Big, bold and certainly intriguing news: the PTO and World Triathlon – long-time partners – have announced the introduction of a new Triathlon World Tour. As part of this major restructuring, the current T100 series will be renamed the T100 World Championship Series, while the WTCS series will be transformed into the T50 World Championship Series.
It appears that race distances will also be slightly adjusted. The T100 already cover a total distance of 100 kilometres, while the T50 is expected to be shortened to approximately 50 kilometres. At least that makes the most sense, given the choice of naming.
In addition to the T100 and T50 World Championship Series, PTO and World Triathlon are launching a new Challenger Series. This series will largely consist of events that are currently World Triathlon Cups and is intended to serve as a stepping stone toward the top-tier Championship races. In total, the new structure would encompass around 100 races worldwide.
A key focus of the new Triathlon World Tour will be increased live broadcast coverage, with the goal of bringing the sport to a broader, more mainstream audience. Full details of the new format are expected to be revealed in early 2026. One of the primary objectives for both organisations is clearly to introduce more uniformity and clarity to the international race calendar – an issue that has long been a point of criticism within the triathlon community due to the sheer number of championships and organising bodies.
From next season, the WTCS will officially be called the 2026 World Triathlon Championships Series. In 2027, the transition will be completed, with the series fully rebranded as the Triathlon World Tour, consisting of both the T100 and T50 World Championship Series.
The collaboration between the PTO and World Triathlon has been visible for some time. One example is the WTCS London event, which will take place during a T100 weekend next year – although no professional athletes will race in the T100 event itself. Another example is the T1 Indoor Triathlon World Cup, scheduled for 7 March 2026.
Just yesterday, the PTO concluded its T100 circuit with a Grand Final in Qatar. Victory went to Hayden Wilde in the men’s race and Kate Waugh in the women’s race. Both athletes not only won the race in Qatar but also secured the overall T100 title, earning a $200,000 bonus each.