IFSC announces 2026 calendar for Sport Climbing & Para Climbing

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has announced the calendar of events for the Climbing and Para Climbing season 2026 – a year that will bring the sport to audiences across 11 countries in Asia, Europe, and Pan America, continuing the momentum built through record-breaking seasons in 2024 and 2025.

World Cup
As in previous years, the IFSC World Cup Series is expected to kick off in China in early May, with exact dates and locations to be confirmed in mid-November. China is also set to host a Speed doubleheader in September, with further details to be announced at a later stage.

During the summer months, the Series will move to Europe for a packed schedule of Boulder, Lead, and Speed competitions that will bring the circuit to Switzerland, Spain, Czechia, Austria, Poland, France, and Slovenia.

For the second consecutive season, the World Cup Series will make a stop in South America, with the final stage scheduled in Santiago, Chile, in late October.

The Para Climbing season will open in May with the traditional World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The other two hosts of Para Climbing World Cups in 2025 – Innsbruck, Austria, and Laval, France – have also been confirmed on the 2026 calendar.

Provisional Calendar
The provisional calendar of Climbing and Para Climbing events in 2026 is as follows:

• 15 to 16 May – Para Climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA – Lead
• 22 to 24 May – Climbing World Cup in Bern, Switzerland – Boulder
• 28 to 31 May – Climbing World Cup in Madrid, Spain – Boulder, Speed
• 4 to 7 June – Climbing World Cup in Prague, Czechia – Boulder, Lead
• 15 to 16 June – Para Climbing World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria – Lead
• 17 to 21 June – Climbing World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria – Boulder, Lead
• 3 to 5 July – Climbing World Cup in Krakow, Poland – Speed
• 10 to 12 July – Climbing World Cup in Chamonix, France – Lead, Speed
• 18 to 25 July – Youth Climbing World Championships in Arco, Italy – Boulder, Lead, Speed
• 28 to 29 August – Para Climbing World Cup in Laval, France – Lead
• 4 to 5 September – Climbing World Cup in Koper, Slovenia – Lead
• 16 to 18 October – Climbing World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA – Boulder
• 23 to 25 October – Climbing World Cup in Santiago, Chile – Lead, Speed

After being successfully launched at The World Games Chengdu 2025 last August, the four-lane Speed format will debut on the Climbing World Cup circuit in Krakow, with even more events expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

IFSC Youth World Championships
The IFSC Youth World Championships will make a much-anticipated return to Arco, Italy, where the event was previously held in 2015 and 2019. With a programme featuring competitions across three disciplines and two age categories, the event will take place in the newly renovated Arco Climbing Stadium.

Asian Games
The season will also see Climbing featured in the programme of the 20th edition of the Asian Games, set to take place in the Nagoya, Japan, and the Aichi Prefecture from 19 September to 4 October, marking the third consecutive edition of the event to include the sport. The Climbing programme at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will feature span over five days – 29 September to 3 October – featuring Boulder, Lead, and Speed competitions, and consolidating Climbing’s growing presence in major multi-sport events.