World Cup Tour Along Silk Road Fast Approaching; Cam McEvoy Set to Headline
In less than two weeks, the 2026 edition of the World Aquatics World Cup will get underway with competition taking place from October 1-3 in Baku, Azerbaijan. This year’s World Cup tour will take place along the Silk Road, with the second and third legs scheduled for Tashkent, Uzbekistan (October 8-10) and Astana, Kazakhstan (October 15-17). All three competitions will be held in a short-course format.
The prize pool for this year’s World Cup is $1.2 million, and that total does not include bonus rewards for world-record performances and Crown winners. A world record will be rewarded with a $10,000 bonus while athletes who win the same event at all three stops of the World Cup (The Crown) will also be rewarded with $10,000 bonuses.
For the first time, the World Cup will also offer qualifying opportunities to the World Short Course Championships in Beijing, which will be held in early December at the Water Cube. According to World Aquatics: “Any swimmer finishing in the top three of an individual event final, while also achieving an A standard time, at any of the three stops will earn a wildcard place in Beijing. As a result, each Member Federation will be able to field up to three additional swimmers at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m).”
World Aquatics indicated that Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey and Australian Cam McEvoy will participate in the tour. McEvoy previously indicated that the World Cup will mark his return to the 100 freestyle in international competition. McEvoy is the world-record holder and reigning Olympic champion in the 50 freestyle, but has noted that a run at the 100 freestyle is in the plans on the way to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“There’s a good buzz building around this tour already,” McEvoy said. “I’ve been training well, and I’m excited to get out there and race. It’s always a fun stretch of the season, and with so much at stake over the coming weeks, I think racing across Baku, Tashkent and Astana will bring a different kind of energy to the season.”
