Budapest will host the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September 2026, which will be the highlight of the season, MTI reported. President of World Athletics (WA) Sebastian Coe personally met with State Secretary for Sport at the Hungarian Ministry of Defence Ádám Schmidt. They reached an agreement on the organisation of the event and jointly announced the news on Monday in Budapest.
Coe stated that 400 athletes from nearly 70 countries, including some of the sport’s biggest stars, will compete in the tournament. WA has established this event to ensure that every year without a World Cup, there is a prestigious competition watched around the world.
According to Coe, Budapest was awarded the first so-called ‘World Finals’ partly because the
Hungarian capital hosted the ‘best ever outdoor World Championships’ last year.
There was fierce competition for the role of host, with several major cities applying.
‘For the World Cup, we were looking for a host city that could be a world-class partner for this exciting new initiative and showcase the sport in an engaging way to fans from around the world. Budapest has already proven that it can do this, so we are delighted that the Hungarian capital will be the starting point for the series,’ Coe pointed out.
The tournament, with a total prize pool of $10 million, will take place from 11–13 September 2026. Each of the three days will feature a three-hour programme and will be open to Olympic and world champions, Diamond League winners, and the year’s best athletes. All disciplines of the sport will be represented at the ‘World Finals’, including short, middle, and long-distance events, relays etc.
Sebastian Coe stated that the event, scheduled to take place every two years, will include semi-finals and finals, creating a competitive environment for the best of the best. ‘The World Finals will be full of action and excitement for the fans and will create a new level of athletics competition,’ Coe said.
‘With the biggest stars in the field, it will be an unmissable event, while at the same time achieving the goal of athletics hosting a world-class top event every year. For the first time in history, the sport will be able to attract the most attention every year,’ he added.
Ádám Schmidt received Coe and several other WA executives, including CEO Jon Ridgeon and Communications Director Jamie Fox, at the State Secretariat.
‘It is a great pride and a significant diplomatic success that WA believed Budapest could be a worthy host for the first World Finals,’ Schmidt said.
‘After the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which Sebastian Coe described as the best ever, the Hungarian sports administration began discussions with the international federation on how Hungary could remain prominent in athletics. The Hungarian Athletics Association and the National Event Management Agency were involved in the negotiations, and the Hungarian government agreed to support Budapest as the first host of the new series. Our aim is for this new event, like the World Championships, to have a positive long-term impact on Hungarian sporting life,’ he added.
Big Bustle in Budapest
2026 will be a significant year for sports in the Hungarian capital. In addition to hosting the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, Budapest will also be the venue for the Champions League final. This decision was made on 22 May by the Executive Committee of the European Football Association (UEFA). That means, for the first time in its history,
Hungary will host the most prestigious club football match,
which has previously taken place in 32 stadiums across 28 cities in 15 countries. The Puskás Aréna, inaugurated in 2019, will host its third European cup final following the 2020 Super Cup match and last year’s Europa League final.
President of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) Sándor Csányi stated that UEFA’s decision recognizes the previous work of the Hungarian federation. ‘With today’s decision, UEFA acknowledged the international and organisational work of MLSZ,’ Sándor Csányi stated on the federation’s website. He highlighted that the European organisation appreciated the federation’s competence demonstrated through the hosting of increasingly significant events over the past few years.
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