Ones to observe 2026: Morgan Rogers, Beau Greaves, Moses Itauma, Luke Littler, Keely Hodgkinson, Lottie Woad, Drake Maye, Davina Perrin and extra

Which sports activities stars will shine in 2026?

We have now compiled a listing of the younger skills who might gentle up the subsequent 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

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 high 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 doable ‘TV main’ on provide, 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 now have 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 shall be hoping could be utilized to Grand Slam winners after the US Open this summer season.

Rory McIlroy grew to become simply the sixth male ever to finish the profession Grand Slam after successful The Masters final April, however Scheffler received two of the subsequent 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 yr’s version at Shinnecock Hills coinciding along 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 information alongside the best way, 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’ fast acceleration to considered one of world soccer’s hottest younger skills has lit up Aston Villa’s season and the Premier League as an entire. In 2026, might he do the identical with the nation?

Now thriving below Unai Emery, the 23‑yr‑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 magnificence, 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 function, however Rogers’ kind is turning into not possible to miss.

His seven targets and three assists within the Premier League have helped propel Villa into the title race nearly single‑handedly. He might have an analogous affect on England’s pursuit of glory subsequent summer season.

Tuchel does not shrink back from robust calls – however beginning Rogers within the USA, Canada and Mexico may be 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 high degree.

She completed runner-up within the Improvement Tour rankings after successful 3 times final season, then confirmed her class by beating Luke Littler on her approach 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 Benefit.

There’s little doubt that Greaves is one of the best ladies’s participant on the planet, however it will likely 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 look ahead to his 14th skilled bout when he faces American Jermaine Franklin in Manchester on January 24.

The unbeaten 20‑yr‑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 performed in his now‑trademark ruthless trend.

Franklin has two losses on his document however has gone the space in all 26 of his bouts. But if Itauma provides him to his checklist 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‑yr‑outdated has additionally been mandated to combat Lawrence Okolie in an all-British WBC ultimate eliminator.

Whichever route Itauma chooses, he has the boxing world at his toes – 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 world 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 accomplice, 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’s going to look to turn out to be the primary girl to win gold on the occasion 3 times consecutively.

She can also be eligible to compete on the World Athletics Final Championships in September, a brand new competitors that invitations one of the best athletes to compete for the ‘final honour’.

Oh, and if she stays damage 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 sooner than she’s gone earlier than.

Jacob Bethell

After a 2025 through which his lack of cricket was a scorching matter of dialog, 22-year-old batting star Bethell appears poised to play an integral function for England throughout the codecs this yr.

That features in Check 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 residence.

England will 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 subsequent ODI World Cup in 2027.

Bethell has solely notched one skilled hundred to date – in an ODI towards 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 fully turned on its head by a brand new set of regulation modifications in addition to a brand new group getting into the grid in Cadillac, it could not be a extra thrilling time for an additional younger Brit to be getting into the game.

Lindblad, like Norris earlier than him, has been earmarked as one to observe by these within the know and is believed to have all the pieces it takes to turn out to be a champion. Now the 18-year-old has the right probability to take the subsequent stride in realising his final dream.

Davina Perrin

With many batters within the England ladies group north of 30, there may very well be an opportunity for kids to be blooded this summer season, both earlier than or after the house T20 World Cup.

Teenager Perrin is probably 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 a bit over per week earlier than her nineteenth birthday, made Perrin the primary black British girl to hit an expert 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 destined to progress to the worldwide enviornment.

Drake Maye

Unearthing a long-term reply at quarterback can outline seasons, teaching tenures and whole eras for an NFL franchise. Discovering success at crucial place in sport is hard sufficient, not to mention with regards to changing Tom Brady.

Granted, there isn’t any like-for-like answer to dropping a seven-time Tremendous Bowl champion or the best participant in soccer historical past. However the New England Patriots imagine they’ve discovered the person to steer them again to perennial competition.

Drake Maye, below 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 considered one of soccer’s most dominant younger quarterbacks.

The Patriots drafted Maye with the third general select of North Carolina in 2024. 12 months one would show turbulent below 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 method into unlikely MVP candidacy.

New England ruled the NFL as considered one of soccer’s nice dynasty groups for a big a part of 20 years as Brady and Belichick clinched six Tremendous Bowl rings collectively. Historic success at all times threatened a extra evident 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 reaching that as an newbie earlier than accelerating to extra success within the skilled ranks.

Massive issues had been at all times anticipated of the previous ladies’s world newbie 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 newbie final July.

She adopted it up by ending third on the Evian Championship, the place she threatened successful a serious as an newbie with an enormous final-day comeback, then made a successful begin to her LPGA Tour profession.

Woad grew to become 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 yr Noah Caluori pronounces 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 at first of the 2025-26 season.

Social media feeds had been awash with spotlight reels that includes his 5‑strive cameo on his first begin for Saracens towards Sale in October, and it was sufficient to make Steve Borthwick sit up and take discover as he was known 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 towards New Zealand and Spain – through which he scored a strive – and a 3‑strive burst for Saracens in December have solely underscored his potential.

As rugby ways and philosophies shift additional in the direction of a kick‑oriented, excessive‑ball‑retention recreation, Caluori’s aerial prowess and uncooked velocity might show a singular 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 teen and the San Antonio Spurs centre is starting to place each facet of his multi-faceted recreation 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 features of his recreation in the identical spotlight – there may be arguably no person extra field workplace.

May Wemby lead the Spurs to a title in yr three, surpassing lots of the recreation’s greats within the course of? Do not guess towards it!

Victoria Mboko and Learner Tien

After claiming her first WTA 1000 title in 2025, Canadian teenager Mboko shall 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 ultimate 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 lads’s aspect, Learner Tien, 20, appears able to make additional waves, cementing his standing as one of many recreation’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 ultimate.

American Tien additionally reached the ultimate of the China Open and regardless that he misplaced to Jannik Sinner, he earned phrases of reward from his opponent with Sinner saying: “You are playing incredible tennis. Hopefully we can share moments like this in the future.”