This is a list of notable events in country music that will take place in 2026.
Events
- January 13 â "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton becomes the first country song in history to be double diamond certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.
- January 14 â Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association announces that she will retire at the end of 2026 after twelve years in the role.
- January 16 â Suzy Bogguss is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Reba McEntire, who was also celebrating her 40th anniversary as an Opry member that night. Bogguss was invited on October 11, 2025 by Kathy Mattea, Terri Clark, and Trisha Yearwood.
- January 17 â Blake Shelton scores his 30th number one single on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with "Stay Country or Die Tryin'", placing him second to Kenny Chesney's 33 for the most number one singles on that chart since its inception in 1990.
- January 24 â Paul Brandt makes a post on X using lyrics from his 2005 single "Alberta Bound" that leads to a controversy, with some viewing it as an endorsement of the Alberta separatism movement
- February 9 â "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley becomes the first song by a female artist (and the fourth song overall) to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and all-genre Billboard Hot 100 charts simultaneously.
- March 2 â Megan Moroney and Ella Langley make history as the first pair of women in country music to top the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 simultaneously. Langley's "Choosin' Texas" spent a second week at number one on the Hot 100, while Moroney's Cloud 9 debuted in the top spot on the albums chart.
- March 10 â Jelly Roll is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Lainey Wilson. He was invited by Craig Morgan on December 10, 2025.
- March 23 â "Choosin' Texas" becomes the first song by a female artist that topped the Hot Country Songs chart to also spend four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
- April 24âÂÂ26 â The 2026 edition of Stagecoach Festival takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, featuring headline performances from Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Post Malone.
Top hits of the year
The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, or Canada Country charts in 2026:
Singles released by American and Australian artists
Singles released by Canadian artists
Top new album releases
Other top albums
Upcoming
Hall of Fame inductees
(announced on March 20, 2026)
Deaths
- January 6 â Jim McBride, 78, American songwriter ("Chattahoochee")
- January 19 â Billy Parker, 88, American country music singer and DJ.
- February 11 â Jerry Kennedy, 85, American record producer
- February 16 â Brett Jones, 69, American songwriter ("A Little Past Little Rock", "That's How Country Boys Roll", "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away")
- March 22 â Ronnie Bowman, 64, American bluegrass guitarist and singer-songwriter
References