Info 2026 World Figure Skating Championships

[gsk8]

2026 World Figure Skating Championships​

The 2026 World Figure Skating Championships will take place March 24-29, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic, at the O2 Arena. Worlds is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. ISU Member nations select their entries according to their own criteria and skaters must be at least seventeen before July 1 preceding the Championships.

The ISU Figure Skating World Championships 2026 will be conducted in accordance with the ISU Constitution and General Regulations 2024, ISU Constitution 2025, the ISU Special Regulations & Technical Rules Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2024, as well as all pertinent ISU Communications.

Skaters/teams participating must have reached the following Combined Total Elements Scores (SP/RD + FS/FD) during the ongoing season (2025/26) or the immediately preceding season (2024/25):

Men: 109.00 | Women: 88.00 | Pairs: 91.00 | Ice Dance: 98.00

Schedule

Note: All timings mentioned are in CET (UTC+1).
March 25, 2026
11.30 - Women Short Program
18.45 - Pairs Short Program

March 26, 2026
11.30 - Men Short Program
18.15 - Pairs Free Skating

March 27, 2026
11.30 - Ice Dance Rhythm Dance
18.00 - Women Free Skating

March 28, 2026
12.30 - Men Free Skating
18.30 - Ice Dance Free Dance

March 29, 2026
14.30 - Exhibition Gala

• Official Site
• Schedule
• ISU Event page
• Announcement
• Tickets

 

[Janice4th]

Does anyone know if Kaori is listed for the Japanese World team?

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Does anyone know if Kaori is listed for the Japanese World team?

As of today she is. But I think the decision if she will really go to Prague won't be made until the Olympics are over

 

[ladyjane]

Some retire directly after the OG, some retire after the WC. Some choose not to go to the WC after the OG, some want to get something out of the WC too. It can also depend on whether it's a home WC after the OG (which is not the case for Kaori obviously). It all depends. We will have to wait and see.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Some retire directly after the OG, some retire after the WC. Some choose not to go to the WC after the OG, some want to get something out of the WC too. It can also depend on whether it's a home WC after the OG (which is not the case for Kaori obviously). It all depends. We will have to wait and see.

Alternates be ready but I hope Kaori goes and has a nice stress free comp. One where she leaves smiling. Like MK, she is still a legend to me.

 

[4everchan]

Do we know which countries will be represented in the judging panels ?
Do we know if our favourite judges are going to be there ?

 

[ladyjane]

This may sound strange, but I always love the WC after the Olympic's. Some Olympians, especially if they had medalled, don't go, some do because they want to retire after World's, but you're always in for surprises. Suddenly a newcomer gets to shine, or an Olympian medallist doesn't have his/her/their day. Sometimes there's a surprise World Champion even. I realise that for many skaters it makes it a long and tiring season, but for me as watcher and fan, I am already looking forward to it in March.

 

[SubRosa]

I always treat Junior and Senior Worlds after an Olympics as the start of the next quadrennium. Or maybe, more accurately, the place where the two quadrenniums (quadrennia?), past and future, overlap.

 

[skatedreamer]

Alternates be ready but I hope Kaori goes and has a nice stress free comp. One where she leaves smiling. Like MK, she is still a legend to me.

I'd love for Kaori to have a redemption skate at Worlds! She was marvelous in the Team Event but on Thursday, it looked like her nerves really got to her.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I'd love for Kaori to have a redemption skate at Worlds! She was marvelous in the Team Event but on Thursday, it looked like her nerves really got to her.

I agree and that is skating....A. L. now doesnt have a nerve in her body...because she doesnt care. She goes through life having fun and if grabbing lipstick out of the K and C before the podium is important to her at the moment, she does that.
For the rest of the top 8, they have inward and exterior pressures to deal with.
I dont know if even Kaori can guess how many hours and how any dollars she has put into this sport. I am very hopeful that she will land on her feet in a few years and put things into perspective. Thanks Amber for stepping between the camera person and Kaori after the FS. and thanks to the camera person for putting the camera down, despite his orders.

 

[4everchan]

I don't think Kaori needs any redemption really. She's been the best skater for this entire quad and it's not like she had a bad skate. Just a simple mistake with the flip combo.

Of course, for fans going to Worlds and for all of us streaming, I will be delighted if she's there. At the same time, I don't think she needs to prove anything to anyone and she should only go if she really feels like it.

I am so grateful for having seen her skate live. She's amazing.

 

[lileychristie]

I am torn - I'd love to see Kaori there but I also want Rinka (the 1st alternate) to go

 

[CoyoteChris]

I am torn - I'd love to see Kaori there but I also want Rinka (the 1st alternate) to go

We are siblings. I will be happy and sad at the same time. Kaori, I just want you to have a wonderful life.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I don't think Kaori needs any redemption really. She's been the best skater for this entire quad and it's not like she had a bad skate. Just a simple mistake with the flip combo.

Of course, for fans going to Worlds and for all of us streaming, I will be delighted if she's there. At the same time, I don't think she needs to prove anything to anyone and she should only go if she really feels like it.

I am so grateful for having seen her skate live. She's amazing.

Me too! I have seen her two/three times. There was a ton of us GSers who got to see her and Rika live at 4CCS Anaheim 2019..I wont embarrass them with their pics but we even had "Solar" and her whole family..that was a comp for the ages.......and so was SA Vegas 2019.... I sashayed into an elevator with Kaori and her coach when she was in Vegas and just said one word. "Matrix" She gave me the sweetest smile. Made the whole trip worth it.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

This may sound strange, but I always love the WC after the Olympic's. Some Olympians, especially if they had medalled, don't go, some do because they want to retire after World's, but you're always in for surprises. Suddenly a newcomer gets to shine, or an Olympian medallist doesn't have his/her/their day. Sometimes there's a surprise World Champion even. I realise that for many skaters it makes it a long and tiring season, but for me as watcher and fan, I am already looking forward to it in March.

I do too! It's rarely truly indicative of what's coming in the next four years (except for when it is, of course) but it's always interesting to see who steps up to the plate and how the field begins to shift after the first wave of post-Olympic retirements.

 

[dorispulaski]

Alysa Liu did it her way

Alysa Liu will leave the Milan Cortina Games to train for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in March, where she will aim to defend her title.

www.nbcolympics.com

The whole US worlds team as announced at US Nationals are still.planning to go to Worlds, according to Phil Hersh.

They were:

U.S. Figure Skating Announces World Championships, World Junior Championships and Four Continents Teams - U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure Skating today announced its selections for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2026 and

usfigureskating.org

2026 World Championships
Women
Amber Glenn
Isabeau Levito
Alysa Liu

Alternate 1: Bradie Tennell
Alternate 2: Sarah Everhardt
Alternate 3: Starr Andrews

Men
Jason Brown
Ilia Malinin
Andrew Torgashev

Alternate 1: Maxim Naumov
Alternate 2: Tomoki Hiwatashi
Alternate 3: Jacob Sanchez

Pairs
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea
Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman

Alternate 1: Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy
Alternate 2: Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe
Alternate 3: Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

Ice Dance
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

Alternate 1: Caroline Green and Michael Parsons
Alternate 2: Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville
Alternate 3: Oona Brown and Gage Brown

 

[snowflake]

Alysa Liu did it her way

Alysa Liu will leave the Milan Cortina Games to train for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in March, where she will aim to defend her title.

www.nbcolympics.com

The whole US worlds team as announced at US Nationals are still.planning to go to Worlds, according to Phil Hersh.

They were:

U.S. Figure Skating Announces World Championships, World Junior Championships and Four Continents Teams - U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure Skating today announced its selections for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2026 and

usfigureskating.org

2026 World Championships
Women
Amber Glenn
Isabeau Levito
Alysa Liu

Alternate 1: Bradie Tennell
Alternate 2: Sarah Everhardt
Alternate 3: Starr Andrews

Men
Jason Brown
Ilia Malinin
Andrew Torgashev

Alternate 1: Maxim Naumov
Alternate 2: Tomoki Hiwatashi
Alternate 3: Jacob Sanchez

Pairs
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea
Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman

Alternate 1: Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy
Alternate 2: Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe
Alternate 3: Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

Ice Dance
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

Alternate 1: Caroline Green and Michael Parsons
Alternate 2: Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville
Alternate 3: Oona Brown and Gage Brown

Didn't Tomoki retire?

 

[muptgirl]

I really doubt Madi and Evan will go to worlds.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

I really doubt Madi and Evan will go to worlds.

Yeah that's one of the withdrawals I'm most expecting to hear (along with Gilles/Poirier and Guignard/Fabbri). I also think it's 50/50 whether Jason withdraws, unless there's been a post from him personally talking about training for Worlds.

 

[dorispulaski]

All I know is what I have read.

At this point neither Jason nor Maddy & Evan have withdrawn.

Yes Tomoki retired, but he is only an alternate.