World Climbing kicks off the climbing World Cup season this year with the Keqiao bouldering World Cup from May 1st to 3rd. For competitors, this will be the first international competition of 2026.
With the first bouldering World Cup in Keqiao, World Climbing launches the 2026 season. The international bouldering elite will gather at the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan climbing center on the first weekend of May.
A High-Level Lineup in Keqiao
The first World Cup of the season is a must-attend event for many bouldering specialists. Among the participants are current Olympic champions, Janja Garnbret and Toby Roberts, along with other well-known names like Jongwon Chon, Max Milne, Brooke Raboutou, Dohyun Lee, Mejdi Schalck, and Chaehyun Seo.
Annie Sanders, Erin McNeice, and Oriane Bertone, the three podium champions from last year, will also be present. Jessica Pilz is making a comeback to compete after a long absence due to injury.
Team Japan Strong Once Again
Last year, the Japanese national team dominated Keqiao, especially among the men. Sorato Anraku will defend his title this year, and Meichi Narasaki, bronze medalist in 2025, is also back. Japan is sending several other stars to Keqiao, including Tomoa Narasaki, Sohta Amagasa, Miho Nonaka, Mélodie Sekikawa, and Futaba Ito.
Notable absentees include Ai Mori, recently crowned Japanese champion in bouldering and lead climbing, as well as Colin Duffy, Jakob Schubert, and Anna Apel, the latter being injured.
The DACH Region Strongly Represented
The DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) is also well represented in Keqiao with athletes like Hannah Meul, Lucia Dürffel, Anna Lechner, Elias Arriagada Krüger, Lucas Trandafir, Lasse von Freier, Finn Altemüller, and Thorben Perry Bloem.
The climbing season for many lead climbing specialists will begin a week later in Wujiang.
World Climbing Increases Prizes for the 2026 Season
For the 2026 season, the International Climbing Federation, World Climbing, has announced an increase in prizes for the World Cup finalists. A maximum amount of [missing amount] is available for this season. $850,000 is in the pot, spread across 13 World Cup events in bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing. This is more than double the amount compared to the 2024 season.
Keqiao World Cup: Schedule and Program
The women’s and men’s teams will start their qualifications together on Friday, followed by the two semi-finals and finals on different dates. Since last year, World Cups have hosted 24 athletes in the semi-finals, with eight women and eight men in the finals each.
Keqiao (GMT+8) is six hours ahead of Central European Time (GMT+2). The hours listed are the local time in Keqiao.
– Friday, May 1, 2026 – 09:00 Women’s Qualifications – 16:00 Men’s Qualifications – Saturday, May 2, 2026 – 10:30 Women’s Semi-Final – 19:00 Women’s Final – Sunday, May 3, 2026 – 10:30 Men’s Semi-Final – 19:00 Men’s Final
Live Stream
Local restrictions will remain in place this season too. The live broadcast will be available on YouTube by World Climbing. European viewers can watch the semi-finals and finals live on Découverte + or the Eurosport Player platform – but at a cost.
You can also use a VPN to access the live stream on YouTube. World Climbing’s geoblocking applies to Europe, China, and some regions in South and Central America. The broadcasts will be listed below once they are available.
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[Cover photo credit: Nakajima Kazushige/IFSC]
