Everything you need to know about Saturday’s big event in Florida, including the main contenders, British hopes and how to watch the race unfold.
When the World Championships were last held in the United States in Boston in 1992, it was one of the most anticipated races on the calendar. The world’s leading milers and marathoners will meet the leading 5,000m and 10,000m runners on neutral and often muddy ground with their world titles at stake.
Due to the number of missing stars and entire nations at the 2026 event in Tallahassee on Saturdayit is no longer accurate to call the event the world’s greatest race. But absent friends will be missing out on a real treat, with a challenging fantasy course and the promise of enthusiastic Florida crowd support.
Features that runners must negotiate at Apalachee Regional Park include alligator alley, a man-made rollercoaster ramp, a 90-foot sand pit, a 20-foot long, knee-deep water section and a 100-foot mud section that pays homage to the Florida Everglades. As for the weather, a temperature of 21-24 degrees is expected, with the possibility of light wind and rain.
The event is also being held at the unusually early date of January 10, compared to its traditional late March time slot, in an attempt to attract athletes ahead of the indoor and stock car racing season. Although it doesn’t seem to have worked particularly well in its first attempt, with even top US runners such as Grant Fisher and Cole Hawker opting instead to focus on upcoming indoor races.
So who will race in Tallahassee?
Senior men
Jacob Kiplimo, i half marathon world record holderleads the way as the Ugandan aims to become only the fourth person in history after John Ngugi, Paul Tergat and Kenenisa Beckel to win three consecutive world cross-country crowns.
Kiplimo is now trying to make a career out of marathon running and was runner-up in London last year in 2:03:37 on his debut over 26.2 miles. winning in 2:02:23 in Chicago in October.
His biggest challenger on Saturday is likely to be Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, a near-world distance runner after winning silver medals in the 2023 and 2024 World Cross, plus silver in the 2024 Olympic 10,000m and 2025 World Indoor 3,000m.
Aregavi is to join the team Bereket Nega, who defeated Aregawi in the Ethiopian trials, plus teenage Sensation Biniam Mehar.
The Kenyan team is led by Daniel Ebenyo, the world silver medalist in the half-marathon.
Jimmy Gressier French and Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo is leading European hopes. The pair finished one-two at the Euro Cross in Portugal last month, with Ndikumwenayo winning, but Grecier is the reigning 10,000m world champion.
Gresier was joined by the 2023 Eurocross winner Ian Schrub in the French team.
Elsewhere, look out for Canada’s Moh Ahmed, Adrian Wildschut of South Africa and Ki Robinson of Australia, while the USA team is led by Test winner Parker Wolfe and includes Nico Young and Graham Blanks.
Senior women
In 2026, the reigning champion, Beatrice Chebet, is taking maternity leave, and there will be a new champion. Also absent is the Olympic and world silver medalist in the 10,000m, Italian Nadia Battocletti, who could take advantage of these absences.
Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich holds the 10km world record and won the bronze medal behind Chebet in 2023 in Bathurst, Australia. The Kenyan trials winner, meanwhile, was Maureen Chebor.
READ MORE. Valencia 10km preview
2023 World Under-20 champion Senayet Getachew is part of a strong Ethiopian squad that includes Asayech Ayichew, Shur Demis and Aleshig Baweke.
Uganda’s hopes are headed Joy Cheptoyek and Sarah Chelangat, while the host nation’s challenge is led by Wayney Kelati Frezghi.
Under 20 race
The last time this event was held on US soil, in 1992, in snowy Boston, Paula Radcliffe won the women’s under-20 race from China’s Wang Junxia as Radcliffe’s teammate Jenny Clague finished fourth.
In the junior men’s race, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie was pipped to second place by Kenya’s Ismael Kirui as future 1500m and mile world record holder Hicham El Gerouj finished 14th for Morocco.
This time all eyes will be on Marta Alemayo, the young Ethiopian who won the women’s title in Belgrade two years ago aged just 15.
Alemayo, however, was only third in his trials and Yenenesh Shimket, who clocked 8:32.01 for the 3000m last year, proved the strongest Ethiopian.
Kenyan Trials winner Cynthia Chepkirui has been in great form of late including a win at the Cardiff Cross Challenge in early November.
They are among the contenders in the under-20 men’s race Kenya’s Andrew Alamisi, Uganda’s Abraham Cherotich and Ethiopia’s Ayel Sunet, though the latter are set to lose their long streak of team medals dating back to 1982, due to visa issues that are derailing their efforts to field a full team.
READ MORE. Visa issues are the tip of the iceberg
Willem Renders, the European under-20 champion, carries the flag for Europe and is Belgium’s only competitor in Tallahassee.
Britain’s main hopes are in the medley relay, with the team aiming to repeat their medal-winning success at Belgrade 2024, while Megan Keith will be hoping to make her mark in the women’s race.
The full line-up of the British team can be found here here.
READ MORE. Belgrade 2024
Coverage of the World Cross varies from country to country, but UK viewers can watch the action here while the BBC is also planning to show the races.
