The Ultimate Championship is where the world’s top-ranked track and field athletes compete head-to-head to decide who is truly the best on the planet.
Only the world’s very best athletes win the right to compete.
Proudly representing their countries and competing for the largest prize pot in track and field, athletes will have one goal in mind – to be the Ultimate Champion.
The inaugural Ultimate Championship will take place from 11-13 September at the Zsivotzky Gyula Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ in Budapest, with World Athletics capitalising on the hosting of one of the best-ever World Athletics Championships by returning to Hungary three years on.
Only the best of the best will compete.
HOW TO QUALIFY
26 Olympic champions from Paris 2024
26 World champions from the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25
25 Diamond League winners from the 2026 season
Plus the best performers of 2026 based on the World Rankings qualification system
COMPETITION FORMAT
On the track, the two semifinals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles will feature eight athletes, and the top four in each will make it through to the final.
The 1500m, 5000m and relay races will be straight finals.
All field events will be straight finals. The horizontal jumps and throws will feature four rounds, with each of the eight athletes guaranteed two attempts. After the second round, the top six will get another attempt, followed by the top four in the final round, who will have one final attempt. Therefore, the format will be 8-8-6-4.
PRIZE MONEY
Individual Relays
1 $150 000 $80 000
2 $75 000 $40 000
3 $40 000 $24 000
4 $25 000 $20 000
5 $16 000 $16 000
6 $14 000 $14 000
7 $12 000 $10 000
8 $10 000 $8 000
9 $9 000
10 $8 000
11 $7 000
12 $6 000
13 $5 000
14 $4 000
15 $3 000
16 $2 000