Athletics stars assemble in Budapest for inaugural World Ultimate Championship

Budapest is set to host the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship from 11-13 September, with 381 athletes from 65 federations confirmed to compete across 28 disciplines in the Hungarian capital .

The three-day event promises to deliver a fast-paced, condensed format featuring only finals and, in certain events, semi-finals. Each of the three evening sessions will be packed with championship-calibre competition, designed to showcase the world’s best athletes in a spectacle-driven format.

Star-studded line-up confirmed

The final entry lists feature a glittering array of Olympic and world champions. World and Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis headlines the field after improving his own world record to 6.31m earlier this year. He will face a formidable challenge from Emmanouil Karalis, who has cleared 6.20m this season and arrives in Budapest as the Diamond League champion.

Several 2026 record-breakers will also be in action. Ja’Kobe Tharp lowered the world 110m hurdles record to 12.75 in June, while Masai Russell ran 12.09 for the women’s 100m hurdles and Alison dos Santos clocked 45.80 for the men’s 400m hurdles in Zurich last month. All three head to Budapest at the top of the 2026 world lists in their respective events.

Other Olympic champions entered include Gabby Thomas, Marileidy Paulino, Keely Hodgkinson, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Letsile Tebogo and Ethan Katzberg, while world champions Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Oblique Seville and Collen Kebinatshipi are also among those set to compete.

Qualification criteria and format

The championship brings together athletes who qualified through multiple pathways: Olympic champions from Paris 2024, world champions from Tokyo 2025, winners of the 2026 Diamond League final, and the highest-ranked athletes in the World Athletics rankings during the qualifying period from 2 September 2025 to 1 September 2026 . Wildcard invitations are also available for athletes who do not meet the standard criteria.

The format varies by discipline. Track events feature semi-finals and finals, with the exception of the 1500m, 5000m and relays, which will be straight finals. Field events will consist of four rounds, with eight athletes guaranteed two attempts, followed by progressive cuts .

Record prize fund

The Ultimate Championship boasts the largest prize pot in athletics history, with a total of US150,000, while runners-up receive US40,000. Relay-winning teams will share US$80,000 . Every athlete who competes will receive prize money, with payouts extending down to 16th place in track events.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the event as a revolutionary step for the sport, promising to “fuse sport, spectacle, and serious money” in a fan-first format designed to maintain year-round engagement with athletics’ biggest names .

Key matchups to watch

The women’s 800m features a particularly strong field, with world leader Audrey Werro, Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, and Femke Broeders-Bol set to clash. The men’s 1500m brings together Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Josh Kerr, Olympic champion Cole Hocker and world champion Isaac Nader .

The two mixed relay finals will also feature the world’s leading nations. World record-holder Jamaica heads the nine-team mixed 4x100m field, while the United States tops the entries for the mixed 4x400m.

National representation includes 12 French athletes, four Spaniards, and strong contingents from the United States, Jamaica, and Japan across various disciplines .

Event-by-event previews will be published on the World Athletics website ahead of the first session on Friday. Entry lists remain subject to change.