USA Swimming Releases 2025 Worlds Selection Procedures

USA Swimming has released its pool swimming selection procedures for the 2025 World Championships. The championships will be held in Singapore from July 11 – August 3, with the pool swimming competition taking place from July 27 – August 3.

The U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, are the qualifying meet for selection to the World Championship roster. The maximum roster size is 26 women and 26 men. Teams for the World Junior and World University Games will also be determined at this meet.

Swimmers selected for the 2025 Worlds team cannot swim at the World Juniors or the World University Games. The priority order for meet selection goes Worlds first, then World Juniors, and finally World University Games.

As for the selection procedures for securing a roster spot, USA Swimming has announced five priority orders for roster selection.

2025 Worlds Team Selection Priority Order:

• Priority 1: The four best finishing available swimmers based on finish order in the 100 and 200 freestyle and the best finishing available swimmer based on finish order from the finals in each individual Olympic event other than the 100 and 200 freestyle.
• Priority 2: The second-best finishing available swimmer based on finish order in the finals of each individual Olympic event other than the 100 and 200 freestyle
• Priority 3: The best finishing available swimmer based on finish order from the finals in each individual non-Olympic event.
• Priority 4: The fifth-best finishing available swimmer based on finish order from the finals in the 100 and 200 freestyle.
• Priority 5: The sixth-best finishing available swimmer based on finish order from the finals in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

There is an addendum on Priority 1. If a Priority 1 available swimmer opts not to swim the 100 or 200 free at Worlds before the team announcement on June 7 but remains on the roster because they’ve qualified in another event, USA Swimming won’t add another 100/200 freestyle swimmer to the team. This rule won’t apply if an available swimmer is removed from the team.

The World Championship women’s and men’s rosters are constructed separately, except nations are limited to a combined total of 12 relay-only swimmers. If, after all the priorities are applied, there are more than 12 relay-only swimmers, the involved swimmers will be ranked within priority “according to their percentage of ‘A’ Stanford for the event for which they qualify.” Then, the swimmers with the highest percentage will be added to the team until the maximum number of relay swimmers is reached or the roster is full, whichever comes first.

USA Swimming notes under its Discretionary Selection section that “all swimmers who are selected to the team shall be eligible for selection to any and all relays at the Championships provided that relay-only swimmers achieve the ‘B’ time standard for the event within the relay in which they are selected to compete.” The organization also notes that the National Team Managing Direction will be responsible for relay selection “with the advice and consent of the Head Coaches.”

A & B Time Standards

Under World Aquatics rules, for two swimmers from the U.S. to compete in the same event at Worlds, both must achieve the ‘A’ cut in that event during the qualifying period. This typically isn’t a problem, but it’s been on swim fans’ minds since the historic 400 freestyle time trial at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.

The selection procedures lay out how the organization would proceed if the top two swimmers at an event at U.S. Nationals don’t both swim under the ‘A’ cut. If the fastest finisher in a U.S. Nationals final only “has a “B” Time Standard, and the available swimmer with the second fastest time from the Finals has an “A” Time Standard, the fastest available swimmer at the [U.S. Nationals] will be selected to the team and will swim that event at [Worlds]. Then, “the second-fastest available swimmer would not be selected to the team for that event…even if they achieve the “A” Time Standard.”

USA Swimming has also laid out the procedures for what happens if the second-place finisher in an individual Olympic event at U.S. Nationals has not swum an ‘A’ cut during the qualifying period. In that case, the next best finisher from that event will be added to the team—if they’ve hit the ‘A’ cut during the qualifying period. USA Swimming states “this process will repeat until an available swimmer who has an “A” standard is selected to the team, provided that swimmer finishes in the finals in the event.” If no such swimmer exists, “then USA Swimming will only select one available swimmer to the team in that event.”

If a swimmer makes the team by Priority 3 in an individual non-Olympic event but only has a ‘B’ cut, “USA Swimming will only enter that one athlete” for that event.

Finally, World Aquatics states relay-only swimmers must have a “B” cut in their individual event to qualify for roster selection.

Qualifying For Non-Olympic Events

USA Swimming lays out three different ways that swimmers can earn a roster spot in an individual non-Olympic event.

• Opportunity 1: Win the non-Olympic event at U.S. Nationals with an ‘A’ cut and be selected to the team with the Priority Selection applied.
• Opportunity 2: If the winner of the non-Olympic event wasn’t selected for the team, the winner of that 100 of stroke will be offered the roster spot, if they swam an ‘A’ cut to win their event.
• Opportunity 3: If the 100 of stroke winner declines, the opportunity will go to the second-place finisher in that event, as long as they also earned an ‘A’ cut.