Seoul: The sporting calendar for 2026 promises to be a crowded one for South Korea, with four major international competitions all scheduled to take place in the same year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and the Asian Games were traditionally held in the same year from 1994 to 2018. However, this pattern was broken in 2022 when the Asian Games, originally planned for Hangzhou, China, were postponed by a year due to ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trio of events is set to return to the same calendar year, starting with the 25th Winter Olympics in Italy.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Games will run from February 6 to 22 across Italy, where South Korea aims for a top-10 finish in the medal standings. South Korean athletes are expected to excel in short track speed skating, and recent improvements have been seen in snowboard, freestyle skiing, bobsleigh, and skeleton events. In the previous Winter Olympics in Beijing, South Korea secured two gold, five silver, and two bronze medals, finishing 14th overall.
Following the Winter Games, the sixth World Baseball Classic (WBC) is scheduled for March 5-17. South Korea will compete in Pool C against defending champion Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the Czech Republic, with all pool games taking place at Tokyo Dome. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. South Korea has faced early exits in the past three WBCs, despite strong finishes in 2006 and 2009.
The expanded FIFA World Cup, featuring 48 nations instead of 32, will occur from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. South Korea is in Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa, and a European playoff winner. All Group A matches will be hosted in Mexico, with South Korea playing against the European qualifier on June 12, Mexico on June 19, and South Africa on June 25.
Finally, the 20th Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Japan's Aichi Prefecture, with Nagoya as the main host city. Athletes from across Asia will compete for 460 gold medals in 42 sports. South Korea, which has consistently placed third in the last two Asian Games behind China and Japan, will aim to improve its standing. In the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, South Korea won 42 gold medals, marking its lowest total since 1982.