Following a thrilling summer of Olympic action, the NEOM Beach Games returns for its third edition this November. With a dynamic line-up of athletes and competitive events, this year promises to be more exciting than ever.

Open water swimming headlines these changes, joining triathlon, 3x3 basketball, sport climbing, beach soccer, and mountain biking for the Beach Games, which brings together six international sports events.

Here is the updated World Aquatics Open Water World Cup 2024 season schedule:

#1 – Soma Bay (EGY) - 23-24 March  

#2 - Golfo Aranci (ITA) - 24-25 May  

#3 - Setubal (POR) – 12 October 

#4 - Hong Kong (CHN) - 26-27 October

#5 - NEOM (KSA) – 22-23 November

“Every stop of the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup 2024 provides something extraordinary, from the crystal-clear waters of Soma Bay to the Hong Kong skyline to returning to race in the waters of the Red Sea,” said World Aquatics President Captain Husain Al-Musallam. “This year continues to be a very special one for open water swimming.” 

Open Water Swimming World Cup | Mid-Season Rankings Check-In 

The battle for the overall titles is intense as the World Cup approaches the midway mark. In the women's standings, Germany’s Leonie Beck leads with 1400 points, followed closely by Brazil's Ana Marcela Cunha (1300 points) and Hungary's Bettina Fabian (1150 points). On the men's side, France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier leads with 1350 points, ahead of Hungary’s David Betlehem (1050 points) and Dario Verani (950 points)

Lamees Elsokkary of Egypt and Emma Micheletti of Italy are current co-leaders at 800 points in the women’s overall junior rankings. Matheus Melecchi of Brazil leads the men's overall junior ranking with 1300 points, followed by Germany’s Jonas Kusche (1150 points).

In the overall women’s sprint rankings, Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci leads with 119 points, followed by Hungary's Bettina Fabian (110 points) and Brazil’s Viviane Jungblut (92 points). On the men’s sprint rankings side, David Bethlehem leads with 170 points, followed by France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier (134 points) and Italy’s Marcello Guidi (88 points).

NEOM Beach Games – 2024

NEOM and the sports’ rights holders continue to work with the National Federations to support grassroots initiatives and identify Saudi talent. This provides an opportunity to compete in NEOM and strengthens NEOM's commitment to athlete development in the Kingdom.

“It is hugely exciting to be hosting the NEOM Beach Games for its third edition, including welcoming a number of athletes and medallists from the recent Paris 2024 Olympic Games, said Jan Paterson, Managing Director of Sport at NEOM. “With the addition of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup and two compact venues at NEOM Bay and Bajdah Desert, we are looking forward to offering an exciting experience for athletes and spectators alike and helping to establish NEOM as a destination for global sports amongst our natural sporting landscapes.”