Leading the roster is Leon Marchand, whose spectacular performances captivated the world at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Marchand is joined by multiple World Record-holders with a host of World and Olympic medals in their collections headline the initial wave of athletes that will compete in Shanghai (CHN), Incheon (KOR) and Singapore (SGP) over three consecutive three-day race weekends in these enticing Asian cities.

With the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) – Budapest 2024 coming up in December, the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup returns to short course racing with all competitions in the 25m pool. World Aquatics reverts to this format as athletes chase qualifying times in their quest to compete in the Hungarian capital.

Reigning Olympic Champions Ceccon, Marchand, Martinenghi and Pan Headline the Men’s Field

World and Olympic champions Thomas Ceccon, Chad Le Clos, Leon Marchand, Nicolo Martinenghi, and Pan Zhanle will challenge the defending 2023 overall winner, Qin Haiyang. Joining the men’s overall title chase is 22-time Swimming World Cup winner Arno Kamminga.

Last year, Ceccon (second) and Matthew Sates (third) joined Qin in the 2023 Men’s Swimming World Cup Overall Rankings.

McKeown and More in a Star-Studded Women’s Field

Global titlists Kate Douglass, Siobhan Haughey, Regan Smith, and Zhang Yufei take the race to the defending 2023 women’s overall champion Kaylee McKeown.

Each star holds World and Olympic medals, with Douglass, McKeown, and Zhang achieving the rare golden treble of winning individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships, Olympic Games, and World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m).

McKeown comes into the Swimming World Cup showing her short-course speed. In late September, she bettered her World Record in the Women’s 100m Backstroke at the 2024 Australian National Championships (25m) and holds the Women’s 200m Backstroke World Record. Haughey enters this Swimming World Cup season as the World Record-holder in the Women’s 200m Freestyle.

Last year, Haughey (second) and Zhang (third) joined McKeown atop the 2023 Women’s Overall Swimming World Cup Rankings.

Historic Highs

The level of performance at last year’s World Cup reached new heights, with two World Records and 33 Swimming World Cup Records set during last year’s Swimming World Cup 2023 tour.

The hard-fought but friendly rivalries in the pool made for an electric event atmosphere, which helped World Aquatics draw record numbers of viewers and fan engagement in 2023. With aquatics reaching new audience heights in 2024, look for fan interest in this year’s Swimming World Cup to reach even greater heights. 

Find out where you can catch the action live and on-demand in your local market in our Where to Watch Guide for the 2024 Swimming World Cup.

Notable Names, Eyewatering Prize Purse Pay Out

This year’s Swimming World Cup offers a prize purse of USD 1.2 million, with additional bonuses, including USD 10,000 for breaking a World Record. Additional financial incentives include a USD 10,000 bonus for athletes who complete a “crown” by winning the same event in all three cities. 

The tour dates are Shanghai (CHN) from 18-20 October and Incheon (KOR) from 24-26 October before the Swimming World Cup finals take place in Singapore (SGP) from 31 October to 2 November.

With athlete registrations closing two weeks before each event, stay tuned for more exciting athlete announcements.

Tremendous 12 Line-Up | Top Confirmed Athletes for the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2024 Tour

Men’s Field

• Thomas Ceccon (ITA)
• Chad Le Clos (RSA)
• Qin Haiyang (CHN)
• Leon Marchand (FRA)
• Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA)
• Arno Kamminga (NED)
• Pan Zhanle (CHN)

Women’s Field

• Kate Douglass (USA)
• Siobhan Haughey (HKG)
• Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
• Regan Smith (USA)
• Zhang Yufei (CHN)