Young and the Restless is kicking off 2026 and we’ve got predictions for what the year may bring, including drama for Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn), and many others in Genoa City.

Young and Restless: Cane Can’t Shake Phyllis

Our first prediction for the year of 2026 is that Cane cannot stay away from Phyllis. I suspect that Cane going to be back in bed with Phyllis while Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) is off-screen for Christel Khalil’s maternity leave. I think Cane may try and get Phyllis out of his system before Lily gets back.

At the end of the day, I do believe Cane and Lily are destined to be together despite it all. She wants to believe the best of Cane as the father of her children. But of course, Phyllis will absolutely hate being pushed aside.

Victor Newman Faces Karma and New Y&R Rivalries in 2026

Number two is that Victor will find out his vengeful games have cost him big, and Newman Media might be the company that’s in trouble next. Whether it’s Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) who finds a way to get the AI or Phyllis comes for payback, I think Victor is going to be hit by karma.

If Michael Baldwin (Christian Jules Leblanc), Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), or Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) play any role in the Abbotts getting a leg up, I think Victor will be furious at their betrayal. As I suspected, Nikki already wimped out and is back to enabling Victor while also telling Jack that Victor’s love for her will stop him.

Really, Nikki? Have you met Victor Newman? Nothing is going to stop him. No matter how much he says he loves you, nothing but an outside force taking that AI from Victor and roasting him with it is going to stop it. That’s what I’m definitely hoping to see in 2026.

Audra Charles and Phyllis Summers Forge an Unlikely Alliance

Third on our prediction list, Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) may team up with Phyllis. They are both town pariahs and they have a couple of common foes: Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin), who Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) chose over Summer Newman (Allison Lanier), and of course, Claire is out to destroy Audra.

Plus, Victor did Audra and Phyllis both dirty in a business deal, so that’s another common target. Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) is trying to block Audra being hired at AbbottCom, and he fired Phyllis from the project. Billy might be a common target for both of them as well.

Sally Spectra and Audra Charles Reach a Breaking Point at Abbott-Com

Sally may have to take a step back from Audra if she doesn’t stop her revenge games. Because Sally doesn’t want to go down a dark path with her. If Audra finds her best friend Sally isn’t supporting her quest for vengeance, well, maybe Phyllis will be her friend in revenge. That leads us into prediction number four, which is that Sally may refuse to hire Audra at AbbottCom – at least until she shows Sally that she can get off of this destructive path she’s on.

Going after Claire and Kyle could be a bestie deal-breaker. Plus, once Audra’s past with Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) is exposed and this sketchy death comes out publicly—which I’m sure inevitably is all going to happen. That might be enough for Jill Abbott (Jess Walton) to put a permanent ban on Sally hiring Audra, even if Sally still wants to. Audra right now seems to be spiraling. She’s lashing out as she circles the drain, and she’s not done yet.

The Final Days of Matt Clark and Dirty Cop Annie Stewart

Our number five prediction is that Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) ends up dead in 2026. Dirty cop Annie Stewart (Catherine Kresge) may be pushing up daisies, too. Victor gets involved this week with Nick Newman’s (Joshua Morrow) plot against Matt, and we all know Victor has no problem having somebody taken out like trash.

I don’t see Matt sticking around long-term, although I really like having Roger Howarth back on my TV screen. I’m a big fan of his from General Hospital. We could see Noah Newman (Lucas Adams) kill Matt to protect Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun), or she might kill Matt to protect Noah.

Sienna Bacall’s Exit and the Fight for Noah Newman’s Future on Young and the Restless

That leads to our next prediction. Number six on our prediction list for 2026 is that Sienna exits. She may end up dead trying to protect Noah, or she may leave town because Sienna decides she’s not good for Noah after all this Matt trauma drama.

Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Nick are the ones that Matt really hates, but Noah sleeping with Sienna has Noah on Matt’s kill list as well. The villain also doesn’t want to leave Sienna alive because he doesn’t want her to get any kind of happy ending with Noah.

She betrayed him, and Matt told Nick that Sienna has cheated on him before. I think there’s a lot of hurt feelings there if that is true. Bottom line, I just don’t see her staying in Genoa City long term.

Detective Burrow Moves to the GCPD for High-Stakes Y&R Drama

At number seven on our prediction list, we’re wondering if Detective Burrow (Matt Cohen) transfers from the LAPD to the GCPD because we don’t have even one cop in town on Young and the Restless right now. Now that they’ve killed off poor Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd), they have nobody to make arrests.

I certainly hope Matt Cohen sticks around. If he does, I think it’d be awesome if Detective Burrow wound up in scenes with Claire because Matt Cohen and Hayley Erin were absolutely electric scene partners. They played lovers over on General Hospital several years ago.

Audra Charles and Noah Newman: A Rekindled Romance in Genoa City?

At number eight on the prediction list is Audra and Noah reuniting. I think his family would hate it, but they might be more comfortable with Audra than with Noah being with Sienna, who of course is Sharon’s age. The chemistry was definitely there when Audra and Noah ran into each other at the GCAC.

We know Audra never got over him; she mentioned Noah to Sally this week and Audra had stars in her eyes when she ran into him and again when she was talking to Sally about him. Let’s face it, Audra needs a man. I think Noah and Audra could be a lot of fun.

Cane and Phyllis Unite to Reclaim the AI on Young and the Restless

For our next to the last prediction for 2026, I think we could see Cane and Phyllis working together against common enemies, at least for a while—at least until Lily’s back in town to stay. Cane’s AI is in Victor’s hands, and Cane’s original plan was to target all the big power players in Genoa City. If you remember, Phyllis really wanted Cane to play dirty with her.

So, if Phyllis steals the AI back from Victor, she may convince Cane to go back to his original plan. If he thinks Lily doesn’t want him and has left for good, Cane might spiral. His heartbreak might see him lashing out with Phyllis as his partner in crime. Official Y&R spoilers say that Cane is a threat to Victor and Jack in 2026, and that might be why. It may be down to Phyllis.

Summer Newman Returns to Face an Unhinged Phyllis

Last, but not least, our 10th and final prediction. I suspect Summer comes back to Genoa City. It may be a recast because Allison Lanier is off pursuing other projects. I’d like to have Hunter King back, but she’s also busy with other projects.

I think Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) could use his sister’s help to corral their mom, Phyllis, who’s going to be even more unhinged in 2026. Plus, Kyle is single as a pringle. If Sally has to leave Abbott-Com because Billy goes off the rails, Sally might want to rejoin Summer at Marchetti.

There’s a whole lot of reasons to bring her back. Phyllis’s daughter, Summer, has been name-dropped a lot recently, so we’ll see how it goes. Let me know what you want to see happen in 2026 on Young and the Restless.