IBU Biathlon World Cup 2025: Östersund

The 2025-26 Biathlon World Cup season officially begins in Östersund, Sweden, from 29 November to 7 December 2025, marking the start of another thrilling winter campaign. Fans can watch every race live and on demand, free on Eurovision Sport.

• Location: Östersund, Sweden
• Dates: 29 November - 7 December 2025
• Series: Opening round of the BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup 2025-26
• Streaming: Live and on demand, free on Eurovision Sport

Östersund: Biathlon World Cup Season Opener

Known as one of biathlon's spiritual homes, Östersund is a regular season opener on the World Cup calendar. Its mix of challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and passionate Scandinavian fans creates a true test for early-season form.

Östersund Biathlon World Cup Events (provisional):

Date	Event
29 Nov	Women 4x6 km Relay Men 4x7.5 km Relay
30 Nov	Single Mixed Relay (M+W) Mixed Relay (M+W)
2 Dec	Women's 15km Individual
3 Dec	Men's 20km Individual
5 Dec	Women's 7.5km Sprint
6 Dec	Men's 10km Sprint
7 Dec	Women's 10km Pursuit Men's 12.5km Pursuit

What is the Biathlon World Cup?

The BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup is the ultimate test of stamina and precision - a season-long series where the world's best athletes race and shoot their way across snow-covered venues in pursuit of biathlon's most coveted prize: the Crystal Globe.

At every World Cup stop, athletes earn points based on their finishing positions. The biathlete with the highest overall score takes home the Big Crystal Globe as the Overall World Cup champion, while the best in each discipline - sprint, pursuit, individual, and mass start - win Small Crystal Globes for their specialty.

• Organised by the International Biathlon Union (IBU)
• Around 10 stops across Europe and Asia
• Race formats include: individual, sprint, pursuit, mass start, and relay
• Points are awarded at every race - top athletes wear the yellow bib
• The season ends with Crystal Globes awarded for overall and discipline titles

IBU World Cup Schedule 2025-26

From snow-packed Scandinavian trails to Europe's toughest ranges, every stop of the 2025-26 Biathlon World Cup will stream live and free on Eurovision Sport - so you won't miss a moment of the action, wherever it's happening.

Provisional World Cup 2025-26 Calendar:

Dates	Location
29 Nov - 7 Dec 2025	Östersund, Sweden
12 - 14 Dec 2025	Hochfilzen, Austria
18 - 21 Dec 2025	Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand, France
8 - 11 Jan 2026	Oberhof, Germany
14 - 18 Jan 2026	Ruhpolding, Germany
22 - 25 Jan 2026	Nové Město na Moravě, Czechia
5 - 8 Mar 2026	Kontiolahti, Finland
12-15 Mar 2026	Otepää, Estonia
19-22 March	Oslo Holmenkollen, Norway

Biathlon World Cup 2024-25: Season Recap

The 2024-25 BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup season delivered a thrilling mix of new champions and historic finales. Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid clinched his first men's overall title, dethroning Johannes Thingnes Boe in a season-long duel, while Germany's Franziska Preuss captured her first women's crown after a down-to-the-wire battle with France's Lou Jeanmonnot.

Record-breaking achievements and emotional farewells set the tone: Boe shattered the all-time World Championship gold medal record before announcing his retirement (along with brother Tarjei) at the season's end. Meanwhile, fierce rivalries and breakout stars emerged throughout the winter, making this 48th World Cup edition one of the most memorable in recent history.

Standout Highlights

• Sturla Holm Laegreid's perfect shooting in the final Oslo pursuit clinched the men's overall title, as he out-dueled teammate Johannes Thingnes Boe and ended Boe's dominance atop the World Cup
• Franziska Preuss seized the women's overall Crystal Globe in a dramatic finale, winning the Oslo mass start after rival Lou Jeanmonnot fell at the last corner to secure the title by a 20-point margin
• Johannes Thingnes Boe extended his World Championship legacy with a record 23 career gold medals (12 individual) in Lenzerheide, then bid an emotional farewell to biathlon by retiring at the Oslo World Cup finals
• France's Lou Jeanmonnot had a breakout season, claiming the Individual and Pursuit discipline titles and becoming the first Frenchwoman ever to win all four biathlon event types in a single season
• Sweden's Elvira Oeberg captured her first individual World Championship gold in the mass start, joining sister Hanna as the only sisters in biathlon history to both win individual world titles.
• Slovenian veteran Jakov Fak earned his first World Cup victory in a decade at Pokljuka (short individual race), becoming the second-oldest men's winner ever at age 38
• Rising star Selina Grotian of Germany, became the first woman born in the 2000s to claim a biathlon World Cup victory

Top Female Biathletes to Watch in the 2025-26 World Cup

• Franziska Preuß (GER): After years of near-misses, Preuß claimed her first Overall World Cup title in 2024-25 and added her first individual World Championship gold in the pursuit
• Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA): The French standout finished runner-up overall for the second straight season, won two discipline globes, and claimed eight victories in 2024-25
• Julia Simon (FRA): A former overall World Cup winner, Simon secured third place in 2024-25 and dominated the World Championships with three relay golds for France
• Elvira Öberg (SWE): The 26-year-old claimed her first individual World Championship gold in the mass start and stood on nine World Cup podiums last season, finishing 4th overall

Male Biathletes to Watch in the 2025-26 World Cup

• Sturla Holm Laegreid (NOR): The 2024-25 Overall World Cup champion, Laegreid won the Crystal Globe with his signature precision shooting and consistency across all formats
• Éric Perrot (FRA): A rising French star, Perrot claimed World Championship gold in the 20km individual and finished 3rd overall in the World Cup standings at just 23 years old
• Tommaso Giacomel (ITA): The young Italian earned a surprise silver in the individual at the 2025 World Championships and ranked 6th overall in the World Cup, signaling his rapid ascent

Watch the IBU World Cup Live and catch up on biathlon with Eurovision Sport

Stream every race of the 2025-26 BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup live and on demand on Eurovision Sport for free (subject to restrictions). Catch replays, highlights, and past events including Biathlon Loop One, City Biathlon, and previous World Cup seasons - all in one place.