Our Predictions for What’s Coming in 2026

2025 is OVER!

Celebrate, cry, remain unfazed, doesn’t matter, 2025 is finally over and as we move into 2026 we are all left wondering what is on the horizon for the coming year. Between the sporting world, politics, major events, even TV and movies, there’s a lot to guess. Well, whether we’re right or wrong here is what we predict will happen in 2026.

I can only assume now that everything I predict is going to be massively wrong but if I get even four things in the list right I’m claiming it as a huge win.

Major Events in Australia

• FIFA – Australia to top our group, but fail to make the grand final. Spain vs England to play the grand final with Spain to win the FIFA World Cup.
• Action Against AI – Australian Government will be forced to take action against growing AI concerns.
• ARIA Awards – Gang of Youths will resurface with a new album and take home best album at the ARIA awards.
• Mardi Gras – Australia will see highest turnout ever.
• Winter Olympics – Australia to finish sixteenth. Norway to win the Winter Olympics, Germany in Second, USA in Third.
• Frosty Winter – Several states & territories will experience the coldest winter on records.
• Social Media Ban Refinement – The social media ban for 16 and younger will see refinement after push back and protests.
• Darwin Football Club – Darwin will raise its hand wanting to join the AFL and NRL, with chances of joining the AFL first.
• Major Push for Climate Action – With drier summers and increasingly dangerous weather conditions, protestors will urge parties to return to the promised net zero by 2025.

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Sport (AFL, NRL & F1)

After everything that came in 2025, the next year of sport is going to be an epic showdown of rivals. Here’s how we will predict things will go.

AFL – The first year of the AFL with 10-finals teams begins in 2026 and after an intense trading period we’ve got what we expect will be a controversial ladder prediction for 2026.

Grand Final Match: Gold Coast Suns vs Sydney Swans

Premiers: Sydney Swans

Predicted Ladder 2026

1. Geelong
2. Sydney Swans
3. Brisbane Lions
4. Gold Coast Suns
5. Adelaide
6. Hawthorn
7. St Kilda
8. GWS Giants
9. Western Bulldogs
10. Fremantle
11. Collingwood
12. Port Adelaide
13. North Melbourne
14. Richmond
15. Melbourne
16. Carlton
17. Essendon
18. West Coast Eagles

NRL – After the Broncos finally dethroned the seemingly unstoppable Panthers, it seems as if anything can happen when it comes to NRL in 2026.

Grand Final Match: Raiders vs Broncos

Premiers: Raiders

1. Sharks
2. Panthers
3. Broncos
4. Storm
5. Raiders
6. Roosters
7. Bulldogs
8. Rabbitohs
9. Eels
10. Dragons
11. Knights
12. West Tigers
13. Titans
14. Dolphins
15. Warriors
16. Sea Eagles
17. Cowboys

F1 – The 2026 F1 cars are almost a total reset, centred on a “nimble car” concept. The cars will be 30% lighter and smaller, featuring active aerodynamics (movable wings) to reduce drag. The Power Unit (PU) is the biggest change, moving to a 50/50 electric-to-combustion power split on 100% sustainable fuel, while the DRS system is replaced by the new Manual Override Mode (MOM), which provides an electrical power boost for overtaking. These sweeping rules have attracted Audi as a works team and created a new Red Bull Ford engine partnership. The grid expands to 11 teams with Cadillac, but the dominance will likely fall to the team mastering the new complex hybrid system. That’s why we predict that it will be George Russell who will be making Mercedes the first champion of this exciting new era. (As predicted by DoccyDarko)

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Movies & TV

A huge year is ahead of in terms of new movies and TV. But will be the biggest hits and largest flops of the year to come. Check out what we suspect will be the big hitters and the underdogs of 2026

2026 Oscars Best Picture Winner – One Battle After Another

2026 Emmy Best Drama – The Pitt (Season 2)

2026 Emmy Best Comedy – Shrinking (Season 3)

Highest Grossing Film of 2026 – Avengers: Doomsday

Best Film of 2026 – Project Hail Mary

Best New Show of 2026 – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Best Returning Show of 2026 – The Pitt

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Video Games

2026 is set to be a huge years for games here are all our biggest predictions for the video game world.

GTAVI will be delayed until 2027 – After being delayed many times already, the sheer scale of this game seems like it’ll be the largest game to ever be released. After being delayed once already in 2026, our team expects that Rockstar will need more time to lock in final tidying of code before going gold, expecting the delay to be pushed back into early 2027.

Pokemon Announces Generation 10 – The Pokemon games have formed themselves a cycle when it comes to new generations. With generation 9 (Scarlet and Violet) releasing back in 2022, time is creeping in for the regularly new announcement of the newest generation of Pokemon. We suspect that Pokemon will announce generation 10 for late 2026 to mid 2027. Whether or not the rumours are true that it’ll set in a Greek Islands inspired region is up in the air, personally, I still really want to see an Australian region.

DoccyDarko’s Game of The Year Prediction – The 2026 gaming calendar is already stacked with potential Game of the Year contenders, promising one of the most competitive years in recent memory. The colossal shadow of Grand Theft Auto VI dominates discussions, although its massive scale means we think it will be shifted into early 2027. So the tight race will follow between Insomniac’s highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, and the whimsical, choice-driven reboot of Fable. Assuming a slight delay shifts the ultimate behemoth of GTA6 out of the running. If they can nail the emotional depth and open-world magic that we remember from previous Fable titles, it will be a strong candidate for the ultimate prize. Fable for the win in 2026.