What major competitions await PH athletes in 2026?

Filipino athletes are set for a packed international calendar in 2026, with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) eyeing sustained momentum following the country’s success at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

Among the major multi-sport events on the calendar are the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, the Asian Beach Games in China in April, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

The year will also feature the Dakar Youth Olympic Games in late November, followed by the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh in December.

“It will be challenging this time as we will be competing in three Asian multi-sport events, on top of the Milano Winter Games and the Youth Olympic Games,” POC president Abraham Tolentino said in a statement released last December.

“Our athletes and national sports associations are improving every year, and I’m very happy to see that.”

Beyond multi-sport competitions, the Philippines will also host several major international events.

The country opens the year by staging the Philippine Women’s Open, the first-ever WTA 125 tournament to be held locally. Tennis star Alex Eala, meanwhile, will commence her 2026 season this month in Australia and New Zealand.

In basketball, Gilas Pilipinas will continue its campaign in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, with the next window scheduled for late February against New Zealand and Australia. Both games will be played in the Philippines, which will also host the qualifier between Chinese Taipei and China.

The country will again serve as host of the AVC Women’s Nations Cup, this time in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, in June.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team, the Filipinas, will compete in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in March. The men’s national team will also face a crucial match against Tajikistan later that month as it seeks qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News