STEVEOCN

Four straight top-ten finishes for the South African to finish 2025 in events on the Korn Ferry Tour in Canada and at home in South Africa on the Sunshine Tour. Tied 7th twelve months ago in the Bahamas Golf Classic, and I fancy Barend Botha will put another good week together to start the year.

The American was tied for 6th at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, and he had three other top-15 finishes last season on the PGA Tour, including a top five at the John Deere Classic. I fancy Carson Young will have a big year in 2026, and it can start with a good showing at the Bahamas Golf Classic.

The American went to Japan to play in the Dunlop Phoenix and was a respectable 29th. Tied 7th two starts before at the Compliance Solutions Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, Davis Shore was third here twelve months ago, and I fancy he will have another good run at the Bahamas Golf Classic.

Taylor Montgomery had multiple top-ten finishes last season on the PGA Tour, and he was runner-up at the Utah Championship. He tied for 6th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and was 8th in the Isco Championship. I fancy the American makes the breakthrough this year, and he can start the new season off with a big week in the Bahamas.

Algeria topped their World Cup qualifying campaign with 25 points from ten games in Group G, and I fancy they will carry that form into AFCON. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions have a strong squad that includes Riyad Mahrez. I am siding with the likes of Cameroon, Senegal, and Ivory Coast to be beaten, and I think Algeria can get the better of hosts Morocco to become African champions once again.

Twelve goals in sixteen games this season so far for Galatasaray over in Turkey, and the striker is just as prolific for his country, Nigeria. Ten goals in the last eleven games for the national team. I fancy Victor Osimhen will fire Nigeria a long way in his AFCON and be the tournament's top scorer.

The defending champion was a semi-finalist just last month at the UK Championship. Earlier in the season he won the English Open and lost in the final of the Xi'an Grand Prix in China. Murphy is in the tougher half of the draw, but back at The Masters I fancy The Magician will go all the way to another final.

The world champion has two-thirds of snooker's Triple Crown, and I fancy he can join the illustrious club of those who have won all three by claiming his first Masters title. Xintong has beaten all the top names since winning at the Crucible, and with the easier-looking quarter I am siding with Zhao, building momentum to put a big week together at the Alexandra Palace in London.

The Nuke won all the major titles last year on the PDC circuit, and the world number one will be a hard man to stop this week. Littler is the back-to-back world champion and won the Matchplay, Grand Prix, and Grand Slam. I fancy he adds the Winmau World Masters to his roll of honour.

France beat Ireland in Dublin by fifteen points in last year's Six Nations Championship, and it was an excellent second-half display, scoring 34 points at the Aviva. The French are the defending champions, and I fancy they will want to open with a statement win against the Irish at the Stade de France.

England have won the last three meetings with Wales. Last year in the Six Nations they went to the Principality Stadium and thrashed the Welsh 68-14 with a lethal display in the last fifteen minutes. November was a real confidence boost for England with Autumn Internationals wins against Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. I fancy they make a statement on the opening weekend by putting Wales to the sword by more than 28 points.

Four wins in five twelve months ago, and after the way England played in the Autumn Internationals back in November, beating Australia and New Zealand. England haven't won the Six Nations since 2020, but under Borthwick, they look to be ready to win the Grand Slam.

The Dutch forward was the joint top goalscorer at Euro 2024, and in his three seasons at Anfield, he has improved his goals tally each campaign. Ten Premier League goals last season, and I fancy Cody Gakpo will really step it up in honor of Diogo Jota to have his best season yet for The Reds. The Netherlands man can finish as one of the top four goalscorers in 2025/2026.

The Swedish striker has arrived from Sporting Lisbon and over two seasons in Portugal he netted 68 league goals. Viktor Gyokeres looks a perfect fit for The Gunners and I fancy he will link up with Rice, Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli to finish as the Top Goalscorer in his first season in England.

The Ferret won the Premier League in 2021. In the following two years he reached Finals Night, losing in the semi-finals. Jonny Clayton is the world number five, and I fancy that back in the Premier League he can finish in the top four again to reach The O2. I am siding with the Welshman to go all the way to the final.

The Nuke will have eyes on regaining the Premier League title this year. After winning it in 2024 and losing in last year's final to Luke Humphries, I fancy the world number one will once again dominate the weekly proceedings, top the table, and go on to finals night to win his second Premier League title.

Real Madrid have won two of the last four Champions Leagues and I fancy with Xabi Alonso now at the helm that Los Blancos can go all the way. Fifteen times European Cup winners, I am siding with Real Madrid becoming champions in Hungary by lifting the trophy at the Puskas in May.

The Argentinian striker scored nine goals last season in fourteen games in the Champions League. I fancy Inter Milan might have another good run in the competition, given their league phase draw includes Ajax, Prague, Kairat, and Union. Lautaro Martinez was fifth in the goalscoring charts last year, and I am siding with the forward reaching double figures in this European campaign.

With the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as the new Brazilian coach I fancy the Samba Boys will come good in time for this FIFA World Cup. The five times winners lifted the trophy in 1994 when it was last hosted in USA and I can see a much different Brazil under the managerial leadership of the Italian. Raphinha and Vinicius Jr can spearhead the Brazilians to World Cup glory, I am siding with a sixth World Cup for the South Americans.

Nobody has won more World Cup tournaments than Brazil, who have five. The last time the United States hosted the finals, it was the Brazilians who beat Italy in the final. Carlo Ancelotti is the coach leading the South Americans now, and with Vinicius Jr and Raphinha on the wings, I fancy Brazil will peak at this World Cup to reach an eighth final and win it for a sixth time.

The Dutch reached the World Cup Final in 2010, losing out to Spain in extra time at Soccer City in Johannesburg. They were beaten semi-finalists in the last European Championships. With such a talented squad, I fancy the Netherlands will be a stronger unit two years on, and I am siding with Holland going all the way to the final.

The Nuke has won the last two PDC World Championships, and he goes in search of three in a row and a historic hat trick. Littler has reached the final the last three years at the Ally Pally, and I fancy he won't be stopped from becoming a three-time, back-to-back world champion.