Sports Strategy in 2026: From Opportunity to Execution

How organisations can turn emerging trends into measurable value this year

The year 2026 will be a significant year for sport; it's a year of execution.Following years of experimentation with digital transformation, fan engagement tools, and commercial innovation, the sports industry now enters a phase where strategic choices will produce visible outcomes.

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Milano–Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 acting as global accelerators, many organisations will face intense scrutiny on how well they have prepared. But these events are not the only drivers. Across Europe and globally, three domains are shaping strategic success in 2026: AI and fan engagement, the evolution of media and streaming rights, and commercial opportunity expansion, including women’s sport growth.

What separates successful execution from rhetoric is integration, turning insight into action, not just intention.

AI: From Hype to Strategic Capability

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond buzzword status. Today’s fans are not merely curious about AI; they expect it to be part of their sport experience.

According to a Capgemini report, AI and generative AI tools already serve as the main source of sports information for a majority of fans, with 67 % wanting their sports data aggregated on a single platform and 54 % using AI as their main source of information about teams, players, fixtures and stats. At the same time, fans are conscious of balancing digital innovation with live authenticity and are wary of overreliance on technology in the stadium or at home.(Capgemini, 2025)

For sports organisations, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how to embed it into core systems so it improves fan experience and commercial insight. This requires unified data environments (ticketing, CRM, digital interaction), not isolated pilot projects. A club might use AI to tailor ticket offers based on past behaviour, or to personalise digital content in a way that resonates with individual preferences. Smaller organisations can begin with AI-enhanced analytics for fan segmentation or automated content summaries that improve engagement without heavy resources.

2026 is the year AI moves from separate experiments into operational reality, driving measurable commercial and engagement outcomes.

Media & Streaming Rights: Rebalancing Reach and Control

Media rights continue to underpin financial models in sport, but the dynamics are shifting sharply as global platforms and traditional broadcasters compete for valuable content.

In Europe and beyond, rights packages for major competitions are being shared between legacy networks and digital platforms, a trend that shapes both audience access and commercial monetisation. This evolution is forcing federations, leagues and clubs to think in terms of multi-channel reach and not singular broadcast deals.

Crucially, fragmented media consumption means that rights holders who can demonstrate cross-platform engagement metrics, combining linear TV, streaming and social interaction, hold a competitive advantage in negotiations with sponsors and advertisers. Aggregated measurement is increasingly expected rather than nice to have.

Smaller organisations can use this trend to their advantage. For regional competitions or lower-tier leagues, flexible distribution (e.g., hybrid free streaming combined with premium packages for key matches) can attract sponsors by showing engagement aligned with measurable fan interest, even without the reach of a global event. In 2026, media strategy must be about control and access as much as revenue, and that shift is particularly impactful for organisations that do not possess large broadcast deals but have strong digital audiences.

Commercial Growth Opportunities: From Established Assets to Emerging Competitions

Commercial growth in sport is multi-faceted in 2026. One area that has moved from potential into reality is women's sport. According to Deloitte, global revenues in women’s elite sports are projected to surpass USD 2.35 billion in 2025, following years of rapid expansion in commercial, broadcast and matchday income. (Deloitte, 2025) 

This growth is driven by increasing brand interest, sponsorship deals, and rising fan participation but also by the structural evolution of how women’s competitions are packaged and marketed. McKinsey has found that women’s sports revenue has grown significantly faster than men’s in recent years, yet rights are still priced lower relative to viewership, a sign that commercial monetisation opportunities remain under-leveraged.,

 B., Elby, B., & Kutcher, E. (2024). [Closing the monetization gap in women’s sports: A $2.5 billion opportunity]. McKinsey & Company.

For 2026, this means commercial strategy can no longer pigeonhole women’s sport as a niche segment. Even for smaller organisations, developing integrated commercial frameworks, combining sponsorship, live events, digital content, and athlete branding. This will unlock broader engagement and revenue streams. Growth is visible in ticket sales, digital interest, and corporate partnerships. It’s increasingly clear that women’s sport will be a sustainable business line, not a side project.

Execution Over Experimentation: The New Rulebook for 2026

2026 represents a shift from exploration to measurable execution. Organisational readiness will be visible in how data flows through systems, how rights are monetised across platforms, and how commercial strategy captures real growth and not just projected audiences.

Success will not be defined solely by big moments like the World Cup or the Olympics, but by how organisations of all sizes adapt their models around these strategic levers. Whether it’s a national federation improving fan engagement through AI, a regional league using hybrid rights packages, or a women’s competition building long-term sponsorship frameworks, the imperative is the same: integrate insight with implementation.

At B2S, we believe 2026 will reward organisations that align their technology, media and commercial strategies around unified data, flexible distribution and sustainable growth models. The question for leaders now is not whether these domains matter, it’s how they convert them into measurable impact.

If your organisation is evaluating its strategic priorities this year, consider this your roadmap to action: build internal capabilities around data and AI, rethink how media rights serve your audience and commercial partners, and treat emerging growth areas as integral parts of your business, not optional add-ons.