The start of the men's 5km in Riga (© Adam Nurkiewicz)
World Athletics is pleased to announce the launch of the bidding processes for the following World Athletics Series events:
2028 World Athletics Road Running Championships
2029 World Athletics Road Running Championships
2029 World Athletics Cross Country Championships
The launch follows earlier communication with World Athletics member federations, who were informed of the forthcoming bidding process in advance of the year-end period.
The World Athletics Road Running Championships has rapidly established itself as one of the sport’s most accessible and dynamic global events. Delivered in its latest format as a one-day competition, the championships bring together approximately 350 elite athletes from about 55 countries to contest the half marathon and 5km road races, alongside highly popular mass participation events.
Each edition transforms the host city into the road running capital of the world, providing an outstanding opportunity for a host member federation to capitalise on the growing global appetite for road running. The event’s strong appeal to recreational runners and spectators alike offers significant potential to drive participation, visibility and revenue, while strengthening the host’s international road running profile.
The World Athletics Cross Country Championships remains the pinnacle of off-road running, designed to highlight the character and landscape of the host city through technically challenging courses and distinctive terrain. Staged as a one-day event, the championships feature approximately 550 athletes from about 52 countries with opportunities to incorporate memorable mass participation races.
As global interest in off-road and endurance running continues to grow, the World Athletics Cross Country Championships offers host cities a powerful platform to promote active tourism, forge new strategic partnerships and showcase their natural and urban environments to a worldwide audience.
Bid guides for each event, including hosting requirements and impact data from previous editions, are now available on the World Athletics website.
The deadline for submission of pre-qualification forms for the 2028 and 2029 World Road Running Championships, and the 2029 World Cross Country Championships, is 3 April 2026. Full bid process timelines are also available on the World Athletics website.
World Athletics