Wimbledon 2026 Dates: When Does Wimbledon Start, Full Schedule and How to Watch

Wimbledon 2026 begins on Monday 29 June and runs for fourteen days to Sunday 12 July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in south-west London, with qualifying staged the week before from Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June at the Community Sport Centre in Roehampton. The 139th edition of the grass-court Grand Slam opens with two days of first-round singles across every show and outside court, builds through the second-week quarter-finals on 7 and 8 July, and culminates in the Ladies' Singles final on Saturday 11 July and the Gentlemen's Singles final on Sunday 12 July, with The WP Times sports desk in Westminster tracking every key date, order-of-play release and result from first ball to last across the fortnight.

The Championships carry a record total prize fund of £64.2 million for 2026, a 20 per cent rise of £10.7 million on last year and the largest single-year increase in the tournament's history, with each singles champion banking £3.6 million and the singles draw confirmed at a draw ceremony scheduled for Friday 26 June. Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek headline a field reshaped by the withdrawal of two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz, while a strong British contingent led by Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper carries the home interest at SW19. Below is the complete guide to when Wimbledon starts, the full day-by-day schedule, the qualifying timetable, prize money by round, the leading contenders and how to watch every session.

When Does Wimbledon 2026 Start? Key Dates Confirmed

Wimbledon 2026 starts on Monday 29 June, the last Monday of June, following the long-established calendar rhythm that places the main draw two weeks after the grass-court warm-up events conclude. The tournament closes on Sunday 12 July, giving fourteen consecutive days of play with no rest day, after Middle Sunday play was made a permanent fixture in 2022. The qualifying competition runs across the four days immediately before the main draw, from Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June, away from the main grounds at Roehampton.

The singles draw ceremony is scheduled for Friday 26 June, three days before play begins, when the 128 men and 128 women are placed into the bracket and the seedings are confirmed. That is the moment fans get their first clear look at potential routes, possible first-round upsets and the projected blockbuster meetings of the second week. The opening two days of the main draw, Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 June, are devoted entirely to first-round singles, producing the busiest and most unpredictable stretch of the fortnight.

Wimbledon 2026 Dates at a Glance

Wimbledon 2026 Qualifying: Schedule, Roehampton and the Race for 32 Places

Before the famous SW19 lawns open, 128 players in each draw battle through qualifying for the final places in the singles main draws. Held from Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June at the Wimbledon Community Sport Centre in Roehampton, roughly four kilometres from the All England Club, the competition decides 16 men's and 16 women's spots that join the 112 direct entrants and wildcards already in each 128-player field. Each survivor must win three rounds across the four days to earn a debut or a return on the grass.

Qualifying prize money has risen to £6.2 million for 2026, up 25 per cent year on year, underlining the All England Club's stated aim of supporting players outside the main title race. The Roehampton site stages all qualifying matches across its grass courts, with the field a mix of established tour names rebuilding rankings, rising juniors and seasoned grass-court specialists chasing a shot at the main stage.

How Qualifying Works

• Four days of play, Monday 22 to Thursday 25 June, at Roehampton.
• Three rounds of best-of-three-set matches in the women's and men's draws.
• 16 qualifiers reach each singles main draw, 32 in total.
• Qualifiers are added to the main draw before the order of play is finalised.
• A record £6.2 million qualifying prize fund, up 25 per cent on 2025.

What the All England Club Said About Record Prize Money

Announcing the figures, the All England Club Chairman set out a 20 per cent uplift as the headline of the 2026 financial package (AELTC, prize-money announcement, London). "I am delighted to announce a total prize money fund of £64.2 million for The Championships 2026, a very significant increase of 20 per cent," the Club stated, framing the rise as the biggest single-year increase in the event's history.

The Club has consistently positioned surplus revenue as funding not only player rewards but also facility investment, the wider grass-court season and the development of British and international tennis. The £10.7 million increase moves the Championships closer to the level sought by player representatives during talks at Roland Garros, even as the broader debate over Grand Slam revenue sharing continues across the tour.

Wimbledon 2026 Full Schedule: Day-by-Day Order of Play

The Championships follow a familiar weekly structure across the fortnight. Week one delivers the first and second rounds of the singles, with the doubles events joining mid-week, while week two narrows each draw to the last 16 and then through quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals weekend. The provisional day-by-day plan below is subject to change at the discretion of the Referee, with weather and player circumstances the usual variables.

What Time Does Play Start Each Day

Outer courts (Courts 2 to 18) begin at 11:00am BST every day, while Court 1 and Centre Court typically start at 1:30pm BST. On finals weekend, Centre Court play begins later, at around 2:00pm BST. Only the first match on each court carries a fixed start time; subsequent matches follow on completion of the previous one. The official order of play, listing every match on every court in playing sequence, is released the evening before each session, usually around 7:00pm BST, on the official Wimbledon website and app.

Wimbledon 2026 Prize Money: How Much Do Winners Earn

The 2026 total prize fund of £64.2 million represents a 20 per cent increase on the £53.5 million awarded in 2025, the largest single-year rise the tournament has recorded. Across the singles draws, average prize money is up around 22 per cent, with significant increases weighted towards early-round losers and qualifiers as well as the champions. Wimbledon has paid equal prize money to men and women since 2007.

Each singles champion will collect £3.6 million, up from £3 million last year, while the singles runners-up receive £1.8 million each. First-round singles losers take home £80,000, a rise of more than 21 per cent that illustrates how Grand Slam money now supports players well outside the title race. In the doubles, each winning pair earns £760,000, while the mixed doubles champions receive £148,000 per pair.

Prize Money by Singles Result

Who Are the Wimbledon 2026 Contenders to Watch

The men's draw has been reshaped by the withdrawal of two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, who has pulled out of the grass-court swing with a wrist injury. That removes one of the sport's most explosive attacking talents and shifts the spotlight back onto defending champion Jannik Sinner, the world No.1, whose clean ball-striking and composure under pressure make him a natural fit for grass. Alexander Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, and seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, head the chasing pack alongside Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

The women's field looks deep and difficult to predict. Defending champion Iga Swiatek, who last year became the first Polish singles champion of the open era at Wimbledon, leads a group that includes Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova, with French Open champion Mirra Andreeva among the rising names. There is also a marquee doubles storyline, with Serena and Venus Williams reuniting at SW19 after receiving a women's doubles wildcard, one of the most eye-catching entries of the build-up.

British Players in Focus

• Emma Raducanu, British No.1, aiming to better her 2024 run to the last 16.
• Katie Boulter, a two-time Nottingham Open champion on grass.
• Cameron Norrie, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist seeking another deep run.
• Jack Draper, leading the next wave of British men's hopefuls.
• Dan Evans, the former British No.1, set to retire after the grass Grand Slam.

How to Watch Wimbledon 2026 on TV and Live Stream

In the United Kingdom, Wimbledon 2026 is free to watch on the BBC, with comprehensive live coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, the BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app. That makes the Championships one of the most accessible Grand Slams for UK viewers, with no paid subscription required to follow the action from the first round through to finals weekend. Qualifying coverage is also carried live on BBC iPlayer from 11am on each day of the Roehampton competition.

Coverage spans all show courts and outside courts across the fortnight, with the daily order of play published the previous evening so fans can plan their viewing. For those attending in person, the famous Wimbledon Queue continues to offer a limited number of on-the-day Centre Court, Court 1 and Court 2 tickets, operating on a first-in, first-out basis, alongside grounds passes for the outside courts.

Wimbledon Champions Through History: Who Has Won the Most and What's at Stake in 2026

First contested in 1877, Wimbledon is the oldest tournament in tennis and carries the deepest honours list in the sport, which is exactly why every name on the 2026 entry list is chasing more than a single fortnight of glory. In the men's game, Roger Federer holds the all-time record with eight gentlemen's singles titles won between 2003 and 2017, a run that included five in a row from 2003 to 2007 and a final triumph at the age of 35 without dropping a set. Pete Sampras and seven-time winner Novak Djokovic sit one behind on seven apiece, and Djokovic, still active, remains the man most likely to threaten Federer's mark while also pursuing a record 25th Grand Slam title overall. On the women's side, Martina Navratilova stands alone with a record nine ladies' singles titles between 1978 and 1990, including six consecutive championships from 1982 to 1987, with Steffi Graf and Serena Williams each on seven and Venus Williams adding five to the family tally. Among the players returning in 2026, Djokovic's seven titles lead the active field, Carlos Alcaraz has two from his back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024, defending champion Jannik Sinner secured his first SW19 crown last year as Italy's first Wimbledon men's singles champion, and defending women's champion Iga Swiatek arrives one title into her own Wimbledon story after becoming the first Polish singles champion of the open era. The depth of that honours roll is the measure every contender is judged against, and it explains why the grass-court crown is so often called the most coveted trophy in tennis.

Most Wimbledon Singles Titles (Open Era)

Recent Wimbledon Singles Champions by Year

Wimbledon was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Active Players Returning in 2026 — Wimbledon Titles to Date

• Novak Djokovic — 7 titles (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
• Carlos Alcaraz — 2 titles (2023, 2024), withdrawn from 2026 with a wrist injury
• Jannik Sinner — 1 title (2025), defending men's champion
• Iga Swiatek — 1 title (2025), defending women's champion
• Elena Rybakina — 1 title (2022)

Wimbledon 2026 FAQ

When does Wimbledon 2026 start?
Wimbledon 2026 starts on Monday 29 June and runs to Sunday 12 July at the All England Club, with qualifying held the week before from 22 to 25 June.

When is the Wimbledon 2026 draw?
The singles draw ceremony is scheduled for Friday 26 June, three days before the main draw begins, confirming the first-round matches and seedings.

When are the Wimbledon 2026 finals?
The Ladies' Singles final is on Saturday 11 July and the Gentlemen's Singles final on Sunday 12 July.

How much is Wimbledon 2026 prize money?
The total fund is a record £64.2 million, up 20 per cent on 2025, with each singles champion earning £3.6 million.

How can I watch Wimbledon 2026 in the UK?
Coverage is free on the BBC across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, plus the BBC Sport website and app.

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