With just one month to go, excitement is growing for the 2026 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. The competition will take place across three cities along the historic Silk Road, providing swimmers with an important opportunity to prepare for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing in December.
The three-stop competition will begin in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 1–3 October, followed by Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 8–10 October, before finishing in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 15–17 October.
Baku will host the first-ever World Aquatics event in Azerbaijan at the Aquatic Palace, while Tashkent will host its first international swimming competition at the new Olympic City. Astana will host its fourth World Aquatics event and will be the final stop of the tour.
The competition is particularly important for swimmers hoping to qualify for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing. A new wild card system will be introduced, allowing swimmers who finish in the top three of an individual event while achieving an A standard time to qualify directly for the championships. Each national federation could also gain up to three additional places in Beijing through this system.
The Swimming World Cup will offer a total prize pool of USD 1.2 million, excluding additional bonuses for world records and athletes who win the same event at all three stops. More than 750 swimmers from over 50 countries are expected to take part. World record holders and Crown winners will receive an additional USD 10,000.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said the organisation was proud to bring the competition to Baku, Tashkent and Astana. He highlighted the importance of introducing world-class swimming to new audiences and giving local fans the opportunity to watch some of the world’s best swimmers compete.
The host countries are also looking forward to the event. Azerbaijan’s Swimming Federation believes the competition will help develop swimming and aquatic sports in the country and encourage more young people to participate. Organisers in Uzbekistan see the event as an opportunity to combine the country’s Silk Road heritage with its growing international sporting presence.
Former Olympic champion Dmitriy Balandin also welcomed the competition coming to Kazakhstan for the first time. He said hosting the final stage in Astana would be an important moment for swimming in the country and could inspire a new generation of swimmers.
The countdown to the competition has now begun, with athletes and fans preparing for three weeks of high-level swimming, while swimmers will also have the opportunity to secure qualification for the 2026 championships in Beijing.
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