- Will the US strike 8 countries in 2026?61¢61%
- Will the US strike 9 countries in 2026?17¢17%
- Will the US strike 10 countries in 2026?4¢4%
- Will the US strike 11 countries in 2026?2¢2%
- Will the US strike 12 countries in 2026?<1¢<1%
- Will the US strike 13 countries in 2026?<1¢<1%
- Will the US strike 14 countries in 2026?<1¢<1%
- Will the US strike 15 or more countries in 2026?<1¢<1%
US military actions in 2026 center on the ongoing Iran conflict that began with joint strikes in late February and the expansive Operation Southern Spear counter-cartel campaign, which has included vessel strikes plus land operations in Venezuela and Ecuador since early in the year. Recent October developments, including MQ-9 drone movements to Colombia and Ecuador, troop deployments from the 10th Mountain Division to Panama for training, and agreements enabling joint operations with Colombia and Honduras, signal potential expansion of strikes on additional Western Hemisphere soil. Africa Command continues periodic strikes against al-Shabaab in Somalia. Trader consensus favoring eight countries as the leading outcome reflects this combination of confirmed theaters plus measured additions from Latin American partnerships, without evidence of broader escalation into new regions by year-end. Scheduled congressional reviews and any post-midterm decisions on Iran remain key variables that could alter the final count.
Rules
This market will resolve according to the total number of different countries' soil that the United States initiates a drone, missile, or air strike on between January 1, 2026, 12:00 AM ET and December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Strikes on embassies or consulates will count towards the country the embassy or consulate is located in, not towards the country they represent. Strikes within the territory controlled by the United States as of December 31, 2025, 11:59 PM ET will not be counted towards this market's resolution. For the purposes of this market, a qualifying "strike" is defined as the use of aerial bombs, drones, or missiles (including cruise or ballistic missiles) launched by US military forces that impact another country's ground territory that is officially acknowledged by the US government or a consensus of credible reporting. Missiles or drones that are intercepted and surface-to-air missile strikes will not count towards the resolution of this market, regardless of whether they land on another country's territory or cause damage. Actions such as artillery fire, small arms fire, FPV or ATGM strikes directly, ground incursions, naval shelling, cyberattacks, or other operations conducted by US ground operatives will not qualify. The resolution source will be a consensus of credible reporting.