How to watch the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Prague with the full schedule and top skaters

Olympic and world medallists will return to the ice for the first major competition since the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 when Prague, Czechia, hosts the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Held between 25 and 29 March, the annual event is returning to the Czech Republic’s capital for the first time in 33 years, with the O2 Arena playing host.

An array of Olympic, world, and European medallists are slated to compete, including Milano Cortina 2026 ice dance champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, and USA’s team event champions Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn.

After finishing the Olympic Games off the podium in the men’s singles, Malinin is on a quest to end the season on a high note by winning his third consecutive world title.

The 2026 Worlds will also be the last international competition for three-time women’s singles world champion and three-time Olympic silver medallist Sakamoto Kaori, who is retiring at the end of the season.

Discover more about the top figure skaters to watch, the full event schedule, and how to watch the competition action live in our preview, below.

Ilia Malinin and Adam Siao Him Fa looking for post-Olympic revanche in men’s singles

Friday, 13 February – the night of the men’s free skate at Milano Cortina 2026 – is one that many men’s singles skaters would wish to forget, including two-time world champion Ilia Malinin and two-time European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France.

Both were in podium contention after the short program, but costly mistakes in the free dropped them out of the Top 5. Siao Him Fa finished seventh, while Malinin was eighth despite having a two-year undefeated streak going into his Olympic debut. Over a month later, the two skaters are eager to show their best form in both programs on Czech ice.

Reigning European champion Nika Egadze of Georgia was another Olympian who had mixed results in Milan, but is a strong podium contender in Prague.

Meanwhile, Olympic silver medallist Kagiyama Yuma and bronze medallist Sato Shun, both from Japan, will look to back up their strong results from Milano Cortina 2026. For Kagiyama, it is also a chance to improve on the bronze he took in last year’s edition, behind Malinin and Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov.

The surprise breakthrough at Milano Cortina 2026 was Canada’s Stephen Gogolev. He finished fifth overall and second in the free skate, improving on his personal best by nearly 15 points, after several seasons marred by injury. He will carry this momentum to Czechia’s capital, hoping to finish his Worlds debut with a medal.

Two-time Olympian Jason Brown did not make the cut for USA’s Olympic team this year but brings formidable experience – and his iconic “Riverdance” program – on the quest to win his first world medal at his eighth world championships.

Sakamoto Kaori to make final bow in women’s singles

The 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be the end of the road for Sakamoto Kaori as an athlete. The Japanese women’s singles star transitions to a coaching career after this season.

Already with three world titles to her name, Sakamoto will wish to sign off while standing on the top step of the podium – a place she missed by a mere 1.89 points at Milano Cortina 2026 .

Sakamoto’s teammate and Milano Cortina 2026 bronze medallist Nakai Ami will be making her senior World debut after a breakout season that saw the 17-year-old win the 2025 Grand Prix de France, and finish second at the 2025 Grand Prix Final and the 2026 Four Continents Championships.

World bronze medallist Chiba Mone has had a season of near misses, finishing fourth at Milano Cortina 2026 and dropping from a leader’s position at the Grand Prix Final in the short to fifth after the free. The 2026 Worlds will be a chance for her to end the season strong.

A costly mistake in the short put Amber Glenn out of medals at Milano Cortina 2026 and while she managed climb up eight spots in the free, a first world medal will be an even sweeter reward for the three-time US national champion.

Glenn’s teammate Isabeau Levito, a silver medallist at the 2024 Worlds, and two-time European champion Niina Petrokina of Estonia are also top medal contenders in Prague.

Olympic ice dance champions Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron on hunt for last title missing

When Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron announced that they were teaming up in ice dance in March 2025, few could imagine that 12 months later, the duo would become Olympic champions.

Ice dance is typically a discipline that requires athletes to hone their connection for years before they reach top results, but Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron’s partnership is a glittering exception to the rule. With a European title to their name as well, a gold at the Worlds is now the only major medal still missing in their collection.

Olympic bronze medallists and world silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will also be in Prague, hoping for a strong finish to their 15th season of skating together.

For Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who won Great Britain’s first world medal in 41 years at the last Worlds edition, the competition in Prague will be a chance to erase the memories of a painful mistake in the free dance at Milano Cortina 2026 that saw them drop from fourth to eighth place in the standings.

While three-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates will not be in Prague to defend their title, the USA will have solid ice dance representation in Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik. The duo are making their Worlds debut after an outstanding Olympic Games that saw them finish fifth as the youngest competitors among the top 10 teams.

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026: Schedule

All times are local to Prague, Central European Time (UTC+1)

Wednesday, 25 March

• 11:30-16:23 – Women singles, short program
• 18:45-22:15 – Pairs, short program

Thursday, 26 March

• 11:30-16:27 – Men singles, short program
• 18:15-21:56 – Pairs, free skating

Friday, 27 March

• 11:30-16:24 – Ice dance, rhythm dance
• 18:00-21:52 – Women singles, free skating

Saturday, 28 March

• 12:30-16:22 – Men singles, free skating
• 18:30-21:50 – Ice dance, free dance

Sunday, 29 March

• 14:30 – Exhibition Gala

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2026: How to watch live

The International Skating Union (ISU) has TV partnerships across the globe for all major figure skating competitions, including the world championships. You can find a full list of TV broadcast providers and streamers by country here.

Some key territories are listed below:

• Australia – SBS Australia
• Canada – CBC
• People’s Republic of China – CCTV
• France – France TV
• Great Britain – BBC
• Japan – TV Asahi
• Republic of Korea – SBS Korea
• United States – NBC & Peacock