Building on the established framework for the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the 2026 report of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) provides systematic updates to key aspects including disease burden, case finding, risk stratification, maintenance treatment, acute exacerbation management, comorbidity evaluation, and the application of emerging technologies. This revision further highlights the importance of early identification, acute exacerbation prevention, and long-term dynamic assessment in COPD care; clearly differentiates screening from case finding and underscores proactive case identification in individuals with symptoms and/or risk factor exposure; defines the occurrence of one or more moderate or severe acute exacerbations within the previous year as a criterion for Group E assignment, thereby reinforcing the central role of acute exacerbations in risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making; and introduces for the first time the concept of "disease activity", proposing a low disease activity state, defined by the absence of acute exacerbations, no symptomatic deterioration, and no accelerated decline in lung function, as a major management goal. The guideline also clarifies distinct decision pathways for initial and follow-up treatment, strengthens precise evaluation and individualized intervention during acute exacerbations, and advances comorbidity assessment from a single-disease focus to an integrated multimorbidity management paradigm. Collectively, GOLD 2026 places greater emphasis on early intervention and acute exacerbation prevention in COPD management, carrying important implications for optimizing early diagnosis and treatment as well as long-term standardized management of COPD in China.