- The Swimming World Cup heads to North America with three stops across the U.S. and Canada, with a top class of athletes already signed up to race across the entire three-city tour.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 20.08.2025) :: With just over 50 days until the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2025 tour kicks off, nine of the sport’s biggest stars have confirmed they will compete across all three stops of this year’s series.
Helping headline the roster of top athletes is Summer McIntosh, whose spectacular performances at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and World Aquatics Swimming Championships - Budapest 2024, led to the Canadian being named last year’s World Aquatics Female Swimmer of the Year. Now, coming off four golden performances and a bronze medal at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, this year’s Swimming World Cup will be the Toronto native’s first foray competing across all events of the annual circuit.
Multiple World Record-holders with a host of World and Olympic medals in their collections join McIntosh to headline the initial wave of athletes that will compete in Carmel, Indiana (USA) before heading to Westmont, Illinois (USA) and culminating in Toronto, Canada over three consecutive three-day race weekends in this compact tour that returns to North America for the first time since 2022.
Douglass, McIntosh, McKeown, O’Callaghan and Smith Front a Star-Studded Women’s Field
Among the roster of other top contenders is World and Olympic champion Kate Douglass, who returns as the defending overall women’s Swimming World Cup winner and is coming off three golds and two silvers earlier this month at the Singapore 2025 Worlds.
"Last year’s Swimming World Cup series was such a special experience for me, and I’m really looking forward to defending the overall title in 2025—especially with the tour making stops back in the U.S. and Canada. Competing in front of home crowds in Carmel and Westmont, as well as in Toronto, will be incredible,” Douglass said. “The Swimming World Cup has such a great atmosphere, with athletes from all over the world coming together to race, push each other, and have fun between the condensed racing weekends. It’s that mix of high-level competition and camaraderie that makes this tour so unique, and I can’t wait to be part of it again."
Look for some of the most spirited racing to take place in the women’s backstroke events, where short-course 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke World Record-holder Regan Smith of the United States takes on the long-course 100m and 200m backstroke World Record-holder Kaylee McKeown of Australia.
McKeown is coming off another stellar world championships campaign in Singapore, one that saw her complete her second golden double of the 100m and 200m backstroke events from the pair she won at the Fukuoka 2023 Worlds – in addition to winning two Olympic golds in these events at the Paris 2024 Games.
“The Swimming World Cup is always a great way to finish the year, and I’m looking forward to competing on the tour again in 2025. The 2023 World Cup tour was a memorable one—not only for winning the overall women’s title but also for experiencing Europe with friends and teammates,” McKeown said. “It’s always a little more interesting in 25m pools, as it’s a showcase of skills. The standard in women’s backstroke is higher than ever, with Regan Smith setting some incredible short-course records last year, and I’m excited to see what can happen this year.”
Double Olympic relay champion and six-time world champion Smith, meanwhile, is coming into the 2025 Swimming World Cup having placed second to Team USA teammate Kate Douglass in the 2024 Swimming World Cup women’s overall crown by the slimmest of margins, 178.5 to 178.4, before setting three World Records – Women’s 50m, 100m and 200m Backstroke – at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest last December. Most recently, Smith earned four individual silver medals and a gold in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay at the Singapore 2025 Worlds.
“I had a great time and a thrilling battle with my teammate Kate (Douglass) on last year’s World Cup tour. Breaking multiple world records alongside her while having the opportunity to travel across the globe was an experience I won’t soon forget.
“I’m ecstatic for the opportunity to compete in the World Cup stops on home soil in front of a home crowd,” added Smith. “I’m always eager to bring my best performance to every meet, and with Kaylee planning to compete this year, the backstroke field will be about as competitive as it can get. I’m grateful for the challenge and ready to rise to the occasion.”
Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan comes into the 2025 Swimming World Cup as a five-time Olympic champion and 11-time world champion – with the 21-year-old Brisbane native matching Australia’s all-time world title mark with fellow Aussie swimming icon Ian Thorpe.
Having the 2025 Swimming World Cup finale in her hometown of Toronto was enough of an incentive for McIntosh – Canada’s two-time female athlete of the year – compete across the entire World Cup tour.
"The Swimming World Cup coming to Toronto is incredibly special for me—it’s my hometown, and I’m so excited to race there in front of family, friends, and Canadian fans,” said McIntosh. “This will be my first time competing in the full World Cup season, and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at every stop.
“After the intensity and excitement of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, it will be great to get back to racing to close out the year, enjoy the competition, and keep challenging myself against the best swimmers in the world."
Ceccon, Kos, Liendo and Ponti Headline Initial Men’s Field
World and Olympic medallists Thomas Ceccon (Italy), Hubert Kos (Hungary), Josh Liendo (Canada), and Noe Ponti (Switzerland) are set to play significant roles across the Swimming World Cup series and in the men’s overall title race.
Last year, the men’s overall crown came down to a thrilling battle between France’s Leon Marchand and Ponti, with just 3.8 points separating the two.
Ponti, the reigning UPCX Breakout Male Swimmer of the Year, also used the 2024 Swimming World Cup tour as a launchpad for success, going on to capture three World titles later that year in Budapest.
"Last year’s Swimming World Cup was a real breakthrough for me—not just in my performances, but in understanding what I’m capable of in this sport,” said Ponti. “I had a spirited battle with the incredible Leon Marchand for the overall men’s title in 2024, and now I’m hungry for a little more. It’s especially exciting that this year’s tour is heading to the USA and Canada, with the LA 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon."
Rising star Hubert Kos also looks primed for a return to the Swimming World Cup circuit. The 23-year-old Hungarian made his World Cup debut victory in 2021 at his home pool in Budapest and now returns as a two-time World Champion and Olympic gold medallist in the 200m backstroke.
While Kos has recently established himself as one of the top backstrokers in the world, he also holds the World Junior Record in the 200m Individual Medley and captured bronze in this event at the World Aquatics Championships - Singapore 2025.
"The Swimming World Cup is such a great opportunity to test yourself against the best, meet new challenges, and compete in such a condensed racing programme. Backstroke has always been my signature, and I want to prove I can continue to be the best in the world in both the 25m and 50m pool. At the same time, the World Cup tour gives me the chance to show what I can do in other events, like the individual medley. Seeing my former teammate Leon win the overall men’s title last year was inspiring, and I’m ready to make my own run at it in 2025."
World Records, Crowns, and Cash on the Line in 2025
Athletes will be competing for more than pride and personal bests, with the Swimming World Cup offering a total prize purse of USD 1.2 million, not including bonuses. On top of that, swimmers can earn an additional USD 10,000 for breaking a World Record and another USD 10,000 for completing a coveted “crown” by winning the same event across all three cities.
Last season, these incentives drove fast swimming, with eight World Records and 18 crowns achieved — contributing to a total prize payout of USD 1.46 million.
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