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2026 is a very special year for sports fans, as we have two major events that stand out on the calendar featuring two of the planet's most popular athletes: Shohei Ohtani and Lionel Messi.
The first stop is the World Baseball Classic
The first date on the calendar is the World Baseball Classic from March 5 to 17, with 20 participating nations. Japan stands out as the top contender, led by Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Japan holds the record for the most WBC titles with three (2006, 2009, and 2023), and they arrive at this edition with the chance to become back-to-back champions for the second time in tournament history.
Standing in the way of Ohtani and the Japanese national team are powerhouses like the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, all aiming to prevent another Japanese victory.
Another historic milestone Ohtani could achieve is tying Daisuke Matsuzaka as the player with the most WBC MVP awards, after Matsuzaka earned the honor in 2006 and 2009.
A historic World Cup with Messi chasing back-to-back titles
After becoming champions in Qatar 2022, the FIFA World Cup arrives at its next edition, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, where Argentina will look to repeat the feat from four years ago.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is chasing new records in the competition.
The Argentine captain aims to become the first footballer to play in six World Cups and also the first to win two consecutive titles as captain.
In addition, the Argentina star is very close to further expanding his legacy in the tournament's statistics: he is just three goals away from tying Miroslav Klose (16) as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, and two assists away from Pelé (10) to become the tournament's greatest playmaker.
Two World Cups that could end with epic stories for two of the planet's most popular athletes, with the coincidence that both live and shine on American soil.