The 2026 Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday, with the world’s best players competing for the most coveted prize in tennis. With Serena Williams joining Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic in the field, the stage is set for an exhilarating edition of the grass-court Grand Slam.
Here is a lowdown on everything you need to know ahead of the start of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
2026 Wimbledon Championships Draw Date
The draw for the 2026 Wimbledon Championships will take place on Friday, June 26. Players will discover their first-round opponents and potential route to the title at 10:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. EDT). The ceremony can be followed live on the tournament’s official website or YouTube channel. The men’s and women’s singles draw will feature a total of 128 players each, including 16 qualifiers and 8 wild cards.
Format and Daily Schedule
The 2026 Championships will follow a single-elimination format. The men’s singles matches will be played as best-of-five sets, and the women’s singles matches will be played as best-of-three sets.
The first-round matches will get underway on Monday, June 29, with the second round beginning on Wednesday, July 1. The third round will start on Friday, July 3, followed by the fourth round on Sunday, July 5.
The action will continue into the second week, with the quarterfinals starting on Tuesday, July 7. The women’s singles semifinals will take place on Thursday, July 9, followed by the men’s singles semifinals on Friday, July 10.
The women’s singles and men’s doubles finals will take place on Saturday, July 11. The men’s singles and women’s doubles finals at the All England Club will be held on Sunday, July 12.
Top Seeds
Men’s Singles
The men’s singles field will be headlined by reigning Wimbledon champion Sinner. With world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to injury, newly crowned French Open champion Alexander Zverev will be the second seed.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic is seeded seventh, with Daniil Medvedev, French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, and Alexander Bublik rounding out the top 10.
Here are the top 8 men’s seeds:
- Jannik Sinner
- Alexander Zverev
- Félix Auger-Aliassime
- Ben Shelton
- Alex de Minaur
- Taylor Fritz
- Novak Djokovic
- Daniil Medvedev
Women’s Singles
World No. 1 Sabalenka will lead the women’s singles field as the top seed. Elena Rybakina is seeded second, followed by reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek in third.
Jessica Pegula and French Open champion Mirra Andreeva round out the top 5, with Gauff dropping into seventh place. Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, has received a wildcard for the women’s singles event.
Here are the top 8 women’s seeds:
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elena Rybakina
- Iga Świątek
- Jessica Pegula
- Mirra Andreeva
- Amanda Anisimova
- Coco Gauff
- Elina Svitolina
How to Watch the 2026 Wimbledon Championships
Fans in the United States can watch the 2026 Wimbledon Championships live on ESPN. In the United Kingdom, the BBC and TNT Sports will air the live coverage from the All England Club. Tennis fans in Canada can tune in to TSN and RDS to watch the third Grand Slam of the year.
In Australia, Channel 9 and Stan Sport will air the action live. Tencent Sports will broadcast the Wimbledon coverage for fans in China. Fans in India can follow along on JioHotstar, while those in Japan can tune in to Wowow and NHK.
For more information on how to watch the 2026 Wimbledon Championships live from anywhere in the world, follow this link.
Prize Money and Points Breakdown for Finalists
The total prize money purse for the 2026 Wimbledon Championships is £64.2 million (US$84 million). The men’s and women’s singles champions will earn £3.6 million (US$4.7 million) as well as 2,000 ranking points.
The runners-up in men’s and women’s singles will receive £1.8 million (US$2.3 million) and 1,300 ranking points.
The men’s and women’s doubles champions will receive £760,000 (US$999,840) per team.
Who Are the Defending Champions?
Sinner is the defending men’s singles champion, having won his first grass-court Major last year after defeating rival Alcaraz in the final.
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Świątek is the reigning women’s singles champion following her famous 6-0, 6-0 win over Amanda Anisimova in the 2025 final.
Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool won the men’s doubles title at Wimbledon last year, while Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens were the winners in women’s doubles. The 2025 Wimbledon mixed doubles title was won by Sem Verbeek and Kateřina Siniaková.
