The 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships begin October 17 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Team USA’s top male and female gymnasts set their sights on a medal haul in Holland.
The American women enter the Netherlands as the defending Olympic and world champions, led by 2024 Olympic team gold medalist Hezly Rivera and four-time world team member Skye Blakely. Should the U.S. women defend their title in Rotterdam, it will mark a historic eighth consecutive world team victory.
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After winning surprise bronze medals at the 2024 Olympics and 2023 World Championships, the U.S. men hope to do one – or two – spots better in Holland, and are led by Olympic bronze medalist and U.S. National Champion Frederick Richard.
U.S. Gymnasts Arrive At World Championships With Limited Experience, Big Potential
Competition begins Saturday, October 17, with the men’s qualification round, followed by the women’s qualification round on Sunday, October 18. Both the men’s and women’s teams must finish in the top eight in qualifying to reach the all-important team final, where they vie for medals.
On the individual front, top all-around contenders – like Rivera and Richard – must qualify within the top 24 to reach the all-around finals. On the individual apparatuses, athletes must qualify within the top eight.
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There’s one more catch: the two-per-country rule. In order to reach an all-around or event final, an athlete must also finish within the top two from his or her delegation.
Established in after Romanian gymnasts initially swept the all-around podium at the 2000 Olympics, the rule limits each country to two athletes per final, regardless of how well its third-, fourth- and fifth-best gymnasts may have performed.
Though expectations are always high for the U.S. gymnastics team, this year’s competition comes after the U.S. women delivered their worst performance at a world championship since 2001. While the 2025 women’s team was depleted and devoid of any Olympians, this year’s team is far from short on talent.
Here’s how and when to watch Team USA go for gold.
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Team USA’s Schedule in Rotterdam
Athletes will compete in Rotterdam’s Ahoy arena, and all qualifying subdivisions will be streamed by Eurovision Sport, which is free to view with an account. The team finals, all-around finals, and apparatus finals will also be broadcast on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12:10 p.m. ET on Eurovision Sport – Men’s Qualifications (Sub. 4)
Sunday, Oct. 18 at 10:10 a.m. ET on Eurovision Sport – Women’s Qualifications (Sub. 1)
Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Men’s Team Final
Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Women’s Team Final
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Thursday, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Men’s All-Around Final
Friday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Women’s All-Around Final
Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8:00 a.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Apparatus Finals Day 1 (Women’s Vault, Uneven Bars, Men’s Floor, Pommel Horse, Still Rings)
Sunday, Oct. 25 at 9:00 a.m. ET on Peacock & NBCSN – Apparatus Finals Day 1 (Women’s Floor, Balance Beam, Men’s Vault, Parallel Bars, High Bar)
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
