Why Mexico, Dubai and Italy are the countries to watch in sport in 2026
This time last year, Morning Wire asked me to identify three countries for which 2025 would be an important year in sport.
My three choices were Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the United States.
Judging by recent standards, Saudi Arabia’s year was relatively quiet albeit interspersed with some rowdy moments, notably the Public Investment Fund’s acquisition of console gaming business EA in what became the world’s largest ever leveraged corporate acquisition.
Yet fiscal constraints otherwise remain in the kingdom, which are unlikely to be eased until 2027 hence in 2026 we again shouldn’t expect too much largesse from the country.
Morocco’s staging this year of the Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup was the first of five editions to be hosted in the country (which will end in 2029). Moreover, the Moroccan men’s team won the Arab Cup and AS FAR won the CAF Women’s Champions League.
With the AFCON tournament now underway in the country, Morocco’s relentless rise to sporting prominence shows no signs of abating.
As for the United States, need anything more be said? From Donald Trump induced World Cup hysteria through to private equity investors, via the NBA’s expansion into Europe, the country is never more than a field goal away from the biggest hot takes in sport.
And with world football’s showcase tournament heading Stateside in 2026, I’m inclined again to list the US as one of my countries to watch during the upcoming year.
However, I don’t want to be too predictable.
Mexico and its neighbours
Instead, I will highlight Mexico (one of Fifa’s World Cup co-hosts) as one of my countries to watch. Ultimately, Fifa’s showcase competition can only be successfully delivered if the Central American country plays its part.
This isn’t guaranteed, as relations between Mexico and the United States have at best been described as cordial. At worst they are characterised as being icy.
How Mexico navigates relations with its neighbour will determine how successful the World Cup is and will be a test of how its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, manages her relationship with Trump.
Cross border movements of football fans and others, allied to issues of migration, will test relations between them, although Sheinbaum will also face challenges at home.
Significant levels of violent crime and murder will provide a deeply troubling backdrop to the World Cup. With potentially large numbers of visitors set to enter the country, drugs and organised gangs could pose problems.
At the same time, Mexico’s government is grappling with a restive Gen Z population concerned about social inequality, environmental degradation, and the aforementioned crime. Already there have been riots involving this demographic group; the World Cup may add impetus to their grievances and activism.
Italy’s sport resurgence?
One of the countries hoping to qualify for next summer’s tournament is Italy, though the country’s men’s team first must make it through a series of play-off matches. This isn’t guaranteed, indeed the team has had a wretched few years, as have its club sides in international competition.
Once great but now significantly diminished, Italian football’s decline is mirrored by that of Ferrari which continues to stutter and stumble its way through Formula 1. The signing of Lewis Hamilton was supposed to mark the rebirth of the once dominant team, though this season has fallen way short of expectations.
Italy’s image, reputation and soft power are arguably being undermined by their underperforming icons, though perhaps this is a country in transition.
The Winter Olympics will once again be staged in Italy, just twenty years since its last hosting of the event. Milan’s San Siro stadium will host the opening ceremony, as the venue heads towards the end of its lifespan. This year, an agreement was finally reached for football teams AC and Inter to construct a new home.
This should serve as an emblem for Italian sport’s transformation; tennis is witnessing an emergence of the ‘Jannik Sinner’ era, whilst in 2025 Italy became the first nation to win both the Men’s Davis Cup and Women’s Billie Jean King Cup the same year.
If the Italian football team can win a few more matches and Lewis Hamilton can drive a little faster, then 2026 could prove to be a pivotal year for the country.
Dubai sport strategy
As Saudi Arabia contemplates its sporting future and Qatar doubles down on utilising its expensively constructed sporting infrastructure, Dubai has been a relatively low-key member of the international sport community.
Sure, Dubai has established itself as an important destination for golf, rugby and tennis events, but the Emirate’s focus over the last thirty years has been on tourism, and on building its national airline and airport (admittedly through a series of sport sponsorship deals).
However, it’s more than twenty years since there were rumours about the Investment Corporation of Dubai buying an English Premier League football club, the Emirate doesn’t stage in F1 race, and there have been none of the big-ticket sport hosting opportunities that regional rivals have been feasting on.
All of this might be about to change.
In November 2025, Dubai launched its Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033, which is intended to transform Dubai into the world’s leading sporting city by the year 2033. The plan is targeting the generation of a significantly larger sport economy, driven by stronger engagement with sport, increased spectatorship and event staging.
The Emirate will be playing catch-up in 2026 as it seeks to chase down its Gulf rivals. Even so, with money to spend and a newly found strategic orientation, Dubai is likely to be a highly active member of the international sporting community during the forthcoming year.
Simon Chadwick is professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in Paris