The 2026 Artistic Swimming World Cup circuit comes to a close this weekend in Toronto, Canada, as many of the sport’s top athletes gather for the World Cup Super Final.
After months of competition across the globe, this final stop offers one last opportunity to climb onto the World Aquatics podium and secure valuable prize money before moving on to continental championships for the most part.
By this point in the season, there are few mysteries left. From the 24 nations participating, most of the routines and rosters have already been unveiled throughout the World Cup series over the last five months. However, it will still very much be a very competitive and interesting meet, with surely its fair share of surprises.
What stands out immediately from the entries is the depth of the field, with the duet and the team events particularly stacked.
For example, 11 nations are entered in the acrobatic team, with eight of those having reached last year’s World Championship final in Singapore. The technical team event is nearly as strong, featuring seven world finalists among the 10 teams entered, while seven of the eight nations competing in the free team also swam in the Singapore final.
At the heart of it all will be the team of the People’s Republic of China. The reigning Olympic and World Champions have brought their top squad to Toronto and are expected to once again set the standard in both technical and acrobatic team events.
Their “Soul of the Terracotta Warriors” acrobatic routine, which won them the world title, remains one of the most breathtaking performances in the last few years. The same can be said for their “Wukong” technical team choreography, another incredible routine that has become one of the defining programs of the current Olympic cycle.
Several nations will contest all three team events, including Canada, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico and the United States. Of note, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico and the U.S. will be the sole nations entered across all 11 artistic swimming events, a first for the Americans.
For Canada and the U.S., Toronto will mark the end of the international season, adding an extra layer of significance to the competition.
The Canadians enter with momentum after claiming two medals in the Pontevedra World Cup just a few weeks ago: bronze in free team and gold in acrobatic team with their “Spiders” routine. Competing in front of a home crowd, they will certainly be among the favourites to challenge for another podium finish.
As mentioned earlier, the Americans have entered all 11 events for the very first time, helped by the return of a mixed duet to the international stage for the first time since 2022. Fans will also get their first look this season at the return of the “Body” free team routine, absent from competition since Singapore.
Another storyline worth watching is the return of Olympic silver medalist Ruby Remati. Having rejoined the national team only weeks ago, she has already earned spots in both the technical and free team lineups and could make an immediate impact.
More countries will compete in select team events and are extremely capable of producing strong results. Greece arrives fresh off a bronze medal in acrobatic team in Pontevedra, but the Greeks may face a tougher challenge on paper in Toronto, as it appears neither Zoi Karangelou nor Athina Kamarinopoulou made the trip to Canada. Both have been key contributors throughout the season, so it will be interesting to see how the team adapts.
There are plenty of strong routines and medal contenders across the other events. World champion Xu Huiyan of the People’s Republic of China returns in both solo events, while teammate Guo Muye, the reigning world silver medalist in the men’s free solo, will look to challenge for more hardware.
As previously mentioned, the duet events are also bound to be exciting, with the podium places certainly very much up in the air.
Xu will team up with Lin Yanjun in duet, creating one of the strongest pairings in the field. The two won gold in the technical event at the Xi’an World Cup, and are set to make their season debut in the free.
France’s Laelys Alavez and Romane Lunel arrive as one of the hottest duets on the circuit after capturing gold in technical duet and silver in free duet in Pontevedra less than a month ago. The two have been consistently at the top this season and are a sure medal threat here as they prepare for the European Championships at home.
The U.S. counters with Anita Alvarez and Jaime Czarkowski, who are also enjoying great momentum after reaching the podium in technical duet at that same competition before finishing fourth in free.
Alvarez is also one to not miss in the solo events, both for her execution and her artistic impression.
Great Britain’s Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe return to competition in the duet event for the first time since the Paris World Cup in March. The reigning Olympic silver medalists had opened their season with bronze in the technical routine, and will once again be among the top contenders for a podium finish here.
In mixed duet, Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin come in at the heavy favorites, having won eight medals including five golds in the series this year. They just swept the mixed duet podium in Pontevedra, after winning gold in tech and silver in free in Xi’an.
Japan’s Higa Moe and Sato Tomoka are another pairing to watch. The two Paris Olympians have been consistently competitive over the years, and more recently earned two bronze medals in Xi’an.
Out of Italy, free duet European Champions and world silver medalists Enrica Piccoli and Lucrezia Ruggiero are two to watch as well. They should finally make their season debut in the technical routine, with a likely new choreography. The pair had originally been scheduled to compete in Pontevedra in that event before withdrawing at the last minute.
Mexico’s Fernanda Arellano, Itzamary Gonzalez and Joana Jimenez enjoyed recent success in Pontevedra, collecting two bronze medals between them and will aim to continue Mexico’s strong run in duet here.
The host nation will be represented once more by Ximena Ortiz Montano and Olena Verbinska. While still a relatively new senior partnership, the Canadian duo will have an opportunity to make a statement in front of the home crowd.
Finally, Toronto will be an important benchmark for Germany’s Klara Bleyer and Maria Denisov. The two have only ever competed once together, as Denisov stepped in at the last minute ahead of Xi’an after the withdrawal of Bleyer’s usual partner, Amelie Blumenthal-Haz. Bleyer and Denisov will get one final outing here before this summer’s European Championships, and will surely look to find their groove.
One of the biggest disappointments heading into Toronto is the absence of Vasilina Khandoshka, two-time world solo medalist in Singapore.
She has been one of the dominant performers in women’s solo and currently leads the World Cup standings in both events. Unfortunately, she was unable to travel to Canada after reportedly not receiving a visa in time.
Her absence leaves a significant opening in the women’s solo events and removes one of the circuit’s most compelling storylines from the competition, especially as she and Bleyer have been going head-to-head all season long.
The competition starts on Friday at 11:00 am local with the women’s technical solo, immediately followed by the men’s event. All the information you need to follow the meet can be found here.
ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET
Cover photo: Simone Castrovillari/ World Aquatics
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