Poland will organize World Masters Orienteering Championships for the first time in 2026.
IOF’s Council appointed Poland as organizers of the 2026 WMOC during its meetings under World Orienteering Championships earlier in July.
WMOC attracts thousands of orienteers every year and crowns champions of Sprint, Middle and Long distances in the age categories from 35 years and up.
The 2026 edition of WMOC will take place in the southeastern corner of Poland, the Podkarpacie region from August 7 – 14, 2026 (preliminary dates).
The terrains for both forest and urban competitions are described as well suited to high-standard international competitions and as suitable for all age categories.
The hospitable areas of the Polish Podkarpacie region will host a sprint final in Rzeszów – the heart of the region – as well as forest runs in varied terrain: flat terrain in places with small hills of up to 20-25m and undulating terrain, crisscrossed by forking ravines of varying depths.
– Dreams come true. After a series of international championship events organized in Poland over the past few years, we are coming to the one with the largest number of participants. I can’t wait to organize the World Masters Orienteering Championships in Poland in 2026!, Łukasz Charuba, CEO of the Polish Orienteering Federation says.
Poland has organized World Trail Orienteering Championships in 2022 and will host the CX80 European MTBO Championships and the European Youth Orienteering Championships in 2024 as well as the CX80 World MTBO Championships in 2025.
– We are happy that Poland will take on organizing another major IOF event and we are convinced that WMOC 2026 will live up to the high expectations set by the participants. We look forward to working with the organizers in creating a great WMOC-week for thousands of orienteers from all over the world in 2026, Henrik Eliasson, CEO of the International Orienteering Federation says.
The coming WMOC is just around the corner and takes place in Košice, Slovakia from August 11-18.