diff --git a/.go-version b/.go-version
index f1968aa8818..5ff8c4f5d2a 100644
--- a/.go-version
+++ b/.go-version
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.25.7
+1.26.0
diff --git a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
index d41b834b3de..b1fd07805d9 100644
--- a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
+++ b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-v1.36.0-go1.25.7-bullseye.0
\ No newline at end of file
+v1.36.0-go1.26.0-bullseye.0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/build/common.sh b/build/common.sh
index 1655db3ffb1..d93b5311ad8 100755
--- a/build/common.sh
+++ b/build/common.sh
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ readonly REMOTE_OUTPUT_BINPATH="${REMOTE_OUTPUT_SUBPATH}/bin"
 readonly REMOTE_OUTPUT_GOPATH="${REMOTE_OUTPUT_SUBPATH}/go"
 
 # These are the default versions (image tags) for their respective base images.
-readonly __default_distroless_iptables_version=v0.8.8
-readonly __default_go_runner_version=v2.4.0-go1.25.7-bookworm.0
+readonly __default_distroless_iptables_version=v0.9.0
+readonly __default_go_runner_version=v2.4.0-go1.26.0-bookworm.0
 readonly __default_setcap_version=bookworm-v1.0.6
 
 # The default image for all binaries which are dynamically linked.
diff --git a/build/dependencies.yaml b/build/dependencies.yaml
index fd71e5572a5..3d6f7f89494 100644
--- a/build/dependencies.yaml
+++ b/build/dependencies.yaml
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ dependencies:
   # Golang
   # TODO: this should really be eliminated and controlled by .go-version
   - name: "golang: upstream version"
-    version: 1.25.7
+    version: 1.26.0
     refPaths:
     - path: .go-version
     - path: staging/publishing/rules.yaml
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ dependencies:
   # should also be updated, but go-runner is much harder to exploit and has
   # far less relevancy to go updates for Kubernetes more generally.
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/kube-cross: dependents"
-    version: v1.36.0-go1.25.7-bullseye.0
+    version: v1.36.0-go1.26.0-bullseye.0
     refPaths:
     - path: build/build-image/cross/VERSION
 
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ dependencies:
   # This entry is a stub of the major version to allow dependency checks to
   # pass when building Kubernetes using a pre-release of Golang.
   - name: "golang: 1.<major>"
-    version: 1.25
+    version: 1.26
     refPaths:
     - path: build/build-image/cross/VERSION
     - path: hack/lib/golang.sh
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ dependencies:
       match: registry\.k8s\.io\/build-image\/debian-base:[a-zA-Z]+\-v((([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/distroless-iptables: dependents"
-    version: v0.8.8
+    version: v0.9.0
     refPaths:
     - path: build/common.sh
       match: __default_distroless_iptables_version=
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ dependencies:
       match: configs\[DistrolessIptables\] = Config{list\.BuildImageRegistry, "distroless-iptables", "v([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)"}
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/go-runner: dependents"
-    version: v2.4.0-go1.25.7-bookworm.0
+    version: v2.4.0-go1.26.0-bookworm.0
     refPaths:
     - path: build/common.sh
       match: __default_go_runner_version=
diff --git a/hack/lib/golang.sh b/hack/lib/golang.sh
index 5fb6a82ba53..c3b1434dff2 100755
--- a/hack/lib/golang.sh
+++ b/hack/lib/golang.sh
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ EOF
   local go_version
   IFS=" " read -ra go_version <<< "$(GOFLAGS='' go version)"
   local minimum_go_version
-  minimum_go_version=go1.25
+  minimum_go_version=go1.26
   if [[ "${minimum_go_version}" != $(echo -e "${minimum_go_version}\n${go_version[2]}" | sort -s -t. -k 1,1 -k 2,2n -k 3,3n | head -n1) && "${go_version[2]}" != "devel" ]]; then
     kube::log::usage_from_stdin <<EOF
 Detected go version: ${go_version[*]}.
diff --git a/staging/publishing/rules.yaml b/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
index 66f2d0b8d9d..fc4370e6264 100644
--- a/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
+++ b/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
@@ -2489,4 +2489,4 @@ rules:
       - staging/src/k8s.io/externaljwt
 recursive-delete-patterns:
 - '*/.gitattributes'
-default-go-version: 1.25.7
+default-go-version: 1.26.0
diff --git a/test/utils/image/manifest.go b/test/utils/image/manifest.go
index e2b174121d5..d17bbc9157e 100644
--- a/test/utils/image/manifest.go
+++ b/test/utils/image/manifest.go
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ func initImageConfigs(list RegistryList) (map[ImageID]Config, map[ImageID]Config
 	configs[APIServer] = Config{list.PromoterE2eRegistry, "sample-apiserver", "1.29.2"}
 	configs[AppArmorLoader] = Config{list.PromoterE2eRegistry, "apparmor-loader", "1.4"}
 	configs[BusyBox] = Config{list.PromoterE2eRegistry, "busybox", "1.37.0-1"}
-	configs[DistrolessIptables] = Config{list.BuildImageRegistry, "distroless-iptables", "v0.8.8"}
+	configs[DistrolessIptables] = Config{list.BuildImageRegistry, "distroless-iptables", "v0.9.0"}
 	configs[Etcd] = Config{list.GcEtcdRegistry, "etcd", "3.6.8-0"}
 	configs[InvalidRegistryImage] = Config{list.InvalidRegistry, "alpine", "3.1"}
 	configs[IpcUtils] = Config{list.PromoterE2eRegistry, "ipc-utils", "1.4"}