Which sports activities stars will shine in 2026?
Now we have compiled a listing of the younger abilities who might mild up the following 12 months, together with stars of the oche and the cricket subject, in addition to the NFL quarterback everyone is speaking about and England’s potential No 10 on the World Cup…
Luke Littler
Luke Littler has taken darts to a complete new degree since bursting on the scene
By the point Littler turns 19 on January 21, he might – relying on how the rest of the World Darts Championship performs out – be a back-to-back world champion and have prolonged his benefit on the prime of the world rankings.
Even when he hasn’t retained the Sid Waddell Trophy, Littler would be the favorite to win the Premier League for a second time in three years and absolutely anticipated to proceed his dominance of TV tournaments in 2026.
Littler simply must win the Winmau World Masters and the European Championship to have received each attainable ‘TV main’ on supply, whereas he may have alternatives to defend his UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Gamers Championship Finals titles.
If ‘The Nuke’ maintains the requirements we’ve seen from him over the primary two full years of his profession, the teenage sensation goes to take some stopping.
Scottie Scheffler
The age-old saying is you wait ages for a London bus after which two come alongside without delay, which is one thing Scottie Scheffler might be hoping may be utilized to Grand Slam winners after the US Open this summer season.
Rory McIlroy turned simply the sixth male ever to finish the profession Grand Slam after successful The Masters final April, however Scheffler received two of the following three majors – the PGA Championship and The Open – to lock in three legs of his personal Grand Slam bid.
The lacking main is the US Open, a match he has posted top-seven finishes in 4 of the final 5 years, with the ultimate spherical of this 12 months’s version at Shinnecock Hills coinciding together with his thirtieth birthday.
Scheffler has dominated {the golfing} world over the previous few seasons, holding world No 1 for the longest run since Tiger Woods and breaking many data alongside the way in which, however the Grand Slam would cement him – if he isn’t already – as one of many sport’s all-time greats.
Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers’ speedy acceleration to one in every of world soccer’s hottest younger abilities has lit up Aston Villa’s season and the Premier League as a complete. In 2026, might he do the identical with the nation?
Now thriving underneath Unai Emery, the 23‑12 months‑outdated has successfully been handed the keys to Aston Villa’s assault – and Thomas Tuchel, together with England, are feeling the profit.
Trusted closely by each managers, Rogers’ match‑successful mix of class, energy and aptitude has pushed him firmly into competition for a spot in Tuchel’s England squad for this summer season’s World Cup.
Competitors is fierce, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer all vying for a similar position, however Rogers’ kind is changing into unimaginable to miss.
His seven objectives and three assists within the Premier League have helped propel Villa into the title race nearly single‑handedly. He might have the same affect on England’s pursuit of glory subsequent summer season.
Tuchel does not draw back from robust calls – however beginning Rogers within the USA, Canada and Mexico is perhaps his easiest choice of all.
Beau Greaves
Greaves is simply the second girl to earn a PDC Tour Card on benefit and has been backed by a number of of the world’s finest to ‘flourish’ when constantly taking part in on the prime degree.
She completed runner-up within the Growth Tour rankings after successful 3 times final season, then confirmed her class by beating Luke Littler on her solution to a runner-up end on the World Youth Championship.
Greaves narrowly missed out on progressing from the group stage on the Grand Slam of Darts and got here near beating Daryl Gurney on the World Darts Championship, dropping in a final-set decider, having dominated the PDC Ladies’s Collection Order of Advantage.
There’s little doubt that Greaves is the perfect ladies’s participant on the planet, however it is going to be fascinating to see whether or not that success transfers over to the PDC ProTour. It will be no shock if it did.
Moses Itauma
Moses Itauma ends a irritating 5‑month watch for his 14th skilled bout when he faces American Jermaine Franklin in Manchester on January 24.
The unbeaten 20‑12 months‑outdated – who has received six of his final 9 fights inside three minutes and has by no means gone past spherical six – is anticipated to get the job achieved in his now‑trademark ruthless trend.
Franklin has two losses on his document however has gone the gap in all 26 of his bouts. But if Itauma provides him to his listing of victims, it seems solely a matter of time earlier than promoter Frank Warren lets his aspiring world champion off the leash.
Southpaw Itauma’s devastating first‑spherical knockout of compatriot Dillian Whyte in August put the heavyweight division on discover, and his choices past Franklin are stacking up.
The WBA have ordered Itauma to face ‘common’ champion Murat Gassiev, whereas the 20‑12 months‑outdated has additionally been mandated to combat Lawrence Okolie in an all-British WBC remaining eliminator.
Whichever route Itauma chooses, he has the boxing world at his ft – and the expertise to again it up. His unrelenting pursuit of world titles will take some stopping in 2026.
Keely Hodgkinson
After lastly successful a worldwide gold in 2024 on the Olympics, Keely Hodgkinson’s 2025 season was set as much as be particular. She was even going to headline her personal competitors the ‘Keely Klassic’ in February. However accidents delayed the British star repeatedly.
Hodgkinson ultimately debuted in August, intent on claiming one other gold on the World Championships in Tokyo. Nonetheless, she was knocked into second over the ultimate 50m within the 800m after which pipped on the line by her coaching associate, Georgia Hunter-Bell, as he needed to accept bronze.
So, on to 2026. It is about redemption for Hodgkinson.
With the European Championships in Birmingham in August, she is going to look to turn out to be the primary girl to win gold on the occasion 3 times consecutively.
She can be eligible to compete on the World Athletics Final Championships in September, a brand new competitors that invitations the perfect athletes to compete for the ‘final honour’.
Oh, and if she stays harm free, we might see Hodgkinson go after the longest-standing particular person world document in athletics. The 800m benchmark at present stands at 1:53.28 – over a second quicker than she’s gone earlier than.
Jacob Bethell
After a 2025 during which his lack of cricket was a sizzling matter of dialog, 22-year-old batting star Bethell appears to be like poised to play an integral position for England throughout the codecs this 12 months.
That features in Take a look at matches after he scored a composed 40 in a frantic two-dayer on the MCG to assist the group finish a 15-year winless stretch in Ashes matches away from house.
England may even search for Bethell to assist them earn a 3rd T20 World Cup title in India and Sri Lanka in February and March, plus arrest their alarming slide in 50-over cricket that has left them scrambling to qualify straight for the following ODI World Cup in 2027.
Bethell has solely notched one skilled hundred to date – in an ODI in opposition to South Africa final summer season – however do not let that child you, as this child has immense expertise.
Arvid Lindblad
In 2021, Arvid Lindblad vowed to newly-crowned F1 world champion Lando Norris that he would meet him on the grid in 5 years.
Quick-forward to 2026 and the Virginia Water-born racer has lived as much as his promise, with Lindblad having joined Racing Bulls for the upcoming season.
With F1 set to be utterly turned on its head by a brand new set of regulation adjustments in addition to a brand new group coming into the grid in Cadillac, it could not be a extra thrilling time for one more younger Brit to be coming into the game.
Lindblad, like Norris earlier than him, has been earmarked as one to look at by these within the know and is believed to have all the things it takes to turn out to be a champion. Now the 18-year-old has the right likelihood to take the following stride in realising his final dream.
Davina Perrin
Nasser Hussain displays on Davina Perrin’s record-breaking ton for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
With many batters within the England ladies group north of 30, there may very well be an opportunity for children to be blooded this summer season, both earlier than or after the house T20 World Cup.
Teenager Perrin is maybe on the head of the queue after slamming a 42-ball ton throughout Northern Superchargers’ run to the ladies’s Hundred title in 2025.
That knock, which featured 15 fours and fixes sixes and got here slightly over per week earlier than her nineteenth birthday, made Perrin the primary black British girl to hit knowledgeable T20 century.
After graduating from ACE, an initiative launched in response to a decline within the variety of black British skilled gamers, Perrin’s now appears to be like destined to progress to the worldwide area.
Drake Maye
Drake Maye might have lastly stuffed the hole left by Tom Brady for the New England Patriots – try his finest performs to date!
Unearthing a long-term reply at quarterback can outline seasons, teaching tenures and full eras for an NFL franchise. Discovering success at a very powerful place in sport is hard sufficient, not to mention in the case of changing Tom Brady.
Granted, there isn’t any like-for-like resolution to dropping a seven-time Tremendous Bowl champion or the best participant in soccer historical past. However the New England Patriots consider they’ve discovered the person to steer them again to perennial competition.
Drake Maye, underneath the tutelage of first-year Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, simply led the Patriots again to the playoffs and to their first AFC East division title since 2019 behind Brady and Invoice Belichick.
He hasn’t merely teased indicators of a vibrant future, however he has propelled New England forward of schedule of their rebuild as one in every of soccer’s most dominant younger quarterbacks.
The Patriots drafted Maye with the third total select of North Carolina in 2024. 12 months one would show turbulent underneath one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo as Maye tailored to life within the NFL. 12 months two has been an eruption of deep-ball destruction, off-schedule invention and polished dissection whereas taking part in his means into unlikely MVP candidacy.
New England ruled the NFL as one in every of soccer’s nice dynasty groups for a big a part of twenty years as Brady and Belichick clinched six Tremendous Bowl rings collectively. Historic success at all times threatened a extra obvious void and unattainable heights, however behind Maye the resurgence seems to be formally in movement.
Lottie Woad
Contending in majors and successful tournaments is in spectacular at any age, however Lottie Woad was attaining that as an beginner earlier than accelerating to extra success within the skilled ranks.
Large issues have been at all times anticipated of the previous ladies’s world beginner No 1, England’s solely winner of the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner, however Woad made extra headlines by cruising to KPMG Ladies’s Irish Open victory whereas nonetheless an beginner final July.
She adopted it up by ending third on the Evian Championship, the place she threatened successful a serious as an beginner with an enormous final-day comeback, then made a successful begin to her LPGA Tour profession.
Woad turned simply the third participant ever to win their maiden LPGA Tour begin, claiming a three-shot win on the ISPS Handa Ladies’s Scottish Open, with additional success anticipated in 2026 as she chases a primary main success and a Solheim Cup debut for Group Europe.
Noah Caluori
Henry Pollock burst onto the scene in 2025 – might 2026 be the 12 months Noah Caluori proclaims himself on the worldwide stage?
The 19-year-old is already a well-recognized identify to followers of home rugby after taking the Gallagher Prem by storm in the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
Social media feeds have been awash with spotlight reels that includes his 5‑attempt cameo on his first begin for Saracens in opposition to Sale in October, and it was sufficient to make Steve Borthwick sit up and take discover as he was referred to as into England’s coaching squad this autumn.
Caluori might have been made to attend for a primary senior worldwide name‑up, however successive 80‑minute England A appearances in opposition to New Zealand and Spain – during which he scored a attempt – and a 3‑attempt burst for Saracens in December have solely underscored his potential.
As rugby ways and philosophies shift additional in direction of a kick‑oriented, excessive‑ball‑retention sport, Caluori’s aerial prowess and uncooked velocity might show a novel weapon within the armoury of Borthwick’s evolving England.
Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama has been tipped to be one of many all-time basketball greats since he was a youngster and the San Antonio Spurs centre is starting to place each facet of his multi-faceted sport collectively.
He is additionally impacting wins for his group, repeatedly, and the Spurs look to be outstanding contenders for the title for the primary time since he entered the league.
With a wingspan that would match across the entrance of a bus and the flexibility to shoot stepback threes like Stephen Curry – usually showcasing each facets of his sport in the identical spotlight – there’s arguably no one extra field workplace.
Might Wemby lead the Spurs to a title in 12 months three, surpassing lots of the sport’s greats within the course of? Do not wager in opposition to it!
Victoria Mboko and Learner Tien
Highlights of the Nationwide Financial institution Open remaining between Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka.
After claiming her first WTA 1000 title in 2025, Canadian teenager Mboko might be eyeing a maiden Grand Slam trophy in 2026.
She received the Canadian Open as a wild card final summer season, beating 4 Grand Slam champions en route as she noticed off Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff in straight units earlier than three-set triumphs over Elena Rybakina and Naomia Osaka within the semi-finals and remaining respectively.
Mboko ended the season inside the highest 20 within the rankings having clinched a second title in November with victory in Hong Kong.
On the boys’s aspect, Learner Tien, 20, appears to be like able to make additional waves, cementing his standing as one of many sport’s finest up-and-comers by successful the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals pre-Christmas, a month after defeating Britain’s Cam Norrie within the Moselle Open remaining.
American Tien additionally reached the ultimate of the China Open and though he misplaced to Jannik Sinner, he earned phrases of reward from his opponent with Sinner saying: “You’re taking part in unbelievable tennis. Hopefully we will share moments like this sooner or later.”
