Singapore, July 29, 2025: World Aquatics has announced that Beijing will host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in late 2026, following a competitive bidding process and careful consideration by the World Aquatics Bureau.
The Chinese capital will welcome over 1,000 world-class athletes from more than 200 countries and regions to compete across six exciting competition days at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) – Beijing 2026.
The announcement, made during the World Aquatics General Congress that is taking place alongside the World Aquatics Championships and World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore, recognised Beijing's demonstrated excellence in hosting previous top-level events in swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming.
With Beijing already set to host the World Aquatics Championships in 2029, the city will soon add open water swimming and high diving to its impressive aquatics resume.
“World Aquatics is delighted that China — a proud swimming nation — and its vibrant capital, Beijing, will host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) for the first time,” said World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam.
“China has a rich swimming tradition, and we are excited to return to Beijing, where we are confident the world’s best short-course swimmers will be given every opportunity to perform at their highest level. We are deeply grateful to our hosts for their commitment to aquatics and are already looking forward to 2026.”
The event will be organised in close cooperation with the China Swimming Association and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.
China Swimming Association President Zhou Jihong welcomed the announcement, saying: “We are thrilled and deeply honoured to host the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2026 in Beijing, a city with a proud Olympic history and a passion for aquatic sports.
“This prestigious competition brings together the world’s best swimmers, and, with the remarkable number of world records broken at the last edition, we anticipate another great spectacle. We look forward to welcoming swimming fans from around the globe and providing an unforgettable experience for all,” she added, referring to the 30 world short-course records set at Budapest 2024.
World and Olympic champion and men’s 100m freestyle long-course world record-holder Pan Zhanle also expressed his excitement about the 18th edition of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) coming to Beijing.
“I can’t wait to compete at the World Swimming Championships in Beijing,” said Pan. “The atmosphere and energy of short-course racing, combined with the intensity of a championship event, will create an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“With so many records falling at the 2024 short-course Worlds, I aim to add my name to that list in 2026 in front of my home fans. Hearing that this prestigious event is coming to China in 2026 is exciting, and I know the fans will bring amazing support.”