{"id":116542,"date":"2026-01-01T20:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T20:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/116542\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T20:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T20:00:14","slug":"2026-will-bring-super-bowl-playoff-pushes-and-the-world-cup-to-bay-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/116542\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 will bring Super Bowl, playoff pushes, and the World Cup to Bay Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good riddance to 2025. We survived the atmospheric rivers<\/a>, Brandon Aiyuk<\/a>\u00a0and whatever the heck that was from the Giants\u2019 lineup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But 2026? Oh, 2026 is special. It\u2019s a calendar year stuffed with so much narrative weight it\u2019s threatening to create a new fault line. It\u2019s the year of last chances and new eras.<\/p>\n

And star power: Boy, do we have it.<\/p>\n

Here is what you, the beleaguered, overcharged Bay Area sports fan, have to look forward to.<\/p>\n

The winter of our discontent<\/p>\n

The 49ers\u2019 annual January ulcer<\/p>\n

The 49ers are in the playoffs. What happens after that is anyone\u2019s guess. But we know part of this drill: The national media will question the Niners\u2019 head coach and quarterback until they actually win the title. Enjoy the ride, but keep the antacids close.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) dances in the end zone after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Jonathan Kuminga \u201cLiberation\u201d Day (Jan. 15)<\/p>\n

Circle Jan. 15 on your calendar. The Warriors have. That is the day Jonathan Kuminga\u2019s trade restrictions lift, and he can finally be sent to a team that will let him dribble and shoot 25 times a game without Steve Kerr grimacing on the sideline. The Warriors have been holding onto Kuminga\u2019s \u201cpotential\u201d like a cryptocurrency wallet they lost the password to. On the 15th, the password will be found, and the transaction will be imminent. It\u2019s not a trade; it\u2019s a mercy killing of a timeline that never was.<\/p>\n

Super Bowl LX: Billionaires\u2019 BBQ (Feb. 8)<\/p>\n

The Super Bowl returns to Levi\u2019s Stadium. Get ready for two weeks of national media complaining about the lack of shade in a game played at night, and the fact that San Francisco is actually a 45-minute drive from the stadium (on a good day, which this won\u2019t be). It\u2019s the biggest party in the world for a bunch of people you\u2019d never invite to a party, hosted in a corporate office park. Fitting.<\/p>\n

But, hey, maybe the 49ers will be in it.<\/p>\n

\"FireworksFireworks explode in the sky during the playing of the national anthem before their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\nSpring Hopes Eternal<\/p>\n

Macklin Celebrini: The only adult in the room<\/p>\n

The San Jose Sharks are pushing for the playoffs for the first time since the pandemic, and Macklin Celebrini is legitimately playing like he wants the Hart Trophy. Watching him skate is the reason to go to SAP Center, which will also host the NCAA West Regional Finals in March. Go for the college basketball; stay a few more days to watch a college-aged kid outplay a bunch of 30-year-old multimillionaires in the greatest league in the world.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) battles for a puck against Seattle Kraken’s Chandler Stephenson (9) in the third period of their NHL game at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. The Seattle Kraken defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-2. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steph Curry\u2019s last dance (Part 4)<\/p>\n

The Warriors are doing the \u201cone last push\u201d thing again. It\u2019s like watching an aging rock band tour; the hits are still good, but the lead singer\u2019s back hurts and the drummer is arguably a liability. Steph is still a basketball god, but his team\u2019s margin for error is now microscopic. They are chasing a title in a Western Conference\u00a0full of 22-year-olds who are keen to beat their idol. Does the Baby Faced Assassin have one last push in him? Do the Warriors have enough around him?<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) takes a shot against Los Angeles Clippers’ Ivica Zubac (40) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\nThe summer swoon<\/p>\n

Valkyries 2.0<\/p>\n

The Bay\u2019s newest team captured the attention of the entire region with their surprisingly competent play and electric homecourt atmosphere (except they couldn\u2019t play at home in the playoffs). Can the Valkyries follow up the impressive first act? Will the WNBA let it happen by actually playing the 2026 season? The league and players\u2019 association have a lockout looming.<\/p>\n

\"GoldenGolden State Valkyries fans cheer in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the WNBA playoff game against the Minnesota Lynx at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The World Cup at Levi\u2019s<\/p>\n

FIFA is bringing the circus to Santa Clara. If the U.S. manages to win Group D \u2014 a big \u201cif,\u201d considering it\u2019s the American men \u2014 it will play a knockout round game right here. Keep your fingers crossed, because the group-stage matches we landed are less than boring.<\/p>\n

Who isn\u2019t excited for an Austria vs. Jordan game at 9 p.m.? (Yes, that\u2019s 100 percent real, on June 16.)<\/p>\n

The Giants: Playoffs or the void<\/p>\n

The 2026 Giants season might be the real last hurrah of 2026. With baseball\u2019s CBA expiring in December and a 2027 lockout looming that threatens to cancel baseball until we all have flying cars, it\u2019s now or never \u2014 playoffs or bust for the Giants. We\u2019re all sick of mediocrity, and Buster Posey has made some brash moves \u2014 chief among them hiring Tony Vitello straight from the college ranks to manage the team \u2014 to end the drought.<\/p>\n

Knowing the Giants, they will tease you with \u201cplayoffs\u201d until Sept. 20 before pivoting hard to \u201cbust,\u201d leaving you with nothing but a $26 crab sandwich and the looming silence of a strike.<\/p>\n

But hey, we\u2019ll believe for months, right?<\/p>\n

The autumn of \u201cnew eras\u201d<\/p>\n

The 49ers\u2019 2026 season<\/p>\n

This is the season the Niners have been making every move to serve. Whatever happens to the Niners to end the 2025 season is gravy. In 2026, the Niners need to be playing for a title, or something has gone horribly wrong.<\/p>\n

The Bay\u2019s college football \u201crenaissance\u201d<\/p>\n

Down on The Farm, general manager Andrew Luck (still weird to say) and new head coach Tavita Pritchard are trying to make Stanford football care about football again. It\u2019s a bold strategy. Meanwhile, in Berkeley, Tosh Lupoi is yelling at people and recruiting five-star players, while Heisman contender Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele throws lasers. Cal is \u201con the ascent,\u201d which usually precedes a comical stumble, but for now, we are legally required to be optimistic.<\/p>\n

Buckle up, Bay Area. It\u2019s going to be a long, loud year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Good riddance to 2025. We survived the atmospheric rivers, Brandon Aiyuk\u00a0and whatever the heck that was from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116543,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[18739,7000,402,181,1334,129,752,404,10012,38747,296,4820,88,90,89,98,1083,127,1326,53199],"class_list":{"0":"post-116542","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-golden-state-valkyries","9":"tag-golden-state-warriors","10":"tag-inside-sports","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-olympics","17":"tag-other-sports","18":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","19":"tag-san-francisco-giants","20":"tag-san-jose","21":"tag-san-jose-headlines","22":"tag-san-jose-news","23":"tag-san-jose-sharks","24":"tag-soccer","25":"tag-sports","26":"tag-sports-columnists","27":"tag-wnba"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}