Doha opens 2026 Diamond League season as WA increases top prizes

Doha, the Qatari city, will open the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season with the first competition slated for May 8, World Athletics has said. The draws by the world athletics ruling body showed that the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Xiamen will host the league on May 16 and 23, respectively, while Africa will entertain the stars in Rabat, Morocco, on May 31.

The competition will then move to Europe with Rome (June 4), Stockholm (June 7), Oslo (June 10), and Paris (June 16) as hosts before it moves up to North America, where Eugene, United States, will take its turn on July 4.

The stars will return to Europe with Monaco hosting the league on July 10, London (July 18), Lausanne (August 21), Silesia (August 23), and Zurich (August 27), before the final leg in Brussels on September 4 and 5.

According to World Athletics, the sport’s biggest stars featuring in the 17th edition of the Diamond League will fight for the doubled prizes, with the first place going from $10,000 (€8,600) to $20,000 (€17,200) in regular events and to $50,000 (€43,000) in the finals.

The Wanda Diamond League, which comprises 15 elite meetings across the world, brings together the finest athletes on the planet in a dazzling display of speed, strength, and precision.

As in previous seasons, competitors will accumulate points across 14 qualifying meetings, aiming to secure their place in the Brussels final, where they will battle for glory and the coveted Diamond Trophy.

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