Who Will Take the 2026 World Rowing Cup Trophy?

The 2026 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, between 26-28 June, will culminate in the crowning of this year’s World Rowing Cup overall winner and the winner of each of the Olympic-class events. And with only one event already decided, there is everything to race for.

Nations are awarded eight points for a win, with those finishing second to seventh receiving six points, down to one point. If two crews from one nation finish in the top seven crews, only the best-placed boat receives the points. In the event of a tie, the best-placed in Lucerne will claim the win.

After World Rowing Cup II in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the USA led the overall standings with 67 points, some 16 points clear of the Netherlands on 51. New Zealand and Romania, sandwiched between the USA and the Netherlands, are skipping Lucerne, so will inevitably fall down the standings, as will Italy (sixth with 46 points).

China have 48 points, and Great Britain needs a huge showing in Lucerne to be in the running, as they sit seventh now with 40 points.

The past four World Rowing Cups have been won by either the Netherlands or Great Britain, so an overall win by any other nation would represent a big upset.

The men’s pair is the only individual event in which the World Rowing Cup winners for 2026 are decided. Two wins for Oliver Welch and Benjamin Taylor of New Zealand mean that, although they are not racing on the Rotsee, no one else can catch them. The USA and Romania each picked up six points and sit second in the men’s pair rankings.

Czechia and Chile are the two boats in prime position for the women’s pair. Czechia, having won gold in Seville and bronze in Plovdiv, has 13 points, while Chile, with bronze and silver at the first two regattas, have 11. If Chile can win gold in Lucerne to complete their World Rowing Cup set, they will take the event win.

In the women’s single sculls, Great Britain currently has a good advantage thanks to Lauren Henry’s win in Seville; Jovana Arsic (SRB), who won in Plovdiv, is not coming to Lucerne, and neither are the USA (Grace Joyce) or Lithuania (Viktorija Senkute), who were second at the two earlier World Rowing Cups.

The men’s single sculls looks like a straight fight between the USA (Samuel Melvin) and Germany (Oliver Zeidler), with Zeidler probably the favourite due to the imperious way in which he won in Seville.

In the women’s double sculls, the Netherlands and the USA lead the way in terms of crews competing in Lucerne, both with six points, but China and Ireland are close behind on five each. Belgium have the edge in the men’s double sculls of the competing nations, with six points, but China and Serbia both have five.

The women’s fours are set up for either the USA or the Netherlands to take the crown, with both at 8 points. New Zealand lead the women’s four standings with 11, but in their absence, it seems unlikely they will hold on to that advantage.

Likewise, in the men’s fours, two solid results for Romania put them in the temporary lead with 10 points – but world champions Great Britain and the speedy new Chinese crew both have eight points and are racing in Lucerne.

The women’s quadruple sculls is finely poised. The USA and Germany both have eight points, Great Britain has six, and China has five. If Great Britain finishes first in Lucerne, they can still claim the event win. With Plovdiv winners Italy absent, Seville winners Germany stand out in the men’s quadruple sculls – but Czechia are only one point behind and could upset with a good row.

And finally, the women’s and men’s eights will also come down to who wins the final. Australia and the USA both have eight points in the women’s event, while China and the Netherlands both have six, and Great Britain is theoretically in the mix, too, with five points. On the men’s side, the Netherlands are in front with eight points, but if Great Britain or the USA (six points each) or China (five) produce an upset, the eights title is not necessarily going back to Amsterdam.

The World Rowing live blog will keep you up to date with how the World Rowing Cup races play out through the weekend!