Last updated: Sep 24, 2026
The Swimming World Cup 2026 is a three-stop short course (25m) series run by World Aquatics. It starts in Baku on Oct 1 and moves to Tashkent on Oct 8 and Astana on Oct 15. The last final is on Oct 17. More than 750 swimmers from over 50 national federations are expected, racing for a $1.2 million prize pool plus bonuses for world records and Triple Crowns. This page has the full schedule, winners from every final, series standings and prize money, and we update it after every session.
This year’s tour is called the Silk Road Tour, and it’s new ground for the series. Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have never hosted the World Cup before, which makes them the 24th, 25th and 26th host countries since the series started in 1988. It’s also the last major short course meet before the Short Course World Championships in Beijing on Dec 1–6. A swimmer who wins the same event at all three stops and again in Beijing earns a $15,000 Double Crown bonus.
The 2025 tour was one of the fastest on record. Swimmers set 10 short course world records across Carmel, Westmont and Toronto, and Kate Douglass beat Gretchen Walsh for the women’s overall title by just 0.2 points. Hubert Kós won the men’s title. The 2026 field looks different because of two clashes: Australia’s short course trials overlap with Baku, and USA Swimming holds its own Worlds selection meet in late October. Cameron McEvoy, Qin Haiyang and Siobhan Haughey are the confirmed headliners so far.
Swimming World Cup 2026 key facts
| Dates | Oct 1–17, 2026 |
| Stops | Baku (AZE), Tashkent (UZB), Astana (KAZ) |
| Pool | Short course, 25m |
| Tour name | Silk Road Tour |
| Prize pool | $1.2 million (before bonuses) |
| Expected field | 750+ swimmers from 50+ federations |
| Organizer | World Aquatics |
| Next major event | Short Course World Championships 2026, Beijing, Dec 1–6 |
Source: World Aquatics, Inside the Games
Swimming World Cup 2026 schedule
| Stop | Dates | City | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 1–3, 2026 | Baku, Azerbaijan | Aquatic Palace | Upcoming |
| 2 | Oct 8–10, 2026 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Aquatic Palace, Olympic City | Upcoming |
| 3 | Oct 15–17, 2026 | Astana, Kazakhstan | To be confirmed | Upcoming |
Source: World Aquatics. Update the Status column to Live / Finished as each stop runs.
Each stop is a three-day meet with heats in the morning and finals in the evening, local time. The tour runs on three straight weekends, so swimmers travel together from one city to the next.
Stop 1: Swimming World Cup Baku
Baku opens the tour on Oct 1–3. It’s the first World Aquatics event ever held in Azerbaijan. The Aquatic Palace isn’t new to big meets, though. It hosted swimming at the 2015 European Games, the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games and the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival.
Swimming World Cup Baku schedule (Oct 1–3, 2026)
Heats are in the morning and finals in the evening, local time (UTC+4). The men’s 1500m freestyle and women’s 800m freestyle are timed finals with no evening final.
Day 1: Thursday, Oct 1
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 400m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 400m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 50m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 200m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 200m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 100m butterfly | ||
| Women’s 200m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 100m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 50m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 50m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 100m IM | ||
| Men’s 100m IM |
Day 2: Friday, Oct 2
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 400m IM | ||
| Men’s 50m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 200m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 200m IM | ||
| Women’s 100m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 50m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 50m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 100m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 100m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 200m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 1500m freestyle |
Day 3: Saturday, Oct 3
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s 400m IM | ||
| Women’s 100m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 50m butterfly | ||
| Women’s 200m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 100m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 50m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 200m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 100m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 200m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 200m IM | ||
| Women’s 800m freestyle |
Source: Swimming World Cup 2026 Baku Information Bulletin V2. Program subject to change.
Stop 2: Swimming World Cup Tashkent
Tashkent hosts Oct 8–10 at the Aquatic Palace in Olympic City. It’s the first international swimming competition Uzbekistan has staged.
Swimming World Cup Tashkent schedule (Oct 8–10, 2026)
Heats are in the morning and finals in the evening, local time (UTC+5). The men’s 800m freestyle and women’s 1500m freestyle are timed finals with no evening final.
Day 1: Thursday, Oct 8
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 400m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 400m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 50m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 200m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 200m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 100m butterfly | ||
| Women’s 200m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 100m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 50m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 50m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 100m IM | ||
| Men’s 100m IM |
Day 2: Friday, Oct 9
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 400m IM | ||
| Men’s 50m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 200m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 200m IM | ||
| Women’s 100m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 50m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 50m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 100m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 100m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 200m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 800m freestyle |
Day 3: Saturday, Oct 10
| Event | Heats | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s 400m IM | ||
| Women’s 100m butterfly | ||
| Men’s 50m butterfly | ||
| Women’s 200m backstroke | ||
| Men’s 100m backstroke | ||
| Women’s 50m breaststroke | ||
| Men’s 200m breaststroke | ||
| Women’s 100m freestyle | ||
| Men’s 200m freestyle | ||
| Women’s 200m IM | ||
| Women’s 1500m freestyle |
Source: Swimming World Cup 2026 Tashkent Information Bulletin V1. Program subject to change.
Stop 3: Swimming World Cup Astana
Astana closes the tour on Oct 15–17. It’s Kazakhstan’s fourth World Aquatics event and its first Swimming World Cup. The venue hasn’t been announced yet.
Session times in US Eastern, UK, Singapore and Sydney
World Aquatics hasn’t published session times yet. Baku runs on UTC+4. Tashkent and Astana run on UTC+5. Use this table to convert any local time:
| Local time | Baku → US Eastern | Baku → UK | Baku → Singapore | Baku → Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | 2:00 AM EDT | 7:00 AM BST | 2:00 PM SGT | 4:00 PM AEST |
| 12:00 PM | 4:00 AM EDT | 9:00 AM BST | 4:00 PM SGT | 6:00 PM AEST |
| 6:00 PM | 10:00 AM EDT | 3:00 PM BST | 10:00 PM SGT | 12:00 AM AEST (next day) |
| Local time | Tashkent/Astana → US Eastern | → UK | → Singapore | → Sydney |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | 1:00 AM EDT | 6:00 AM BST | 1:00 PM SGT | 4:00 PM AEDT |
| 12:00 PM | 3:00 AM EDT | 8:00 AM BST | 3:00 PM SGT | 6:00 PM AEDT |
| 6:00 PM | 9:00 AM EDT | 2:00 PM BST | 9:00 PM SGT | 12:00 AM AEDT (next day) |
Sydney moves to daylight time on Oct 4, so Baku is on AEST and the last two stops are on AEDT. For US fans, evening finals land in the morning Eastern time.
Swimming World Cup 2026 results
Winners and winning times from every final. Format: Name (NAT) time. WR marks a world record.
Men’s winners
| Event | Baku | Tashkent | Astana |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 100 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 200 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 400 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 800 / 1500 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 50 back | – | – | – |
| 100 back | – | – | – |
| 200 back | – | – | – |
| 50 breast | – | – | – |
| 100 breast | – | – | – |
| 200 breast | – | – | – |
| 50 fly | – | – | – |
| 100 fly | – | – | – |
| 200 fly | – | – | – |
| 100 IM | – | – | – |
| 200 IM | – | – | – |
| 400 IM | – | – | – |
Women’s winners
| Event | Baku | Tashkent | Astana |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 100 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 200 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 400 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 800 / 1500 Freestyle | – | – | – |
| 50 back | – | – | – |
| 100 back | – | – | – |
| 200 back | – | – | – |
| 50 breast | – | – | – |
| 100 breast | – | – | – |
| 200 breast | – | – | – |
| 50 fly | – | – | – |
| 100 fly | – | – | – |
| 200 fly | – | – | – |
| 100 IM | – | – | – |
| 200 IM | – | – | – |
| 400 IM | – | – | – |
Source: World Aquatics. Event list follows the 2025 program. The 800 and 1500 free alternate between stops.
Series standings
The man and woman with the most points after Astana win the overall titles.
| Rank | Men | Points | Women | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | – | – | – | – |
Source: World Aquatics rankings. Updated after each stop.
World records broken at the 2026 World Cup
| Event | Swimmer | Time | Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – |
None yet. Every world record on tour pays a $10,000 bonus. For the current marks, see our world records page and the short course lists for men and women.
Swimming World Cup prize money
| Award | Amount (USD) | How it’s earned |
|---|---|---|
| Total prize pool | $1,200,000 | Split across the three stops and the overall standings |
| World record bonus | $10,000 | Each world record set on tour |
| Triple Crown | $10,000 | Win the same event at all three stops |
| Double Crown | $15,000 | Triple Crown + win the same event at Short Course Worlds |
| Overall winner | To be confirmed | Top points total. Paid $100,000 in 2024 and 2025 |
Source: World Aquatics, Swimming World
The Double Crown went up from $10,000 to $15,000 for 2026. It links the World Cup to Short Course Worlds in Beijing, so a swimmer who sweeps an event in October has a reason to defend it in December. World Aquatics awarded eight Double Crowns in 2024.
Prize money at each stop pays down to 20th place. At the 2023 tour, first place at a stop paid $12,000, second paid $10,000 and third paid $8,000. The 2026 per-stop amounts haven’t been published.
How World Cup scoring works
Swimmers score points at every stop in two ways:
- Placing. A win is worth the most points.
- Performance. Each swim is rated using World Aquatics points, so faster times score more even among winners.
In 2023, for example, Kaylee McKeown scored 19.7 points for one 100 back win: 10 for placing and 9.7 for performance. Points add up across all three stops. That’s why the overall titles often go to swimmers who race all three stops and win several events at each one.
Swimmers to watch
Baku organizers have named three headliners: Cameron McEvoy (AUS), Qin Haiyang (CHN) and Siobhan Haughey (HKG). World Aquatics’ athletes to watch list also includes Tes Schouten (NED), Caspar Corbeau (NED) and Ellen Walshe (IRL).
| Swimmer | Nation | Why to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron McEvoy | AUS | Racing the 100 free on tour |
| Qin Haiyang | CHN | Named for Baku |
| Siobhan Haughey | HKG | Named for Baku |
| Caspar Corbeau | NED | 3rd overall in 2025, set the 200 breast world record in Toronto |
| Tes Schouten | NED | On World Aquatics’ athletes to watch list |
| Ellen Walshe | IRL | Won the 400 IM at two 2025 stops |
Source: World Aquatics, Swimming World. Full entry lists are still to come.
What US and Australian fans should know
USA: No American entries are confirmed yet. USA Swimming holds its own short course selection meet for Worlds on Oct 28–31 in Westmont, Illinois. It’s the first time in years USA Swimming has picked its Short Course Worlds team at a 25m meet instead of using long course results. Americans dominated the 2025 tour, so the entry lists will be worth watching. More on the team at USA Swimming.
Australia: The Australian short course championships and Worlds trials run Sep 29–Oct 2, which clashes with Baku. Australia’s selection rules have no exemption for swimmers who skip trials, so McEvoy won’t swim at Short Course Worlds in Beijing. More at Australia Swimming.
How the 2025 Swimming World Cup finished
The 2025 tour went to Carmel, Westmont and Toronto. American swimmers won 43 of the 102 events. Australia won 19, and Canada and Hungary won 10 each.
2025 overall standings
| Place | Men | Points | Women | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hubert Kós (HUN) | 175.8 | Kate Douglass (USA) | 177.5 |
| 2 | Shaine Casas (USA) | 171.2 | Gretchen Walsh (USA) | 177.3 |
| 3 | Caspar Corbeau (NED) | 171.0 | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | 173.3 |
Source: World Aquatics rankings
Douglass beat Walsh for the women’s title by 0.2 points. Douglass also won the overall title in 2024, when Leon Marchand won the men’s title.
World records at the 2025 World Cup
| Event | Swimmer | Time | Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women 100 free | Kate Douglass (USA) | 49.93 | Toronto |
| Women 200 free | Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) | 1:49.36 | Toronto |
| Women 800 free | Lani Pallister (AUS) | 7:54.00 | Toronto |
| Women 100 back | Regan Smith (USA) | 54.02 (tied) | Westmont |
| Women 200 back | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | 1:57.33 | Toronto |
| Women 50 fly | Gretchen Walsh (USA) | 23.72 | Carmel |
| Men 100 back | Hubert Kós (HUN) | 48.16 | Toronto |
| Men 200 back | Hubert Kós (HUN) | 1:45.12 | Toronto |
| Men 200 breast | Caspar Corbeau (NED) | 1:59.52 | Toronto |
| Men 100 fly | Josh Liendo (CAN) | 47.68 | Toronto |
Source: World Aquatics results. Where a record fell twice on tour, the faster time is listed.
Recent Swimming World Cup hosts
| Year | Stops | Pool |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Baku, Tashkent, Astana | Short course |
| 2025 | Carmel, Westmont, Toronto | Short course |
| 2024 | China, South Korea, Singapore | Short course |
| 2023 | Berlin, Athens, Budapest | Long course |
Source: World Aquatics, SwimSwam
The series started in 1988. Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are the 24th, 25th and 26th countries to host it. See every edition on our Swimming World Cup page.
How to watch the Swimming World Cup 2026
Broadcasters for the USA, UK, Australia and Singapore haven’t been confirmed. We’ll add them here as soon as they’re announced. Live results from each stop will be on Omega Timing. For other events, see our how to watch guides.
FAQ
When is the Swimming World Cup 2026? Oct 1–3 in Baku, Oct 8–10 in Tashkent and Oct 15–17 in Astana.
Where is the Swimming World Cup 2026 held? Baku (Azerbaijan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Astana (Kazakhstan). World Aquatics calls it the Silk Road Tour.
Is the 2026 Swimming World Cup short course or long course? Short course (25m). The course changes some years. The 2023 tour was long course.
How much prize money is at the Swimming World Cup 2026? $1.2 million before bonuses, plus $10,000 for each world record and $10,000 for each Triple Crown.
What is a Triple Crown in swimming? Winning the same event at all three World Cup stops. It pays a $10,000 bonus.
What is a Double Crown? A Triple Crown plus a win in the same event at Short Course Worlds. It pays $15,000 in 2026.
Who won the 2025 Swimming World Cup? Kate Douglass (USA) and Hubert Kós (HUN).
Are American swimmers racing in 2026? No US entries are confirmed yet. USA Swimming’s selection meet for Short Course Worlds runs Oct 28–31 in Westmont, Illinois.
Related pages
- Swimming World Cup: all editions
- Short Course World Championships 2026, Beijing
- World swimming records
- Short course world records: women
- Short course world records: men
- Swimming schedule
Bookmark this page. We update results, standings and records after every session in Baku, Tashkent and Astana.