Here is the international 2025-2026 Ski Orienteering Season

Here is the international 2025-2026 Ski Orienteering Season

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) is excited to announce that the events and competition calendar for the 2025-2026 International Ski Orienteering season now has been confirmed by the IOF Council.

The IOF Ski Orienteering World Cup 2026 will feature three thrilling rounds:

• World Cup Round 1 (WC1) – Batak, Bulgaria, January 21–25, 2026
  • Organized in conjunction with the U23 World Ski Orienteering Championships and the World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships.
• World Cup Round 2 (WC2) – Luleå, Sweden, February 5–8, 2026
  • Held together with the Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships and the European Youth Ski Orienteering Championships.
• World Cup Finals & World Ski Orienteering Championships (WSOC) – Rusutsu, Hokkaido, Japan, March 1–7, 2026

The World Ski Orienteering Championships return to Hokkaido and Rusutsu, where memorable and highly successful championships took place in 2009. This marks the third time in history that the WSOC is hosted in Asia.

Marie Ohlsson, Josefine Engström, Helene Söderlund (SWE) celebrate their WSOC win in Rutsutsu in 2009.

Ski Orienteering is an exhilarating winter sport blending navigational and mental precision, technical skiing skills, and elite physical endurance. Rusutsu, known for its world-class snow conditions and spectacular terrain, will provide a fitting stage for the season finale. Athletes will compete across hilly slopes, plateaus, birch and bamboo forests, and golf course landscapes, with typical snow depths of up to four meters in early March.

The event center will be located at the internationally renowned Rusutsu Resort, offering exceptional facilities for athletes, spectators, and media. Public races will also be organized before and during WSOC, giving ski orienteering enthusiasts a unique chance to participate and experience the fabulous Hokkaido terrains first-hand.

The Finnish relay team (Teemu Köngäs, Matti Keskinarkaus, Staffan Tunis) celebrate their 2009 WSOC Relay win in Japan.

“We are thrilled to bring the world’s best ski orienteers to such diverse and iconic locations and terrains in 2026,” said IOF Ski Orienteering Commission Chair Markku Vauhkonen. “The season promises top-level competition and unforgettable experiences for both athletes and fans.”

For more information on the 2025-2026 International Ski Orienteering season and detailed event updates, visit www.orienteering.sport.

Front page photo: Maria Hoskari during the first SkiO World Cup Round in Sjusjøen, Norway. By Terje W. Pettersen