Athletes in half marathon action in Gdynia (© Getty Images)
The World Athletics Council has today (14) confirmed the host cities for three future World Athletics Series events at its meeting in Budapest, ahead of the World Athletics Championships starting on Saturday (19) in the Hungarian capital.
At the 231st Council meeting, the World Athletics Road Running Championships has been awarded to San Diego, USA, for 2025 and to Copenhagen, Denmark, for 2026.
The 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon. The Council has also reinstated Lima, Peru, as the host of the World U20 Championships in 2024.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “We are grateful that so many great cities around the world are interested in hosting our events and we’re delighted with the quality of the candidates we have had to choose from to host these World Athletics Series events over the next three years. The standard of bids is so high that we would like to encourage those who were not successful today to continue talking to us about staging future events.”
The inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships, which will include championship distances of one mile, 5km and half marathon, will be held in Riga, Latvia, on 1 October this year. This championships will become an annual event from 2025 and is proving to be a popular property for prospective host cities.
In a competitive process, San Diego and Copenhagen were selected to host the second and third editions of the championships.
“I’m proud San Diego is the first US city to have the opportunity to host the World Athletics Road Running Championships – another success that showcases our city as a premier global destination for sports tourism,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. "My thanks goes out to the team at Sports San Diego and our local running community for all they did to bring this major event to our city, and I’m excited to welcome runners from around the world for a memorable weekend.”
USATF CEO Max Siegel said: "We extend our congratulations to San Diego for being awarded the 2025 World Road Running Championships. This event will showcase the beauty of the city and the spirit of the athletes who will grace its roads. We look forward to witnessing a championship that captures the essence of excellence and the unity of the global running community."
Copenhagen returns as a host city after successfully staging the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in 2014.
“With a strong city brand, a leading position in the green transition, and extensive expertise in utilising urban spaces for hosting events, Copenhagen stands as one of the foremost event cities worldwide. And now we are very excited to welcome athletes and their friends and families to the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in 2026,” says Mikkel Aaro-Hansen, CEO at Wonderful Copenhagen.
Danish Athletics Federation President Simone Frandsen added: “We are both thrilled and honoured to be chosen to host the World Road Running Championships. Following our successful introduction of recreational runners in the World Half Marathon Championships 2014 and the acclaimed World Cross Country Championships 2019, we once again pledge our dedication to design a spectacular experience. We couldn't be more excited to stage the WRRC 2026 as we continue to contribute moving the sport forward.”
World U20 Championships
The World Athletics Council has reinstated Lima as the host city of the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships.
The Peruvian Athletics Federation informed World Athletics in April this year that political instability and social unrest at that time, as well as natural disasters in Peru, had left the federation and the local organising committee (LOC) unable to stage the event next year.
However, the situation has stabilised in Lima and with strong backing from the Peruvian Government, the Peruvian Federation has confirmed that it is now able to host the event from 26-31 August 2024 as previously scheduled.
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, will host the World Athletics U20 Championships for the second time in 2026, having first played host in 2014 and also welcomed athletes for the World Athletics Championships in 2022.
“Hayward Magic inspires amazing performances on the track, generates meaningful collaborations in our research facilities and classrooms, and energises fans, alumni and friends the world over,” said University of Oregon President Karl Scholz. “We look forward to welcoming young athletes from around the globe to the University of Oregon.”
Tracktown USA CEO Michael Reilly added: “TrackTown USA is ecstatic to once again partner with USATF and the University of Oregon in welcoming the global track and field family to our Eugene and Springfield communities. Hayward Field will serve as the perfect theatre for showcasing the sport's emerging talent. This event will continue building the legacy from WCH Oregon22, and further our ongoing commitment to serving the world's best athletes."
Among other decisions, the Council approved the dates for the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25, which will be held on 10-11 May 2025.
World Athletics
