Australia’s sporting calendar from mid-2026 into 2027 is stacked with world cups, grand finals, and historic Test cricket. From the Rugby League World Cup to a pink-ball anniversary Test and the men’s Rugby World Cup, here is every major event worth marking on your calendar.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Super Netball Grand Final 2026 | 4 July 2026 |
| Wallabies Home Tests 2026 | July to October 2026 |
| AFL Grand Final 2026 and 2027 | 26 September 2026; late September 2027 (expected) |
| NRL Grand Final 2026 and 2027 | 4 October 2026; early October 2027 (expected) |
| Rugby League World Cup 2026 | 15 October to 15 November 2026 |
| Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2026 | 23 to 25 October 2026 |
| Melbourne Cup 2026 | 3 November 2026 |
| England Tour of Australia 2026 | November 2026 |
| Supercars Adelaide Grand Final 2026 | 26 to 29 November 2026 |
| Big Bash League 2026-27 | December 2026 to late January 2027 (expected) |
| Australia v New Zealand Test Series | 26 December 2026 and 4 January 2027 |
| Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2026 | 26 December 2026 |
| Australian Open 2027 (Tennis) | 17 to 31 January 2027 |
| Santos Tour Down Under 2027 | January 2027 (expected) |
| F1 Australian Grand Prix 2027 | 4 to 7 March 2027 |
| 150th Anniversary Test 2027 | 11 to 15 March 2027 |
| LIV Golf Adelaide 2027 | 18 to 21 March 2027 |
| WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027 | 5 to 11 April 2027 |
| Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2027 | April 2027 (expected) |
| State of Origin 2027 | Late May to early July 2027 (expected) |
| Netball World Cup 2027 | 25 August to 5 September 2027 |
| Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 | 1 October to 13 November 2027 |
| Australian Open Golf 2027 | November to December 2027 (expected) |
Super Netball Grand Final 2026
The Suncorp Super Netball season reaches its climax in early July, when the competition’s top two clubs meet to decide the 2026 premiership in front of a packed Melbourne crowd.
Key details:
- Date: 4 July 2026
- Venue: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
- Format: single-match decider between the top two SSN clubs
Wallabies Home Tests 2026
Australia’s rugby union side hosts a heavyweight home schedule across winter, blending the new Nations Championship with Flight Centre Series Tests as preparation builds for the 2027 home World Cup.
Key details:
- Window: July to October 2026
- Home opponents: Ireland, France, Italy, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand
- Key venues: Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Townsville
- Note: there is no Rugby Championship in 2026
AFL Grand Final 2026 and 2027
The biggest day on the Australian football calendar returns to the MCG, where one club lifts the premiership cup before roughly 100,000 fans and a national television audience.
Key details:
- 2026 date: 26 September 2026
- 2027 date: late September 2027 (expected)
- Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
NRL Grand Final 2026 and 2027
Rugby league’s showpiece decider headlines Grand Final Sunday in Sydney, pairing the NRL premiership with the NRLW final in a double-header that regularly draws record viewership.
Key details:
- 2026 date: 4 October 2026
- 2027 date: early October 2027 (expected)
- Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Rugby League World Cup 2026
Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea co-host a condensed ten-team men’s tournament, run alongside the women’s and wheelchair competitions, with the finals staged in Brisbane.
Key details:
- Dates: 15 October to 15 November 2026
- Hosts: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
- Final: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (15 November)
- Format: 10 men’s, 8 women’s, 8 wheelchair teams
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2026
Phillip Island welcomes MotoGP back to its coastal circuit for a weekend of premier-class racing, long regarded as one of the most scenic and popular rounds on the world championship calendar.
Key details:
- Dates: 23 to 25 October 2026
- Venue: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria
- Classes: MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3
Melbourne Cup 2026
The race that stops a nation runs again at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November, headlining the Melbourne Cup Carnival as Australia’s most famous horse race.
Key details:
- Date: 3 November 2026
- Venue: Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
- Race: Group 1 staying handicap over 3,200 metres
England Tour of Australia 2026
England’s white-ball squad visits Australia in November for a limited-overs series before the showpiece summer, giving fans an early look at the rivalry ahead of the anniversary Test.
Key details:
- Window: November 2026
- Format: three One Day Internationals and five T20 Internationals
- Note: precedes the March 2027 one-off Test, not an Ashes series
Supercars Adelaide Grand Final 2026
The Supercars season finale roars through the Adelaide Parklands street circuit, combining high-speed racing with major concerts to close the championship in front of a large crowd.
Key details:
- Dates: 26 to 29 November 2026
- Venue: Adelaide Parklands Circuit, South Australia
- Significance: season-deciding finale
Big Bash League 2026-27
Australia’s premier domestic T20 competition returns for its sixteenth season, with eight city franchises chasing the title and Perth Scorchers defending their crown across the summer holidays.
Key details:
- Window: December 2026 to late January 2027 (expected)
- Teams: 8 franchises
- Note: the full fixture is usually confirmed in September; a reported overseas opener remains unconfirmed
Australia v New Zealand Test Series 2026-27
The Trans-Tasman rivals meet for marquee Tests over the Australian summer, including the traditional Boxing Day fixture at the MCG and the New Year Test at the SCG.
Key details:
- Boxing Day Test: 26 December 2026, MCG
- New Year Test: 4 January 2027, SCG
- Format: men’s Test cricket
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2026
One of the world’s toughest offshore races starts on Boxing Day, sending a fleet south from Sydney Harbour across Bass Strait towards the finish line in Hobart.
Key details:
- Start: 26 December 2026, Sydney Harbour
- Finish: Hobart, Tasmania
- Distance: roughly 628 nautical miles
Australian Open 2027
The year’s first tennis Grand Slam returns to Melbourne Park, drawing the world’s best players for two weeks of action at the height of the Australian summer.
Key details:
- Dates: 17 to 31 January 2027
- Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
- Status: first Grand Slam of the season
Santos Tour Down Under 2027
Australia’s leading professional cycling event opens the UCI WorldTour calendar in and around Adelaide, with multiple stages winding through the South Australian hills and townships.
Key details:
- Window: January 2027 (expected)
- Location: Adelaide and surrounds, South Australia
- Series: UCI WorldTour
F1 Australian Grand Prix 2027
Formula One’s Albert Park round is among the most popular stops on the calendar, bringing the championship’s biggest names to Melbourne’s lakeside circuit early in the season.
Key details:
- Dates: 4 to 7 March 2027
- Venue: Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
- Series: Formula One World Championship
150th Anniversary Test 2027
Australia and England contest a one-off pink-ball Test marking 150 years since cricket’s first Test at the same ground, staged as the venue’s first men’s day-night match.
Key details:
- Dates: 11 to 15 March 2027
- Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Significance: day-night anniversary Test, 150 years after the 1877 original
LIV Golf Adelaide 2027
LIV Golf returns to Adelaide for its fifth edition, moving to Kooyonga Golf Club for a four-day, shotgun-start event known for its festival atmosphere and high-profile field.
Key details:
- Dates: 18 to 21 March 2027
- Venue: Kooyonga Golf Club, Adelaide
- Format: 54-hole team and individual competition
WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027
The global softball championship reaches its decisive stage in Queensland, where the qualifying group winners converge to contest the title in the tournament’s final phase.
Key details:
- Dates: 5 to 11 April 2027
- Venue: Redcliffe, Queensland
- Stage: World Cup Finals
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2027
Surfing’s longest-running professional event returns to Victoria’s famous reef break around Easter, with the World Surf League’s elite chasing the iconic trophy on the Championship Tour.
Key details:
- Window: April 2027 (expected, around Easter)
- Venue: Bells Beach, Victoria
- Series: World Surf League Championship Tour
State of Origin 2027
Australia’s fiercest rugby league rivalry returns as New South Wales and Queensland contest the three-match Origin series across the middle of the year before huge stadium crowds.
Key details:
- Window: late May to early July 2027 (expected)
- Teams: New South Wales v Queensland
- Format: best-of-three series
Netball World Cup 2027
Sydney hosts the sixteen-team Netball World Cup for the third time, with 64 matches over twelve days as the Diamonds aim to defend their title on home courts.
Key details:
- Dates: 25 August to 5 September 2027
- Primary venue: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
- Teams: 16 nations
Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027
The marquee event of the Australian calendar, the expanded Rugby World Cup runs across seven cities for six weeks, with the semifinals and final staged in Sydney.
Key details:
- Dates: 1 October to 13 November 2027
- Host cities: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle, Townsville and more
- Final: Sydney
Australian Open Golf 2027
Australia’s national golf championship returns late in the year, bringing leading local and international professionals together to chase the historic title on a premier course.
Key details:
- Window: November to December 2027 (expected)
- Location: Victoria (expected)
- Status: national open championship
Conclusion: Australia will host both a Rugby World Cup and a Netball World Cup in 2027
From the Rugby League World Cup in late 2026 to the men’s Rugby World Cup a year later, Australia barely pauses for breath across these two seasons.
Cricket fans get the Boxing Day Test, the Big Bash and a historic anniversary fixture, while motorsport, tennis, golf and surfing all stake their claim. Several 2027 dates remain estimates, so check official sources before booking, but the headline events are locked in and ready.
