Australian Sports Calendar 2026: Schedule, Fixture, Dates, Venues, All Major Events

The 2026 Australian sporting calendar is packed with major events, featuring global spectacles like the FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and AFC Women's Asian Cup, alongside strong showings from Australian teams in cricket, AFL, NRL, tennis, rugby, and more.Here's a comprehensive summary of key dates and highlights, organized by sport or event (dates are in 2026 unless noted; venues are Australian where applicable). Note that some specifics (e.g., exact venues or opponents) may be subject to final confirmation, and times are local unless stated.

Complete 2026 Australian Sports Schedule: Dates for AFL, NRL, Cricket, Soccer,

Cricket

~~(Men’s)Ashes Fifth Test: England vs Australia – Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), 4-8 January.~~

~~T20 World Cup (co-hosted by India & Sri Lanka): Opening match 7 February; Final 9 March.~~

Home Tests vs Bangladesh: 2 Tests (winter, likely August/September in Top End venues like Darwin/Mackay).

Away Tests vs South Africa: 3 Tests, September-October.

Home Tests vs New Zealand: 4 Tests, November-January (summer series).

Tennis

~~Australian Open (Melbourne Park): Opening round/main draw starts around 18 January (qualifying/Opening Week from ~12 January);~~

~~Women’s Singles Final 31 January; Men’s Singles Final 1 February.~~

Other majors:French Open: 24 May – 7 June.

Wimbledon: 29 June – 12 July.

US Open: 30 August – 13 September.

Winter OlympicsMilano Cortina 2026 (Italy):

Opening Ceremony 6 February; Closing Ceremony 22 February. Australian athletes compete in winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, and more.

Football (Soccer)

AFC Women’s Asian Cup (hosted in Australia): 1–21 March.Matildas Group Games: vs Philippines (1 March, Perth); vs IR Iran (5 March, Gold Coast); vs Korea Republic (8 March, Sydney).

Final: 21 March (Sydney).

FIFA World Cup (USA, Canada, Mexico):

June–July (tournament 11 June–19 July).Socceroos Group D fixtures (examples from draw): vs UEFA Playoff winner (13 June, Vancouver); vs USA (19 June, Seattle); vs Paraguay (25 June, San Francisco).

Final: 19 July (New Jersey).

AFL

State of Origin: Western Australia vs Victoria – 14 February (Optus Stadium).

Opening Match: Sydney vs Carlton – 5 March (SCG).

Gather Round: 9–12 April (South Australia).

Grand Final: 26 September (MCG).

NRL

World Club Challenge: Hull KR vs Brisbane Broncos – 19 February (UK).

Opening Round (Las Vegas): 1 March.

Magic Round: 14–17 May (Suncorp Stadium).

State of Origin: Game I (27 May, Accor Stadium); Game II (17 June, MCG); Game III (8 July, Suncorp Stadium).

Grand Final: 4 October (Accor Stadium).

Golf

US Masters: 9–12 April (Augusta).

US PGA: 14–17 May (Aronimink).

US Open: 18–21 June (Shinnecock Hills).

British Open: 16–19 July (Royal Birkdale).

Presidents Cup: 22–27 September (Medinah, Illinois).

Australian Open: 3–6 December (Kingston Heath).

Rugby League World Cup

Hosted in Australia, PNG (and NZ elements).

Kangaroos fixtures: vs New Zealand (15 October, Sydney); vs Fiji (25 October, Brisbane); vs Cook Islands (31 October, Townsville).

Final: 15 November (Brisbane).

Rugby Union

Super Rugby Pacific: Opening matches ~13 February; Super Round 24–26 April (Christchurch); Final June (TBC).

Wallabies Tests (various home/away): Ireland (4 July); France (11 July); Italy (18 July); Japan (8 & 15 August); Argentina (29 Aug & 5 Sep); South Africa (27 Sep); New Zealand (10 & 17 Oct); England (8 Nov, Twickenham); Scotland (15 Nov, Murrayfield); Wales (21 Nov, Cardiff).

Motor Sports

Bathurst 1000: 8–11 October.

Formula 1:

Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne): 8 March.

Monaco Grand Prix: 7 June.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (final race): 6 December.

Horse Racing (Major Australian Cups)

Golden Slipper: 21 March (Rosehill).

The Everest: 17 October (Royal Randwick).

WS Cox Plate: 24 October (Flemington).

Melbourne Cup: 3 November (Flemington).

Commonwealth GamesGlasgow 2026 (Scotland):

Opening Ceremony 23 July; Closing Ceremony 2 August. Australian athletes compete in a range of sports.

This year stands out for Australia's hosting duties (AFC Women's Asian Cup) and strong international representation (World Cup, Olympics, Commonwealth Games). Bookmark reliable sources like official federation sites (Cricket Australia, Football Australia, etc.) for updates, live scores, and tickets. What a massive year for sport Down Under!

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