With less than 24 hours away until the 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships, there are many storylines to look out for in the coming weekend.

From title defenses, to first appearances, to potential titles, all eyes will be on Appalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, January 10th.

• Entry Lists Released For 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships
  
• See The Full FloTrack Event Schedule To Watch Live Events
• Who is on Team USA for the 2026 World XC Championships?
• Team USA Women's Entries For The World XC Championship

Team USA Chasing Podium Finishes, Gold In XC Mixed Relay

It's been 34 years since the World Athletics Cross Country Championships has been hosted in the United States, and Team USA is looking to make this one count as they have a real shot at securing a medal in the relay, as they hold heavy hitters with World appearances from Ethan Stand and Sage Hurta-Klecker, alongside notable middle distance specialists Gracie Morris and Wes Porter.

In the senior races, veteran Weini Kelati leads the way for the women, with Kate Izzo, Ednah Kurgat, and Karissa Schweizer each making their second appearances at the World Cross Country Championships and Emily Venters and Grace Hartman to round out the lineup.

On the men side, they will be bringing a lineup of both young talent and veteran experience with Nico Young, Graham Blanks, Wesley Kiptoo, Ahmed Muhumed, and rising stars Parker Wolfe and Rocky Hansen.

Nadia Battocletti (Italy) Absent, Megan Keith (Great Britain & Northern Ireland) Set To Lead Europe.

With Italy not sending a team to the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, this means the absence of the European Champion and Olympic silver-medalist, Nadia Battocletti, who was one of the few athletes anticipated to be in the hunt for gold on Saturday. 

One of the rising stars of this generation, Great Britain's Megan Keith, who was the runner-up at the European Championships behind Battocletti, will be stepping up to lead Europe in Tallahassee on Saturday. A name that may not be as commonly known outside of Europe, Keith holds a strong resume that includes a European U23 Gold, European Championships Bronze Medalist, and an appearance on the world stage in Tokyo back in 2025.

United States Denies Visas For 14 Ethiopian Athletes, Effectively Ends Longest Medal Streaks in World Cross Country History.

One of the biggest headlines circulating around prior to the championships has been likely the most controversial, as 14 of Ethiopia's athletes were denied visas to travel to the United States; 6 U20 men, 4 U20 women, and 4 senior athletes. While there was speculation on why this happened, no public information has been released as of yet.

Fortunately, Team Ethiopia was able to replace two spots on the senior lineups with athletes who already had visas approved; however, the inability to field scoring team for both U20 lineups effectively ends two of the longest medal streaks in the history of the World Athletics XC Championships, with the consecutive count being 36 for the U20 men, and 27 for the U20 women. 

Ayele Sewnet will be the lone representative for the U20 men, and defending-champion Marta Alemayo lead the U20 women alongside Wosane Asefa and Yenenesh Shimket.

Agnes Ngetich Seeking First Cross-Country Global Title.

Following the reports of Beatrice Chebet not seeking a third consecutive cross-country world title due to maternity leave, Agnes Ngetich has the opportunity to improve upon her fourth place finish from 2024 and secure her first global title on the grass this weekend.

Since the 2024 edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, Ngetich has continued to improve upon her personal bests, clocking one of the fastest 5000m and road 10000m ever in 14:01 and 29:27 back in 2025, with a 1:03 half-marathon best to bolster her strength over the long distances.

Jacob Kiplimo Looking For A Third, Berihu Aregawi Looking For A First.

While most eyes will be on the favorite, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who is looking to secure the third-in-a-row, Breihu Aregawi is looking to rewrite the narrative of taking the runner-up spot behind Kiplimo and secure his first ever global gold.

If Kiplimo were to secure his third consecutive title, he would just be the fourth man ever to accomplish this feat and join the ranks of Kenenisa Bekele, John Ngugi, and Paul Tergat. Notably, ever since his second title back in 2024, he has proven his place on the roads just as much as the track, clocking a 2:02:23 marathon en route to a historic victory in Chicago last fall.

For Aregawi, he has closed the gap between him and Kiplimo over the last two editions of the cross-country championships; 9 seconds in Bathurst 2023 to just a mere 4 seconds in Belgrade 2024.

NCAA Stars Ready For World Stage

Jessica Hull, Rocky Hansen, Graham Blanks, Morgan McDonald, and the list just keeps going on and on with current and former NCAA stars set to represent their respective countries in Tallahassee, with a bit of a homecoming for the Florida State University alum through the names of Ahmed Muhumed (United States), Lauren Ryan (Australia), David Mullarkey (Great Britain), Linden Hall (Australia), and Adrian Wildschutt (South Africa).

Among the group holds not just NCAA Champions or Record Holders, but also National Champions, Global Appearances, Global Medalists, Olympians, and even World Record Holders.

2026 World XC Championships Schedule (ET) Jan. 10

• 09:45 — Mixed Relay (Final) — Mixed
• 10:20 — U20 Race (Final) — Women
• 10:55 — U20 Race (Final) — Men
• 11:35 — Senior Race (Final) — Women
• 12:20 — Senior Race (Final) — Men

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