TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – World Athletics and Visit Tallahassee announced Friday morning that Apalachee Regional Park – the home of the Florida State cross country program – will be the host for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships.
“Winning this bid is huge! The World Championships are the Olympics of cross country. They don’t contest the sport at the Olympics, so this is as big as it gets,” Head Coach Bob Braman said. “It’s going to be awesome to show our incredible course to the entire world. Leon County should be incredibly proud to bring this amazing championship to Tallahassee, the state of Florida and the United States.”
Tallahassee will be the first American city to host the World Cross Country Championships since 1992 when the championships were held in Boston. The 2026 championships will be just the third time the championships have been contested on American soil.
Apalachee Regional Park has been home to the Seminole cross country program since 2009 and was the host of the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The course has also been the annual host of the FHSAA Cross Country Championship and was the host for the 2015 ACC Championships. It was also the host of the 2019 USATF Championships. The facility was originally designed by Coach Braman and Brian Corbin, and it began to take to shape in 2008. The facility got an upgrade before this year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships, making it one of the top cross country courses in the country.
“Tallahassee, Florida, is beyond excited to have been chosen to host the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships,” said Visit Tallahassee Executive Director Kerri Post. “Over 10 years ago we set out to build a premier cross country facility and create a new event standard to drive more athlete participation, attract more spectators and fans, and expand the visibility and viability of the sport of cross country. The World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee will rival the largest athletics competitions around the world and leave a lasting footprint on the sport.”
The specific date of the competition will be announced at a later date.
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