Metallica Announce First 2026 Tour Dates And, Once Again, The Lineup Is STACKED

Metallica have just unveiled a slate of 2026 tour dates taking place in the U.K. and Europe. Support will vary with Gojira and Knocked Loose opening on select dates as well as Pantera and Avatar together at other stops.

The run, which kicks off a little less than a year from now on May 6, 2026, is split between single-night performances in certain cities and the No Repeat Weekend dual dates at other venues.

Gojira and Knocked Loose will open all of the One Night Only stops as well as one of the two No Repeat Weekend dates, with Pantera and Avatar alternating on the No Repeat Weekend stops.

All dates and details can be seen further down the page. Look for tickets to go on sale starting May 30.

Commenting on the honor, Avatar wrote on social media,

Who knows where we’d be if it wasn’t for certain bands in our lives? We can say with a hundred percent certainty that without METALLICA, there would be no AVATAR (hey, look at those two names in the same sentence!). If John hadn’t broken his leg, been given a couple of CDs to pass the time, gotten obsessesed [sic], researched Lars Ulrich’s drum set, bought a @officialtamadrums kit and convinced Jonas to start a band, Johannes wouldn’t have seen the note looking for a singer and so on, and so on.

How to even explain this? No words will ever do it justice. We have no other choice than to show you through our actions. We will seize this opportunity and make you feel the same as we were made to feel. It’s like a circle of violence you DON’T want to break.

Let’s deserve this!

And in a recent chat with Loudwire Night radio host Chuck Armstrong, frontman Johannes Eckerstrom confirmed that Avatar's new album — the successor to 2023's Dance Devil Dance — will be out later this year.

"I feel like we did something that kills Dance Devil Dance because we found a fresh angle for ourselves ... I can't wait to show you," he teased.

READ MORE: The Best Album by 15 Legendary Thrash Metal Bands

Metallica 2026 Tour Dates

May 09 — Athens, Olympic Stadium, Greece*
May 13 — Bucharest, Arena Națională, Romania*
May 19 — Chorzów, Stadion Śląski, Poland*
May 22 — Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank Park, Germany*
May 24 — Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank Park, Germany+
May 27 — Zurich, Stadion Letzigrund, Switzerland*
May 30 — Berlin, Olympiastadion, Germany*
June 03 — Bologna, Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Italy*
June 11 — Budapest, Puskas Arena, Hungary+
June 13 — Budapest, Puskas Arena, Hungary*
June 19 — Dublin, Avia Stadium, Ireland+
June 21 — Dublin, Avia Stadium, Ireland*
June 25 — Glasgow, Hampden Park, Scotland*
June 28 — Cardiff, Principality Stadium, Wales*
July 03 — London, London Stadium, UK*
July 05 — London, London Stadium, UK+

* Gojira and Knocked Loose support
+ Pantera and Avatar support