Plovdiv set to host second stage of 2026 World Rowing Cup

The 2026 World Rowing Cup continues with its second regatta of the season, as the international rowing community heads to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for the World Rowing Cup II from 12 to 14 June.

Following the opening event in Seville, crews will look to build on early-season performances as they work to earn points for the World Rowing Cup. With racing intensity increasing across all Olympic boat classes, Plovdiv presents another important opportunity for athletes to test themselves against the world’s best and refine combinations ahead of the World Rowing Championships later in the season.

Set in one of rowing’s most established international venues, the regatta course in Plovdiv is an artificial canal stretching 2,300 metres. Specially designed by architect Valentine Marinov, in close collaboration with chief consultant and Olympic Champion Svetla Otzetova, the course meets the highest standards for staging major water sport events. Its location has been precisely selected to be surrounded by natural forest, ensuring fair and equal conditions across all lanes, while the east–west orientation aligns with prevailing winds to provide consistently balanced racing.

The entries for World Rowing Cup II once again reflect the depth and diversity of international rowing, with a strong mix of experienced Olympic and World Championship medallists alongside emerging crews continuing their progression on the senior circuit. Across the regatta, key Olympic boat classes are expected to deliver highly competitive racing, with crews using this second World Rowing Cup as a benchmark to measure improvements since the season opener.

In the men’s sculling events, several standout names return following their performances in Seville. The men’s double sculls is set to be one of the headline events in Plovdiv, featuring the Croatian Sinkovic brothers, Valent and Martin, two of the most decorated athletes in the sport. They will face strong competition from Italy, where crews featuring athletes such as Niels Torre and Marco Selva highlight the depth of the Italian squad.

Italy’s Gabriel Soares, an Olympic medallist in the lightweight double sculls, steps into the single sculls field, while Romania’s Mihai Chiruta continues his progression at the international level.

Sweep events also feature Olympic and World Championship pedigree, particularly in the men’s pair, where Italy’s Matteo Lodo returns alongside Giovanni Codato, while New Zealand’s Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor, the victors at the first stage of the 2026 World Rowing Cup in Seville, provide further strength to the field.

On the women’s side, the single sculls features a strong and experienced field, including Serbia’s Jovana Arsic and Uzbekistan’s Anna Prakaten, both established internationals with consistent performances in recent seasons. Both are making their season debut in Plovdiv.

The women’s pair is also set to deliver high-quality racing, with crews such as Chile’s Melita and Antonia Abraham, who finished third at the 2026 World Rowing Cup I in Seville, alongside Czechia’s Anna Santruckova and Pavlina Flamikova, who had topped the podium ahead of the Abraham sisters.

The host nation will be well represented across a number of categories, including the men’s double sculls, where multiple Bulgarian crews are entered.

About the World Rowing Cup

The World Rowing Cup series is an annual set of regattas serving as a key step in the lead-up to the World Rowing Championships. Over three days of racing, crews progress from heats through to finals, competing in the 12 Olympic boat classes alongside selected international events. Points are awarded in each Olympic class, with the highest-ranked crew per country earning points towards the overall World Rowing Cup standings, contributing to the season-long competition.