2025 XCO World Championships: favorites, schedules, and how to watch for free

The 2025 Mountain Bike World Championship will take place in Valais (Switzerland) from September 1 to 14 with a program spread across several iconic venues of international MTB such as Zermatt, Crans-Montana, Champéry, and Verbier.

2025 MTB World Championship Schedule

• September 1 - Enduro & E-MTB Enduro | Aletsch Arena / Bellwald
• September 4 - E-MTB Cross-Country | Aletsch Arena / Bellwald
• September 5 - Pump Track | Monthey 
• September 6 - Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) | Verbier - Val d'Anniviers
• September 7 - Downhill (DH) | Champéry
• September 9 - Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) | Zermatt
• September 11 – Team Relay | Crans-Montana
• September 14 - Olympic Cross-Country (XCO) and Mixed Relays | Crans-Montana

Favorites to win the XCO World Championships

The Olympic cross-country (XCO) events will take place over the last three days of the World Championships. On Friday, the junior titles will be decided, while on Saturday the men's U23 and women's elite races will be held. Sunday will see the grand finale with the women's U23 and men's elite events. All competitions will be held on a technical 3.5-kilometer circuit with a 190-meter elevation gain per lap, designed to test both the physical condition and skill of the riders.

The men's elite promises an unforgettable show. Nino Schurter, with ten world titles under his belt, will compete in Crans-Montana in one of his last races as a professional. The Swiss rider has already announced that he will retire after this World Championship and the World Cup in Lenzerheide, so he will be racing in front of his fans with his emotions running high. Even so, the title is wide open. Christopher Blevins leads the World Cup and arrives as the favorite, but Chile's Martín Vidaurre has been hot on his heels throughout the season. Luca Martin, after winning in Les Gets, is in great form, as is Alan Hatherly, world champion in 2024. Luca Braidot and Mathias Flückiger, who already know what it's like to be on the podium at the World Championships, will also be rivals to watch out for. Lars Forster cannot be ruled out either, nor can Mathieu van der Poel's big comeback. The Dutchman, who already won bronze in Lenzerheide in 2018, returns to XCO with the aim of finally winning the rainbow jersey that has eluded him for years.

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How to Watch the 2025 MTB World Championship

The UCI has confirmed that all events will be available through their official YouTube channel, although with possible geoblocking depending on the country. 

In addition, there will be coverage in Europe on Eurosport, HBO Max, and Discovery+, and in other countries it will be broadcast through FloBikes (USA and Canada), Direct TV (South America), or SuperSport Action HD (Africa), among others.