LAUSANNE – Budapest, Hungary will host the 8th edition of the competition from 12-16 August 2026.
Over 200 artistic swimmers from more than 30 countries are expected to compete. This junior event further cements Budapest’s role as a central hub for aquatic sports, with the city previously hosting the 2017 and 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships, and soon the 2027 World Aquatics Championships.
The World Aquatics Artistic Swimming Junior Championships have been a springboard for future international success on the senior stage. At the 2022 junior world championships in Quebec City, Canada, the host nation’s Audrey Lamothe, Japan’s Moe Higa, Kazakhstan’s Eduard Kim, and the American Kenneth Gaudet were among the top performers who gained experience on the international stage that they carried with them into the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023.
At the most recent World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, quadruple world champion Xu Huiyan made her international debut, winning three junior titles. Ukraine’s Anastasiia Shmonina, a two-time world team champion, and the Netherlands’ future world medallist Marloes Steenbeek also delivered standout performances. On the men’s side, world medallists Dennis Gonzalez Boneu of Spain, Filippo Pelati of Italy, and Guo Muye of China featured prominently at the 2024 Junior World Championships.
The Duna Arena, a revered aquatic facility originally built for the World Aquatics Championships in 2017, will host the event. Budapest's Duna Arena also hosted the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final in 2024 and is set to be one of the main hosts for the World Aquatics Championships once again in 2027.
The World Aquatics Artistic Swimming Junior Championships began with its first edition in 2010 in Indianapolis, USA. Subsequent editions followed in Volos, Greece (2012); Helsinki, Finland (2014); Kazan, Russian Federation (2016); Budapest, Hungary (2018); Quebec City, Canada (2022); and Lima, Peru (2024).