The road to a World Championship does not begin on the day the stadium lights are switched on, but much earlier, through months of planning, chasing performance limits and making decisions that shape sporting careers. With this spirit, World Athletics has launched the digital tool ‘Road to’, a system designed to support and bring transparency to the qualification process for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kuyavia and Pomerania.
More than a technical platform, the initiative aims to organise and contextualise a process that is often experienced with anxiety by athletes, coaches, federations, media and fans alike. In an increasingly demanding calendar, having clear and up-to-date information becomes essential to understand who is in contention, under which criteria and at what stage of the journey they stand.
A qualification system that balances performance and consistency
The qualification system for the Indoor World Championships was approved during the meeting of the World Athletics Council in Tokyo and is based on a dual qualification system that reflects two forms of competitive excellence. Fifty per cent of the places will be allocated through pre-established entry standards, while the remaining 50 per cent will be determined via top performance lists based on the world rankings.
Eligible performances for qualification must be achieved within a clearly defined period, running from 1 November 2025 to 8 March 2026. This timeframe not only structures the competition but also demands strategic planning: deciding when to compete, where to chase qualifying marks and how to sustain performance throughout the indoor season.
A tool designed to track every step towards Torun
The online platform ‘Road to Kuyavia and Pomerania 26’ was designed as an information hub for athletes, journalists and fans. Through searches by discipline, country or qualification status, it allows real-time monitoring of how each event evolves throughout the entire qualification period for the Indoor World Championships, which will be held at the Arena Torun from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 March 2026.
In the case of combined events, entries will be compiled from pre-entries submitted by member federations and a ranking-based classification. After expressions of interest are received, the women’s pentathlon and the men’s heptathlon will be added to the tool at the beginning of January, extending coverage to disciplines where consistency and versatility are decisive.
