The World Championships in Road Running 2025, initially scheduled to take place in San Diego from September 26 to 28, has been officially canceled. World Athletics confirmed the news after failing to secure a new host in time, following the withdrawal of the event from the Californian city for not meeting participation and funding expectations. The decision came after extensive talks with the local committee and an evaluation of alternative host cities.

Although other options were considered to host the event, the World Athletics Council decided not to assign this edition to another host. The lack of time to properly organize both elite and mass participation races led to the decision to cancel this year’s competition altogether. The focus now shifts to the 2026 edition, which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Focus shifts to Copenhagen 2026

The World Championships in Road Running 2026, to be held in Copenhagen from September 19 to 20, is shaping up to be a massive event. The Danish capital is already attracting strong interest from runners around the world: more than 100,000 people have expressed their intent to participate in one of the races, despite there being only 35,000 spots available for the half marathon. Registration for the mile and the 5-kilometer races remains open, according to the organizers.

With this cancellation, World Athletics aims to focus its efforts on delivering a successful event next year. The experience in Denmark promises not only a high level of competitive performance, but also strong popular participation, one of the core elements of the format. Despite the disappointment of losing the 2025 edition, the federation is already working on securing future editions to strengthen the global growth of this championship.