Following an extraordinary 2025 season across North America, the 2026 Swimming World Cup will bring world-class racing to three historic cities that once linked East and West along the ancient Silk Road:

Baku opens the tour as the first World Aquatics event ever held in Azerbaijan, hosted at the Aquatic Palace, a venue with a strong recent history of major international competition.

The tour then moves to Tashkent, marking the first time Uzbekistan has hosted an international swimming competition at the state-of-the-art Olympic City, before concluding in Astana, which will welcome its fourth World Aquatics event and provide a fitting finale to the three-week circuit.

Beyond the historic settings, the Silk Road Tour carries extra significance for athletes chasing a place at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m). A new wild card system will be trialled, giving swimmers the chance to earn direct qualification to Beijing by achieving a finish within the top three places in an individual event in the finals with an A standard time at any of the three stops – with each Member Federation able to field up to three additional swimmers in Beijing as a result.

The Swimming World Cup also features a prize pool of USD $1.2 million, excluding bonuses for World Records and Crown-winning performances, with more than 750 athletes from over 50 nations expected to compete. World Record-setters and Crown winners (athletes who win the same event at all three stops, or two of the three events in the 800m or 1500m Freestyle) will each receive USD $10,000 for their achievements, on top of standard prize money.

“We are thrilled and deeply honoured to be bringing the Swimming World Cup to such historic and culturally relevant cities as Baku, Tashkent and Astana,” said World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam.

"The Silk Road Tour will open up the world's best swimmers to new areas where their performances will be celebrated by passionate local audiences"
By World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam

"We look forward to welcoming swimming fans from around the globe and providing an unforgettable experience for all."

Hosts Ready to Make History

Image Source: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Azerbaijan Swimming Federation President Zaur Aliyev said: “With just one month to go, we are immensely proud and excited to host the World Cup in Baku. As the Azerbaijan Swimming Federation, we are fully committed to upholding the highest standards and ensuring an exceptional experience for all participants.

“ASF believes this competition will provide a significant boost to the development and promotion of swimming and aquatic sports in Azerbaijan and throughout the region.

"It will also inspire more children and young people to get involved in aquatic sports while helping to nurture the next generation of talent"
By Azerbaijan Swimming Federation President Zaur Aliyev

A Local Organising Committee spokesperson for the Tashkent stop said: “Uzbekistan has stood at the heart of the Great Silk Road for centuries – a place where peoples, cultures and traditions have come together. Today, this historic route continues its journey through sport.

“Hosting a leg of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Tashkent is an opportunity not only to witness the world’s best swimmers in action, but also to showcase modern Uzbekistan – an open, welcoming and dynamically developing country committed to the highest international standards.”

Image Source: Dmitriy Balandin celebrates winning Olympic gold for Kazakhstan at Rio 2016 (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Dmitriy Balandin, a Rio 2016 Olympic Champion for Kazakhstan, added: “For the first time, Kazakhstan will welcome the Swimming World Cup, and I am especially proud that Astana will host the final stage of the competition.

"This is a huge moment for swimming in our country and a unique opportunity for our fans to experience world-class racing right here at home"
By Dmitriy Balandin

"I believe the athletes competing in Astana will not only fight for victory, but also inspire a new generation of swimmers in Kazakhstan to dream of standing on the same starting blocks one day.”

With the countdown now well underway, fans, National Federations and swimmers alike are preparing for three weeks of fast racing across a region rich in history, and a chance for many to clinch their ticket to Beijing 2026.