In 2026, the sporting calendar in Canada and the United States is packed with high-profile events, new leagues and league expansions. 

For brands both big and small, this presents an unprecedented opportunity for expanded fan engagement, connection with audiences and brand visibility by reaching out to communities and customers through advertising and partnerships tied to sports. And no, you don’t need to be a paying sponsor to take advantage and align yourself with a sport.

This article explains why now is a critical moment to integrate sport-aligned advertising into your marketing plan. You may be late to the table, but the opportunity is still abundant.‍

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A Busy Sports Year: Mass Audience Potential‍

The sports landscape in 2026 is one of unmatched variety and volume, ensuring countless opportunities for brands to reach targeted and broad audiences alike:

• Winter Olympics: The Milano-Cortina Winter Games in February 2026 feature extensive global broadcasting and massive viewer engagement. NBC has already sold out its advertising inventory for these Olympics and the event is expected to reach nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population. Canada and the U.S. are high performers in the Winter Games and both populations tune in heavily across multiple platforms.‍
• Formula 1’s Expanding Presence: The 2026 Formula One season features two new entries; Cadillac F1 and Audi, alongside traditional powerhouses, and a full race calendar, with stops in Montreal, Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, that attracts global viewers and local spectators alike.‍
• MLB and the Blue Jays: After a World Series run, the Toronto Blue Jays carry heightened fan interest into the 2026 MLB season, offering continued national and regional attention.‍
• Toronto Tempo & Portland Fire WNBA Expansion: The newly established Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will begin play in May, with the Tempo being the first WNBA franchise based outside the U.S., bringing women’s professional basketball to Canada and expanding fan engagement opportunities for brands. This marks a major milestone in women’s sports growth.
• With such a robust lineup, sports viewership in 2026 will capture attention across age groups, regions and interests, making it an ideal environment for advertising impact.‍
• FIFA World Cup 2026: Hosted jointly by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, the FIFA World Cup is arguably the world’s biggest sporting event, with over 48 teams and more than 100 matches spread across North America, this event garners billions of global impressions.‍
• Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL): The PWHL continues its expansion with 2 new additions this year (the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes) and plans for as many as 4 teams in the ‘26-’27 season, as well as increasing regular-season games from 90 to 120 in the ‘25-’26 season.‍
• Other Major Events: From NFL’s Super Bowl LX to the NBA All-Star Game, major tennis, golf and motorsports events pepper the calendar, there is always something to watch.

With such a robust lineup, sports viewership in 2026 will capture attention across age groups, regions and interests, making it an ideal environment for advertising impact.

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Advertising Opportunities For Every Budget

With so many things to tune into, comes multiple ways in which you can tune in, leading to an explosion of ways you can advertise against sport: 

• Programmatic Display & Digital Integration: The continued advancement of streaming capabilities means so many more sports can be engaged with in real time. The volume of placements via CTV, Native and DOOH is astronomical and can be used with such precisions. The ever expanding inventory of streaming and display placements that can be bought in bulk or via programmatic opening doors for brands of all sizes to participate. This is one of the easiest ways a brand can hop on the bandwagon without sponsorship.‍
• Affordable Entry Points for Smaller Brands: The growth of digital ad units and lower-cost sponsorship placements enables small and mid-sized businesses to advertise alongside sports content without the enormous budgets historically required for traditional sports sponsorship.‍
• Multi-Screen Engagement: Sports fans engage with events across devices, from live TV to real-time social interactions, increasing the touchpoints where your brand can be seen.

This diversification creates more space for participation and expands opportunities for advertisers to craft creative, relevant touchpoints directly within sport-related consumer experiences.

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Audience Diversification & Precision Targeting

Advertising with sports extends your brand’s reach while enabling more nuanced audience connections:

• Mass Audience Reach: Events like the Olympics draw viewers in large volumes for extended periods; in Paris 2024, CBC found that 7 in 10 Canadians tuned into coverage for 24.3 million hours of Olympic coverage watched. This is anticipated to go up in 2026.‍
• Geo-Targeted Ad Campaigns: Programmatic campaigns can deliver localized ads tied to specific games or markets, ideal for regional businesses wanting efficient spend and relevance.‍
• Niche Fanbase Channels: With more specialized outlets and platforms, brands can reach niche audiences in both paid advertising and more native partnerships. The Gist is a great example of a publication and community for brands looking to engage an educated female market in both Canada and the U.S..‍
• The Rise of Women’s & Emerging Sports: The rise of women’s leagues (like the WNBA and PWHL) and other sports offers unique sponsorship entry points at lower rates where early brand partners can build strong affinities with loyal followers at rates they can afford.

This combination of broad reach and fine-tuned targeting means sports advertising is no longer one-size-fits-all, it’s a toolkit any brand can take advantage of with a good plan.

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Community Opportunity: Beyond the Impressions

Sports advertising and marketing also enables brands to cement their presence with the communities they want. In-person and experiential that creates real value for the audience can help your brand generate loyalty and value beyond the game:

• For large paying sponsor brands: Think beyond ‘painting the town red’. Look at the community you're going into, what are the pressures or challenges they are facing, can you build an experience that truly creates a tide that rises all ships? Communities across North America are experiencing various economic pressures and sport is a way to bring that community together, build shared-experiences and drive positive economic impact. Building something that builds loyalty and trust in you after you leave can lead to seeing ongoing revenue from that community.‍
• Local businesses: especially pubs, restaurants and retail spaces can take advantage of an opportunity to reach out to larger brands sponsoring to host their watch parties or experiential events. Host your own watch parties with a particular theme. Take advantage of those mailing and reservation lists to promote these activations and bring back returning customers.‍
• Recruitment and experience-based businesses: like higher education. Take advantage of opportunities to create community events to bring existing customers (or students) together with prospects. Leverage the opportunity to build valuable word-of-mouth and peer driven advocacy to engage with your brand.

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Getting Started

Let’s call out that it’s already January and you are coming to the table a little late, but not all is lost. There is also so much happening in 2026 in the world of sport it can definitely be tough to figure out where to start. Like any good program, always start with a clear goal and your audience in mind and find the right opportunity for your brand. You also need to be ready to take creative risks, this is not the year or the space to play it safe.

Whether you’re a national brand or a local business, integrating sports into your advertising strategy can drive visibility, deepen audience connection and build lasting loyalty. 

But hurry up, you’re losing daylight.

Need help planning your 2026 sports marketing strategy? Book a 30-minute consult with us at Orchestra Marketing to get tailored advice and actionable insights.