World Figure Skating Championships

For the 2026 edition, see 2026 World Figure Skating Championships.

World Figure Skating Championships
Status	Active
Genre	International championship event
Frequency	Annual
Inaugurated	1896
Previous event	2026 World Championships
Next event	2027 World Championships
Organized by	International Skating Union

The gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the men's event at the 2013 World Championships: Patrick Chan of Canada (center), Denis Ten of Kazakhstan (left), and Javier Fernández of Spain (right)

The gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the women's event at the 2014 World Championships: Mao Asada of Japan (center), Yulia Lipnitskaya of Russia (left), and Carolina Kostner of Italy (right)

The gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the pairs event at the 2015 World Championships: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada (center), Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China (left), and Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China (right)

The gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the ice dance event at the 2017 World Championships: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada (center), Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France (left), and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States (right)

The World Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). The World Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating. The first World Championships were held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and they have been held ever since with only four interruptions. A separate competition for women was established in 1905, with the men's and women's events held as separate competitions for several years. Pair skating was added in 1908 and ice dance in 1952. Skaters are eligible to compete at the World Championships, provided they represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and are selected by their respective federation.

The corresponding competition for junior-level skaters is the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The corresponding competitions for synchronized skating are the World Synchronized Skating Championships and the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.

Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Ulrich Salchow of Sweden holds the record for winning the most World Championship titles in men's singles (with ten), while Sonja Henie of Norway holds the record in women's singles (also with ten). Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev of the Soviet Union hold the record in pair skating (with six), although Rodnina won an additional four titles with a previous partner. Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov of the Soviet Union hold the record in ice dance (with six), while Guillaume Cizeron of France has also won six titles in ice dance, but not with the same partner.