Éric Perrot claimed his first World Cup title, securing four victories this season. He also earned small crystal globes in the individual, pursuit, and mass start standings as well as three Olympic medals.
Lou Jeanmonnot also claimed the crystal globe for the first time in her career, securing three victories, three small crystal globes (individual, sprint and pursuit), and four Olympic medals.
The 2025–26 Biathlon World Cup (official: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon), organised by the International Biathlon Union (IBU), was the 49th official World Cup season for men and 44th edition for women as the highest level of international biathlon competitions.[1]
The season started on 29 November 2025 in Östersund, Sweden and concluded on 22 March 2026 in Oslo Holmenkollen, Norway.[2]
A major highlight of the season was the 2026 Winter Olympics, held in Milan–Cortina, Italy, from 8 to 21 February, with the biathlon events taking place in Antholz-Anterselva. The results from these competitions will not be included in the World Cup standings.
Sturla Holm Lægreid from Norway and Franziska Preuß from Germany were the reigning champions from the previous season. Lægreid finished the season in 2nd place and Preuß ended her career at Winter Olympics in Antholz-Anterselva, placing 16th overall in the season standings.
The new World Cup winners for the season, both claiming the title for the first time and representing France, were Éric Perrot and Lou Jeanmonnot (having finished 2nd in the overall standings in each of the previous two seasons). This marked the first time in World Cup history that both the men’s and women’s overall titles were won by athletes from France in the same season.
Season overview
The men's sprint in Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand was regarded as the closest men's sprint in biathlon history, as the top six athletes finished within less than nine seconds of each other.[3]
On 23 December 2025, 27-year-old Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken was found dead in his hotel room during a training camp in Italy. At the time of his death, he was ranked 13th in the overall standings.[4][5] In his memory, he was included on the start list with bib number 1 for the sprint in Oberhof.[6]
As a result of victory in the pursuit race in Oberhof, Tommaso Giacomel took the lead in the Overall World Cup standings, becoming the first Italian since January 1992 and only the third Italian man in the history of the World Cup to wear yellow bib.
During the sprint on 16 January in Ruhpolding, Anne de Besche became the first Danish woman to start in a World Cup event. She finished the race in 78th place.
Map of world cup hosts
Calendar
Men
Calendar
Relay – 4 x 7.5 km
Overall leaders
Standings
Individual
|
Sprint
|
Pursuit
|
Mass start
|
Relay
|
Nations Cup
|
Women
Calendar
Relay – 4 x 6 km
Overall leaders
Standings
Individual
|
Sprint
|
Pursuit
|
Mass start
|
Relay
|
Nations Cup
|
Mixed Relay
Standings
Podium table by nation
Table showing the World Cup podium places (gold–1st place, silver–2nd place, bronze–3rd place) by the countries represented by the athletes.
final standings after all 58 competitions.
Points distribution
The table shows the number of points won in the 2025–26 Biathlon World Cup for men and women. Relay events do not impact individual rankings.
| Place
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
32 |
33 |
34 |
35 |
36 |
37 |
38 |
39 |
40
|
| Individual
|
90 |
75 |
65 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
41 |
37 |
34 |
31 |
30 |
29 |
28 |
27 |
26 |
25 |
24 |
23 |
22 |
21 |
20 |
19 |
18 |
17 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1
|
| Sprint
|
| Pursuit
|
| Mass Start |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
2
|
Achievements
- First World Cup career victory
- First World Cup podium
- Men
- Campbell Wright (23), in his 6th season – Mass Start in Nové Město na Moravě – 2nd place
- Philipp Horn (31), in his 8th season – Sprint in Hochfilzen – 3rd place
- Isak Leknes Frey (22), in his 2nd season – Sprint in Ruhpolding – 3rd place
- Sverre Dahlen Aspenes (28), in his 2nd season – Mass Start in Nové Město na Moravě – 3rd place
|
- Women
- Sonja Leinamo (23), in her 4th season – Individual in Östersund – 2nd place
- Camille Bened (25), in her 2nd season – Individual in Östersund – 3rd place
- Tereza Voborníková (25), in her 7th season – Mass Start in Oslo – 3rd place
|
- Team
- Number of wins this season (in brackets are all-time wins)
Retirements
The following notable biathletes, who competed in the World Cup, retired during or after the 2025–26 season:
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Olympic Games are included in the World Cup calendar, but their results do not contribute to the overall World Cup standings.
- ^ Women's Sprint originally scheduled for 9 January (Friday), was rescheduled to 8 January (Thursday), due to bad weather conditions.
References
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- ^ "IBU releases biathlon calendar for 2025-2026 World Cup season". IBU. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Christiansen produces last loop for the ages as Norway dominate historically tight Annecy Sprint". biathlonworld.com. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ "Sivert Guttorm Bakken: Norwegian biathlete dies aged 27". BBC Sport. 2025-12-23. Archived from the original on 2025-12-26. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ^ Depasse, Guillaume (23 December 2025). "Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken dies at age 27". Archived from the original on 26 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ "Men's Sprint start list – Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). biathlonworld.com. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "1st Men's Individual: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Men's Sprint: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Men's Pursuit: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "2nd Men's Sprint: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "2nd Men's Pursuit: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Men's Sprint: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Men's Pursuit: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Men's Mass Start: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ "4th Men's Sprint: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "4th Men's Pursuit: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ "5th Men's Sprint: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ "5th Men's Pursuit: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "2nd Men's Short Individual: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "2nd Men's Mass Start: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Men's 20 km Individual: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Men's 10 km Sprint: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Men's 12.5 km Pursuit: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Men's 15 km Mass Start: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "3rd Men's Individual: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "3rd Men's Mass Start: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "6th Men's Sprint: Otepää (EST)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "6th Men's Pursuit: Otepää (EST)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "7th Men's Sprint: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "7th Men's Pursuit: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "4th Men's Mass Start: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Men's World Cup Total Score 2025/2026" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "1st Men's Relay: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "2nd Men's Relay: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Men's Relay: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "4th Men's Relay: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – 4x7.5 km Men's Relay: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "5th Men's Relay: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Men's Total Score Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Individual Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's World Cup Individual standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Sprint Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's World Cup Sprint standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Pursuit Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's World Cup Pursuit standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Mass Start Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's World Cup Mass Start standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Relay Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's World Cup Relay standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Nations Cup Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Men's Nation Cup standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "1st Women's Individual: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Women's Sprint: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Women's Pursuit: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "2nd Women's Sprint: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ "2nd Women's Pursuit: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Women's Sprint: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Women's Pursuit: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ "1st Women's Mass Start: Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand (FRA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ "4th Women's Sprint: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "4th Women's Pursuit: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "5th Women's Sprint: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "5th Women's Pursuit: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ "2nd Women's Short Individual: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "2nd Women's Mass Start: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Women's 15 km Individual: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Women's 7,5 km Sprint: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Women's 10 km Pursuit: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Women's 12,5 km Mass Start: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "3rd Women's Individual: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "3rd Women's Mass Start: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "6th Women's Sprint: Otepää (EST)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "6th Women's Pursuit: Otepää (EST)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "7th Women's Sprint: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "7th Women's Pursuit: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "4th Women's Mass Start: Oslo Holmenkollen (NOR)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Women's World Cup Total Score 2025/2026" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "1st Women's Relay: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "2nd Women's Relay: Hochfilzen (AUT)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "3rd Women's Relay: Oberhof (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ "4th Women's Relay: Ruhpolding (GER)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – 4x6 km Women's Relay: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "5th Women's Relay: Kontiolahti (FIN)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Women's Total Score Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Individual Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's World Cup Individual standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Sprint Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's World Cup Sprint standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Pursuit Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's World Cup Pursuit standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Mass Start Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's World Cup Mass Start standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Relay Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's World Cup Relay standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Nations Cup Points". www.biathlonworld.com.
- ^ "Women's Nation Cup standings" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
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- ^ "2nd Single Mixed Relay: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
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- ^ "1st Mixed Relay: Östersund (SWE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "2nd Mixed Relay: Nové Město na Moravě (CZE)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "2026 Winter Olympics – Mixed Relay: Antholz-Anterselva (ITA)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "3rd Mixed Relay: Otepää (EST)" (PDF). IBU. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Mixed Relay Score" (PDF). www.biathlonworld.com.
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- ^ "Women's Overall records". realbiathlon.com.
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- ^ "Der 42-jährige Biathlet visiert noch einmal die Olympischen Spiele an - doch danach ist Schluss. Simon Eder legt Karriereende fest ..." ski1.at. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
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External links