With 2026 being a non-Olympic and non-World Championships year, World Athletics introduced the Ultimate Championships to fill the competitive void with a best-of-the-best event. On Thursday, the global governing body announced the qualifying criteria for athletes hoping to compete at the inaugural championships, scheduled for Sept. 11–13, 2026, in Budapest.
Unlike the Olympic Games or World Championships, the Ultimate Championships will be a compact three-day event featuring only the top performers from the 2026 season. Sprint events will include 16 athletes, while distance events such as the 1,500m and 5,000m will feature 12-athlete fields.
There will be no entry standards or national team nominations—the only way to earn a spot is by winning. Athletes can qualify in one of four ways (though realistically, two). The reigning Olympic and world champions in each discipline will receive automatic invitations, while other athletes can qualify either by winning the 2026 Diamond League Final in Brussels or by their position in the world rankings as of Sept. 1, 2026.
The list of eligible athletes will appear in the Road to the Ultimate tool on the World Athletics website. Because athletes are invited individually, there is no limit on the number of entrants per nation, meaning, for example, the men’s 100m field could theoretically be made up of mostly American and Jamaican sprinters, depending on rankings.
In addition to being crowned the inaugural ultimate champion, athletes will compete for a record US$10 million prize purse, including US$150,000 for each event winner (which is the largest total prize pool ever offered in a single track and field competition).
The track program will include men’s and women’s events in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 100m/110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and mixed 4x100m, plus 4x400m relays. Each of the three sessions will feature multiple finals. On the track, sprint and hurdle events will include two semifinals of eight athletes, with the top four from each advancing to the final. The distance and relay events will be straight finals, with no second chances.
For more information on qualifying and the Ultimate Championships in general, see here.
