Story byFootball predictions for 2026: Man Utd being actually good, Trump smelting the World Cup and Salt Bae’s returnNick MillerThu, January 1, 2026 at 5:31 AM UTC·9 min readA new year is upon us, just like that. For those of us still just about easing into the old one, this is all quite alarming and whiplash-inducing, but we’ve checked the calendars and 2026 is apparently here. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s going to be quite a year in football. The World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States will dominate things, but there will be domestic titles, continental ones, a couple of transfer windows, some ill-advised managerial appointments, some awful signings, some people will say some truly stupid things and plenty more stuff to keep us all occupied. So here’s an occasionally serious look at what we might expect from football in the 12 months ahead. We’re actually going to get a real, multi-team title raceYes indeed. This is a Premier League season that is moving at warp speed, so things can and will change at a ferocious pace.