2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Organisers | World Athletics |
| Edition | 46th |
| Date | 10 January |
| Host city | Tallahassee, United States  |
| Events | 5 |
| Distances | ~10 km – Senior men and women ~8 km – Junior men ~6 km – Junior women ~4×2 km – Mixed relay |
| Participation | 485 athletes from 52 nations |
| Official website | |
2027 TBA → | |
The 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships was an athletics meeting organized by World Athletics, held on January 10, 2026 at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, United States.[1][2]
Jakob Kiplimo and Agnes Ngetich won the senior races, while Ethiopia won both team titles. Australia won the mixed relay.
Tallahassee was revealed as the location of the event, in July 2022.[3] The date was announced by World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe, in Nanjing on 25 March 2025.[4] The logo, including oranges, palm trees and a bright sun, was revealed in July 2025.[5]
The junior races preceded the senior races, and the senior men's event concluded the program.
The 46th edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships was held on 10 January 2026. The schedule consisted of five events– 10 km men and women, 8 km under-20 men, 6 km under-20 women, and 4 x 2 km mixed relay.[6] In each of the races, each nation was allowed to field a maximum of up to six athletes.
The mixed relay team consisted of teams of two women and two men each running one loop of the course in a specified order, starting with a male and alternating between genders. Athletes were to carry a wristband that was to be transferred to the next athlete within the takeover zone.
| Date | Time (EST) | Events |
|---|---|---|
| 10 January | 09:45 | Mixed Relay |
| 10:20 | U20 race women | |
| 10:55 | U20 race men | |
| 11:35 | Senior race women | |
| 12:20 | Senior race men |
Broadcast
| Country | Broadcast Company/Network |
|---|---|
| Worldwide | World Athletics Inside Track |
| Europe/Israel | Eurovision Sports |
| Australia | World Athletics Inside Track |
| United States | NBC/Peacock |
| Canada | CBC |
| United Kingdom | Eurovision Sport/BBC |
| Spain | Tele Deportes |
| Italy | Rai Sports |
| South America | TYC Sports |
| Turkey | TRT |
| Norway | NRK |
| Japan | U-NEXT TV |
| Kenya, Ethiopia | SuperSport Variety 1 |
Live Results
Course Map
Senior Races Prize Money
| Rank | Championship | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | Team | Mixed relay (per team) | |
| Gold | US$30,000 | US$20,000 | US$12,000 |
| Silver | US$15,000 | US$16,000 | US$8000 |
| Bronze | US$10,000 | US$12,000 | US$6000 |
| Fourth | US$7000 | US$10,000 | US$4000 |
| Fifth | US$5000 | US$8000 | — |
| Sixth | US$3000 | US$4000 | |
Participation
A total of 485 athletes are entered for the championships, with 52 federations being represented.[13]
Algeria (7)
Argentina (4)
Australia (30)
Bangladesh (2)
Belgium (1)
Bolivia (2)
Burundi (7)
Canada (39)
China (23)
Estonia (2)
Ethiopia (21)
Fiji (2)
France (12)
French Polynesia (2)
Ghana (1)
Great Britain (30)
Guam (1)
Honduras (1)
India (7)
Ireland (4)
Israel (3)
Ivory Coast (1)
Japan (24)
Jordan (3)
Kenya (35)
Kyrgyzstan (1)
Latvia (2)
Lebanon (9)
Macau (1)
Mexico (12)
Morocco (6)
Namibia (1)
Netherlands (1)
New Zealand (24)
Northern Mariana Islands (2)
Palestine (1)
Papua New Guinea (2)
Peru (10)
Philippines (1)
Senegal (2)
Seychelles (1)
Singapore (5)
South Africa (29)
Spain (20)
Sudan (1)
Sweden (4)
Tanzania (9)
Uganda (26)
United States (37)
U.S. Virgin Islands (2)
Venezuela (3)
Zimbabwe (8)
Medalists
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||||||
| Senior men |
Jacob Kiplimo Uganda | 28:18 | Berihu Aregawi Ethiopia | 28:36 | Daniel Simiu Ebenyo Kenya | 28:45 |
| Senior women |
Agnes Ngetich Kenya | 31:28 | Joy Cheptoyek Uganda | 32:10 | Senayet Getachew Ethiopia | 32:13 |
| U20 men |
Frankline Kibet Kenya | 23:18 | Emmanuel Kiprono Kenya | 23:20 | Andrew Alamisi Kenya | 23:28 |
| U20 women |
Marta Alemayo Ethiopia | 18:52 | Wosane Asefa Ethiopia | 19:18 | Charity Cherop Uganda | 19:19 |
| Team | ||||||
| Senior 4x2km Mixed Relay |
 Australia | 22:23 |  France | 22:26 | Ethiopia | 22:34 |
| Senior men |
Ethiopia | 30 pts | Kenya | 34 pts | Uganda | 39 pts |
| Senior women |
Ethiopia | 19 pts | Kenya | 36 pts | Uganda | 37 pts |
| U20 men |
Kenya | 10 pts | Uganda | 31 pts | United States | 75 pts |
| U20 women |
Uganda | 29 pts | Kenya | 29 pts |  Japan | 87 pts |
Medal table
* Host nation (United States)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya (KEN) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Uganda (UGA) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Japan (JPN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States (USA)* | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (7 entries) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | |
Results
Senior 4x2km Mixed Relay
Senior Men
|
|
Senior women
|
|
U20 men
|
|
U20 women
|
|
.jpg){kind=small}
