Summer of Sport 2026

From

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4

Region(s): All of UK

Harness the excitement around this summer’ s major sporting events to motivate and inspire young people to improve their literacy skills and promote reading for pleasure.

The 2026 Fifa World Cup kicks off on 11th June, with 48 teams competing in 12 groups for a place in the final on 19th July.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup runs from 12th June – 5th July, with 12 teams competing in venues across England.
The Wimbledon Championships, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, runs from 29th June – 12th July.
The British Grand Prix welcomes the elite of Formula One racing to Silverstone from 2nd – 5th July.
The British Open, the oldest golfing tournament in the world, returns to Royal Birkdale from 16th – 19th July .
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games open on 23rd July, hosting competitors from 74 nations and territories for ten days of world class competition across ten sports and six para sports.
The European Athletic Championships come to Britain for the first time, with over 1500 elite athletes competing in seven days of track and field events, starting on 10th August.

Further resources:

Join Dan Freedman, creator of the Jamie Johnson book series that inspired the hit CBBC TV series, for some fun footballing stories and tips around teamwork and resilience in a Scholastic Book Club Live event to celebrate the World Cup on 29 June. Suitable for pupils aged 8+.
Catch up on two online events that link sport to key literacy skills from the National Literacy Trust. TV and radio presenter Shanequa Paris and broadcaster and word expert Susie Dent host a celebration of reading, sport and the wonderful world of words in Super Subs, building your vocabulary dream team suitable for pupils aged 7–11, while broadcaster Kenzie Benali and author Dan Freedman go behind the scenes of a live studio broadcast to explore tips and techniques to improve communication skills in an online event for pupils aged 11–14.
Celebrate the World Cup and keep students reading through the summer term with this World Cup Reading Challenge created by former School Librarian of the Year Lucas Maxwell.
Tom Palmer, best-selling author of over 50 children’s books, has a range of free literacy resources to support his football books on his website.
Download a free non-fiction writing unit for Year 5 based on the book Kick by Mitch Johnson from Jane Considine Education.
Get suggested booklists for all ages with tips on how to use pupils’ interest in football to help Kick Off a Reading Habit from the experts at Scottish Book Trust.
Find expert-curated book recommendations that cover a range of sports for primary-aged pupils from Books for Topics. You can also download ten free ‘Read into It’ special interest posters that connect young readers’ hobbies to a selection of recommended reads.
From skateboarding and synchronized swimming to long-distance running, channel a love of sport into a passion for reading with this selection of books for young readers of all ages from book recommendation site and online bookstore LoveReading4Kids.
Develop pupils’ critical thinking, speaking and listening skills as you explore the wider issues surrounding major sporting events such as the World Cup with the free resources from Topical Talk. Suitable for pupils aged 10-16.
The Premier League Reading Stars is a free 10-week programme developed by the National Literacy Trust and the Premier League to engage reluctant and less able readers in UKS2.
Visit the Premier League Primary Stars website for more football-themed literacy, PSHE and maths resources for primary schools.
Sign up for National Schools Sports Week (6th July – 12th July) and explore the resources available from the Youth Sport Trust to improve the wellbeing of children and young people through play and sport.