Top 50 Sports Trends (September 2026)

Sports Industry: 2026's Defining Movements

CAGR = compound annual growth rate

We rebuilt this list on September 26, 2026 from our live trend database, the same feed that powers the table above. The headline: the World Cup spike has crested and the demand it created is rotating elsewhere. LA28 is climbing, endurance formats like Hyrox and the run club have built a year-round base, and sports cards are now the steadiest retail story in the table. The jersey and sticker searches that peaked around the final have fallen back hard, while venue and facility searches keep rising. Every search-volume and growth figure below is pulled from that live data.

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1. The World Cup Owns 2026

The biggest story in sports search this year is still the World Cup, but its shape has changed. "World cup" holds 823,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, up 510% year over year and down 55% over the past three months now that the tournament is behind us. The 48-team edition co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico did what a home-continent tournament does: it pulled a decade of soccer interest into one summer. What is left is a higher baseline and a calendar that now points at Los Angeles in 2028.

The unwind is clearest in merchandise. Host-nation kits and sticker albums that spiked before kickoff have given back most of their gains, while "la28" is up 309% over the past three months as attention rotates to the next mega-event.

Why the World Cup Dominates Search

World Cup interest surged 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 sold out well before the group stage
• The collectible revival: Sticker and trading-card albums 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 (823,000 searches, +510% YoY): The defining sports search of the year, now easing back from its summer peak.

WC Bracket (165,000 searches, a breakout): Knockout-round bracket searches are up 307% over the past six months, built around the draw and the group stage.

LA28 (40,500 searches, +514% YoY): The Los Angeles Olympics is the next mega-event, and it is up 309% over the past three months.

Spain Jersey (33,100 searches, +819% YoY): Kits from the tournament's deep runs are the jersey searches that held their gains after the final.

USA Soccer Jersey (18,100 searches, +83% YoY): Home-nation kit demand is up on the year, though it has surrendered most of its tournament peak. Jersey culture as everyday wear is covered in clothing 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's headline term has cooled while its infrastructure keeps growing. "Pickleball" sits at 673,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, down 18% year over year, and "pickleball paddle" has fallen 45% to 246,000. What is still rising is everything to do with where and how people play: "pickleball courts" holds 301,000 searches and is up 22% over the past six months, while league and club searches are up on the year. Padel is holding steady beside it at 110,000.

That split is what a maturing sport looks like. Curiosity searches peak once. Access and organized play keep compounding after the novelty wears off.

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
• Organized play: Leagues, clubs, and a professional tour give committed players a season to plan around

What's Gaining Momentum

Pickleball Courts (301,000 searches, +22% over six months): Facility searches are the ones still rising, a sign that access is the current bottleneck.

Major League Pickleball (14,800 searches, +22% YoY): The pro league is up 410% over the past six months, the fastest-moving term in the category.

Pickleball Leagues (9,900 searches, +22% YoY): Organized competition keeps growing, up 83% over the past three months.

Pickleball Club (9,900 searches, +22% YoY): Club searches are climbing as casual play turns into a standing weekly commitment.

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 expansion franchises are carrying it. The Golden State Valkyries pull 550,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, up 83% year over year and 124% over the past three months. The Toronto Tempo has broken out to 301,000 ahead of its WNBA debut, and the NWSL holds 368,000 after a 643% climb over the past six months. Pay and eligibility questions are rising alongside the teams.

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

Golden State Valkyries (550,000 searches, +83% YoY): The WNBA's newest franchise turned its launch into the biggest team-search story of the year.

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

Toronto Tempo (301,000 searches, a breakout): A breakout for the WNBA's incoming Canadian expansion team, up 50% over the past three months.

PWHL (33,100 searches, +83% YoY): Professional women's hockey has built a durable year-over-year base between seasons.

Highest Paid WNBA Player (18,100 searches, +22% YoY): Pay searches are up 235% over six months as the league's economics become a story of their own.

Women Sports (6,600 searches, +22% YoY): The umbrella term keeps climbing, which is how a niche becomes a category.

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 and a place, not just a scoreboard. Nissan Stadium pulls 165,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, up 50% year over year and 233% over six months, and "ultimate sports engineering" holds 135,000 as the buildout behind those venues becomes a search of its own. Immersive rooms are the sharpest riser: Cosm's Atlanta location is up 398% over the past three months at 301,000. Meanwhile "espn layoffs" has broken out to 60,500, a reminder that the old broadcast bundle is straining while fans pay for presence. The Savannah Bananas, at 673,000, are off 45% on the year but up 174% over six months as the tour schedule turns.

The common thread is presence. Whether it is a choreographed baseball spectacle, a new stadium, or an immersive dome, fans are paying for something 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: New stadiums and 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
• Cameras follow the action: Body-worn cameras on players and officials turn the field into first-person content
• Scarcity drives demand: Limited-run shows and premium venues create urgency that streaming does not

What's Gaining Momentum

Cosm Atlanta (301,000 searches, a breakout): Immersive shared-reality domes are turning live viewing into a premium night out, up 398% over the past three months.

Nissan Stadium (165,000 searches, +50% YoY): The new-build stadium is the clearest example of a venue becoming its own search destination.

Ultimate Sports Engineering (135,000 searches, +23% YoY): Interest in the firms that design fields and facilities has scaled with the venue boom.

Bodycam (90,500 searches, +83% YoY): Body-worn cameras on athletes and officials are up 83% over three months as leagues test first-person angles.

Sports Fields (40,500 searches, +49% YoY): Field construction and booking searches track the same facility demand from the grassroots side.

Robot Olympics (27,100 searches, +235% YoY): Humanoid robot competitions have broken out as a genuinely new spectator format.

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. Endurance Racing and the Run Club

The clearest new cluster in the table is competitive fitness. "Hyrox workout" holds 60,500 monthly searches as of August 2026, up 49% year over year, and "military calisthenics" matches it at 60,500 with 83% year-over-year growth. Around them sits a full stack of training and race demand: run club searches are up 83%, "adventure races" is up 524%, and "deka fit" holds 6,600 as the format's entry-level event. Trail running events, a much smaller term at 1,900 searches, is up 222% over three months.

This is racing built for amateurs. Hyrox and DEKA sell a measurable finish time to people who would never enter a marathon, and the run club turns training for it into a standing social event.

Why Competitive Fitness Is Rising

Endurance formats are growing because:

• A finish time is the product: Standardized courses let ordinary athletes compare themselves year over year
• Community is the on-ramp: Run clubs and gym affiliates recruit far more effectively than advertising
• Gym-friendly formats: Hyrox and DEKA run inside existing gyms, so supply scales without new venues
• Wearables close the loop: Training watches turn every session into data worth reviewing
• Bodyweight training travels: Calisthenics programs need no equipment and spread through video

What's Gaining Momentum

Hyrox Workout (60,500 searches, +49% YoY): The fitness-racing format has become a year-round training search, not just an event search.

Military Calisthenics (60,500 searches, +83% YoY): Bodyweight programs borrowed from military training are the cheapest way into the category.

Cooling Towels (40,500 searches, +22% YoY): Race-day accessories are up 650% over six months, which is what a summer of mass-participation events looks like.

Garmin Forerunner 970 (27,100 searches, +50% YoY): The training watch is up 83% over six months as data-led amateurs upgrade.

Running Club (22,200 searches, +83% YoY): Club searches are up 124% over six months, the social layer underneath every endurance format.

Adventure Races (18,100 searches, +524% YoY): Obstacle and multi-discipline racing is up 403% over the past three months.

Key Players

• HYROX runs the indoor fitness-racing series driving the category
• Spartan owns DEKA and the obstacle-racing calendar around it
• Garmin supplies the training watches this audience researches
• Strava is where clubs and race results get shared

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6. Sports Cards and Grassroots Gear

The money fans spend away from tickets and broadcasts is its own trend line. "Sports cards" holds 110,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, up 49% year over year and 49% over the past three months, which is a rare case of the annual and quarterly curves agreeing. Equipment demand is rising with it: "shin guards" sits at 60,500 and is up 123% over three months, while Decathlon holds 110,000 as the value end of the market.

Cards and kit answer the same question. A fan who has already bought the subscription and the ticket is looking for something to own.

Why Collectibles and Gear Keep Growing

This spending keeps climbing because:

• Grading made cards liquid: Third-party grading turned a hobby into an asset class with visible prices
• Event supply: A World Cup and an Olympic cycle put new licensed products into the market
• Youth participation: Grassroots soccer and school sport drive steady, unglamorous equipment demand
• Value retail scaled: Own-brand ranges put a full kit within reach of a first-season player
• Resale is normal: Secondary marketplaces make both cards and gear easier to buy and exit

What's Gaining Momentum

Sports Cards (110,000 searches, +49% YoY): The category's core term is rising on every time frame, the strongest retail signal in the table.

Decathlon (110,000 searches, +22% YoY): The value sporting-goods retailer is up on the year, though it has cooled 33% over three months.

Shin Guards (60,500 searches, +22% YoY): Grassroots soccer equipment is up 123% over three months as the season restarts.

World Cup Stickers (14,800 searches, a breakout): Sticker albums were one of the year's biggest collectible breakouts, and they have fallen back sharply since the final.

Trading Card Market (9,900 searches, +22% YoY): Searches about the market itself, not just the cards, are the tell that buyers are treating this as an investment.

Key Players

• Panini America holds many of the licenses behind the sticker and card boom
• Beckett provides the grading and pricing that make cards tradeable
• Decathlon anchors the value end of sporting goods worldwide

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7. 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 as of August 2026, up 49% over the past six months, while the sharpest growth sits in the gear and instruction layer. "Odyssey ai putters" has broken out to 60,500, launch-monitor maker Rapsodo holds 33,100 with 49% year-over-year growth, and golf-lifestyle label Malbon is up 83% at 74,000. Tour interest has gone the other way: the DP World Tour is down 19% on the year at 110,000.

The modern golf search splits three ways: play, gear, and culture. Simulators and launch monitors bring practice indoors, instruction goes digital, 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
• Instruction went digital: Swing analysis apps replaced the lesson for a lot of casual players
• 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 six 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.

Odyssey AI Putters (60,500 searches, a breakout): AI-assisted equipment is the year's biggest gear breakout, and the tech story now reaches the green.

Rapsodo (33,100 searches, +49% YoY): Consumer launch monitors are democratizing the data that used to be tour-only.

Golf Swing Analysis (6,600 searches, +50% YoY): Swing analysis is up 560% over six months, the fastest-rising instruction search in the category.

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

Sports search in late 2026 is defined by what happens after a mega-event. The World Cup still leads the table at 823,000 searches, up 510% on the year but down 55% over three months, and the attention is rotating: LA28 is up 309% over three months, sports cards are rising on every time frame at 110,000, and endurance formats like Hyrox have turned a race into a year-round training habit. Women's pro sports keep compounding through expansion, led by the Golden State Valkyries at 550,000. Venues are the other winner, with Nissan Stadium up 50% and Cosm's Atlanta dome up 398% over three months, while "espn layoffs" breaking out to 60,500 marks the other side of that trade.

The winning trends in sports now share these characteristics:

• Event gravity, where a marquee tournament pulls demand across merchandise, media, and collectibles, then leaves a higher baseline behind
• Accessibility, in formats like pickleball and Hyrox that an amateur can enter this month
• New franchises and leagues creating fresh fan bases, especially across women's sports
• Experience over broadcast, as spectacle and immersive venues command a premium while the bundle strains
• Ownership, where cards and gear give committed fans something to keep

For entrepreneurs and investors, the data points to several high-growth opportunities: Olympic-cycle merchandise, pickleball facilities and leagues, women's-sports media and fan products, experiential venues and stadium services, endurance-race gear and events, and the trading-card market. See how Rising Trends helps you find trending sports products before they peak.