Wimbledon Championships 2026

What this countdown tracks

The 139th edition of The Championships, Wimbledon runs June 29 – July 12, 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in southwest London. It is the third Grand Slam of the 2026 tennis calendar and the only one still contested on grass. The fortnight pairs singles, doubles, and wheelchair draws across 18 show and outside courts.

Background

The All England Club, founded in 1868 and relocated to Church Road in 1922, has staged The Championships annually since 1877 with interruptions only for the two World Wars and the 2020 COVID-19 cancellation. Centre Court seats 14,979 and features a retractable roof installed in 2009, with a second roof added to No. 1 Court in 2019. The 2026 tournament will be the second played under the AELTC's electronic line-calling system, which replaced human line judges across all courts beginning in 2025. Prize money rose to £53.5 million in 2025 — a 7 percent increase over 2024 — with the singles champions each receiving £3 million; the 2026 purse is expected to top that figure. Holders heading into the 2026 draw are Carlos Alcaraz in men's singles, whose 2025 final over Jannik Sinner extended the Spaniard's dominance on grass, and Iga Świątek, who claimed her first Wimbledon title in 2025. The AELTC's long-planned expansion onto the former Wimbledon Park golf course — adding 39 courts including an 8,000-seat show court — secured final planning approval in 2024 but will not be complete in time for 2026. AELTC chairman Deborah Jevans, appointed in 2023, has overseen the transition to Hawk-Eye Live and the continued dress-code enforcement that keeps the predominantly-white player-attire rule in force. BBC Sport retains free-to-air UK broadcast rights through 2027 under a deal that predates the streaming-era rights fragmentation affecting other Slams.

Why the date matters

June 29 is the traditional last Monday of June start that AELTC has observed since moving from its older mid-June schedule in 2015 to give players an extra week after Roland-Garros. The July 12 men's final sits one week before the FIFA World Cup final, narrowly avoiding a direct broadcast clash. Wimbledon's fixed fortnight also anchors the summer grass-court circuit's scheduling across Queen's, Eastbourne, and Berlin, and its mid-event Middle Sunday programming has become a commercial cornerstone of the broadcast package.

What to watch for

• First-round scheduling for top seeds on Centre Court and No. 1 Court
• Middle Sunday play — standard since 2022 after decades of rest-day tradition
• Electronic line-calling performance and any officiating adjustments
• British wild-card entries for men's and women's singles draws
• Weather contingency use of Centre Court and No. 1 Court retractable roofs
• Royal Box attendance, including Princess of Wales and Princess Anne appearances
• Ticket resale and queue culture at Gate 3 throughout the fortnight
• Daily consumption of strawberries and cream — the 2025 total cleared 200,000 portions

Related events to track

Wimbledon overlaps the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening group stages and wraps a week before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. Tennis fans planning longer-range travel may also track the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 Final for the following year's headline cricket moment.

FAQ

When exactly is Wimbledon 2026? June 29 – July 12, 2026, with the women's singles final on July 11 and men's singles final on July 12.

Is Wimbledon 2026 confirmed or expected? Confirmed by the AELTC as part of the 2026 Grand Slam calendar.

Who is responsible for Wimbledon 2026? The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, in coordination with the ATP, WTA, and ITF.

Where can I read the official announcement? Tournament overview and draw details are catalogued at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Wimbledon_Championships.