The 2025 calendar for the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup will feature the top open water swimmers from around the globe competing at iconic locations in what will be the 19th season of the sport.
The upcoming competition for the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup is as follows: Stop 1: Somabay (EGY) – 21-22 Feb, Stop 2: Ibiza (ESP) – 25-26 Apr, Stop 3: Setubal (POR) – 14-15 Jun, Stop 4: Golfo Aranci (ITA) – 10-11 October, Stop 5: TBD.
Once again, the 2025 Open Water Swimming World Cup season will take place in the crystal-clear waters of Soma Bay, Egypt. This city has successfully hosted the season opener for the Open Water Swimming World Cup in 2024 and was also a part of the multi-sport Egypt Aquatics Festival in 2023.
Team Egypt made the most of their home advantage, with Lamees Elsokkary and Arwa Faisal Malek securing the top two spots in the junior rankings in Somabay.
The second stop on the Open Water Swimming World Cup tour will be in Ibiza, with races taking place in the Mediterranean Sea. This will be Spain’s 49th time hosting a World Aquatics event, including the World Aquatics Championships in 1986, 2003, and 2013, but it will be the first time that the glamorous city of Ibiza will welcome the world’s best aquatic athletes to compete in its azure-coloured waters. This event will also mark Spain’s first time hosting an Open Water Swimming World Cup since Sevilla in 2007.
Halfway through the 2025 World Cup, the tour will return to the familiar waters of Setubal, Portugal. Setubal has been the host of open water’s annual tour 15 times since 2007 and has also been the venue for the Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier events in 2012, 2016, and 2021. One week later, the seaside city on Portugal’s southwest coast will host a stage in European Aquatics’ Open Water Cup. Set beside the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve in the Atlantic Ocean, Setubal is known for its challenging conditions, with ocean currents and occasional breaking waves that are synonymous with open water swimming. “Because of the waves and current, racing in Setubal requires a lot of strategy,” said Marc-Antoine Olivier, the defending men’s overall champion of the Open Water Swimming World Cup. Kristof Rasovszky, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion, also added, “You have to race and react based on what the others are doing. Of course, you have to catch up with the current, find your place in the waves, and find your spot in the pack.” According to Rasovszky, “Setubal is pure racing.” “Open water swimming is a significant part of our culture, and we are always delighted to welcome friends from all over the world to compete,” said Portuguese swimmer Tiago Campos.
The fourth stop of the season will see the Open Water Swimming World Cup tour return to Golfo Aranci, Italy, which is located on Sardinia’s eastern coast. This coastal village has been a favourite among athletes since it made its World Cup debut in 2023, and it will be returning for the third consecutive year in the upcoming annual tour. “Sardinia is like a second home for many of us who compete in open water swimming. It’s always a pleasure to race there,” said Leonie Beck of Germany, the 2023 Women’s World Cup Overall champion.
The fifth and final stop of the 2025 Open Water Swimming World Cup season will be confirmed by World Aquatics at a later date. “Each stop on the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup 2025 calendar offers something unique, from the crystal-clear waters of Soma Bay to two iconic Mediterranean venues and the thrill of racing in the Atlantic,” said S.A. “Sid” Cassidy, Chair of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Technical Committee. “With such exceptional World Cup hosts and the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on the horizon, the upcoming season promises to be truly unforgettable for open water swimming.”
Seven-time world champion Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil added another title to her impressive list of achievements by claiming an “amazing” overall crown at the 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup finale. After the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle and her record-extending seventh Women’s Open Water Swimming World Cup Overall award, Cunha told World Aquatics that she will assess if she will be back for a 19th year of competing in open water elite events for global titles and World Cup victories. On the men’s side
