ZURICH, SWITZERLAND: AUGUST 28: Noah Lyles of the United States celebrates his victory after winning the Men’s 200m Final during the Weltklasse Zürich, Wanda Diamond League Final at Letzigrund Stadium on August 28th, 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
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In non-Olympic years, track and field athletes from across the globe can look toward qualifying for the World Championships, which since 1991 have traditionally taken place every other year. The outdoor competition, which is organized by World Athletics, is often seen as a companion event to the Olympics, bringing together the very best track and field athletes in the world.
In September, this year’s World Championships, the 20th of its history, will take place in Tokyo at Japan National Stadium.
Early this month, USA Track and Field announced its roster for the global competition and declared 141 total men’s and women’s athletes. Qualifying for the event largely took place at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in August in Eugene, Oregon, but world champions from 2023 – including Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway and Sha’Carri Richardson, among others – were issued automatic bids by virtue of their wins in Budapest.
Here’s what you need to know.
This general view shows the National Stadium, where the 2025 World Athletics Championships will take place from September 13-21, in central Tokyo on September 6, 2025. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP) (Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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What Are The 2025 Tokyo World Track and Field Championships?
The World Championships are a biennial outdoor track and field competition featuring the globe’s best athletes. They were first held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983. The last world competition took place in Budapest, Hungary in 2023 while Beijing, China will host the 2027 World Championships.
Conversely, the World Indoor Track and Field Championships usually take place every other year – though 2025 and 2026 will hold back-to-back competitions – and are hosted during the winter months. In March 2025, world indoors was held in Nanjing, China. Next year, the competition will move to Toruń, Poland.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND: AUGUST 27: Winner Armand Duplantis of Sweden is congratulated by Emmanouil Karalis of Greece who finished in second place in the Men’s Pole Vault Final in Sechseläutenplatz, the largest town square in Zurich during the Weltklasse Zürich, Wanda Diamond League Final on August 27th, 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
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When and Where Are Worlds Being Held?
This year’s outdoor championship will begin on September 13 at National Stadium in Japan and will end on Sept. 21, concluding with the women’s and men’s 4×100 relays.
Over 2,000 athletes from about 200 countries will compete over nine days, bringing competition back to the venue for the second time in four years since the delayed 2021 Summer Olympics due to COVID. Both men’s and women’s athletes will contest for medals across 24 events, while the mixed 4×400 relay will combine both genders for a single championship.
This year will mark Tokyo’s second time hosting since 1991, marking a 34-year period between its last event. The first day of action will feature the 35-kilometer racewalk, along with qualification rounds for the men’s shot put, women’s discus throw, men’s 100 meters and the mixed 4×400 relay.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – AUGUST 25: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Team Jamaica competes in the Women’s 4x100m Heats during day seven of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre on August 25, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
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Who Are The Top Athletes Headed To The 2025 Tokyo World Championships?
Four countries tend to dominate at global track and field competitions: the United States, Jamaica, Kenya and Great Britain. In 2023, the U.S. garnered 29 medals at the World Championships in Budapest, including 12 golds, eight silvers and nine bronze – better than any other nation.
So when it comes to track and field stars, the U.S. produces them at high speeds. Some of the top stars slated for the 2025 competition include reigning 100-meter and 200-meter men’s champion Noah Lyles, reigning 100-meter women’s champion Sha’Carri Richardson, reigning men’s 110-meter hurdles champion Grant Holloway and reigning women’s shot put winner Chase Jackson.
But on the world stage, stars like India’s Neeraj Chopra (javelin), Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (pole vault), Norway’s Karsten Warholm (400-meter hurdles) and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (1,500 meters and 5,000 meters), Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino (400 meters), Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (1,500 meters and 5,000 meters) and the Netherlands’ Femke Bole (400-meter hurdles) also enter as reigning champions and stars to watch.
Of course, much changes over the course of two years, and there are some legitimate contenders who look like world-beaters. U.S.-based 100-meter sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who is the current world leader at the distance, may make a run at Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 10.49 seconds from 1988. Or we could be talking about American sprinter Kenny Bednarek, who has had the best season of his career and could challenge Lyles on the podium at 100 and 200 meters.
There’s also a slightly different story of note: 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, who ran the fourth-fastest time in American history over 800 meters in August. In the weeks since that performance, the high schooler from Texas signed with Nike and will compete professionally for the first time in Tokyo.
One key storyline to follow is the final world competition for Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who has racked up 10 gold medals on this stage since 2009. Another is the return of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who missed worlds in 2023 due to injury. The world-record holder in the 400-meter hurdles will double in both her primary event and the 400 meters.
How Can Fans Attend And Watch The Events?
In the U.S., the World Track and Field Championships will be broadcast exclusively on NBC across its linear network, including CNBC and USA. It will stream morning and evening sessions on Peacock.
Tickets remain available for the opening day of the World Championships – and all other days of competition – with the get-in price of $28, according to StubHub.
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