Many years ago, we made the final “The 15” of the year a look ahead to some of the best events for the coming year. The problem is that it’s very difficult to limit this list to just 15 events. So we squeeze a year’s worth of events into 15 categories instead. Here are The 15 “2026 Sports Highlights.”
Banana Ball
After a wildly successful visit to Baltimore for the Savannah Bananas last summer, “Banana Ball” returns to Maryland in 2026, this time without the Bananas themselves. On July 31 and Aug. 1, two new teams in the Banana Ball Championship League — the Indianapolis Clowns and Loco Beach Coconuts — will square off for a pair of games (shows?) at Prince George’s Stadium, the home of the Chesapeake Baysox. While we’re talking about minor league stadiums, a reminder that affiliated ball returns to Frederick in April, with the Keys playing their home opener April 14.
College Baseball
As Maryland tries to avoid a three-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2026, it will visit almost every part of the state during the season. The Terps will play at UMBC April 7, Navy April 8, Mount St. Mary’s April 21 and Towson May 5 in addition to their home schedule. Navy hosts Army May 2-3 to wrap the regular season.
College Basketball
Among the local college hoops highlights are:
Jan. 15: Charleston at Towson (men), Maryland at USC (women)
Jan. 18: Maryland at UCLA (women)
Jan. 22: Iowa at Maryland (women)
Jan. 24: Army at Navy (men)
Jan. 29: UNC Wilmington at Towson (men)
Jan. 31: Loyola at Navy (men)
Jan. 31: Morgan at Coppin (men)
Feb. 1: Purdue at Maryland (women)
Feb. 19: Vermont at UMBC (men)
Feb. 24-28: CIAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournament at CFG Bank Arena
Feb. 25: Navy at Loyola (men)
March 5: Coppin at Morgan (men)
March 6-10: CAA Tournament (men) in D.C.
Nov. 2: Maryland vs. South Carolina in Paris (women)
College Football
Former Maryland offensive coordinator and Penn State coach James Franklin returns to College Park when Virginia Tech faces Maryland on Sept. 19. Maryland will also host Penn State, Illinois, Rutgers, UCLA and Wisconsin in Big Ten play. Navy hosts an in-state matchup with Towson to open the season on Sept. 5. The Mids’ rivalry game against Notre Dame (Oct. 31) will be in Foxborough, Mass., while the Army game (Dec. 12) will be held in East Rutherford, N.J. After facing Navy, Towson travels to South Carolina on Sept. 12 then hosts Morgan State on Sept. 19.
Conference Championships
A number of local teams are hoping to earn the right to host their conference tournaments and championships in 2026 but some have already been predetermined as hosts.
Feb. 18-21: Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Navy’s Lejeune Hall
April 10-12: MAAC Esports Championship at Mount St. Mary’s
April 17-19: Patriot League Women’s Golf Championship at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club
May 6-9: Big Ten Softball Tournament at Maryland Softball Stadium
May 9-10: MAAC Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Mount St. Mary’s
May 15-16: Patriot League Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Navy’s Ingram Field
Fall: MEAC Volleyball Tournament at Coppin State
High School Basketball
Early-season struggles from Maryland men’s basketball might make you a bit more inclined to try to check out five-star commit Baba Oladotun (Blake) before he arrives on campus in the fall. The Bengals lost to Sherwood in the regional finals last year, so those two contests (Jan. 9 at Blake, Feb. 6 at Sherwood) might be the best matchups to check out the likely All-American wing.
Lacrosse
Among the local men’s college lacrosse highlights are:
Feb. 7: Loyola at Maryland
Feb. 10: Towson at Johns Hopkins
Feb. 14: Loyola at Johns Hopkins
March 3: Towson at Loyola
March 7: Syracuse at Johns Hopkins
March 13-14: Callum Robinson Mustang Classic at Stevenson
March 14: Navy at Johns Hopkins
April 18: Maryland at Johns Hopkins
April 24: Loyola at Navy
In addition, the Maryland Charm return for the WLL Championship Series (Feb. 27-March 8) with a full season expected after that. We can expect another Homecoming Weekend for the PLL’s Maryland Whipsnakes. And USA Lacrosse will again host the Atlas Cup in Sparks (Oct. 2-4) with the Team USA men and women facing top international competition in sixes as they continue to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. The Youth National Teams will again compete in the Brogden Cup in Sparks (Sept. 25-27) against teams from Canada and the Haudenosaunee Nationals.
Maryland 5 Star
The sixth edition of the Maryland 5 Star is set for Oct. 15-18 at Fair Hill in Cecil County as the event continues to grow. This year’s event will come on the heels of August’s Eventing World Championships in Germany.
Maryland Cycling Classic
Major changes are slated for the 2026 Maryland Cycling Classic as the race expands to a three-stage event from Sept. 5-7 and bumps up to 2.Pro status, meaning even more major international racers are likely to compete. And speaking of bikes, USA BMX brings the East Coast Nationals to Severn’s Chesapeake BMX from Oct. 9-11.
Olympics
Maryland athletes’ Summer Olympics success has not necessarily translated to the winter, historically. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any local connections to the Feb. 6-22 Milano Cortina Games. In particular, Baltimore native Summer Britcher is hoping to make her fourth Olympic luge team and reach the medal stand for the first time. Frederick native Noah Grove is expected to again be a part of the U.S. Sled Hockey team at the Paralympics from March 6-15.
Orioles
We’ll get our first look at the new scoreboard, new Home Plate Club and other upgrades to Camden Yards on March 26 when the Orioles welcome the Twins for Opening Day. They’ll also be home on Mother’s Day (May 10 against the Athletics), Memorial Day (May 25 against the Rays) and Labor Day (Sept. 7 against the Guardians). Road trips to Miami (May 5-7) and Southern California (June 19-21 against the Dodgers and June 22-24 against the Angels) stand out. Speaking of the Angels, Grayson Rodriguez’s first start back in Baltimore could occur during an Aug. 4-6 series.
Preakness
The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes May 16 will mark the first (and hopefully only) time the race is held anywhere other than Pimlico Race Course. This year’s race will be held at Laurel Park while Old Hilltop undergoes renovations. All 120 dates of racing in 2026 will take place at Laurel as Pimlico prepares to become the singular home of racing in the state starting in 2027.
Ravens
While we won’t know the full schedule until the spring, we do know the Buccaneers, Saints, Titans and Jaguars will join the AFC North teams in visiting Baltimore in 2026. Road trips include Atlanta, Indianapolis, Houston and Carolina. And Ravens fans will hope Terrell Suggs or Marshal Yanda (or both) will gain induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, creating a reason to make a trip to Canton, Ohio, in August.
Running
The Baltimore Running Festival returns to the city on Oct. 17. Other major events include the Annapolis Running Festival on March 21, the Frederick Running Festival from May 2-3 and the Baltimore 10-Miler on June 6.
Soccer
While Baltimore may have been left out of the World Cup (June 11-July 19), we will get a taste of major soccer when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami battle D.C. United in a regular-season MLS match March 7 at M&T Bank Stadium. The Baltimore Blast wrap the regular season with a March 28 matchup against Tacoma at SECU Arena.
Photo Credit: Jaclyn Borowski/PressBox
Issue 296: December 2025 / January 2026
Originally published Dec. 17, 2025.