diff --git a/appveyor.sh b/appveyor.sh
index 56bfc8848d..eed6295349 100644
--- a/appveyor.sh
+++ b/appveyor.sh
@@ -39,13 +39,14 @@ if [ -n "${CMAKE_GENERATOR:-}" ]; then
     *)       openssl_suffix='-Win64';;
   esac
 
-  if [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2022' ]; then
+  if [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2026' ]; then
     openssl_root_win="C:/OpenSSL-v36${openssl_suffix}"
-    openssl_root="$(cygpath "${openssl_root_win}")"
+  elif [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2022' ]; then
+    openssl_root_win="C:/OpenSSL-v35${openssl_suffix}"
   elif [ "${APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE}" = 'Visual Studio 2019' ]; then
     openssl_root_win="C:/OpenSSL-v30${openssl_suffix}"
-    openssl_root="$(cygpath "${openssl_root_win}")"
   fi
+  [ -n "${openssl_root_win:-}" ] && openssl_root="$(cygpath "${openssl_root_win}")"
 
   # Install custom cmake version
   if [ -n "${CMAKE_VERSION:-}" ]; then
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 899bb497c4..9335da3892 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -36,14 +36,16 @@ environment:
   matrix:
     # CMake Visual Studio builds
 
-    - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Release, x64, OpenSSL 3.6, Shared, Build-tests'
+    - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Release, x64, OpenSSL 3.5, Shared, Build-tests'
       APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2022'
       CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 17 2022'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64 -DCURL_USE_SCHANNEL=OFF -DCURL_USE_OPENSSL=ON'
 
-    - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Release, arm64, Schannel, Static, !DEBUGBUILD, Build-tests'
-      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2022'
-      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 17 2022'
+    - job_name: 'CM VS2026, Release, arm64, Schannel, Static, !DEBUGBUILD, Build-tests'
+      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2026'
+      CMAKE_VERSION: 4.2.1
+      CMAKE_SHA256: dfc2b2afac257555e3b9ce375b12b2883964283a366c17fec96cf4d17e4f1677
+      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 18 2026'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A ARM64 -DENABLE_DEBUG=OFF -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF'
 
     - job_name: 'CM VS2010, Debug, x64, Schannel, Shared, Build-tests & examples'
@@ -86,9 +88,11 @@ environment:
       CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 16 2019'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64 -DCURL_USE_OPENSSL=ON -DCURL_DISABLE_VERBOSE_STRINGS=ON'
 
-    - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Debug, x64, OpenSSL 3.6 + Schannel, Static, Unicode, Build-tests & examples, clang-cl'
-      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2022'
-      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 17 2022'
+    - job_name: 'CM VS2026, Debug, x64, OpenSSL 3.5 + Schannel, Static, Unicode, Build-tests & examples, clang-cl'
+      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2026'
+      CMAKE_VERSION: 4.2.1
+      CMAKE_SHA256: dfc2b2afac257555e3b9ce375b12b2883964283a366c17fec96cf4d17e4f1677
+      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 18 2026'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64 -T ClangCl -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DCURL_USE_OPENSSL=ON -DENABLE_UNICODE=ON'
 
     - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Release, x64, Schannel, Shared, Unicode, !DEBUGBUILD, Build-tests'
@@ -97,9 +101,11 @@ environment:
       ENABLE_UNICODE: 'ON'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64 -DENABLE_UNICODE=ON -DENABLE_DEBUG=OFF'
 
-    - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Debug, x64, !ssl, Static, Build-tests'
-      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2022'
-      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 17 2022'
+    - job_name: 'CM VS2026, Debug, x64, !ssl, Static, Build-tests'
+      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2026'
+      CMAKE_VERSION: 4.2.1
+      CMAKE_SHA256: dfc2b2afac257555e3b9ce375b12b2883964283a366c17fec96cf4d17e4f1677
+      CMAKE_GENERATOR: 'Visual Studio 18 2026'
       CMAKE_GENERATE: '-A x64 -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DCURL_USE_SCHANNEL=OFF'
 
     - job_name: 'CM VS2022, Debug, x64, !ssl, Static, HTTP-only, Build-tests'
@@ -110,7 +116,7 @@ environment:
     # VisualStudioSolution builds
 
     - job_name: 'VisualStudioSolution VS2010, Release, x86, Schannel'
-      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2013'
+      APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_IMAGE: 'Visual Studio 2015'
       PRJ_CFG: 'DLL Release - DLL Windows SSPI - DLL WinIDN'
       PLAT: 'Win32'
       VC_VERSION: VC10