Oscars 2026: Nominees, Predictions, Start Time and How to Watch the 98th Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars 2026, return to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to celebrate the standout films of 2025. With a global audience, fiercely debated nominees, and a crowded awards-season field, this year’s ceremony is shaping up as both a cultural temperature check and a high-gloss Hollywood spectacle.

From Al Jazeera’s comprehensive rundown of the nominees to last-minute guild wins shaking up the frontrunners, the 2026 Oscars are less about one dominant juggernaut and more about a cluster of strong contenders fighting for space in a fragmented, streaming-heavy landscape.

Oscars 2026 nominations announcement at the Dolby Theatre
The 98th Academy Awards nominations were unveiled at the Dolby Theatre ahead of the Oscars 2026 ceremony. (Image: Al Jazeera / Agency pool)

When and Where Are the Oscars 2026 Taking Place?

The 98th Academy Awards will once again unfold at the historic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the ceremony’s home base since 2002.

  • Date: Sunday (Los Angeles local time)
  • Time:
  • Red carpet coverage: Typically begins 2–3 hours before the main show.

In practical terms, 23:00 GMT means:

  • Los Angeles: 4:00 pm PT
  • New York: 7:00 pm ET
  • London: 11:00 pm GMT
  • Doha: 2:00 am (next day)
  • Mumbai: 4:30 am (next day)

The Academy and broadcasters have increasingly framed the telecast as a global event, which is why GMT has become the go-to reference in outlets like Al Jazeera’s Oscars coverage.


How to Watch the 98th Academy Awards Around the World

The official U.S. broadcaster remains ABC, but the Oscars now operate like a global sports final, licensed across regions and platforms. Exact channels vary by country, yet the basic options are consistent.

United States

  • TV: ABC (local affiliate)
  • Streaming (live TV bundles): Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream (where ABC is included)
  • Digital: ABC app and website with authenticated cable or live-TV login

United Kingdom & Europe

In the UK, rights typically sit with Sky Cinema / Sky Showcase and the NOW streaming service, while continental Europe splits broadcasts among local premium movie networks and streamers. Viewers should confirm local listings as contracts can shift year to year.

Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific

In MENA, the ceremony is often licensed to major regional satellite networks and streaming platforms; Al Jazeera itself focuses on news, analysis, and live-blog coverage rather than airing the show. Across Africa, Asia, and Oceania, pay-TV movie channels and global streamers with live channels typically carry the feed.

Official Online Sources

  • Oscars.org – official hub for nominees, history, and recaps.
  • IMDb Oscars section – quick reference for filmographies and awards stats.
  • Al Jazeera – global news coverage, live updates, and analysis of the 2026 ceremony.

Oscars 2026 Nominees: The Big Categories at a Glance

Al Jazeera’s breakdown of the 98th Academy Awards nominees emphasizes how dispersed the field is this year. Rather than a single behemoth sweeping every category, we’re looking at a patchwork of studio releases, international gems, and streamers’ prestige projects trading blows.

Close-up of a golden film award trophy on a dark background
The Oscars 2026 will honor a mix of studio blockbusters, intimate dramas, and international cinema.

Because final ballots and campaigns are still unfolding, think of this as a snapshot of the major races rather than an exhaustive list of every technical category.

Best Picture

The Best Picture line-up is where the Academy’s evolving taste really shows: a blend of social dramas, awards-friendly biopics, and at least one “we actually went to the cinema for this” blockbuster.

  • Intimate character-driven dramas with strong festival buzz.
  • One or two big-budget spectacles that married box office with critical acclaim.
  • At least one international feature breaking through the language barrier.

Acting Categories

Acting races feel more open than usual. Several veterans return with career-best work, but there’s also a notable wave of first-time nominees, many coming from independent films amplified by word-of-mouth and streaming platforms.

“This year’s nominees reflect a world where no single studio or streamer can dominate the cultural conversation. It’s a tug-of-war between theatrical ambition and at-home discovery.”

That dynamic helps explain why some acting nods went to quieter, festival-first titles rather than year-long, studio-backed campaigns.


Oscars 2026 Predictions: Who Are the Real Frontrunners?

Award-season forecasting is part science, part astrology. Guild awards (SAG, DGA, PGA, WGA), critics’ prizes, and BAFTAs all help sketch probabilities, but the Academy has been increasingly willing to zag where pundits expect a zig.

  1. Follow the guilds: SAG for acting, DGA for directing, and PGA for Best Picture are still the strongest predictors.
  2. Watch the narratives: “ overdue winner,” “breakthrough star,” and “this movie saved cinemas” are stories voters latch onto.
  3. Never underestimate international voters: The Academy’s expanded global membership has made surprise wins more common.
Audience at a theater watching an awards ceremony with a large screen
Guild awards, critics’ circles, and international voters all play into the unpredictable outcome of Oscars night.

Best Picture Outlook

Based on precursor awards and momentum, pundits have clustered the Best Picture race into tiers:

  • Tier 1: Films that win both major critics’ prizes and a top guild award.
  • Tier 2: Crowd-pleasers with strong box-office stories but lighter critical consensus.
  • Tier 3: Art-house favorites that may overperform in screenplay and below-the-line categories.
“On a preferential ballot, passion beats consensus. A film that a smaller group absolutely adores can edge out a title everyone simply ‘likes’.”

That quirk of the voting system is why some “safe” picks end up losing to movies that inspire borderline obsession among a subset of voters.

Acting Races

The acting fields often solidify late. A SAG win can lock in momentum, but surprise Oscar victories happen when:

  • Two frontrunners split the vote, letting a third contender slip through.
  • An acclaimed performance comes from a smaller film that many voters personally champion.
  • A veteran nominee is seen as “due” after years of respected work.

The 98th Academy Awards don’t exist in a vacuum; they’re a snapshot of a film industry still negotiating its post-pandemic identity. Al Jazeera’s coverage situates the nominees within broader questions about theatrical windows, streaming economics, and global storytelling.

Oscars ceremony stage with golden lighting and audience in the theater
The Dolby Theatre remains the symbolic center of Hollywood glamour, even as the film business pivots toward streaming and global audiences.

Theatrical vs. Streaming

While studios have largely recommitted to theatrical releases for awards hopefuls, many nominees still reach their widest audiences via streaming. The Oscars 2026 slate underlines a hybrid reality:

  • Prestige titles get limited theatrical runs to qualify, then quickly pivot to platforms.
  • Global viewers frequently discover nominees on streaming before awards night.
  • Campaigns now treat social media and platform homepages as seriously as billboards and “For Your Consideration” trade ads.

International and Diverse Voices

The Academy’s membership overhaul continues to show results. Non-English-language films and stories outside the traditional Hollywood mold aren’t just confined to the International Feature category anymore; they’re showing up in major races.


Strengths and Weaknesses of the 2026 Oscar Field

Any Oscar year is a Rorschach test: what you see depends on what you value in cinema. The 2026 line-up is no exception.

What the Oscars 2026 Get Right

  • Range of scale: From micro-budget indies to massive studio productions, the nominees span the full spectrum of film economics.
  • International reach: Several categories acknowledge the reality that many of the most exciting films of 2025 were made outside the U.S.
  • Genre fluidity: Horror, sci-fi, and animation continue to press at the edges of “Oscar-friendly,” even if they’re underrepresented in the top tier.

Where the Academy Still Lags

  • Comedies and genre fare: Critically adored comedies and genre-bending films still struggle to crack major categories beyond screenwriting.
  • Below-the-line recognition: Crafts like editing, sound, and production design often favor bigger campaigns over quieter technical achievements.
  • Global accessibility: Many nominated films remain hard to watch legally in certain regions before the ceremony, limiting global engagement.
Person holding an admission ticket in a cinema hall
Despite streaming’s rise, a theatrical release is still often seen as a badge of prestige for Oscar contenders.

Cultural Impact: Why the Oscars Still Matter in 2026

Every year, someone declares the Oscars irrelevant—then millions tune in anyway, and winning films enjoy measurable bumps in global viewership. The show may no longer be the unchallenged arbiter of taste, but it remains a powerful signal boost.

In an era where audiences are fragmented across platforms and algorithms, a single night in which the film industry collectively says “these are the ones we stand behind” still carries cultural weight. Outlets like Al Jazeera amplify that conversation, contextualizing Hollywood’s choices for viewers from Doha to Johannesburg to Jakarta.

However you watch—cinema, TV, or streaming—the Oscars still shape which stories travel the furthest.
The awards don’t just reward past achievements; they help decide which kinds of films will get funded, marketed, and imitated in the years ahead.

Trailers, Clips, and Where to Sample the Oscar 2026 Nominees

If you’re playing catch-up before the ceremony, you don’t need a festival badge or a local art-house cinema—just a stable internet connection and a bit of curiosity.

  • YouTube: Search for “Official Trailer” plus the film title; major studios host HD trailers on verified channels.
  • Streaming platforms: Many nominated films feature curated “Awards” or “Critically Acclaimed” rails on homepages during Oscar season.
  • Oscars’ official channel: The Academy uploads nominee spotlights, behind-the-scenes clips, and later, acceptance speeches.

For score and song nominees, look to official artist channels and music streaming services, which usually bundle nominated tracks into Oscars-themed playlists.


Final Thoughts: What to Watch For on Oscars Night 2026

When the 98th Academy Awards kick off at 23:00 GMT, you’re not just watching envelopes being opened—you’re watching an industry debate itself in public about what kind of cinema deserves the spotlight.

  • Will a crowd-pleasing blockbuster or a quieter festival darling claim Best Picture?
  • Do the acting awards crown new faces, honor veterans, or split the difference?
  • How strongly do international titles and nontraditional genres break through?

However the night shakes out, the Oscars 2026 will send ripples through development slates, greenlight meetings, and streaming homepages for years to come. Whether you’re in it for the red carpet, the speeches, or the spreadsheets of awards pundits, this year’s ceremony is worth staying up—or waking up early—for.

As long as the Academy continues to broaden its membership and the global press—Al Jazeera included—keeps interrogating who gets included and why, the Oscars will remain not just a glitzy show, but a fascinating mirror of our evolving screen culture.