World Aquatics Announces ‘Silk Road’ Circuit for 2026 World Cup
World Aquatics on Tuesday announced the 2026 World Cup slate, with a ‘Silk Road’ circuit of venues in Eurasia.
The 2026 World Cup will serve as a lead-in to the World Aquatics Short-Course Championships in Beijing next December. It will stop in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Oct. 1-3; Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Oct. 8-10; and Astana, Kazakhstan, Oct. 15-17.
“We are thrilled and deeply honoured to be bringing the Swimming World Cup to such historic and culturally relevant cities as Baku, Tashkent and Astana,” World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said in a news release. “The Silk Road Tour will be a departure from business-as-usual World Cups, opening up the world’s best swimmers to new areas where their performances will be celebrated and even cherished by the local patrons. One of the beauties of having a compact Swimming World Cup in recent years has been seeing the closeness and camaraderie among the swimmers competing on tour.
“We look forward to welcoming swimming fans from around the globe and providing an unforgettable experience for all.”
It’s the latest turn toward Asia for World Aquatics under its first Asian president. Al-Musallam assumed the office in 2021. Four of the six World Championships from 2022-29 have been held or will be held in Asia. It also continues the theme of themed World Cups, with the 2024 season swinging through Asia and the 2025 edition having just wrapped up in North America.
The 2026 World Cup will feature a prize pool of $1.2 million, including $10,000 bonuses for world records and Triple Crown winners.
All three host cities are relatively inexperienced on the global swimming circuit. Azerbaijan is hosting a World Aquatics event of any kind for the first time, though Baku’s Aquatic Palace hosted the 2015 European Games, 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games and 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival.
“Baku’s selection as the opening stop of the Swimming World Cup 2026 is a remarkable milestone for aquatics in our country,” said Azerbaijan Swimming Federation President Zaur Aliyev. “The Aquatic Palace has welcomed several major international events over the past decade, and hosting a World Aquatics competition for the first time elevates our ambitions to a new level. We look forward to welcoming the world’s strongest swimmers to Azerbaijan and showcasing our commitment to growing the sport, inspiring young athletes, and strengthening our partnership with World Aquatics.”
Tashkent’s new Aquatic Palace is hosting a World Aquatics swimming event for the first time, though the city has hosted World Cup Artistic Swimming World Cup events in 2017 and 2018. Various other sports, including judo and karate, have made Tashkent a site of global events.
Astana is a more common World Aquatics host, Barys Arena Poll having entertained three World Aquatics water polo tournaments in the 20102.
“Welcome to Kazakhstan — your first step into the steppe, where the spirit of the Silk Road meets the flow of our waters,” said Rio 2016 Olympic 200m breaststroke champion and secretary general of the Kazakhstan Swimming Federation, Dmitriy Balandin. “We greet every swimmer as warmly as travelers once welcomed one another along this ancient Silk Road.”
2026 World Aquatics World Cup
- Oct. 1-3: Baku, Azerbaijan
- Oct. 8-10: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Oct. 15-17: Astana, Kazakhstan
