Another year of sport awaits, and another year of wild sporting opinion and bold predictions will be served up over the next month or so by so many people, most of them pretenders, one of them a nasty, awful man who pretends to like rugby league, but no one does it better than our resident sporting prediction guru Tipstradamus, and he’s here to offer up this year’s serving of Tipstradamus’ Bold 2026 Sporting Predictions & Tipping Competition.
Our resident sports-sayer Tipstradamus aka Gregstradamus is wheeled out only once a year, from a subterranean abode somewhere in the Great Dividing Range shaped like the Space City Shopping Centre in Kallangur that has a TV room with a 360 degree array of televisions showing only sporting content. But what he lacks in quantity he makes up for with quality, and we’re lucky enough that he found time in between the Ashes, 23 divisions of English and European football, Snooker, Big Bash, NFL but never rugby union to provide his Bold 2026 Sporting Predictions.
But not only is there the finest in 2026 Bold Sporting Predictions, he offers up a chance to beat him at his own game, with the Tipstradamus 16 Sports Tipping Contest. Keep reading until the end to find out more.
Tipstradamus’ Bold 2026 Sporting Predictions
MAX VERSTAPPEN AND GEORGE RUSSELL WILL FIGHT OUT THE MOST BITTER TITLE FIGHT IN YEARS – AND IT WILL END IN FISTICUFFS AT THE QATAR GRAND PRIX
It seems that the new regulations for F1 in 2026 might favour Mercedes and given the form of George Russell in 2025 in an inferior car, he will be one of the big chances for Championship glory in 2026. Also given the Red Bull car in 2025 was barely faster than a wheelbarrow in the hands of non-Verstappen drivers in 2025, yet somehow Max Verstappen came within a brainfade of winning the 2025 title, he will be at the front again in 2026.
It also seems that the two drivers don’t like each other much. Maybe that’s media hype or maybe it is genuine. We boldly predict the latter, and this Championship tussle will be twice as bitter as the Verstappen-Hamilton rivalry of the early 2020’s. There will be clashes and crashes throughout the season, and will culminate in another crash on the first lap of the Qatar Grand Prix, and the two drivers will have had enough of each other by this stage and punch on at the side of the track for the world’s amusement.
LEWIS HAMILTON TO RETIRE FROM FORMULA 1 AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX – REPLACED BY OLLIE BEARMAN WHOSE 8-7 CATCH PHRASE GOES AS VIRAL AS 6-7
After a pisspoor 2025, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari will be under massive pressure to deliver in 2026. Sadly Hamilton will struggle even more as Ferrari get even less competitive. Given he’s done it all, and earned a massive pile of F1 money, he will announce his retirement on the eve of the British Grand Prix and retire after that race, where he will get a solid points finish.
THE SECOND VERSION OF THE F1 MOVIE WILL FEATURE A RECREATION OF THE INFAMOUS NELSON PIQUET – ELISEO SALAZAR FIGHT AT THE 1982 GERMAN GRAND PRIX
The F1 movie was a raging success in 2025, on the back of the world’s growing obsession with Formula 1, and that movie featured a moment from F1 history where Martin Donnelly had a crash where it was hard to believe he would survive. Which begged the question for F1 Movie II, what other moment could they use for the new F1 based movie. Our bold prediction is they will use the infamous fight between Nelson Piquet and Eliseo Salazar from the 1982 German Grand Prix. And for fun, we have a sample of what to look forward to below.
Piquet Rages After Salazar Shunt | 1982 German Grand Prix – YouTube
PETER V’LANDYS WILL BAN KICK OFFS, INTRODUCE MAGIC TRIES INSTEAD OF CONVERSIONS, EXTEND THE TACKLE COUNT TO EIGHT, INTRODUCE 50 METRE PENALTIES LIKE THE AFL, AND EXTEND CAPTAIN’S CHALLENGES TO THREE PER HALF IN RESPONSE TO PEOPLE COMPLAINING THE NRL GOES TO SH!T DURING THE ORIGIN PERIOD
Peter V’landys is a pioneer, but he does like to tinker with the game, occasionally for good. But the NRL’s insistence that Origin is not standalone, will be met with the acknowledgment that the NRL does suck during Origin. So PVL being the innovator announces just before Magic Round that the period before the first State of Origin game and after the third State of Origin game will feature new experimental laws for that period only. And then realise it’s easier to have standalone Origin.
GERMANY TO WIN FOOTBALL WORLD CUP
Because they are due, and only a handful of teams ever win the thing. Although it would be funnier if a team that Donald Trump didn’t like won it. But Greenland, Venezuela, Cuba, Heard and McDonald Island and California didn’t make the World Cup.
USA WILL TOP GROUP IN WORLD CUP BUT GET KNOCKED OUT IN FIRST PART OF KNOCKOUT STAGE, AUSTRALIA WON’T WIN A GAME.
Australia are in with the USA in Group D of the World Cup along with Paraguay, and a choice of yet-to-decided Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania. With the fear of potential deportation for not making out of the Group Stage, USA will top the group. But although they will play a favourable first game of the knockout against a third place finisher, they will crumble under the pressure and be midnight Truth Social fodder. They will do better than Australia who will get one point from one draw in the group stages. Happy to be wrong. For Australia at least.
DONALD TRUMP TO RECEIVE REPLICA WORLD CUP TROPHY PRIOR TO FINAL
Not content with the FIFA Peace Award, which looks a thoroughly deserving title after events in Venezuela, FIFA’s Gianni Infantino will visit the US President and hand deliver an exact replica of the World Cup trophy before the actual World Cup final is played. Where of course, Mr Trump will be onstage with the winners again.
DONALD TRUMP WILL BE GIVEN AN HONORARY FIRST KICK OF THE WORLD CUP AT THE FIRST GAME, THEN INVADE GREENLAND WHILE THE WORLD IS DISTRACTED BY THE WORLD CUP
Not content with a replica trophy, the US President will get the World Cup started by doing one of those honourary kick offs like the first pitch at a baseball game. Then while the World Cup is in full swing and the world’s media is following the fast-kicking, low-scoring festival, he will proceed to invading Greenland on June 23, the day before Denmark could potentially play Mexico if they qualify through European Playoff Group D.
ALL PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGERS EXCEPT THE WINNER WILL GET FIRED AFTER THE LAST DAY OF THE SEASON LEADING THE PREMIER LEAGUE TO INTRODUCE A MANAGER DRAFT
Were guessing that the UK Government will be leading a crackdown on the amount spent by Football Clubs in England in early 2026, so they will introduce a bill to slow the amount of money spent by fans on tickets, limit teams to only two new kits per season, and limit the payoffs for sacking managers. So the UK government will restrict clubs to one year only contract signings for managers, all of which expire after the season finishes for everyone except the team that wins. This will lead to Sky Sports introducing an NBA style draft for managers and clubs. Which will be charged at a premium for football fans.
THE A LEAGUE WILL ALMOST FOLD BUT WILL BE SAVED BY THE PREMIER LEAGUE WHO WILL TURN IT INTO A PREMIER LEAGUE DOWN UNDER WITH ALL CLUBS ALIGNED TO A BIG PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB
The A League continues to struggle for some clubs financially, and we predict more clubs to struggle leading to an uncertain future for the league itself. A week before the A League goes completely bust, the Premier League will step in and save the day, by creating a Premier League Down Under League. This means current Premier League clubs will align to existing A League clubs. Like Liverpool to Adelaide, West Ham in Perth, Man United in for the Melbourne Victory and Newcastle in, well Newcastle. The new era will take off massively, and might even make the nightly sports news bulletins.
THE AFL WILL SENSATIONALLY GIVE UP ON THE TASMANIAN AFL TEAM IN EARLY 2026 AFTER THE TASMANIAN REFUSE TO BUILD A NEW STADIUM, WHICH RESULT IN A STATEWIDE PROTEST BOYCOTT OF ALL AFL AT ALL LEVELS IN TASMANIA IN 2026, AND THE DECISION BY THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT TO NOT BUILD THE STADIUM WHICH CAUSES THE TASMANIAN AFL TEAM TO BE CANNED LEADS TO PROTESTS THROUGHOUT THE STREETS AND AN UPRISING OF THE AFL LOVING TASMANIAN PEOPLE WHO THEN THEN MARCH ON THE TASMANIAN PARLIAMENT AND LEAD COUP TAKING OVER THE GOVERNMENT THEN QUICKLY APPROVING THE NEW STADIUM AND THEN THE AFL REINSTATE THE TASMANIAN AFL TEAM BUT WILL NOW BE CALLED THE REBELS IN DEFERENCE OF THE PEOPLE’S EFFORTS IN OVERTHORWING THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT FOR AFL.
So Tasmania will have an AFL team after all.
SOMEONE WILL REMEMBER THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ARE ON
Hidden away in the sporting treasures of the 2026 Sporting Calendar is the Commonwealth Games. You know, the one that was meant to be in Bendigo and Ballarat but got upgraded to Glasgow. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Olympics Lite, and Australia does win a pile of gold, but it does tend to get forgotten, and the time zone won’t help the interest either.
DONALD TRUMP WILL ENTER THE US OPEN GOLF UNDER A SPECIAL NEW WILDCARD OPEN TO ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE AND AWAY FROM ANY CAMERAS FOR SECURITY REASONS THE US PRESIDENT HITS THE BEST, NO THE GREATEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL ROUND OF GOLF BY ANY GOLFER AT ANY MAJOR IN THE HISTORY OF GOLF WITH A 28 UNDER PAR ROUND IN THE WARM UP BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT STARTS BUT WILL UNFORTUNATELY SUSTAIN AN INJURY WHICH PREVENTS HIM FROM PLAYING IN ROUND ONE SO CAN’T ACTUALLY PLAY IN THE OFFICIAL US OPEN BUT IS STILL PRESENTED WITH A REPLICA US OPEN TROPHY AND GIVEN A CEREMONY BY GOLF BOSSES AND HIS NAMES WILL BE ETCHED ONTO THE TROPHY ALONGSIDE THE ACUTAL WINNER
He likes golf.
THE GREGSTRADAMUS 2026 SPORTS TIPPING 16 CHALLENGE
Think you can beat Sport’s greatest soothsayer? Then here is the 2026 Tipstradamus aka Gregstradamus 16 Sports Tipping Challenge.
But who wants to pick the obvious, apart from our resident obvious expert Captain Hindsight. We have selected events that will challenge the everyday sporting punter and expert.
16 random sporting events from the year ahead are here.
Leave your tips in the Comments section if you want to take on Gregstradamus.
1 – FORMULA 1 – NUMBER OF Q1 EXITS LANCE STROLL IN 2026 (24 RACES)
2 – FORMULA 1 – NUMBER OF FINISHERS IN OPENING AUSTRALIAN GP (22 CARS)
3 – FORMULA 1 – WINNER OF MONACO GRAND PRIX
4 – FOOTBALL – FINISHING POSITION OF WREXHAM IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
5 – FOOTBALL – WINNER OF LEAGUE TWO IN UK
6 – FOOTBALL – WINNER OF NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER IN UK
7 – FOOTBALL – WORLD CUP – WINNER OF THE 3RD/4TH PLACE PLAYOFF
8 – FOOTBALL – WORLD CUP – WHICH DEBUTANT NATION WILL SCORE MORE POINTS? JORDAN, CAPE VERDE, UZBEKISTAN, CURACAO.
9 – RUGBY LEAGUE – WOODEN SPOON NRL 2026
10 – RUGBY LEAGUE – UK SUPER LEAGUE WINNER
11 – CRICKET – WILL THE EUROPEAN CRICKET CHAMPIONSHIP RETURN?
12 – CRICKET – T20 WORLD CUP – WHO WILL WIN MORE GAMES? NEPAL, ITALY, USA, OMAN, UAE?
13 – AFL – LOSING GRAND FINALIST
14 – MOTOR SPORT – NUMBER OF SAFETY CARS AT BATHURST 1000
15 – GOLF – WINNER OF THE SENIOR BRITISH OPEN
16 – TOUR DE FRANCE – NUMBER OF CYCLISTS KICKED OUT MID-RACE FOR DRUG OFFENCES.
GREGSTRADAMUS 2026 SPORTS TIPPING SELECTIONS
Of course we’ll always put our money where our mouth is, so here are the selections to beat for the 2026 Sports Tipping 16 Contest.
1 – 14
2 – 14
3 – 14 – Fernando Alonso
4 – 14th or 4th
5 – Swindon Town
6 – York
7 – England
8 – Uzbekistan
9 – St George Illawarra
10 – Leigh Leopards
11 – Please
12 – Italy
13 – Collingwood
14 – Seven
15 – Miguel Angel Jiminez aka The Mechanic
16 – Three
Submit your selections via the Comments, and beat the master. If you can.
