- What to Expect at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026
- World Figure Skating Championships 2026 Schedule
- World Figure Skating Championships 2026: Where to Watch
- Ilia Malinin Hunts a Third Consecutive World Title
- Sakamoto Kaori's Final Chapter
- Ice Dance: Olympic Champions Chase the Only Title They Are Missing
- Pairs: Georgia's Historic Season Continues
- Prague: A City Returning to the World Stage
- Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships are officially underway. Prague, Czech Republic, is hosting the sport’s most prestigious annual event from March 25 to 29 at the O2 Arena — marking the first time the Czech capital has held the World Championships in 33 years. With the dust still settling from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the athletes arriving in Prague carry unfinished business, redemption stories, and in one defining case, a farewell to competitive skating.
What to Expect at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026
The isu world figure skating championships 2026 serves as the final chapter of a remarkable season that began with Olympic glory and ends, for several skaters, with one last shot at the sport’s most coveted non-Olympic title. Across four disciplines — men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance — the world championship schedule spans five days and culminates with a closing exhibition gala on Sunday, March 29.
Officials confirmed that all Olympic and world medallists eligible for the event are on the entry list, making Prague one of the most competitive World Championship fields in recent memory.
World Figure Skating Championships 2026 Schedule
The world figure skating championships schedule is structured across five days, with short programs and rhythm dances opening each discipline before free skates and free dances determine the final standings.
i. Wednesday, March 25
- 11:30 — Women’s singles, short program
- 18:45 — Pairs, short program
ii. Thursday, March 26
- 11:30 — Men’s singles, short program
- 18:15 — Pairs, free skating
iii. Friday, March 27
- 11:30 — Ice dance, rhythm dance
- 18:00 — Women’s singles, free skating
iv. Saturday, March 28
- 12:30 — Men’s singles, free skating
- 18:30 — Ice dance, free dance
v. Sunday, March 29
- 14:30 — Exhibition Gala
All times listed are local Prague time (Central European Time, UTC+1).
World Figure Skating Championships 2026: Where to Watch
For fans searching for world figure skating championships 2026 where to watch details, the International Skating Union has broadcast agreements across dozens of territories globally. A full list of regional partners is available via isu-skating.com.
Key broadcast rights by territory:
| Countries | Where To Watch |
| United States | NBC and Peacock (streaming) |
| Canada | CBC |
| Great Britain | BBC |
| Japan | TV Asahi |
| France | France TV |
| Australia | SBS Australia |
| South Korea | SBS Korea |
| China | CCTV |
Ilia Malinin Hunts a Third Consecutive World Title
No story in men’s singles carries more weight at these isu world figure skating championships 2026 than Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin is at the center of wild cheating rumors — and it’s getting messy regarding Ilia Malinin’s pursuit of a third straight world title. The American entered the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as the two-time defending world champion and arguably the tournament favourite, only to fall apart in the free skate, finishing eighth despite having gone nearly two full years undefeated on the international circuit.
That result — the most shocking collapse of the Olympic season — follows Malinin to Prague. So does his singular ability to land the quadruple Axel, the most technically demanding jump in the sport. If he is healthy and focused, he is the man to beat.
France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, the two-time European champion who also unravelled in Milan after a strong short program, arrives with similar motivation. Reigning European champion Nika Egadze of Georgia, Olympic silver medallist Kagiyama Yuma of Japan, and Olympic bronze medallist Sato Shun of Japan round out the group most likely to challenge for the podium. Canada’s Stephen Gogolev — who improved his personal best by nearly 15 points during a breakthrough fifth-place finish at the Olympics — carries momentum from Milan into his Worlds campaign.
Sakamoto Kaori’s Final Chapter
The most emotionally resonant storyline at the world figure skating championships 2026 belongs to Japan’s Sakamoto Kaori. The three-time world champion and three-time Olympic silver medallist will skate competitively for the last time in Prague before transitioning to a coaching career.
At Milano Cortina 2026, Sakamoto finished second in the women’s singles by a margin of just 1.89 points — tantalizingly close to a fourth world title and Olympic gold. In Prague, she will have one final opportunity to stand on the top step of the podium before retiring.
Her teammates provide fierce competition. Nakai Ami, the 17-year-old Olympic bronze medallist making her senior Worlds debut, won the 2025 Grand Prix de France and finished second at the Grand Prix Final. Chiba Mone, who won bronze at last year’s World Championships, is also in the field and seeking a strong finish after a season of near-misses.
USA’s Amber Glenn, a three-time national champion, and silver medallist Isabeau Levito headline American women’s hopes after Glenn’s costly mistake in the Olympic short program denied her a medal in Milan.
Ice Dance: Olympic Champions Chase the Only Title They Are Missing
When Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron announced their ice dance partnership in March 2025, the pairing raised eyebrows. Twelve months later, the French duo are Olympic champions and European champions. The one major title missing from their collection is a World Championship gold — and Prague is where they intend to claim it.
Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Olympic bronze medallists competing in their 15th season together, will push hard for the top spot. Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson — who made history with their country’s first world medal in 41 years at the last edition — are looking to recover after a damaging mistake in Milan dropped them from fourth to eighth. Young Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik make their Worlds debut after finishing fifth at the Olympics.
Pairs: Georgia’s Historic Season Continues
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who delivered Georgia’s first-ever Winter Olympic medal with their pairs silver in Milan, arrive in Prague as European champions in their first senior-only season. They face stiff competition from Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin — world silver medallists who beat the Georgians in the Olympic short program before finishing behind them overall.
Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko, who have now finished fourth at both the Olympics and the World Championships, are due for a breakthrough performance, much like Mikhail Shaidorov’s skate of his life that won him Olympic gold.
Prague: A City Returning to the World Stage
For the Czech Republic, hosting the isu world figure skating championships 2026 carries historical weight. Prague last welcomed the World Championships in 1993 — three years after the Velvet Revolution and two years after Czechoslovakia’s final year as a unified state. The O2 Arena, the country’s largest indoor venue, provides a modern stage for what is shaping up to be one of the most memorable editions of the event in years.
The competition runs through Sunday, March 29. The exhibition gala closes the proceedings in the afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can watch the ISU Figure Skating World Championships 2026 on NBC and Peacock in the U.S., with local broadcasts available worldwide via isu-skating.com.
Alysa Liu withdrew due to an injury (official reason cited by her team).
Ilia Malinin is American.
Sonja Henie or Yuna Kim are widely considered among the greatest female figure skaters of all time.
ISU Figure Skating broadcasts are on NBC in the U.S., CBC in Canada, and other regional partners globally.



























