Nordic Combined 101: Team formats explained

Team competitions have become an important part of modern Nordic Combined.

From the traditional four-athlete relay to the recently introduced Mixed Team Sprint, these events showcase not only individual performances but also teamwork, tactics and consistency.

Here is a look at the different team formats currently used in Nordic Combined.

Team

The original Team event remained a major part of World Cup, Championship and Olympic competition for a long time.

A team consists of four athletes representing the same nation. Depending on the event, this can be four men or four women, although there has never been a women's Team event at World Cup or World Championship level.

The format was removed from both the Olympic and World Championship programmes for men.
Its final Olympic appearance came at Beijing 2022, while its last World Championship edition was held in Trondheim 2025 - at least for now.

The Ski Jumping competition is divided into four groups.
First, all athletes competing in Group 1 complete their jumps, followed by all athletes in Group 2, then Group 3 and finally Group 4. The scores from all four jumps are added together and converted into time differences for the cross-country race using the Gundersen method.

The cross-country portion is contested as a relay. In the men's event, each athlete skis 5 km, creating a total race distance of 20 km. The winning team is the first to cross the finish line after the relay.

Mixed Team

The Mixed Team event brought a new chapter to Nordic Combined by combining women's and men's competitions into a single event. Each nation fields a team of four athletes consisting of two women and two men.

The jumping order is fixed. A woman competes in Group 1, followed by a man in Group 2, another man in Group 3 and a woman again in Group 4. This ensures an equal contribution from both genders during the jumping competition.

The cross-country relay does not follow the same order as the jumping round. In the Mixed Team event, the skiing order is man, woman, woman, man. The first man skis 5 km before handing over to the first woman for 2.5 km. The second woman then skis another 2.5 km before the final man completes the last 5 km. Together, the team covers a total distance of 15 km.

The Mixed Team event premiered in the World Cup in Val di Fiemme 2022 and made its World Championship debut at the 2023 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica. Norway became the first Mixed Team World Champions through Ida Marie Hagen, Jens Lurås Oftebro, Jarl Magnus Riiber and Gyda Westvold Hansen. Germany won silver, while Austria secured bronze.

Team Sprint

The Team Sprint is a faster and more tactical format that features only two athletes per nation. Both athletes complete one ski jump, and their combined score determines the starting order for the cross-country race.

In the men's Team Sprint, the cross-country race covers a total distance of 15 km. Each athlete skis five laps of 1.5 km, alternating with their teammate after every lap. Together, the team completes ten laps, creating a race that is fast-paced and highly tactical.

The women's Team Sprint follows the same principle but over a total distance of 9 km. Each athlete skis three laps of 1.5 km, alternating throughout the race until all six laps have been completed.

The Team Sprint became the Olympic team event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, replacing the traditional four-athlete Team competition that had been part of the Olympic programme since Nagano 1998. In its Olympic debut, Norway claimed the gold medal through Andreas Skoglund and Jens Lurås Oftebro, while Finland won silver and Austria took bronze.

The format will continue to grow in importance at the 2027 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, where both men and women will compete for Team Sprint world titles for the first time.

For the women, this represents a historic milestone, as it will be the first ever women-only team competition at a Nordic World Ski Championships in Nordic Combined.

Because athletes compete several times during the race, the Team Sprint places a strong emphasis on pacing, tactics and smooth exchanges. The constant changes between teammates often lead to dramatic lead changes and close finishes, making it one of the most exciting formats in Nordic Combined.

Mixed Team Sprint

The Mixed Team Sprint combines one woman and one man on each team. Both athletes complete one ski jump, with the woman jumping first and the man second.

The cross-country race covers a total distance of 12 km. Unlike the jumping competition, the skiing order starts with the man, followed by the woman. Both athletes ski four laps of 1.5 km, alternating after each lap until all eight laps have been completed.

The format made its FIS World Cup debut in Lahti in 2026. The premiere proved to be a success, with spectators embracing the fast-paced racing and tight fights created by the alternating relay format.

As in the traditional Team Sprint, success depends on strong teamwork, efficient exchanges and the ability to maintain a high pace throughout multiple relay legs.

Teamwork at the heart of Nordic Combined

While Nordic Combined is often associated with individual champions, team events showcase a different side of the sport.

Success depends not only on one outstanding performance, but on the combined efforts of every athlete on the team.