World Rowing will stage a 1,500-metre World Cup in Duisburg from 26 to 28 May 2028, giving crews a competitive run over the shortened Los Angeles Olympic distance less than two months before the Games.
The German regatta will be World Rowing Cup III and the final World Cup stop before the LA28 Olympic regatta. It will take place after Olympic and Paralympic qualification has concluded. Duisburg offers senior and para crews experience over 1,500 metres once qualification is settled. The qualification events will still be raced over the standard 2,000 metres.
In the same governance update, World Rowing provisionally awarded the combined 2027 World Rowing Under 19 and Under 23 Championships to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The decisions were set out in World Rowing Circular No. 5 of 2026, dated 30 June.
Duisburg Offers a 1500m Rehearsal
Los Angeles 2028 will depart from rowing’s standard Olympic format because the Marine Stadium course in Long Beach cannot accommodate 2,000-metre racing. The Olympic and Paralympic regattas will instead be contested over 1,500 metres on an exceptional basis.
World Rowing said the Duisburg World Cup would give athletes “an opportunity to compete on the distance they will race in Los Angeles”. Its finals are scheduled 48 days before the opening Olympic rowing heats.
That makes Duisburg a useful competitive reference without changing the qualification pathway. The Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta is tentatively scheduled for 5 to 7 May 2028, followed by World Rowing Cup II from 12 to 14 May. World Rowing Cup III then begins in Duisburg on 26 May. These dates are unconfirmed.
Photo Eights racing at the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg, Germany.
With one quarter of the standard international race distance removed it will be interesting to see how teams adapt. Duisburg presents an opportunity to test pacing, starts and sprint timing over the shorter course they will face in California. The altered length will affect how crews distribute effort and respond to moves through the middle of a race. Duisburg will provide the only World Cup opportunity to examine those choices against an international field before LA28.
World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland has repeatedly said that Olympic qualification for Los Angeles would remain over 2,000 metres. Scheduling the shortened World Cup after the final qualifier maintains that position while offering a bridge to the Olympic format.
World Cup Racing Returns to Duisburg
The 2028 event will bring the World Rowing Cup back to Duisburg for the first time since 1994. The Wedau course staged World Cup regattas in 1991, 1993 and 1994, as well as the 1983 World Rowing Championships.
Duisburg also hosted the World Rowing Under 23 Championships from 23 to 26 July 2026, giving organisers a major international regatta two years before the Olympic-season World Cup.
“The awarding of World Rowing Cup III in 2028 fills us with great pride. It is recognition of the work accomplished over the past years and, at the same time, a strong vote of confidence in our entire team,” said Tobias Weysters, President of the Organizing Committee.
“I know our home crowd will make it a special atmosphere”
Olli Zeidler
Germany has hosted 20 World Cup events, including 13 between 2000 and 2012. Its most recent World Rowing Championships were held in Munich in 2007.
German single sculler Oliver Zeidler, the 2024 Olympic champion and three-time world champion, welcomed the World Cup’s return when the event was announced.
Photo Olli Zeidler signs autographs after winning the 2026 European Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy.
“Having a World Rowing Cup back in Germany, in Duisburg, is something our fans have wanted for a long time,” Zeidler said. “Wedau is a fantastic course with a lot of rowing history, and I know our home crowd will make it a special atmosphere.”
World Rowing Cup III will be held in Racice, Czechia, in 2027 before moving to Duisburg the following season. Racice has staged the World Championships twice but has never previously hosted a World Cup.
The full 2027 and 2028 World Cup calendars should be announced at the 2026 World Rowing Congress, in Amsterdam in late August.
Plovdiv Brings U19 and U23 Crews Together
The provisional award places the U19 and U23 championships together in 2027. The Bulgarian course is already familiar to the junior field, as it will host the 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.
Traditionally, the U19 Worlds have been held at the next Olympic course one year before the Games, providing an established test event for organisers. This cycle differs because Long Beach is restricted to 1,500 metres.
Moving the 2027 U19 racing to Plovdiv alongside the U23 Championships keeps both competitions over 2,000 metres. It also means any pre-Games testing in Long Beach will sit outside the usual U19 World Championship programme.
World Rowing has been discussing “Olympic Testing Activities” with LA28 and the International Olympic Committee. The Plovdiv decision confirms that the U19 Worlds will not form part of those activities, although no further testing programme was detailed in the circular.
The combined 2027 championships are in addition to the larger all-level event scheduled for the following year. Sarasota, Florida, is due to stage the U19, U23 and senior World Championships together in August 2028, two weeks after the Olympic rowing regatta.
Plovdiv’s status remains provisional under the Council attribution published in the June circular. Further dates and competition details have yet to be announced.
