The Wanda Diamond League will pay record individual prize money to more athletes in 2026, doubling the tier of "Diamond+" disciplines at every meeting and offering top prizes of $20,000 at series meets and $60,000 at the season-ending Final.
Announced this week, the 2026 adjustments build on the record-breaking overhaul introduced in 2025 without changing the overall prize pot. The total pool remains at $9.24 million for the 2026 season. The basic level of individual prize money is also unchanged - $10,000 at series meets and $30,000 at the Final - but the number of Diamond+ Disciplines at each meeting grows from four to eight.
"The adjustment reflects the Diamond League's commitment to delivering a competitive, financially sustainable and gender-equal prize money structure that benefits athletes across the full diversity of track and field," said Wanda Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny.
Under the new structure, each meeting must select Diamond+ Disciplines across a fixed template: two sprint or hurdles events (one male, one female), two long- and middle-distance events (one male, one female), two field events (one male, one female) and two additional events in any discipline split one male, one female. The result is that more events across the series now carry the enhanced money, and gender equality at the top of the prize ladder is mandatory at every venue.
Including promotional fees paid to top athletes for series appearances, the 2026 payout will reach approximately $18 million, the Diamond League said. The series has spent more than $300 million on athletes since its launch in 2010. Those numbers sit on top of further investment in athlete travel, accommodation and on-site medical and physio services.
The 2026 Diamond League season spans 15 of the most prestigious one-day meets in track and field. The calendar was reshaped earlier this month after the Doha opener was postponed from May 8 to June 19 due to the war in the Middle East, with the season now beginning in Shanghai on May 16 and progressing through Xiamen, Rabat, Rome, Stockholm, Oslo, a rescheduled Doha, Paris, Eugene, Monaco, London, Lausanne, Silesia, Zurich and Brussels.