A new year brings new challenges, new opportunities, and, for us, new predictions. Here’s what our crystal ball says 2026 has in store.
A DARK HORSE TO EMERGE AT NZ’S TOUCH NATIONALS
In recent years, New Zealand’s National Touch Championships has seen the same familiar faces reach the pointy end of the competition for the Open grades — the likes of Harbour’s, the Waikato’s, the Counties’.
In 2026, we see a new face insert themselves into the title picture. But where will it emerge from?
The last six years have featured any combination of Harbour, Counties and Waikato in the Open Men’s final, with each of those provinces trading titles since 2019. While they’ll all be hard to unseat, Auckland or Bay of Plenty look finally set for a breakthrough.
In the Open Women’s division, Waikato are coming off back-to-back championships having toppled Counties and Harbour in consecutive years. But if there’s a team that will make their way into the final, Manawatū are looking the most likely.
The Open Mixed has been the most difficult to predict with the top spot blown wide open after the Auckland dynasty. Nelson occupied it for a couple of years before Harbour took over last year. Based on last year’s form, they’ll be difficult to beat, but there are a bunch of teams that can meet them in the final. Last year’s runners up Counties could get back there, as could the semi finalists Nelson and Taranaki. But keep a close eye on Kapiti Horowhenua to make a comeback, a decade on from their last grand final appearance.
UQ REBELS HIT A TRIPLE TRIFECTA
The UQ Rebels Women’s Open won almost everything there was to offer in the Women’s Open division in 2024. In fact, to underscore their dominance, they did it again in 2025. Metro Cup, Queensland State Cup, The Championships — back-to-back champions in all three major competitions.
And expect them to do it again in 2026.
In Tiarni Bryce, the Rebels have an athlete who is widely regarded as the best Women’s player in Queensland and arguably in the world. And while the supporting cast has chopped and changed from week to week, they more often than not still find a way to win.
And that comes down to the coaching of Renee Murphy. The Emus coach has the team firing on all cylinders, regardless of who is in the match day 14, and her influence is showing strongly in the likes of Demi Ashurst, Kate Hammond and Caitlyn Blade who were all ushered into the Emus side for this year’s Trans Tasman.
TOUCH BLACKS UNVEIL NEW-LOOK SQUADS AT ASIA PACIFIC OPENS TOUCH CUP
Towards the back end of 2025, Touch New Zealand unveiled three new Touch Blacks coaches as they approached the half-way mark of the current World Cup cycle. Luke Chapman (Open Men’s), Dr Shane Edwards (Open Women’s) and Roy Prasad (Open Mixed) were all given the reins with this year’s Asia Pacific Opens Touch Cup being their first assignment in charge.
As such, we’re anticipating new-look squads with plenty of fresh faces as the coaches look to stamp their mark on their teams leading into TWC2028.
What that looks like will be known only to those three men and their staff, but it will be very interesting to see what style of play they look to employ and the squad members tasked with carrying that style out on the field.
ENGLAND WIN ALL THREE OPEN GRADES AT EUROS
Heading across to Europe, the European Touch Championships are a major focus for 2026 for northern hemisphere nations. In what will be the first Euros in three years, all nations have been planning and preparing for the tournament since the conclusion of the 2024 Touch World Cup.
Last year’s European Opens Touch Cup served as an appetiser for the main course, but still showed interesting signs ahead of this year’s tournament proper in Vichy.
England still reign supreme in the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions. Even after splitting their High Performance squads into three Men’s and Women’s sides each at last year’s EOTC, each team still finished inside the top four. And as reigning TWC bronze medallists in the Mixed Open grade, don’t expect them to walk away from Euros this year with anything but gold.
ONE NATION TO UPSET NEW ZEALAND OR AUSTRALIA AT ASIA PACIFIC SENIORS TOUCH CUP
Don’t ask us for substance to back this prediction up. Call it a hunch, call it hope, call it a desperate cry for something fresh. But there’s a feeling something’s brewing.
Australia are rightly called the number one nation in the world of Touch Football, while New Zealand is more often than not hot on their heels.
However, the Masters grades can often throw a spanner in the works. All it takes is for a nation to rally. For a few expats to make the jump. For the Emus or Touch Blacks to have an ‘off’ day.
And something tells us that September’s Asia Pacific Seniors Touch Cup is a stage tailor made for an upset.