Wimbledon 2026 Starts June 29: TV, Stream, Draw
Wimbledon 2026 runs June 29 to July 12 at the All England Club. Here is where to watch, key draw matchups, and Serena's first-round opponent.
Wimbledon 2026 opens on Monday, 29 June at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, with Serena Williams returning to singles competition for the first time since the 2022 US Open, facing Maya Joint in the first round of a draw that also features Jannik Sinner defending the men's title and a record £64.2 million prize fund.
What the Draw Shows
The official women's singles draw was released on 26 June. Aryna Sabalenka enters as the No. 1 seed, followed by Elena Rybakina at No. 2, defending champion Iga Świątek at No. 3, and Jessica Pegula at No. 4.
Williams, 44, received a singles wild card from the All England Club, confirmed in the official wildcard announcement. She also received a doubles wild card alongside Venus Williams, with whom she has won 14 major doubles titles, six of them at Wimbledon.
According to the official ladies' singles draw, a first-round win over Maya Joint would place Williams in the second round against the winner of Alexandra Eala versus Renata Zarazua.
Other confirmed first-round women's matchups include Sabalenka versus Teodora Kostović, Świątek against Taylor Townsend, Coco Gauff against Tamara Korpatsch, and Emma Raducanu against Antonia Ružić.
On the men's side, the LTA's draw report confirms that Jack Draper opens against Taylor Fritz in a high-profile first-round clash. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 runner-up, is absent after withdrawing on 19 May with a wrist injury.
Singles Schedule: Round by Round
The Championships run across 14 days, concluding Sunday, 12 July. The confirmed singles-round structure below is drawn from the official Wimbledon schedule and the WTA's official tournament guide:
Round | Dates |
|---|---|
First round | 29–30 June |
Second round | 1–2 July |
Third round | 3–4 July |
Fourth round (Round of 16) | 5–6 July |
Quarterfinals | 7–8 July |
Women's semifinals | 9 July |
Men's semifinals | 10 July |
Women's singles final | 11 July |
Men's singles final | 12 July |
Women's doubles final | 12 July |
Full doubles and mixed draws and round dates are available via the official Wimbledon draw hub.
How to Watch Wimbledon 2026 in the US
ESPN holds exclusive U.S. presentation rights for the full tournament. Coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET on Day 1 and runs through the finals on 11 and 12 July, according to the ESPN Press Room's confirmed schedule.
The U.S. broadcast breakdown by date and round:
Date / Round | Where to Watch (U.S.) |
|---|---|
29–30 June (First round) | ESPN, 6 a.m.–4 p.m. ET, Disney+ (Day 1 only, all subscribers), daily Match Point 4–5 p.m. |
1–2 July (Second round) | ESPN, 6 a.m.–4 p.m. ET, Match Point 4–5 p.m. |
3–4 July (Third round) | ESPN, 6 a.m.–4 p.m. ET, Match Point 4–5 p.m. |
5 July (Round of 16) | ESPN 6 a.m.–noon, ABC noon–5 p.m. ET |
6 July (Round of 16) | ESPN2 (outer courts) 6 a.m.–4 p.m., ESPN (Centre Court) 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
7–8 July (Quarterfinals) | ESPN and ESPN2, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. ET |
9 July (Women's semis + mixed final) | ESPN: Breakfast 7 a.m., women's semifinals 8 a.m.–1 p.m., mixed final 1–2:30 p.m. |
10 July (Men's semis) | ESPN: Breakfast 7 a.m., men's semifinals 8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
11 July (Women's final) | ESPN: men's doubles final 8 a.m., Breakfast 10 a.m., women's final 11 a.m., ABC encore 3 p.m. |
12 July (Men's final) | ESPN: women's doubles final 8 a.m., Breakfast 10 a.m., men's final 11 a.m., ABC encore 3 p.m. |
ESPN Deportes carries more than 100 hours of Spanish-language coverage across the fortnight. ESPN Unlimited subscribers can access all 18 courts simultaneously through the ESPN App. Day 1 on Disney+ is open to all subscribers, not just ESPN bundles.
How to Watch Wimbledon 2026 in the UK
In the United Kingdom, the BBC holds free-to-air coverage rights through 2033, as confirmed by The Guardian's rights report from 25 June. Coverage spans BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, the red button, and BBC Radio 5 Live. Hosts Clare Balding and Isa Guha lead the on-air presentation.
Radio Times reports that all 18 courts are streamable on BBC iPlayer in 2026, with expanded coverage reaching courts not previously offered to digital audiences.
The Players
Jannik Sinner defends the men's title after beating Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the 2025 final. Iga Świątek defends on the women's side after a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Amanda Anisimova in 57 minutes last year.
Two Roland-Garros champions come to the All England Club carrying their clay-court form. Mirra Andreeva, the women's No. 5 seed and 19 years old, won in Paris on 6 June, beating Maja Chwalińska 6-3, 6-2. Alexander Zverev, the men's No. 2 seed, claimed his first major title there the following day.
Four former Wimbledon women's champions are entered: Serena Williams, Elena Rybakina, Iga Świątek, and Barbora Krejčíková.
Prize Money
The 2026 total prize fund is £64.2 million, up 20% from 2025, as confirmed in the official Wimbledon prize announcement. The full singles payout structure, per the official prize-money PDF:
Round | Prize per player |
|---|---|
Champion | £3,600,000 |
Runner-up | £1,800,000 |
Semifinal | £900,000 |
Quarterfinal | £480,000 |
Fourth round | £300,000 |
Third round | £185,000 |
Second round | £126,000 |
First round | £80,000 |
Singles champions also receive 2,000 ranking points on both the ATP and WTA tours.
Grass-Court Warm-Ups
Both the Lexus Eastbourne Open (ATP 250/WTA 250, 22–27 June) and the Bad Homburg Open (WTA 500, 21–27 June) had finals scheduled for 27 June one day after the official Wimbledon draw was released. Players heading into first-round play on 29 June had, in several cases, competed in Eastbourne or Bad Homburg as recently as 48 hours prior.
The men's singles final is scheduled for Sunday, 12 July, with Serena Williams beginning her return in the first round on 29 or 30 June.
- how to watch wimbledon 2026
- wimbledon 2026 schedule
- wimbledon draw 2026
- serena williams wimbledon 2026
- tennis
