World Athletics has released the competition schedule for the 2026 World Relays, set to take place in Gaborone, Botswana on May 2-3.
The qualification tool called ‘Road to Gaborone’ is now available for teams planning to compete at the event. This tool shows how relay teams can earn their spots for the championships.
Eight teams from each relay event at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 have already secured their places. The rest of the spots will be determined by world rankings between January 1, 2025 and April 5, 2026. Botswana will compete in all events as the host country.
Each World Relay event will feature up to 24 teams competing in Gaborone.
Competition begins on May 2 with the preliminary rounds of both mixed relay events. The mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m heats will open the weekend of racing. The schedule concludes on May 3 with the men’s and women’s 4x400m finals.
The stakes are high for teams competing in Botswana’s capital. The top 12 finishers in all six relay events will qualify for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing. Additionally, the top six teams in each mixed relay event will earn spots at the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
For the mixed 4x100m event, all 24 participating teams will come from the world top lists, making it the most competitive qualification process among the relay events.
The World Relays will bring together the fastest relay runners from around the globe to compete for world championship qualification spots and national pride.
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