 29.
July
Pakistan’s largest international medal haul this year can be expected at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh from July 23-August 2. Pakistan’s traditional strongholds have been wrestling and boxing, with a recent shift to gold medals in weightlifting and athletics.
It was at the 2022 edition that Arshad Nadeem became the first South Asian to breach the 90m mark in men’s javelin to set a new games record of 90.18m.
August
Pakistan will tour England for a Test series from August 19.
World Marathon Major #4 takes place in Sydney on August 30, and a day later, the US Open gets underway until September 13.
September
Pakistan’s next major international sporting event will be the Asian Games in Japan from September 19. The nation’s last gold medal came at the 2014 edition in Incheon courtesy of the women’s cricket team.
Arshad will be looking for his elusive Asian Games gold after having to pull out of the last edition due to a knee injury. The chances of him breaking the games record are high, given that his 92.97m personal best throw surpasses the record of 89.15m.
Prior to that, however, Arshad will be competing in the inaugural, highly-exclusive World Athletics Ultimate Championship from Sept 11-13 in Budapest, for which he automatically qualified for after winning gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Berlin Marathon will take place on the 27th.
October
October 4 will see the end of the Asian Games and the beginning of the Asian Para Games on the 18th. Pakistan’s star para-athlete Haider Ali won Pakistan’s only gold at the last edition in the Men’s Discus Throw F37.
World Marathon Major #6 returns to the US with the Chicago Marathon taking place on Oct 11.
China will host the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships Oct 27 onwards.
The Summer Youth Olympics begin on October 31 in Senegal, marking the first time the event is being hosted by an African nation.
November
Over in South America, the Copa Libertadores football season will run from Nov 3-28, white the tennis season will begin rounding out with the WTA final set for Nov 7-11 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
December
2026 is the year of swimming’s short-course (25m) world championships, which stand as the only major international event for the sport this year. They will take place from Dec 1-6.
F1 fans get their final taste of the season from Dec 4-6 in Abu Dhabi.