Registration is now open for one of the most anticipated events in the freediving community: the 36th Pool Freediving World Championship, to be held from May 30 to June 7, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. The event will bring together the world’s top specialists in an environment designed for peak performance, where every detail of the aquatic space directly influences the athlete’s experience underwater.

The championship will take place at the Duna Arena, one of the most modern and impressive aquatic complexes in Europe, and will also mark an important institutional transition: it will be organized under World Apnea, the new competition brand evolving from AIDA International. Despite this change in identity, the event format, rules, and qualification criteria remain unchanged, ensuring sporting continuity for competitors.

An aquatic venue designed for extreme performance

The Duna Arena is not only a prestigious venue but also a technical space carefully adapted to the needs of pool freediving disciplines. For dynamic events, the water temperature will be maintained between 26 and 27 degrees Celsius, with a depth of three meters, ideal conditions to support body stability, control, and efficiency in every underwater movement.

For the static apnea (STA) pool, the water temperature will reach 28 degrees Celsius with a depth of 1.2 meters. In addition, the ability to stop the pool’s water circulation eliminates any minimal interference that could affect performance, creating a virtually neutral environment where the athlete’s focus is entirely on breathing, calmness, and concentration.

Sporting continuity under a new organizational identity

Although the championship will be held under the World Apnea banner, this new phase does not imply changes to the competitive essence that has defined AIDA for decades. The rules, format, and qualification systems remain unchanged, providing certainty and predictability for athletes and federations already planning their path to Budapest.

This continuity allows the focus to remain on performance and sporting experience, while the organization moves toward a renewed identity aimed at projecting the global growth of the discipline. Budapest, with its world-class infrastructure and strong tradition in aquatic sports, stands as the ideal stage for this transitional moment in the history of competitive freediving.