2026: The Greatest Year in Sports History —Watch It All in Ubud

Some years in sport are good. Some are great. And then there's 2026 — a year that has already delivered moments that will be talked about for decades, with more still to come. From the first FIFA World Cup on American soil to a 53-year drought ending in New York City, from a UFC fight card on the White House lawn to a Super Bowl defensive masterclass, 2026 has been genuinely unlike anything sport has seen packed into a single calendar year.

If you're in Ubud and trying to keep up with all of it, The Melting Pot Saloon is where it's happening. Every major event, multiple screens, sound on, open until 2AM — here's a breakdown of everything that has made 2026 one of the greatest year in sports history, and where you can catch every last moment of what's still to come.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 — Football's Biggest Stage, and the Upsets Keep Coming

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the largest in the tournament's history — 48 nations, 72 group stage matches, 12 groups, and 16 host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It is the first World Cup hosted across three countries simultaneously, and the expanded format has delivered exactly the chaos everyone hoped for. We're now into the Round of 32, and the script has been torn up more than once already.

Germany — four-time champions — were knocked out on penalties by Paraguay, with Kai Havertz among those missing from the spot. The Netherlands fell to Morocco on penalties in a thriller, while Japan pushed five-time champions Brazil all the way to stoppage time before a late Gabriel Martinelli winner ended their run. Iran were eliminated in the group stage on goal difference after Algeria's late surge, and a record nine African nations made it through to the knockout rounds — the most ever from the continent at a single World Cup. With Argentina and Portugal drawn on opposite sides of the bracket, a Messi-Ronaldo final remains alive, but only if both sides go all the way.

This is the tournament that stops the world, and right now it's doing exactly that. The Melting Pot Saloon is screening World Cup matches throughout the knockout rounds across our 80" TV and full projector, the way football is meant to be watched. Check our Instagram and Facebook daily for which fixtures are on the big screen each day.

Super Bowl LX — The Seahawks Are Back

February 8, 2026. Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara. The Seattle Seahawks dismantled the New England Patriots 29–13 in one of the most defensively dominant Super Bowl performances in recent memory — holding the Patriots scoreless for the first three quarters and sealing the Lombardi Trophy with a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers. It was Seattle's second Super Bowl title, and redemption for a fanbase still carrying the bitter taste of Super Bowl XLIX more than a decade ago.

Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl MVP after a grinding 135-yard rushing performance, and quarterback Sam Darnold — once written off as one of the NFL's biggest draft busts — completed one of the greatest redemption arcs the sport has ever seen. The game drew over 124 million viewers worldwide, the second most-watched program in US television history. At The Melting Pot Saloon, we had the screens on and the beers flowing for every snap — and Super Bowl LXI is already on the calendar for next February.

UFC Freedom 250 — A Fight Card at the White House

On June 14, 2026, the UFC did something nobody had ever done before — it staged a full fight card on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C., in front of thousands of invited guests and tens of thousands more watching on massive outdoor screens at The Ellipse. UFC Freedom 250, officially named to mark the 250th anniversary of American

independence, was the most expensive fight event ever produced — with costs reportedly exceeding $60 million — and it delivered.

The main event saw lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defend his title against Justin Gaethje, with Gaethje pulling off the win in a brutal, bloody contest that lived up to every expectation. It was a night that cemented MMA's place not just as a sport, but as a genuine cultural institution — and one that we had on the big screen at the Saloon from the first prelim to the final bell.

That wasn't even the end of it. Conor McGregor — out of the octagon for five years since his leg break at UFC 264 in 2021 — finally returns on July 11, 2026, headlining UFC 329 against Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It's a rematch over a decade in the making; the two first fought back in 2013, with McGregor winning by unanimous decision when both men were just rising featherweights. This time it's a welterweight clash, and after five years of waiting, it's set to be one of the most watched fight cards of the year. We'll have it live on the big screen at the Saloon.

The New York Knicks — 53 Years of Waiting, Over

June 13, 2026. Jalen Brunson scored 45 points — a Knicks Finals record — as New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94–90 to win the NBA championship in five games and end the longest title drought in the franchise's history. The last time the Knicks won the NBA championship was 1973. Fifty-three years. Three generations of fans who had never seen their team lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

What made it more remarkable was how they won. The Knicks trailed by double digits in all four of their victories, mounting comeback after comeback in a Finals series that averaged a four-point margin across five games — widely called one of the greatest Finals series of the last decade. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs pushed them to the limit every single night, but Brunson kept finding ways to win, and the city of New York erupted in a way it hadn't since 1973. The series drew 20.6 million viewers per game — the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.

Watch sports in Ubud at The Melting Pot Saloon

Every one of these moments — the World Cup goals, the Super Bowl defensive masterpiece, the Knicks ending 53 years of heartbreak, the UFC on the White House lawn — they all hit differently when you're watching them in a room full of people who care. That's what watch sports in Ubud at The Melting Pot Saloon is built for.

Multiple screens including an 80" TV and full projector. Sound always on — screens with music playing over the top. 19 craft beers on tap, the largest selection in Ubud. Texas- style food running all night. Open daily from 10:30 AM until 2 AM, so whether it's an afternoon kickoff or a late-night main event, we're open and the screens are on.

2026 is one of the greatest year in sports history. Don't watch it alone on a laptop. Come to The Melting Pot Saloon, your go to sports destination.