ISU World Cup Speed Skating 2025–26 Preview: Event Dates, Favorites, and How to Watch

The race to Milano Cortina 2026 has begun, the blades are back, and the ice is moving fast.

The Olympic countdown and the final race to qualify begin with the 2025–26 ISU World Cup Speed Skating season.

The world’s top skaters will compete this winter in endurance tests of 3000, 5000, and 10,000 meters as well as sprint lengths of 500, 1000, and 1500 meters.

They will also participate in team pursuit competitions and mass starts on the ice.

The Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, which held the 2002 Winter Games, will host the season from November 14–16. This is an appropriate place to set the tone for the Olympic season.

Just weeks before the Olympic Winter Games start, the action will take place in five different places before ending in Inzell, Germany, on January 23–25.

Discover everything you need to know about the ISU World Cup Speed Skating pre-Olympic season by reading on Olympics.com. This includes a schedule, important athletes to keep watch on, and live competitions.

Big names return to the ice for World Cup competitions

Every event bears Olympic weight for aspirants, and the road to Milano Cortina 2026 reaches its final stages when the ISU World Cup season begins.

Jordan Stolz, a 21-year-old speedskating prodigy who appeared unbeatable until recently, is the focus of the first stop on American ice in Salt Lake City.

The Wisconsin native won the 500-, 1000-, and 1500-meter global titles in consecutive seasons (2023–2024), making her the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. In 2024, he added the all-around title, and at one point in the previous season, he put together an 18-race winning run that left competitors in chasing.

He was briefly held down last season by a battle of pneumonia and strep throat, but now that he’s fully recovered, he’s back on the circuit and everyone wants to defeat him.

The current Olympic champion in the 1500m, Kjeld Nuis, Dutch world champions Jenning de Boo (500m) and Joep Wennemars (1000m), and fellow American Cooper McLeod (US Champion, 500m) are his main rivals.

Davide Ghiotto of the Olympic host country is a standout competitor in the endurance races. Metoděj Jílek, a 19-year-old from Czechia, and Sander Eitrem, the 5000-meter world champion from Norway, are closely following the current Italian 10,000-meter world record holder.

It should come as no surprise that the Netherlands, the country that invented speed skating, is at the top of the women’s division, with many competitors to keep watch on this season.

Joy Beune of the Netherlands won three global titles in 2024, making her the sport’s all-around queen. Jutta Leerdam, a teammate and silver medallist from Beijing 2022, is still aiming for Olympic gold in the 1000 meters, while Femke Kok, the current 500-meter world champion, is trying to defeat American sensation Erin Jackson, who is returning to the World Cup ice after a protracted injury.

Japan’s Takagi Miho, a seven-time Olympic medallist and contender in the 1000 and 1500 meters, has the ability to upend many of the aspirations of the younger generation.

Arianna Fontana, the most decorated Winter Olympian in Italy, is the subject of one of the sport’s most compelling narratives. She wants to make history by qualifying for both short track and long track speed skating on home ice.

Every race that takes place between now and February 2026 will determine who arrives in Milano Cortina first.

The ISU World Cup Speed Skating schedule for 2025–2026

There will be five stops in North America and Europe for the 2025–26 ISU World Cup Speed Skating. The season’s complete schedule is as follows:

• 13-16 November: Salt Lake City, United States
• 21-23 November: Calgary, Canada
• 5-7 December: Heerenveen, Netherlands
• 12-14 December: Hamar, Norway
• 23-25 January: Inzell, Germany

The Special Olympic Qualification Classifications (SOQCS) ranking (based on points earned from World Cup events) and the SOQC Times ranking (based on the best times per athlete achieved at specific World Cup events) will be used to determine qualification for speed skating at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will take place from February 7–21.

Following the Olympic Winter Games, the ISU will organize its 2026 Speed Skating World Championships from March 5–8, 2026, in the sport-loving host city of Heerenveen, the Netherlands.

How to watch live speed skating at the 2025–2026 ISU World Cup

Live streaming of World Tour events will be available on the International Skating Union’s (ISU) YouTube channel, with geo-blocking available in multiple regions.