Recomended bookmakers

up to 5000 USDT Visit

Visit

Up to 300 USD Visit

The 2025–26 season of the Biathlon World Cup is, according to official sources, the 49th season for men and the 44th for women. Hence, Oberhof 2026 is one of the World Cup “stops” within the season.

The BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026 is scheduled for 8 – 11 January 2026, in the city is Oberhof, Germany. The 2026 edition in Oberhof will be the 34th time the World Cup has been held in this tourist town in the state of Thuringia. As a World Cup stage, Oberhof is among the most important regular-season events in biathlon. The results contribute to overall season standings (overall, sprint, pursuit, etc.) for both men and women.

The Biathlon World Cup (including the Oberhof stage) is organized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) – the IOC-recognized international governing body for this winter sport. The local event organization at Oberhof is handled by Oberhofer Sport und Event GmbH.

Venue, Format, and Prize Pool Overview for the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026

The BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026 will be held at Lotto Thüringen Arena am Rennsteig, which, of course, puts the event in an outdoor environment. It’s a winter biathlon stadium in a forested, mountainous region. For the previous edition (2025) at the same venue, there were 287 athletes involved, with 28 nations registered. It’s reasonable to expect a similar ballpark for 2026, though the exact number for next year’s competition isn’t publicly published yet.

Neither the Oberhof event website nor the main circuit pages reference prize-money amounts for World Cup stops; instead, the sport’s structure emphasises World Cup points (for season-long rankings) rather than cash rewards. For example, the season overview is framed around the overall World Cup standings rather than payouts. The only type of “payment” referenced in IBU documents relates to participation support for federations — covering travel/participation cost contributions, not performance-based prize money.  Therefore, there’s no publicly documented prize pool for 2026 Oberhof, and no known distribution scheme (e.g., how much for first, second, etc.).

Participating Athletes in the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026 and Qualification Overview

For the 2025-26 season, many of the top nations (and their full squads) have already been named. For instance, one of the major nations in biathlon, the Norwegian biathlon federation (NSSF), has selected 36 athletes to its national team (including elite, recruit, and U23). Additionally, some smaller or “non-traditional” biathlon nations also participate under IBU – historically, at Oberhof, there have been entries even from countries like Australia. So: the field typically includes dozens of national teams and hundreds of biathletes (men and women) — a mix of top World-Cup regulars and their supporting squads — from across the biathlon world.

Participation in a World Cup event such as Oberhof isn’t “open to anyone” — athletes (and teams) must meet certain qualification/selection criteria. Here’s how it works under IBU rules + national-team selection processes:

• The IBU uses a qualifying-points system: biathletes accumulate “IBU qualifying points” through performances in lower-level competitions (e.g., the IBU Cup, junior championships, etc.) or by previous World-Cup or World-Championship results.
• According to recent IBU regulations (2025/26), for individual & sprint races, athletes can be grouped based on their World Cup standing or qualifying-points threshold.
• National federations (NFs) decide which of their athletes fill their allocated quota spots for a given World Cup stage. Quotas per nation depend on their “Nation Cup” score or overall performance. For example, a strong nation like Norway may carry a full squad (elite + reserves + development levels), while smaller nations may send only a handful of top-qualified athletes.

Structure and Race Format of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026

A Biathlon World Cup stop doesn’t have “stages” in the sense of playoffs or groups. Instead, each event weekend consists of multiple race types, each awarding World Cup points. A standard Oberhof weekend typically features six races, three per gender:

• Sprint
• Pursuit
• Relay

As for the format, biathlon events use a timed-race competition format, where each athlete competes against the entire field, and standings are determined by finish time, shooting accuracy, and penalties. Below is the format for each race type traditionally held at Oberhof:

Sprint (men: 10 km/women: 7.5 km)

• Athletes start individually at intervals (usually 30 seconds).
• Two shooting bouts: prone + standing.
• Penalty: one 150 m loop per miss.
• Ranking: purely by finish time.

Pursuit (men: 12.5 km/women: 10 km)

• Start order based on sprint results, with athletes starting at time gaps equal to their sprint deficits.
• Four shooting bouts: prone, prone, standing, standing.
• Penalty: 150 m loop per miss.
• First to cross the finish line wins.

No elimination — all athletes race the full distance unless lapped in sprint or pursuit, but that is rare.

Relay (men 4×7.5 km/women 4×6 km)

• Teams of four.
• Two shooting bouts per athlete (prone + standing).
• Extra rounds: each athlete gets three spare rounds per bout before penalty loops.
• Penalty: 150 m loop per miss after using spares.
• First team across the finish wins.

World Cup events are non-elimination. All races award World Cup points according to finish position. Athletes accumulate points toward:

• Overall World Cup standings
• Discipline standings

The BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026 Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Based on recent World Cup performance trends, national team strength for the 2025–26 season, and typical dominance at Oberhof’s challenging terrain, the following athletes stand out as favorites:

• Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (NOR). One of the world’s most complete active biathletes, consistently strong in both skiing and shooting.
• Sturla Holm Lægreid (NOR). One of the most accurate shooters in the world.
• Elvira Öberg (SWE). She thrives on difficult courses where raw speed can decide tight races.
• Hanna Öberg (SWE). A world-class all-rounder.
• Julia Simon (FRA). A clutch performer with elite pursuit skills.

Dark horses might come from Italy, which is led by athletes with exceptional shooting consistency, Austria, which occasionally produces surprise podiums in the sprint, and Switzerland – steady progression and solid relay chemistry.

Biathlon betting markets typically include:

• Race winner
• Top-3 / top-6 finish
• Sprint/pursuit specialized bets
• Head-to-head athlete matchups
• Relay betting
• Prop markets like shooting accuracy or fastest ski time

For Oberhof specifically, shooting markets and relay markets become more valuable because weather conditions often affect shooting consistency. You can find biathlon World Cup markets at major betting companies in Europe, especially those that offer winter sports coverage.

The BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon events, including Oberhof 2026, are typically broadcast on:

Europe

• Eurosport (pan-European rights)
• ARD / ZDF (Germany) — especially strong coverage of Oberhof
• NRK (Norway)
• SVT (Sweden)
• France TV / L’Équipe (France)

International streaming

• Eurosport Player / Discovery+
• IBU’s YouTube channel often streams non-geo-restricted content, highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes material.

Live timing & data

• Official IBU website (biathlonworld.com)
• The IBU app (live times, shooting info, standings, tracking)

Pros and Cons of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Oberhof 2026 Favorites