Event Detail
The World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027 brings the world's leading athletes to China's capital from Friday 10 to Sunday 19 September 2027. For distance-running followers, the championship includes the elite men's and women's 42.195 km marathons, alongside track distance events and race walking. This is the sport's senior global championship, not an open-entry city marathon.
A return to the Bird's Nest
The centrepiece is Beijing's National Stadium, the iconic Bird's Nest at Olympic Green, which staged athletics at the 2008 Olympic Games and hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2015. The 2027 edition brings the championships back to Beijing after a 12-year interval. World Athletics expects more than 2,000 athletes from around 200 member federations across the ten days. The stadium is the championship hub; the precise marathon road course and its start and finish locations have not yet been announced.
Championship timetable and elite qualification
In September 2026, World Athletics confirmed the updated 10–19 September 2027 dates, adding Friday 10 September for the opening ceremony and the first competition session. Evening competition is planned on each day, but the full approved timetable, including the specific men's and women's marathon dates and flag-off times, remains pending. The midnight calendar start is a date-only placeholder, not a race start time.
Marathon participation is through the qualification and national federation selection system, not public registration. Published marathon entry standards for Beijing are 2:06:00 for men and 2:23:20 for women, subject to World Athletics' eligibility, qualification and national entry procedures. Meeting a standard alone does not constitute a public ticket or guaranteed team selection.
Following the event
The championship's new Jingyue emblem and Jingyan mascot were unveiled at the one-year countdown in September 2026, with the slogan Each Step Counts. Spectators can watch for official ticket announcements through World Athletics; fan tickets are separate from athlete participation. Travellers should not assume that the marathon passes the stadium or book transport around an unannounced course. Check the final road route, competition session times, security arrangements and spectator access when the organising committee publishes them.
For the latest official updates, see World Athletics Beijing 27, its September 2026 date announcement, the official Beijing local organising committee notice, and the 2027 qualification standards.