Hamburg's anniversary weekend saves its biggest prize for last. Twenty nations line up on the Alster on Sunday at 17h CEST for the Mixed Relay World Chmpionships, and this title carries more than gold: the winning nation secures the first direct qualification spots for the LA28 Olympic Games, an automatic ticket for two men and two women to Los Angeles. Every relay leg, every changeover and every metre of the run will matter more than ever.
The stakes could hardly be higher after a Saturday that reminded everyone why this sport rewards the brave. Matt Hauser completed a Hamburg hat-trick in the men's race, Leonie Périault claimed her second straight Hamburg title in the women's, and both will lead their nations into Sunday's relay full of confidence. Australia also arrive as the reigning Mixed Relay World Champions, but Team France lands i Hamburg full of confidence after their victory in the Quiberon Mixed Relay Series three weeks ago. Whether that momentum holds when the Olympic stakes are this real is the question the weekend will answer.
The Quiberon champions look to go back to back
France will start among the favourites after their golden sweep in Quiberon, where Périault's fast opening leg, a storming French middle order and a commanding anchor leg from Dorian Coninx sealed the win. Coninx, Lombardi and Périault all return for Hamburg, joined this time by Tom Richard rather than Yanis Seguin. Périault arrives with the form of her life after winning again in Hamburg on Saturday, 30 seconds quicker than her 2025 title-winning time, while Richard was inside the top 10 in the men's individual race. 'The run is my sport,' Périault said after her win, a statement the rest of the field will have taken note of.
Italy took silver in Quiberon behind a titanic sprint from Euan De Nigro, and he lines up again alongside Nicola Azzano, Bianca Seregni and Carlotta Missaglia, the same quartet that shared the podium three weeks ago. Spain, who claimed bronze in that battle, will count this time with Alberto González García, Antonio Serrat Seoane and Marta Pintanel Raymundo, while Ana Carballo Gómez repeats in the team.
Australia and Portugal, fourth and fifth in Quiberon, both arrive with changed personnel but considerably sharper form. Australia's Quiberon quartet of Aspen Anderson, Callum McClusky, Luke Schofield and Richelle Hill has been reshaped around Hauser himself, joined by Richelle Hill, Tara Sosinski and Luke Willian, giving the Australians a first leg or anchor option who is, right now, the form triathlete in the world. Portugal will lean on Vasco Vilaça, who took Portugal into medal contention with a huge bike leg in Quiberon and followed it with second place behind Hauser in Hamburg. He is joined by Ricardo Batista, Maria Tomé and Mariana Vargem, who was part of the big lead group in Quiberon.
The rest of the contenders
Germany send out a strong home quartet in Lisa Tertsch, Franka Rust, Tim Hellwig and Henry Graf, fresh off a big weekend on this same course: Tertsch was runner-up to Périault in the women's race and Graf completed the men's podium in front of his home crowd, with Hellwig also finishing inside the top 10. Great Britain's Beth Potter, who moved to the top of the women's Series rankings with sixth place on Saturday, anchors alongside Jessica Fullagar -fresh legs, she didn´t race the Sprint race on Saturday-, Max Stapley and Oliver Conway, Stapley having been one of the standout bike legs for Great Britain in Quiberon.
The United States field Taylor Spivey and Gina Sereno alongside Seth Rider and Morgan Pearson. Spivey was fourth in Saturday's individual race and Rider, who set the fastest bike split of the men's Hamburg race, gave the Americans a share of the lead in Quiberon. New Zealand will be buoyed by the return of Hayden Wilde, who endures a Hamburg to forget individually after a penalty for an altered race number left him 27th, alongside Tayler Reid, Brea Roderick and Nicole Van Der Kaay, who was among the early leaders out of the Quiberon swim.
Hungary's Márk Dévay, who led the men's field out of the water in Hamburg on Saturday, teams up with Csongor Lehmann, Fanni Szalai and Márta Kropkó, Szalai fresh from ninth in the individual women's race. Switzerland pair Simon Westermann, who was in the Quiberon chase group, with Maxime Fluri, Nora Gmür and Anouk Danna. Luxembourg's Jeanne Lehair, eighth in Saturday's women's race and fast out of the water in Quiberon, lines up with Linda Krombach, Lucas Cambresy and David Lang.
Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk and Charles Paquet, both individual Hamburg finishers this week, team up with Desirae Ridenour and Isla Britton. Poland's Roksana Slupek, who marked her return from a broken scapula sustained in Hamburg 12 months ago with seventh place on Saturday, is joined by Matylda Wojakiewicz, Michał Oliwa and Maciej Bruzdziak. Belgium field Arnaud Mengal and Raf De Dobbelaere alongside Katrien Maes and Mit Wittemans, a changed line-up from the Jolien Vermeylen-inspired quartet that raced in Quiberon.
Brazil's Miguel Hidalgo will be looking to put a difficult Hamburg behind him after his individual disqualification on Saturday, teaming with Vinicius Avi Santana, Vittoria Lopes and Djenyfer Arnold. Japan send Takumi Hojo and Kenji Nener alongside Mako Hiraizumi and Kanae Takenaka, the Czech Republic field Martin Demuth and Filip Michalek alongside Dana Prikrylová and Heidi Juránková, and South Africa complete the entry list with Julian Birkel, William Pearson Inman, Shanae Williams and Hannah Newman.