The Top Sports Business Events in Europe 2026

Planning your sports business calendar requires sharper choices. Choosing the rooms where real decisions happen matters more than showing up everywhere. For rights holders and brands, 2026 is shaping up to be a year defined by sharper commercial focus, deeper collaboration, and fewer vanity appearances.

This guide puts 2026 front and centre. You’ll find the key European sports business events worth your time next year, followed by a compact reference table of what shaped the landscape in 2025.

Europe’s Key Sports Business Events in 2026

ICE Barcelona 2026 — January 19–21, Barcelona, Spain

ICE Barcelona opens the year with scale. While best known for gaming and gambling, its relevance to esports, betting partnerships, and regulated commercial models makes it increasingly important for rights holders and brands operating at the edge of digital sport.

For those navigating sponsorship, integrity, and commercialisation in emerging formats, this is where regulation and revenue intersect.

Sports World Congress (SWC) — February 2–3, Barcelona, Spain

SWC is where venues, organisers, and commercial partners get practical. The focus sits squarely on stadiums, live events, and the infrastructure that underpins fan-facing experiences.

If you manage assets, operate venues, or activate brands on-site, this event is less theory and more operational reality.

SPOBIS Conference 2026 — February 4–5, Hamburg, Germany

SPOBIS remains Europe’s largest sports business meeting point for a reason. It attracts senior decision-makers across rights holders, brands, media, and technology in one place.

Expect high-level strategy discussions, partnership conversations, and a strong emphasis on where commercial sport is heading next.

FBIN Commercial Excellence Summit — March 4, Budapest, Hungary

This summit strips football business back to fundamentals. Operations, monetisation, and commercial discipline take priority over hype.

For rights holders under pressure to professionalise revenue streams, this is a focused environment built around execution rather than exposure.

Sports Innovation 2026 — March 4–5, Düsseldorf, Germany

Sports Innovation is where new ideas are tested against real-world use. The event brings together rights holders, brands, and solution providers looking beyond incremental change.

It’s particularly relevant if innovation, digital formats, or future fan experiences sit on your 2026 roadmap.

Leaders Meet: Innovation — March 11–12, London, UK

This is not a mass conference. Leaders Meet: Innovation is designed for senior executives who want closed-door discussion rather than stage performances.

If you value depth, peer exchange, and long-term thinking over scale, this is where meaningful conversations tend to happen.

Scottish Golf Tourism Week — March 10–12, Edinburgh, UK

Golf remains one of sport’s most commercially mature ecosystems. This event connects destinations, tour operators, and rights holders in a B2B setting.

For brands and organisers operating in premium, travel-led sports segments, this week offers direct commercial relevance.

Sports & Events Europe 2026 — March 23–25, Seville, Spain

This workshop-driven event focuses on the mechanics of delivering sports events. Suppliers, organisers, and rights holders come together around logistics, delivery, and collaboration.

It’s less about visibility and more about how events actually get built and scaled.

BlackBook Motorsport Forum — March 24, London, UK

Motorsport operates on a different commercial cadence, and this forum reflects that. Media rights, sponsorship structures, and innovation in motorsport take centre stage.

For brands and rights holders in high-performance environments, the conversations here are highly targeted.

Coliseum Summit Europe — March 24–25, London, UK

Coliseum Summit Europe brings together decision-makers responsible for arenas and large-scale venues.

If your business depends on maximising venue utilisation, partnerships, or long-term infrastructure value, this summit is built for that audience.

International Sports Convention (ISC) — March 25–26, London, UK

ISC positions itself as a broad meeting place across data, sponsorship, governance, and sustainability.

It’s particularly useful for organisations operating across multiple sports or managing complex stakeholder environments.

SportsPro London 2026 — April 29–30, London, UK

SportsPro London is where media, technology, and commercial sport converge. The audience skews senior, with a strong mix of rights holders, broadcasters, and global brands.

If content, distribution, or platform strategy is part of your growth plan, this is a key date in the calendar.

Ticketing Business Forum — April 27–29, Manchester, UK

Ticketing sits at the intersection of revenue, data, and fan relationships. This forum focuses on CRM, analytics, and operational performance.

For rights holders looking to optimise attendance and lifetime value, the discussions here are highly practical.

Football Business Awards 2026 — May 15, London, UK

Awards events serve a different purpose. The Football Business Awards recognise commercial excellence across the football ecosystem.

For brands and rights holders, it’s less about learning and more about visibility, benchmarking, and industry signalling.

SportAccord Convention 2026 — May 24–28, Baku, Azerbaijan

SportAccord is where global federations and governing bodies align. The scale and political weight set it apart from commercial conferences.

If your organisation works closely with international bodies or multi-sport structures, this is a strategically important gathering.

FBIN Marketing Excellence Summit — May 26, Prague, Czech Republic

This summit narrows in on football marketing, fan-facing strategy, and brand execution.

For rights holders refining positioning or brands activating within football ecosystems, the focus is clear and applied.

IGTM 2026 — October 19–23, Cannes, France

IGTM is the global marketplace for golf tourism. Deal-making, partnerships, and long-term commercial planning dominate the agenda.

If golf is part of your commercial portfolio, this is one of the few events where business outcomes are the main currency.

Women’s Sport & Gender-Focused Business Events in 2026

Women’s sport has moved decisively into the business mainstream. These events are not add-ons to larger conferences; they are purpose-built forums where leadership, investment, and long-term strategy for women’s sport take centre stage.

For rights holders and brands treating women’s sport as a growth market rather than a statement, the following events offer focused, decision-led environments.

Equal Access to Sport for Women & Girls Conference — January 27, London, UK

Policy sets the pace before commercial decisions follow. This conference centres on access, participation, and structural barriers across women’s and girls’ sport.

For organisations shaping long-term frameworks rather than short-term campaigns, it provides early-year clarity on where responsibility, regulation, and opportunity intersect.

IWG Global Summit on Women & Sport 2026 — July 9–11, Birmingham, UK

Global alignment, not soundbites, defines this summit. The IWG Global Summit brings together leaders focused on governance, equity, and systemic progress in sport.

For brands and rights holders operating internationally, this is where credibility is built through long-term commitment rather than announcements.

ISC Women’s Sport Business Summit 2026 — September 29, London, UK

This is where women’s sport is discussed in commercial terms. The summit focuses on leadership, investment models, and the business mechanics driving sustainable growth.

If women’s sport sits within your core portfolio, this event offers a concentrated setting for commercially grounded conversations.

2025 Sports Business Events in Europe (Reference)

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How to Use This Guide

Use this list to be deliberate. Prioritise the rooms where your peers gather, where commercial decisions are made, and where partnerships move beyond introductions.

If 2026 is about focus rather than frequency, this calendar should help you choose accordingly.