Crystal Globes in spotlight, 2026/27 calendars and wild cards set as World Cup turns 60

The Alpine Ski World Cup subcommittee met at the FIS Autumn Meetings in Geneva (SUI) this past week. The 60th anniversary of the series will be celebrated this season with the inaugural race held in Berchtesgaden (GER) on January 5 1967. For the record, the men’s Slalom was won by Heinrich Messner (AUT).

The core values of the World Cup have remained constant throughout those six decades. Since 1967, the winner of the men’s World Cup Overall title - 1968 for women - has received the big Crystal Globe. Smaller discipline Crystal Globes were first awarded in 1978. More attention will be focused on the Globes from this season, boosting their recognition as symbols of World Cup success.

There will be more sightings of the Crystal Globes on broadcast screens and, should logistics allow, on site at events. This increased visibility creates new opportunities for presenting sponsors to associate themselves with the World Cup and its most iconic symbol.

Graphics for TV broadcasts have also been upgraded in order to enhance the viewing experience. They will be more transparent than before, providing additional information without disrupting the action.

2026/27 calendars and wild cards confirmed

The calendar for the 2026/27 season has been finalized, largely approving what had been put forward at April’s Spring Meetings. One of the highlights will be the return of the women to the Beaver Creek’s iconic Birds of Prey course. The Colorado venue, missing from last year’s schedule, will stage two Downhills and a Super-G, two years after Cornelia Huetter (AUT) became the first women to win a World Cup race there.

Courchevel (FRA) has been confirmed as the venue for a women’s Slalom three days before Christmas. And on January 9-10, Val di Fassa will stage a Downhill and Super G comprising the first of two consecutive speed weekends in Italy. The second consists of two Downhills and a Super G at 2026 Winter Olympic host Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Narvik (NOR) will return to the calendar on March 12-13 having last staged a World Cup race in 1996. The exact venue remains to be confirmed with logistic work still ongoing.

After the three opening stops - the traditional Sölden (AUT) Giant Slalom curtain-raiser followed by Slaloms at Levi (FIN) and Gurgl (AUT) - the women head back to Killington (USA) after a year away, with the men going back to Copper Mountain (USA) for just the second time.

The men and women have swapped weekends for the Kranjska Gora (SLO) tech races with the former now competing at the start of January, and the women racing at the end of the month. Chamonix (FRA) returns to the men’s calendar after a three-year absence with a Slalom on 30 January.

Saalbach (AUT), host venue of the 2025 World Championships, returns to the World Cup schedule with a men’s Downhill and Super-G at the end of February. Åre (SWE) makes its men’s World Cup debut with a Giant Slalom and Slalom in mid-March having previously been a regular stop for the women.

The season draws to a close in Sun Valley (USA) with the World Cup Finals returning to the Idaho resort after a successful event at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The FIS Council approved the detailed conditions under which athletes who hold a wild card under the existing FIS Alpine Ski World Cup rules can compete in the 2026/27 season:

• The starting position of wild card holders should be bib number 31

• Athletes receive four wild cards in each of their events (e.g. Slalom, Giant Slalom, etc.) given that:

• For every finish outside the top 30, one wild card start will be deducted.

• If an athlete finishes a race within the top 30, they get to keep the number of wild card starts they had before the race.

• The wild cards provide no additional quota place, travel money, or financial entitlements.

Crans Montana to stage season highlight

The focal point of the 2026/27 season will be the 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships in Crans Montana (SUI) from February 1-14. For the second time, the Team Combined event will be part of these WSC having made successful outings at Saalbach 2025 and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

A potential increase of WSC frequency from every two years to annually, with the exception of Olympic years, was considered starting from 2028. But the FIS Council has decided that 2028 would be too soon after a feasibility study established that such a short lead time would carry execution risks and limit the event’s value-creation potential.

The Council confirmed that it will continue to explore plans for an additional major world event in the vacant non-Olympic year, as originally discussed for 2032.