USA Swimming has announced the selection procedures for the 2026-2027 National Team and National Junior Team, which includes significant changes from prior years. Those changes include a reduction in the number of swimmers chosen in each event, and a carveout for the anticipated American conversion of Ilya Kharun.
Athletes selected will be on the team from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2027.
USA Swimming National Team
To be eligible for the 2026-27 National Team, athletes will be selected based on times in each event that will be contested at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles at any USA Swimming-sanctioned competition, or AQUA-approved competition between December 1, 2025, and August 20, 2026. That means stroke 50s will now be National Team selection events.
In all events, aside from the 100 and 200 freestyles, the top five athletes with the fastest times will be selected to the national Team. In the 100 and 200 free, the top six will be selected. In the case of a tie for the final spot, all athletes involved in said tie will be selected.
That is a significant shift from the past, when the top six were selected in every event – with the reduction likely tied, at least in part, to the additional events.
Relay leadoffs, time trials, swim-offs, and intermediate splits are not included; only times from prelims, semis, or finals will count. Additionally, times from USA Swimming “approved meets” or “observed swims” will not count.
Selections will be based on times submitted to the USA Swimming Database as of August 25th, 2026, at 8 PM Mountain Time.
Athletes also must be in “good standing at the time of the qualifying competition and their selections, and throughout their term on the National Team.” They must be eligible to represent the US internationally. If an athlete changes their sport nationality, they will be removed from the National Team.
Additionally, if an athlete who swam a long-course time and later becomes eligible to represent the US internationally between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027, they will be added to the National Team, though no athlete will be removed as a result of the addition. That appears to be a carveout for Canadian Olympian Ilya Kharun, who is expected to become eligible to represent the U.S. in October.
USA Swimming Junior National Team Selection
To be eligible for the 2026-27 National Junior Team, athletes must be 18 years or younger as of December 31, 2026, and athletes selected to the National Team are not eligible for the National Junior Team.
Similar to the National Team selection, athletes will be selected based on times in the individual events to be contested at the 2028 Olympic Games, though the National Junior team excludes the 50 back, 50 breast, and 50 fly; it will not select athletes in those events.
The same number applies to the National Team: five athletes per event, except for the 100 and 200 freestyles, where there will be six selected.
Swimmers must be in good standing at the time and throughout their selection to the National Junior Team. They must be eligible to represent the US internationally. Similar to the National Team selection, if an athlete changes their sport nationality, they will be removed from the National Team. Additionally, if an athlete who swam a long-course time and later becomes eligible to represent the US internationally between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027, they will be added to the National Team, though no athlete will be removed as a result of the addition.
Well – Just how much money do they get? USA Swimming needs to step up to the plate and forget about the age group swimmers and support our best.
I say give National Team Members $25,000 per month and Junior National Team Members $5,525 per month. This amount is peanuts compared to what the washed up greedy “Enhanced Dufus” competitors siphon off the despicable event.
Show em the money!
If I get it right, they want a larger National Team compared to their Junior National team?? Since they include the 50s for the National Team and not in the Junior National Team wouldn’t you think that they wound stay with a more traditional 6 and not cut down a spot!?! Simple strategy: bigger base more opportunities…
I guess you’re good at swimming when a country updates their selection procedures for you 🙂 LFG Ilya
So, do times done at the World Junior Championships count for Junior or Senior Team selection??
no World Jrs in 2026
How much focus are swimming executives/committees placing on all these new 50 sprints(and, what % percentage of the team spots now go to sprinters)? More important, do viewers actually enjoy a 20 second race more than a 2 to 4 minute strategic race?
Seems like you could have thought for about two minutes to answer your first question
There are 17 events now, which means (17*5)+2=87 potential spots assuming no overlap. By the rhetoric of your comment it sounds like you’re qualifying “sprinters” as 50 swimmers – which means 20 of those spots. So a little less than 25% of the spots go to “sprinters”. If you throw the 100s in there the number jumps up to 41, or a little under 50%. If you care about the exact number that much, feel free to use a calculator. These are again ignoring the potential for doubling up – if a certain Michael Andrew qualified in all of the 50s that would cause those… Read more »
My initial comment was to raise awareness of the continued incorrect strategies that are taking place(and, to get you to walk through the math). Further, do we still need all of the relays(now that a collection of new 50’s are being offered)?
Which incorrect strategies?
The gender gap of USA Swimming investment / support will get even wider. More double/triple qualifying women than men so there will be even fewer female athletes on the teams than male athletes.
Just qualifying for the national team does not mean you receive any funding
Literally a 30 second google search or scrolling down would have explained why this is blatantly false
The Kharun carve out is interesting. Did I miss this in years past?
Seems to be new.
Must be nice to be one of the chosen ones.
To be fair I think it’s a reasonable rule to implement regardless of who it impacts this year.
How many bronze medalists have ever switched countries to join the US national team? This is new cause this situation is brand new
Interesting how they changed it from selecting the top 6 to now the top 5. Maybe has to do with the 50s being added and less room on the roster?
I think that’s probably it.
Also USA swimming is too cheap to pay a couple more athletes
I think they bumped it up to 30 of each gender recently. Those two things are not linked in the way that you are thinking.
Agreed. USA Swimming does not pay all the NT athletes, anyway.
I was gonna say I think they are just cheap.
seems to be a lot more athlete getting paid than other countries
You could always start a GoFundMe to support athletes #31-#40 if you’re that passionate about it
This is hilarious coming from the comment section that absolutely loses a gasket when there is a small fee to watch a meet stream. Too cheap lol