ISU Announces 2026-2027 Grand Prix Assignments, Setting the Stage for the Post-Olympic Figure Skating Race

The International Skating Union (ISU) has officially released the 2026-2027 Grand Prix assignments, resetting the global figure skating standings and kicking off the race to the prestigious Grand Prix Final.[1]

Coming off the highly anticipated Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the sport is entering a brand-new quadrennial. The ISU World Standings have been updated to reflect the post-Olympic landscape, shedding retired veterans and elevating a new generation of champions to top-seeded status.[2]

The Grand Prix series serves as the premier annual circuit in figure skating. Elite skaters are assigned to a maximum of two out of six international events, where they compete to accumulate points based on their final placements.[4]

The ultimate goal is the Grand Prix Final, held this December in Chongqing, China. Only the top six point-earners across the six events in each of the four disciplines—men's, women's, pairs, and ice dance—will qualify for the exclusive championship.[1][6]

In the men's division, the standings are currently dominated by American phenom Ilia Malinin. After securing his third consecutive World title in Prague this past March, Malinin enters the new season as the undisputed World No. 1 and the skater to beat.[2][3]

Malinin's path to the Final will run through Skate America in Everett, Washington, and the Grand Prix de France in Angers. His primary challengers in the standings include Japan's Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato, both of whom captured medals at the Milano-Cortina Games and hold top seeds.[2][6]

The women's field is experiencing a massive shakeup following the retirement of Japanese legend and multi-time World Champion Kaori Sakamoto, who stepped away from competitive skating to pursue coaching after the 2026 Worlds.[2]

With Sakamoto exiting the active standings, reigning Olympic and World Champion Alysa Liu of the United States takes over the top seed. Liu is slated to headline the Cup of China and Skate America, positioning her favorably in the race to Chongqing.[2][3]

Hot on Liu's heels in the World Standings are Belgium's Loena Hendrickx and Japan's rising star Mao Shimada. Both skaters have secured prime Grand Prix assignments and are heavily favored to accumulate the points necessary to reach the Final.[4][5]

The pairs discipline is currently experiencing a thrilling renaissance. The American duo of Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, who captured a historic Olympic gold in the team event in Italy, are surging up the global rankings.[3][7]

They will face stiff competition on the circuit from Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, as well as Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, setting up a remarkably tight race for the pairs podium.[4][6]

In ice dance, the standings reflect a fascinating mix of established veterans and hungry newcomers. With several top teams taking the post-Olympic season off to rest, the door has swung wide open for mid-ranked teams to climb the ISU World Standings and secure a coveted Final spot.[4][5]

The Grand Prix assignments are far from random; they are strictly governed by the ISU's complex seeding system. This system relies heavily on the official World Standings and the previous season's World Championship results to ensure fair distribution of talent.[1][4]

Skaters who finished in the top six at the World Championships are guaranteed two assignments. This provides them two opportunities to earn the maximum 15 points awarded for a Grand Prix victory, making their path to the Final significantly smoother.[1][4]

For lower-ranked skaters, the race is much more precarious. Securing even a single assignment requires a high season's best score, and advancing to the Final from a single event is mathematically impossible, making every placement and point absolutely crucial for their global standing.[4][5]

As off-season training intensifies around the world, the newly released assignments provide a clear roadmap for the sport's elite. The race to Chongqing is officially underway, and every jump, spin, and lift this autumn will dictate the new hierarchy of the 2030 Olympic cycle.[1][2]