Battles were fought for the rights to host the 2028 Canoe Marathon World Championships and the 2028 Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships after strong bids were presented at the ICF Board of Directors meeting in London, England. 

Banyoles, Spain, was awarded the 2028 Canoe Marathon World Championships after beating Pitesti-Bascov, Romania, and Ponte de Lima, Portugal. "It's a happy moment, because we want the best venues to host international competitions in Spain. Banyoles is one of the most suitable places to hold these World Championships. It is fantastic for us," said Javier Hernanz, President of the Royal Spanish Canoeing Federation. 

Montemor-o-Velho in Portugal will host the 2028 Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships after the Portuguese delegation beat off competition from Slovakia, Poland and Romania to win the vote. "We are delighted with the awarding of these World Championships," said Vitor Felix, President of the Portuguese Canoe Federation. 

"We submitted two bids, one for the Canoe Marathon World Championships and the other for the Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships. We are very happy with the results. We have been organising international events since 2009, so this is proof of the ICF's confidence in the Portuguese organisation," he added. 

The ICF Board also decided on the venues for the 2026 Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint World Cups. Among the five venues for the 2026 Canoe Slalom World Cups will be Vaires-sur-Marne in France - the venue of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The other venues will be Augsburg in Germany, La Seu in Spain, Prague in the Czech Republic and Tacen in Slovenia. 

Krakow in Poland has been awarded the right to host the Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2028. A combined Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in 2026 has been approved for Brandenburg, Germany. ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups will also be held in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Szeged (Hungary) in 2026, following confirmation by the ICF Board.  Montemor-o-Velho has been awarded the 2025 Canoe Sprint Masters World Championships. 

A total of four ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships have been awarded for the years 2025 to 2028. Durban in South Africa will host the 2025 edition, followed by Vila Joiosa in Spain, in 2026, Tahiti in 2027 and Cherbourg, France in 2028. It was also agreed that Réunion will host a Canoe Ocean Racing World Cup from 15-17 November 2024. 

The International Canoe Federation Board has agreed to award two editions of the Stand Up Paddling World Championships, with Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2025 and Sicily, Italy, in 2026. Sarasota in the United States had been scheduled to host the 2026 edition but will now play host in 2027 to accommodate Sicily. 

Other hosts include Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic for the 2025 World Wildwater Canoe Championships and Solkan in Slovenia for the 2025 World Wildwater Canoe Junior and U23 Championships. Vejen in Denmark has been awarded the right to host the Canoe Polo World Championships in 2028. 

Representatives from each of the Continental Federations and the Chairs of each of the ICF's 10 Standing Committees and Commissions gathered in London for the Board meeting hosted by Paddle UK on 5-6 April.

The International Canoe Federation is the governing body for canoeing worldwide, with 171 affiliated National Canoe Federations and 10 disciplines - Sprint, Slalom, Paracanoe, Wildwater, Marathon, Canoe Polo, Freestyle, Ocean Racing, Dragon Boat and SUP. 

Canoeing has two Olympic disciplines, with Sprint introduced at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and Slalom at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Paracanoe also made its debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games with Paracanoe.