The roadmap for Ethereum in 2026 is primarily focused on two main objectives: enhancing rollup data capacity through blobs and increasing base-layer execution via gas limit adjustments. These changes hinge on a significant transition for validators, who will need to shift from re-executing blocks to verifying zero-knowledge (ZK) execution proofs. The initial phase of this transition has been set in motion by the launch of Fusaka, which became operational on December 3, 2025.
Fusaka introduces PeerDAS alongside blob parameter only (BPO) changes, allowing for a gradual increase in blob throughput as outlined by ethereum.org. The second aspect of the roadmap is less straightforward, relying on draft Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), client implementations, and validator operations that must remain within decentralization limits, such as bandwidth and block propagation.
PeerDAS is anticipated to serve as a key mechanism for scaling rollup data availability without necessitating that every node download all blobs. According to ethereum.org, blob targets will not see immediate increases upon activation; instead, they are expected to double every few weeks, capped at a maximum of 48. This approach allows developers to monitor network health continuously. The Optimism team has indicated that at least 48 blobs per block could correlate with a significant rise in rollup-side throughput, elevating it from approximately 220 to around 3,500 UOPS.
However, the critical question for 2026 revolves around whether demand will manifest as blob utilization rather than pushing the limits of Layer 1 execution. Another concern is whether peer-to-peer stability and node bandwidth can accommodate the rollout of BPO as it progresses.
On the execution front, Ethereum is already experimenting with higher throughput through coordination rather than a hard fork. Reports from GasLimit.pics indicate a recent gas limit of 60,000,000, with a 24-hour average hovering near 59,990,755. This figure is crucial as it sets a benchmark for validators” acceptance and reveals the upper limits of “social scaling” before facing challenges such as latency, validation load, and pressure on the mempool and MEV pipeline.
The upcoming 2026 upgrade, branded as “Glamsterdam,” encompasses various execution-oriented proposals, including enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS, EIP-7732), Block-Level Access Lists (BALs, EIP-7928), and general repricing adjustments (EIP-7904). These proposals remain in draft status and aim to address long-standing gas pricing mismatches, potentially enhancing usable throughput while considering denial-of-service risks and existing contracts that have hardcoded gas assumptions.
BALs are positioned as essential infrastructure for enabling parallelism, suggesting improvements in transaction validation and state-root computation. The anticipated benefits will only materialize if clients can effectively implement concurrency across identified bottlenecks. Additionally, the introduction of ePBS aims to separate execution validation from consensus validation temporally, thereby introducing new potential failure modes.
Research into the implications of ePBS highlights the importance of maintaining liveness under stress conditions, not just focusing on steady-state fee outcomes. The overarching challenge lies with the adoption of ZK-proof validation by validators, as outlined in the Ethereum Foundation”s “Realtime Proving” roadmap. This plan indicates a gradual rollout where a limited number of validators would first operate ZK clients in production settings. Only after a supermajority of staked validators are comfortable with this shift can gas limits be elevated to levels where proof verification can effectively replace block re-execution.
Following “Glamsterdam,” the Ethereum roadmap includes a later 2026 milestone referred to as “Hegota,” which is still more focused on procedural aspects rather than specific technical scopes. The Ethereum Foundation has released a timeline detailing proposal windows and discussion periods, providing stakeholders with clear decision points to monitor. Notably, headliner proposals for Hegota will close on February 4, thus offering a structured opportunity for investors and developers to engage with Ethereum”s evolving landscape.
