Ibiza to Host World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup for Third Consecutive Year in April 2027

06 November 2026

Ibiza will once again welcome the world's leading open-water swimmers in April 2027, after World Aquatics confirmed that the island will host the third stage of its 2026/27 Open Water Swimming World Cup on 23 and 24 April. It will be the third consecutive year that Ibiza features on the international competition calendar, following successful editions in 2025 and 2026.

The confirmation, announced on 6 November by World Aquatics and the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN), completes the five-stop schedule for a historic season that will run across two calendar years for the first time.

The return of the competition reinforces Ibiza's position as an established host of international open-water swimming. It also comes as the island looks towards a possible larger role in the sport, with hosting an Olympic qualification event for Los Angeles 2028 identified as a future ambition. However, no such event has been awarded to Ibiza.

Ibiza Confirmed for 23 and 24 April 2027

The 2027 competition will take place over two days, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April, with Ibiza confirmed as the third stop of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup.

The island first joined the circuit in 2025 and returned in 2026. Its selection for a third successive year reflects the positive assessment of its previous hosting experience by the international governing body and the Spanish federation.

World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam welcomed the decision, highlighting Ibiza's setting for elite competition and its experience as a host of previous World Cup events.

Fernando Carpena, president of the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation, also welcomed the return of the competition, describing Ibiza as an established destination for international open-water swimming.

The exact competition location and course arrangements for the 2027 edition have not yet been announced in the official confirmation.

The 2026/27 World Cup Calendar

The upcoming season introduces a significant change to the competition's traditional schedule. For the first time, the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup will run across two calendar years, beginning in November 2026 and concluding in May 2027.

The revised structure follows feedback from the open-water swimming community and is intended to align the competition more effectively with the wider international sporting calendar, giving athletes a better opportunity to plan their preparation for major championships.

The five confirmed stops are:

  • Cancún, Mexico: 6–7 November 2026

  • Somabay, Egypt: 19–20 March 2027

  • Ibiza, Spain: 23–24 April 2027

  • Golfo Aranci, Italy: 30 April–1 May 2027

  • Setúbal, Portugal: 28–29 May 2027

Ibiza will be followed by another Mediterranean event in Sardinia, with Golfo Aranci hosting the fourth stop just one week later. The season will then conclude in Portugal at the end of May.

Spanish Swimmers Delivered Strong Results in Ibiza in 2026

The announcement follows an impressive 2026 edition for Spanish open-water swimming, which brought several notable results in front of a home crowd.

Ángela Martínez secured silver in the women's 10km World Cup race on 24 April, finishing behind Australia's Moesha Johnson, who claimed gold. The result was particularly significant for Martínez, who had previously won the women's 10km at the Ibiza World Cup in 2025.

There were further Spanish successes during the weekend through the Spanish Open Water Championships, which were held alongside the international World Cup event.

In the women's 5km on 26 April, Candela Sánchez won the open classification, finishing ahead of Japan's Ichika Kajimoto. Paula Otero took third place in the international field.

These 5km results belonged to the Spanish championship programme, rather than the World Cup itself. The distinction is important because the World Cup competition included the 10km and 3km Knockout Sprint events.

The international World Cup races also produced victories for Australia's Moesha Johnson and Hungary's David Betlehem, who won the women's and men's 10km respectively in Ibiza.

A Step Towards the Budapest 2027 World Championships

The 2026/27 World Cup season will provide an important competitive pathway towards the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The open-water swimming events at the championships are scheduled for 3–8 July 2027, shortly after the conclusion of the World Cup season in Setúbal.

The Ibiza stage will therefore take place just over two months before the world championships, offering athletes another opportunity to compete internationally as they prepare for one of the major events on the swimming calendar.

The revised World Cup schedule is intended to give competitors a more coherent progression through the season, with the international circuit concluding ahead of the Budapest championships.

Ibiza Also Has Its Sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Qualification Event

Beyond securing another year on the World Cup calendar, Ibiza has a further ambition within international open-water swimming: becoming the host of an Olympic qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

The possibility has been raised by the Spanish swimming federation as part of its longer-term ambitions for the island and its growing role in international competition.

However, this remains an objective rather than a confirmed appointment. The 2027 World Cup announcement does not designate Ibiza as the host of an Olympic qualifier, and the official qualification documentation reviewed does not identify Ibiza as the venue.

Securing a third consecutive World Cup event nevertheless strengthens the island's experience in organising elite open-water competitions and provides an important foundation for any future hosting ambitions.

A Growing International Sporting Presence for Ibiza

The return of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup for a third consecutive year represents another important international sporting event for Ibiza.

With the world's leading specialists expected to return in April 2027, the competition will once again bring elite athletes, technical teams and international attention to the island.

The confirmed dates of 23 and 24 April give organisers and athletes a clear starting point for preparations. Further details, including the precise competition venue, race programme and participating athletes, are still to be announced.

For now, Ibiza's place on the 2026/27 World Cup calendar is confirmed, maintaining the island's presence among the international destinations hosting the world's leading open-water swimmers.

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