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World Aquatics is launching a bold experiment: expanding finals from eight to ten lanes and adding a wildcard system.
World Aquatics announced on June 3 that it had approved the pilot on May 29 (local time).
The rules will take effect at the 2026 Short Course (25 m) World Championships in Beijing and across the Swimming World Cup’s “Silk Road Tour.”
The biggest change is the lane expansion. In Beijing, semifinals and finals for individual events up to 400 meters will be contested across 10 lanes. The 800- and 1500-meter distance events and relays — where extra space for turns and exchanges matters — will remain on eight lanes.
That increases the finalist field from eight to ten, opening up 25% more spots per race.
Swimmers who hit the World Aquatics A standard on the Silk Road Tour will earn a wildcard to Beijing, and federations will be allowed to enter up to three additional athletes via the wildcard system.
World Aquatics says the change could broaden finals long dominated by powers such as the U.S., Australia and China, giving athletes from Asia, Africa and other regions a better shot. It could also spare high-level competitors the heartbreak of finishing ninth in prelims, which should help boost the sport’s appeal.
Still, technical concerns remain. Unlike the current eight-lane setup that left outer lanes empty to absorb waves, filling all 10 lanes could expose swimmers in the outermost lanes (lane 0 and lane 9) to stronger wall-reflected currents.
For that reason, World Aquatics will first test the rule in 25 m short-course pools, where the increased number of turns helps dissipate waves. If the pilot is successful, the federation could eventually expand the 10-lane format to 50 m long-course world championships — and potentially the Olympics.
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