The biggest sports betting events of 2026

The Super Bowl is the most-viewed event in the US. Over 125 million people watched the championship game in 2025, breaking all kinds of records. With so many different viewing options these days, it is rare to find an event that is so popular across the board. And many of those viewers will also be betting on the game in some way. 

It was estimated that around $1.76 billion would be bet on the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots this year. Some will have read an honest Lucky Rebel sportsbook review to find out the best places to bet. The sports betting business is getting bigger every day – and the Super Bowl is just the start of things in 2026.

Read on to discover what the rest of the year holds for sports fans – and what they will be betting on. There are some huge events on the calendar, and for millions of fans, 2026 promises to be an excellent opportunity to test their prediction skills.

What makes an event good for betting?

Most of the best opportunities for betting will be for the biggest events on the calendar. It makes sense that there will be more viewers for the elite events, therefore providing lots of potential for making predictions. But there are a number of factors that make these events as big for betting as they are for sports in general.

The number of betting markets is important, as this gives punters more options. This, in turn, enables market volume to be high. With more money going through sportsbooks, there is an increased chance of value odds. Live betting is important here too, as this is a real boom area of sports betting. Finally, there needs to be a lot of information available for prospective bettors. More knowledge and insight result in greater confidence to place bets.

Winter Olympics

This is already underway, but runs until February 22^nd, giving bettors ample opportunity to back their favorites. The Olympics offers even greater scope for betting than a single event like the Super Bowl or even the World Series, as it covers a multitude of sports and comes with many more betting markets.

The added attraction of the Winter Olympics – for betting companies and bettors alike – is that the knowledge level for many of the sports will be relatively low for many viewers. This gives sportsbooks the chance to make a lot of money from bettors, but it can also throw up some very good value prices, as even the sportsbooks don’t have the same level of expertise for some Olympic sports as they would have for the NFL or the NBA.

March Madness

If you need any convincing as to how big the NCAA Division I basketball tournament is, then you should remember the amount of coverage former US President Barack Obama received for his bracket predictions when he was in power. The NBA may be king when it comes to basketball, but March Madness takes the honors for betting opportunities.

Making your own bracket is always a lot of fun – and can even include some betting there as well – but the sheer number of games, teams, and athletes involved in March Madness makes it a sports bettor’s dream event. There are 67 games in the tournament to start things off, with plenty of other betting options on top of that. You should remember that there are men’s and women’s tournaments too. College hoops is never as big as it is at this time of year.

FIFA World Cup 

It only comes around every four years, but it is the biggest international soccer tournament in the world and is regarded as the most-watched sports event on the planet. The tournament is being held in the US, Canada, and Mexico in 2026 and has been described by FIFA President Gianni Infantino as consisting of “104 Super Bowls”.

That might be a somewhat exaggerated claim, as not every game will attract the interest of Super Bowl LIX. But there is no doubt that 104 games, played over almost six weeks, provide ample opportunity for bettors to get involved in the action. Each game has hundreds of its own markets, so bettors should be advised to make their picks sparingly.

Tyson Fury Fights

The sport of boxing is in a curious place at the moment. There was a time when everyone knew who the heavyweight champion of the world was and title bouts were eagerly anticipated by the fans, as well as by the sportsbooks, who knew that they would be some of the biggest revenue providers of the year.

Now, it is the celebrity fights between YouTube influencers that get the most attention, but that doesn’t reflect well on the sport. Boxing is always crying out for a champion that can transcend the sport, and Tyson Fury is such a character. The British fighter retired last year but has announced a comeback in April to be shown live on Netflix. This is sure to get sports bettors excited, and there will be the prospect for even bigger bouts later in the year.