The 9 Best Young Soap Couples of 2026 (So Far)
Ah, young love! There’s nothing quite like it, is there? All the new feelings, experiences, and passion. Soaps have been giving us young couples in love dating back to Phil and Tara on All My Children, Laura and Scotty on General Hospital, and Holden and Lily on As the World Turns.
This year is no exception. Fans of Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and General Hospital have gotten hooked on the genre’s modern-day young love stories!
Swooon is taking a look at 9 of the best young soap duos who have captured our attention the most this year — so far. The pairings that made our list are from the newer generation of cast members and range in age from their teens to their 30s.
Will these couples stand the test of time? Maybe. There’s still half of 2026 to go! But as Henry Ward Beecher, an American clergyman and reformer who lived in the 1800s, once said, “Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering.” Only time will tell with these soap couples!
9. Hayley & Kyle, Beyond the Gates/The Young and the Restless
BTG and Y&R got together for a crossover in June when folks from Genoa City came to Fairmont Crest for a fundraiser for politician Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon). Disaster struck when a tornado hit the country club.
The BTG writers put Y&R’s Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and BTG’s Hayley Hamilton (Marquita Goings) in a closet, safe from the storm.
Ever the gentleman, Kyle gave Hayley his sport coat for protection. She thanked him for saving her life by insisting that they take refuge. Kyle also picked out some shards of glass from Hayley’s hair. She offered to return the favor. The two were thisclose to locking lips!
Clearly, we were witnessing an on-screen chemistry test, and the actors were getting a solid A+! We briefly forgot that Hayley’s plotting to off her husband, Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett). There’s something to be mined here!
Later, Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) offered the Abbott heir some advice, telling him that Hayley was “a two-faced, gold-digging, husband-stealing viper. When you get home, be grateful for the miles between Genoa City and Fairmont Crest.”
Maybe CBS can capitalize on Kyle and Hayley’s chemistry by having Kyle move to Fairmont Crest or, perhaps, Hayley, once her secrets are discovered, could make her way to Genoa City. Maybe the love of a good man could change Hayley’s wicked ways?
8. Tate & Holly, Days of Our Lives
Tate Black (Leo Howard) and Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) aren’t the only ex-childhood playmates who became love interests as young adults. In their short time together as younger lovers, they’ve conquered a few obstacles.
How many times have we seen in rom-coms a man rushing to the airport to stop the woman he loves from boarding a plane to keep her from flying out of his life? Tate and Holly crossed that one off their list last year when he raced to the airport to let her know that he had not fathered Sophia’s (Rachel Boyd) baby.
Alas, Sophia, now presumed dead, is still playing a role in their lives. Holly’s being sued by Sophia’s mother, Amy (Shi Ne Nielson), who blames Holly for her daughter’s death.
It looked like another pregnancy storyline was gestating when Holly took ill at the Horton Cabin. She had morning sickness, right? Not quite. Holly’s been poisoned by Coriseal, an arsenic-laced drug manufactured by DiMera Pharmaceuticals!
Tate has stayed by Holly’s side while she tries to get well. But, then again, Salem is filled with men who stand by the women they love when times get tough.
7. Deke & Remy, The Bold and the Beautiful
B&B has not only finally introduced a gay male fashion designer to the show in Harrison Cone‘s Deke Sharpe, but the show’s also given him a romantic past courtesy of Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann).
Deke’s just had a huge showing of his work at Logan Designs, and he’s riding high – professionally, that is. Alas, his personal life isn’t so hot. Remy, still crazy in love with Deke, tried something super-adorable after Deke’s big fashion presentation by disguising himself as a delivery boy, bringing flowers to the man he loves.
Deke listened patiently and kindly (swoon!) to Remy’s profession of love, but then, he gently told his ex that he just couldn’t get back with him. That whole deep-fake mess with Electra (Laneya Grace) was just too, well, messy.
6. Danny & Charlotte, General Hospital
Earlier this year, teens Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn) and Charlotte Cassadine (Bluesy Burke) began feeling a mutual, well, attraction might be too strong a word, but something was developing between the two. How sweet. How nice. How…wait a minute! Aren’t they, you know, related?
Technically, yes. Danny’s great-grandfather was Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos). Charlotte’s grandfather was Victor Cassadine (Thaao Penghlis; Charles Shaughnessy), Mikkos’ brother. While that’s pretty far removed, even the hint of a blood connection between two characters can sink a relationship before it even begins in the minds of viewers.
Then again, GH’s Celia Quartermaine (Sherilyn Wolter) and Jimmy Lee Holt (Steve Bond) were cousins, and they ended up getting married! Danny and Charlotte have been a little bit too busy these days in the show’s action-adventure storyline to take time to date, however.
5. Claire & Holden, The Young and the Restless
Last year, Claire Newman (Hayley Erin) and Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) started out as fast friends, who took their relationship to a physical level when they vacationed in Los Angeles. Had they rushed into their relationship as she was on the rebound from Kyle Abbott? Probably. But that didn’t stop them from falling in love with Los Angeles. and falling for each other.
Claire, however, pulled back after Holden refused to dish details about his past with Audra (Zuleyka Silver). Unlike other couples who break off blossoming romances, Claire and Holden remained friends. She supported him when he learned that his biological dad was Malcolm Winters (Shemar Moore). And then, Holden provided a strong shoulder for Claire to lean on when she became distraught over her grandmother, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott), going blind.
If friendship is the basis for a solid romance, then Claire and Holden will be all set if they decide to get back together.
4. Kat & Tomas, Beyond the Gates
Kat Richardson (Colby Muhammad) and her half-sister, Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle), have more in common than the same father, Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson), and part of Kat’s liver! They’ve both been involved with Tomas Navarro (Alex Alegria), but Kat and Tomas appear to be the ones who are set to go the distance since he’s got marriage on his mind.
Kat and Tomas have been through some hard times. Last year, she accidentally had a role in hurting his, um, shall we say, “member.” At the hospital, when Tomas was having his special buddy being examined, there was some dark humor exchanged, especially when Tomas quipped to Kat, “You break it, you bought it!”
3. Will & Electra, The Bold and the Beautiful
Will (Crew Morrow) and Electra (Laneya Grace) got their relationship back on track once the whole Dylan (Sydney Bullock) mess was ironed out. Now, Electra and Dylan are pals again! However, Electra’s future with Will isn’t so assured.
Will kept secret from Electra that Hope (Annika Noelle) had come to work for his family at Logan Designs. Maybe in Electra’s head she knows that Will had to keep quiet about what was going on at work, but her heart feels betrayed. Unfortunately for Will, RJ Forrester (Brayan Nicoletti) is waiting in the wings, ready to give Electra the stability and love that he feels she deserves. Are Will and Electra each other’s destiny? Stay tuned.
2. Gio & Emma, General Hospital
Supercouple Spencer (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Trina (Tabyana Ali) are a tough act to follow, but Emma Drake (Braedyn Bruner), the daughter of Robin (Kimberly McCullough) and Patrick (Jason Thompson), and Gio Palmieri (Giovanni Mazza), the son of Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), have quickly won a place in our hearts.
Romantic remote shoots aren’t in soap budgets these days, but that didn’t stop Gio from whisking Emma off to New York to show her the world of Broadway. They’re also each other’s travel companion through the ups and downs of life. Gio has supported Emma while she’s been in agony over the status of her beloved grandmother, Anna Devane (Finola Hughes). Conversely, Emma’s been a rock for Gio as he continues to process his newfound biological family.
1. Johnny & Chanel, Days of Our Lives
Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) and Chanel Dupree DiMera (Raven Bowens) took the “in sickness and in health” section of their wedding vows very seriously, as Chanel is bravely dealing with breast cancer. She is understandably concerned about what’s going to happen to her health and her body as she faces the unknown.
Part of being a good partner is knowing when to give words of support, and sometimes knowing when to say nothing at all. Johnny kept the latter in mind when it came to his wife sharing her thoughts on how having breast cancer was going to affect her. Chanel went first. Then, it was Johnny’s turn.
“Since you have brought it up, I would just like to tell you nothing will ever change the way I feel about you,” Johnny lovingly stated. “Chanel, I love you with all of my heart. I love that you’re so real. You’re honest. You’re grounded. I love your courage. Your kindness. Your laugh.”
He continued, “I love everything about you, actually. So, no matter what happens with your treatments or your surgery, you will always be perfect to me. No matter what, I will always be wildly in love with you and madly attracted to you.”
Johnny and Chanel are young in age, but they’re clearly both old souls. They have wisdom and a deep love for one another. Johnny’s loving support for his wife is the kind that makes us, wait for it, Swooon.
