The race to the 2026 Winter Olympics is on.

The 2025-26 ISU Speed Skating World Cup kicks off November 14-16 at the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City, Utah. Held on the fastest ice on earth, the season opener is a pivotal step on the way to Olympic qualification, serving as the first of four opportunities for each country to secure quota spots for the Games.

The competition likely will be led by American Jordan Stolz, who dominated last year's circuit. As a two-time world champion and the reigning World Cup champion in the three sprints, the 21-year-old phenom is the one to beat. Last season, he skated to an unprecedented 18-straight World Cup victories, clinched the overall titles in three distances, and set three sea-level world records by astonishing margins at his home oval in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, solidifying his position as the Olympic gold medal-favorite in his trio of specialty races. 

Very few people can match Stolz's speed, and even fewer can do so consistently. Toward the end of last season, however, the Netherlands' Jenning de Boo emerged as Stolz's fiercest rival.

Just four months older than Stolz, de Boo finished fourth in the men's 500m and second in the 1000m during his last World Cup campaign. Then, at the 2025 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championship in March, he dethroned Stolz in the 500m and earned silver in the 1000m, where Stolz took bronze (though Stolz was recovering from pneumonia and strep throat in the weeks leading up to the competition). Nonetheless, the young de Boo is a clear contender in the sprints.

Similarly on the women's side, there exists a rivalry between American and 500m juggernaut Erin Jackson and Dutch skater Femke Kok.

Despite facing a slew of health issues — ranging from herniated discs to uterine fibroids — since 2023, Jackson has remained on top of her signature event, skating to a third-straight overall World Cup title last season. The 33-year-old skater also holds the national title and the national record in the distance, both honors she earned at the rink in Salt Lake City, and stands as the reigning Olympic champion.

Jackson is set to defend her crown on both international stages this season, though Kok — the three-time reigning world champion in the distance — could pose a threat. After missing the first half of last season due to a viral infection, the 25-year-old skater exploded to win all of the five 500m races she competed in at World Cup events for a third-overall finish.

Last season, the Netherlands led the World Cup medal count with 75 — skating to the podium over 30 more times than the United States, who took second in total prizes with 44. The Dutch will look to continue their longstanding dominant streak behind skaters like de Boo, Kok, and Jutta Leerdam.

Also returning to the World Cup for the American squad is three-time Olympian Brittany Bowe. Last season, Bowe, whose 88 World Cup medals make her one of the most decorated American woman speed skaters of all time, finished 2nd in the 1000m and 6th in the 1500m. She'll find one of her biggest competitors in Japan's Miho Takagi, who earned medals in each of the three sprints at the Beijing Games, and topped the charts in both the 1000m and 1500m during the 2024-25 season.

The United States also is expected to make a strong showing in the men's team pursuit competition. Last season, the trio of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson, and Emery Lehman — who hold the world record — skated to the country's fourth-straight overall World Cup title and the first world championship gold since 2011. Dawson and Cepuran likely will be competitive in the longer distances as well.

American skaters may earn an Olympic berth in two ways:

• Earn a medal at the 2025 ISU World Single Distances Championships AND place in the top five at any two of the first four World Cups in the same distance
• Finish in the top three at any two of the first four World Cups in the same distance

However, those skaters also must compete in the same distance at Olympic Trials January 2-6, 2026, in order to remain eligible to compete at the Olympics.

The three-day competition begins Friday, November 14 at 6 p.m. ET and concludes Sunday, November 16.

All events are available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via Peacock.