It ain’t over till it’s over, but it’s looking an awful lot like it might be over. In both the men’s and women’s Series, WTCS Weihai may have given us the decisive moments in which the fates of this year’s world titles are sealed. In the former, the battle between Vasco Vilaca and Matt Hauser took an unexpected twist as Hauser placed 10^th. This was the first time either contender has finished lower than 2^nd this season and puts Vilaca in control of the Series. In the latter, a fourth straight win for Cassandre Beaugrand lifts her into a commanding lead at the top of the rankings. 

On the other hand, the lesson of recent WTCS Finals is that even the seemingly impossible can be achieved and the latest swings in momentum are by no means definitive. Read on to find out all the key moves in the standings with only one round left to change course before the Series Final. Maybe it's over, or maybe the final twist is still to come.

The Women’s Series Rankings

First, a disclaimer: Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) led the Series at this stage last year and indeed shared the top spot on the eve of the Final. However, a DNF in Wollongong saw the world title swing abruptly to Lisa Tertsch. As such, Beaugrand will know all too well that year’s Series is by no means a done deal.

That being said, with a perfect 4000 points and an unbeaten record in 2026, Beaugrand is the odds-on favourite to reclaim the crown she first collected in 2024. Sitting 225 points behind her in 2^nd place is Beth Potter (GBR). The British athlete gained points in Weihai yet lost position.

Potter still has WTCS Karlovy Vary to make up ground, but Beaugrand is pencilled in to race too. Crucially, Potter has not beaten Beaugrand in the Series since 2023 and doing so in Karlovy Vary won’t be enough to draw level on points. A major reversal of fortunes will therefore be required for the 2023 world champion to end the season on top.

Next in the rankings is Tilda Månsson (SWE). The Yokohama gold medallist holds onto 3^rd place (3636.26 points) after not racing in Weihai. As she will not be in Karlovy Vary, chances are she will be more focused on defending her current position than eyeing up higher spots in the rankings.

One challenger to Månsson will be Lisa Tertsch (GER), who has moved up to 3561.26 points thanks to a fourth WTCS medal of the season (a bronze in Weihai). Everyone ahead has won at least one Series race this year, which is the difference between Tertsch and the current occupants of the top-3. Yet as last year’s WTCS Final winner, Tertsch could well strike gold again in Pontevedra.

Another athlete that was absent in Weihai, France’s Leonie Periault, maintains her hold on 5^th place and her total of 3389.18 points. Similarly, Jeanne Lehair (LUX) sits in 6^th place with an unchanged total of 3234.80 points. Lehair, however, is the only woman in the top-8 not to have improved her points total since WTCS Quiberon in June. Should she return to her form of earlier in 2026, a rise in the standings could be on the cards.

The rest of the top-10 has also seen no changes as all were absent in Weihai. Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) is solidly placed in 7^th place (2772.23 points) while Emma Lombardi (FRA) is right behind with 2751.39 points. Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) follows in 9^th overall with 2685.63 points. Taylor Spivey (USA) then rounds out the top-10 with 2682.38 points.

Diana Isakova (AIN) closed some ground to Spivey thanks to a 7^th place finish in Weihai, although with 2335.31 points she has work to do to break into the top-10. Roksana Slupek (POL) and Gwen Jorgensen (USA) likewise enjoyed top-6 finishes and have now climbed to 11^th and 12^th overall, respectively. As the only other two athletes with more than 2000 points, they are probably the only other likely contenders to break into the top-10.

The Men’s Series Rankings

How you view this section really depends on who you are rooting for to win the world title. In wonderful/devastating news (select as appropriate) Vasco Vilaca (POR) now has one hand on the Series crown, while you may be delighted/crushed to know Matthew Hauser (AUS) faces a near-impossible task of turning the tables on his rival.

For Vilaca fans, the numbers look good. The Portuguese athlete has 3850 points and one shot remaining in Karlovy Vary to boost his total ahead of Pontevedra. Meanwhile, Hauser has over 350 points to bridge – he sits on 3495.76 – and will not be in Karlovy Vary.

Assuming Vilaca does not win in Karlovy Vary, Hauser would need to win in Pontevedra and hope Vilaca finishes 6^th or worse. Given Vilaca has not finished lower than 2^nd this year and only Hauser has beaten him more than once, the chances of him not winning in Karlovy Vary or underperforming in Pontevedra seem slim.

Yet Hauser fans will have reason to believe. Last year Hauser slumped to his worst finish of the season in Karlovy Vary before rallying to an emphatic win in Wollongong. He will bring his A-game to Pontevedra and as the only one of the two contenders to have won a Final he will be able to handle his part of the world title-winning equation.

Almost the entire top-10 behind Hauser has not seen any change as a result of WTCS Weihai. Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) was absent and maintains his total of 3040.67 points in 3^rd place. Luke Willian (AUS) endured a DNF in Weihai and remains in 4^th place with 2480.62 points.

Ricardo Batista (POR – 2470.62 points), Csongor Lehmann (HUN – 2432.22 points) and Tom Richard (FRA – 2429.56 points) follow having not raced in Weihai. Henry Graf (GER) was another to opt out of WTCS Weihai. He holds onto 8^th place and is the highest ranked man with only three scores. He will therefore improve upon his 2407.03 points simply by finishing in Karlovy Vary.

Alberto Gonzalez Garcia (ESP) was the only climber in the top-10 besides Hauser. A 9^th place finish, his fourth top-10 result of the year, elevates him to 9^th overall with 2383.43 points. That nudged him ahead of Charles Paquet (CAN) who has 2319.81 points, although like Graf Paquet only has three scores to his name and could make up a lot of ground in Karlovy Vary.

Finally, a first medal of 2026 has moved David Cantero del Campo (ESP) up to 11^th overall with 2271.17 points. As a medallist at last year’s Final, Cantero will hope to maintain his late-season form and barge his way up the standings.