Top 50 Sports Trends (September 2026)

Sports Industry: 2026's Defining Movements

CAGR = compound annual growth rate

We rebuilt this list on July 13, 2026 from our live trend database, the same feed that powers the table above. The headline: 2026 is a World Cup year on North American soil, and search interest has swung toward global soccer, women's pro leagues, live-sport spectacles, and the technology fans use to watch. Every search-volume and growth figure below is pulled from that live data.

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1. The World Cup Owns 2026

The single biggest story in sports search is the World Cup. "World cup" now pulls 1,830,000 monthly searches with +644% year-over-year growth, and for once the timing is not a coincidence: the 2026 tournament is co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the first World Cup on North American soil since 1994 and the first with a 48-team field. That interest is already spilling into every adjacent search, from brackets to jerseys to sticker albums.

A home-continent World Cup compresses a decade of soccer growth into a single summer. Search behavior shows fans preparing months ahead, researching schedules, host cities, and merchandise long before the opening match.

Why the World Cup Dominates Search

World Cup interest is surging because:

• Home-continent hosting: Matches across 16 North American cities put the tournament in fans' backyards for the first time in a generation
• A 48-team field: More nations qualified means more countries with a reason to tune in and buy in
• Merchandise mania: National-team jerseys and collectibles are selling out well ahead of kickoff
• The collectible revival: Sticker and trading-card albums have turned into a full pre-tournament ritual
• Casual crossover: A World Cup is the rare event that pulls in viewers who never watch club soccer

What's Gaining Momentum

World Cup (1,830,000 searches, +644% YoY): The defining sports search of the year, climbing as the North American tournament approaches.

Adidas Mexico Jersey (90,500 searches, +1,271% YoY): Host-nation kits are among the fastest-rising merchandise searches, with Mexico leading the pack.

USA Soccer Jersey (74,000 searches, +309% YoY): Home-nation pride is driving jersey demand as the US prepares to host. Jersey culture as everyday wear is covered in clothing trends.

WC Bracket (301,000 searches): A breakout as fans build and share knockout-round predictions ahead of the draw.

FIFA Fan Fest (22,200 searches): A breakout around the official fan festivals planned for host cities.

World Cup Stickers (110,000 searches): A breakout collectible search, as sticker albums return as a pre-tournament tradition. The collecting economy it belongs to is a section of its own in activities and hobbies trends.

Key Players

• FIFA organizes the tournament and its expanding commercial ecosystem
• Adidas supplies the match ball and many of the most-searched national kits
• Fanatics dominates licensed sports merchandise and jersey fulfillment
• TickPick is a fast-growing secondary marketplace for match tickets

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2. Pickleball Keeps Scaling

Pickleball has graduated from backyard novelty to genuine mass sport. "Pickleball" holds 823,000 monthly searches, up 50% over the past six months, while equipment and facility searches show the ecosystem maturing around it. "Pickleball paddle" pulls 368,000 searches (+22% YoY) and "pickleball courts" is up +82% over the past three months at 301,000 searches.

The tell is not the core term, which is already huge, but the supporting searches. When people start hunting for paddles and courts, a sport has moved from curiosity to commitment.

Why Racquet Sports Keep Winning

Pickleball and its cousins keep growing because:

• Low barrier to entry: The rules are simple and a beginner can rally within minutes
• Social by design: Doubles play makes it a group activity first and a competition second
• Facility buildout: Dedicated courts are replacing tennis courts and filling new commercial venues
• Cross-generation appeal: The game is gentle enough for older players and fast enough for younger ones
• Gear cycles: A fast-growing paddle market gives committed players something to research and upgrade

What's Gaining Momentum

Pickleball (823,000 searches, +50% over six months): The core term remains one of the highest-volume sports searches outside the major leagues.

Pickleball Paddle (368,000 searches, +22% YoY): Equipment demand signals a player base that is buying in, not just trying it once.

Pickleball Courts (301,000 searches, +82% over three months): Facility searches are rising fastest, a sign that access is the current bottleneck.

Key Players

• USA Pickleball governs the sport and certifies equipment
• Selkirk is a leading premium paddle brand
• Joola has become a dominant paddle and pro-tour sponsor
• HEAD brings racquet-sport heritage into pickleball and padel

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3. Women's Pro Sports Break Out

The fastest-moving structural shift in sports is the rise of women's professional leagues, and search data captures it before the TV ratings do. The NWSL is up +643% over the past three months at 368,000 searches, the PWHL hockey league holds 301,000 searches (+82% YoY), and expansion franchises are exploding: the Golden State Valkyries have surged nearly twentyfold over the past six months to 246,000 searches, and the Toronto Tempo has broken out to 201,000 ahead of its WNBA debut.

New teams, new media deals, and sold-out arenas are compounding at once. When an expansion franchise generates six-figure search volume before it plays a game, the demand is real.

Why Women's Sports Are Surging

Women's professional sports are breaking through because:

• Expansion is accelerating: New WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL franchises create fresh local fan bases overnight
• Star power travels: A generation of marketable athletes is pulling casual fans into the leagues
• Media rights caught up: Bigger broadcast and streaming deals put more games in front of more people
• Attendance records keep falling: Sold-out arenas turn into social proof that drives more interest
• Investment is pouring in: Ownership groups and sponsors now treat women's leagues as growth assets

What's Gaining Momentum

NWSL (368,000 searches, +643% over three months): The top women's soccer league is spiking as new clubs and broadcast deals land.

PWHL (301,000 searches, +82% YoY): Professional women's hockey has quickly built a durable, growing search base.

Golden State Valkyries (246,000 searches, up nearly twentyfold over six months): The WNBA's newest franchise turned its launch into one of the year's biggest team-search stories.

Toronto Tempo (201,000 searches): A breakout for the WNBA's incoming Canadian expansion team, months before tip-off.

Boston Legacy FC (27,100 searches, +516% YoY): A rising NWSL expansion club, evidence the growth reaches well beyond the marquee names.

Key Players

• NWSL leads the surge in women's professional soccer
• WNBA is expanding into new markets with the Valkyries and Tempo
• PWHL established a stable pro tier for women's hockey
• ESPN and streaming partners are widening broadcast reach

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4. Live Sports Become an Experience

Fans increasingly want a show, not just a scoreboard, and a cluster of experiential formats is capturing that demand. The Savannah Bananas, the barnstorming exhibition-baseball act, pull 823,000 monthly searches, up +235% over the past three months. Ballpark events are trending too, with Wrigley Field up +307% over three months at 550,000 searches. On the technology side, immersive venues are breaking through: Cosm in Los Angeles is up +173% YoY at 165,000 searches, its Atlanta location has surged more than sixteenfold, and Oakley Meta glasses have broken out to 201,000 as wearable viewing enters the mix.

The common thread is presence. Whether it is a choreographed baseball spectacle, a concert at a historic ballpark, or an immersive 8K dome, fans are paying for an experience that a home broadcast cannot replicate.

Why Experiences Beat Broadcasts

Live sports experiences are surging because:

• Spectacle sells: Formats like the Savannah Bananas package sport as entertainment, not just competition
• Venues become destinations: Historic ballparks and new immersive domes give fans a reason to show up in person
• Immersive tech matured: Companies like Cosm recreate the front-row view with wraparound screens
• Wearables enter the arena: Camera glasses let fans capture and relive events from their own point of view
• Scarcity drives demand: Limited-run shows and premium venues create urgency that streaming does not

What's Gaining Momentum

Savannah Bananas (823,000 searches, +235% over three months): The sport-as-entertainment phenomenon that sells out major-league stadiums.

Wrigley Field (550,000 searches, +307% over three months): The historic ballpark is trending as a destination for games, concerts, and events.

Cosm Los Angeles (165,000 searches, +173% YoY): Immersive "shared reality" domes are turning live viewing into a premium night out.

Cosm Atlanta (60,500 searches, up more than sixteenfold YoY): The venue's expansion drove one of the fastest-rising experience searches of the year.

Oakley Meta Glasses (201,000 searches): A breakout in wearable cameras, as fans look to capture live events from the stands.

Key Players

• Savannah Bananas turned exhibition baseball into a sold-out touring show
• Cosm builds immersive domes for live sports and entertainment
• Wrigley Field anchors the historic-venue experience
• Oakley brings camera glasses into the fan experience

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5. Formula 1 and Motorsport's Second Wind

Formula 1 remains one of the largest sports searches on the internet, and it is heating up again. "Formula 1" pulls 2,740,000 monthly searches and is up +174% over the past three months as the season builds toward its North American races. The sport's US expansion, its streaming-era storytelling, and a new generation of fans have reset motorsport's ceiling. Alongside it, electrified and off-road riding is climbing: "electric dirt bikes" pull 450,000 searches, up +124% over three months.

Motorsport spent the last few years converting a documentary audience into a search audience. The payoff is a fan base that follows the calendar, the standings, and the machinery year-round.

Why Motorsport Is Accelerating

Racing interest is climbing because:

• The US finally cares: Multiple American Grands Prix and heavy streaming promotion turned F1 into a stateside phenomenon
• Storytelling hooked new fans: Behind-the-scenes series converted casual viewers into committed followers
• Standings are content: Championship math keeps fans searching results, schedules, and driver moves all season
• Electrification spreads: Electric dirt bikes and e-motorsport bring a younger, sustainability-minded audience
• Machinery fascination: Fans research the technology as much as the results

What's Gaining Momentum

Formula 1 (2,740,000 searches, +174% over three months): One of the biggest sports searches anywhere, reheating as the calendar hits its marquee races.

Electric Dirt Bikes (450,000 searches, +124% over three months): Electrified off-road riding is pulling a younger audience into motorsport.

Red Bull (450,000 searches): The energy-drink brand doubles as a motorsport and extreme-sports powerhouse, sustaining a large, steady search base.

Key Players

• Formula 1 runs the championship at the center of the motorsport boom
• Red Bull connects racing, extreme sports, and youth culture
• Formula E carries the all-electric racing banner
• Netflix helped convert casual viewers into motorsport fans

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6. Golf's Tech-Driven Momentum

Golf keeps widening its audience through technology and lifestyle appeal. The broad term "golfing" pulls 1,000,000 monthly searches, up +49% over the past three months, while tour interest and gear searches climb alongside it. The DP World Tour is up +82% YoY at 110,000 searches, launch-monitor maker Rapsodo holds 40,500 searches (+82% YoY), and golf-lifestyle label Malbon is up +83% YoY at 74,000 searches, blending streetwear with the fairway.

The modern golf search splits three ways: play, gear, and culture. Simulators and launch monitors bring practice indoors, tours globalize the pro game, and lifestyle brands make the sport feel current to a younger crowd.

Why Golf Keeps Growing

Golf interest is expanding because:

• Data-driven practice: Launch monitors and AI-assisted gear give amateurs pro-level feedback
• Indoor play scaled: Simulators removed weather and daylight as limits on when people can golf
• The pro game globalized: Tours like the DP World Tour widen the sport's international footprint
• Lifestyle crossover: Brands like Malbon reframe golf apparel as streetwear
• Younger entrants: Tech and culture together are pulling in a new demographic

What's Gaining Momentum

Golfing (1,000,000 searches, +49% over three months): The broad interest term sits among the largest sports searches, reflecting the game's mainstream pull.

Malbon (74,000 searches, +83% YoY): The golf-lifestyle brand blending streetwear and fairway style for a younger audience.

DP World Tour (110,000 searches, +82% YoY): Rising interest in the global professional circuit beyond the US majors.

Rapsodo (40,500 searches, +82% YoY): Consumer launch monitors are democratizing the data that used to be tour-only.

Odyssey AI Putters (74,000 searches): A breakout in AI-assisted equipment, a sign the tech story now reaches the green.

Key Players

• TrackMan sets the standard for launch monitors and simulators
• PGA Tour anchors the professional game
• DP World Tour leads the international circuit
• Malbon drives golf's lifestyle and fashion crossover

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Summary

The sports landscape of 2026 is defined by a home-soil World Cup (1.83M searches, +644%), the continued scaling of pickleball (823K), and the breakout of women's pro sports led by the NWSL (+643% over three months) and expansion teams like the Golden State Valkyries. Fans are paying for experiences from the Savannah Bananas to immersive Cosm domes, Formula 1 is reheating (+174% over three months), and golf keeps widening its reach through tech and lifestyle.

The winning trends in sports now share these characteristics:

• Event gravity, where a marquee tournament pulls demand across merchandise, media, and collectibles
• Accessibility, in sports like pickleball that anyone can pick up in minutes
• New franchises and leagues creating fresh fan bases, especially across women's sports
• Experience over broadcast, as spectacle and immersive venues command a premium
• Technology and lifestyle widening the audience for established sports

For entrepreneurs and investors, the data points to several high-growth opportunities: World Cup merchandise and collectibles, pickleball equipment and facilities, women's-sports media and fan products, experiential venues and viewing tech, and golf technology. See how Rising Trends helps you find trending sports products before they peak.