Iron Maiden Expand 2026 ‘Run For Your Lives’ World Tour With Massive New Leg of Dates
Iron Maiden’s 2026 tour continues to grow as the legendary band expands their Run For Your Lives World Tour with a massive new leg of dates. What began as a celebratory victory lap has evolved into one of the most ambitious and far-reaching touring cycles of Iron Maiden’s career, blending festival headline slots, stadium performances, and major arena shows across multiple continents.
The continued expansion of the Run For Your Lives world tour reinforces Iron Maiden’s status as one of the most dominant live metal acts in the world, even five decades into their career. Rather than limiting the anniversary celebration to a single year, the band has structured this tour as a rolling global event, responding directly to sustained demand from fans worldwide.
A 50-Year Legacy Meets a Global Touring Juggernaut
First announced in September 2024, the Iron Maiden anniversary tour was designed to celebrate the band’s formation in 1975 while highlighting the legacy-defining era of their catalog. Instead of following a traditional album-cycle format, the band opted for a long-term touring strategy that allows new dates to be added as markets open and demand continues to surge.
The tour officially launched in May 2025 in Budapest, Hungary, quickly selling out stadiums and festival appearances across Europe. With the newly announced 2026 expansion, Iron Maiden will continue touring deep into the fall, with the current schedule projected to conclude in October 2026 — marking nearly two full years of global heavy metal domination.
Iron Maiden 2026 Tour Dates — Europe, North America & Beyond
Below are the currently confirmed Iron Maiden tour dates for 2026 as part of the Run For Your Lives world tour. Additional dates are expected as the year progresses.
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- May 23, 2026 – Athens, Greece @ OAKA Stadium (w/ Anthrax)
- May 26, 2026 – Sofia, Bulgaria @ Vasil Levski Stadium
- May 28, 2026 – Bucharest, Romania @ Arena Națională
- May 30, 2026 – Bratislava, Slovakia @ Národný Futbalový Štadión
- June 2, 2026 – Hannover, Germany @ Heinz-von-Heiden Arena (w/ Megadeth)
- June 4–7, 2026 – Festival shows in Sweden & Germany
- June 10, 2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome (w/ Evergrey)
- June 13–14, 2026 – Austria & Czech Republic festival stops
- June 17, 2026 – Milan, Italy @ San Siro Stadium (w/ Trivium)
- June 19, 2026 – Hellfest, Clisson, France
- June 22, 2026 – Paris La Défense Arena, France (filmed show)
- June 28, 2026 – Lyon-Décines, France @ Groupama Stadium (w/ Anthrax)
- June 29, 2026 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Live Is Live
- July 7, 2026 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Estádio da Luz (w/ Anthrax)
- July 11, 2026 – Knebworth Park, UK (headline festival show)
- August 29–30, 2026 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena (w/ Megadeth)
- September 3, 2026 – Montréal, QC @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (w/ Megadeth & Anthrax)
- September 5–6, 2026 – Harrison, NJ @ Sports Illustrated Stadium
- September 22–29, 2026 – Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio (w/ Megadeth & Anthrax)
- October 2026 – Mexico City & Central/South America tour leg
This routing makes the 2026 leg one of the most geographically diverse runs of Iron Maiden’s career, reinforcing their continued dominance as a global touring force.
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Tickets & Official Tour Information
Tickets for Iron Maiden’s 2026 Run For Your Lives world tour are on sale now. Availability varies by market, with many dates already seeing limited inventory.
For VIP packages and official announcements, visit Iron Maiden’s tour hub: ironmaiden.com.
What Fans Can Expect From the Setlist
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the 2026 setlist leans heavily on Iron Maiden’s early and classic eras, spotlighting material from the band’s first nine albums. The approach emphasizes legacy-defining tracks while reintroducing deep cuts that longtime fans may not have heard live in decades.
🛒 For collectors and longtime fans, essential Iron Maiden albums on vinyl and CD remain widely available.
This balance between accessibility and deep-catalog respect has become a defining feature of Iron Maiden’s modern touring era. For a deeper look at how this tour fits into their career arc, explore our Iron Maiden discography & legacy ranking.
Iron Maiden’s Legacy Still Shapes Modern Metal
What makes the Run For Your Lives tour hit harder than a standard anniversary run is how directly it taps into Iron Maiden’s legacy — not as a nostalgia act, but as a living blueprint for heavy metal. From the twin-guitar attack to the theatrical stage production and marathon setlists, this tour pulls from decades of influence that still echo through modern metal and hard rock.
The setlist choices alone underline how deep the band’s catalog runs. Tracks pulled from Maiden’s classic era don’t just exist as crowd-pleasers — they represent the foundation of an Iron Maiden discography that helped define what metal could be on a global scale. Very few bands can tour stadiums in 2026 while leaning this heavily on material written before most of the audience was born.
For fans looking to understand how this tour connects to the bigger picture, our in-depth breakdown of Iron Maiden’s discography and legacy explores the albums, eras, and turning points that made a tour of this scale possible — and why Maiden’s influence still feels unavoidable nearly 50 years on.
Why This Tour Matters
The Run For Your Lives world tour stands as a rare example of a legacy metal act continuing to evolve rather than simply revisit the past. Notably, the tour also marks Iron Maiden’s first full run without longtime drummer Nicko McBrain, following his retirement from touring in late 2024, with Simon Dawson stepping in on drums.
As Iron Maiden live performances continue to draw massive crowds across continents, the 2026 expansion further cements the band’s status as one of heavy metal’s most enduring and influential forces.
Update Note: This article will be updated as additional Iron Maiden 2026 tour dates are announced. Bookmark this page and check back for the latest confirmed shows and ticket information.
