The World Cup season kicks off in China on the first weekend of May. Here you'll find all the information about the opening events in Keqiao and Wujiang, as well as the entire 2026 season.
16 World Cups, new speed format, Youth World Championships
The 2026 World Cup calendar comprises 16 competitions at 14 locations in Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Of these, the paraclimbing Three World Cups have been scheduled again: The opening event will take place in May in Salt Lake City, followed by Innsbruck in June and the final in August in Laval.
In July, in bow in addition the annual Youth World Cup The competition will take place in the disciplines of bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing. The next adult World Championships are scheduled for 2027 in Brno, Czech Republic.
For the speed athletes, it comes down to this Krakow The new "Speed 4" format, introduced in Chengdu in 2025, will be used for the first time in a World Cup. In this format, two pairs compete against each other simultaneously.
New and established hosts
The World Climbing Series kicks off, as it did last year, with two events in China. From May 1st to 3rd, the athletes will first compete in bouldering in Keqiao for the first World Cup gold in 2026. After that, from May 8th to 10th in Wujiang The specialists in lead and speed are now in charge.
The European World Cups are scheduled for the summer in tried and tested host cities: Prague, Innsbruck, Bern, Madrid, Krakow, Copper and ChamonixFurther dates are scheduled in China* and in towards the end of the season. Salt Lake City and is planned for the first time in Santiago, Chile. This marks the second time an international World Climbing event will take place in South America – following the Boulder World Cup in Curitiba last season.
*only discipline Speed
Pictures (top, left to right): Dimitris Tosidis/IFSC, Lena Drapella/IFSC, Jan Virt/IFSC; below: Caleb Timmermann/IFSC
All events at a glance
| Date | Event | Location | disciplines |
| May 01th – 03th | Climbing World Cup | Keqiao, China | Boulder |
| May 08th – 10th | Climbing World Cup | Wujiang, China | Lead & Speed |
| May 15th – 16th | Paraclimbing World Cup | Salt Lake City | Lead |
| May 22th – 24th | Climbing World Cup | Bern | Boulder |
| May 28th – 31th | Climbing World Cup | Madrid | Bouldering & Speed |
| June 04th – 07th | Climbing World Cup | Prague | Boulders & Leads |
| June 15th – 16th | Paraclimbing World Cup | Innsbruck | Lead |
| June 17th – 21th | Climbing World Cup | Innsbruck | Boulders & Leads |
| July 03-05 | Climbing World Cup | Krakow | Speed |
| July 10-12 | Climbing World Cup | Chamonix | Lead & Speed |
| July 18-25 | Youth World Championships | bow | Bouldering, Lead & Speed |
| August 28th – 29st | Paraclimbing World Cup | Laval | Lead |
| September 04th – 05th | Climbing World Cup | Copper | Lead |
| September 11th – 13th | Climbing World Cup | Guiyang, China | Speed |
| September 18th – 20th | Climbing World Cup | Chongqing, China | Speed |
| 16. - 18. October | Climbing World Cup | Salt Lake City | Boulder |
| 23. - 25. October | Climbing World Cup | Santiago de Chile | Lead & Speed |
Tickets
Those who want to cheer on the team in person can purchase tickets online through the respective local organizer.
Click here to buy tickets for the European World Cups:
- Tickets World Cup Bern
- Tickets World Cup Madrid
- Tickets World Cup Prague
- Tickets World Cup Innsbruck
- Tickets World Cup Krakow – coming soon
- Tickets World Cup Chamonix – coming soon
- Tickets World Cup Koper coming soon
No points yet for Olympic qualification
The upcoming World Cup season is not yet relevant for Olympic qualification. The starting places for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will only be determined later. from 2027 gradually in nine qualifying events The opportunities are awarded. The various continental cups, the 2027 World Championship, and a three-part Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in 2028 offer further chances.
In the upcoming World Cups, the athletes will therefore not yet be under immediate Olympic pressure. Nevertheless, the 2026 season will serve as an important benchmark and preparation for the 2027 competition year, which will revolve entirely around qualification.
Livestream: Geoblock on YouTube remains in place
The 2026 World Cups will take place on the Youtube channel The event will be broadcast live by World Climbing. As in previous years, the usual geoblocks apply for Europe, China, and parts of South and Central America. These can be bypassed using a VPN client.
Alternatively, viewers in Europe can watch the semi-finals and finals live on Discovery + or the Eurosport Player To track this, however, there is a charge.
At LACRUX, we will again make all live streams available here in good time this year – including pre- and post-event coverage.
That might interest you
- Chris Sharma back on the competition stage – Road to LA 28
- Between philosophy of life and performance expectations | Interview with Alex Megos
+ + +
Credits cover photo: Lena Drapella/IFSC