Of course we knew beforehand that Luke Littler would become darts world champion. But who will become soccer world champion? Who is the European handball champion? Our predictions for 2026.
Football: Morocco becomes world champion
Morocco’s national soccer team is in a good mood – as is currently the case at the Africa Cup of Nations
In contrast to the Bundesliga, there are competitions this year where it will be exciting to see who wins. For example the Champions League and especially the World Cup. My prediction: Morocco will do it, and with it a team from Africa for the first time. Germany wins two penalty shootouts but then fails in the semifinals.
However, everything is outshone by Gianni Infantino. The savior awards himself the FIFA Peace Prize. This then breaks up his friendship with Donald Trump.
(Marcus Bark)
Ice hockey: DEB team at the Olympics without a medal
Germany’s Leon Draisaitl at the 2019 Ice Hockey World Cup against the Czech Republic
It’s quite paradoxical. Nominally, the best German national ice hockey team of all time will be put on the ice in Milan. With world star Leon Draisaitl from Edmonton, top scorer Tim Stützle from Ottawa, with the two-time Stanley Cup winner Nico Sturm, with the powerful JJ Peterka from Utah, with Moritz Seider from Detroit and therefore one of the world’s best defenders, with goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer from Seattle, also a Stanley Cup winner.
The stupid thing is: the other nations also benefit from the NHL’s Olympic break. Eight years ago, the DEB team missed Olympic gold by 55.5 seconds. At that time, however, the NHL ignored the Winter Games in South Korea, and all ice hockey nations had to make do without their best. My prediction is therefore: An Olympic medal for ice hockey Germany is certainly a legitimate dream that one can dream for at least 55.5 seconds, but the wish will not come true in Milan.
(Burkhard Horn)
Basketball: German women win World Cup medal
Germany’s Marie Gülich (lr), Alexis Peterson, Satou Sabally, Luisa Geiselsoder and Leonie Fiebich at the 2024 Olympics
It is the most talented generation since women’s basketball existed: with WNBA star Satou Sabally, with her sister Nyara and with Leonie Fiebich, both already WNBA champions with New York. And with Luisa Geiselsöder, who also made it into the US professional league. There are also other internationally experienced players such as captain Marie Gülich and Frieda Bühner, who is currently having a strong season in Spain.
At the home World Cup in Berlin in September, Germany’s basketball players will get the big stage. Normally, the favorite places at a World Cup are firmly occupied: with the super team from the USA and France as the first challengers. Plus European champions Belgium and the Spanish from by far the strongest league in Europe. At least two of these four top nations will come away empty-handed this time, because: The German women’s national basketball team will climb onto the podium at the World Cup.
(Christian Mixa)
Handball: Both German teams on the European Championship podium
This hasn’t happened for a long time: women have a better chance of winning a medal at the two European Championships in 2026. But I believe that the men will also be playing for the medals in January, even if the route to the semi-finals will be incredibly difficult. Ten years after the last European Championship triumph, I trust this defensively strong team to survive the main round. The women won’t be back until the end of the year, but they have become one of the world’s best since the most recent World Cup.
At club level, the men’s Bundesliga will continue to offer the best of the best, with SC Magdeburg as the beacon. The only way to the championship is through Bennet Wiegert’s team. I trust him and his team to win the triple: German championship, DHB Cup victory and defending the Champions League title.
(Florian Naß)
Tennis: All four major finals are called Alcaraz vs. Sinner
Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner (l.) next to runner-up Carlos Alcaraz
Men’s tennis is threatened with boredom through dominance. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have already shared the Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, if they get through the year healthy, they will play all four major finals against each other. The qualitative gap between “Sincaraz” and the rest of the field is too great.
Last year, Alexander Zverev also had to learn, sometimes bitterly, that the two dominators could not be caught. Yes, there is a small group of young candidates who have the potential, Jack Draper, Ben Shelton or Joao Fonseca. But in 2026 it won’t be enough to stand up to the two.
(Andreas Thies)
Cycling: Pogacar monumental on several occasions
Before Tadej Pogacar set out to conquer the cycling world, it was very difficult to predict the outcome of a race. The following now applies: When the Slovenian all-rounder starts, he wins. Unless it is stopped by a defect or a fall. This will still be the case in 2026, because Pogacar is only 27 years old and his power plant is still programmed for overproduction.
What this means for the coming season: Pogacar triumphs at the spring monuments Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, which are still missing from his list of successes. He is downright obsessed with it. He won’t be beaten at the Tour de France either. This should also apply to the Tour of Lombardy in October, Pogacar would then have won the race for the sixth time in a row. As in the era of the insatiable Eddy Merckx, only crumbs remain for the competition.
(Stephan Klemm)
Athletics: Double European Championship gold for German all-around athletes
The German all-rounder Sandrina Sprengel at the javelin throw in Tokyo
Decathlete Leo Neugebauer has crowned himself king of the track and field athletes with World Championship gold – and the 25-year-old will confirm this title at the European Championships in Birmingham. In Tokyo, Neugebauer benefited from several failures and tasks, this time he will be unbeatable as world champion.
And the women’s all-around gold will also go to Germany. The just 21-year-old heptathlete Sandrina Sprengel has already caused a sensation with fifth place at the World Championships and is now – with less competition and more experience – creating the big surprise at the European Championships.
(Sebastian Hochrainer)
Formula 1: Oscar Piastri becomes world champion
It is the hardest forecast of all, because: The new rules, especially the abolition of DRS (which was standard for overtaking maneuvers for 15 years), leave a lot of room for speculation. And yet I don’t think everything will be turned upside down now.
The most realistic scenarios for me: Oscar Piastri becomes world champion in a McLaren, Kimi Antonelli wins his first Formula 1 race as a teenager, and Oliver Bearman becomes Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Ferrari – this will become clear over the course of the season.
(Marco Schyns)