World Aquatics announced a pair of interesting elements that will be added to its 2026 international calendar on Friday.
The global governing body said it will trial using 10 lanes for all semi-final and final events 400 meters and below at the 2026 Short Course World Championships, an increase from the standard eight-lane format.
“As well as enabling more swimmers from more Member Federations to reach these semi-finals and finals, the innovation is expected to deliver more exciting competitions,” World Aquatics said on Friday.
All 800 and 1500-meter events and relays will remain eight lanes.
Additionally, World Aquatics announced a new qualifying wrinkle for the 2026 Short Course Worlds.
Swimmers competing at the three-leg World Cup circuit in the fall—what it’s calling the “Silk Road Tour”—will have the chance to earn a wild card berth to SC Worlds if they hit an ‘A’ standard in their event.
World Aquatics said that “up to three additional wild card swimmers could represent each World Aquatics Member Federation” at SC Worlds, though additional details on exactly how the wild card qualifying system has yet to be released. World Aquatics said athletes and federations will be informed in the coming weeks.
“We are very excited at the prospect of welcoming even more swimmers from even more places around the globe to the 2026 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) here in Beijing,” said President Husain Al Musallam.
“We are determined to provide the world’s best swimmers with every chance to shine.”
Without knowing the specifics of the wild card qualifying system, it seems as though a nation, let’s use the United States as an example, could select its SC Worlds roster based on the scheduled selection meet in late October, and then three more swimmers who earned ‘A’ cuts at the World Cup but didn’t make the original roster could also earn a spot at SC Worlds.
The 2026 World Cup Silk Road Tour will have stops in Baku, Azerbaijan (October 1-3), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (October 8-10), and Astana, Kazakhstan (October 15-17).
The 2026 Short Course World Championships will take place from December 1-6 in Beijing, China.
the Wild Card is a “concept of a plan” we’ll see details in 2 weeks. or never.
Eh I mean, the middle lanes being different colors helps with knowing what lane’s what and who is who, but just adding more swimmers to the outside’ll probably start making that juuuuuuuust confusing enough to where I’ll mess up occasionally and that’s annoying.
Anything that slightly inconveniences me is DOA.
All pools should be 10 lanes.
The End.
😂
Aw c’mon guys. 10 is the right number.
im ok with the 10 lane semis thing but finals? seems a little much but it could be worse. 20 people in semis does seem like a lot
The wild card qualifier is a gimmick to get people to go to world cups. Otherwise nobody was going in 2026 given locations.
Not sure US athletes will still go given timing of sc Trials meet.
Unrelated but Nik Fink js dropped a 27.01
he has the 100 tomorrow he’s going 59 mid
So it is possible to sweep medal by one country?
Probably do something like Euros with a top 2 per nation advance to final 🤷.
Everybody swims, everybody wins.
Except those who don’t make Final.