After Azerbaijan makes its debut for hosting a World Aquatics event from 1-3 October, the Swimming World Cup will continue to Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 8-10 October before concluding in Astana, Kazakhstan on 15-17 October.

There is a lot to look forward to this year, with a prize pool of USD $1.2 million and an added opportunity of winning a wildcard place to compete at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing in December. Wildcards will be awarded to athletes who finish in the top three in the finals of an individual event with an A-standard time at any of the three stops.

Let’s have a look at some of the women who are going to be starring as the Silk Road Tour is about to get underway.

Ones to Watch

Hong Kong’s most decorated Olympian Siobhan Haughey (HKG), a four-time Olympic medallist from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, is among those set to light up the Silk Road Tour. Haughey is a long-course world champion in the 200m Freestyle and a four-time short-course World champion. She placed second overall on the Swimming World Cup 2023, and third the following year.

Katarzyna Wasick (POL) is a five-time Olympian and one of Poland’s leading sprint swimmers, with two World Aquatics Championships medals and four World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) medals. The 50m Freestyle specialist is also a 2026 European champion, and will be looking to maintain her remarkable unbeaten run in the event on the Swimming World Cup, having won Triple Crowns in 2024 and 2025.

Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) arrives on the Silk Road Tour having successfully defended her 100m Butterfly title at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships. She also won two medals at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025.

Having broken the 100m Freestyle World Record in June and picked up two gold and four silver medals at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, Marrit Steenbergen (NED) is in fine form ahead of the Silk Road Tour. She is the back-to-back long-course 100m Freestyle World champion, and returns to the Swimming World Cup having won five medals on last year’s series.

Another World Record holder set to begin the Silk Road Tour in Baku is Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS), whose time of 2:17.55 in the 200m Breaststroke recorded in 2023 is still yet to be beaten. Chikunova took silver in that event at last year’s World Aquatics Championships, and triumphed in it at the European Aquatics Championships with a Championships Record time of 2:19.32.

Also in the Mix

Elsewhere, watch for Ireland's Ellen Walshe, who picked up the 200m and 400m Medley golds at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris. The Netherlands' Tes Schouten is the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist and 2024 World Champion in the 200m Breaststroke, returning to the top stage after overcoming a serious health setback, while China's Yu Yiting two-time Olympic medallist

With a stellar line-up set to take centre stage on the Silk Road Tour, excitement is building for the next chapter of the Swimming World Cup.