Every year, winter sports fans eagerly watch the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon competitions, where the best biathletes compete against each other. Biathlon fans around the globe cheer on the athletes as they demonstrate their skills in cross-country skiing and small-bore shooting. Last season, Sturla Holm Laegreid from Norway and Franziska Preuß from Germany delivered the best performances. SnowTrex has done its research and presents the World Cups for the 2025/2026 season.
The 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup races at a glance
| Date | Venue | Country | Disciplines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29.11. – 07.12.2025 | Östersund | Sweden | Individual, Mixed Relay, Single Mixed Relay, Sprint, Relay & Pursuit |
| 12.12. – 14.12.2025 | Hochfilzen | Austria | Sprint, Relay & Pursuit |
| 18.12. – 21.12.2025 | Annecy-Le Grand Bornand | France | Mass Start, Sprint & Pursuit |
| 08.01. – 11.01.2026 | Oberhof | Germany | Sprint, Relay & Pursuit |
| 14.01. – 18.01.2026 | Ruhpolding | Germany | Sprint, Relay & Pursuit |
| 22.01. – 25.01.2026 | Nove Mesto | Czech Republic | Individual, Mass Start, Mixed Relay & Single Mixed Relay |
| 08.02. – 22.02.2026 (Winter Olympics) | Antholz | Italy | Individual, Mass Start, Mixed Relay, Sprint, Relay & Pursuit |
| 05.03. – 08.03.2026 | Kontiolahti | Finnland | Individual, Mass Start & Relay |
| 12.03. – 15.03.2026 | Otepää | Estland | Mixed Relay, Single Mixed Relay, Sprint & Pursuit |
| 19.03. – 22.03.2026 | Oslo | Norwegen | Mass Start, Sprint & Pursuit |
Details on the individual World Cup venues
29 November to 7 December: Östersund (Sweden)
After a one-year break, the athletes will return to Östersund in Sweden for the traditional start of the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup season. Ten races will take place over nine days just under 500 km north of Stockholm. The programme for the biathletes initially includes a normal relay and a single mixed relay, a mixed relay, two individual races, two sprints and one pursuit race each.
12 to 14 December: Hochfilzen (Austria)
Hochfilzen has been the annual venue for a Biathlon World Cup since the 2003/2004 season and also hosted the 2017 Biathlon World Championships, where Laura Dahlmeier won five gold medals. And so it is that in the 2025/2026 season, the world’s best biathletes will once again return to the picturesque Pillerseetal valley for a World Cup event. Here, they can look forward to a sprint, a relay and a pursuit competition.
18 to 21 December: Annecy-Le Grand Bornand (France)
For the second year in a row, the races in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France, will be part of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon in winter 2025/2026. In addition to two sprints and two pursuits, two mass starts will also be held in the village in the Haute-Savoie department.
8 to 11 January: Oberhof (Germany)
Three years after the big home World Championships in 2023, it is not only the athletes from Germany who will return to Oberhof for the traditional start of the World Cup season. Three genuine biathlon classics will be part of the weekend at the famous Rennsteig in the Thuringian Forest. The biathletes will be able to prove themselves on the trails and at the shooting range in a sprint, a pursuit and a relay.
14 to 18 January: Ruhpolding (Germany)
The second World Cup of the season on German soil will take place in Ruhpolding in Bavaria from 14 to 18 January 2026. The athletes will compete here in the sprint and pursuit disciplines. However, before the two events, a women’s 4×6 km relay and a men’s 4×7.5 km relay will be held on 14 and 15 January.
22 to 24 January: Nove Mesto (Czechia)
Two years after the 2024 Biathlon World Championships, a World Cup will also take place in Nove Mesto, Czechia, in 2026. With two individual and two mass starts, both the most traditional and the newest individual disciplines are on the programme, while a single mixed and a mixed relay will take place in between on 24 January.
8 to 22 February: Antholz (Italy)
Since the first Biathlon World Cup in the 1977/1978 season, there has only been one year in which no World Cup took place in Antholz, Italy. And now the biathlon competitions in 2026 will once again be upgraded here in South Tyrol, as they are part of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo this year! All the familiar World Cup disciplines will be contested at an altitude of over 1,600 metres, with only the brand-new single mixed relay currently missing from the Olympic programme.
At the highlight of the 2026 biathlon year, all athletes will naturally be aiming for the coveted medals under the five rings, as the Olympics only take place every four years. In addition to many young biathletes in the women’s and men’s squads, Germany has a hot favourite in the form of reigning World Cup overall winner Franziska Preuß. The Bavarian recently explained what this triumph meant to her in an interview with the International Biathlon Union (IBU):
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5 to 8 March: Kontiolahti (Finland)
After kicking off in Sweden, the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup returns to Scandinavia for the third-to-last stop of the winter, this time in Kontiolahti, Finland. Six races will take place there from Thursday to Sunday. The programme for the biathletes will initially feature an individual event, followed by the women’s mass start and the men’s relay on Saturday, and then vice versa on the cross-country track and at the shooting range the following day.
21 to 23 March: Oslo (Norway)
As so often, the biathlon pros will end the 2025/2026 season at the legendary Holmenkollen in Oslo. After spending more than four months competing on some of the continent’s most beautiful trails, the World Cup stars will once again face six competitions on the challenging courses high above Norway’s capital. The schedule includes two sprints (7.5 km for women and 10 km for men), two pursuits (10 km for women and 12.5 km for men) and two mass starts (12.5 km for women and 15 km for men).
It is still unclear whether it will be as exciting as last season. What is certain, however, is that the 2025 World Cup final between Franziska Preuß and her French rival Lou Jeanmonnot was exciting and dramatic. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has summarised how the duel ultimately ended in the following video:
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Want to learn more about biathlon? Then click here for 10 facts about biathlon.
FAQs about the Biathlon World Cup
When does the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup start?
The Biathlon World Cup season will open in Östersund, Sweden, in 2025. The event is scheduled to take place from 29 November to 7 December 2025.
How many stages are there in the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup?
There will only be nine different venues for the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon this season, as the 2026 competition calendar will be interrupted by the Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps.
When will the biathlon competitions take place at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
As part of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina, the biathlon competitions will be held between 8 and 22 February. The biathletes will compete in a total of six different disciplines at the Games.
Where will the final competitions of the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup be held?
The final World Cup of the 2025/2026 season will once again be held in Europe, as is tradition. At the legendary Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway, athletes will compete in the mass start, sprint and pursuit disciplines.
Will there be any stops in Germany during the 2025/2026 Biathlon World Cup?
As part of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon, the athletes will once again be stopping off in Germany. Twice, in fact. From 8 to 11 January 2026, the fourth World Cup of the winter will be held at the Rennsteig in the Thuringian Forest in Oberhof. And just three days later, from 14 to 18 January, the second stop of the top biathlon league in 2026 will take place in Ruhpolding, Bavaria.
When did the Biathlon World Cup start?
The starting signal for the first official season of the Biathlon World Cup was given in 1978. At that time, however, only men were allowed on the cross-country ski trail and at the shooting range. Eleven years later, in 1987, the highest level of competition in biathlon was finally opened up to women.
Where can I watch the Biathlon World Cup on TV?
Broadcasts of the Biathlon World Cup have been among the most popular winter sports for years. The television ratings are correspondingly good. In Germany, ARD and ZDF take turns showing the individual events live. Live broadcasts are also available on Eurosport.
How much money do the winners of the Biathlon World Cup earn?
At the end of the season, both the female and male winners of the overall Biathlon World Cup receive the same prize money: €40,000. A victory in an individual World Cup race is worth €15,000. In winter sports, it is also traditional for the overall World Cup trophies to be made of the finest crystal glass. That is why the best female and male biathletes are honoured each year by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) with two large “crystal globes”.
