2026: A New World Championship in France

During the closing ceremony of the 2024 Adventure Racing World Championship, held in Ecuador, Heidi Muller, CEO of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS), officially announced that France will host the 2026 World Championship.

For Raid in France, the French leg of the ARWS since 2007, this announcement marks the culmination of nearly 20 years of investment and promotion in adventure racing.

Now structured around 21 World Cup stages spanning the globe, along with continental cups—including one in Europe—the ARWS serves as the governing circuit for long- and medium-distance adventure races. Each year, the season concludes with a World Championship gathering the best international teams. In 2023, South Africa hosted the event, followed by Ecuador this year, featuring over 30 nations and around 100 teams. Canada has been selected to host the 2025 World Championship, with France following in 2026.

Raid in France has already organized two World Championships: the first in 2012 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and the second in 2018 on Reunion Island.

“We are very proud and excited about this opportunity to spotlight France and its wildest, most natural territories,” said Pascal Bahuaud, race director of Raid in France. “I’m thrilled to embark on designing a course that is as surprising, challenging, and emotionally powerful as possible for the racers. Exploring maps to find the best adventure spots and bringing those plans to life on the ground is a huge pleasure for me. The next two years promise to be extraordinary for Raid in France and the dedicated volunteers who’ve been with us for so many years.”

The exact location of the race will be revealed in early 2025, along with the official dates, which will fall between September and October 2026.
More information will soon be published on the ARWS website: www.arworldseries.com.