World Marathon Majors 2026 Schedule

We present the official schedule for the marathons included in the World Marathon Majors (WMM) series for the 2026 season. The graphic above serves as a key guide for any runner planning to participate in the world’s biggest marathons.

World Marathon Majors 2025 Finishers:

Detailed breakdown of the number of people who finished each of the World Marathon Majors in 2025 is available in a dedicated article on World Marathoner.

World Marathon Majors 2026 Season Overview

The World Marathon Majors 2026 season begins in March and concludes in November, offering an intense schedule of spring and fall races. The Tokyo Marathon (March 1, 2026) traditionally opens the series, serving as the first major Asian race. This is followed by an intense spring block: The Boston Marathon (April 20, 2026) takes place on Patriots’ Day Monday, known for its rigorous qualification standards, and just six days later, the London Marathon (April 26, 2026) starts, serving as the European leader in terms of mass participation and charitable engagement. The spring block closes with the Cape Town Marathon (May 24, 2026) — this is a candidate race, and its finisher will receive a provisional WMM star, signaling the potential expansion of the series onto the African continent.

The fall cycle kicks off with the Sydney Marathon (August 30, 2026), the newest full member of the WMM. This is followed by the European and American classics: The Berlin Marathon (September 27, 2026) is renowned as one of the world’s fastest courses, highly conducive to setting world records. It is succeeded by the Chicago Marathon (October 11, 2026), another flat and fast American route. The 2026 season concludes with the New York City Marathon (November 1, 2026), traditionally the largest mass marathon globally in terms of finisher count.

Summary

The World Marathon Majors 2026 calendar is intense, offering runners eight opportunities to earn a star. The schedule requires strategic planning for training and logistics, especially for those who wish to attempt races in closely following dates. The presence of the Cape Town Marathon in the schedule indicates the future direction of the series’ global development.