2026

Events

January

• January 1
• * Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member state of the eurozone.
• * Cyprus begins its role as President of the Council of the European Union.
• *40 people are killed and 116 injured in a fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
• January 3
• *The United States launches several airstrikes on multiple locations across northern Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.
• * Equatorial Guinea moves its capital from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz.
• January 5 – Delcy Rodríguez is formally sworn in as the acting President of Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
• January 6 – The 2025 Jubilee ends.
• January 7 – The United States seizes two shadow fleet tankers, including one under a Russian flag, in the United States oil blockade during Operation Southern Spear.
• January 8 – Thongloun Sisoulith is re-elected as the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party at the 12th Central Committee's first meeting.
• January 8–9 – Iran retaliates against nationwide protests, with tens of thousands reportedly killed on the 8th and 9th alone, and many thousands more detained amid a severe government crackdown.
• January 9 – 2025–2026 Southern Yemen campaign: The Southern Transitional Council announces its dissolution following territorial losses, including its capital Aden.
• January 11 – The 2026 Beninese parliamentary election is held.
• January 14 – Operation Arctic Endurance is launched by Denmark, with multiple European countries sending troops to Greenland in response to US President Donald Trump's threats of invasion or annexation of the island.
• January 15–16 – 2026 Ugandan general election: Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni wins reelection amidst protests over allegations of election fraud, leading to deaths of dozens of protestors and the abduction of main opposition candidate Bobi Wine.
• January 18 – 46 people are killed and 291 injured after two trains derail in Adamuz, southern Spain.
• January 19–23 – The 56th World Economic Forum is held in Davos, Switzerland.
• January 20 – The Syrian transitional government captures most of the territory held by the Syrian Democratic Forces following an offensive and subsequent ceasefire.
• January 22
• * The United States officially leaves the World Health Organization.
• * France seizes one shadow fleet tanker, under a Russian flag, in the Mediterranean.
• January 23
• *Tô Lâm is re-elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the 14th National Congress.
• *Iliana Iotova becomes the first female President of Bulgaria after the resignation of Rumen Radev.
• January 24 – At least 70 people are killed and 10 others missing after major landslides in West Java, Indonesia.
• January 25 – 2025–26 Myanmar general election: In an election widely considered as neither free nor fair, the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party wins a supermajority of seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw and the Amyotha Hluttaw.
• January 27 – The India–European Union Free Trade Agreement is signed after nearly two decades of negotiations, eliminating tariffs on a broad range of products and services between the two regions.
• January 28 – Sarah Mullally becomes the first female primate of the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.

  February

• February 1 – The 2026 Costa Rican general election is held.

  Predicted and scheduled events

• February 5 – The New START Treaty is scheduled to expire.
• February 6–22 – The Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
• February 7March 8 – The 2026 Men's T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
• February 8
• * The 2026 Japanese general election is scheduled to be held.
• * The 2026 Thai general election is scheduled to be held.
• * The second round of the 2026 Portuguese presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• February 12 – The 2026 Bangladeshi general election and a constitutional referendum are scheduled to be held.
• February 13–15 – The Munich Security Conference is scheduled to be held.
• February 22 – The 2026 Laotian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• March 1 — The 800th anniversary of the founding of the State of the Teutonic Order will be celebrated.
• March 5 – The 2026 Nepalese general election is scheduled to be held.
• March 5–17 – The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to be held in Japan and the United States.
• March 6–15 – The Winter Paralympics are scheduled to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
• March 8
• *The 2026 Colombian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• *The first race in the 2026 Formula One World Championship is scheduled to begin in Melbourne, Australia.
• March 15 – The 2026 Vietnamese legislative election is scheduled to be held.
• March 2022 The 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships are scheduled to be held at Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena Toruń in Toruń, BiT City, Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.
• March 22
• * The 2026 Slovenian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• * The 2026 Republic of the Congo presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• April 12
• *The 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• *The 2026 Peruvian general election is scheduled to be held.
• *The 2026 Beninese presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• May 1216 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is scheduled to be held in Vienna, Austria, following their win at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.
• May 24 – The 2026 Cypriot legislative election is scheduled to be held.
• May 31 – The 2026 Colombian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• June 1 – The 2026 Ethiopian general election is scheduled to be held.
• June 7 – The 2026 Armenian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• June 11July 19 – The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
• June 12July 5 – The 2026 Women's T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in England.
• July 23August 2 – The 2026 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
• August 13 – The 2026 Zambian general election is scheduled to be held.
• August 30 – The 2026 Estonian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• September 413 – The 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany.
• September 527 – The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held in Poland.
• September 13 – The 2026 Swedish general election is scheduled to be held.
• September 19October 4 – The 2026 Asian Games is scheduled to take place around Aichi Prefecture in Japan.
• September 20 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Russian legislative election will be held no later than this date.
• October 3 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Latvian parliamentary election will be held no later than this date.
• October 4
• *The 2026 Brazilian general election is scheduled to be held.
• *The 2026 Bosnian general election is scheduled to be held.
• October 27 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Israeli legislative election will be held no later than this date.
• October 31 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Danish general election will be held no later than this date.
• October 31–November 13 – The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics will be held in Dakar, Senegal.
• November 3 – The 2026 United States elections will be held.
• November 7 – The 2026 New Zealand general election is scheduled to be held.
• December 320 – The 2026 European Women's Handball Championship is scheduled to be held in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey.
• December 5 – The 2026 Gambian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• December 6
• *The 2026 Haitian general election is scheduled to be held.
• *The 2026 Guinea-Bissau general election is scheduled to be held.
• December 22 – The 2026 South Sudanese general election is scheduled to be held, the first since the country's independence in 2011.

  Date unknown

• February – The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch.
• April – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Djiboutian presidential election will be held no later than this date.
• May – The 2026 Lebanese general election is scheduled to be held.
• June – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Algerian parliamentary election will be held no later than this date.
• July – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 São Toméan presidential election will be held no later than this date.
• September
• *The 2026 Moroccan general election is scheduled to be held.
• *The 2026 São Toméan parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• September/October – The 2026 Speedway Grand Prix is scheduled to be held at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland.
• October – The 2026 Cape Verdean presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• November – The 2026 Bulgarian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• The 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• The 2026 Cape Verdean parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• The 2026 ASEAN Summit is scheduled to be held in the Philippines.

  Deaths