{"id":50528,"date":"2025-07-08T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowtrex.de\/magazin\/?p=50528"},"modified":"2026-04-07T16:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T14:08:53","slug":"cross-country-skiing-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowtrex.co.uk\/magazine\/event\/cross-country-skiing-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"2025\/2026 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup: The races at a glance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hardly any other winter competition series draws so heavily on tradition as the Cross-Country World Cup. In Norway, the cradle of Nordic skiing, the first cross-country races were documented as early as 1843. The sport has, of course, evolved enormously into the 21st century. Today, in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, athletes battle for every centimetre, both over the very long, historic distances and in the short, innovative races. The past season, which once again captivated hundreds of thousands of fans on the trails and in front of their televisions, was dominated by Johannes H\u00f8sflot Kl\u00e6bo (Norway) and Jessie Diggins (USA). SnowTrex<\/a> has now summarised which races will take place when and, above all, where in the 2025\/2026 World Cup programme.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n \"The<\/a>
\u00a9 Pierre Teyssot\/Shutterstock<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
The Cross-Country World Cup is packed with highlights such as the Tour de Ski and demands absolute peak performance from the athletes over five months.<\/div>\n <\/div > \n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\n Index\n <\/div>\n
\n An overview of the 2025\/2026 Cross-Country World Cup races<\/span><\/a>Highlights of the 2025\/2026 World Cup season<\/span><\/a>This is the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup<\/span><\/a>FAQ on the Cross-Country World Cup<\/span><\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n

An overview of the 2025\/2026 Cross-Country World Cup races<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Date<\/strong><\/th>Venue<\/strong><\/th>Country<\/strong><\/th>Events<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
28 Nov \u2013 30 Nov 2025<\/td>Ruka<\/td>Finland<\/td>Individual (Classic), Mass Start (Freestyle) & Sprint (Classic)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
05 Dec \u2013 07 Dec 2025<\/td>Trondheim<\/td>Norway<\/td>Individual (Freestyle), Skiathlon & Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12 Dec \u2013 14 Dec 2025<\/td>Davos<\/a><\/td>Switzerland<\/a><\/td>Individual (Freestyle), Sprint (Freestyle) & Team Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28 Dec 2025 \u2013 01 Jan 2026 (Tour de Ski)<\/td>Toblach<\/a><\/td>Italien<\/a><\/td>Individual (Classic), Mass Start (Freestyle), Sprint (Freestyle) & Pursuit (Classic)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
03 Jan \u2013 04 Jan 2026 (Tour de Ski)<\/td>Val di Fiemme<\/a><\/td>Italien<\/a><\/td>Final Climb (Freestyle) & Sprint (Classic)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17 Jan \u2013 18 Jan 2026<\/td>Oberhof<\/a><\/td>Germany<\/a><\/td>Individual (Classic) & Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23 Jan \u2013 25 Jan 2026<\/td>Goms<\/td>Switzerland<\/a><\/td>Mass Start (Classic), Sprint (Classic) & Team Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
06 Feb \u2013 22 Feb 2026 (Olympic Winter Games)<\/td>Tesero<\/a><\/td>Italien<\/a><\/td>50 km Mass Start (Classic), Individual (Freestyle), Skiathlon, Sprint (Classic), Relay & Team Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28 Feb \u2013 01 Mar 2026<\/td>Falun<\/td>Sweden<\/td>Skiathlon & Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
07 Mar \u2013 08 Mar 2026<\/td>Lahti<\/td>Finland<\/td>Individual (Freestyle) & Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12 Mar 2026<\/td>Drammen<\/td>Norway<\/td>Sprint (Classic)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14 Mar 2026<\/td>Oslo<\/td>Norway<\/td>50 km Mass Start (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20 Mar \u2013 22 Mar 2026<\/td>Lake Placid<\/td>USA<\/td>Individual (Classic), Mass Start (Freestyle) & Sprint (Freestyle)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Highlights of the 2025\/2026 World Cup season<\/h2>\n

28 to 30 November: Ruka (Finland)<\/h3>\n

The first of 13 Cross-Country World Cup events in the 2025\/2026 season is traditionally the Nordic Opening in Ruka, Finland. Every year, a true winter wonderland awaits the athletes on the trails of the Kuusamo Ski Centre. This is due to the location of the resort, which lies just 60 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle. Temperatures are correspondingly cold, and athletes usually have to contend with them under floodlights during the six races scheduled.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"For<\/a>
\u00a9 Scandphoto\/shutterstock.de<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
For classic-style cross-country skiing, tracks are also prepared for the athletes on the trails during the World Cup.<\/div>\n <\/div > \n

12 and 14 December: Davos (Switzerland)<\/h3>\n

At an altitude of 1,560 metres, Davos<\/a> is the highest town in Europe. For the cross-country skiers, the first of two Swiss World Cup stops in the 2025\/2026 season, just under two weeks before the start of the Tour de Ski, features one individual race, one sprint and one team sprint. The two 10 km races will be held using the skating technique (freestyle), whilst the shorter distances will also be contested in freestyle.<\/p>\n

28 December to 1 January: Dobbiaco (Italy)<\/h3>\n

Much like the Four Hills Tournament for ski jumpers, the Tour de Ski<\/a> is always one of the season\u2019s highlights for cross-country skiers, even in years featuring major events such as the Winter Olympics or World Championships. The race, which also earns the athletes a large number of World Cup points, consists of six stages in total. The first four events \u2013 a sprint and a mass start (both freestyle) as well as an individual race and a pursuit in classic technique \u2013 take place in Italy on the trails in Dobbiaco<\/a>, in the shadow of the famous Three Peaks in the Dolomites.<\/p>\n

3 and 4 January: Val di Fiemme (Italy)<\/h3>\n

After four gruelling races in five days, with just a 24-hour break on 2 January and a move within Italy, the cross-country skiing circuit heads to Val di Fiemme for the Tour de Ski finale. For the overall leaders in both the women\u2019s and men\u2019s categories, the task here is to defend their leader\u2019s jerseys over the final two stages. Most of the races will be held on the trails on the other side of the valley from Cavalese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Half<\/a>
\u00a9 Espen E\/shutterstock.de<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Half of the Cross-Country World Cup races are contested using the freestyle technique, known as skating. The Norwegians have always dominated this discipline, with sporting icons such as Therese Johaug and Marit Bj\u00f6rgen among them.<\/div>\n <\/div > \n

First up there are a classic-style sprint and a skiathlon, before things get really tough again on 5 January \u2013 the final day. Over a 15 km course, the \u201cFinal Climb\u201d involves conquering 400 metres of elevation gain at the end on a ski slope that winter sports enthusiasts normally use for high-speed descents. The cross-country skiers must tackle gradients of up to 28 per cent.<\/p>\n

6 to 22 February: Tesero (Italy)<\/h3>\n

The absolute sporting highlight of the year for cross-country skiers will also take place in Italy in 2026. The Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo<\/a> are scheduled to take place here from 6 to 22 February. For both the women and the men, the programme during this period on the trails of Tesero<\/a> in the Fiemme Valley is packed with a total of seven races for gold, silver and bronze medals. On two occasions \u2013 in a relay and a team sprint \u2013 compatriots will compete together. The remaining five races, including two 50 km mass starts in the classic technique, will, however, be contested individually.<\/p>\n

14 March: Oslo (Norway)<\/h3>\n

When cross-country skiers talk about Holmenkollen, their eyes light up with awe. The trails around the local mountain of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, are the stuff of legend, at least in the world of Nordic skiing. Every year, the professionals compete on one of the most legendary cross-country World Cup courses, where athletes traditionally have to tackle genuine marathon distances. In the 2025\/26 season, two 50 km mass starts in the freestyle technique are once again scheduled here. As a reward, the winners will then be invited to a private audience in the royal box, where the sports-loving King Harald V of Norway will, as always, be waiting to greet the athletes with words of praise.<\/p>\n

20\u201322 March: Lake Placid (USA)<\/h3>\n

Just under five months after the 2025 Cross-Country World Cup opened in Finland, the season now draws to a close on the other side of the Atlantic in the USA, specifically in Lake Placid. To round off a gruelling series of competitions, three more races are on the programme here. In addition to an individual race and a sprint, each to be contested in both classic and freestyle techniques, the 1980 Olympic host city will also host a 20 km freestyle mass start race. Following these two races, the best female and male cross-country skiers of the 2025\/2026 season will then be honoured on 22 March 2026 with the large crystal globes, befitting their triumph in the overall World Cup.<\/p>\n

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has compiled the best images from American Jessie Diggins\u2019 dominant 2024\/25 World Cup season into an atmospheric video:<\/p>\n

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JESSIE DIGGINS 2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS | FIS Cross Country<\/div><\/div>
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