Welcome to a particular year-end version of MoneyCall, The Athletic’s sports-business cheat sheet. Want to obtain MoneyCall straight to your electronic mail inbox? Just use this handy link for a simple sign-up or go alongside to a pal or colleague who may take pleasure in it.)
Happy New Year! We beforehand mentioned the largest sports business storylines of 2025, so now it’s time to look forward to 2026 within the trade, which shall be dominated by big-ticket occasions: Olympics! World Cup! UFC on the White House!
In the spirit of the second, I linked with a spread of my colleagues at The Athletic for their sports business predictions:
World Cup
Despite the furor over FIFA’s pricing, the overwhelming majority of World Cup tickets will promote. Yes, many diehard followers shall be priced out, others will determine in opposition to touring to the U.S. in its presently unwelcoming state and in-stadium atmospheres will undergo. But amongst informal American sports followers, there’s huge demand. They’ll fill stadiums, and I predict FIFA will surpass the $3B in income from ticketing and hospitality that it has budgeted. — Henry Bushnell
Olympics
The Winter Olympics will bounce again in a giant means. The 2022 Beijing Olympics have been an ideal storm for horrible viewership for NBC. A foul time zone, no followers watching the occasions, the standard competitors with the NFL and different components all led to record-low viewership for the U.S. broadcaster.
That ought to change in Milan-Cortina. NHL gamers are within the hockey match, Lindsey Vonn is again with a practical shot at gold at age 41 and a number of other different American stars are poised for a breakout second. And proper initially of the February occasion, NBC can cross-promote by way of the Super Bowl. It received’t be Paris-level good, however count on a giant Winter Games rebound. — Zack Pierce
WNBA
The season will begin on time. I do know, I do know: In concept, this isn’t the boldest prediction, however contemplating how contentious the CBA talks between the league and its gamers’ union are proper now, the WNBA starting video games in mid-May is much from sure. While I’m predicting an on-time opening, that doesn’t imply the offseason received’t really feel considerably rushed. Here’s a second prediction: A brand new deal doesn’t get signed till March, forcing the growth draft, historic free company and faculty draft to all happen inside just a few weeks of one another. — Ben Pickman
NWSL
It has loved exponential progress lately: a $240 million media-rights deal, $100 million-plus growth charges and not less than three extra groups getting into the league by 2028. However, I feel 2026 is the 12 months the NWSL may simply get in its personal means. The newest is the “High Impact Player” rule meant to attempt to maintain Trinity Rodman, which could truly trigger not less than one massive identify to depart. — Emily Olsen
NFL
Three predictions: Another giant soar in wage cap ($279 million was the determine for 2025, and it might be anyplace from $295-300 million in 2026). Preliminary talks in direction of an 18-game season (the NFLPA nonetheless must elect its full-time government director, however as soon as they’re in place, the homeowners will come calling). And the NFL reaches a brand new CBA with the referee affiliation, increasing the pool of expertise to develop and pull from, in addition to stricter analysis practices and extra incentives. — Mike Jones
MLB
When the clock strikes midnight getting into Dec. 2, 2026, Major League Baseball shall be in a lockout as soon as once more. Free company shall be shut down, and there shall be no Winter Meetings. During the final lockout, a deal was reached in order that no regular-season video games have been in the end missed. Will that be the case once more? Sorry, that’s a 2027 query, and we’re solely providing predictions for 2026, however test again a 12 months from now. — Evan Drellich
Global ladies’s soccer
In 2023, Angel City FC co-founder Julie Uhrman stated the membership would change into “the first women’s team to have a billion-dollar valuation in five years.” After Alexis Ohanian purchased Chelsea ladies this 12 months, he had a daring prediction that they’d change into the primary billion-dollar membership. His funding introduced Chelsea to roughly $200 million. If I’m going to be equally as bullish, I feel 2026 will see the primary $500 million valuation. — Olsen
NBA
The NBA will announce the groups in its European league, and it’ll have a few of the starriest franchise names on the continent. Real Madrid, Barcelona and some different giants. Will it’s sufficient to make the league successful? Who is aware of. But it’s a great begin. — Mike Vorkunov
NHL
The subsequent spherical of NHL growth will start to take form in a extra possible way in 2026, because the league begins to simply accept $2 billion bids for the thirty third and thirty fourth franchise. Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix are anticipated to cleared the path as candidates and would start mess around 2030. — James Mirtle
College sports
Now that Utah has damaged the non-public fairness/capital seal with its impending cope with Otro Capital, the floodgates will open. We’ll place the over/underneath of great offers between exterior traders and colleges or conferences at 10. — Matt Baker
Golf
The PGA Tour blows up its schedule. New CEO Brian Rolapp, in from the NFL, publicizes a large shift within the tour schedule, probably dropping from a bloated, 39-event schedule to a 20-tournament slate that begins after the Super Bowl. Exclusivity is the buzzword. — Brody Miller
Tennis
The lawsuit introduced in opposition to the lads’s and ladies’s tennis excursions — after which the Grand Slams — began as a robust however disparate assortment of allegations. It will probably conclude in particular person settlements with the 4 largest tournaments within the sport. Tennis Australia, which operates the Australian Open, already introduced one in December. The element stays to be disclosed, but when the excursions fail of their motions to dismiss, they must attain an identical aim. — James Hansen
Collectibles
Following the emergence of Kevin O’Leary’s “WonderShyne Index” that has acquired a few of the most useful sports playing cards in existence in 2025, I feel we’ll see extra funding funds created round high-end collectibles in 2026 as wider financial issues proceed and other people look for various shops of worth. Separately, the soccer card market ought to make a giant soar in 2026 with the World Cup being hosted throughout North America, getting the continent’s big card-collector base extra within the sport. — Brooks Peck
Media
The 2026 World Cup would be the most-watched World Cup in U.S. TV historical past … the NFL will announce a world package deal of video games … NBC’s MLB protection shall be a success … Aaron Rodgers may have a task in sports broadcasting subsequent season. — Richard Deitsch (whose full 2026 sports media predictions column is value your time)
My personal 2026 sports business predictions: Is it too meta to foretell that the mishegas round prediction markets will dramatically escalate subsequent 12 months?
Also: I’m not at all a bona fide cool individual, however I began writing some type of end-of-year trend-spottish “What’s out, what’s in” listing practically 25 years in the past (Out with 2001: Burberry, In with 2002: Fubu Platinum), so for those who’re questioning what’s in for 2026, check out The Athletic’s “Out with 2025/In for 2026” list here.
Got any of your individual concepts for 2026 sports-business predictions? Let me know at [email protected].