How do you qualify for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships?

howdoesitwork wrote:

The World Cross Country Championships are being held on January 6th 2026, so how do you qualify?

I imagine the upcoming 2025 USATF national championships won't be the qualifiers, given they will take place a full year prior to the worlds race. (January 11th 2025 to January 6th 2026). Last time the qualifiers took place only 2 months before the worlds race. (January 20th 2024 to March 30th 2024).

But does that mean there will be a currently unannounced qualifier later this year? I don't understand the schedule at all. Either you have to hold a qualifier 360 days in advance. Or you have to hold one late in 2025, the second national championship that calendar year.

Nothing has been announced for late 2025 so I guess I have to assume the race happening in less than a month will serve as the qualifier for a race happening in over a year. Is there something I'm missing?

lmb wrote:

Train hard

howdoesitwork wrote:

The World Cross Country Championships are being held on January 6th 2026, so how do you qualify?

I imagine the upcoming 2025 USATF national championships won't be the qualifiers, given they will take place a full year prior to the worlds race. (January 11th 2025 to January 6th 2026). Last time the qualifiers took place only 2 months before the worlds race. (January 20th 2024 to March 30th 2024).

But does that mean there will be a currently unannounced qualifier later this year? I don't understand the schedule at all. Either you have to hold a qualifier 360 days in advance. Or you have to hold one late in 2025, the second national championship that calendar year.

Nothing has been announced for late 2025 so I guess I have to assume the race happening in less than a month will serve as the qualifier for a race happening in over a year. Is there something I'm missing?

howdoesitwork wrote:

The World Cross Country Championships are being held on January 6th 2026, so how do you qualify?

I imagine the upcoming 2025 USATF national championships won't be the qualifiers, given they will take place a full year prior to the worlds race. (January 11th 2025 to January 6th 2026). Last time the qualifiers took place only 2 months before the worlds race. (January 20th 2024 to March 30th 2024).

But does that mean there will be a currently unannounced qualifier later this year? I don't understand the schedule at all. Either you have to hold a qualifier 360 days in advance. Or you have to hold one late in 2025, the second national championship that calendar year.

Nothing has been announced for late 2025 so I guess I have to assume the race happening in less than a month will serve as the qualifier for a race happening in over a year. Is there something I'm missing?

Be patient wrote:

Actually USATF HAS announced that the trials for the January 2026 World XC Championships will be held in December 2025, they just haven't announced the exact day that the trials will be held.