List of world sports championships
The following is a list of world sports championships, including some sporting events which use a different name with a similar meaning. In some sports, there is a world series, but that term usually has a somewhat different meaning.
Tournaments which are formally defunct or where a further event is not currently planned are marked with a gray background.
Open gender world championship titles
[edit]| Sport | Competition name | Competing entities | First held |
Current holder | Next | Frequency | Details and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air racing | Red Bull Air Race World Championship | Individuals | 2003 |  Matt Hall (2019)
|
Defunct | Annual | Not held in 2011–2013, discontinued for 2020 |
| Auto racing | |||||||
| Formula One World Championship | Individuals | 1950 |  Max Verstappen (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | ||
| Constructors | 1958 |  Red Bull Racing (2023)
|
|||||
| FIA World Endurance Championship | Individuals | 2012 |  Brendon Hartley
|
2024 | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | Toyota (2023) | ||||||
| FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies | Individuals | 1993 |  Nasser Al Attiyah (2021)
|
Defunct | Annual | Annually until 2021 | |
| Teams |  Overdrive SA (2021)
| ||||||
| World Rally-Raid Championship | Individuals | 2023 | Nasser Al Attiyah /  Mathieu Baumel (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | Co-sanctioned with FIM; replaced World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies | |
| Teams |  Toyota Gazoo Racing (2022)
| ||||||
| FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas | Individuals | 2002 | Nasser Al Attiyah / Mathieu Baumel (2023)
|
Annual | Baja events split off from cross-country rally competition after original bajas competition was combined with rallies world cup in 2012. | ||
| Teams | Overdrive SA (2021)
| ||||||
| World Rally Championship | Individuals | 1977 |  Kalle Rovanperä (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | 1973 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT (2023)
|
|||||
| World Touring Car Championship | Individuals | 1987 | Thed Björk (2017) | Defunct | Annual | changed name to the World Touring Car Cup. | |
| Manufacturers | Volvo (2017) | ||||||
| World Touring Car Cup | Individuals | 2018 | Yann Ehrlacher (2021)
|
Defunct | Annual | "World Touring Car Cup" was used between 1993 and 1995 when it was a single event. | |
| Teams |  Cyan Racing (2021)
| ||||||
| Karting World Championship | KZ | 1964 | Nasser Al Thani (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | ||
| OK |  Kirill Kutskov (2023)
|
Annual | |||||
| Intercontinental Drifting Cup | Individuals | 2017 |  James Deane (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | ||
| Formula E | Individuals | 2014 | Jake Dennis (2022–23)
|
2023–24 | Annual | ||
| FIA International Hill Climb Cup | Closed cars | 2000 |  Dan Michl (2023)
|
2023 | Annual | ||
| Competition Cars | Sebastien Petit (2023)
| ||||||
| R-GT Cup | Individuals | 2015 | Pierre Ragues (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | ||
| World Rallycross Championship | RX1 | 2014 | Johan Kristoffersson (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | ||
| RX2e | Guillaume De Ridder (2021)
|
||||||
| Bull riding | PBR Global Cup | Nations | 2017 |  USA (2022)
|
Defunct | Annual | Discontinued after 2022 |
| PBR World Cup | Nations | 2007 |  Brazil (2010)
|
Defunct | Annual | Discontinued after 2010 | |
| Gliding | FAI World Glider Aerobatic Championships | Individuals | 1985 |  Ferenc Tóth (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | |
| Nations |  (2018)
|
||||||
| World Gliding Championships | Individuals | 1937 | Winners in 6 classes (2018) | 2020 | Biennial | The duration between World Gliding Championships varies slightly, dependent on the hemisphere of the next planned edition. | |
| Paragliding | Paragliding World Cup | Individual | 1992 | Winners in 5 competitions (2016) | 2017–18 | Annual | |
| Motorcycling | FIM MotoGP World Championship | MotoE Individual | 2019 |  Héctor Garzó (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | |
| Moto3 Individual | 2012 |  David Alonso (2024)
|
Until 2012 as 125cc | ||||
| Moto2 Individual | 2010 | Ai Ogura (2024)
|
Until 2010 as 250cc | ||||
| MotoGP Individual | 2002 | Jorge Martín (2024)
|
Until 2002 as 500cc | ||||
| Moto3 Constructor | 2012 |  CFMoto (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | |||
| Moto2 Constructor | 2010 | Kalex (2024)
|
|||||
| MotoGP Constructor | 2002 |  Ducati (2024)
|
|||||
| Supercross World Championship | Individuals | 2003 | Jason Anderson (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| Motocross World Championship | MX2 Individual | 2003 | Jorge Prado Garcia (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| MXGP Individual | 2003 | Jeffrey Herlings (2018)
|
|||||
| MX2 Constructor | 2003 | KTM (2018) | 2019 | Annual | |||
| MXGP Constructor | 2003 | KTM (2018) | |||||
| FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship | Riders | 1999 | Matthias Walkner (2021)
|
Defunct | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | 1999 | KTM (2021)
|
|||||
| World Rally-Raid Championship | Riders | 2022 | Sam Sunderland (2022)
|
2022 | Annual | Co-sanctioned with FIA; replaced Cross-Country Rallies World Championship | |
| Manufacturers | 2022 | Monster Energy Honda (2022)
| |||||
| FIM Bajas World Cup | Riders | 2012 | Martin Michek (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | 2012 | KTM (2021)
|
|||||
| FIM World Enduro Championship | E3 | 2004 | Steve Holcombe (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| E2 | 2004 | Eero Remes (2018)
|
|||||
| E1 | 2004 | Brad Freeman (2018)
|
|||||
| FIM sidecarcross World Championship | Pairs | 1980 | Jan Hendrickx Ben van den Bogaart (2016) |
2017 | Annual | ||
| Speedway World Team Cup (1960–2000) Speedway World Cup (since 2001) |
National Team | 1960 | Poland (2017) | 2018 | Annual | ||
| Individual Speedway World Championship (1936–1994) Speedway Grand Prix (since 1995) |
Individuals | 1936 |  Bartosz Zmarzlik (2020)[1]
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| Individual Ice Racing World Championship | Individuals[2] | 1966 | Dmitry Koltakov (2017) | 2018 | Annual | ||
| Team Ice Racing World Championship | Nations | 1979 | Russia (2017) | 2018 | Annual | ||
| Sidecar World Championship | Pairs | 1949 | Ben Birchall (driver) & Tom Birchall (passenger) (2018) |
2019 | Annual | ||
| Endurance FIM World Championship | Team | 1975 | F.C.C TSR Honda France (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| Superbike World Championship | Individuals | 1988 | Jonathan Rea (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | Kawasaki (2018) | ||||||
| Supersport World Championship | Individuals | 1999 | Sandro Cortese (2018)
|
2019 | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | Yamaha (2018) | ||||||
| FIM Superstock 1000 Championship | Individuals | 2000 | Markus Reiterberger (2018)
|
Defunct | Annual | ||
| Manufacturers | BMW S1000RR (2018) | ||||||
| Practical shooting | IPSC Handgun World Shoots | Individuals | 1975 | Ben Stoeger (2017)
|
2020 | Triennial | Winner(s) of largest division(s) |
| Teams | United States Production Team (2014) Simon Racaza, Ben Stoeger, Matthew Mink | Defunct | |||||
| IPSC Rifle World Shoots | Individuals | 2017 | Teemu Rintala | 2019 | |||
| Teams | Finland Open Team (2017) Teemu Rintala, Raine Peltokoski, Jarkko Laukia, Kim Leppänen | ||||||
| IPSC Shotgun World Shoots | Individuals | 2012 | Josh Froelich (2018)
|
2021 | |||
| Teams | Russia Standard Team (2018) Roman Anikin, Roman Khalitov, Sergey Orlov Oleg Kudryavtsev | ||||||
| IPSC Action Air World Shoots | Individuals | 2018 |  Chun Ki Wu (2018)
|
2021 | |||
| Teams | Hong Kong (2018)
| ||||||
| Motorboat racing | F1 Powerboat World Championship | Individual | 1981 | Shaun Torrente (2022)
|
2023 | Annual | 2020 Season got cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| Motorboat (Jet Ski) | Aquabike World Championship (powerboating) | Individual | 1996 | Marcus Jorgensen (Runabout GP1) 2022
|
2023 | Annual | 2020 Season was made of only one GP as all the remaining GP were cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| Sailing | Class World Championships | Individuals and Teams | Annual | The majority of sailing 100+ Annual World Championships are none gender specific |
Male world championship titles
[edit]
- ^ only for final match
Female world championship titles
[edit]
Mixed-sex world championship titles
[edit]| Sport | Competition name | Competing entities | First held |
Current holder | Next | Frequency | Details and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | World Archery Championships | Team recurve male – female pair |
1931 |  South Korea (2023)
|
2025 | Biennial | |
| Team compound male – female pair |
1995 | United States (2023)
|
2025 | Biennial | |||
| Athletics | World Athletics Championships | 4×400 mixed relay | 2019 | United States (2023)
|
2025 | Biennial | |
| World Athletics Cross Country Championships | Mixed relay | 2017 |  Kenya (2024)
|
2026 | Biennial | ||
| World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships | Mixed relay | 2024 | Italy (2024)
|
2026 | Biennial | ||
| World Athletics Relays | 4×400 m mixed relay | 2017 | United States (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | ||
| 2×2×400 m mixed relay | 2019 | Poland (2021)
|
Defunct | ||||
| Shuttle hurdles mixed relay | Germany (2021)
|
||||||
| World Para Athletics Championships | Universal 4×100 m relay | 2019 | China (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | ||
| Badminton | BWF World Championships | Mixed Doubles | 1977 | Seo Seung-jae & Chae Yoo-jung (2023)
|
2025 | Annual | Not held in Summer Olympic years. |
| Sudirman Cup | Nations | 1989 | China (2023)
|
2025 | Biennial | ||
| BWF Para-Badminton World Championships | Mixed Doubles | 1998 | Winners in 3 events (2024) | 2026 | Biennial | ||
| Basketball | FIBA 3x3 World Championships | National teams of two men and two women |
2012 | France (2012)
|
Defunct | Three players are on the court at any one time | |
| Biathlon | Biathlon World Championships | 4 × 7.5 km M+W relay | 2005 | France (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | Not held in the Winter Olympic Years |
| 6 km M + 7.5 km W single relay | 2021 | France (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | Not held in the Winter Olympic Years | ||
| Bowls | World Indoor Bowls Championships | Mixed Pairs | 2004 |  Stewart Anderson,  Ceri Ann Glen (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | |
| Cheerleading | The Cheerleading Worlds | Mixed teams | GymTyme All-Stars Chrome (2021) | 2022 | Annual | ||
| CrossFit | CrossFit Games | Mixed teams | 2007 | Raw Iron CrossFit Mayhem Thunder (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | |
| Cycling | UCI Mountain Bike World Championships | Cross-country Team relay | 1999 | France (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | |
| UCI Urban Cycling World Championships | Team trials | 1999 | (2019) | 2021 | Annual | ||
| Curling | World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship | National mixed teams male – female pair |
2008 | Sweden (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | 2020 cancellation |
| World Mixed Curling Championship | National mixed teams (4 players) | 2015 | Sweden (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | 2020–2022 championships were cancelled | |
| World Wheelchair Curling Championship | National mixed teams (5 players) | 2002 |  Norway (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | 2021 was postponed to October | |
| World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship | National mixed teams (2 players) | 2022 | South Korea (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | Inaugural event pushed from 2021 to 2022 | |
| Diving | World Diving Championships | Individuals | 1973 | Winners in 5 events (2019) | 2022 | Biennial | |
| Dodgeball | Dodgeball World Championship | Nations - Foam | 2016 | Canada | 2026 | Biennial | |
| Nations - Cloth | 2022 | Austria | 2026 | Biennial | |||
| Equestrian | Dressage World Cup | Individuals | 1986 | Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (2021–22)
|
2022–23 | Annual | |
| Driving World Championships | Teams and Individuals | 1972 | Boyd Exell (individual, 2022) Netherlands (team, 2022)
|
2024 | Biennial | ||
| Mounted Games World Individual Championships | Individuals | 1986 | Colin Verdelhan (2019)
|
2020 | Annual | ||
| Mounted Games World Pairs Championships | Pairs | 1992 | Jake O'Connor Craig O'Connor (2019)
|
2020 | Annual | ||
| Mounted Games World Team Championships | Team | 1986 |  England (2019)
|
2020 | Annual | ||
| Show Jumping World Cup | Individuals | 1979 |  Steve Guerdat (2019)
|
2020 | Annual | ||
| FEI Endurance World Championship | Individuals | (2018) | 2021 | Biennial | |||
| Flying disc | WFDF World Overall Championships | Individuals | (2019) | Annual | |||
| WFDF World Ultimate and Guts Championship | Individuals | (2019) | 2020 | Annual | |||
| Figure skating | World Figure Skating Championships | National pairs male – female pair from the same nation |
1908 | (FSR) Anastasia Mishina & Aleksandr Galliamov (2022) | 2023 | Annual | |
| Ice Dance male – female pair from the same nation |
1952 | (FSR) Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov (2022) | 2023 | ||||
| Gymnastics | Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships | Teams | 2016 | (RGF) (2021) | 2023 | Biennial | |
| Mixed pairs | 1974 | ||||||
| Inline speed skating | World Inline speed skating Championships | Teams | 1937 | (2020)
|
2021 | Annual | |
| Korfball | IKF World Korfball Championship | 4 females and 4 males | 1978 | Netherlands
(2019) |
2023 | Quadrennial | |
| Modern Pentathlon | World Modern Pentathlon Championships | Mixed Relay | 2001 | South Korea (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | |
| Luge | FIL World Luge Championships | Nations | 1989 | Austria (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | |
| FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships | Nations | 2001 | 2021 | Biennial | Not held in 2015, 2017 and 2019 | ||
| Modern Pentathlon | UIPM Biathle-Triathle World Championships | Nationals | Annika Schneider & Uli Raeth (2021)
|
2022 | Annual | ||
| Nine-pin bowling | Nine-pin bowling Single's World Championships | Mixed tandems | 2004 | Renáta Navrkalová & Jan Endršt (2018)
|
2023 | Biennial | First time held in 2004. After division of the championships, added to the Team Worlds (2005 & 2007). Since 2008 in Single's World Championships program. |
| Open water swimming | World Aquatics Championships | Teams | 2011 | Australia (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | |
| Orienteering | World Orienteering Championships | Sprint relay | 2014 | TBA | Annual | Not held in 2019 | |
| Pétanque | Pétanque World Championships | Nations | 2017 |  Thailand (2019)
|
2022 | Biennial | |
| Quidditch | IQA World Cup | Nations | 2012 | United States
(2018) |
2022 | Biennial | Quidditch has rules based on gender, not sex, calling itself a mixed-gender sport |
| Rogaining | World Rogaining Championships | Nations | 1992 |  Polina Zakharova & Artem Gorodynets & Ievgenii Tsyren (2019)
|
2022 | Biennial | |
| Rowing | World Rowing Championships | PR2 Mixed double sculls 1 Male & 1 Female |
2013 | Great Britain (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | |
| PR3 Mixed double sculls 1 Male & 1 Female |
2013 | Australia (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | |||
| PR3 Mixed coxed four 2 Male & 2 Female plus an open coxswain |
2013 | Great Britain (2023)
|
2024 | Annual | |||
| World Indoor Rowing Championships | Mixed 2000 m relay 2 Male & 2 Female |
2018 | Finland Team FINLAND (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | ||
| Sailing | IFDS SKUD 18 World Championship | Female or Mixed Pair | 2007 | Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell (2011)
|
? | Annual? | |
| Mixed Nacra 17 World Championship | Male and Female Pair | 2013 | (2019) | 2020 | Annual | ||
| Mixed Offshore Doubles World Championship | Male and Female Pair | 2021 | Annual | ||||
| Swimming | World Aquatics Championships | 4×100 m Mixed freestyle relay | 2015 | China (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | |
| 4×100 m Mixed medley relay | 2015 | United States (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | |||
| FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) | 4×50 m Mixed freestyle relay | 2014 | France (2022)
|
2024 | Biennial | ||
| 4×50 m Mixed medley relay | 2014 | United States (2022)
|
2024 | Biennial | |||
| Synchronized skating | ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships | Teams | 2000 |  Les Suprêmes (2022)
|
2023 | Annual | |
| Synchronized swimming | World Aquatics Championships | Duet free routine | 2015 | Cheng Wentao and Shi Haoyu (2024)
|
2025 | Biennial | |
| Duet technical routine |  Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim (2024)
|
2025 | |||||
| Team free routine | 2023 | China (2024)
|
2025 | ||||
| Team technical routine | China (2024)
|
2025 | |||||
| Acrobatic routine | China (2024)
|
2025 | |||||
| Table tennis | World Table Tennis Championships | Mixed doubles | 1926 | Wang Chuqin & Sun Yingsha (2021)
|
2023 | Biennial | |
| World Para Table Tennis Championships | Mixed doubles | 1990 | Winners in 7 events (2022) | 2026 | Quadrennial | ||
| Tennis | Hopman Cup | National teams male – female pair |
1989 | Switzerland (2019)
|
Defunct | Annual | Competitions are played in traditional order: women's singles, men's singles, and mixed doubles |
| United Cup | National teams of men and women | 2024 | Germany (2024)
|
2025 | Annual | ||
| Teqball | Teqball World Championships | Nations | 2017 | Csaba Bányik & Zsanett Janicsek (2021)
|
2023 | Biennial | |
| Triathlon | World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships | National teams of two men and two women | 2003 | France (2019)
|
2022 | Annual |
See also
[edit]- World championship
- World cup
- List of world championships in mind sports
- List of world cups and world championships for juniors and youth
- List of multi-sport events
- List of world cups
Notes
[edit]- R. ^R – One or more relay events, in which three or four competitors compete for their nation, are included for each sex.
References
[edit]- ^ "Speedway World Championships | Official Website". Speedway World Championships. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ Champions in Individual Ice Racing (motorcycle)
- ^ Merk, Martin (24 June 2019). "Statutes, Regulations amended". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Future of Rugby World Cup Sevens confirmed" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ Sport, Frank Keogh BBC (3 March 2015). "Reanne Evans: Ladies' champion to face men in world qualifiers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Women's Decathlon Championships Results". World Athletics. Retrieved 20 September 2024.