As another year slowly draws to a close, we've asked our ESPN experts to pull out their crystal balls to predict the future. What does 2026 hold in store for these sporting codes?
We take a look at some of the biggest questions. Who will win the feature competition? Who will be the winner of the major individual award? Read on and see whether you agree.
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Aussie Rules
What will change from 2025?
The rules. And plenty of them! Love it or loathe it, the AFL has made sweeping rule changes for season 2026. Gone is the much-maligned substitute, which has been scrapped in favour of a five-person bench. The traditional centre bounce has also been canned, while a new last-disposal rule has been introduced to help speed the game up. But the biggest change has been to the finals structure. The league will introduce a 'wildcard' round in 2026, where teams finishing the home and away season ranked seventh to 10th play off for the final two spots in the traditional top eight.
What will remain constant?
From an AFL perspective, Brisbane being the standout side of the competition. The Lions went back-to-back in 2025, and could very easily have just completed a remarkable three-peat if not for a controversial whistle in the dying minutes of the 2023 decider against Collingwood. Chris Fagan's side has added Oscar Allen, Sam Draper, and highly touted youngster Daniel Annable this offseason and will once again be the team everyone is chasing.
What will define the season?
Where will Zak Butters be playing football in 2027? This was a major talking point this season and it's only going to intensify over the next 12 months with Port Adelaide's superstar midfielder out of contract at season's end and 17 clubs clambering over each other to nab his signature. Butters, 25, is an undoubted top 10 player in the game and has long been rumoured to one day explore a return home to Victoria.
Who will win the premiership?
AFL: It really is tough to look past the Lions, who have been the best team in the competition for three years, know how to perform in September, and have just gotten better this offseason. But could there be another flag contender from Queensland? Don't discount the Suns. Damien Hardwick's side enjoyed a year of serious growth in 2025, ticking off several major milestones. With the additions of superstar midfielder Christian Petracca and talented forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, this side feels ready to seriously contend for a premiership.
AFLW: Can it really be anyone other than North Melbourne? The Roos have built an enviable dynasty, having won the past two premierships, and now 27 league games in a row.
Who will win the major individual award?
AFL - We probably sound a bit like a broken record, but surely 2026 will be the year Nick Daicos finally wins the Brownlow Medal. Surely?! The Collingwood star has finished runner-up in each of the last two counts, despite entering the night as the bookmakers' favourite on both occasions. At 22 years of age (23 by the time the season begins) he's not yet close to his football prime, but he remains arguably the best player in the competition and someone the umpires' eyes are always drawn to when on the field.
AFLW - West Coast's Ella Roberts isn't just a star of the future, she's a star of the now. The 20-year-old polled 17 votes in the 2025 AFLW Best and Fairest to finish fourth, with five best-on-ground performances throughout the season. She's the Eagles' best player and could be in line to scoop the award in 2026.
Who is in the firing line?
As always, there are a bunch of coaches who will enter the new season in the hot seat and Michael Voss is one who cannot afford a slow start. Carlton was thumped by Brisbane in an elimination final in 2024, then endured a horror campaign in 2025, missing the September action by a humiliating seven wins. Voss is contracted to the end of 2026, but we know the Blues aren't the most patient of clubs.
Who will be the biggest riser and slider of the year?
AFL - Both Sydney and St Kilda missed the finals this season -- by a wide margin -- but after having retooled with some blockbuster signings will be in contention for a drastic rise back up the ladder. On the flip side, the Magpies will seriously struggle to replicate last year's top four home and away finish. In fact, don't be surprised if they miss out on finals altogether. Reliable forward Brodie Mihocek has departed the club and there's serious questions over where the goals are coming from. Add in a tougher fixture and a bunch of rapidly improving teams around them, and it's a recipe for a significant dropoff.
AFLW - It's clear Richmond have been underperforming, and they acknowledged it by parting ways with coach Ryan Ferguson after a 'comprehensive external review'. There's still a bunch of talent on the list, and the Tigers secured this year's No. 1 draft pick in a trade with the Suns. Keep an eye on them next year. St Kilda finished 7th in 2025 and had a strong patch in the middle of the year. Their percentage in 2025 tells a tale, just 87.5% and clearly the worst of the top 10 teams in the league. If Jesse Wardlaw can't reproduce some unbelievable heroics in 2026, the Saints may fall.
What will be the headline of the year?
"Zak Butters turns his back on Port Adelaide and signs monster eight-year deal with ... CARLTON!"
Rugby League
What will change from 2025?
For the first time since 2021, there will be a team other than the Penrith Panthers running around with the weight of the reigning premiers tag around their necks. The Brisbane Broncos finally ended the Panthers' dynasty and in the process earned the burden of being the benchmark team that all the others most want to beat. Will they be able to build on their 2025 success or suffer from the post premiership hangover that no one has spoken about in five years.
What will remain constant?
The number of teams in the competition will be 17 for the last time, with the Perth Bears expected to hit the ground running for the start of the 2027 competition. There will be the usual consternation around the Nov. 1 trade talk freeze. The Bears will spend the year finalising their team, players will seek releases, and others will reject offers. It will be an interesting year for player movements, with the PNG Chiefs also looming.
What will define the season?
Can the Bulldogs continue their rise up the premiership ladder? Under the guidance of rugby league guru, Phil Gould, the Bulldogs have built an impressive roster with coach Cameron Ciraldo in charge of the clipboard. After starting the 2025 season on fire, the wheels started wobbling with the midseason acquisition of Tigers half Lachlan Galvin. With several further offseason tweaks to the roster, the Bulldogs will surely see the fruits of their labour in 2026. The fans have been patient, but just making it to the finals in 2026 will be a bitter disappointment.
Who will win the premiership?
Men's: Not many people saw the Broncos winning the 2025 premiership, and tipping the 2026 winner is not going to be any easier. Have we seen the Storm's premiership window close slightly? Are the Bulldogs really a team capable of threatening for the title? Will the Panthers surge again? Will the Broncos go back-to-back? What of the Sharks, Raiders, Roosters and Warriors? Throwing a dart into the air and watching it land on the resurgent Panthers, who proved towards the end of 2025 that they are still a genuine premiership threat.
Women's: The Broncos took out the 2025 NRLW title with returning superstar Tamika Upton key to their success. Any team with Upton in their ranks is always going to be difficult to beat. The Roosters won every game last season, apart from the one that mattered most. They will be fired up to go one better in 2026.
Who will win the major individual award?
Dally M Medal Men: Reece Walsh - The Broncos fullback only seems to get better each year. With a more mature approach and an unmistakable thirst for victory, he should continue to tear defences apart in 2026 and pick up the Dally M Medal as his reward.
Dally M Medal Women: Tamika Upton - Another Broncos fullback who only seems to get better each year. Upton has an effortless style to the way she runs and chimes into the play. There never appears to be a whole lot going on, but she is very elusive and at times just about unstoppable.
Who is in the firing line?
Wayne Bennett has been rightfully listed among the best coaches in the history of rugby league, whether it be at NRL, Origin or International level. But in recent times his club teams have struggled and reputation alone will not keep him afloat forever. Will he fall on his own sword and saunter off into the sunset, or will he dig his heels in, turn the Rabbitohs around and re-take his position at the top of the coaching ranks? The pressure will be on in 2026.
Who will be the biggest riser and slider of the year?
Men
Riser - The Knights can't go any lower than the wooden spoon and they welcome a new coach and Dylan Brown for the 2026 season. During his 2025 season with the Eels, many in Newcastle were questioning the wisdom of the big investment in Brown, but his performances for New Zealand in the Pacific Championships were sublime and have Knights fans quietly hopeful.
Slider - The Raiders who finished minor premiers before crashing out of the finals will have that disappointment to carry into 2026. They will also be without halfback Jamal Fogerty who has gone to the Sea Eagles. The Raiders are confident that they have the halfback role covered, but the adjustment period could prove costly.
Women
Riser - The Bulldogs had a torrid time in their first season of NRLW, generally outclassed in most games and finishing with a -148 points differential, the second worst in the competition. They managed to win three games and finish ahead of three other teams and with a few astute acquisitions can be expected to make a run at the finals in 2026.
Slider - The Eels finished just outside the finals last season and had one of the worst defensive record in the competition. They could struggle against some of the improving lower teams.
What will be the headline of the year?
"Supercoach Wayne Bennett announces his retirement as Rabbitohs struggle"
Rugby
What will change from 2025?
Men: After two and half years leading the Wallabies Joe Schmidt will hang up his coaching hat for good (maybe). Originally signing with the Wallabies for the 2024 season, the highly touted coach extended his contract with Rugby Australia to see out the British and Irish Lions tour, before it was extended once more to cover the Rugby Championship, spring tour and the introduction of the Nations Championship in early 2026. But after the three opening Test matches in 2026, former rugby league player and current Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss will take over the helm and lead the group through to a home Rugby World Cup in 2027. After a disappointing 5-10 record in 2025, there'll be plenty of pressure for Kiss to find results quickly in 2026.
Women: The Wallaroos will see coaching changes of their own, after Jo Yapp announced she would return to England following the women's Rugby World Cup. RA has already announced the elevation of assistant coach Sam Needs to interim coach, with former Australia sevens coach Andy Friend brought into the set-up as technical director. A new long-term coach is set to be unveiled in 2026 with the new WXV Global Series the first major tournament on the calendar.
What will remain constant?
Men: While the Wallabies will climb at least one ranking spot, they'll continue to struggle to close out big matches against the top five nations, eventually finishing the calendar year with fewer wins than losses once again. And sadly, the Bledisloe Cup will remain on the other side of the Tasman.
Women: Despite a new coach and the further development of their young stars, the Wallaroos will continue to struggle against higher ranked nations with a breakthrough win over trans-Tasman rivals the Black Ferns out of their reach once more.
What will define the season?
With minutes on the clock and holding a slim lead over the All Blacks, the Wallabies' Eden Park hoodoo looks set to be over with their 30-year winless drought at the famed venue seemingly coming to an end. But the All Blacks refuse to go away and a silly error from the Wallabies opens the door for New Zealand steal the win in the dying moments.
Who will win the Nations Championship?
Dominating world rugby once more and cementing themselves as favourites for the Rugby World Cup 2027, the Springboks will prove once again they are the best team in the world to be crowned the inaugural Nations Championship winners. Add too a dominant display against the All Blacks in 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry' series, and the Springboks will round out the year top of the world rankings once more.
Who will win WXV Global Series?
A year after they claimed the Rugby World Cup at home in front of the largest crowds in women's rugby history, England will continue to dominate the world stage winning the inaugural WXV Global series title.
Who will win the major individual awards?
Men: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. In his second year in the Wallabies gold Suaalii will continue to build on his impressive debut season and truly convince in the outside centre position claiming the John Eales medal, after massive performances in the three opening Nations Championship clashes and Bledisloe Cup matches.
Women: Caitlyn Halse. A young talent who garnered the world's attention at the Rugby World Cup in 2025, Halse's star will continue to rise, further developing her exceptional skills and becoming the Wallaroos' most threatening attacking weapons.
Who is in the firing line?
The No.10 jersey merry-go-round will continue turning in 2026, with no Wallabies starting fly-half truly making the role their own. Five players pulled on the No. 10 jersey in 2025 with veteran James O'Connor, joining long time playmaker Noah Lolesio and youngsters Tom Lynagh, Tane Edmed, and Carter Gordon in leading the side, with Ben Donaldson also taking on the role from the bench. But expectations will be high for Gordon or Lynagh to establish themselves as the Wallabies fly-half heading to a home World Cup in 2027.
What will be the headline of the year?
"Wallabies come within minutes of ending Eden Park drought"
Football
What will change from 2025?
Men: Australian football is nothing if not unpredictable, but one guarantee is that, against a backdrop of austerity and uncertainty, the A-League's collective bargaining agreement and television rights deal are up at the conclusion of its 2025/26 season. This sets the scene for potentially paradigm-altering realignment: players' union Professional Footballers Australia already signalling a willingness to explore strike action should talks on a new CBA bog down, with the vast majority of its members unsatisfied with the league's direction and in favour of governance reform that would see it placed under the charge of an independent commission.
Women: Hopefully this is one of the final seasons where full time professionalism isn't the standard for these players.
What will remain constant?
Men: Starting in June, the Socceroos take the field in North America at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - which, for all the merited scrutiny over rorting supporters for tickets, flights, and accommodation, as well as the increasingly invasive visa requirements to enter the United States, will capture the world's imagination as it always does.
Women: The doors will be swung open in March when the Women's Asian Cup comes Down Under and the general public perks up as the Matildas chase continental glory on home soil. Domestically Melbourne City will remain one of the benchmarks clubs, juggling league and Asian Women's Champions League commitments, while vying for three different trophies.
What will define the seasons?
Men: The premiership-winning campaign of Auckland and the championship of Melbourne City last season spoke to a competition in which a certain base level of competence, mostly revolving around not beating oneself, puts you on track to succeed. In a league that's getting younger and younger, which brings with it swings in form, this will likely hold once more in 2025-26.
Women: Star strikers are putting their name in lights in this early stage of the season. The golden boot race is currently between Brisbane Roar's Bente Jansen and Melbourne Victory's Kennedy White. But with plenty of season and left Matildas attackers like Michelle Heyman and Holly McNamara in the league, these players are set to be the talk of the campaign.
Who will win the premierships?
A-League Men: After shaking off the cobwebs, Sydney FC has set the pace early in the season and has the tools to claim the premiership. But while continental football will hamper their regular-season form, Melbourne City's form in the Asian Champions League Elite suggests that, in a finals setting, they'll be tough to deny back-to-back titles.
A-League Women: Melbourne City
Who will win the major individual award?
Johnny Warren Medal: Joe Lolley has been the main driver of Sydney FC's early-season rise and if the Englishman can maintain this pace, he's a very good shout for the Johnny Warren.
Julie Dolan Medal: Bente Jansen
Who is in the firing line?
A-League Men: A-League Men clubs have proven increasingly ruthless in recent years, and this weekend's Christmas Derby could ultimately decide Arthur Diles' fate as coach of Melbourne Victory.
A-League Women: Perth Glory have had a shocking start to the A-League Women season. They're failing to score and struggling not to concede.
Who will be the biggest riser and slider of the year?
A-League Men: It hasn't resulted (regrettably) in any Socceroo minutes yet, but if Cammy Devlin can continue to serve as the heart and soul of a Hearts unit that upends the Celtic and Rangers duopoly in Scottish football, then he'll cement himself a place in fitba folklore. Conversely, the ongoing radio silence from A-League administrators the APL, and especially its executive chair Stephen Conroy, will look even worse if labour chaos hits mid-next year.
A-League Women: The biggest riser of the season will be Sydney FC. After missing out on finals for the first time in their history, they'll be looking to shoot right back up the ladder. Central Coast Mariners will be on the slide after their fairytale championship last season. After a lot of turnover in the offseason, including losing their coach, the Mariners won't replicate last season's exploits.
What will be the headlines of the year?
"Mo Touré, Mitch Duke lead Socceroos to World Cup win over U.S."
"Sam Kerr leads Matildas to second Asian Cup triumph"
Cricket
What will change from 2025?
We won't be asking whether Bazball can work in Australia or not and the Big Bash league will announce privatisation which will bring huge sums of money into the game - for good, or bad.
What will remain constant?
Australia's men will again be looking for another opening batter.
What will define the year?
Australia's men: For Australia's men, potentially still what happens at the SCG in early January to finish the Ashes. But if that series is already wrapped up then the Test series in South Africa against the defending world champions during October will be huge at the beginning of a marathon run of Test cricket for the team.
Australia's women: The women's team have now missed out on consecutive world crowns (a T20 and ODI World Cup) so the next T20 edition in England during June could well determine whether the golden era has stalled or if they can get back on track
Who will win the T20 World Cups?
Men: It's difficult to see past India on (mostly) home soil given their depth in white-ball cricket.
Women: A tight call - let's say that South Africa end their wait for a title, as Australia miss out again.
Who will win the major individual awards? (in cricket, these are named in early February for previous year)
Men: Mitchell Starc as he carries the Australia attack on his shoulders.
Women: Beth Mooney to just pip last year's winner Annabel Sutherland for the Belinda Clark medal.
Who is in the firing line?
If he hasn't already retired before January, then Usman Khawaja.
Who will be the biggest riser and slider of the year?
Biggest riser: Callum Vidler, the Queensland quick bowler, to make a surprise Test debut as Australia look to refresh their aging attack. Lucy Hamilton, the exciting left-armer, to make her international debut.
Biggest slider: Travis Head actually finds life as a Test opener difficult. Tahlia McGrath to lose her position as Australia's vice-captain.
What will be the headline of the year?
"Nathan Lyon announces his retirement after again being snubbed by Australia's selectors"