For the IRONMAN World Championships 2026, which will be held jointly for women and men again in Kailua-Kona on October 11, 2026, a total of 44 qualifying races are on the schedule. The qualification period already began in August 2025 with the races in Kalmar and Copenhagen and ends one year later again with these two events.
The new qualification system for the World Championship was also applied at these races. You can read about how it works here.
Larger events or Continental Championships provide additional spots. For instance, IRONMAN Cozumel, as the Latin American Championship on November 23, 2025, offers the largest contingent with 100 slots. The Continental Championships in Texas, South Africa, and Western Australia each have 75 slots available. The German races in Hamburg (June 7, 2026) and Frankfurt (June 28, 2026) each allocate 60 slots, although both also have the „European Championship“ status – in Hamburg for professional women, in Frankfurt for professional men and all Age Groupers.
The races are spread across all continents. Following the kick-off in Europe in August 2025, events in North America, Asia, and Oceania follow in the autumn and winter. The first events of 2026 take place in March in New Zealand and in April in South Africa and Texas. The major races in Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland traditionally take place in the European summer. The last qualification opportunities for the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship are offered by IRONMAN Ottawa (August 2, 2026), IRONMAN Kalmar (August 15, 2026), and IRONMAN Copenhagen (August 16, 2026).
| Event | Date | Slots |
|---|---|---|
| Ironman Kalmar | 16. August 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Kopenhagen | 17. August 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Tallinn | 23. August 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Switzerland Thun | 24. August 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Wisconsin | 7. September 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Japan South Hokkaido | 14. September 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Italy Emilia-Romagna | 20. September 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Maryland | 20. September 2025 | 55 |
| Ironman Wales | 21. September 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Chattanooga | 28. September 2025 | 55 |
| Ironman Gurye Korea | 28. September 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Calella-Barcelona | 5. October 2025 | 55 |
| Ironman Portugal Cascais | 18. October 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman California | 26. October 2025 | 55 |
| Ironman Florida | 1. November 2025 | 55 |
| Ironman Malaysia | 1. November 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Arizona | 16. November 2025 | 40 |
| Ironman Cozumel – Latin American Championship | 23. November 2025 | 100 |
| Ironman Western Australia – Asia-Pacific Championship | 7. December 2025 | 75 |
| Ironman New Zealand | 7. March 2026 | 55 |
| Ironman Penghu | 12. April 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Texas – North America Championship | 18. April 2026 | 75 |
| Ironman South Africa – African Championship | 19. April 2026 | 75 |
| Ironman Vietnam | 10. May 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Jacksonville | 16. May 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Lanzarote | 23. May 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman 70.3 Hawaii | 30. May 2026 | 28 |
| Ironman Brazil | 31. May 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Hamburg – European Championship | 7. June 2026 | 60 |
| Ironman Philippines | 7. June 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Cairns | 14. June 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Austria (Klagenfurt) | 14. June 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Tours Metropole | 14. June 2026 | 55 |
| Ironman France (Nizza) | 28. June 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Frankfurt – European Championship | 28. June 2026 | 60 |
| Ironman Switzerland | 6. July 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz | 12. July 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Lake Placid | 19. July 2026 | 55 |
| Ironman Ottawa | 2. August 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Kalmar | 15. August 2026 | 40 |
| Ironman Kopenhagen | 16. August 2026 | 40 |