It’s rare that Aotearoa takes centre stage in world sport, but this year boasts a stacked itinerary. There’s the Fifa World Cup and the All Blacks’ first South Africa tour in 30 years. Formula 1 will feature Liam Lawson on the grid and the team founded by racing legend Bruce
Sport travel guide 2026: Fifa World Cup, All Blacks, F1 and NFL trips for fans
Ash Jurberg
NZ Herald·
6 mins to read
Subscribe to listen
Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
Sport and travel: Your 2026 guide to seeing the world through the stands. Photo / Supplied
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
New Zealand face Iran on June 15 at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. Then it’s north to Vancouver’s BC Place for Egypt on June 21 and Belgium on June 26.
Los Angeles gives you a week’s worth of options between matches. Hollywood and Disneyland are nearby, or you can drive the Pacific Coast Highway north to San Francisco. Vancouver puts you close to Whistler Mountain and Seattle’s city energy.
Tickets will be expensive and hard to get. But I learned something in South Africa in 2010. You don’t need stadium tickets to enjoy a World Cup. Some of my favourite experiences were at fan festival sites that drew thousands of supporters from competing nations. Supporters from rival nations watched together on giant screens, drinking, talking and swapping jerseys.
Vancouver’s official Fan Festival takes place at the PNE Amphitheatre, while Los Angeles will confirm locations closer to the event.
When: June 15-26, 2026
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
The All Blacks return for rugby’s greatest rivalry (South Africa)
The All Blacks haven’t toured South Africa for three decades. During apartheid, many black South Africans supported the All Blacks over the Springboks. That history adds weight to this tour, which includes four tests against the Springboks plus provincial matches across Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Five weeks is a long tour, and most people won’t follow the entire thing. You’re better off choosing two or three cities and spending proper time in each rather than racing between every match. Cape Town and Durban both work as great bases. Cape Town has Table Mountain and nearby Stellenbosch wineries. Durban stays warmer through winter with a subtropical coast and has strong Indian influences in its food culture.
South Africa is significantly cheaper than Europe or North America, making multi-city travel realistic for visiting supporters. Wine country around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek produces exceptional bottles at reasonable prices. Kruger National Park, South Africa’s premier safari destination, lies a few hours from Johannesburg. The Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill in Johannesburg connect directly to why black South Africans once cheered against the Springboks.
When: August 7-September 12, 2026
American football comes to Australia (Melbourne)
I watched an NFL game in Dallas and couldn’t believe the spectacle. The production value is absurd with marching bands, cheerleaders and celebrity halftime shows. Constant entertainment fills every break in play, meaning that despite constant stoppages, the energy never flags.
Now you can have the same experience without the trans-Pacific flight. Melbourne gets its first NFL game in September when the LA Rams play the San Francisco 49ers at the MCG, which holds 100,000 spectators. NFL regular season games rarely draw crowds this large, even in the United States.
This is the only chance to see America’s most popular sport in the Southern Hemisphere. The September timing lands during the Australian Football League finals season, allowing you to catch both codes in one weekend.
When: Mid-September 2026 (specific date TBA)
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
nfl.com/international/games/melbourne/
Warriors and Magic Round festivals (Australia and New Zealand)
Rugby league fans have plenty of opportunities to combine sport and travel this year.
Christchurch’s new indoor stadium hosts its first NRL match on June 21 when the Warriors face North Queensland. Wellington has an Anzac Day clash against the Dolphins on April 25. The women’s team kicks off their season on July 4 in Auckland. Warriors away matches in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Far North Queensland offer a great reason to catch winter sun across the Tasman.
For those wanting to see more than just the Warriors, Magic Round weekends pack rugby league into a tight schedule. Brisbane’s men’s NRL Magic Round from May 14-17 is the world’s largest rugby league festival, cramming all 17 teams into Suncorp Stadium over one long weekend.
With the right ticket packages, you can watch eight matches in a single weekend, seeing teams you’d otherwise need to fly across Australia to catch.
Wagga Wagga in regional New South Wales hosts the NRLW Magic Round on August 1-2, with all 12 women’s teams playing. The town, with a population of around 67,000, creates an atmosphere that big cities can’t replicate.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
When: NRL season is March-September. NRLW season is July-September
Catch the world’s most famous cycle race (France and Spain)
The Tour de France costs nothing to watch. Stand roadside in any French village, and the world’s best cyclists whip past. Small villages that normally see little activity host thousands of spectators for an afternoon. The atmosphere during the tour beats most ticketed sporting events, and you’re standing in it for free.
The party starts hours before the riders arrive and although the peloton passes in seconds, the party continues long after they’ve gone, so settle in with a picnic of local wine, cheese and charcuterie as athletes pass just metres away.
The 2026 edition starts with a team time trial in Barcelona on July 4, crosses into France, then winds through the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps before finishing in Paris on July 26. Three weeks gives you time to follow the entire route or base yourself in one region and catch stages as they pass through.
When: July 4-26, 2026
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Join Formula 1’s passionate crowds (Brazil)
New Zealanders have reason to follow Formula 1 closely this year. Liam Lawson drives for the Racing Bulls while the team Bruce McLaren founded continues his legacy. Of the 24 races on the 2026 calendar, Sao Paulo delivers the most passionate atmosphere.
Interlagos ranks among Formula 1’s legendary circuits. Weekend attendance exceeds 300,000, creating an energy closer to a carnival than a typical motorsport event. Fans gather in cafes and botecos between sessions. Music fills street corners. Murals honouring Ayrton Senna appear throughout the city and Morumbi Cemetery draws fans who pay respects at his grave.
Beyond racing, Sao Paulo’s food scene rivals any major city. Traditional churrascarias compete with modern Brazilian restaurants in Vila Madalena and Jardins. Rio de Janeiro is about six to seven hours away by road, with Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain. Rio is what most travellers picture when they think of Brazil.
Iguazu Falls, straddling the Argentina-Brazil border, drops 275 waterfalls across nearly 3km. The Amazon, reached via Manaus, requires a separate flight but opens up jungle territory. Two to three weeks allows you to visit Sao Paulo, Rio, Iguazu Falls and the Amazon in various combinations.
When: November 6-8, 2026
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.