New Temple Predictions - October 2026 Edition

The Church has achieved considerable progress in the past 6 months with groundbreakings and dedications of previously announced temples. Eight new temples were dedicated during this time, bringing the total number of completed temples to 222. These new temples include the following:

• Davao Philippines Temple — May 3, 2026 — Dedicated by Dale G. Renlund
• Lindon Utah Temple — May 3, 2026 — Dedicated by Henry B. Eyring
• Bacolod Philippines Temple — May 31, 2026 — Dedicated by Neil L. Andersen
• Willamette Valley Oregon Temple — June 7, 2026 — Dedicated by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• Yorba Linda California Temple — June 7, 2026 — Dedicated by D. Todd Christofferson
• Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple — August 16, 2026 — Dedicated by Dallin H. Oaks
• Cleveland Ohio Temple — August 16, 2026 — Dedicated by David A. Bednar
• Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple — August 30, 2026 — Dedicated by Patrick Kearon

There are also 10 temples scheduled for dedication by the end of the year, which will bring the total number of completed temples to 232. These temples include the following:

• Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple — October 11, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Gerrit W. Gong
• Ephraim Utah Temple — October 11, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Ronald A. Rasband
• Managua Nicaragua Temple — October 18, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Ronald A. Rasband
• Montpelier Idaho Temple — October 18, 2026 — Scheduled dedication; dedicatory official not listed
• Cody Wyoming Temple — October 25, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Clark G. Gilbert
• Wichita Kansas Temple — November 1, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Patrick Kearon
• San Luis Potosí Mexico Temple — November 1, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Dale G. Renlund
• Modesto California Temple — November 22, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Quentin L. Cook
• Torreón Mexico Temple — November 22, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Gary E. Stevenson
• Pago Pago American Samoa Temple — December 13, 2026 — Scheduled dedication by Quentin L. Cook

Additionally, 11 temples have had official groundbreaking ceremonies in the past 6 months, including the following temples:

• Teresina Brazil Temple — April 18, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Ciro Schmeil
• Missoula Montana Temple — June 6, 2026 — Groundbreaking by José A. Teixeira
• Springfield Missouri Temple — June 6, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Aroldo B. Cavalcante
• Santos Brazil Temple — August 1, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Ronald M. Barcellos
• Naga Philippines Temple — August 8, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Steven D. Shumway
• Huntsville Alabama Temple — August 15, 2026 — Groundbreaking by John D. Amos
• Tulsa Oklahoma Temple — August 22, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Pedro X. Larreal
• Victoria British Columbia Temple — August 22, 2026 — Groundbreaking by James E. Evanson
• Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple — August 29, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Hutch U. Fale
• Colorado Springs Colorado Temple — September 12, 2026 — Groundbreaking by Karl D. Hirst
• Barcelona Spain Temple — September 19, 2026 — Groundbreaking by James W. McConkie III 

There are also seven scheduled groundbreakings before the end of 2026. These temples include:

• Maceió Brazil Temple — October 10, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by B. Corey Cuvelier
• Iquitos Peru Temple — October 10, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Sandino Roman
• Vienna Austria Temple — October 17, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Michael Cziesla
• Cincinnati Ohio Temple — November 7, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Alan T. Phillips
• Piura Peru Temple — November 14, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Steven C. Barlow
• Cuernavaca Mexico Temple — November 14, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Moisés Villanueva
• La Paz Bolivia Temple — November 21, 2026 — Scheduled groundbreaking by Juan Pablo Villar

Altogether, there will be 21 dedications and 22 groundbreakings in 2026 if all scheduled dedications and groundbreakings proceed as planned. 

Based on these statistics, I believe the Church may announce more temples in the coming months than it has during the past year. The total number of planned temples that have no groundbreaking or dedication date scheduled would decrease to 90 by the end of the year if no additional temples are announced (this number was 105 back in March of 2026). Only two temples have been announced since I last updated my new temples prediction list (i.e., the Marysville Washington Temple in April and the Otavalo Ecuador Temple in May), and only three new temples have been announced in the past 12 months (the other temple that was announced was the Portland Maine Temple in December of 2025). Recent temple announcements have followed a new pattern in which announcements are made locally by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or Area Presidencies, although this may not preclude future announcements in General Conference. The large number of announced temples that has accumulated over the years is likely the greatest contributor in the dramatic slowdown in temple announcements, as efforts appear to have focused on the planning and construction of the hundreds of new temples announced since 2018.

I use several variables to identify prospective sites. These include: the size of the Church in a given area (stakes, districts, wards, and branches), the age of the oldest stake, growth trends, distance to the nearest temple, traffic and transportation considerations, temple square footage, the historical number of weekly endowment sessions, and member/missionary reports on activity, temple attendance, and convert retention. Altogether, there are 193 potential temples on the map (which is 3 potential temple sites more than the total number of potential sites identified in March 2026). The following five locations have been added to the temples prediction map with this current update—all of which are in Africa or the Intermountain West and have been added to the less-likely category:

• Abeokuta, Nigeria
• Ammon, Idaho
• Hyrum, Utah 
• Onitsha, Nigeria 
• West Haven, Utah 

Also, there were two locations that were moved from the less likely to be announced list to the more likely to be announced list. The following locations were moved from the “less likely” to the “more likely” category based on the following factors: 

• Greensboro, North Carolina (two new stakes created in the Greensboro area earlier this year, steady growth in the number of members and congregations in North Carolina in recent years, small square footage for Raleigh North Carolina Temple) 
• Murcia or Málaga, Spain (recent creation of new congregations throughout Spain, organization of the Málaga Spain Stake earlier this year, steady growth in Spain in recent years as a whole)

There are dozens of additional locations that may be added to the less likely locations to have a temple announced in the coming months and years, pending whether recent growth developments are sustained and result in measurable, sustained growth and maturation of the Church. 

See below for my top 20 most likely locations for a temple announcement within the next 6 months. This is the same list I provided back in March, as none of these locations have had temples announced. Your predictions are welcome in the comments.

1. Angeles or Olongapo, Philippines 
2. Bo, Sierra Leone
3. Port Harcourt, Nigeria
4. Rigby, Idaho
5. Lomé, Togo 
6. Southeast Salt Lake City, Utah (i.e., Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, or Sandy)
7. Evanston, Wyoming
8. San Pablo City, Philippines
9. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
10. Ibadan, Nigeria
11. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 
12. Lilongwe, Malawi
13. Santa Maria, Brazil
14. Kimbanseke, Kinshasa, DR Congo
15. Tema, Ghana
16. Yopougon, Côte d’Ivoire
17. San Luis Valley, Colorado
18. Longview, Texas
19. Lahore, Pakistan
20. Luputa, DR Congo