These are the best World Champions of 2025

SportsIn

December 30, 2025

There are seasons that leave no room for debate and names that prevail through sheer sporting evidence. Summer McIntosh and Tadej Pogacar finished 2025 in that category, established as absolute references in their sports and on the international stage, culminating in their first World Champions of Champions trophy awarded by the ‘L’Équipe‘ group.

The strength of this recognition lies in its selection method. The ranking is decided through a secret ballot by the L’Équipe editorial staff, in which specialist journalists assign points based on the overall impact of each athlete’s season. Titles, consistency, competitive context and the historical dimension of achievements are all taken into account, with a transversal approach that places very different disciplines on equal footing, without hierarchies based on popularity or commercial interests.

Within that framework, McIntosh and Pogacar came out on top after a vote closed on 25 November, capping a year in which both had been at the centre of the sport’s biggest stages. For both athletes, it also represented a long-pursued reward after coming close in previous editions.

A dominant year for Summer McIntosh

In the women’s category, the Canadian swimmer rose to the top after narrowly missing out on the award the previous year. At just 19, McIntosh closed 2025 as one of the most dominant figures in international sport, maintaining her level across every major competitive stage of the season.

A triple Olympic champion in Paris 2024 before even turning 18, the Canadian further expanded her résumé at the World Championships in Singapore. There, she claimed four world titles in the 400 m freestyle, 200 m butterfly, 200 m individual medley and 400 m individual medley, and narrowly missed a clean sweep after finishing third in the 800 m. A record that ultimately tipped the vote in her favour.

Behind her, athletics played a central role in the women’s standings. American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finished second after winning two world titles and posting the second-fastest 400 metres time in history (47.78), while Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed the podium after dominating the sprint events with three gold medals at the World Championships in Tokyo.

Women’s World Champions ranking

Summer McIntosh (Canada), swimming, 628 points
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (United States), athletics, 516 points
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (United States), athletics, 425 points
Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt (France), cycling, 375 points
Katie Ledecky (United States), swimming, 331 points
Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), tennis, 293 points
Federica Brignone (Italy), skiing, 151 points
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain), football, 140 points
Beatrice Chebet (Kenya), athletics, 85 points
Angelina Melnikova (Russia), gymnastics, 72 points

Pogacar, a dominance that decided the vote

In the men’s category, this time the victory went to Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian produced one of the most complete seasons in modern cycling by winning his fourth Tour de France and adding three more Monuments to his palmarès: the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Giro di Lombardia. A blend of Grand Tours, Classics and consistency that ultimately made the difference in the final vote.

Athletics also carried significant weight, with Armand Duplantis finishing second. The Swede raised his pole vault world record to 6.30 metres during the season, but once again fell just short of the top spot, as had happened the year before.

The podium was completed by Carlos Alcaraz, winner of Roland-Garros — after a high-intensity final against Jannik Sinner — and the US Open, who also ended the year as world number one.