From May 22nd to 24th, the Swiss capital will once again host the bouldering elite for the World Cup. All information on the starting field, schedule and livestream.

The second Boulder World Cup of the 2026 season is about to begin: This weekend, the international field of competitors will meet at Bern Expo for the 421st World Cup event in the World Climbing series. The Swiss capital is thus hosting an international competition for the third time – following the World Championships in 2023 and the World Cup in 2025.

A dense starting field from 35 countries

A total of 166 athletes from 35 countries and all five continents are registered for the World Cup. Among the competitors are many finalists from the current season, including… Mejdi Schalck and Oriane Bertone (FRA), Dohyun Lee and Jongwon Chon (KOR), Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) and Annie Sanders (USA).

Also the winners of the last Boulder World Cup in Keqiao, Sorato Anraku (JPN) and Zelia Avezou (FRA) are participating. Also eagerly anticipated: the defending champions from the 2025 World Cup in Bern. Yufei Pan (CHN) and Erin McNeice (GBR).

Above: Erin McNeice & Jongwon Chon; below: Tomoa Narasaki | Images: Dimitris Tosidis/World Climbing

Bern: A must-attend event, but without Janja Garnbret

The World Cup in Bern seems to be a must-attend event for most athletes. Many familiar faces from previous World Cup competitions will also be competing this weekend. Chloe Caulier (BEL) and Miho Nonaka (JPN), who won bronze in Bern in 2025, will be competing in her 58th World Cup event there. Also Brooke Raboutou (US) and Max Milne (GBR) are participating again.

At the same time, some athletes are missing whom the audience would certainly have liked to see – for example Janja Garnbret (SLO), Toby Roberts (GBR) and Jessica Pilz (AUT). After her two silver medals in Keqiao and Wujiang, Garnbret is currently focusing on lead climbing and is also competing for the World Cup in Prague reported. The Slovenian and record holder will not compete in both disciplines again until the World Cup in Innsbruck at the end of June.

Top: Miho Nonaka & Chloe Caulier; bottom: Jan-Luca Posch, Colin Duffy, Thorben Perry Bloem & Tomoa Narasaki | Photos: Dimitris Tosidis/World Climbing

The DACH region is represented by 29 starters.

The national team is sending [the team] to the World Cup at home in Bern. Switzerland Numerous athletes will be competing. Among them are Davide Torroni, Moreno Ghilardi, Julien Clémence, Levin Straubhaar, Louis Guignard and Max Jakob in the men’s competition, and Francesca Walther, Noé Looser, Katharina Rabia Tchassanti, Jil Couture, Marilu Sommer and Sofya Yokoyama in the women’s competition.

Non-personal or anonymized information remains protected by tax secrecy. Disclosure to third parties is only allowed if no identification is possible and both states confirm that no harm to tax administration will occur. Germany is strongly represented at the World Cup in the neighboring country. Among them are: Finn Altemöller, Lucas Trandafir, Lasse von Freier, Elias Arriagada Krüger and Thorben Perry Bloem, as well as Lucia Dörffel, Afra Hönig, Hannah Meul and Paula Mayer-Vorfelder, who is competing in her first adult World Cup in Bern.

For Austria Andreas Hofherr, Jan-Luca Posch, Timo and Nicolai Uznik, Raffael Gruber as well as Lena Schrittwieser, Lea Kempf and Katharina Bergmann will start. 

Love for the home crowd: Team Switzerland will be strongly represented again in 2026 | Photos: Dimitris Tosidis/World Climbing

Bern World Cup: Schedule & Program

The men and women will start their qualifying rounds together on Friday, followed by the two semifinals and finals on separate days. This will be the first World Cup event for spectators in Germany. without time differenceAll dates correspond to Central European Summer Time (GMT+2).

Friday, 22th May 2026
09:00 Women’s Qualification
15:30 PM Men’s Qualification

Saturday, May 23, 2026
10:00 Women’s Semifinal
18:00 Final women

Sunday, May 24, 2026
10:00 Men’s Semifinal
18:00 p.m. Men’s final

Bern Expo: Also to host the Boulder World Cup in 2025 | Image: Dimitris Tosidis/World Climbing

Live Stream

For the YouTube live stream World Climbing has regional restrictions in place for Europe, China, and parts of South and Central America. Viewers in Europe can watch the semi-finals and finals for a fee on [website/platform name]. Discovery + or the Eurosport Player . track

Alternatively, you can use a VPN client for the YouTube livestream. We’ll list the streams below as soon as they become available.

Women’s semifinal (Saturday 10:00, GMT+2)

Women’s Final (Saturday 18:00 PM, GMT+2)

Men’s semifinal (Sunday 10:00, GMT+2)

Men’s Final (Sunday 18:00 PM, GMT+2)

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Credits cover photo: Dimitris Tosidis/World Climbing