The stage is almost set for the 2026 triathlon season and with that in mind it is time to cast our eye over the individuals that could be this year’s leading men. Over the past few years, sustained dominance has eluded the best male triathletes in the business, a fact marked by no one defending a world title won in the 2020s. Going into 2026, this might be the year that changes.
Meanwhile, across all levels of triathlon, there are a number of men primed to gobble up golds. Dive into the names to watch below as we survey fields from the WTCS through to some of the most promising youngsters in the sport.
WTCS: the reign begins?
Matthew Hauser (AUS) was a dominant force in the WTCS last year and many have called him the pound-for-pound best triathlete in the world. However, as he sets out to become the first man of the decade to defend his crown, there are plenty of rivals that would dispute that claim.
On paper, it is hard to see anyone beating him at his own game of leading out of the water, driving the breakaway and then adding one of the fastest runs of the day. Hauser’s ability to perform at such levels saw him win the WTCS with a maximum points total. But he did not go unbeaten. Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) and Henry Graf (GER) managed to topple him last year and in 2026 their challenge will be to do so on a regular basis.
Moreover, 2026 will see the return of Olympic champion and 2024 world champion Alex Yee (GBR) as well as Olympic silver medallist and T100 world champion Hayden Wilde (NZL). Both have been at the top for longer than Hauser and know a thing or two about winning WTCS races. Both also have the run speed to take down the Australian in a head-to-head fight. The question, however, is will they arrive with him in T2, or in the pack behind?
The rising David Cantero del Campo (ESP) won a silver medal at last year’s WTCS Final and could be a dangerous proposition. Vasco Vilaca (POR) is another that can never be overlooked. Then we have 2023 world champion Dorian Coninx (FRA) and 2022 world champion Leo Bergere (FRA). Might both Frenchman have a point to prove? All things considered then, Hauser’s reign may be beginning, or it could just be reading its last rites.
World Cup: the outside smoke
We all know about the stars of the sport but at this stage in the Olympic cycle the game to play is identifying the bolters of tomorrow. Those likely to make a splash at LA 2028 will lay the groundwork now, and in all likelihood they will do so at the World Cup level.
Take Wilde. The New Zealander had never won a WTCS medal before he struck bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, but he had made multiple visits to World Cup podiums, honing a scent for medals. The same was true for Julie Derron (SUI) before her Paris silver.
Who might follow this pattern?
One name to bear in mind is Reese Vannerson (USA), likely carrier of home hopes at LA 2028. We noted him as an athlete to keep an eye on at this point last year, and he did not disappoint as he claimed a maiden World Cup win. His northern neighbour, Mathis Beaulieu (CAN), is another with World Cup medals to his name. Both could see their stock rise further with further World Cup (and WTCS) hardware this year.
Into this group also fall Márton Kropkó (HUN), Joao Nuno Batista (POR) and Oliver Conway (GBR). All three are growing forces in the sport but may need a little more time to develop on the World Cup circuit before being ready to take on the big beasts of the WTCS.
Of course, that is not to say they cannot make a dent at the top level. This time last year we picked out Henry Graf as an athlete that would similarly be pushing for a first World Cup win. He did that, triumphing in Lievin, then went above and beyond by winning WTCS Karlovy Vary. It could therefore be the case that some of this group does not have the patience to wait for 2028 and step up in the coming months.
Para triathlon: kings of the sport
To avoid sounding like a broken record, we shall not make a mention of the men’s PTS5 class. Instead, we will focus on the men that are shaping up to dominate Para triathlon in 2026. At this stage, we have run out of superlatives to describe Alexis Hanquinquant (FRA) in the PTS4 class; such is his ability, he could probably win completing the course with armbands, a unicycle and a pogo stick.
Dave Ellis (GBR) seems primed to rule the PTVI class while Jules Ribstein (FRA) is set to match Hanquinquant’s antics in the PTS2 class. Elsewhere, after a year focused on the para marathon (Alex Yee-style), triple Paralympic triathlon champion Jetze Plat (NED) could come back to stamp his authority over the PTWC class. At the other end of his career, Henry Urand (GBR) also has the makings of becoming the man to beat in the PTS3 category having notched a second straight world title in Wollongong.
Ok, we lied. We are going to talk about the PTS5 class.
In contrast to the leviathans that threaten to overwhelm the other classifications, the PTS5 category has all the order and consistency of a bar brawl. Except the pub is also rotating. And is intermittently on fire.
There exists a Big Four right now in the guise of Paris champion and reigning world champion Chris Hammer (USA), 2024 world champion Stefan Daniel (CAN), Tokyo champion Martin Schulz (GER), and winner of the most 2025 World Para Series stops and back-to-back World Championships silver medallist Jack Howell (AUS). Someone has to miss out, and that’s without factoring in the dark horses like Bence Mocsari (HUN), Filipe Marques (POR) and more. It’s going to be juicy.
Multisport: top dogs not playing
The World Multisport Championships will be held in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year and stand to be among the most eagerly anticipated events of 2026. Fresh from their triumphs in Pontevedra last year, the likes of Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP), Benjamin Choquert (FRA) and Felix Forrisier (FRA) are some of the names to remember. Winners of the long distance triathlon, duathlon, and cross triathlon world titles, respectively, they have no shortage of experience and catching them in full flight in Abu Dhabi will be a sight to see.
Not kids anymore
To the observers of a certain age, it seems like it was only yesterday that the current crop of WTCS stars were scrapping it out in the junior ranks. Hauser, for instance, was the World Junior champion back in 2017 before climbing through the ranks in a journey that has been more ladders than snakes.
As such, the stars of tomorrow are almost certainly already out there. Hauser went on to earn his first World Cup wins in 2019, a two-year template 2024 World Junior champion Nils Serre Gehri (FRA) could be on the verge of following. The Frenchman earned his first World Cup top-10s last year and is a serious talent. At the same time, from the same 2005 cohort Edo Izan Aguilar (ESP) powered to a first World Cup medal in Rome in October and could be the next in a long line of Spanish champions.
Those of the class of 2006, in their first year out of juniors, could also deliver. Tristan Douche (FRA), the current World Junior champion has never raced at the senior international level so this might be a year to first gain experience. The same applies to Wollongong silver medallist, Alex Robin (GBR), while bronze medallist Ignacio Flores Arana (CHI) has limited experience in the senior ranks.
This sport is nothing if not full of surprises, though. This trio or anyone else from their class could upset their older rivals, something the likes of Conway (World Cup winner in his first post-junior year in 2025) and Cantero (also a World Cup winner in his first post-junior year in 2023) have proven.