The 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship will open in Shanghai, China on October 1-2, H2O Racing has confirmed, with a four-round calendar that stretches from the Far East to the Middle East before the season closes in December.
The announcement came on March 4th and carries an immediate headline: the original Middle Eastern season opener, planned for April, has been withdrawn. H2O Racing cited current global geopolitical circumstances as the reason, moving that round to December 1-5, where it will double as the venue for the single-event Endurance World Championship. The exact location in the Middle East is yet to be confirmed.
Shanghai returns after a decade away
The October 1-2 opener in Shanghai marks Aquabike’s return to China for the first time in roughly a decade. The last race in the country took place in Qingdao in 2019. H2O Racing described the return to the Chinese megacity as much anticipated, and it represents the westernmost point on a calendar that then works its way back through the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Round two follows on October 16-18 in Olbia, on the coast of Sardinia. The Italian city has been a regular fixture on the Aquabike calendar in recent seasons and will again host single-event minor categories alongside the full World Championship programme.
Qatar and the season finale
Doha hosts round three on November 19-21, building on the successful return of Aquabike racing to Qatar in 2025. The season then concludes with the rescheduled Middle East round on December 1-5, which carries the added weight of the Endurance World Championship.
A separate Offshore World Championship round is also confirmed for late September at a European venue still to be announced.
2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit World Championship
| Dates | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 October | Shanghai | China |
| 16-18 October | Olbia, Sardinia | Italy |
| 19-21 November | Doha | Qatar |
| 1-5 December | Middle East TBA | TBA |
Offshore World Championship: Europe TBA, late September
Endurance World Championship: Middle East TBA, 1-5 December
The Powerboat News 2026 championship calendar has been updated to reflect the full Aquabike schedule.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
