Sumo set to end 2026 on high note as stars align ahead of Kyushu <i>basho</i>

With the final Grand Sumo Tournament of 2026 about to get underway, Japan’s national sport finds itself in a position it hasn’t been in for quite a while — namely having all the sport’s big names apparently healthy and ready to compete. After a historically poor run of six straight tournaments won with 12-3 records there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. Sumo’s ideal scenario is a pair of yokozuna going into the final day unbeaten and facing off with the Emperor’s Cup at stake.